"Is this real?"
Harry opened his eyes, swallowed hard, and stared in disbelief.
The passage before them was littered with the corpses of eight-eyed giant spiders, leaving only a narrow path in the middle. The sheer number stretched far and wide.
"You cleaned out the whole nest, didn't you?" Fred asked, still trying to process what he was seeing. He had expected to collect maybe a few dozen, but now…
He glanced down at the large sack in his hand, wondering if he should go back and grab a few more. David, noticing his hesitation, quickly interjected, "There will be more opportunities in the future. Just use a Shrinking Charm, and you can fit more."
Fred's face lit up. "Good idea!" He turned to George, and together, they happily waded into the sea of spiders, eager to collect their bounty.
Harry and the others hesitated before following suit, cutting the valuable stingers from the massive spiders. Only Ron remained frozen beside David, his face pale. The lure of Galleons had briefly overridden his deepest fear, but now, surrounded by the monstrous bodies, reality had set in.
"David…" Ron's voice wavered. "There aren't any still alive… are there?"
David shook his head. "Nope. If there were, they'd have attacked us by now. Look, even Harry and the others are cutting them up without trouble."
Ron gulped, still unconvinced, but the promise of gold was stronger than his fear. Tentatively, he stepped toward the nearest spider corpse. With a trembling hand, he nudged it with his foot. The carcass shifted slightly but remained motionless.
Letting out a breath, Ron finally relaxed. He squatted down and, with great reluctance, began using a severing charm to remove the spider's massive stinger.
Fred exchanged a mischievous glance with George, both smirking. Poor Ron…
David sighed, already feeling sympathy for what was about to happen.
Fred subtly whispered an incantation, his wand stirring just slightly.
"Ron, look!" George suddenly shouted, pointing at a pile of spider corpses.
"What?" Ron lifted his head just in time to see movement—a spider shifting among the bodies, as if something was crawling out.
"MUM!" Ron shrieked, stumbling backward. He landed on his rear with a painful thud, but the terror kept him from noticing. Letting out another panicked yell, he scrambled to his feet and bolted behind David.
"Fred's messing with you," David said, exasperated. With a flick of his wand, he dispersed the pile, revealing a half-mutilated spider twitching unnaturally under Fred's control.
"FRED!" Ron's face turned red with rage. His fear was now replaced by pure indignation. With an angry roar, he charged at his mischievous brother.
Fred, realizing he had pushed too far, quickly backed away. "Alright, alright! I was wrong! My dear brother, I promise I won't prank you again!"
Ron, still fuming, stopped just short of the spider pile, torn between his anger and his refusal to step any closer to the creatures.
David decided to intervene. "I'll keep an eye on Fred. He won't mess with you again."
After a long glare at Fred, Ron finally huffed and returned to his work, muttering under his breath.
For the rest of their time there, Fred kept his promise and focused solely on extracting spider parts. David, meanwhile, helped Harry and the others pack their cuttings, as their Shrinking Charms weren't as precise.
By the time they had filled their bags, everyone was exhausted. With aching arms and sore backs, they made their way to the pipe leading back up.
Ron stared at the steep, slippery passage and groaned. "David… how exactly are we getting back up?"
"Levitating Charm. We just float up," David said casually.
"Float up?" Ron repeated, looking horrified. He knew his own spellwork wasn't steady enough to get him up safely without plummeting halfway through.
David reconsidered. "Alright, I'll go up first and drop a rope for you. We can pull you up instead."
"Brilliant idea!" Ron said immediately.
David climbed first, using his magic to pull himself up quickly. As he reached the girls' bathroom above, he found Myrtle floating nearby, humming off-key.
"David! When did you get here?" she asked, surprised.
"This morning, but you weren't here. Where did you go?" he asked, securing the rope.
Myrtle's mood seemed unusually good. "I went out for a walk."
David smiled. "Had a good day? Anything special?"
Myrtle twirled happily. "It's my birthday today!"
David blinked. "Really? Happy birthday! I wish I'd known earlier—I would have gotten you a present."
"Oh, that's okay," Myrtle said, but her smile brightened.
One by one, David helped pull the others up. Once everyone was out, they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. Fred had already arranged for their collected stingers to be sent to Diagon Alley.
That night, Harry and Ron collapsed into bed, completely drained. As they drifted into deep sleep, David quietly slipped out of the dormitory.
In the common room, Hermione was curled up on the sofa, absorbed in a book. She looked up at him with a knowing smile. "Ready?"
David nodded. "Did you prepare everything?"
Hermione smirked. "Not telling. What about you?"
"Not telling either."
She huffed playfully but grabbed his hand, leading him out the portrait hole.
Down in the Hogwarts kitchen, the house-elves greeted them eagerly. "Is the cake ready?" David asked.
"Yes, sir!" A house-elf snapped his fingers, revealing a beautifully decorated cake featuring Myrtle's portrait and a cheerful birthday message.
David's eyes widened. "This is amazing! The most beautiful birthday cake I've ever seen!"
The house-elves beamed with pride. After thanking them, David and Hermione carried the cake to the second-floor girls' bathroom.
Myrtle was singing terribly off-key when they arrived. "Myrtle!" Hermione called softly.
Myrtle stopped mid-note and floated over. "Hermione? What are you doing here?"
Hermione revealed the cake. "What do you think?"
Myrtle gasped. "A birthday cake? For me?"
"Of course! Happy birthday!"
David set up a small table, and they lit the candles. Myrtle made a wish, her expression soft with emotion, then blew them out.
Hermione handed her a small wrapped gift. "This is for you."
Myrtle tried to take it, but her ghostly hands passed through. Looking disheartened, she watched as Hermione unwrapped it for her—three enchanted flowers that emitted different scents.
David then revealed his own gift: a magical frame that displayed moving pictures of Hogwarts, the outside world, and humorous wizarding moments.
Myrtle stared at the images, her eyes shimmering. "Thank you…" she whispered, truly touched.
Sitting together, sharing cake and laughter, Myrtle felt something she hadn't in years.
It felt like having friends… and it was wonderful.