The Forbidden Forest, a vast woodland stretching along the edge of Hogwarts' grounds, was—as its name suggested—off-limits to students under normal circumstances. Yet today, the forest had an unexpected visitor: a first-year wizard from Hogwarts.
Harry, wand in hand, stepped into the Forbidden Forest. Snow blanketed the ground, reaching up to his knees, and stretched endlessly in all directions. The world before him was a vast expanse of white, covering both earth and sky. Only the thick, towering tree trunks that stood like ancient sentinels served as a reminder that he was in a forest at all.
The snow was deep, and after trudging through it for a while, Harry found it increasingly difficult to move. Deciding to make things easier, he used Transfiguration to turn a bundle of branches into skis, gliding slowly through the forest. Occasionally, a piercing gust of wind would sweep through, lifting the snow and hurling it into his face.
A cold and eerie silence hung over the winter-stricken Forbidden Forest. Stripped of their leaves, the barren branches twisted like skeletal fingers, reaching toward the gray, overcast sky. When the wind passed through them, it carried a mournful howl, whispering ancient and forbidden secrets.
Finding suitable prey in this weather was proving to be quite the challenge. In fact, twenty minutes had passed, and Harry had yet to see even a single bird, let alone a creature that could grant him experience points.
Another half hour later, still empty-handed, Harry was just about to change direction when something unusual caught his eye. A wide trail—about five feet across—cut through the snow to his left, winding deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
With a flick of his palm, magic surged forth, conjuring an illusion of a large, rotund figure beside him. Controlling the illusion to follow closely behind, Harry cautiously approached the trail. Upon closer inspection, he noticed another set of disturbances on either side of the path, as though something—or someone—had been dragging multiple sticks along the snow while moving forward.
As Harry crouched down to examine the tracks, a massive spider, over seven feet in diameter, silently descended from the trees above. Its body was encased in a hard, black exoskeleton, and its eight green eyes gleamed with a chilling aura of death.
Without a sound, it landed just behind the larger-looking figure and raised its powerful front legs, preparing to strike down with lethal force.
Schkk! A sharp sound echoed from behind Harry as the spider's blade-like limbs pierced the snow. The moment he heard it, Harry reacted instantly, unleashing two Thunderwave spells behind him without even looking. At the same time, he rolled forward, pushing off the ground with his right hand mid-air, twisting his body in a graceful spin before landing and turning to face his assailant.
Caught off guard, the Acromantula was sent tumbling several meters away by the force of the spells. As it struggled to right itself and prepare for another attack, Harry raised his right hand, summoning a blazing bonfire beneath the creature.
The fire ignited its lower body, and the Acromantula let out a shrill screech, instinctively leaping into the air. However, before it could land, Harry made a sweeping motion with his hand, scattering a thick layer of sticky oil over the spider, the surrounding snow, and the raging flames beneath it.
A second later—
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion shook the forest. A shockwave sent piles of snow cascading from the trees, revealing a charred crater half a meter deep at the center of the blast.
Surveying the scattered remnants of his foe, Harry pulled out his status card and checked his progress. "Only 200 XP? Damn, for a second I thought I'd run into a Level 5 Spider Queen… Turns out it was just a Level 1 Acromantula. Tch."
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Harry soon heard a familiar skittering sound coming from the surrounding trees. Moments later, two more Acromantulas emerged, moving to flank him.
Seeing the two spiders, each towering over six feet tall, Harry licked his lips in excitement. That was 400 XP walking straight to him!
Two more explosions echoed through the snowy forest, leaving behind yet another pair of craters and a mess of dismembered limbs.
"Come to think of it," Harry mused aloud, "I remember reading in my mother's potions notes that Acromantulas are classified as XXXXX-level magical creatures. How much was their venom worth again per pint? Eh, whatever. Might as well collect it all and sell it to Professor Snape later."
With 600 XP added to his total, Harry gleefully began gathering his spoils of war, feeling one step closer to reaching Level 3.
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At precisely one o'clock in the afternoon, Harry arrived at Snape's office and knocked politely on the door.
"Enter."
Snape's icy voice came from within. The moment he saw that it was Harry Potter who had entered, his tone dropped another eight degrees.
"Potter, I trust you wouldn't be foolish enough to come here just to wish me a Merry Christmas?"
"Oh!" Harry exclaimed as if he had just remembered something. He waved his hand casually. "Merry Christmas, Professor Snape."
Snape's expression twitched ever so slightly. "Get to the point, or get out."
"Professor, do you purchase potion ingredients? Say… Acromantula venom?" Harry pulled out a bottle of thick green liquid and gave it a shake.
"Acromantula venom?! Where did you—? You didn't actually go into the Forbidden Forest to fight Acromantulas, did you?"
"Of course not, how could I?" Harry shook his head innocently—what a joke! That wasn't even a fight; it was just a simple hunt. Besides, students caught sneaking into the Forbidden Forest could get detention and have house points deducted.
Snape said nothing. He simply stood there, staring at Harry with an unreadable expression.
"…Let me see it."
After a long pause, Snape flicked his wand, and the bottle of venom floated into his hand. Examining its contents, he muttered, "Hmm… Not bad quality. I'll give you ninety Galleons."
He turned to his desk, pulled out a pouch of gold coins, counted out ninety Galleons, and handed them to Harry.
---
The next day, at one o'clock sharp, Harry knocked on Snape's office door again and received another 90 Galleons.
The third day, same time, same routine. Another 90 Galleons.
On the fourth day, just as Harry was about to knock, the door opened on its own—and, as expected, another 90 Galleons were handed over.
On the fifth day, at precisely 1:20 PM, Snape grabbed Harry by the collar and personally knocked on the door of Dumbledore's office.
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