"How is it, Edward?" Daphne asked, her voice tinged with worry.

Like Malfoy and Pansy, she gripped her wand tightly, scanning the darkness around them, but her concern for the unicorn kept pulling her attention back.

She kept glancing over at Edward.

"The bleeding's stopped, but it's still weak. It needs rest," Edward said, exhaling in relief.

When he'd applied the potion, the unicorn's pained groans had made him second-guess whether he'd grabbed the right one. Thankfully, the potion worked quickly.

The silver blood had finally stopped flowing from the wound on the unicorn's side, though it still needed time to recover.

The other three young wizards visibly brightened.

Though they'd been reluctant at first, saving an innocent magical creature—especially one as breathtaking and elegant as a unicorn—felt like an accomplishment.

"I can't even imagine how beautiful it must be when it's healthy!" Pansy said, her eyes wide with awe. Like most young girls, she couldn't resist the creature's charm.

"That scared me to death. I thought we'd lost it with all that blood on the ground," Malfoy said, letting out a heavy sigh.

Saving the unicorn also meant they could leave this creepy forest and head back to the common room.

Malfoy never wanted to set foot in this place again—especially not at night. Strange rustling sounds echoed around them, and he could've sworn he heard a wolf howl in the distance.

It made him think of werewolves prowling under a full moon.

Thankfully, tonight's moon was bright but not full.

"Come here, Daphne. Look, it's okay now," Edward called, waving over the still-anxious Daphne.

She stumbled toward the unicorn, nearly tripping over a tree root in her haste.

Daphne gently stroked the creature's pure white mane, her face a mix of solemnity and tenderness—a look Edward had never seen on her before.

As if sensing her genuine care, the unicorn seemed to calm, its earlier restlessness fading.

"Pansy, if you want, you can come take a look. You might even be able to touch it, but don't go near the wound," Edward said, brushing dirt and leaves off his cloak as he waved her over.

"Draco, I know you're dying to get closer, but adult unicorns aren't too fond of males, so… maybe next time," he added with a helpless shrug, noticing Malfoy's eager expression.

Malfoy huffed, staying put and craning his neck to get a better look at the unicorn.

His wand had a unicorn hair core, for Merlin's sake! Why could Edward get close, but not him?

It wasn't fair!

When he got home for the holidays, he'd tell his father to figure out a way to get a unicorn at Malfoy Manor—one he could touch, maybe even ride. Let everyone be jealous!

But his grand plans were cut short by a strange, scuttling sound.

Malfoy's ears pricked up. He gripped his wand—a glorified stick at this point—and looked around in a panic.

It wasn't just him. Edward, Daphne, Pansy, and even the injured unicorn lifted their heads, alerted by the odd noise.

The faint rustling grew into a distinct click-clack, click-clack.

It sounded like the snapping of crab claws.

Malfoy didn't care about appearances anymore. With a yelp, he bolted from the edge of the clearing to stand next to the unicorn—or, more accurately, next to Edward.

"What now?!" he cried.

Edward's heightened senses cut through the midnight gloom of the Forbidden Forest, seeing farther than before.

His face grew grave.

Each creature was as big as a carriage horse, with eight gleaming eyes, eight legs, and bristly black bodies.

The click-clack came from their massive pincers.

Acromantulas. A whole swarm of them!

How were these monsters in the Forbidden Forest?

Though it was a topic for older students, Edward had read about them briefly. Acromantulas were native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia.

Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest, in the chilly Scottish Highlands, shouldn't have been their habitat!

But there was no time to dwell on that now.

The Acromantulas must have smelled the unicorn's blood and come to claim a share.

And yet, Edward knew that compared to the unicorn, the spiders would likely find the four students far more appetizing.

Acromantulas were vicious by nature, and their favorite meal wasn't unicorn or other animals—it was human flesh.

"Behind me, all three of you!" Edward roared, drawing his sword with a sharp tug.

The other three were frozen, overwhelmed. They'd never seen spiders this massive before, let alone six or seven of them, circling so tightly there was barely an escape.

"Edward, what—what do we do now?" Malfoy stammered, his words tripping over themselves.

"I knew I shouldn't have come with you lot!" Pansy's teeth chattered, her voice so high-pitched it was practically bat territory.

"They're after the unicorn, right?" Daphne asked, her fear evident but tempered by the thought of the injured creature behind her, fueling her courage.

"Maybe at first," Edward said, scanning their surroundings for a plan. "But now, I think they're more interested in us."

He'd tried using his senses to communicate with the spiders, but they refused.

Why would they bother talking to their food?

"You okay? Can you move?" Edward asked the unicorn through his senses.

Though weak, the unicorn nodded and struggled to its feet.

Magical creatures like this had remarkable recovery abilities. Once the bleeding stopped, their strength returned quickly.

"Good. I'm going to charge in and draw their attention to make an opening. You three, ride it and get out!" Edward ordered.

"What about you?" the three young wizards blurted out in unison.

"I'm fast. Once you're safe, I'll be right behind you. Remember what I taught you—Disarming Charm and Shield Charm! Go!"

There was no time for more explanations. Flames erupted along Edward's sword.

Spiders fear fire, and big ones have weak spots at their joints—Edward remembered it clearly. Now was the perfect time to use flames against them.

As for the consequences of setting a forest fire? Let Hagrid, the groundskeeper, deal with that!

Edward took a deep breath, his breathing technique surging within him, and launched himself at the encroaching Acromantulas.

Sparks of firelight flickered in the dark depths of the Forbidden Forest.