Windfall

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"Why are you attacking us, centaurs?" Aragog's voice seethed with anger.

"How dare you accuse us? The acromantulas attacked our territory first, harming our kin and children" Bane roared back angrily.

"We had no choice. The terrifying entity from the castle 50 years ago has returned. The ancient creatures our spiders fear the most. I remember it vividly. It's more powerful than ever" Aragog muttered somewhat crazily to himself.

Bane, Ronan, and Firenze had no patience for Aragog's ramblings. They urged Ethan to personally avenge them and put an end to Aragog. Ethan nodded in agreement.

The three centaurs raised their bows and arrows simultaneously. With Aragog's furious and reluctant roar, three arrows pierced his forehead, silencing his frantic cries. In the Forbidden Forest, a creature that had survived for fifty years took its last breath.

In gratitude for avenging them, Bane, Ronan, and Firenze bowed solemnly to Ethan. They thanked him for helping eliminate the biggest threat to the centaurs and invited him to return with them to partake in the celebratory banquet.

Ethan eyed the massive corpse of Aragog and the numerous spiders greedily. These were valuable materials.

Unfortunately, many acromantulas corpses were destroyed by bombs, rendering them useless. Nevertheless, Ethan managed to extract a significant amount of venom from the remaining spiders. The price of acromantula venom was exorbitant, reaching up to 100 Galleons per pint.

The venom became the most lucrative outcome of Ethan's expedition, surpassing his earnings from witch hunts in that world. Ethan earnestly hoped for more similar assignments in the future.

Observing Ethan enthusiastically dissecting Aragog's colossal head, Bane, Ronan, and Firenze were perplexed. Despite repeatedly stating that bringing back Aragog's head wasn't necessary to validate the mission's success, Ethan insisted it was a witcher tradition. The centaurs, deciding not to intervene in Ethan's peculiar behavior, dispersed to retrieve their arrows.

As it turned out, leaving the scene swiftly was the best course of action when trouble arose. The commotion and flames in the Forbidden Forest quickly attracted the attention of Hogwarts Castle's students and professors. Dumbledore, flanked by several professors, and the notably large Hagrid, appeared around the pit.

Dumbledore, surprised at the scattered corpses of spiders, couldn't be deceived by appearances. He was aware of recent tensions between the spiders and centaurs and knew about the centaur tribe. Instead of blocking Ethan's hunt, Dumbledore seized the chance to observe the witcher's actions. However, he hadn't anticipated Ethan's violent approach to dealing with the spiders.

Snape, the seasoned potion master, scrutinized the spider corpses with interest. To others, it was merely a pile of bodies, but to Snape, it held the potential for Golden Galleons.

Snape feigned indifference, casually kicking the corpse of a spider, revealing its claws. With his seasoned eye, Snape immediately noticed that the venom of the acromantulas had been extracted; it was nowhere to be found. As he surveyed multiple giant spiders, Snape discovered that each one had been meticulously cleaned of its venom. A pang of envy and jealousy overcame him as he realized he had missed out on a fortune, and he glared at Ethan.

Hagrid, on the other hand, stared at the eight-eyed giant spider's corpse in disbelief. A sudden realization struck him, prompting him to stumble toward the spider web in the pit's center. There, he witnessed Ethan unloading Aragog's head, examining his plunder with satisfaction.

"Aragog! How could you" Anger overwhelmed Hagrid's reason as he angrily charged toward Ethan.

Hagrid and Aragog shared a deep connection. Aragog had hatched in a Hogwarts cupboard, given to Rubeus Hagrid by a traveler. It grew up in the cupboard, where Hagrid fed it with crumbs. Despite Aragog's instinct to feed on humans, it refrained from hunting them at Hogwarts for Hagrid's sake.

However, Hagrid and Aragog were implicated when a monster from the back room, believed to be Aragog, attacked a student. Tom Riddle accused Aragog of the student's death, leading to their expulsion. Aragog took refuge in the Forbidden Forest, feeding on creatures there, while Hagrid became Hogwarts' groundskeeper. Despite the separation, they stayed in touch, and Hagrid even found a mate for Aragog.

They formed a prosperous family, leading a peaceful life far from human interference. Thanks to Hagrid's attentive care, Aragog's descendants numbered in the thousands, all obediently following Aragog's lead and not posing any harm to Hagrid.

For Hagrid, the eight-eyed giant spider was nothing more than a harmless and endearing creature. Given Hagrid's sturdy physique, most creatures in this world posed no threat to him.

As Hagrid charged fiercely toward him, Ethan didn't hesitate. He instantly shot an Aard Sign at Hagrid.

A potent shockwave slammed into Hagrid, even knocking the robust figure off balance. Hagrid rolled on the ground in embarrassment, his large, beetle-like eyes quickly turning red with anger.

Upon getting up, Hagrid released an angry roar and charged at Ethan once more. His massive body conveyed an overwhelming sense of power. Ethan, feeling a bit awkward, knew he couldn't harm Hagrid, and he struggled to find a way to stop him.

"Hagrid, stop" Dumbledore finally arrived, grabbing Hagrid's arm in an attempt to calm him.

Miraculously, Hagrid snapped out of his rage upon hearing Dumbledore's voice, and his eyes gradually cleared. When he looked at Dumbledore, his large eyes were filled with tears.

"Professor Dumbledore, he killed Aragog" 

The towering Hagrid, much taller than Dumbledore, complained with a voice that seemed childlike, making the scene appear somewhat peculiar.