As the reality of what Maurise was holding finally registered in his brain, Ron Weasley recoiled. His face, already pale, turned the colour of old parchment.
Maurise, noticing Ron's sheer terror, tilted his head in genuine confusion. "Are you afraid of spiders? There is really no need to worry. It has already fainted."
"Look!"
To prove his point, Maurise thrust the creature forward. The hairy, twitching legs of the Acromantula brushed dangerously close to the tip of Ron's long nose.
"Argh!"
Ron let out a strangled yelp. It was as if a circuit breaker had tripped inside his head.
His vision went black. His knees gave way, and his body went boneless, his consciousness snapping like a kite string in a hurricane.
"Ron!" Harry shouted, reaching out desperately to grab his friend, but gravity had already claimed him. Ron fell backward, stiff as a board.
Fortunately, George was quicker. He lunged forward and caught his younger brother just before the back of his head could crack against the stone floor.
Maurise stood there, frozen.
He had merely intended to lighten the mood with a bit of a joke. How could the boy just collapse like that?
Do wizards actually fear spiders?
George sighed, a sound of long-suffering patience, and gently lowered Ron to the floor. "Don't mind him, Maurise. This idiot has been terrified of spiders since we were toddlers. Scared to death of them. We just... well, we played a tiny prank on him once, and it left a bit of a scar on his psyche."
"What did you do?" Maurise asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Oh, just a bit of harmless fun," Fred grinned, though he looked down at his unconscious brother with a hint of guilt. "When Ron was little, he had this toy broomstick he absolutely adored. Slept with it every night. So, one day, we turned it into a giant spider."
"To be fair, that was accidental magic," George shrugged, defending their record. "We couldn't control it."
Maurise looked at Ron's limp form and felt a sudden pang of sympathy.
Having two older brothers like that was truly a disaster. Sometimes, childhood trauma takes a lifetime to heal.
Harry stared at his fallen friend, looking completely lost. "So, what do we do now?"
"Leave it to us," Fred and George said in unison, hoisting Ron up by his armpits.
"We'll get him back to the common room," Fred said. "A drop of Pepper-Up Potion and he'll be right as rain."
Harry nodded, letting out a long breath. It had been a chaotic day, especially for Ron.
"One more thing," Fred looked at Harry, his expression turning serious. "Don't tell anyone about this."
"Right. I won't say a word," Harry replied instantly.
It wasn't a difficult promise to keep. Harry had no intention of broadcasting their misadventures, mostly because he didn't really have anyone else to talk to. Except for Ron, who was currently unavailable.
Cough, cough.
Suddenly, a dry, polite cough echoed through the corridor, freezing them all in place.
The four conscious students turned their heads simultaneously. Standing there was a very small figure, shorter even than Maurise, the first-year.
"Professor Flitwick?" Fred gasped.
"I believe curfew is fast approaching, Fred... and George," the tiny Professor squeaked, stepping closer with a stern expression. "You should be returning to your dormitories immediately..."
He stopped.
"Wait a moment. What happened to that student?"
Flitwick's sharp gaze landed on Ron, who was currently being dragged like a sack of potatoes by the twins.
Fred plastered a winning smile on his face. "Nothing serious, Professor! Ron here just saw a tiny little spider and fainted dead away. We were just taking him back to bed. Goodnight!"
"Oh, is that all? Children these days really are..." Flitwick shook his head, looking amused yet exasperated. However, his eyes drifted back to Ron's pale face, and then to the blood and bandages on his leg.
Something is wrong.
He frowned, and then his eyes snapped to the object in Maurise's hand.
"Hold on!" Flitwick pointed a small finger at the creature, his voice rising an octave. "Is that the 'tiny spider' you mentioned?"
The Weasley twins and Maurise nodded stiffly. Their synchronization was perfect.
Flitwick didn't buy it. He stepped forward and flicked his wand.
The spider in Maurise's hand immediately floated up, drifting through the air until it hovered directly in front of the Professor's face.
Silence descended upon the corridor. Heavy, awkward silence.
"This is an Acromantula!" Flitwick looked furious, his moustache bristling with indignation. "Whose is this?"
Maurise opened his mouth to explain, but Fred tugged discreetly on his sleeve and stepped in front of him.
"Professor," Fred said smoothly, "George and I found it... er, by the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Accidental find, really."
"I assume you know this is a Class XXXXX beast," Flitwick said disapprovingly. "Why did you not bring it to a teacher immediately?"
"Sorry, Professor," Fred lowered his head, sounding the picture of contrition, though his eyes were still darting around to gauge Flitwick's reaction. "We weren't thinking."
George immediately nodded along. "Terrible lapse in judgment, sir."
Maurise watched them with fascination. Judging by their fluid teamwork, he assumed they were very practiced at apologizing to authority figures.
Flitwick bustled over to Ron on his short legs. After a quick diagnostic spell, he seemed to relax. "He is stable. The first aid was handled well; there is no need to disturb Madam Pomfrey tonight."
He turned back to face Maurise and Harry. "So, were you three attacked by this spider?"
His gaze lingered on Harry Potter for a second longer than the others.
Harry and Maurise nodded obediently, looking as innocent as possible.
"Take Mr. Weasley back to his dormitory," Flitwick commanded the group. Then, he turned his stern gaze to the twins. "Fred, George. You two will come to my office. We need to have a serious discussion about this creature and your activities this evening."
His tone left no room for argument.
The twins exchanged a helpless look. They knew there was no wriggling out of this one.
"It's alright, Maurise," Fred whispered out of the corner of his mouth, barely moving his lips. "Don't worry. We won't rat you out. Flitwick is decent; he won't skin us alive. Just a few points lost and some detention. The usual."
George winked at Maurise, signaling him to relax.
"Thanks," Maurise whispered back.
Even though the twins had started the trouble, Maurise felt responsible since he was the one who had actually captured the Acromantula. If the twins were willing to take the fall to protect him, he would accept their kindness gratefully.
These twins might be chaotic, but they weren't bad people.
Making friends with them seemed like a good investment.
With that settled, Maurise headed back toward his own dormitory alone. It was past curfew, but he moved quietly.
As for the spider... Flitwick hadn't returned it. It was likely gone for good.
Walking through the dim castle, Maurise's mind wandered. That Professor Flitwick was incredibly short, and his features were distinct.
Is it dwarfism? Or perhaps a specific magical lineage? Maurise wondered.
He recalled seeing Flitwick listed on his timetable. That was his Charms Professor.
He couldn't help but wonder just how powerful the magic of such a small wizard could be.