The Web of Trouble

Lee Jordan and the twins get into more trouble than they bargained for.

Before he was the fast-talking Quidditch commentator known throughout Hogwarts, Lee Jordan was just a wide eyed first year trying to find his place in the magical world. He had boarded the Hogwarts Express with a mind full of wonder and a heart already beating to the rhythm of excitement. But what truly changed everything what set the tone for his wild and unforgettable years ahead was meeting two grinning, red headed troublemakers by the names of Fred and George Weasley.

Lee had barely settled into his compartment when the twins barged in, cracking jokes, juggling Dungbombs, and challenging him to a game of wizard chess with pieces that bit back. They clicked instantly; three minds cut from the same chaotic cloth.

It was only a few weeks into the term when their Care of Magical Creatures class brought them close to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid, half-giant and full hearted, stood proudly in front of a pen of flobberworms, passionately explaining their...mucus.

Fred leaned in and whispered to Lee, “This is it? Slugs with ambition?”

George added, “Bet there's more interesting stuff in the actual forest.”

Lee raised an eyebrow. “You mean the forest Hagrid specifically told us not to go into unless we fancy being eaten or cursed or worse?”

Fred grinned. “Exactly that one.”

“We’ll just peek in,” George said innocently. “See what we can see.”

Lee hesitated. He was adventurous, sure; but the Forbidden Forest? Then again, he was also already bored, and being friends with Fred and George came with a rulebook written in invisible ink and set on fire.

“Alright,” Lee said. “Let’s make it quick.”

They slipped away while Hagrid’s back was turned, his booming voice still talking about flobberworm digestive tracts. The forest swallowed them in seconds, all tangled limbs and shifting shadows. The deeper they went, the more electric the air felt like they were tiptoeing across a live spell.

They saw flashes of movement maybe a unicorn far off in the mist. A nest of puffskeins high in a tree. But what made them stop were spiders. Dozens of them, no bigger than a gobstone, with thick bristles and jewel-like eyes that glinted in the low light.

“Whoa,” Lee said. “Those are tarantulas. Never seen magical ones up close.”

“They’re cute,” Fred said, kneeling down. “In a creepy, hairy sort of way.”

The spiders twitched but didn’t flee. The boys were enchanted until the stillness broke.

A crack behind them. A low, scraping hiss. Then another. The underbrush rustled. Eyes. Lots of eyes. Big ones.

Fred stood slowly. “Uh...George?”

“I see them.”

The adult tarantulas each the size of a kneazle emerged from the trees with deliberate hunger. And they weren’t curious like their children.

“They’re hunting,” Lee breathed.

“RUN!” Fred yelled.

They bolted. Branches slapped their faces. Leaves tore at their robes. In the chaos, they lost each other Lee swerved, tripped on a root, and plummeted into a crevice carved between two large boulders. He landed hard, his elbow scraping rock, his wand just barely staying in his grip.

He groaned, then froze. Something moved beside him.

A small tarantula, one of the babies, was pinned beneath some jagged stones. It wriggled weakly, unable to move. Its glassy eyes flicked to Lee.

He hesitated. He could climb out. Leave it. Spiders weren’t exactly his favorite creature right now. But something about its struggle its fear felt familiar. Lee wasn’t a coward, and he wasn’t cruel.

“Alright,” he said softly. “Hold still.”

He pointed his wand. Wingardium Leviosa

The rocks trembled, then lifted, floating gently to the side. The spider skittered free but didn’t run. Instead, it looked at him for a long second. Then, slowly, it tapped one leg on the ground, almost like a nod.

A rustle above.

The adult spider loomed over the edge of the crevice. Lee braced himself but then the baby spider let out a sharp, hissing click. The adult stopped.

The two spiders stared at each other. Then, without a sound, the larger one backed away into the forest.

Lee exhaled like he’d been holding his breath for ten years.

By the time he climbed out, scratched and muddy, Fred and George were waiting just outside the trees. They looked like they’d been chewed up and spit out by a tree.

“LEE!” George shouted. “We thought you were spider food!”

“I nearly was,” Lee said with a grin. “But I made a friend.”

They stared at him. “A spider friend?”

He shrugged. “Let’s just say not all of them want to eat us. Just most.”

Fred clapped him on the back. “You’re one of us now, mate. Officially.”

Lee grinned, heart still pounding. Maybe Hogwarts wasn’t just a school. Maybe it was the place he’d find out who he really was.

Even if that meant occasionally being chased by man eating spiders.

Later that week, a note arrived at Gryffindor Tower:

"To Mr. Jordan, 5 points to Gryffindor for outstanding magical use and compassion during Care of Magical Creatures." – R. Hagrid

Fred and George framed it.

And Lee Jordan?

He hung it on the wall...right next to a drawing of a very hairy spider giving a thumbs up.

Written for: "The Writer's Cramp" 
Prompt: So, for tomorrow, see if you can write a story or poem that's set in the Harry Potter world, but one which is as consistent as possible with the world and themes in the original work.

Your main character should be one of the minor characters in the novel, and the plot should be about something that happens to them before the events of the series' first book.

Ideally, your tale should illuminate a part of the character's backstory that helps explain their personality and behavior in the canonical novels.

One of your genres should be FANFICTION.
Word Count: 868