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Chapter 277 – Damn Stupid Dog!!
Even Harry and Ron, already terrified, trembled all over.
But they still didn't want Darren to help anymore.
Darren had already protected them far too much.
They could hear how hard he was breathing while holding the spiders back.
Darren shook his head as he looked at them.
"If I leave now, you'll die. How are you supposed to wait for a professor? I'm not an idiot!"
He shouted angrily.
Harry and Ron froze—Darren hardly ever got angry at them.
But they still wished he would just run.
Why couldn't he be a little more stupid, just this once?
"You let my brother go, I beg you… We'll never tell anyone about today… Please, just let my brother and Ron go…"
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[…]
Darren's face was pale.
He stared at the wand in his hand with a devastated expression.
"I always believed that as long as someone admits their mistakes, there's a way to make peace…
So please, just let my brother and Ron go, and I won't pursue anything.
I'm begging you…"
His voice cracked, full of desperation.
Aragog, however, didn't notice the hidden tension under Darren's expression.
It had been watching him.
It saw that although he was powerful, he hesitated to kill.
And to Aragog, that hesitation meant weakness.
It laughed.
"Impossible. They didn't show their—"
It never finished the sentence.
A towering wave of flame erupted before it could speak.
In an instant, nearly all of Aragog's children were reduced to ashes.
Darren had used Fiendfyre—the cursed, uncontrollable fire.
And at the same time he burned a hundred points of Father Value to keep the Fiendfyre within a controlled range.
[Ding, mission complete. Reward: Favor of the Centaurs]
Centaurs' Favor:
The centaurs consider you a Child of Destiny and will treat you with cautious respect.
Darren accepted the reward, though he doubted it would be useful.
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[Ding, new temporary task: Enter a trance. Stare at your wand in terror. When Professor McGonagall arrives, say: "Professor, I used an Unforgivable Curse… Am I a bad person?"]
Reward: Enhanced Fire-Spell Variant
[Accept?]
[Accepted]
Darren instantly blanked his expression.
He stood motionless in the sea of Fiendfyre, as though he didn't even care if the cursed flames swallowed him.
A magical barrier sprung up around him—clearly Dumbledore or Snape had intervened.
They would never let him burn alive.
He simply stood there, dazed, waiting.
In the original story, Ron and Harry were saved by Mr. Weasley's flying Ford Anglia.
Maybe the same would happen now.
The flames roared. Darren stared at his wand like something monstrous.
"Darren!"
Ron's voice cracked.
"Darren—hurry, we need to pull him out!"
Harry shouted.
He saw the flames rising dangerously, but the barrier around Darren held steady.
He drew his wand.
"Aguamenti!"
A thin jet of water shot out as he tried to carve a safe path.
But the Fiendfyre surged violently.
Then—
THUNDER!
A massive shape burst through the trees.
Mr. Weasley's enchanted Ford Anglia.
It screeched to a halt in front of Harry and Ron.
They leapt inside and threw their wands and belongings into the back.
"Go! Drive in—Darren's still inside!"
Harry slapped the dashboard.
The car roared, spun, and charged into the flames.
"Darren!"
Harry yanked open the door and pulled Darren in.
He expected to hit the protective barrier—
But he passed through cleanly.
The moment Darren left, the barrier vanished and Fiendfyre swallowed the spot he'd been standing in.
The car tore out of the burning forest and flung all three boys onto the ground at the edge of the trees.
"Darren, are you okay?"
Harry asked immediately.
Darren only shook his head weakly, staring at his wand in horror.
But at least he reacted—that was enough to ease Harry's panic.
"We should go—quick. I hear professors coming, the fire must've drawn them!"
Ron tugged Harry and Darren away.
But the damaged Ford Anglia honked loudly in panic.
And then—
A figure appeared beside them.
Snape.
Followed by Professor McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout…
Nearly every professor had arrived.
Some stayed with the boys; others charged into the forest to suppress the Fiendfyre.
"Damn it! I should've listened to Darren and tied that stupid dog up in Hagrid's hut!"
Ron cursed as the barking erupted again behind them.
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