THE RUINED FOREST

 

Moonlight spread all over those golden brown fur. The wolf was wandering around, no destination, just spending time.

 

The fulmoon made almost all creatures in Forbidden Forest cheerful.

 

Almost.

 

Not all.

 

A groaning sound halted the wolf's stride.

 

Curious, the wolf approaching the sound. Blurred, he saw a spider, a very big spider, as source of those groans. Aware of its danger, the wolf quietly stepped away.

 

Not long before the first sign of dawn, the first ray of the sun, reach the soil.

 

* * *

 

"Professor Lupin! Professor Lupin!" seems like a big, heavy hand pounded on his door. Remus recognized the voice immediately, and opened the door.

 

"Hagrid, what's up?"

 

"Professor, I .. help .. will yeh help me?"

 

"Of course, Hagrid, just let me know what's your problem. By the way, I'm no longer a professor, so will you just call me Remus?"

 

That giant figure entered the room, throwed himself down the chair, and  sighed.

 

"Yeh still be my Professor for me, I can't call yeh other."

 

"Whatever then. Now, what's happened?"

 

"Aragog, Professor. Will yeh help 'em?"

 

"Ara .. what?"

 

"He's my pet, a .. spider, Profesor, a giant spider.."

 

"Acromantula?"

 

"Yeah. That is. He's sick Professor, he's dying." Hagrid sobbed even harder.

 

"But I'm not a healer, Hagrid.You are better than me in handling those creatures,"  Remus patted him on the shoulder.

 

"No, no, tis' wasn't about healing. Er .. would yeh visit 'em, and let 'em explain to yeh?"

 

Remus hesitated for a moment, then grabbed his robe, make sure he has his wand, and follow Hagrid into the forest.

 

* * *

 

'The creature I saw last night' Remus guessed, and he's right. Hagrid took him right into its nest. Carefully examined, he saw now an acromantula, its legs folded as if it was in pain, and the groans getting louder and louder.

 

"Hooome .."

 

"Aragog, will yeh tell Hagrid what yer want? Are yeh allright?" Hagrid kneeled down, spoke softly, naturally a master would do to his pet.

 

"Hooome .. I want to be hoome .." it groaned again, "I'm dying. I want to see my home."

 

"Hagrid, I think he wanted to see his homeland, his origin," Remus whispered.

 

"And where iszat?"

 

"He's an acromantula, .. hmm, Borneo I suppose."

 

"Borneo?"

 

"Nowadays Muggles call it Kalimantan. It's occupied by three countries, in Asia."

 

"And how can we get there, Professor?"

 

Remus's quiet for a moment, then "I'll try to make a portkey tonight."

 

* * *

 

It's already dawn when they arrived. A big effort needed to bring Aragog with them on a portkey, a tree stump.

 

"I thought it's still night," Hagrid confused.

 

"It's seven hours ahead us, here. Different time-zone," Remus tried to explain. Hagrid nodden his big head, still half-confused.

 

Staring around, Remus confused himself, "I assumed here'll be a huge, dense forest,"

"That's what they told me," answer Aragog. "You know I can't see, Hagrid. I just feel it," Remus noticed now that Aragog's blind.

 

What they saw was just a plain ground, with smoke here and there, hot soil, and a smell of burning things. Trees were rare. Didn't look like forest at all.

 

Remus told Hagrid to hide Aragog behind some trees, and he examined at the surroundings. He observed the soil carefully. Suddenly he heard some people coming,  and he hide himself too.

 

They brought some machines, and started to cut the trees down. Within minutes they managed to cut many trees left.

 

"It's finished," yelled a man to the others, "let's do another place!"

 

"Yeah! I can't stand no more here, those coals burning me," yelled another man.

 

Those men left. Remus stepped out his hiding and approaching Hagrid.

 

"What happened, Professor?"

 

"The forest has been ruined. They cut all trees, and left the soil open. Unfortunately, there's some coal reserve here, not underground, but right in the surface. The coal used to get covered by the trees, now openly exposed to the sun. So it burned, burned themselves, burned those trees, created smoke like this .. what a pity."

 

"What yeh mean is the forest is dissapeared, Professor?"

 

"More or less, Hagrid. I'm afraid there's not much left trees to be called forest here in Borneo," Remus said sadly. He stared at the acromantula, "I'm sorry, Aragog, but your homeland isn't the same anymore."

 

The creature groans slowly, "My homeland .."

 

"What should we do then, Professor?"

 

"It's up to you," Remus stared at Aragog.

 

Aragog didn't answer for a while. Finally he nodded, "Alright. Let's go home. Forbidden Forest."

 

It's took no time to travel back to Forbidden Forest. But Remus noticed the silence.

 

"I'm sorry, Aragog. I'm really sorry."

 

"It's not your fault, friend of Hagrid. Just too much hope, I think. I dreamed that I could die in my homeland, those green, beautiful forest that others told me.  But time changes everything,"

 

Hagrid's silence too for a moment. Then he whispered, "Here's yer homeland, Aragog. Here. In Forbidden Forest. Where everything's still remain untouched."

 

* * * * *