"There's also three of us and one of it," Ron insisted. "It's got no chance against us."
"Says the one who singed off his eyebrows after butchering Igni the other day," Hermione said dryly. Ron turned beet red with anger and stomped ahead in order to ignore her.
They walked in silence for a couple of seconds until Harry heard the faint rustling of something moving among the trees to his left. It was large, and after a few moment's concentration he recognised the sound of many legs.
The uneven sound of a sword being shakily pulled out of a scabbard let him known that Hermione had heard too. Further down the road, Ron had also stopped and turned to look at Harry. Harry nodded at the both of them. He reached down to his belt, uncorked the vial of Thunderbolt with a swift, practiced move, and downed its contents in a single gulp.
Immediately he felt the burning liquid running through his body, his muscles twitching as the potion seeped through them, making them stronger, faster. His sword, shinning with the oil he had applied earlier, seemed to egg him on.
But there was no need. The arachas had smelled them, and was now charging through the undergrowth. Harry was ready. He waited until the last second to jump away from the charging beast and slashed through the air with his sword. He felt the blade connect, slice through hard skin, and the arachas screeched and turned around, swiping. Harry jumped out of the way, but landed on a tree root and lost his balance.
"Hermione!" he cried, as the Arachas prepared to charge toward him.
Hermione frantically moved her fingers in the shape of the Yrden sign, casting it right where the Arachas stood. Small tendrils of light sprung up from the Sign and wrapped themselves around the insectoid, restricting its movements.
At that moment, Ron charged in and stabbed at the creature in the back. The creature swung back so violently it managed to hit Ron on the chest. Blood spurted all over as he stammered back.