Dudley watched the reactions of the Acromantulas and cursed them under his breath, thinking they were cowards and didn't live up to their 5x danger social hierarchy.
It seemed that when the professors were together, there was no chance for the Acromantulas to launch an overt attack.
He had to give Eris a chance to act alone.
Dudley and Hagrid made another trip, carrying all the remaining huge logs and stones into the depression.
After that, they joined the other professors in casting spells to transform the place.
Since they were building a maze, there were no fixed rules.
Dumbledore set the main entrance of the depression as the starting point and Aragog's cave at the deepest part of the depression as the end point, and established a winding and irregular path as the main correct route through the maze.
The other professors were free to do as they pleased in other areas.
They could create dead - ends or set up complex routes leading to the main route set by Dumbledore.
The paths intersected and were extremely complicated.
Moreover, it was not just a single - layer flat maze, but a three - dimensional maze built based on the original terrain and vine paths of the Acromantula Nest.
As spells such as the cutting incantation and transfiguration were cast, the building materials prepared by Hagrid kept decreasing.
In their place was an Acromantula Nest that was unrecognizable.
Huge stones and wooden blocks were cut, moved, and piled up to become the corridors, walls, floors, and ceilings of the maze.
Professor Sprout cast a spell to stimulate the vitality of the vines in the depression, making them grow according to everyone's wishes, twining around the walls and trees to reinforce the corridors of the maze.
Meanwhile, for safety reasons, safe houses were set up at regular intervals in the maze.
The safe houses had no ceilings, and there were irregular passage openings on top, leading directly to the outside.
Once each safe house was equipped with a flying broom, students could choose to distance themselves from danger and abandon the training on their own.
After all, powerful as the Acromantulas were, they couldn't fly.
Around four o'clock in the afternoon, the main structure of the training maze was completed.
Judging from the appearance, the desolate depression that was once filled with dead wood and vines had turned into a green and vibrant ruin fortress.
Large areas of yellow - grey boulder walls were covered with thick, green vines, full of charm.
Dumbledore used many means to stabilize the magic, solidifying the transfigurations the professors had applied to the building materials.
Without external attacks, this place would remain the same for hundreds or thousands of years.
"Everyone, it's still early. If you're not in a hurry to go back, we can add some magic checkpoints and protective measures to the maze first."
Dumbledore said to the others in the group.
By this time, everyone had gathered outside the maze, and Aragog had led its spider offspring out.
During the construction of the maze, the professors had planned new activity areas and residences for each adult spider in the maze, and had also taken them in and out several times, so that these spiders remembered how to get in and out of their new homes.
Of course, they didn't know much about how to get in and out of other spiders' new homes. They had to figure it out on their own.
Aragog had a bad feeling. No matter how it looked at it, this place seemed not only like a training maze, but more like a spider cage.
It crawled up to Hagrid and asked, "Hagrid, are you sure wizards will come here for training? Could the information be false?"
"Of course they will! Otherwise, what have Dumbledore and all the professors been busy with all this time? I even went to the trouble of finding so many materials."
Hagrid said matter - of - factly. He didn't notice anything amiss in Aragog's words.
Aragog was reassured. It trusted Hagrid completely.
Dudley and the professors set off once more. They entered the empty training maze and went their separate ways.
Eris did likewise. As soon as she parted from the group, she cast the Invisibility Charm and tracked Dumbledore according to her memory.
She wanted to confirm if Dumbledore would place The Philosopher's Stone at the end of the training maze, which was the cave where Aragog lived.
Little did she know that there was a bigger threat lurking behind.
Dudley, under the Invisibility Charm and using the Human Appearance Revelation magic that could see through the effect of the invisibility charm, silently followed Eris.
In his hand, he carried an iron cage transformed from a Smelting stick, and inside the cage was a palm - sized baby Acromantula.
The first magic spells the professors added to the training maze were the protective spells and wizard - sensing magic, which are essential for each safe house.
This ensured that only wizards could enter the safe houses, keeping the Acromantulas and other dangers out.
By the time reliable protective magic had been applied to all the safe houses, most of the time had passed.
If they delayed any longer, they wouldn't make it back to the Castle for dinner.
Everyone used the Muffliato magic to amplify their voices, reported their situations to each other, and agreed to meet at the entrance of the training maze.
By this time, Eris had already obtained the information she wanted.
She witnessed with her own eyes that Dumbledore put an irregular ruby - like treasure into a modified stone box deep in Aragog's cave.
He also cast a very powerful protective spell on the stone box and a puzzle - opening magic that enabled the box to be opened by solving a puzzle.
"The Philosopher's Stone! It must be The Philosopher's Stone!"
Voldemort's main soul on Eris's belly frantically sent a mental message to Eris.
His tone was extremely crazy and full of intense desire.
"You're hurting me, Master!" Eris's head ached terribly. She covered her head with her hands and said humbly, "Please stop! I'll definitely find a way to get The Philosopher's Stone for you!"
Hearing what Eris whispered, Voldemort's main soul gradually calmed down his excitement and stopped tormenting Eris with mental messages.
Neither Eris nor Voldemort's main soul noticed that when they were emotionally excited and their attention was distracted by the headache and The Philosopher's Stone, a baby Acromantula was lifted by a mass of air and silently drifted to Eris's feet.
After the headache subsided, Eris still kept an eye on Dumbledore, hoping that after Dumbledore left, she could directly go back to crack the stone box and steal The Philosopher's Stone.
She was worried that it would be hard to obtain The Philosopher's Stone after Aragog and other Acromantulas moved into the training maze.
Unexpectedly, it was also difficult for her to obtain the fake The Philosopher's Stone now.
Because the juvenile Acromantula had crawled along Eris's instep and into the trouser leg under her robe.
"Ah!"
Eris, who was concentrating, had just felt an unusual sensation in her left leg. When she wanted to divert her attention to check, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her left leg, as if being bitten by something, and couldn't help crying out in pain.
Although Eris quickly covered her mouth to stop the sound, that single cry had already alerted Dumbledore in the distance.
"Useless!" Voldemort's main soul was extremely angry and sent an angry mental message.
"Who's there?"
Almost at the same time, Dumbledore's voice reached Eris's ears.