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Professor Sprout headed off into the gathering darkness in the direction of her greenhouses, and Slughorn directed his steps to the spot where Harry stood, invisible.
: Seized with an immediate desire to reveal himself, Harry pullet I off the cloak with a flourish.
"Good evening, Professor." "Merlin’s beard, Harry, you made me jump," said Slughotn, stopping dead in his tracks and looking wary. "How did you get out of the castle." "I think Filch must've forgotten to lock the doors," said Harry cheerfully, and was delighted to see Slughorn scowl.
"I'll be reporting that man, he's more concerned about litter than proper security if you ask me. . . . But why are you out then, Harry." "Well, sir, it's Hagrid," said Harry, who knew that the right thing to do just now was to tell the truth. "He's pretty upset. . . But you won't tell anyone, Professor. I don't want trouble for him. ..." Slughorn's curiosity was evidently aroused. "Well, I can't promise that," he said gruffly.
"But I know that Dumbledore trusts Hagrid to the hilt, so I'm sure he can't be up to anything very dreadful. ..
." "Well, it's this giant spider, he's had it for years. ... It lived in the forest. ... It could talk and everything —" "I heard rumors there were acromantulas in the forest," said Slughorn softly, looking over at the mass of black trees. "It's true, then."
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