"No, it should just be a regular garden spider, not very venomous." Little Sirius said with a smile, pulling out the spider.
The spider struggled to bite him while its legs were held by Little Sirius, only to find its teeth sinking into the nail, unable to break through.
"Look, it's really energetic," Little Sirius said, observing the struggling spider. "I used to see these often in Azkaban; to be honest, it makes for a decent meal, though not very tasty."
"But it can provide energy that's five times that of beef," Hermione said, looking like a Master of All Things as she spoke to Little Sirius.
After she said that, she noticed the puzzled looks cast around her, including Ron's surprised and horrified gaze.
"I saw it on TV," she quickly explained, "It mentioned spiders and said they taste somewhat like chicken."
"How can that be?" Little Sirius denied, "I bet they've never eaten a raw spider before. The taste is really not good; it's like sticky slime bursting in your mouth, especially when you bite its belly... the sensation is..."
"Okay, stop," Ron said, his face turning pale, cutting off Little Sirius, "This isn't fun to talk about anymore!"
"They must be talking about the cooked taste," Hermione continued, "The meat beneath that black chitinous shell looks a lot like chicken—also a bit like crab."
"Like crab?" Harry said knowingly, "Makes sense, considering spiders and crabs look quite similar..."
"Theoretically speaking, both spiders and crabs belong to the phylum Arthropoda," Hermione explained to them, "But even though they're both arthropods, they belong to different classes—spiders to the Arachnida, crabs to the Malacostraca. Despite their appearance, their relation is as distant as that between humans from Mammalia and turtles from Reptilia."
"How would you know unless you try eating them?" Little Sirius shrugged, "Anyway, the Forbidden Forest has plenty of Eight-eyed Giant... no, land-walking softshell hairy king crabs. Maybe we can catch some when school starts to try it."
"Is that really okay?" Harry asked skeptically, looking at Little Sirius, "You know, those are Hagrid's prized possessions; he'd be upset if you ate them."
"Really? But Hagrid didn't seem upset when the Eight-eyed Giant Spider tried to eat me," Little Sirius said dismissively, "That's settled then. Those Eight-eyed Giant Spiders are disrupting the ecosystem in the Forbidden Forest—we have both an obligation and responsibility to deal with them!"
As he said this, Little Sirius frowned and asked, "Where's Kreacher? Haven't seen him for so long! Kreacher?!"
A small whirl of wind flashed by, and the aged Kreacher appeared in front of everyone.
"Kreacher," Little Sirius said, "As you can see, we have guests at the house, and I hope you can prepare a sumptuous dinner to entertain them."
"Yes, esteemed young master," Kreacher replied and was about to leave when Little Sirius called him back.
"Wait—" Little Sirius asked suspiciously, "What did you call me? Esteemed young master? Back then, wasn't I always the beastly young master in your eyes?"
"Oh, things have changed," Kreacher answered honestly, "The mistress said that you are her favorite son and her lifelong pride, so old Kreacher must follow the mistress's words. From now on, you are the most esteemed young master—"
"What's gotten into my mom?" Little Sirius frowned, "Did my great-grandfather hypnotize her? Can even portraits use Soul-snatching Curse?"
"This is beyond Kreacher's knowledge; Kreacher isn't meant to know," Kreacher said with a respectful bow.
Despite the previous loud shout, Little Sirius didn't hear clearly what exactly Walburga was yelling about when he introduced the Black Family Mansion to everyone.
He was only guessing based on logic, assuming it was scolding, so he didn't care.
If it were the first time being scolded, one might feel a bit upset—but being yelled and cursed at daily gradually becomes something you get used to.
After all, worrying more about debt won't make you anxious, and fleas don't itch when they're numerous.
"I think I heard Mrs. Black shouting that you're her favorite son," Ron hesitantly looked at Little Sirius.
To his surprise, Little Sirius snorted.
"Impossible! Even if the sun rises from the west tomorrow! Even if Merlin never wears lace stockings again! I still wouldn't believe I'm my mom's favorite son!"
Right after speaking, Harry suddenly felt a vibration from his pocket.
He pulled out the Crystal Ball from his pocket, where Vivi's half-image was waving at him.
"It's Vivi," Harry said to them and then walked outside.
"Where are you going?" Little Sirius asked curiously.
"To take a call," Harry said concisely, "As for what a call is... maybe Pabi can explain it to you guys, but for now, I must quickly answer the call—"
With that, he hurriedly left the room.
He had to step outside to take the call, because who knows if Vivi would tease him again like last time in the bathtub?
Seeing is fine, but such a sight isn't something to let others witness by any means.
However, he overthought it; how could Vivi be bathing during the daytime? When he answered the call, Vivi was dressed in a beige long coat, smiling at him.
Seeing Vivi fully dressed, Harry was noticeably disappointed.
He knew exactly what he was disappointed about; who wouldn't want to see a beauty bathing? Wouldn't you?
Especially since he's not peeking but blessed to casually watch!
"I could tell, Harry," Vivi said with a playful smile, "You're disappointed, aren't you?"
"Ahem," Harry coughed twice to cover his embarrassment, "When are you coming over? We're at the Black Family Mansion..."
"I'm at the door," Vivi said cheerfully.
"I'm coming right away!" Harry said, tucking the Crystal Ball away.
He swiftly went downstairs, all the way to the front door, opened it, and indeed saw Vivi standing gracefully at the entrance.
"Good afternoon, Harry."
Vivi opened her arms, gesturing for Harry to come over.
Harry stepped forward and hugged Vivi openly.
Vivi lowered her head and gave Harry a gentle kiss on the forehead.
"Let's go inside," Vivi said with a smile, "Don't keep your Godfather and the others waiting."
"Godfather?" Harry looked up at Vivi.
"Yes, your Godfather is my Godfather too, right?" Vivi chuckled as she playfully pinched Harry's nose, "What, don't you think it's possible?"
"Of course it is."
The two talked as they walked inside.
As soon as they entered, Mrs. Black's portrait in the main hall abruptly asked, "Mr. Potter—who is this lady?"
As an Old Slytherin, her eyes instantly detected the Slytherin essence.
The elegant yet intellectual girl in front of them, though seeming like a Ravenclaw, couldn't deceive Walburga.
In the girl's eyes, Walburga could see a flame of ambition capable of burning all of Europe.
"Oh, she's my good friend."
After all, Walburga was the Godfather's mother, so no matter what, Harry was willing to talk peacefully when she communicated peacefully.
"Hello, Mrs. Black," Vivi said with a smile, "My name is Vilatia Elizabeth Emali Grindelwald."
"Grindelwald?"
Walburga's voice rose by eight degrees.
"You're Miss Grindelwald? It's an honor to meet you—"
At that moment, the Slytherin Pendant in Kreacher's arms suddenly emitted a swirl of black mist.
Kreacher's eyes suddenly turned blank, but he paused for a moment and continued mechanically preparing the dinner for the master.
(Vote for the moon tickets)
(Happy New Year! Standing strong for the New Year!)