His fingers drummed against the kitchen table as the boy watched his father fret over the basket of food on the counter. The tired Gryffindor being the victim of his father's ramblings turned into a mini lecture…

“Remember, don't mess with system settings for the different recordings. We don’t need it breaking on you like it did my sister while I’m gone.” He knew this already. It wasn’t like Elsian used it on a daily basis or anything…oh wait! He did! He tuned the rest of the words out, wondering if he could get away with sitting outside or hiding away in his room until they left. But no. He had to wait down here for Henry.

“Love, you’re rambling again,” fingers carded through Elsians hair, he had to fight down the tears of joy at being saved. This thought was only half sarcastic. “He knows how to use the tv without breaking it, your sisters just cursed. Besides, he already has the new muggle shows transferred thanks to his friend Sage, remember?” Elsian resisted the urge to violently nod in agreement.

“Ah.” His father paused, twisting to lean against the counters as he spoke. “You’re right. You are,” he chuckled, waving a hand in Annelise's direction, “so very right as usual. Ignore me Elsi.”

Perfectly manicured fingers, red this time Elsi noted distantly, squeezed his shoulders as his mothers chin pressed against the top of his head, “shouldn’t your friend be here soon?” Ah! She was right! He’d totally gone brain dead in the wake of his dads rambling. “Maybe you should wait for him by the living room?”

“I,” he announced grandly, sweeping out of his chair, “will go do that!” he totally hadn’t forgotten their movie night. At least that's what he would say out loud if pressed. Elsian had…simply gotten sidetracked, time just slipping through his fingers silently. Yeah, totally; he bravely ignored the wry look his mother gave him, fighting down the flush trying to crawl up his ears he knew she would endlessly give him crap over. Silently he slunk out of the kitchen and towards the living room, passing the tiny alcove their floo network was set up as he went.

Said living room had the remains of his sketching and craft supplies still scattered on the coffee table, he needed to remember to take those to his room later. For now though he threw himself onto the couch right next to the open doorway, curling up with a pillow clutched to his chest as he internally counted the loose threads on said pillow and picked out every last seam he could see on the draperies from afar. It didn't work, occupying his mind, that is, Elsi quickly leaned over the edge of the couch to peer at the tidy ‘fireplace’ that made up their floo connection across the hall. Or, well, it wasn't a normal fireplace in the muggle sense. Not even like the rest of the fireplaces you could find scattered in the larger rooms of the house. The ‘fake’ fireplace was only for people to travel by floo, made of cool stone to match the house and tucked out of the way in the comfortable nook under the stairs, with a simple bench to sit on and wait.

One might think it’d have been more simple for the Gryffindor to just wait on said bench for his friend instead of peering from across the hall through the doorways. And they would be right!

The problem? Elsian hated waiting in there.

Using it was one thing, in and out as quick as one used it meant the boy not really minding. But waiting? For any longer than maybe 2 minutes? Nope. Not happening. The boy would have a number of reasons if asked, all of which tended to never actually hold up when others investigated. The general agreement however was Elsian + that room was a no go.

And then, that glorious sound of footsteps, the shuffle of someone moving in the silence. Oh, happy days, glorious news! Henry was finally here.

Rolling off the couch he padded out into the hallway to peek from the open doorway, fingers curling around the wood as he dramatically leaned in on one foot, practically hanging off the side of the wall. “You’re here~” He cheered, slinking closer to make grabby hands at the other boy and snatching his hand up in a timely manner to drag him deeper into the house. “C’mon, we can-”

A shriek, and muffled curses cut him off, quickly followed by silence and then the sound of giggling drifting from the kitchen.

“Elsi!”

He pleaded innocence, “I didn’t do it!”

His mother, breathless and looking a tad flushed from laughter floated into the hall, “Elsi, come get your spider, she’s in the pantry again and giving your father a run for his money.” She broke off with a snort upon the man's grumblings drifting to them, even as Elsian groaned in despair, letting go of his friend's hand to trudge towards the kitchen.

Until then the new arrival of the household had gone mostly unnoticed, however the Slytherin would not be spared for long as the mothers gaze rested on him. “And you must be Henry~” She cooed, as if seeing something cute. “This way,” she ushered him forward to the kitchen where she sat at the kitchen table, offering him a seat as if there wasn't what sounded to be a full blown fight happening in the closed pantry just to their left. “We’re actually going to be on a walk about the property for most of the day so you boys will have to fend for yourself with the snacks in the kitchen, we’ll be back by dinner which, if that boy hasn’t already offered, you’re welcome to join us.” She said warmly.

Another thud, followed by muffled-

“Don’t fall-”

“I’m not gonna fall.”

“Elsi the shelves can't be climbed like that!”

“I got this just,” the sound of a strangled gasp, “wait, Dad don’t!”

A crash of what sounded like some boxes and a few bags of chips. There was an obvious struggle, with the sound of boxes being shifted around and a triumphant sounding yell from Elsian.

The door of the panty was thrown open by a ragged looking man and Elsian at his heels, squirming cardboard box in hand. His hair was messy as ever, the ‘I woke up like this’ of his red t-shirt never more true looking than in that moment.

Victoriously, he held up the box over his head. “I have caught the gremlin.”

The box rattled in angry disagreement.

Elsians father sighed, urging his snorting wife to go as he grabbed the basket. “Said gremlin better not follow us out the door,” he warned, only half joking.

He was obviously just jealous over Elsians superior spider wrangling skills.

“Yes dad,” he simpered, clutching the box to his chest and patting it lovingly as he went to stand by Henry. “Try not to fall off any cliffs~”

“Oh, hardy har har.” The door shut.

Elsian turned to Henry with a grim look, plopping the box down onto the table. “I got good news and bad news,” the gremlin box rattled, as if laughing at the question he was about to pose to the other boy. “Which do you want to hear first and have I introduced you to my pet yet by chance?”

Interacting: @Elsian Cox|Arthur Knight |Loki
Mentioning: N/A

He smiled fondly at Loki, wiggling a hand briefly at the cat as if to say hello before flying to the box as it rattled again. Scuffling and the sound of bags crinkling within as something moved.


“Okay so bad news,” he began, walking to the table to plop the box atop, “is Kitty is kinda…impossible to keep locked up. Even with her terrarium…She doesn’t bite or anything! She’s well behaved but, well, you uh, aren’t afraid of spiders, are you? She kinda always finds a way to wander the house and-”

The box shuffled, one long black leg pushing through the side of the box, Elsian quickly poked the leg back inside without so much as a blink at the spider's attempt at a getaway. “Well, Kittys never met you or Loki before. And she is fascinated by new people, loves crawling on them.” He gave Henry a sheepish grin, the tips of his ears lightly burning with embarrassment, “I kinda forgot to tell you about Kitty before now honestly.”

Hopefully Henry was fine with spiders. He would swear up and down Kitty was wonderful and very docile, the only danger you were in was getting your hair pulled or tangled by said spider deciding to crawl on your head.

“Good news though is thanks to Kitty I already got a box filled with great snacks~” As if to prove his point he went to open the box, to brandish and show off said goodies but quickly paused upon realizing Kitty would likely skitter off or leap out the moment he did so.

“Okay, um.” The Gryffindor would throw a glance at Loki, gaze slowly dragging between Henry and his pet in silent question. The moment he got the ok from his friend however he smiled, a warm, simple thing. Slowly, carefully, he opened the box, hands darting inside followed by the sound of skittering and shuffling from the spider before silence as the boy carefully yet firmly brought Kitty out of the box, one hand cupped under her and the other holding her down along her back.



She was larger than most spiders, her body about the size of a large baseball, and with a body of pure black like a moonless night. Kitty was a black webber.

“This is Kitty,” Elsian introduced softly, holding up the spider for Henry and in turn Loki to see. The spiders legs twitched and curled excitedly in his palm, as if barely held down from the urge to leap into the air. She likely was. He fondly pet a finger against her back and she lightly squirmed before settling more heavily into his hand.

“I promise she’s nice,” he offered, stepping closer to hold her up to the other teenager. “Just excitable, but she is a brat, and won't hesitate to hop onto your head to have a tall perch.”

There was a silent offer for Loki to hop onto the table for a better look, and for Henry to pet alongside Kitty's back between the Gryffindors fingers. Peering up behind messy bangs, sea green eyes locked onto Henry's own with a small smile, “do you want to hold her?”