After hearing Hagrid's words, Harley and Hermione shuddered in unison, grateful they hadn't eaten the sandwiches in front of them.
At that moment, Harley felt that Hagrid and Frank Lee from the Star Pirate Group would definitely have a lot in common—at least when it came to creating things.
Harley decisively steered the conversation toward how they'd spent their recent Christmas holiday, successfully distracting Hagrid.
After they'd chatted for a long while, it was already getting late.
Hagrid still wanted Harley and Hermione to stay for dinner, assuring them that his newly invented stew was absolutely delicious. Even Fang had drooled at the smell.
But Harley caught sight of a large glass jar of pickled slugs on Hagrid's windowsill. Wisely, she nudged Hermione in the waist, and they found an excuse to slip away.
Although he hadn't managed to feed Harley and Hermione, Hagrid still gave them a few things before they left.
Fortunately, they were ordinary Christmas presents: a photo album about Harley's parents and a book about Fantastic Beasts.
Fang was probably the one most reluctant to see Harley and Hermione go. He followed them all the way to the castle, then contentedly trotted off with two sausages in his mouth.
He was delighted that he wouldn't have to endure Hagrid's "delicacies" that evening.
"At least Hagrid didn't give us those pickled Flesh-Eating Slugs as Christmas presents." Hermione headed for the Great Hall, flipping through the book in her hands as she grumbled,
"Thirty Cute Creatures You Don't Know is a much more normal title... Wait, I take that back.
This book calls Acromantulas and Three-Headed Dogs cute little things? Aren't they XXXXX-class dangerous creatures?"
"Hagrid wanted to raise a dragon last term, and just now he let slip that he'd raised a Three-Headed Dog. So this is