All in all, Maca wasn't particularly interested in the Weasley family. As mentioned before, he was never fond of overly lively environments.
However, since Ron was destined to be one of the iconic trio, too many future events were tied to him. Maca had already forgotten many of the finer details, but that didn't stop him from wanting to get to know Ron. In his mind, Ron was the closest stepping stone toward getting acquainted with Harry, Hermione, and the rest.
Of course, there was no need to get too involved.
That day, Maca and Luna had lunch at the Burrow and spent a leisurely afternoon there before returning once again to the Lovegood residence.
It was worth noting that before leaving, he had made arrangements with Mrs. Weasley to go shopping together at Diagon Alley near the end of the month to buy their school supplies—Ron had just received his Hogwarts acceptance letter as well.
Time flew by at the Lovegood home. Maca spent his days chatting idly with Luna. Their conversations occasionally veered off into completely unrelated tangents, but for the most part, they got along quite well.
Still, pleasant days always seemed to pass too quickly. The agreed-upon date with Mrs. Weasley soon arrived. That morning, Maca bid farewell to Luna and her father, hauling his suitcase over to the fireplace in their home once more.
He had stayed with them for nearly a month. Even someone as thick-skinned as Maca figured it was about time to leave. Before he went, though, he helped Mr. Lovegood repair the battered fence outside the house—a small parting gesture, but hopefully one that left a good impression.
When it was finally time to part, Luna—for the first time—showed a rare look of reluctance. Maca couldn't help but wonder if this marked a decent start. Truth be told, he was growing rather fond of this odd mix of brilliance and spacey detachment. It wasn't quite affection, not yet, but it was something.
"Whoosh!"
As Maca arrived in Diagon Alley, Luna and her father were still staring blankly at the now-empty fireplace.
Clearly, someone had finally noticed the odd phenomenon that occurred whenever Maca used Floo Powder—and it gave them quite a fright.
A burst of green flames had shot up high into the air, nearly licking the hem of Mr. Lovegood's tattered robes. If he had been standing any closer, he might've been transported to Diagon Alley right along with Maca.
---
Maca had agreed to meet Mrs. Weasley at Potage's Cauldron Shop, which was located just behind the Leaky Cauldron. According to Ron, he didn't need to buy anything new this year, as he'd be using all of Charlie's old hand-me-downs.
"Except for a new cauldron—Charlie's old one leaks from the bottom," Ron had said at the time, clearly not thrilled about it. "I wish it were The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One that was falling apart instead. That one costs more and wouldn't make me look quite so stupid."
But when Maca arrived at the cauldron shop and peeked through the window, he realized he had probably come a bit too early.
"Well, might as well head to Gringotts first," he muttered, glancing around before deciding to follow his original plan.
Gringotts was the only wizarding bank in the magical world, run by goblins and with branches across the globe. They offered services such as savings accounts and vault rentals, along with the usual odds and ends like currency exchange.
As a few goblins at the entrance gave polite bows, Maca stepped into the grand marble hall of Gringotts. The sight inside immediately took his breath away.
Roughly a hundred goblins sat perched on tall stools behind a long counter—some were weighing coins on brass scales, others inspecting gemstones through monocles while scribbling away in massive ledgers. Doors lined the walls in every direction, leading to who-knew-where, with goblins guiding customers in and out of them. It wasn't the kind of scene one saw every day. Maca lingered near the entrance a while, taking it all in before heading over to a counter labeled "Muggle Currency Exchange."
"Time is money, my friend," Maca said casually to a young goblin seated on a tall stool, unable to resist quoting the familiar phrase. Then he asked, "What's today's exchange rate for pounds?"
"Oh—yes, yes indeed!" The goblin's eyes lit up as if he'd just heard a nugget of great wisdom. He gave Maca a thoughtful look before replying, "Today's rate is five point zero one, honored guest. Would you like to make an exchange? The fee is one and a half percent."
Maca quickly pulled out most of his cash from his suitcase. After completing the currency exchange, he deposited almost all of it into his Gringotts vault, keeping just a hundred Galleons on hand for daily use.
"A pleasure doing business with you, sir. May your wealth grow endlessly!" the goblin said in a sharp, cheerful voice as he bid him farewell.
Just as Maca reached the front door, he heard a familiar voice call out from behind:
"Time is money, my friend!"
"How touching," Maca chuckled to himself, grinning as he walked out with a spring in his step.
"Now then, where to next? Maybe I'll wander around a bit."
As he considered which direction to go, something across the street caught his eye—another narrow alley branching off from Diagon Alley.
The shops in Diagon Alley were already tightly packed, but this passageway looked even narrower. Strange, crooked buildings cast deep shadows, leaving the whole path dim and a little eerie.
Maca hesitated for a moment, then decided to head that way.
The first three shops at the entrance had their doors tightly shut. Heavy velvet curtains covered the display windows, and the faded shop signs were barely legible—clearly abandoned for quite some time. A little farther in, however, he saw a shop called The Giant Spider, its door wide open. Inside, a number of strange creatures were locked in cages, squirming and rustling.
That reminded him of something on his supply list—students may bring an owl, a cat, or a toad.
"Maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a look inside," he thought. After all, he'd arrived early, and there was still plenty of time to explore.
"Welcome, young customer," croaked a voice from the very back of the shop. It belonged to an old witch wearing a wide-brimmed pointed hat. Her raspy tone was eerie, almost like a whisper from the shadows. "Feel free to look around…"
Maca glanced in her direction but soon turned his attention to the cages lining either side of the shop.
Truth be told, he was just browsing. Most of the creatures in the cages were unfamiliar to him, but that didn't stop his curiosity from flaring.
Then, something caught his eye—a large black owl. It was at least twice the size of the breeds he'd seen earlier at Eeylops Owl Emporium.
"What breed is this owl?" Maca asked, turning to the old witch.
"Long-eared Spectral Owl," she replied in that same chilling tone, her cracked and withered lips parting to reveal a crooked set of yellowed teeth. "Native to Sumatra. Skilled in hunting and sentry duty. Known to predict earthquakes and tsunamis."
Maca looked back at the owl. It stared at him silently, its gaze intense and unwavering.
"How much is it?" he asked.
The old witch bared a grin, though the stiffness of her expression made it more unsettling than friendly. "Twenty Galleons, my dear sir."
Maca gave her a flat look, his face unreadable. "Come on, ma'am. I'm not one of those wide-eyed first-years from Hogwarts."
The witch squinted at him, scanning him up and down. Then she straightened slightly, her hunch easing a bit as her voice rose. "Fine then. Fifteen Galleons. Final offer."
This time, Maca didn't even respond. He simply turned on his heel and walked straight for the exit, his pace brisk—almost like he was escaping some foul stench.
"Wait! Wait, sir! Ten—no, eight Galleons! Eight, that's my lowest!"
Hearing this, Maca paused and looked back. He didn't haggle further—he figured the price still left room for profit, but any more pushing and he might lose the chance to buy it altogether.
"Deal," he said, placing eight Galleons on the counter and grabbing the cage before heading out the door.
"Wait! The cage is extra!" the old witch shrieked, chasing after him. But by the time she reached the entrance, Maca had already vanished into the crowd outside.
It was only then, standing in the doorway, that her full height became apparent—she was nearly two meters tall!
"Blast it! That little runt! Just like those blasted American vampires!" she growled, scanning the street with a scowl before retreating into the shop, muttering curses under her breath.
Maca hadn't gone far. He had merely quickened his pace before slipping into a nearby shop called Mellock's Museum of Curiosities.
"Welcome to Mellock's Rare Finds! We've got everything you can imagine—take your time!" chirped a tiny man who popped out from behind a shelf. His voice was even more piercing than the goblins at Gringotts.
"I'm just browsing," Maca replied casually, pulling something from a large bin near the shelves. It was—well, half of a wand.
The battered wand piece was covered in deep scratches, and the broken tip revealed a filthy, frayed core sticking out.
"This is a rare find?" Maca muttered, eyeing the pitiful object with skepticism.
But the short wizard beamed with pride. "Oh yes, absolutely! Used by Grindelwald himself during his student years! Purpleheart wood, dragon heartstring core, fourteen and three-quarter inches—I mean, once upon a time!"
Maca sighed and dropped the half-wand back into the bin.
He picked up a few other trinkets to examine, while the excitable shopkeeper danced around him, spinning what were clearly over-the-top stories, probably hoping to bait him into buying something.
Just as Maca was about to leave, a faint flash of blue light caught his eye from a gap between the shelves.
He quickly averted his gaze and crouched down, pretending to inspect some other items, though inwardly, he was already making plans.