Overall, Maca wasn't particularly interested in the Weasley family. As he'd said before, he wasn't fond of such lively scenes.
However, Ron, as a member of the future trio, was involved in a great many stories. Although Maca couldn't remember many of the details, it didn't stop him from wanting to get to know Ron. In his opinion, this was the closest entry point to becoming friends with Harry, Hermione, and the others.
Of course, it didn't need to be too deep.
That day, Maca and Luna had lunch at the Weasleys' and then spent the afternoon playing at the Burrow before returning to the Lovegood house.
It was worth mentioning that he had already arranged with Mrs. Weasley to go to Diagon Alley together at the end of next month to purchase the necessities for school – Ron had also received his Hogwarts acceptance letter.
The days at the Lovegood house passed quickly. Maca talked with Luna every day, and sometimes their conversations might seem a bit disjointed, but most of the time they got along very well.
However, pleasant days always seemed short, and time flew by. Soon, the date agreed upon with Mrs. Weasley arrived. That morning, Maca bid farewell to Luna and her father, then stepped into the Lovegood's fireplace again, carrying his trunk.
After nearly a month of staying at Luna's, even Maca, as thick-skinned as he was, figured it was about time he said goodbye. Of course, before leaving, Maca helped Mr. Lovegood repair the dilapidated fence, leaving a good impression.
At the final parting, Luna, for the first time, showed a hint of reluctance. Maca wondered if this could be considered a decent start? To be honest, he was quite fond of this girl, who was sometimes clever and sometimes completely out there, though not yet to the point of liking her.
"Boom!"
Just as Maca arrived in Diagon Alley, Luna and her father were staring blankly at the empty fireplace. Obviously, someone had finally noticed the anomaly of Maca using Floo powder – they were startled.
The soaring green flames shot past their eyes, nearly licking Mr. Lovegood's tattered robe. If he had been standing closer, he probably would have gone to Diagon Alley with Maca.
Maca had arranged to meet Mrs. Weasley at Potage's Cauldron Shop, which was located behind The Leaky Cauldron. According to Ron, he didn't need to buy anything because he would be using Charlie's hand-me-downs.
"Except for a new cauldron, because Charlie's leaks at the bottom." Ron, who said this, looked reluctant. "I'd rather it was A Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, that one costs more, and wouldn't seem so stupid."
When Maca stood at the entrance of Potage's Cauldron Shop and glanced inside, he realized he was probably a bit early.
"I'll go to Gringotts first, then!" Maca looked around and decided to stick to his original plan.
Gringotts was the only bank in the wizarding world, and it was run by Goblins with branches all over the world. The Goblins provided services such as money storage and vault rentals, as well as currency exchange and other related services.
After a few Goblins at the entrance bowed in greeting, Maca walked into Gringotts' marble hall. As soon as he entered, he was stunned by the busy but orderly scene inside.
About a hundred Goblins sat on high stools behind a long counter, some weighing coins with copper scales, some examining gems with magnifying glasses, all while swiftly recording information in large ledgers. There were countless doors in the hall, each leading to different places, and many Goblins guided customers in and out of these doorways.
Honestly, this kind of scene was rare. Maca stood by the door for a while longer before walking towards the counter with the sign "Muggle Currency Exchange" nailed to it.
"Time is money, my friend," Maca couldn't help but quote a famous saying as he looked at a young Goblin on the high stool, then asked, "What's the exchange rate for Pounds?"
"Oh—yes, yes," the Goblin behind the counter's eyes lit up, as if he had heard a profound truth. He carefully examined Maca before answering, "Today's exchange rate for Pounds is 5.01. Honorable guest, would you like to exchange currency? The handling fee is 1.5 percent."
Maca quickly took out most of his money from his trunk and, after completing the exchange, deposited it all in Gringotts, leaving himself only 100 Gold Galleons for immediate use.
"It was a pleasure serving you, sir. May your wealth increase!" the Goblin said, his voice sharp with glee as he bid him farewell.
As Maca walked towards the main entrance, he faintly heard a familiar shout behind him.
"Time is money, my friend!"
"How touching," Maca grinned and left, stepping with a joyful pace.
"Alright, where to next? Maybe just wander around a bit?"
As Maca was considering which way to go, his gaze was drawn to another side street across from Gringotts.
Diagon Alley was already crowded enough, but that side street looked even narrower. The light was largely blocked out by oddly shaped buildings, making it feel somewhat eerie.
Maca hesitated for a moment, then walked towards the shops.
The three shops at the entrance were all closed, their windows covered with thick velvet curtains, and the shop names above the doors were barely visible. They had clearly been abandoned for quite some time.
A few steps further in, a small shop called "Giant Spider" had its doors open. It seemed to house many strange creatures in cages, which reminded him of an item on his shopping list - students could bring an owl, a cat, or a toad.
Maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a look. He had arrived too early anyway, and had plenty of time.
"Welcome, young customer," an old witch with a wide-brimmed pointed hat said in a low, raspy voice from the back of the shop. "...Feel free to browse."
Maca glanced over, then began to examine the creatures in the cages on either side.
To be honest, he was just looking. He didn't recognize most of the creatures, but that didn't dampen his curiosity.
Suddenly, he saw a black owl. It looked very large, at least twice the size of the owls he'd seen at "Eeylops Owl Emporium" earlier.
"What breed of owl is this?" Maca turned and asked the old witch inside the shop.
"Long-Eared Owl, from Sumatra. They're good hunters and vigilant. They're also good at predicting earthquakes and tsunamis," the old witch said in a creepy voice. Her dry, cracked lips opened and closed, revealing a crooked, yellowed tooth.
Maca looked at the owl in the cage again, seeing it was quietly watching him. He asked, "How much?"
The old witch grinned, her stiff smile giving him the creeps. "Twenty Gold Galleons, sir."
Maca glanced at the old witch without changing his expression. "Come on, madam. I'm not one of those Hogwarts brats."
The old witch hesitated, sizing Maca up and down. She then straightened her hunched back slightly, her voice getting a bit louder. "Alright, sir. Fifteen Gold Galleons, no less."
This time, Maca didn't even look at her, turning and walking out, his pace quick as if he was fleeing something foul.
"Wait, wait, sir! Ten... no... eight, eight at the least!" the old witch suddenly shouted, seeing him leave.
Maca turned back at the sound of the voice and stopped haggling. He figured the price, while certainly still profitable, was probably about as low as he could get it. Trying to bargain further would likely mean he wouldn't be able to buy the owl.
"Deal." Maca pulled out eight Gold Galleons and placed them on the counter, then picked up the cage and walked out of the shop.
"Wait! The cage is extra!" The old witch chased after him, only to find Maca had already disappeared into the crowd on the street.
Standing at the door, it was astonishing to see that the old witch was actually over two meters tall!
"Damn it! That wretched little runt, just like those American vampires!" The old witch, unable to find him, could only grumble as she went back inside.
Maca, of course, hadn't gone far. He just quickened his pace and ducked into a shop called "Mellow's Curiosities."
"Welcome to Mellow's Curiosities! We have everything here, please, browse at your leisure!" A short man, even shorter than Maca, suddenly popped out from behind a shelf, his shrill voice a half-tone higher than the Goblins at Gringotts.
"I'm just looking."
Maca said casually, pulling a wand from a large basket next to the shelf... or rather, half a wand. This half-wand was battered and scarred, with several deep scratches on the shaft, and the dirty wand core was even visible at the broken end.
"This is a rare treasure?" Maca looked at the half-stick in his hand with a strange expression.
But the short wizard seemed to think it was a treasure. He waved his hands excitedly and shouted, "Oh, yes, yes! Grindelwald used it when he was a student, Yew Wood, Dragon Heartstring, fourteen and three-quarters inches... I mean, it used to be."
Maca sighed and threw the half-wand back into the basket.
After that, Maca picked up a few trinkets on the shelf to examine, while the short man danced around him, spouting a string of stories that sounded fake enough to be true, seemingly hoping to attract Maca's attention.
Just as Maca put down what he was holding and was about to leave, his peripheral vision suddenly caught a glimpse of a faint blue light flashing from the gap in the shelf!
Maca immediately averted his gaze, pretending to squat down and examine other goods, but he already had a plan in mind.