All things considered, Maka wasn't particularly interested in the Weasley family. As he'd said before, he simply wasn't someone who enjoyed noisy, bustling scenes.
Still—Ron was one of the future trio, and far too many important events were tied to him. Maka might have forgotten countless details over the years, but that didn't stop him from wanting to get to know Ron. In Maka's eyes, Ron was the closest, most convenient breakthrough—his nearest path to forming friendly ties with Harry, Hermione, and the rest.
Of course, he didn't need to get too deeply involved.
That day, Maka and Luna had lunch at the Weasleys', spent the afternoon playing around the Burrow, and then returned once more to the Lovegood home.
It was worth mentioning that Maka had already made an arrangement with Mrs. Weasley: at the end of next month, they would go to Diagon Alley together to buy the required school supplies. Ron had received his Hogwarts letter as well.
Time passed quickly at the Lovegoods'. Every day, Maka chatted with Luna about this and that. Sometimes their conversations didn't quite match up—one topic colliding with another like two carts in a narrow lane—but more often than not, they got along wonderfully.
Still, pleasant days always felt short. Time slipped by in a blink, and soon it was the date Maka had agreed on with Mrs. Weasley. That morning, he said goodbye to Luna and her father, lifted his suitcase, and stepped into the Lovegood fireplace again.
He'd been living at Luna's for nearly a month. Even with a thick skin, Maka figured it was about time to leave. Before he went, he repaired Mr. Lovegood's fence—which was in dreadful condition—and, in doing so, left a good impression behind.
At the final farewell, Luna showed a hint of reluctance for the first time. Maka wondered whether that counted as a decent start. Truthfully, he liked the girl—clever one moment, completely off in the clouds the next—though not to the point of liking her in that way.
Pop!
When Maka arrived in Diagon Alley, Luna and her father were standing before their fireplace, staring blankly at the empty hearth. Clearly, someone had finally noticed the strange phenomenon that happened whenever Maka used Floo Powder—and it had scared them half to death.
Green flames shot up violently in front of their faces, nearly licking the hem of Mr. Lovegood's ragged robe. If he'd been standing a step closer, he might have ended up in Diagon Alley right along with Maka.
…
Maka's meeting point with Mrs. Weasley was a place called Patchett's Cauldron Shop, tucked behind the Leaky Cauldron. According to Ron, he didn't need to buy much because most of what he would use had belonged to Charlie and would be passed down as secondhand items.
"Except for a new cauldron," Ron had said reluctantly. "Because Charlie's leaks at the bottom. I'd rather it was The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One that leaked. That one's more expensive—and it wouldn't make me look so stupid."
But when Maka reached the cauldron shop and peered inside a few times, he realized he'd probably arrived early.
"Fine—let's go to Gringotts first." He glanced around and decided to stick to the original plan.
Gringotts was the only bank in the wizarding world, run by goblins, with branches all over the globe. They offered deposits and vault rentals, of course—as well as smaller services like currency exchange.
With several goblins at the entrance bowing politely, Maka stepped into Gringotts' marble hall. The moment he entered, he was stunned by the busy yet orderly scene.
Roughly a hundred goblins sat on high stools behind a long row of counters. Some weighed coins on brass scales; others inspected gems through eyepieces, scratching rapid notes into massive ledgers. Countless doors lined the hall, each leading to somewhere different, and goblins guided customers in and out of those passageways with brisk efficiency.
Honestly, you didn't see a place like this every day. Maka lingered near the entrance for a moment, then walked toward a counter marked:
MUGGLE CURRENCY EXCHANGE
"Time is money, my friend," Maka said to a young goblin perched on a high stool, unable to resist tossing out the famous line before asking, "What's today's exchange rate for pounds?"
"Oh—!" The goblin's eyes lit up as if he'd just heard a profound truth. He examined Maka carefully before answering. "Yes, yes. Today's pound exchange rate is 5.01, honored guest. Would you like to exchange? The service fee is one-point-five percent."
Maka quickly pulled out most of his money from his suitcase. After completing the exchange, he deposited nearly everything into Gringotts—leaving only one hundred Galleons on his person for immediate use.
"It has been a pleasure to serve you, sir! May fortune smile upon you!" the goblin chirped in a sharp voice as they parted.
As Maka reached the front doors, he faintly heard a familiar shout behind him:
"Time is money, my friend!"
"How touching," Maka said with a grin, and left with a light, cheerful step.
"Alright then… where to next? Maybe I'll just wander around first."
As he considered which direction to take, his gaze was drawn to another narrow passageway across from Gringotts.
Diagon Alley's shops were crowded enough—but that side looked even tighter. Strange, crooked buildings blocked much of the light, and the whole place carried a gloomy, uneasy feel.
Maka hesitated briefly… then walked toward it.
The first three shops at the entrance were tightly shut. Heavy velvet curtains sealed the windows, and the names above the doors were so faded they were nearly unreadable. It looked as if they'd been abandoned for years.
A few steps deeper, however, a small shop called "Giant Spider" stood with its door open. Inside, all sorts of strange creatures sat confined in cages. It reminded Maka of the supply list: Students may bring an owl, a cat, or a toad.
Maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a look. He was early, after all—he had time.
"Welcome, young customer," a hunched old witch rasped from the back of the shop, her voice low and unpleasant. "…Have a look around."
Maka glanced that way, then began inspecting the cages lining both sides.
To be blunt, he was mostly just looking. He didn't recognize most of what he saw, but that only fed his curiosity.
Then he spotted a black owl—huge, at least two sizes larger than anything he'd seen in Eeylops Owl Emporium.
"What breed is that?" Maka turned and asked the old witch.
"A long-eared scops owl," the witch said darkly. "From Sumatra. Excellent for hunting and guarding. Also very good at predicting earthquakes and tsunamis."
As her cracked, dried lips moved, her crooked yellow teeth—missing in places—were clearly visible.
Maka looked back at the owl. It sat calmly, watching him in silence.
"How much?"
The witch stretched her mouth into a stiff grin that made the skin crawl. "Twenty Galleons, sir."
Maka shot her a look, his expression unchanged. "Oh, come on. I'm not one of those clueless Hogwarts kids."
The old witch studied him uncertainly, then straightened her bent back a little and raised her voice. "Fine. Fifteen Galleons. Final price."
This time Maka didn't even look at her. He turned and walked out, moving fast—like he was escaping something filthy.
"Wait—wait, sir! Ten—no—eight! Lowest is eight!" the witch shouted suddenly, hurrying after him.
Maka paused and glanced back. He didn't push it further. He guessed there was still profit in that price, but it was close enough—if he tried to bargain more, he probably wouldn't get it.
"Deal."
He placed eight Galleons on the counter, grabbed the cage, and walked right out.
"Wait! The cage costs extra!" the old witch chased to the doorway—only to find Maka had already vanished into the street's crowd.
Standing there, she was finally visible in full—and it was startling:
She was nearly two meters tall.
"Damn it! That damn little runt!" she snarled, unable to find him. "Just like those American vampires!"
Maka hadn't actually gone far. He simply walked briskly for a few steps, then slipped into a shop called "Melo Curiosities."
"Welcome to Melo Curiosities! We've got everything—take your time!" A little man—shorter than Maka—suddenly popped out from behind a shelf. His shrill voice was even higher than the goblins at Gringotts.
"I'm just looking," Maka said casually.
From a large basket beside the shelves, he pulled out a… well, not a wand.
Half a wand.
It was battered and scarred, with deep gouges along the wood. At the broken end, you could even see a grimy wand core exposed.
"This is a curiosity?" Maka asked, staring at the broken stick with a strange expression.
But the short wizard acted as if Maka had just discovered a priceless treasure. He waved both hands excitedly, talking over himself.
"Oh yes, yes! A wand Grindelwald used when he was a student! Yew wood, dragon heartstring, fourteen and three-quarter inches—well, I mean… it used to be."
Maka sighed and tossed the broken wand back into the basket.
After that, he picked up a few more trinkets from the shelves to examine, while the little man danced around him, spinning an entire chain of stories so obviously fake they were almost impressive—clearly hoping to hook Maka's interest.
Just as Maka set the item down and prepared to leave, something caught the corner of his eye—
A faint blue glimmer slipped through the narrow gap between shelves.
Maka immediately looked away, pretending to crouch and inspect other goods, but his mind was already turning.
He'd seen it.
And now he had a plan.