That night, Maca slept in Xenophilius's workshop.
Using an old, discarded door, Xenophilius fashioned a makeshift bed for Maca. He covered it with two blankets and a quilt for padding, with another blanket over the top for warmth. While the setup sounded a bit shabby, it was surprisingly comfortable to sleep on.
Maca ended up sleeping quite well.
The next morning, Luna came to wake him up. Honestly, Maca had grown used to staying up late and sleeping in. Adjusting to an early schedule wasn't going to happen overnight.
"Wake up, the sun's already up," Luna said, tugging lightly at Maca's blanket. But Maca, curled up in the covers, didn't budge.
"The sun's already up!" she repeated louder when he still didn't stir.
"The sun… has stopped rising…" Maca murmured sleepily, his voice muffled like he was talking in a dream.
Luna silently stared at the bundle of blankets that was Maca. After a moment, she gave the blanket another half-hearted tug—she figured that was the most she could do.
Maca, however, remained completely unresponsive.
After waiting a few more minutes, Luna turned and dashed downstairs, her footsteps thudding against the floor. She seemed to have come up with a new idea.
A short while later, Luna came bounding back up the stairs, this time holding a small woven basket made of fine vine. The basket shook slightly in her hands, as though it were filled with tiny, restless creatures. It was pretty clear this was the reason she'd rushed off—whatever was in that basket, she clearly believed it would wake Maca up. Or at least, she hoped so.
Luna blinked a few times, then carefully lifted a corner of the blanket—just a little—and quickly dumped the basket's contents into the bed. Once the tiny creatures had all scurried under the covers, Luna nodded to herself in satisfaction and even tucked the blanket back in.
Not long after, the bed began to stir. Faint noises, like someone softly whining, came from under the covers.
"Ugh… mm?" Maca seemed to be waking up, but his voice sounded strange—stuffed up and thick, like he had a cold.
"What is—ugh! No—get off…!"
The bundle under the blanket started squirming wildly. The whole bed began to shake, and even the old door used as a bed frame groaned under the movement.
Sure enough, the makeshift bed wasn't very sturdy. With a loud CRASH, the entire thing collapsed, and the room shuddered slightly with the impact.
Maca threw off the blanket and groaned in pain, clearly not enjoying his rude awakening.
His nose was still stuffy. That hadn't changed.
The tiny creatures responsible for all this were now clinging to him, especially around his face and neck. They wriggled happily on his cheeks, chest, and everywhere else they could reach. A few had even stretched out their soft tongues and were trying to poke into his nostrils.
"Ugh… ah—achoo!" Maca shook his head, flinging off the little beasts. Finally, he caught sight of Miss Luna standing nearby, watching the whole scene with fascination.
"Pufflings," Luna said dreamily, pointing at the furry critters clinging to Maca. "They're very affectionate. They hum when they're happy."
"They're also easy to care for. They'll eat leftovers, spiders, mosquitoes… anything really. Oh, and they love sticking their tongues into sleeping wizards' noses to eat their dried boogers."
Maca's eyes widened, and he immediately pinched his nose shut. Several of the creatures were already inching closer, their tongues flicking out eagerly.
"All right, all right! That's an effective alarm clock, I'll give you that. Let's just get them off me now, okay?" Maca said nasally, still holding his nose while waving his free hand. Then he groaned and sat up. "Oh, and… good morning, Luna!"
---
Breakfast passed by quickly—or rather, there wasn't much to say about it. British food had always been terrible, and that truth remained unchanged even in the wizarding world. Not to mention, the Lovegood family's financial situation had never been great. Most of their earnings from the magazine went directly into funding the next issue, leaving them with barely enough Galleons to get by.
After hurriedly finishing his breakfast, Luna's father Disapparated to gather material for the next publication. Before leaving, he gave Luna a few instructions—something along the lines of asking her to show Maca around. Maca, who was still busy trying to figure out how to make the Gurdyroot Tea taste more bearable, didn't pay much attention.
Both Luna and her father seemed to enjoy the drink, but Maca found it nearly undrinkable. Compared to the colorful fish soup from the night before—with its equally pronounced pros and cons—this peculiar tea, oozing with Lovegood family personality, was nothing but a punishment to the taste buds.
"What a… striking beverage," Maca sighed, tilting back his head and pouring the rest of the tea down his throat. "Alright, so where are we headed?"
Luna, still staring absentmindedly at the spot where her father had vanished, took a moment before replying, "I don't really know."
Maca tilted his head thoughtfully. "Are there any neighbors nearby? I mean—wizarding families."
"The Fawcetts live closest," Luna said, finally turning her gaze to the window. "A bit farther is Ottery St. Catchpole. That's where Mr. Weasley and Mr. Diggory from the Ministry have their homes."
Maca nodded, considering whether they should visit some wizarding families nearby—maybe make a few connections. But then one of the names Luna mentioned caught his attention.
"Weasley?" He looked at her. "You mean that red-haired wizarding family?"
"Mrs. Molly isn't," Luna said dreamily. "Her hair is brown."
Maca couldn't help laughing at that. "Really brown," Luna added, seriously repeating herself as if to clarify.
"Alright, alright," Maca grinned at her earnest expression. "Of course. So, how about we pay the Weasleys a visit?"
Luna gave a noncommittal nod, clearly not too concerned about where they were going.
Whoosh!
After tidying up the kitchen and breakfast table together, Maca watched as Luna vanished into the soot-streaked fireplace in a swirl of green flame.
"Okay, grab a handful, say the place, then toss it in." Maca muttered to himself as he stepped toward the fireplace. Suddenly, he paused mid-step.
"Right—enunciate clearly," he reminded himself, apparently recalling Harry's little adventure to Knockturn Alley.
"Weasley residence."
Whoosh!
For some reason, the green flames that erupted when Maca used the Floo Network were far more dramatic than Luna's. Luckily, this magical fire didn't affect non-living objects—otherwise, the sheer volume of flame licking the ceiling might've dragged the entire fireplace with him to the Weasleys'.
When Maca emerged from the fireplace at the Burrow, Luna was already chatting with Mrs. Weasley.
"Oh! You must be Maca. Miss Lovegood was just telling me about you," Mrs. Weasley said warmly as she turned to greet him. "Welcome to our home!"
As she spoke, she walked over to the window and flung it open. "Fred! George! Ron! Come inside—we've got guests!"
Maca stretched his neck to peer outside and caught sight of a freckle-faced boy holding an almost completely bald rat by its tail, followed by a slightly shorter boy trailing behind him.
"Fred, give Scabbers back! Percy gave him to me!"
"Hang on, Ron! I just thought he needed some hair tonic!"
"Stop it, all of you! Don't you see we have guests? Quiet down for once!" Mrs. Weasley bellowed. "Where's George?"
Fred shrugged and said, "Mum, I am George."
"…Right. Then where's Fred?" Mrs. Weasley blinked, confused.
At that moment, another boy burst in, pushing past the others. "Hey, Mum! I'm George—you got us mixed up again!"
Mrs. Weasley's face instantly darkened as she launched into another round of scolding, while Luna stood off to the side, laughing uncontrollably like a maniac.
Maca pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.
"Um… sorry, Mr. McLean?" came a soft voice behind him.
Maca turned to see a young girl with the same fiery red hair as the others, looking slightly younger than the rest.
"The house is always… a bit noisy," she added shyly.
"Ah, it's alright. I'm just not quite used to such lively environments," Maca replied with a smile. He guessed she must be the youngest of the Weasleys—Ginny.
He glanced at her, then back at the trio being scolded by their mother. He couldn't help but sigh again. How could one family produce such wildly different personalities in their children?
Bill, the oldest, always had that rockstar vibe. Percy was prideful and a bit wild. The twins were chaos incarnate. Even Ron seemed to have a tinge of insecurity.
Only Charlie and the youngest, Ginny, seemed somewhat… normal.
Though honestly, Maca wasn't even sure if his memories were reliable anymore. It had been so long.
"In any case, thank you for your concern, Miss Weasley."
Ginny looked at him curiously. Had someone already told him her name? She hadn't even introduced herself yet.
"Alright, come on now—introduce yourselves to our guests!" Mrs. Weasley finally finished her lengthy lecture and waved her children over.
The Burrow quieted just a little. Only Luna was still laughing uncontrollably, her chuckles echoing awkwardly through the room.