Sitting under a tree in the centre island on the Black Lake Loki watched the curious little Bowtruckle steal honey from the jar in his hand as he kept his eyes nearly closed while watching the shy tree people.
Playing with the Bowtruckles had become something of a pastime over the last month for Loki.
A sort of ritual that would allow him to unwind after reading Salazar Slytherin's book about making wands.
The Bowtruckles got honey and Loki got funny hairstyles from them since they loved tying his hair up as a pastime.
In fact, the routine had turned into a bit of a game between Loki and Bowtruckles, he'd keep his eyes closed and as long as he didn't notice any of them messing with his hair, Loki wouldn't open his eyes.
Anyone who was noticed was caught and hung upside down with their legs attached to the tree using honey which they consumed slowly while watching their other friends play the game.
*crunch*
The sudden crack of a tree branch scared away a lot of the Bowtruckles and caused a frown to appear on Loki's face.
"I'm sorry. I hadn't seen you here. I was searching for Wackspurts." A bright chirpy voice that seemed lazy floated into Loki's ears as he opened his eyes and looked up.
A face with absurdly designed paper spectacles appeared in his vision.
The glasses looked like the face of a fly but had glitter all over them while the 'glasses' in them had psychedelic patterns that appeared blue on one side and pink on the other.
The body of the spectacles themselves had several psychedelic circles drawn on it that shimmered in the light, making it feel even more confusing and disorientating.
But the frown on Loki's face was only momentary as the words the girl had spoken entered Loki's mind.
'Wackspurts?'
'Those invisible things that were in my first potion ingredient?'
"Wackspurts?" Loki asked with surprise.
"Hm~m. I was looking for them. Your head seems to be filled with them. All the trails in the castle lead me to you." The girl said calmly, her tone felt like it was a perpetual expression of finality.
"There are Wackspurts inside my head? Why? How!?" Loki asked confused and a little shocked.
"They just increased."
"...huh?" Loki couldn't keep track and became a little dumbfounded. "I feel fine though..?"
"Are you feeling down?" The girl asked as if she were speaking to a puppy on the side of the road.
"...I'm a little confused.", Loki admitted still wondering where this was leading.
"Wackspurts are known to inhabit a confused mind. They thrive among those that think too much since we sabotage ourselves sometimes."
"....do Dementors have a lot of Wackspurts in their little heads then?"
"No. Why would they? They are always happy. They eat happiness. I fed a little bit of mine to a friend I made this year. Unfortunately, he had to leave when the Grim Dog was found."
"You mean Sirius? Wait a second- How did you know-"
"I am a Biologist."
"Huh? A Biolo-" Loki was about to ask what she meant by that but his words froze mid-sentence.
'She's a Sequence 6 Biologist from the Mother Pathway!?'
'I can't stay here, lest she do something to me that involves mushrooms, fishes, cows and an ungodly amount of wine.'
"I like plants. And animals. I know an animal when I see one."
Loki looked at the girl who had just barged her way into his sanctuary and had started spitting out random facts, each one hitting harder than the other with suspicion.
"What do you want?"
"Wackspurts. All the trails lead to you. Luna's messenger is with you." the girl said again, Loki could swear he could hear a little bit of annoyance in her tone but even his supreme senses told him he was imagining things so he let it go.
Loki stared at the girl dumbfounded and then decided to ignore her while he stood up and used a spoon to leave behind globules of honey at all the entrances of the Bowtruckles' houses.
"Do you know why you are confused?" The girl asked, inserting herself into Loki's pathway as he tried to avoid getting any honey on her hair by accident.
"Of course, I know why I am confused.", Loki thought while trying to dodge the girl and get rid of her.
"Wrong. You are confused because you don't know the source of your confusion."
Loki froze in his steps, but then he started marching again after shielding his mind with the concealment rune as he had a frown on his face.
'Ha! Try reading my mind now you fool!'
"I'm not reading your mind. The Wackspurts told me you were lying."
"...." Loki froze when he heard the word Wackspurts again and properly looked at the girl who was following him.
She had straggly waist-length dirty blonde hair and was walking barefoot in the forest.
"Where are your shoes?"
"Oh. I'm sure they'll find their way back to me. They must've just gone out on a jog."
"...look could you just tell me why you're here?"
"Wackspurts. I'm here for the Wackspurts."
"And you're going to keep following me as long as they're in my head?"
"...yes."
"I understand. Do you know how I can get rid of the Wackspurts then? How can you see them in the first place? Those paper glasses special?"
"They aren't glasses. They're called Spectrespecs. They allow one to look into the spirit world."
"Wackspurts come from the spirit world?" Loki asked surprised.
"Yes. They can become messengers if you were thinking about that. They're tiny but they can carry thoughts of any length in them. As you can see, they like to gossip."
"...I see. And how do I get rid of them?"
"You need to know the source of your confusion."
Loki frowned, unsure of sharing his rather 'secret' troubles with someone who he'd just met randomly.
"You can tell me about it. I won't tell anyone. Most wouldn't believe me anyway. They call me Loony Lovegood."
"Loony Lovegood?" Loki asked with raised eyebrows.
The girl nodded.
"You're Loony Lovegood!? Even Myrtle calls you that!" Loki suddenly said with surprise while Luna just stared at him causing the conversation to turn awkward.
"*Ahem* I didn't mean it that way. I don't trust the rumours much. So you can rest assured."
"So do you know what you are confused about? Luna would like to have her messenger back." Luna asked again, a little more monotone than before.
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A/N : We crossed a hundred powerstones today, expect an extra chapter tomorrow!!! Let's goo!!!!!
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