Chapter 805: Chapter 180: Tree-Protector Lofa

Tonight, Luna wore a pair of earrings made of gorse flowers, the pale yellow petals slightly curled, clustered below her earlobe.

The fragrance attracted a luminescent firefly, which quietly landed on the petals, its tail emitting a gentle and warm glow, like a tiny lantern.

Under the faint light, the girl’s profile appeared delicate and soft, like an elf walking out of a fairy tale.

Rolf was captivated, and he mumbled, "Yes... what you said is of course right."

Then, Rolf realized that Luna wasn’t talking to him.

He turned his gaze a beat slower and saw Vid, who had just removed the Disillusionment Charm, walking out from behind the haystack.

"What are you two doing here so late?" Vid asked preemptively.

"We came to find Zizi Beetles," Luna said cheerfully.

She displayed a glass jar in her hand, inside of which was a slender twig with a few golden beetles clinging to it, motionless.

"Zizi Beetles?"

It was the first time Vid had seen these little insects, and what surprised him even more was that these little creatures seemed to have a hint of magic power, albeit weaker than that of a Flöbo Caterpillar.

Probably comparable to the strength of a Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Bean.

"Zizi Beetles usually hang around the habitats of Divine Talisman Horses, but you can also find them in ancient graveyards or abandoned castles."

Mentioning his area of expertise, Rolf instantly became animated.

He spoke eloquently, "They feed on the oils and residues that Divine Talisman Horses secrete, and they also prey on some tiny insects. Additionally, Zizi Beetles are one of the favorite snacks of the Tree-Protector Lofa."

Vid understood: "Are you helping the Tree-Protector Lofa find food?"

"Yes." Luna said with concern, "My friend Ailuo hasn’t been in great spirits lately. I think it might need a change of diet to cheer up."

"Then I suggested we could come and look for some at night," Rolf added, "because Archer hasn’t been very active lately either."

"Divine Talisman Horses don’t have the best temper, and if someone from Beauxbatons finds you, you two might be in trouble."

Vid drew out his Magic Wand and said, "I’ll help too. Once we’ve got enough beetles, you must go back to the castle right away."

Rolf nodded, pulling Luna along to stand beside Vid, his amber eyes expectantly watching the young wizard.

Vid waved his Magic Wand lightly:

"Zizi Beetles, come!"

—Even though the Summoning Charm is usually used only on inanimate objects, magical creatures like beetles, frogs, and Nifflers are typically unable to resist the call.

Just as the words fell, dozens of golden beetles flew over from all corners of the stable and from the Divine Talisman Horses, pelting down in front of Vid like a rain of beetles.

"That’s enough, that’s enough," Luna quickly said, "we don’t need that many."

She and Rolf crouched down, picking up a few beetles each and stuffing them into the glass jar. The remaining Zizi Beetles, after hesitating briefly, quickly crawled back to the stable following the scent.

"Let’s go." Luna looked at Rolf and smiled, "We’ll feed the beetles to Ailuo, then head back to the castle."

"Alright!" Rolf couldn’t help but smile along, "I promise, once it finishes eating, it will surely be invigorated immediately."

...

The Tree-Protector Lofas all lived on the hedge walls of the maze, and they were companions students must carry when participating in the maze game.

Theoretically, the Tree-Protector Lofa paired with students is random. However, despite being so small, this creature is quite temperamental and has a very distinct personality.

If they like a student, they cling to them all day long; but if they encounter someone they don’t like, the Tree-Protector Lofa simply ignores them.

Ailuo and Archer are the Tree-Protector Lofas of the maze, and as soon as the group reached the hedge wall, a small Tree-Protector Lofa, as if already expecting them, eagerly stretched out a long finger, hooked Rolf’s scarf, and hung onto him.

"Archer!" Rolf said excitedly, "Guess what I brought you?"

He took out the glass jar, and the green Tree-Protector Lofa immediately jumped over, using all its strength to pull off the cork, tossing it aside, and then reached in with its branch-like arm to grab a beetle and draw it out, then leaned closer to suck the juice from it.

Rolf simply extended his arm horizontally, holding the glass bottle and Tree-Protector Lofa, making it easier for his friend to eat.

But when they found Luna’s little friend "Ailuo," it did not recover as hoped.

The small Tree-Protector Lofa curled up on the withered yellow branches, its bluish-green skin becoming gray and dry, as if the bark had lost moisture. Only its tiny claws occasionally flexed, proving it was still alive.

The golden beetle was placed beside it, showing no vitality, merely shifting its body, seeming to emit a long and listless sigh.

"Its condition is worse than the last time I saw it."

Luna said to Vid and Rolf, then carefully picked up the Tree-Protector Lofa, murmuring thoughtfully,

"Oh, dear, did you eat something you shouldn’t have? Has a Curved-Horned Snoring Beast drained your life force? Or are you ill? Rolf... Can Madam Pomfrey cure Ailuo?"

"I’m afraid not."

Rolf leaned in to take a look, picked up one of Ailuo’s claws and then released it, the claw fell limply into Luna’s palm.

"This condition is rare, I have never seen it before... I can only send it to my grandfather, he might know how to cure it."

"Wait..." Vid said, "Let me take a look at it."

Luna carefully placed the Tree-Protector Lofa into Vid’s palm, he stared at it for a while, chanting obscure spells under his breath.

Rolf watched Vid—at this moment, his gaze was almost identical to when Vid watched Dumbledore cast spells in the past.

A moment later, Vid raised his eyes and confidently said, "It seems to be affected by some Dark Magic."

"Dark Magic?" Luna and Rolf said in unison.

Vid did not explain the basis of his judgment, merely pointing his Magic Wand at the Tree-Protector Lofa in his palm and murmuring a general Decurse.

This little one was not truly cursed but had been tainted by some bad aura, unfortunate collateral damage.

A few minutes later, it perked up slightly, barely supporting its body, the leaves on its head shook twice, and it uttered chattering sounds.

Luna leaned in, asking seriously, "Are you trying to tell us something?"

Ailuo: "Chirp... chatter... chirp-chirp-chatter..."

Luna stared at it, her eyes unblinking, unsure if she understood. But Vid, observing her expressionless face, felt a bit worried.

Luckily, there was another creature here that could communicate smoothly with Ailuo.

Archer, originally chomping on dry beetle wings as if eating chips, suddenly raised its head, listening intently, unmoving except for the slight sway of the leaves on its head.

A moment later, Archer became excited, its slender claws tightly clutching Rolf’s collar, its small eyes wide, emitting urgent "clack clack" sounds, as if it desperately wanted to express something.

"Wait, wait, don’t rush." Rolf quickly said, "I’m not my grandfather, I can’t instantly understand your meaning..."

The Tree-Protector Lofa released Rolf’s collar, exerted its legs, and jumped onto the nearby hedge, beckoning back to the group.

The meaning was clear enough; the group followed, walking along the maze’s outer wall for about ten minutes, when the Tree-Protector Lofa pointed to a dense thicket not far away, emitting sharp "hiss" sounds.

"What’s there?" Luna asked curiously, walking towards it.

"Wait." Vid stopped her: "Don’t approach casually, you don’t know what’s there."

"Be careful." Rolf, struggling to interpret Archer’s excited expression, said haltingly, "It says—danger... very smelly... dirty things..."

As they spoke, Vid waved his Magic Wand and softly said, "Apparition."

The whole shrub shook, its roots loosened, slowly moved by an invisible force.

Vid found it much easier than expected—this shrub seemed to have been moved recently, its roots hadn’t had the chance to embed deeply into the soil.

Subsequently, these unnecessary thoughts vanished from his mind, only thin traces of cold air emerged from his heart.

The pit emitted a stagnant aura instantly, prompting everyone to cover their noses, while Rolf’s Tree-Protector Lofa immediately ran off into the distance.

Slowly, the clouds parted, moonlight streamed down from the night sky, illuminating the stark white skeleton in the pit.