Having made up his mind, Loren shifted the topic and chatted with Mr. Weasley about his collection of Muggle objects. When the mood was right, Loren even demonstrated how to operate the shotgun and left him a good amount of ammunition.
While Arthur was wholly absorbed in examining the rounds, Loren quietly started probing his body. Soon he found something off deep within Arthur—more precisely, on the level of the soul.
Three mysterious forces were coiled around Arthur's soul. If not for Loren's in-depth study of Hogwarts' ghosts and Peeves, plus the sensitivity he'd gained from his half-divine body, he likely wouldn't have noticed.
He glanced at Arthur, still lost in research, and confirmed the man hadn't sensed anything. The three forces entangled one another so thoroughly it was hard to tell where one ended and the next began. Loren could still identify one of them with ease: the Blood Orb Guardian's protective power over the soul.
As for the other two, he couldn't pinpoint their exact sources yet, though he had a solid guess—one from the Statute of Secrecy, the other from the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Law.
When Arthur drafted the law, he brushed against the Statute's principles and came under its influence. Left unchecked, he should have grown reclusive, quarrel with his family, and end up completely isolated. The Blood Orb Guardian gave him awareness of the abnormality but couldn't fight it. So when he wrote the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Law, he deliberately left a loophole so that its force would, in turn, shelter him—making the influence on him manageable and, crucially, under his own control.
He chose for himself a single "quirk," one his family could live with, and one tied to Muggles: an obsession with modifying Muggle-made objects.
Of course, the result was predictable. He fell madly in love with all things Muggle and tried to transform them into wizarding versions. Yet because of the Misuse law's side effects, he still couldn't truly understand Muggle technology—no different from other wizards—so he became, in others' eyes, an "odd" wizard, neatly fulfilling the Statute's conditions.
Looks like Mr. Weasley's had a hard lot, Loren thought with a sigh.
Just then, Loren frowned. His own power was being siphoned—at first so subtly he nearly missed it, then stronger, like a spoonful becoming a ladle. To him, his power was a great river that kept rising by the moment; what was drawn off wasn't even a drop in the bucket. He could cut the siphon any time. But sensing the Blood Orb Guardian was the one drawing on him, he let it continue—he wanted to see the artifact's limits.
Soon, bolstered by Loren's power, the Blood Orb Guardian began to change—on the soul level. Loren felt the other two forces in Arthur's soul pressed down. In reality, Arthur stopped dissecting the round so intensely and simply rolled it between his fingers.
"Mr. Weasley, can you tell me the real reason you brought out the Blood Orb Guardian?"
Seeing Loren's half-smile, Arthur knew he couldn't hide it. He also felt his own state changing and said, "I suppose nothing escapes you. Yes—the reason I brought it out is that it urged me to. It pushed me to set it in front of you."
He set the bullet down and slumped into the chair.
"Don't be startled," Loren said when Arthur jolted upright with a shocked look. "I've dabbled a bit in soul studies." He flicked his fingers in a tiny, star-pinching gesture.
"Thank you, Loren," Arthur said. "Just… be careful of the Department of Mysteries. It isn't simple."
He fell silent again for a while.
"Don't worry. I know my limits," Loren replied.
Given his track record, it was a bold claim. But Arthur let it pass and began tidying the chaotic storeroom. He deliberately used no magic—doing it all the Muggle way, only asking Loren to lend a hand when something was too heavy. He needed his behavior to "comply" with both laws, to avoid their effects.
With Loren helping, the storeroom soon became neat and orderly.
It was clear Arthur truly loved Muggle things; otherwise he wouldn't have chosen such a quirk to begin with. Thinking of this, Loren drew a small pouch from his robe and handed it over. Seeing Arthur's puzzled look, he said casually, "It's handy—keep your ammunition in it."
Arthur accepted the pouch like a treasured gift and happily led Loren back into the Burrow.
At the table, Hermione chattered about all the wonders she'd seen in the Burrow and how she wanted to remodel the little house she and Loren shared. Ginny, beside her, offered a flurry of suggestions.
On the other side, Molly Weasley felt something was off. Only when Arthur picked up food and set it in her bowl did she realize what it was—he was too quiet today. Normally at table he'd pepper Hermione with questions about Muggle things, even lug part of his collection over to show her.
"Arthur, are you all right?" she asked, uncertain.
"I'm fine," he said, still serving his daughter.
That, too, made Ginny pause and look at him in worry.
"It's alright, Ginny. I think we ought to expand the house," Arthur said, ruffling her hair. "We'll set aside a big room for you. You can decorate your own bedroom however you like."
Under the table, Loren tapped Hermione's hand to signal her not to interject yet, then said aloud, "Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley and I have come to some arrangements. Don't worry—you'll have a large sum coming in soon. You'll have more than enough to expand."
Molly shot Arthur a surprised look. As his wife, even without being told outright, she'd long since sensed something—otherwise she wouldn't have kept the home afloat during the years when Arthur poured money into other things.
"Yes," Arthur said. "The first payment will arrive soon. Then we can refurbish the place. Bill and Charlie don't need us—they have their jobs and lives. Percy has his goals; we can give him a little support. As for George and Fred, it's time they received some of the family's treasured knowledge. And Ginny—if there's anything you want, once the money's in, we'll go to Diagon Alley together."
Listening to Arthur plan how to spend the money, Molly's eyes grew wet. Her old husband was back.
"How about getting Ron a new wand?" Loren added. "His current one has issues."
"It still works, doesn't it? We'll wait till it breaks," Arthur said lightly.
Loren could only mourn for Ron in silence and keep eating. Even Hermione gave Arthur a strange look—she'd seen Ron's wand core already exposed.
Lunch ended in a peculiar mood. Molly cleared the table; Hermione and Ginny returned to their girl talk. Loren and Arthur sat aside to hammer out the practical details of the partnership. Once the terms were set, Loren called to Hermione to get ready to leave. Just as they were about to go, something occurred to him, and he turned to Arthur.
"Don't contact the Longbottoms for a few days. Wait till the Christmas holiday has passed. Don't disturb Frank and Alice Longbottom's reunion with their son."
"They're cured?" Arthur blurted, then, remembering how easily Loren had helped him, realized it shouldn't be difficult for him. He nodded. "No problem. Yes—let's give them time."
Only then did Loren take Hermione back home by Floo. As they left, they could still hear Molly's startled voice: "Frank and Alice are fully recovered? I'd better get ready—"
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