Loki shuffled through the book for a bit longer and with the help of the store owner summoned animals like toads and cats who seemed to be interested in just lazing about making him to lose interest in them.
'That cat..it's ugly.' Loki commented as he saw the picture of a rather ugly large orange cat and moved on.
'Hmm….'
"What animal is this madam?" Loki asked looking at a small fluffy animal that was playing with a shiny coin that it had brought out of its pocket.
"Oh? Do you like him? He's a Niffler! They're naughty little spirits and rarely do Nifflers come in the form of spirits. They take anything shiny as payment and are fierce protectors of their masters. And of course, they are cute too."
"Could you summon him please?" Loki asked with a soft smile and kept his voice as sweet as he could so that the lady wouldn't get annoyed because he had already asked her to summon so many animals that he was feeling guilty about it.
"Of course."
As soon as the Niffler was summoned it began to look around for something shiny in the store and settled on the gem on Loki's bow tie.
Loki slowly sneaked his hand behind the Niffler that was busy looking at the gem and when the Niffler least expected it, Loki snatched the coin in its tiny hands.
"Hehe! I got it!" Loki teased as he played a game of catch in his hands making the Niffler run around.
*SQUEAK* *SQUEAK* *SQUEAK*
Loki handed the coin to the Niffler who was happy at having received his treasure and calmly stuffed it back into its pocket after glaring a little at Loki.
"I'll take him!" Loki said since he found the Niffler too cute to pass.
"Are you sure?" The shop owner asked, looking not at Loki but at Walburga.
"Yes, that's fine with me." Walburga agreed
"I must remind you that Nifflers are quite the thieves. They are hard to train and very uncivilised." The shop owner said with a worried expression. "And we don't do refunds."
Walburga nodded and immediately paid the price for the Niffler.
"Here is the summoning call for him." the shop owner said and handed a slip of parchment to Loki who was overjoyed.
"Thank you!"
Walburga and Loki soon returned home as Walburga said there was nothing else to do for them there, even though Loki made it plenty clear he wanted to eat ice cream, all he got in response from Walburga was 'We have ice cream at home.'.
"We aren't going to get me a wand!?" Loki asked saddened.
"We'll get your wand later once you've decided on your pathway."
"Oh, alright." Loki nodded but something else was bugging him.
"Why did you get me a contracted spirit Grandma?"
"Hmpf. Why do I need a reason for doing such a thing? Everyone needs them so that they can communicate easily. Anyway, quickly set up a ritual to summon and contract the creature. I know how you can do it." Walburga asked and soon diverted the topic, but Loki had his suspicions.
'Does she feel bad that I'll be all alone with just Elane after she's slipped into her slumber?' Loki thought but didn't voice out loud.
"Alright! I'm excited to get my first contracted creature too!" Loki said and immediately began to set up an altar to summon the Niffler.
He lit up a candle by rubbing his spirituality against it, and with Walburga in the room to keep him safe in case something wrong occurred, Loki spoke out the phrase on the paper in Latin, something Walburga had begun teaching him.
"I call upon the creature."
"The creature that roams the unknowable."
"The creature that is naughty and likes shiny things and belongs to the species of a Niffler."
"The creature that is contracted with the Magical Menagerie."
"The creature that is ready to form a contract with me!"
The candle flame flickered and glowed a little brighter before the space above it tore and a small Niffler appeared through it, landing on the altar.
"I did it!" Loki exclaimed happily when the Niffler arrived.
The Niffler looked around warily but immediately stopped once it noticed the gem on Loki's bow tie.
"Would you be willing to form a contract with me for a shiny reward each time you deliver my letter!?" Loki asked politely and the Niffler stood still, looking at the gem on his bow tie with jealousy.
There was an awkward silence in the room as Loki started wondering if the Niffler even understood him or not.
*Sqeuak* *Squeak*
The Niffler finally nodded, causing Loki to smile in relief and pat himself on the back for being such a great negotiator since he felt like he had been pressuring the Niffler by flicking a shiny galleon in his hand that the Niffler definitely noticed.
Walburga then handed over the contract written on goat skin in Latin to Loki who infused a bit of his spirituality into it following which the Niffler did the same.
Their actions formed a permanent contract which they couldn't easily slip through without paying a heavy price.
Loki suddenly felt a connection form between him and the Niffler. It suddenly felt like he could understand exactly what the Niffler was saying with each of its squeaks.
"Would you like to stay out with me outside? So I can show you to my little sister?" Loki asked scratching the little guy under his chin.
*Squeak*
The Niffler squeaked and jumped onto Loki's hand.
But instead of staying still in his hands or shoulders, the Niffler rushed up his shoulders and immediately snatched the gem on the bowtie.
Walburga glared at the Niffler but the Niffler didn't back down, instead, it argued with Walburga with Loki acting as the intermediary.
*SQUEAK* *SQUEAK*
"He's telling you that to fulfil my request of following me around he'll take one shiny object per day as payment for every day he is outside."
"Hmpf. It's not like the Black Family lacks in wealth. But a Black can be proud to say that we've never been on the losing end of a deal!"
*SQUEAK* *SQUEAK* (One shiny gem!) Loki translated.
"No, ten shiny coins for a hundred days and that's final."
*SQUEAK* *SQUEAK* (Twenty shiny coins for every ten da-) Loki translated but Walburga cut him off.
"No, not a single piece more than eight for fifty days! And that's final!"
*SQUEAK* *SQUEAK* (Twenty for fifty days!)
"Ok, final offer, or I'm sending you back to that poor shop owner. Eight pieces per thirty days."
*Squeak* *Squeak*
The Loki didn't have to translate the last part because they all could see how the Niffler trembled at having to go back to the store owner.
'Was it really that terrible under her? Oh, I guess the store was not doing swimmingly.'
"I think he agrees?" Loki said happily seeing the Niffler finally snuggle into his collar and make its home there.
"I'll get an item made for you to be able to summon your messenger more easily without the ritual.", Walburga said bringing a smile to Loki's face.
"Thank you, grandma!"
"Hmpf." Walburga looked away and spoke to Loki. "You better spend all your time enjoying your time with the Niffler! I want you to make those eight coins worth it!"
"Yes, Grandma."
Loki immediately rushed up the stairs, moving at the fastest speed he was allowed to inside the house, and reached Elane who was playing with Kreacher.
"Look Elane! Look what I've gotten today!" Loki shouted overjoyed.
"Huh? What is it Big Bwother?"
"Look!" Loki said, holding the Niffler out like a lion.
"WAAAAA!!!! HE'S FLUFFY AND CUTTEEEE!!!"
Elane rushed up to Loki and immediately began to tickle the Niffler causing it to squeal in happiness.
"Big Bwother! Can I play with Pwincess Rapunzel!?"
"Princess Rapunzel?"
"Yes! I need Pwincess Rapunzel to play with me!" Elane nodded and Loki looked at the Niffler who was looking at Elane's toy princess crown with great interest.
"I guess your name is Princess Rapunzel from today?" Loki said but he wasn't sure if Princess Rapunzel was even paying attention to him while nodding to its name.