A/N: like I said, this one's a bit longer. I don't own anything except the mocking beast (read on, you'll know what I'm talking about).
The next day, Rolf forgot all about the Lovegood Woman and her bag of excrement. He was close on the tail of the Jobberknoll.
As much as he enjoyed the company of the others at the inn and in the village, out in the forest was where he truly felt at home. When it came down to it, he was just as much of an outsider as the Lovegood woman, except that he wasn't crazy. But out in the forest, there was no one to judge him or his career choices. It was just him and the trees and the animals. The sensation of peaceful calm made him almost giddy.
Rolf paused. If there was anywhere in the entire forest where the Jobberknoll might be perched, it was here, in this tree. Rolf looked up and had to squint through the branches, but there, right there, he saw it. Perched exactly the way his grandfather had described to him, was the Jobberknoll. Rolf reached into his bag and grabbed his camera. Carefully he set up the shot. He had never really been known for his photography, so he silently prayed that nothing would interrupt him.
There was a loud gasp behind him and he nearly dropped the camera. He would be lucky if the Jobberknoll hadn't flown away in fright. He angrily turned around to see who had interrupted him, and wasn't surprised to see the Lovegood Woman.
"Look at that," She practically whispered. She didn't seem to be paying Rolf any attention whatsoever, and was staring up into the same tree he had been. "Have you ever seen anything so marvelous? I finally found one. Oh, Daddy will be so happy." She took some grass out of her pocket and started waving it up at the tree, as if to attract it. "Look." She finally seemed to have noticed his existence. "You can't deny it now! That is a fully-grown Winged Warble!"
He followed her gaze up the tree, but all he saw was the Jobberknoll, who was looking very tempted by the grass she was waving around. "All I see is a Jobberknoll. You can tell by the feather shape and color. Look at that beak. It is clearly the same as described in my Grandfather's journal."
"What are you talking about?" she asked him, frowning for the first time since they had met. The Jobberknoll was hopping from branch to branch down the tree so it could reach the grass. "I've read your grandfather's journal, and this creatures feathers are far too small. They're long and thin, which is the complete opposite of a Jobberknoll, however it is exactly how the Warble is described in my father's magazine."
"Oh, because your father's magazine is completely reliable." Rolf felt his temper rising, and was both surprised and satisfied that he saw Lovegood's rising as well.
"And your grandfather's book?" She almost yelled at him, which was something she never did. She threw the grass onto the forest floor, and the Jobberknoll crouched down and started chomping away. "My father says it's chock full of errors. I didn't want to tell you in case I insulted you."
"'Father says this,' 'Father says that!'" He yelled back at her, "Don't you have any of your own thoughts, Woman? What do you say? What do you think?"
The Lovegood Woman looked shocked. No one had, apparently, asked her that her entire life. He could understand why they wouldn't, given that she'd probably give some crazy answer. "I think-" she said slowly. She looked down at the Jobberknoll between them. Unfazed by their loud argument, the Jobberknoll had finished the grass and had walked over to nuzzle Lovegood, in case she had any more to give. "I think that both Warbles and Jobberknolls fly."
"What?" Rolf asked her. This was not exactly the answer he had been expecting.
"They fly. But this little guy hopped down, and it doesn't look like he's injured. Why wouldn't he fly?"
Rolf knelt down next to the bird to get a better look. Obviously expecting more treats, it waddled toward him. This was not only uncommon for the Jobberknoll, it was unheard of.
"I have an idea!" Lovegood's usual faint smile had returned to her face as she gazed down at the creature. "Mr. Scamander, if you wouldn't mind, close your eyes for a minute."
"Why—"
"Just do it!" obediently, Rolf closed his eyes. "Now picture a giant blob of purple jelly where the bird was."
"What?"
"Picture it!" Rolf shrugged to himself and did as she said. "Now, look at the bird."
Rolf opened his eyes and gasped in shock. Sure enough, where there had been a Jobberknoll there was now a blob of purple jelly.
"You see?" Lovegood smiled at him, "It's not a Warble or a Jobberknoll. It just imitates them."
"Is it like a boggart?" Rolf asked, examining the jelly in front of him, "It shape-shifts into whatever we expect to see?"
"I think it's more of an illusion," She said, she reached out a hand to touch it, "Otherwise, why would we see different things?" It was almost as if her hand had gone inside the jelly as she went to touch it. "I came here expecting to find a Warble, so this creature appeared to be one to me. You expected to find a Jobberknoll, so that's how it appeared to you. Ah," She said, resting her hands on something inside the jelly. "There is an animal in here. The illusion must be a defensive mechanism, but it only works visually. To the touch, it's perfectly solid, here feel."
She grabbed his hand and pulled it into the jelly. Sure enough, there was a very soft skin under all the jelly.
They spent the rest of the day measuring the animal, giving descriptions based on touch, sound, and smell. They put the small animal under a number of behavior tests, which, for an armful of grass, the creature was only too willing to comply with.
"Luna!" Rolf said after a long days work, forgetting that he hated her and that they were not on a first name basis. "We just discovered an entirely new magical creature!" He smiled at her for the first time.
She returned his smile. "What should we call it?" She asked.
"Umm, illusion rodent?" He said tentatively. Sure enough, the creature that appeared before them, which they assumed was as close to it's actual appearance as they were likely to get, looked a great deal like a rodent.
She frowned. "How about, Bestia Inrideo?" She asked. Even as she said it, he knew it was the right one. "Or a mocking beast, for common use?"
He smiled at her and nodded, and then wrote the name on the pad where he had recorded the various facts about it. They both watched the small animal nuzzle up to Luna. "I think he likes you."
"Yes, I think he just might follow me home." She pet his tiny head with her finger.
"Do you think that's wise? I mean, we don't know if it's safe to bring him out of his environment."
"Oh, I'm sure he'll be fine." She said as she picked him up. "I think we better call it a day, it's getting dark."
"Oh, right." Rolf hadn't even noticed the passing of time, he was too excited about their discovery. "Why don't you join me for a drink at the bar in celebration?" He asked her. "It's not every day you discover an entirely new creature."
"No, the bartender was quite rude to me when I informed him of his Wrackspurt problem. I don't think I'll go back there again." He nodded, remembering.
"Well," he said, "Perhaps tomorrow I could work with you to discover more about this little guy? Maybe we'll even find others like him."
She smiled up at him. "I would like that."
The began walking back towards the inn in silence, but when they were almost at the inn's door, he asked her, "So, what will you name this little guy?"
"Oh, I was planning on calling him Rolf."
He didn't know what to say at first, but finally he managed, "I'm flattered. Umm, if you don't mind me asking, why?"
She smiled at him again. Strangely, he didn't found her smile nearly as infuriating as he had that morning, "Oh, I just want to remember the name of the only person who was nice to me in this whole country."
She did not seem embarrassed as she turned into the inn, and probably upstairs. Rolf never knew, as he had stopped dead in his tracks staring at the now closed door. A wave of emotions crashed over him, guilt for being one of the ones to make fun of her, embarrassment at her compliment, anger at the ones who had upset her, and above all, complete pity for the poor woman who probably had to face the same criticism he did, when everyone around the both of them said chasing after animals like the little mocking beast was crazy.
Rolf turned to the bar and ordered a very large Firewhiskey.