Capítulo 13: Chapter 13
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The owl had taken up residence in the attic of the manor house. The father, after his son's explanation, took the bird's acquisition with understanding. The servants were a little surprised, but no more than that. Rich people have their quirks. Some people keep hunting falcons or jaguars, but here the boy only got an owl. All he had to do was feed it and occasionally clean the attic.
After breakfast on Monday, Richie was a little more conscious and then called the detective.
The phone was not answered for a long time. Richard even thought that Scott wasn't home. The boy was just about to hang up when the ringing stopped and an uncertain, boyish voice came out of the speaker:
- Hello?
- Good morning," Richard began. - Can I hear Mr Potter?
- Erm... I'm listening, who is this?
The child's voice sounded familiar to Richard, but it clearly wasn't Scott.
- I'm sorry, I guess we misunderstood each other. I'm Richard Grosvenor. I'm looking for Scott.
- Richie?! - exclaimed the boy on the other end of the phone in joyful amazement.
- Harry? Harry Potter?
- Yes, sir! - replied Harry cheerfully.
- What kind of sir am I to you? Oh, give it up. We agreed, I'm Richie, you're Harry. If you say sir to me, I will address you exclusively as Mr Potter, sir!
- Right. What do you want Uncle Scott for?
- I'm here for work.
- Richie, um..." Harry hesitated shyly.
- What?
- Thank you. - Harry blurted out. - 'After you scared your aunt and uncle, I... I felt better. And then Uncle Scott showed up. He told me about my grandparents and how you were the reason he accidentally found out about me.
- Whoa! Harry, I'm surprised. Scott and I haven't spoken in a while, and you're already living with him. How's it going with him?
- Great! - Harry replied happily. - Uncle Scott is great! He's a cool detective and... well... he treats me better than Uncle Vernon. He let me drive his car and promised to teach me how to shoot a pistol and a shotgun.
- Yeah, where? Why didn't anybody offer me one?
- I don't know," Harry replied with embarrassment.
- Calm down, I'm kidding. Scott's a relative of yours. Though I suspect where exactly you'll learn to shoot. My father has a hunting club that your uncle is a member of. I suggest we make a deal and go there together sometime. I'd love to shoot something, too. That's awesome!
- That's right! I'll ask Uncle Scott.
- I'll run it through my channels. All right, Harry, you better tell me, is Scott home?
- No, his uncle said he was away on business. Can I take a message?
- Yeah. Tell him I called and asked him to contact me on an important assignment.
- All right, Richie, I'll tell him.
- Harry, are you transferring to a new school now? It's about time to be in school and you're home.
- Well..." the young Potter stretched out. - Uncle Scott is just processing the paperwork for the transfer to the new school for now. He said I'll have to stay home for a few more days. But I'm glad of that. I'm afraid of how my new classmates will take me.
- Don't be. Even if they turn out to be jerks, forget it. You have at least one friend. I'm talking about me.
- You..." Harry's voice was astonished to the extreme. - Do you really want to be friends with me?
- Of course I do. What questions? Do you know how hard it is for a guy like me to find a friend? If you don't mind, I'd love to be your friend.
- I don't mind! - Harry said happily. - Richie, you're not in high school either!
- I've finished junior school. I was bored as hell with it, so I took my exams as an extra.
- Wow! You could do that?
- Oh, my God! All right, Harry, I gotta go. I want you and Scott to come round and visit me on Friday. You can tell your uncle it's not that urgent, we'll talk about it when you get here.
- Okay, I'll tell him. Bye, Richie.
- Good luck, Harry. Don't miss me. Scott's got a telly, hasn't he?
- Yeah, he does.
- Well, watch something. Bye. Bye.
The week flew by. On Friday, Richard had a rest until noon, and after lunch he had a training session with a fencing champion. The boy's results were gradually improving.
Toward evening, an old Rover hatchback arrived at Eaton Hall Manor.
Richard had just got out of the shower and started to dress when there was a cautious knock on the door.
- Mr Ritchie, Mr Potter and his son are here to see you," Lucy said from the corridor.- 'I'll be down in the drawing room in a moment. 'Lucy, bring the guests some tea and sweets.
- Very good, sir.
Richard licked his hair with gel, adjusted his jacket and headed for the drawing room. As he descended the stairs, he looked round at the guests.
Scott looked quite familiar in his grey suit, which was ironed this time, but the top button of his shirt was undone and his tie was missing.
Harry was strikingly transformed. He was wearing decent sized blue jeans, brand new white trainers with green soles and poison green laces. A navy blue cardigan was worn over a white shirt. Instead of round bicycle glasses, Harry had oblong glasses with shiny chrome frames. His hair was in chaotic disarray on his head.
- Good afternoon, gentlemen," Richard greeted the guests with a slight bow. - I hope you made it without incident.
- Hello, lad," Scott said with a simple wave of his right hand.
- Hi, Richie," Harry smiled embarrassedly.
The young Grosvenor sat down on the sofa with the young Potter. There were already cups of tea and vases of sweets on the coffee table. Harry was happily nibbling on a cream cake.
Sitting on the opposite sofa, the detective asked:
- 'Richie, you said you had an important assignment.
- Yes, Mr Potter. Tell me, can you get to the wizards and find out something for me?
Harry choked on his cake and looked first at Richard in amazement, then shifted his gaze to his newfound uncle.
Detective Potter frowned, a broad crease furrowing his brow.
- I can if I have to," he replied. - Richie, what exactly are you interested in?
- Firstly, I need to find out some information about Mr Arthur Weasley. Who he is, what he does for a living, his family, his children, his mistresses. I know that he works for the Ministry of Magic as the head of the Muggle Invention Control Branch.
- Yeah, I see," the detective nodded. - What's your interest in Mr Weasley, anyway?
- I want to offer him a part-time job and buy him outright.
- I see.
Harry, who had been silent until then, listening to the conversation in amazement, suddenly couldn't stand it and exclaimed:
- Hey, wait a minute! What wizards? What Ministry of Magic? Are you trying to play a trick on me?
Detective Potter sighed heavily, then turned to his nephew:
- Harry, I didn't know how to tell you. The fact is that our world is more diverse than most people know. Among us live people with unusual abilities who call themselves mages, wizards, warlocks and witches. Your parents, and my parents, that is, your grandparents, were also wizards.
- And you? - Harry asked, looking at his uncle. - Are you a wizard too?
- No, Harry," Scott replied sadly. - It happens occasionally that wizards have a child without the gift of magic. I hate to break it to you, but ...
- What?! Uncle Scott, did you know my parents?
The detective frowned and turned pale. He didn't know what to say to the child. Richard decided to come to the man's rescue.
- 'Harry, a lot of wizards aren't very nice people. I shouldn't have to tell you this, and Uncle Scott didn't want to upset you, but wizards have a disgusting tradition... If a child doesn't have a magical gift, the wizarding parents give it up. Your grandparents put Uncle Scott in an orphanage and forgot he ever existed.
- That's not true, is it? - Harry looked at his uncle hopefully.
The frowning Mr Potter shook his head silently and replied in a husky voice:
- 'Unfortunately, Harry, it's true.
- So Mum and Dad have given up on me too? - Harry asked in a stricken voice. - Is it because I'm not a wizard?
- No, Harry," Scott said. - You'll know if you're a wizard or not when you turn eleven. If you get an invitation from the School of Magic and Wizardry, you're a wizard. If not, you're just a normal person. So let's not get ahead of ourselves. And your parents were actually killed by a wizard bandit.
- Harry is a wizard, I'm telling you," Richard said.
- Are you sure? - The detective asked the young Grosvenor.
- I'm sure. Harry, strange things have happened to you, haven't they?
- Well-" Harry thought for a moment. - I think so. Aunt Petunia cut my hair short once. I was afraid to show up at school like that, because everyone would laugh at me. I woke up in the morning with my usual haircut. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia got very angry with me because of it. And one time I was running away from Dudley and his mates. They drove me into a dead end. I wanted to get as far away from them as possible. I didn't realise how I ended up on the roof of the school extension. A fire engine took me down from there, and my uncle got mad at me again and didn't feed me for days.
- Wow! - Marvelled the elder Potter. - An apparition at such a young age! Harry, now there's no doubt in my mind that you're a wizard.
- Um...," Harry stretched out. - 'Richie, are you... Are you a wizard or not?
- Harry, I'm as much a wizard as you are," Richard smiled disarmingly. - In a year and a half, you and I will be in the same school. How cool is that?
- I guess," Harry shrugged uncertainly. - No, I mean, I'd love to go to school with you, but I don't think I'm a wizard. I'm just a simple boy.
- Simple or not, it doesn't matter," Richard said. - The main thing is to take care of yourself and your family!
- By the way, Richie," the detective began, "I thought you had some other assignment besides Weasley.
- Yes, sir. I need mage bodyguards, or at least one skilled wizard who can keep me safe during my visits to the wizards.
- We'll think of something," Scott muttered. - What are your plans, boys?
- To play something," Richard said. - I actually thought Harry was going to have a sleepover. You, Mr Potter, can sleep in the guest bedroom. It's a long way to London for you.
The detective thought for a moment and asked:
- 'Harry, how would you feel about an overnight stay?
- I'd love to, Uncle!
- Then let's do it this way. I'll go down to London and visit the wizarding trade quarter. And tomorrow afternoon, I'll pick up Harry.
- I have tutoring tomorrow morning and into the evening," Richard said. - If Harry doesn't mind waiting for you, sir, that's an acceptable option. I suggest we do something a little different - Steve will take Harry home tomorrow. And you, Mr Potter, take your time. I don't think you'll be able to find all the information you need in one evening.
- Good, that's more convenient for me," the detective said. - Harry, you don't mind, do you?
- No, Uncle Scott," the young Potter shook his head.
- 'Then hold the keys to the flat and I'll be off. Have a good time, kids!
Scott got up from the sofa, handed his nephew a bunch of keys and walked towards the exit.
Richard turned to his guest:
- Harry, I have an interesting proposition.
- What is it?
- Let's go to Chester to the bookshop and buy all the comic books!
- Comics?! - Harry's green eyes lit up with excitement. - Dudley wouldn't let me read his comics. And I wanted to so badly...
- Harry, I'm going to get you a whole collection of comics.
- Let's go! - the young Potter excitedly burst out.
Richard reached the wall, picked up the receiver from the telephone and pressed the intercom button. Almost immediately the maid's voice answered:
- Yes, sir?
- Lucy, tell Steve to bring the car to the entrance. My friend and I are going to Chester.
- All right, Mr Ritchie, I'll give Steve your orders.
Richard didn't just go shopping for comic books. He was going to use ideas from superhero stories to realise various useful devices. Of course, he knew about many devices from the world of the future, but how to explain what he wants, for example, to the wizard who will translate the ideas into reality? You can draw a device and list its technical characteristics, but the easiest way is to show a picture from a comic book and say: "I want this".
Why is it easier? Because Richard's a kid. No-one would be surprised by a boy's desire to have a super cool comic book thing.
And here was the occasion to combine several useful things: to establish relations with the future hero, the saviour of mankind, and at the same time to buy the necessary literature.
An hour and a half later the two boys were seated on the huge bed in Richard's room. Around them were stacks of comic books. The boys leafed through the magazines with genuine curiosity. Except everyone's interest was different. Harry, for the first time, could do what any boy his age could do. He thought he was the happiest boy in the world. Richard, on the other hand, was looking through children's magazines for ideas for magical gadgets. He even armed himself with a notebook and a fountain pen, jotting down worthwhile ideas.
- Harry, who are you reading about?
- Spider-Man. Apparently he has special devices on his arms that he uses to make webs.
- Mm-hmm... Spider webs from his hands... That's cool and useful.
Richard jotted down the first item in his notebook:
1) Ejector for shooting spider webs.
- What are you writing?
Harry looked curiously into the notebook.
- 'Yeah, just creating a list of different sci-fi things I'd like to have in reality. Do you want to help?
- Yeah," Harry's eyes lit up with enthusiasm. - 'Let's divide up the comics and look for things like that.
- Let's do that. Whoever finds the most gadgets wins.
Children, like many adults, are susceptible to excitement. But in children, competition is most pronounced. They only give the appearance of a game competition in which you need to win, they will do it with joy and put a lot of effort to win. So Harry Potter's enthusiasm, you might say, burst into flames. He began to dig through the comics one by one.
- A glider like the Green Goblin from Spider-Man! - Harry blurted out.
- That'll do," Richard wrote down in his notebook.
- And Dr Octavius's steel tentacles.
- Hmm... Harry, you're not getting a comic book, you're getting a treasure trove of gadgets.
- In the Spider-Man comics, the villains have all sorts of cool stuff," Harry said happily. - If I had one of those, I'd use it to do good things.
- Yeah, like taking old ladies across the street in a glider?! - Richard asked sarcastically.- No, but..." Potter was confused. - You know, fighting criminals.
- Criminals are supposed to be fought by the police. In the comics, of course, everything is described in a funny way, but if you think about it, the heroes break the laws. Yes, they fight villains, but often during the battle they cause the kind of destruction that the villain himself wouldn't do if he wanted to. If the heroes fought with villains according to the law, they would be obliged not only to apprehend the criminal, but to surrender to the police, to testify to the investigator and in court. From the side of the average person, the fight between hero and villain looks like a fight between several people with superpowers. It is not always clear who is good and who is bad.
- Spider-Man is good! - Harry said indignantly.
- Yes, he is. But I think Peter Parker could do more good for humanity by doing scientific research than by running around chasing bullies.
- I don't think so! - Harry insisted.
- Huh? Harry, let's do the maths. How many people does Spider-Man save in a day?
Harry Potter ruffled his unruly hair thoughtfully and thought for a while.
- Well... About three or four people.
- I don't think it's that many, but all right. Let's make it a maximum of four people a day. Let's say he works weekends and every day he's lucky enough to find that many bad guys. Multiply that by three hundred and sixty-five days a year. That's one thousand four hundred and sixty people a year.
- That's about right, but sometimes he saves a lot of people," Harry said. - Like when bandits took hostages in a bank.
- All right, let's round it up to a thousand and a half. Let's say Spider-Man is healthy enough for thirty years of heroic street patrolling. Then he'll be too old for that.
To Harry, anyone over the age of twenty seemed old. He thought about it, calculating that Peter Parker would be about forty-five by then.
- I guess so," Potter stretched out. - It would be hard for an old man like that to jump on a spider's web.
- I'll leave out the fact that Peter Parker will have been living on the dole all this time, working part-time as a journalist. He'll have paltry pension contributions, no work experience, no insurance, and won't even be able to take out a mortgage. And now he's not old, but not yet an old man, with no money and no way to keep chasing criminals, he'll console himself with the thought that he's saved forty-five thousand people in his lifetime. That's not a bad number, is it?
- I told you so! - Harry Potter said cheerfully. - You see, Spider-Man can save a lot of people.
- Yes, but the scientist Peter Parker can save even more people," Richard argued. - Let's imagine that Peter graduated from university and began to normally assist Dr Connors. He then continued his mentor's research and finalised a means of regenerating lost organs. It was mass-produced and sold in pharmacies. Now tell me, Harry, how many people need such a remedy?
- I don't know," Potter shrugged.
- One in three people on the planet, Harry. But even if we take into account the disabled and those who need organ transplants, that's about a billion people. And this drug will continue to save lives even after Dr Parker retires and lives in a luxurious house bought with a Nobel Prize. And he'll still have a decent amount of money in his bank account for inventing the cure. So, Harry, which is better, to be rich and famous and save a billion people, or to remain penniless and unknown while saving forty-five thousand people?
Harry Potter hovered, like a state-of-the-art computer for these years. The boy's eyes stared into the distance.
- A billion? - He muttered. - That's a lot...
- That's a fucking lot, Harry! More than forty-five thousand, almost twenty-three thousand times. Harry, the real heroes are doctors and scientists. The former save thousands of lives every day. The latter create new technologies that make people's lives easier, help them stay healthy and live longer.
For a while longer, the boys made the list with fascination. Richard could easily have included a lot of technologies of his past world, but he carefully avoided it, looking for the most similar gadgets in comic books. Thus, young Grosvenor put the victory in Harry's hands. Potter rejoiced and was genuinely amused, he had never had so much fun before.
It all ended with a knock on the door.
- Come in," Richard answered.
The door swung open and John's head appeared in the doorway.
- 'Mr Ritchie, Mr Potter, it's time to come down for dinner.
- Thank you, John. Harry, this is my valet, his name is John.
- Pleased to meet you, sir," Harry said politely.
Dinner passed in a solemn atmosphere. Harry felt out of place, it was the first time he had been in such a spacious dining room. And meeting a real duke was something incredible for him. It was one thing to socialise with a peer, even though he knew he was a lord, and quite another to meet a grown man.
Richard noticed the future hero's embarrassment. When the food was swept from the table, he said:
- Harry, would you like me to show you my owl?
- An owl? - Potter was surprised. - I do!
- Ahem! - drew the Duke of Westminster's attention. - Richard! - he said with a hint.
- Dad, Harry isn't just Scott Potter's nephew, he's a wizard too.
- Ahem...
Gerald rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Harry held his breath. He didn't know how an unfamiliar adult male would react to such a statement. The boy shrank back fearfully, as his only example was his Uncle Vernon, who would freak out at the mention of magic.
- Well, if you're a wizard," Mr Grosvenor grinned, coming to his senses, "that's different. Have fun, don't mind me. Only, Richie, you remember not to mention the existence of magic to the servants, don't you? Did you warn Harry about that?
- I did.
Richard blatantly lied and winked discreetly at Harry. Potter nodded his head in response.
Richie knew that even the smallest shared secret brought people together - a time-honoured fact. Yes, he was slightly manipulating the hero, but he felt no guilt. Richard knew from tutor lessons and life experience that all people take advantage of each other. If they do it for a good purpose and for the benefit of each other and enjoy it, it is called friendship. But if a person uses another person for his or her own benefit, or if the exchange is not in favour of the other person, and there is no pleasure in it, then it is brazen exploitation and dirty manipulation.
Harry and Richard climbed into the attic. A male peregrine falcon, sitting on a perch, turned his head towards the boys and hissed.
- Wow," said Harry. - A real owl! What do you need it for?
- Wizards use owls to send letters to each other. When I heard about it, I bought myself a mail bird.
- Owls deliver mail? - Harry Potter's eyes widened.
- I was even more surprised. I actually found out about it on Monday, and I still couldn't believe it. I didn't really get a chance to check it out, because I didn't really know any wizards before. Now I can at least send letters to you. Do you think we should test the bird?
- I'd love to," Harry said uncertainly. - Are you sure it's a mail bird? Why not a pigeon?
- Fuck knows," Richard shrugged his shoulders. - Most wizards are crazy! Though perhaps my opinion is too biased. And I haven't seen many wizards. For example, my mother was a witch, but she left me when I was five, robbed my father and ran away. I don't think that's normal behaviour for a mother. Or the case of your Uncle Scott....
- Um...," Harry looked embarrassed. - 'I hope we don't become like that. Richie, what did you name your owl?
- Darth Vader.
- Darth Vader?
- Yeah, Darth Vader.
- Jesus," Harry rolled his eyes. A smile lit up his face. - Darth Vader?! But why?
- He likes biscuits...owl biscuits.
- Wizards are definitely nuts! - Harry stated in a cheerful tone. - You and I are too...
- Probably because it's fun," Richard said with a smile on his lips.
- Look, Richie, since we're magicians, we're kind of like superheroes. I mean, we have superpowers.
- Sort of. But I'm not going to dress up in a funny costume, and I'm not going to chase hooligans at night. And neither should you. Wizards have their own laws, and chief among them is the statute of secrecy. It means that wizards must not reveal the existence of magic and wizards to ordinary people. The whole Ministry of Magic, which has its own magic policemen, monitors the observance of the statute. So if some magician starts using his superpowers even for a good purpose, he will be immediately arrested by policemen with the same skills.
- Eh! - Harry sighed with pretence of sadness. - It's a shame... Can you teach me any tricks at least?
- I can try to teach you what I've learnt myself: summoning things and levitating objects. Just practise where no-one can see you.
- Yes, of course! - Potter cheered.
Richard spent the rest of the evening explaining his wandless witchcraft system to Harry Potter. Harry grasped the information on the fly, and towards nightfall he even started to get a few things right.
- Come on, mate, stop beating yourself up," Richard stopped the tired Potter. - Magic uses up energy, too. I felt like I'd been swinging a rapier all day after two or three tricks. Come on, let's get some sleep.
- Thanks, Richie," Harry whispered. - Good night.
- Good night.
Harry went to the guest room that the maid had shown him a little earlier.
In the morning, Richard managed to cross paths with Harry Potter at breakfast. They had a brief friendly chat, after which they said their goodbyes. Harry was taken home to Uncle Scott's house in London in a Bentley, and Richie went to see his mentor Marchbanks by portal.
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