The banging of doors and the sound of hurried footsteps made the girl lift her head. She hadn't even realised how much noise had been made. Someone was bound to have heard the heavy blows and the troll's roars.
Richard darted into the toilet, landed, quickly slipped out of the armour, shrank it, and stuffed it into his bag. Then he pulled out a green glider shaped like a winged platform, which expanded to full size in an instant. Scooping Hermione up into his arms, Richie leapt onto the glider and took off. With a flick of his wand, he transfigured the window into sand, which immediately poured down with a soft hiss. Ducking low, the pair of first-years shot out into the open air.
Hermione clung to Richard's neck with her arms, and for good measure wrapped her legs around him as well. The ground lay some thirty metres below—and that was only the second floor. Meanwhile, Richie was rapidly gaining altitude.
Granger's heart hammered in her chest like a drill. Nausea rose in her throat; terror and exhilaration flooded her mind in equal measure. It took the girl a moment to realise that they were no longer flying at all—they were standing on the roof of the Astronomy Tower.
Richard and Hermione had fled the scene of their victory over the troll just in time. Barely a moment later, Snape and McGonagall appeared in the second-floor corridor by the girls' toilets, staring in bewilderment at the unconscious troll glued to the floor with some kind of white substance.
"W-what is this, Severus?" McGonagall asked, utterly at a loss.
Snape cast a sharp, knife-like glance over the troll.
"A troll," he stated dryly.
"I can see that it's a troll!" McGonagall exclaimed, her voice rising almost hysterically. "But who could have done this to it?"
"Hardly first-years," the Potions Master continued, fully embodying the role of Captain Obvious. He bent down and began collecting the white substance into a vial. "This is clearly some modified adhesive compound—one that hardens instantly on contact with air, yet retains remarkable strength and flexibility. It's reminiscent of spider silk."
"Spider silk?" McGonagall looked at him in confusion. "Severus, do you think this was some kind of magical creature?"
"Unlikely." Snape nudged a torn-off steel manipulator clutched in the troll's hand with his foot. "I am not aware of any animals that utilise steel hoses."
"Perhaps the troll brought them with it," McGonagall suggested.
The Potions Master glanced at the window, then watched as the sand on the floor reverted into shards of glass and fragments of frame, before adding:
"And it is hardly likely that an animal could transfigure a window into sand to get out through it."
"This was someone from the older years," McGonagall said firmly. "That level of Transfiguration… a personal broom. No less than a second-year—more likely an older student who feared losing House points."
"Perhaps," Snape said. "Or perhaps not…"
***
Meanwhile, atop the Astronomy Tower, Richard was stuffing the shrunken glider back into his bag and pulling out a set of ninja clothes.
By some miracle, Hermione managed to remain standing on her trembling legs.
"Richie…" she said. "If it weren't for you, I'd already be dead."
Richard's perfect hairstyle was in disarray, his suit creased. He arranged his pale face into an expression of calm indifference, as though nothing had surprised or frightened him.
"You're welcome," he replied evenly. "Hermione, do you have your ninja outfit with you?"
"No!" Hermione shook her head. "What do you take me for—a superhero, to be wearing a ninja outfit under my school robes?"
"Pity. Luckily, I've got a spare!"
Preparing for the theft of the Philosopher's Stone, Richard had taken to carrying three sets of ninja outfits and a host of useful gadgets with him, some of which he had transferred from his suitcase into his satchel. After all, he had no way of knowing when an opportunity for the operation might arise. He handed one set of clothes to Hermione, then took out and enlarged another.
"Richie, just who are you?!" Hermione burst out, unable to hold back any longer.
"I don't understand what you mean."
"The robot, the glider, invisibility suits," Hermione listed. "Are you some kind of alien?"
Richard burst out laughing.
"No, Hermione. I've already told you about the magical workshop. All these magical gadgets are made by wizards who work for me. In fact, I'm planning to establish a colony beyond Earth, in case of an apocalypse—so that, if the worst should happen, humanity can survive and one day repopulate our home world."
"You mean that combat robot was created by wizards?" Hermione asked, stunned.
"Yes. Though that robot isn't a combat model."
"Not a combat model?!"
"Exactly."
Richard nodded, stripping down to his underwear in order to change into the ninja suit. Hermione flushed and turned away.
"And what does CRAB-3P stand for?" the girl asked.
"Colonisation Robot for Aggressive Biomes, third prototype," Richard explained. "This is the armoured variant—the 'A' indicates that. It's far from perfect. In the final version, the exoskeleton will be equipped with an AI assistant; the armour and manipulators will be made from an ultra-durable composite based on layered graphene and several strong metals, and there will also be mounts for weaponry."
"And the white liquid?" Hermione asked, glancing sideways at Richard, who was shivering slightly in the biting wind as he hurried into his suit.
"An attempt by wizards to recreate Spider-Man's webbing. So far, it's only resulted in a sticky substance that hardens quickly in air. In the future, it's meant to be used as a non-lethal tool for capturing alien fauna."
Richard finished dressing and looked at Hermione expectantly.
"You're not dressed yet?"
"Why should I be?"
"Hermione, we need to sneak back into my dormitory unnoticed and make it look like we've been doing homework. We need an alibi! Or would you prefer to be expelled?"
"No! I wouldn't!"
(End of Chapter)
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