"Susan noticed I was at a loss and suggested we go to your dormitory."
"A proper thing to do—very Hufflepuff of her," Richard said. "Padma, how do you like our common room?"
"It's very nice and cosy," the Indian girl replied. "Right, I'll go join the girls. Hermione, come with us."
"Thank you, but my prefect will be along shortly," Hermione replied coolly.
After Hermione left, Richie returned to the dormitory and collapsed onto his bed.
"Bloody hell!" he burst out, no longer bothering to restrain himself. "What the hell was that?! Where did a troll come from in the school?! A TROLL, for Merlin's sake!!!"
Ernie and Justin entered the dormitory. Richie fell silent at once, his expression smoothing into perfect composure.
"Richie, did you say something?" Macmillan asked.
"Just thinking…" Richard made a vague motion with his hand. "Trying to work out how a troll could have got into the school—and whether that's normal. For instance, why did the Headmaster send all the students back to their dormitories if Professor Quirrell said he'd seen the troll in the dungeons? Did Albus Dumbledore deliberately send the Slytherins to their deaths, or has he simply gone senile?"
"I thought it was odd too," Justin said. "Wouldn't it have been easier to keep us all in the Great Hall under the supervision of a few professors and deal with the troll properly?"
"Undoubtedly easier—and more sensible…" Richard drawled thoughtfully. "I'd say this was a deliberate attempt at murder."
He meant himself. That is, he could not rule out the possibility that someone had decided to kill him in such an… exotic fashion.
Why? Unclear. But the fact that young Grosvenor had gone off to look for Hermione and wouldn't be at dinner was known to at least the first-years of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. If one assumed the would-be killer knew Richard would find Hermione—and knew where Granger was—he could have smuggled a troll into the school and directed the creature to the right place: the girls' toilets on the second floor.
Or was it just paranoia? Too many assumptions. And yet—the keys left in the toilets door… It was as though someone had planned from the outset to let the troll inside and lock it in. The door would hardly hold a creature that size for long—but it would have been enough to prevent two first-years from escaping.
Surely the killer wasn't after Granger?! Who would care about an ordinary witch? But the son of a duke…
Or was it all just a coincidence?!
Richard failed to reach any firm conclusion. He hadn't expected anything particularly pleasant from his time at Hogwarts, of course—but until recently he had still thought of the castle as an unusual school, not a deadly exercise in survival. Not some kind of training ground for a space commando unit on a wild planet, where personnel were subjected to surprise drills involving attacks by local wildlife or enemy saboteurs.
And yet, he did arrive at one important conclusion: the Headmaster was dangerous to those around him.
Either he was mad and incapable of making sound, reasonable decisions, or Dumbledore was in fact some sort of shadowy criminal leader, as Ron and Harry had begun to suspect. It was even possible that he had arranged the troll attack himself—after all, his administrative power would allow him to orchestrate something like that and pass any resulting deaths off as an accident. If that were the case, then Dumbledore would surely know that Richard and Hermione had been in the girls' lavatory on the second floor.
But what possible motive could there be for such an attempt?!
The fact that Richie was the son of a duke ought to deter any sane wizard from making an attempt on his life. Surely it was obvious that the Crown would tear the country apart in response. They might not even bother determining who was at fault—they could simply carry out a purge of the wizarding population, just to ensure that no one ever again dared lay a hand on members of the royal family or the highest nobility.
Which meant the motive had to be significant.
Madness? Perhaps. But what had Richard actually done in the magical world that was so extraordinary? The workshop! Yes—that, and his attempt to push the use of already-known magical techniques beyond the level of primitive dabbling and into something approaching a spacefaring civilisation.
Power. Control… Yes—only an absolute dictatorship, a desire for total, unchallenged authority, could drive someone to preserve this stagnant, almost medieval state of affairs and the lack of initiative among wizards. It was easier to rule a dull, obedient populace.
And once again, Dumbledore came under suspicion. He held a staggering number of important positions in the magical world: Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Headmaster of the only school of magic in Britain, and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. This was not a man untouched by the thirst for power.
Could he truly have gone so far as to eliminate a member of the royal family simply to preserve the status quo?
If so, then he was undoubtedly mad—and possessed the sort of pathology typical of dictators.
***
The following day, Richard sent Darth Vader with one of the wizardphone and instructions on its use to Detective Potter. That same evening, he spoke with Scott, asking him to dig up all available information on Dumbledore.
Scott admitted that he couldn't handle such an investigation within the magical world on his own and suggested bringing in professionals—wizarding journalists, for instance. Richard approved the idea at once and authorised funding via a payment order through Gringotts.
Strange, really—on the very next day after the incident, the teachers behaved as though nothing had happened. As if it were nothing at all that a gigantic, murderous monster had breached a school full of children and fought someone inside! No explanations to the students, no sign of an investigation, no summons for any wizarding law enforcement being summoned. Nothing at all. The staff and the headmaster simply ate their breakfast in perfect calm.
To Richard, this behaviour only reinforced the belief that Dumbledore was mad and dangerous—whether through action or inaction made little difference. It was utterly abnormal for a school's headmaster not even to create the appearance of security measures after such a serious incident.
Another thing that puzzled Richard was the complete lack of attention from the adults. After all, there had been evidence left behind at the scene of the fight with the troll—namely, the torn-off steel manipulators he had not had time to retrieve in his haste.
(End of Chapter)
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