"Ha!" Richard chuckled. "Aim higher... The FORESTER himself will come to you!"
Harry looked at Richard with such a look that one could read it without telepathy:
"Are you kidding me?!"
Harry's expression was one of disbelief. He thought Richie was joking, and the stories about magic were just made up to cheer him up. They were just tricks. Yes, tricks, nothing more!
In any case, Harry was incredibly grateful to Richard. This boy, a complete stranger to him, the prince's godson-in other words, practically a prince himself-had come to him and helped. Now Harry would have pocket money, just like Dudley. He'd also have nice clothes and a room with a window!
The day after the young lord's visit, a BBC presenter read out the news, including the following:
Prince Charles's godson and the Duke of Westminster's son, the young prodigy Richard Rich, who completed his second year of secondary school at the age of nine, became involved in charity work. He spent his first earnings, earned from producing clippy, on helping orphans. Young Rich visited a troubled family and discovered that the director of a drill company was cruelly treating his orphaned nephew, whom he had taken into his care. Thanks to the actions of the Duke of Westminster's heir, the orphan's living conditions were improved, and the troubled family was placed under the control of the state and a charitable foundation. Young Rich awarded the orphan a substantial stipend, which will be paid until the boy reaches adulthood.
In addition to the television news, a long newspaper article appeared. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were experiencing what they feared most in the world-high-profile publicity. Previously, they had considered many things abnormal, but now everyone around them considered them abnormal. Although the Dursleys, on the contrary, believed their behavior and treatment of their nephew was appropriate.
The neighbors spent a long time gossiping about the Dursleys. Although the newspaper didn't list any names, it did mention the town. Little Whinging is a small town, so everyone immediately knew who they were talking about. After the article, the neighbors stopped visiting the Dursleys' house, and Petunia no longer received invitations to the Home Economics Club. This dealt a serious blow to Mrs. Dursley's pride, but it also forced Petunia and Vernon to reflect on their behavior.
From that day on, Dudley's parents began to raise him more strictly, and Harry Potter began a different life.
Harry was over the moon. His aunt and uncle hadn't become kinder to him; they were indifferent and tried to avoid scolding him unnecessarily. They began to burden Harry with less housework, and Dudley had joined him in cleaning and tending the garden.
A couple of times the cousin tried to take it out on Harry, but he was severely punished for this and the attacks on Potter died down.
Harry moved into his own bedroom, which, although small, had a window, a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk. What more could he want? Besides, the boy now had pocket money, and he was dressed and fed better.
It's not that Harry was fed poorly before, it's just that Dudley got a larger portion. Now, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley made sure to dress both boys alike, give them equal portions, and treat them equally in public. If Dudley got ice cream, Harry got the same. At the cafe, Dudley wanted cake and cocoa; Harry ordered the same. After all, two inspections were now coming to Yew Four every week, which, naturally, didn't please the Dursleys.
On the other hand, Vernon found some advantages in his new situation. Previously, for some reason, no payments had been made for the "boy," even though the Dursleys had formally granted him guardianship. Now, four hundred pounds were deposited monthly into Harry's account, which the guardians could manage within reasonable limits: two hundred from the state and the same amount from a charity. Vernon was also glad that the scandal hadn't affected his career in any way. Although he was terrified that news would reach his superiors and he would be fired.
Petunia and Vernon now shuddered at the mention of the royal family while watching television. Previously, they'd been terrified of wizards and anything abnormal, but now they realized the normal world was more to be feared. Wizards could ruin a mood with a bad joke or enchant a dishware set. A powerful Lord, however, could ruin a life. They understood perfectly well that the "little brat"-the young Lord-could easily throw them both behind bars and deprive them of their most precious possession, their son Dudley, by sending him to an orphanage. And ruining the career of her husband, the sole breadwinner, would be even easier for Prince Charles's godson. All it would take was a rumor spread among the business elite, and Mr. Dursley wouldn't be hired for a position higher than a watchman or a porter in Britain. A decent income and a job as an executive were out of the question.
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley's new fear was the aristocracy's attention to their humble family. God forbid they should catch their eye.
And somewhere in London, the heads of the guardianship authorities secretly took a breath and crossed themselves (even the unbaptized ones), because the young Lord did not start digging on the topic of "where is the money that was not transferred to the orphan, and at whose expense to correct the mistake."
***
After meeting Harry Potter, Richard finally realized what universe he found himself in. And it made him think seriously.
It was now perfectly clear to the transmigrator that he was not a mutant, but a wizard. And several questions immediately arose before him.
First, how was he supposed to live his life? After all, if the show was right, Richard would be forced to attend a school for witchcraft and wizardry at the age of eleven. He'd hoped to be free of the school obligation by that age. Naturally, this couldn't help but upset the boy.
It's worth adding that, according to the series, the wizarding world was characterized by increased danger, so you still have to manage to survive there.
Among other things, the wizarding world in the film had an unspoken hierarchy and a racist division between purebloods, half-bloods, and Muggle-borns. In the mundane world, Richard had a very high status, but in the magical world, he would find himself at the very bottom of the hierarchy, which the young man found completely unacceptable.
But there are definitely some advantages. After all, being a mage is much better than being an incomprehensible mutant.
Secondly, Richie, knowing he was a wizard and that in a couple of years at least his father would find out, began to realize he wouldn't be able to keep his superpowers a secret. So maybe he should come clean to his father and tell him about his magical gift?
Another conclusion followed from the available information: Richard was most likely a half-breed. His mother was most likely a sorceress, not a foreign spy. And she wasn't drugging Gerald with pheromones, but with a love potion. So what should she do with this information? If she told her father about her superpowers and the world of magic, he, being a smart man, would guess that Richard's mother was a sorceress. And who knows, might this change his father's attitude toward his son? But then again, sooner or later Gerald would learn Richard's secret. In that case, the sooner he learned the truth, the better... Probably.