"Where's the air tank?" he asked.
"Sir, there's no need for air tanks here. These suits are enchanted with an air bubble. They'll always have as much air as they need."
"Boy, you heard Steve," the detective said, "it's over two hundred meters to the bottom. Even if you have an infinite amount of air, you'll die! The pressure will crush you into a pancake. And if that doesn't happen and you start to surface in time, you'll get the bends and die. Besides, you could be washed away by the current. No, boy, I won't let you dive."
"Sir, this is a cutting-edge development by wizards, commissioned by me personally. The suit is fully equipped for survival: spells make it incredibly durable; internal enchantments ensure an ideal temperature in conditions ranging from minus 100 to plus 100 degrees; plus protection from high and low pressure, overload, radiation, cosmic rays, and more."
Harry was initially upset by Uncle Scott's words; the moment he saw the spacesuits, he'd been consumed with the desire to dive to the bottom of the ocean. But when Richard began listing the artifact's functions, hope blossomed in the boy's heart that all was not yet lost.
"And the current?" the detective continued.
"Everything is planned, sir," Richard replied. "These suits are enchanted like flying brooms. They can fly at one hundred and fifty miles per hour in the air and reach speeds of up to twenty-five knots underwater. In theory, they could even fly in space, but unfortunately, we haven't had a chance to test that yet. We can return to the ship at any time using the portal. We'll just need to tie the portal's exit point to the ship's deck. What's more, the suits also have built-in diagnostic healing charms. If they detect that the pilot is becoming ill and is on the verge of fainting, they'll immediately evacuate him via portal to the exit point."
"If so, these are some cool spacesuits," Mr. Potter stated. "Can these things be made bigger?"
- Yes, sir. The size is adjustable for users from our height up to two meters tall.
- Then Steve and I will dive.
Steve shook his head and said:
"Scott, I can't dive. I have to stay on the ship to keep it in place."
"Mr. Potter," said Richard, "unfortunately, these prototypes have a small drawback - they can only be controlled by wizards."
"But why?!" Scott asked in surprise.
"Sir, the developers used standard artifacts as their prototype, controlled by the wizard's mind with a small dose of magic. To fully control the entire cascade of spells, artificial intelligence is required: a miniature computer or its magical equivalent. Neither exists yet, but the mages at my facility are trying to create something similar. Until artificial intelligence is available, these toys are for wizards only."
"Hah! Toys!" the detective chuckled. "Our cosmonauts should have toys like these."
"I'm working on it, sir. If all goes well, then in thirty to forty years we'll be able to create a technical analogue, close in characteristics to the magical original. It'll just take more effort and a lot of money. A lot of money."
"Is this really safe?" the detective asked anxiously.
"Absolutely, sir. The wizards have tested these artifacts at depths of up to one kilometer."
"To hell with you, you little kamikazes, dive!" Mr. Potter waved his hand wearily.
Harry jumped up and down with joy, eagerly anticipating the exciting underwater adventure.
- Richie, what do we need to do?
"I'll explain everything. But first, I need to attach these things to the back of the spacesuit."
Richard took two small plates with long metal tentacles out of his bag. Using his wand, he enlarged them.
Harry Potter's eyes widened in amazement and he exclaimed with delight:
- My God! Are those Doctor Octavius's tentacles?!
"What did you think!" Richard drawled proudly. A triumphant smile graced his face. "They're the best! True, they're a bit awkward to control without an AI, but you get used to them in much the same way you get used to driving a car with pedals, a stick, and a steering wheel. At first, you think, 'Oh my God! There's so much! How do I control it? The steering wheel... I'll grab it with my hands. But how do I change gears with the stick? Do I have to let go of the wheel with one hand?! Scary... And the pedals... Why are there three of them? I only have two legs. Okay, black guys with big phalluses can manage, but what about everyone else, and the girls?'"
Harry looked down in embarrassment, uneasy at Richard's vulgar jokes. Scott burst into a croaking laugh.
Stephen said:
"Gentlemen, if my assistance is not required, I will leave you. I need to steer the ship."
"Yes, yes, Steve," Richard nodded. "We can handle it ourselves."
"Um..." Harry scratched his head, examining the tentacles and spacesuits. "How do you hang these things?"
"It's simple, Harry. Watch. Take the tentacles and place them against the back of the suit. Preferably above the waist, otherwise everyone will joke about where your arms are. And press the single red button located on the plate halfway between the tentacles. Removing them is the same, but you have to hold the button for ten seconds."
After the described procedure, the silver spacesuits acquired four flexible steel tentacles that grew from behind the back and had three fingers at the end.
After donning their spacesuits, Richie and Harry spent some time learning how to use them. Only after an hour, when the boys had stopped getting tangled up in the metal limbs, did they dare to dive.
Richie took his wand inside his spacesuit. It lay in a special compartment on his right forearm, pressed against his body. Harry imitated his friend. It was awkward to cast magic this way, but still possible.
Richard cast a searching spell, flew into the blue sky and followed the red beam that shot out of his hand like a laser into the ocean.
Harry hesitated a moment, but soon took off after his friend. He experienced an incredible thrill of flight. The blood pounded in his head, making him forget everything else. Suddenly, he was overcome by a sudden, intense, almost boundless joy. It turned out that he, so afraid of appearing cowardly and incompetent in his friend's eyes, could actually fly with the help of a spacesuit. He flew-and it was easy, and it was beautiful. He leaned back slightly and rose higher, folded all four tentacles into a semblance of a tail, and dove into the blue ocean depths after Richard.
Harry quickly caught up with Richard and drew level with him. Swimming underwater felt as easy as flying, though his speed was significantly reduced, but it wasn't particularly noticeable.
Harry thought he heard loud swearing from Uncle Scott as they took off.
The underwater view was stunning. But the deeper the young divers went, the darker it became.
Richard waved his right hand, and a Lumos ball appeared on it, illuminating everything within five meters.
Harry realized he had to do the same. He waved the hand that held the wand and said,
- Lumos!
Now two balls of light dispersed the underwater darkness.
The divers sank deeper and deeper. Occasionally, Richard turned off the light to orient himself using a locator spell. The divers plotted a direction and navigated it by the light of a couple of Lumos beads.
Harry gasped in awe as the silted-up hulk of a giant steel ship came into view below.