"Goodbye," her daughter echoed.
Richard skirted the Granger family and approached the column that led to platform nine and three-quarters. His tutor had told him that the passage was enchanted, preventing ordinary people from noticing it. This included the wizards scurrying back and forth through the passage between the platforms. Because of the enchantment, people tended to avoid the column. Knowing all this, Richard, upon reaching the column, was surprised to find all three Grangers watching him with curious attention. Stephen stood next to them. It seemed as if the three adults were struggling to concentrate on Richard. Hermione, however, saw him without any problem.
Turning around, Richie raised his eyebrows questioningly and asked:
- To Hogwarts too?
To which the response was a look at Hermione with her jaw dropped.
"To Hogwarts?" she blurted out.
- Hogwarts.
"Yes, to Hogwarts!" Hermione's expression changed from astonishment to joy and delight. "Are you going there too?"
Richie raised his index finger to his lips.
- Shh! It's a secret!
"Oh, the statute..." Hermione raised her right palm to her mouth.
"I believe, miss, that your parents, like my bodyguard, are unable to approach the column. Allow me to assist you, Miss Granger."
Richard took a couple of steps forward and picked up the heaviest-looking suitcase.
"Oh!" He immediately put it back in place. "Are there bricks in there?"
"Books," Hermione said sheepishly. "Professor McGonagall explained to me that I needed to go through the column, but I doubted it was through this one."
"Through this one, miss. There's a portal here, so no need to worry about breaking your forehead."
Richie concentrated, calmed down his emotions as usual, took a deep breath and with a wave of his hand cast a levitation spell on the suitcase with books, after which he pretended to take it by the handle and lifted it with ease.
- Let's go. Goodbye again, Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Stephen.
Nodding to the adults, Richard walked through the column onto platform nine and three-quarters. Puffing, Hermione dragged the second suitcase after the boy. She closed her eyes as they crossed the portal.
Since the boy and girl arrived at the station an hour and a half before the train's departure, the platform was still empty. Only a few wizards and children stood in the distance.
On the tracks stood an old red steam locomotive with ancient passenger carriages that looked as if they had just rolled off the assembly line.
"The Hogwarts Express!" Hermione said admiringly, examining the locomotive. "I've read about it. This train has been carrying wizarding children to Hogwarts since the turn of the century. Traditionally, first-years take the last carriage. Lord, how..."
"Richie. To you, Hermione, I'm just Richie. In private schools, as you probably know, there are no distinctions based on status, rank, or anything like that. Since we're classmates, it's silly to be polite."
- Good. Richie, how do you manage to carry my suitcase so easily? It's heavy!
- Levitation spell.
"But I read that spells can only be cast with wands. And besides, you can't cast spells among ordinary people."
"If no one noticed, even just a little, then it's possible. I don't know what books you've read, but the power isn't in the wands, it's in the wizard themselves. Casting magic without a wand is difficult, very difficult, but nothing is impossible. Magic can do anything!"
- Richie, so you are a hereditary wizard?
The girl was burning with curiosity.
"I don't think that's the right definition. I just learned about magic a year and a half ago, when I noticed magical manifestations in myself."
"But the Hogwarts professor only came to see me at the end of July. How could you have been introduced to magic before then? I thought all wizards only received invitations after they turned eleven."
- Hermione, do you really think the royal family doesn't know about wizards?
- So... the government knows about the mages? What about the Statute of Secrecy?
- And what about the statute? It lives peacefully. Those who need to know everything know.
Hermione and Richard walked along the train towards the last carriage.
"I've read all the wizarding textbooks several times and memorized them," Hermione said. "I hope that's enough."
"All the textbooks in a month? Not bad. I think you're worrying for nothing, Hermione. Most kids won't even open a book. For example, I never even considered reading the magic textbooks. Frankly, I didn't have time, and when I did, I preferred to rest before a long, difficult year away from home."
"But this is magic!" Hermione exclaimed indignantly, as if Richard had said something blasphemous. "How can you not even open your textbooks?! I thought you were a genius..."
"I don't consider myself a genius. You know, Hermione, I had two incredibly difficult years before that. During that time, I built the foundations of my future well-being, finished middle and high school, and even had a private tutor for charms and fencing. After that, I couldn't even look at books; all I wanted was to just relax like a human being."
Hermione froze in her tracks and set her suitcase down on the platform with a loud thud. She looked at Richard with indignation and disbelief.
- How did you finish school?!
"As is usually the case at my age," Richard shrugged calmly. "I passed my exams as an external student."
"As usual?!" Hermione looked at Richie with wide eyes.
- Yes, as usual.
"Boys don't usually finish school at eleven!" Granger declared.
"That's their problem. I even received an invitation to a prestigious university after I discovered a way to produce graphene flakes. But I already knew back then that I'd be going to Hogwarts, so I had to decline. It's a shame. Now, instead of going to magic school, I'd be attending a lecture at the university."
Hermione's cheeks turned pink. She looked like a boiling kettle. She couldn't resist asking loudly:
- What the hell?! Why is it that every time I see you I want to exclaim, "I don't believe it!"
"I don't believe this is all actually happening to me. But what can I do? Every morning I open my eyes and see that the reality around me is quite real."
"Yes, I..." Hermione's eyes welled with tears of resentment. "After our last meeting, I also decided to finish school as soon as possible. It was a struggle to come to an agreement with my parents and the school. I... Damn it! I barely passed my second-grade exams in that time, and now you're claiming to have finished high school!"
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Hermione," Richard apologized without pretense. "I didn't think my words would hurt you. Believe me, I sincerely admire your talent. To have mastered the curriculum of several school years in such a short time is quite a remarkable achievement. You're a genius!"