The owl room, as you might guess, was in the attic. But Richie would never have found the right tower on his own.
The round room with glassless windows had many niches in which loudly hooting and rustling owls were located.
Letters containing a Magiphone receiver for Father and enclosed letters for the Secret Service liaison and Scott Potter were sent by Darth Vader, who arrived at the school on foot. To send the letter to Arthur Weasley, he had to use one of the school owls.
When Megan and Richard returned to the Hufflepuff dorm, Truman had already gathered all the sleepy first years in the common room.
"Rich, where have you been?" the mayor was indignant. "We were just waiting for you."
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," Richard nodded. "Mr. Truman, I was sending some correspondence. Miss Jones kindly escorted me to the owlery. I hope you will forgive my tardiness."
"Okay," the prefect calmed down. "Listen carefully. In case anyone has forgotten, Headmaster Dumbledore mentioned yesterday that the north wing of the third floor is closed, meaning you can't visit it, even if you really want to. Is everything clear?"
The prefect waited until all the first-year students had answered or nodded, and then continued:
"I'll be escorting you to class for the first few days. I hope you'll find your way to the Great Hall; it's not far. Down the hall from the common room is the kitchen. If anyone's hungry, they can go there and ask for something to eat. To enter the kitchen, stop in front of the still life of fruit and tickle the pear-it will turn into a doorknob. House-elves work in the kitchen. Please don't be surprised by their appearance or insult them. Speak politely to them.
Truman carefully examined all the first-year students and reprimanded some of them for their appearance. The children began straightening their clothes and tidying their hair.
"After breakfast, you'll need to return to the common room and pick up the class schedule from me. You'll use it as a reference when packing your bags with the necessary textbooks. Don't forget your ink, quills, and parchment. Our house is one big family. Don't be shy about asking older students for help. Try not to get into conflicts with students from other houses. Don't take sweets or drinks from anyone. Some students might sneak you potion-laced foods as a prank, the effects of which you won't like. Now, break into pairs and follow me to breakfast."
The first class for the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw first-years was Herbology. For this lesson, the students had to go to the greenhouses located near the castle. The class was taught by the Head of House Hufflepuff, a kind, slightly plump woman with gray hair. Her robes and pointed hat were slightly tattered. Richard realized they were work clothes, designed to make digging easier. Pomona Sprout was well-liked by all the students; she gave engaging talks about magical and ordinary plants, never scolded anyone, and was always ready to help.
For the second lesson, the Hufflepuff prefect led the students to the castle basement.
The boys settled into tables in the Potions classroom. They had to split into pairs, and Richie sat with Justin.
Leaving his things behind, Richard headed towards the Ravenclaw students.
There were exactly six Ravenclaw first-year students as Hufflepuffs, just one more girl and one less boy.
Two girls sat at the far desk, whispering to each other. Mandy Blocklehurst was a nondescript, slightly plump girl with a round face. Lisa Turpin was a thin Irish girl with chestnut hair and swampy eyes.
Next to Padma Patil, Terry Booth, a stocky boy with a slightly stooped posture and brown eyes and brown hair, was laying out his writing materials.
The third desk was occupied by Michael Corner, a boy with dark hair and brown eyes, and long hair; and Anthony Goldstein, a blond boy with a short haircut and a heavy chin.
In total, there were four blond boys out of twelve students, counting Richard. A truly incredible concentration of fair-haired guys.
- Hi. You're Padma Patil, right? I'm Richie.
"I've heard about you," the Indian woman replied. "But they wrote about you in the newspaper, as the inventor of a new substance?"
"The substance isn't new. Scientists have known about graphene for a long time. So I didn't invent it. I simply demonstrated a method for extracting flakes of this substance. But overall, you're right."
"A new substance?" Booth perked up. "Did you really invent something?"
"You're Terry, right?" Richard asked.
- Yes, and you're Richie. I heard.
"Terry, let's just say I was bored, so I sprinkled some pencil lead on some Scotch tape and then started re-taping it over and over again. Eventually, electron microscopy revealed the presence of graphene flakes-a diamond-hard, one-atom-thick carbon structure. An extremely promising material."
"Could it be created with magic?" Booth asked thoughtfully. "After all, there's transfiguration. If it's a form of carbon, then surely it could be created with magic."
Richard smiled politely and replied:
"Terry, if someone is willing to figure out how to produce graphene cheaply and in large quantities, I'm willing to provide a substantial grant for the research or pay a substantial reward for a ready-made method."
"Money is good," Terry remarked. "Where can I read about graphene?"
- If you're interested, I'll ask the university scientists to send me a collection of materials on this substance.
"Of course!" the boy rejoiced. "I'll be grateful."
"I'd love to read up on graphene too," Padma remarked. "Dad said it was the substance of the future."
- Padma, is your father by any chance Mr. Azim Hashim Patil?