"I am clear before the law," Richard retorted calmly, but maintaining external calm was difficult for him.
If it weren't for his strict tutoring and business negotiations with business leaders, the young wizard would hardly have been able to maintain such calm and dignity.
"I have other information," Fudge said with malicious anticipation. "You, Lord Rich, have broken the law on the illegal use of enchanted Muggle items!"
Richard shrugged calmly and replied:
"I'm a schoolboy, Mr. Minister. I don't know how to enchant anything. Professor McGonagall can confirm that we've never been taught anything like that before."
"That's true," McGonagall replied dryly. "What nonsense?" She glared at the Minister. "How can you accuse a first-year of something like that?!"
"Have you completely lost your mind, Minister?!" Professor Sprout exploded with furious indignation.
"Oh, no!" Fudge exclaimed, rocking back on his toes. "You haven't enchanted anything yourself. But you, Lord Rich, have an enterprise where experienced wizards work. And they enchant Muggle technology for you!"
"So?" A crooked, mocking smile crossed Richard's face. He gave the Minister a haughty look. "Mr. Fudge, since when do the laws of wizarding Britain prohibit bewitching Muggle objects?"
"Yes, Cornelius," Dumbledore said with a serious expression, "I too am curious, since when did non-existent laws appear?"
"I expressed myself somewhat incorrectly," the Minister grimaced with displeasure. "Yes, the laws don't prohibit bewitching Muggle objects, but..." His entire demeanor spoke of his rightness and a desire to end the unpleasant matter. "I know for a fact that enchanted items from Lord Rich's workshop are falling into the hands of Muggles! And that is a serious crime, violating the Statute of Secrecy."
"If I'm not mistaken," Richard retorted calmly, "you have an entire department at the Ministry dedicated to preventing magical items from falling into Muggle hands. I don't see what I have to do with it. I spend most of my time at Hogwarts and have no idea what goes on in the workshop."
"I have different information," Fudge exclaimed triumphantly. "One of your company's employees told me everything, so don't deny it. You'll only make things worse for yourself."
"And what could some employee possibly have told me?" Richard asked ironically. "How do I pass enchanted items on to Muggles?! Maybe I do it directly from Hogwarts?"
"Minister, this is beyond all bounds!" McGonagall hissed angrily. "This is outrageous! How can you accuse a boy of something like this? He's never been away from Hogwarts and couldn't have done any of these things!"
"I will not allow my students to be slandered!" Professor Sprout defended Richard. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at the Minister.
Under such pressure, Fudge involuntarily took a step back and glanced sideways at the Aurors. Feeling the support of law enforcement behind him, he grew bolder.
"Lord Rich himself did not hand over enchanted items to Muggles," the Minister corrected himself, "but on his instructions Muggles took enchanted items."
Richard asked with open sarcasm:
- What, Muggles just came to wizards and said, "Earl Rich sent us," and then took away the enchanted objects?!
"Oh, no!" Fudge grinned triumphantly. "You, young man, have come up with a more sophisticated scheme. The enchanted items are stored in the hangar, and at night, when no wizards are left in the workshop, Muggles come in and take the artifacts!"
"So, Mr. Minister," Richard's voice was laced with sarcasm, "you're telling me outright that you're aware of the mass theft of artifacts from my workshop, but you come and accuse the Lord of a ridiculous crime? Instead of investigating the theft?! And you're a daredevil! Putting the wizards of Great Britain on the brink of life and death just to cover up your own incompetence... Bold. Bold, but stupid."
"Is this a threat?!" the minister choked with indignation.
"A statement of fact," Richie nodded toward the black Auror. "This gentleman, it seems to me, immediately realized how foolish it is to accuse a member of the royal family of anything absurd. Sir, would you mind sharing with the Minister the consequences of such a decision?"
"The war with the Muggles," the black Auror replied dryly. "The Queen won't forgive wizards if anything happens to a member of her family. And that would definitely be a violation of the Statute of Secrecy, on a global scale."
A deathly silence fell over the office. The rustling and whistling sounds of glass and instruments could be heard.
"Uhm..." Dumbledore's quiet cough attracted everyone's attention. "Cornelius, I don't believe you have any compelling evidence to charge my student with a crime."
"Yes," Fudge countered.
The minister took a folded sheet of parchment from his inside pocket and unfolded it.