Goblins love gold, but they also hate wizards, a fact they don't even try to hide. But take Richard Rich, hate him or not-he's the son of a duke. Goblins, unlike some wizards, weren't stupid, and they understood perfectly well whose country they lived in. Therefore, they had no plans to quarrel with the royal family. On the contrary, they tried their best to establish good relations with the important man. And the thirst for profit in the hearts of these short people is strong and ineradicable, and above all, they love gold. It beckons them, just as it once beckoned adventurers from all over the world to El Dorado. For this reason, Richard enjoyed the best possible service at Gringotts, and he took it for granted.
In short, Richie successfully solved the problem with the chips, that is, with the magic money, for the near future, and he didn't need any philosopher's stone for this.
The next day was spent by Richard visiting the home of Mr. Merdith Corner, a middle-aged, grey-haired wizard who holds the post of Chairman of the ICW from Great Britain.
Over a cup of tea, the young count discussed various topics with the elderly wizard. But the central theme of their conversation was the agreement to bribe the other chairmen of the International Committee of the Magi.
To Richard's great regret, Mr. Weasley managed to bribe only the most corrupt and cheap chairmen. He lacked the connections, drive, and decisiveness to approach the rest. Mr. Corner, on the other hand, was not known for his prudishness, had extensive connections, and was very greedy for money.
The tea party resulted in an agreement for Merdith Corner to bribe another thirty-five, maybe even forty, members of the ICW to ensure a majority of votes. For his mediation and efforts, he would receive ten percent of the sum spent on bribes. However, he was given a limit to prevent the wizard from becoming too brazen.
Literally the next day, Rich's Gringotts safe began to rapidly dwindle. Richie had no doubt that Corner would draw down the entire three million Galleon limit. But there was also no doubt that the cunning wizard would definitely buy the required number of votes.
The next unscheduled meeting of the International Confederation of Wizards was arguably the most corrupt in the organization's history. Richard doubted any wizard had ever dreamed of spending twenty million pounds to pass the necessary legislation. After all, a wizard with such a fortune could live comfortably for the rest of his long life, with money left over for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In addition, Richard had to devote time to the business and deal with the accumulated paperwork.
As a result, the short vacation flew by like one day.
Young Rich arrived on the Hogwarts Express just before departure. As is often the case, those who live nearby are often the ones who are late. Although Richie lived far from King's Cross Station, he had hoped to get there quickly using a Portkey. At first, the presence of servants hindered his travel, and he arrived at his London home a little later than planned. Then his car broke down unexpectedly, and Richie hoped it would be repaired, but with the Bentley, that didn't work-he had to have it towed to a repair shop. He had to call a taxi, but it was slow in arriving. Ultimately, Richard, accompanied by a bodyguard, walked to the station.
The train pulled out just seconds after Richie boarded. Every compartment was filled with students, so the boy had to look for people he knew.
After wandering around, Richard came to a compartment in which Hermione Granger was sitting alone.
"Greetings, Hermione," Richard bowed politely, but his speech was intermittent due to the heavy breathing from running.
"Richie," Granger said happily. "Did you run away?"
- I had to. It was like a series of bad luck falling on me all at once. But that's not the point. Did you like my gift?
"Yes, thank you," a happy smile adorned Hermione's face. "The expandable bag is absolutely incredible! Thanks, Richie. Sorry, but I..."
"You're welcome," Richard interrupted the girl, noticing her bashful gaze drop. "And thank you too," he smiled warmly. "What a gorgeous gift! The leopard-print bath mat is simply delightful! I can really tell you've embraced the royal spirit. A princess-style gift, no less! I'd even say-royal..."
"Well," Hermione's cheeks flushed, "you said it was customary for you to give joke gifts. And you... a handbag..."
"It just hurt me to see you carrying around a library," Richard replied. "If you'd like, I'll give you a gift in our family style next Christmas."
"I don't mind," Granger perked up. "These are practically royal gifts!"
Richard laughed cheerfully and gave Hermione a thumbs-up.
"Richie, if it's not a secret, could I ask about the gift you gave the Queen?" Granger asked.
- You won't believe it...
"Well?!" Hermione's curiosity was growing stronger.
- No, you might get offended...
"Well, Richie..." the girl said pleadingly. "I promise I won't be offended."
"Okay, I'll tell you," Richard took a deep breath and said as he exhaled, "Princess Diana gave the Queen exactly the same leopard print bath mat!"
Silence fell over the compartment for a moment. Hermione tried to process what had been said. At first, her mouth dropped open in astonishment, then her eyelashes began to flutter. Suddenly, her face brightened, the corners of her lips curled upward, and then the compartment echoed with a ringing, girlish laugh. Granger laughed loudly and couldn't stop for quite a while; tears even sprang to her eyes. Several boys from the neighboring compartment peeked in to see what the girl was laughing about. Finding nothing amiss, the neighbors went back to their own.
"Oh," Hermione wiped away tears of joy, "Richie, you must have been shocked?"
"Shock is our style," Richard nodded in agreement. "Actually, when I saw Princess Diana's gift, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. Naturally, Grandma Lisa asked why I was laughing. I told her honestly that I'd received the same gift from a friend. After that, she and everyone else were laughing."
"Now I get it!" Hermione's face dawned with realization. "A royal gift!!! I gave you the same rug Princess Diana gave the Queen! Now I can honestly say I give royal gifts for Christmas."
"That's exactly it," Richie replied with a cheerful smile on his face.
- Richie, have you read the Daily Prophet?
- No. Is there anything interesting there?
"Yes," Hermione nodded. "The front page today said that Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge is very ill."
- Interesting. Hermione, do you still have the newspaper?