Over the course of a couple of days of school, Richie caught Dumbledore's thoughtful gaze on him several times. It unnerved him, making him worry and fear the worst.
Finally, returning to his dorm, which Richard shared with his fellow Hufflepuffs, the boy placed the last available Magiphone on his sofa. He stared at the artifact for a long moment, then made up his mind... Picking up the enchanted receiver, he headed to the owlery...
The next evening, Richard's recorder rang. He was in the Hufflepuff common room at the time. He hurried to his bedroom, where no one was present, and only then answered the call.
- Richard listening.
A familiar, deep, erotic female voice came from the loudspeaker of the tape recorder:
- Earl Rich, I am pleased to welcome you. This is Madame Bagnold. Do you still remember her?
- How can one forget such a charming lady...
"Oh, what was I talking about?" the former Minister of Magic said playfully. "If you'd forgotten about me, you probably wouldn't have sent such a funny artifact."
"Madame Bagnold, though I am still very young, I am quite capable of appreciating a fine work of art, or the beauty and charm of a delightful woman like yourself.
"Oh, Count," a cheerful note flashed into the ex-minister's voice, "honestly, you're flattering me rudely. But fortunately for you, I'm susceptible to flattery. Perhaps we shouldn't beat around the bush?"
"What about all the talk about the wonderful weather, the mutual compliments and bows, the testing of the waters?" Richard asked suggestively.
"Count, let's pretend we've already gone through all this," said Madame Bagnold. "Or have you fallen for me?"
- Oh, madam, I confess honestly, I really liked you not only as a woman, but also as a minister.
"And you didn't like Fudge?" Madame Bagnold's voice was filled with undisguised irony.
- We didn't agree on this.
"If it's not a secret, what opinions exactly?" the woman asked with genuine curiosity.
"Fudge's an idiot. But what's worse is that he's a proactive and unpredictable idiot. And this... hmm... alternatively gifted guy decided to arrest me, much to the delight of the Dementors. You were Minister of Magic for ten years... Do you think my gran would like that?"
A cheerful, ringing female laugh came from the speaker.
"Fudge's not an idiot, he's a cretin!" Bagnold stated after she'd finished laughing. "Now I understand a lot. No one should anger Granny..."
"I wouldn't dare do that myself," Richard agreed.
"So, Count," Bagnold continued, "since we've decided to skip the idle chatter, perhaps you'd like to please my ears with some interesting gossip?"
"There are rumors that someone wants to put their man in the Minister of Magic's chair," Richard said suggestively.
"Rumors like that are constantly circulating among wizards," the witch replied. "For example, Barty Crouch is supported by liberals, Scrimgeour is of interest to the far left, and Malfoy is of interest to the far right."
- And I'm interested in you, my dear Madame Bagnold.
"Is this a declaration of love?!" the ex-minister was openly amused and overflowing with joy.
"Of course," Richard said sarcastically. "If my dad and Uncle Charlie could answer the phone right now, they'd say they liked you too."
"I understand," Bagnold became more serious.
As a seasoned politician and an equally seasoned woman, she perfectly grasped all the nuances of the dialogue and deciphered the double and triple meanings. Translated into layman's terms, the seemingly simple and humorous negotiations boil down to a very specific proposal: "I want to see you as Minister of Magic. The royal family supports me and will approve of your candidacy."
"Count, I am a fragile woman..." A sad, meaningful sigh accompanied Bagnold's speech. "It is very difficult for me to live in this cruel world ruled by men."
"I understand perfectly, Lady. I'm sure it would be much easier for you to endure the hardships of life in this cruel patriarchal world if you had a secret admirer who would throw in a million Galleons for the brooches."