In the second year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw DADA class there were no pixies, just a test that had nothing to do with the subject, and the teacher retelling the plots of his books.
Richard was frankly upset. At first, he even considered taking steps to replace his teacher due to his incompetence. But after some thought, he decided to do nothing. Learning new spells in Charms and Transfiguration classes was enough for him. After all, he was still studying as Mistress Marchbanks had taught him-practicing each spell nonverbally until it was perfect. This required a tremendous amount of effort.
Rich's Potions class was off to a rocky start this year. Professor Snape, with his greasy hair, razor-sharp gaze, and caustic remarks, paid Richard particular attention. His voice dripped with sarcasm and irony, and his quibbles seemed endless. Richard was well aware that Snape hadn't forgotten anything and was trying to make up for the previous year's incident with Draco Malfoy. Rich ignored Snape's quibbles unless they were unfounded. Before bargaining with the queen for a ten percent share of a highly profitable energy business, the wizarding school professor had been a long way from Shanghai. The young wizard's fortitude would have been the envy of a seasoned businessman.
The Charms classroom had been rearranged, forcing students to sit three at a time. Since Richard, as usual, was in no hurry, strutting sedately through the halls with his cane, he arrived last in class. The only empty seat was next to Padma Patil.
The little professor of charms climbed onto a stack of books and began the lesson.
"Today we'll be learning the Flippendo repulsion spell. Remember the wand motion."
Richard immediately became bored. He ignored the teacher's lecture, having heard the same thing from Madam Marchbanks. Rich was familiar with this spell. The only confusion arose from the fact that these charms were supposed to be taught in Defense Against the Dark Arts. It became clear that the school administration was aware of Lockhart's teaching skills. Apparently, teaching the spells from Defense Against the Dark Arts had been delegated to Flitwick.
Richard noticed that the books the dwarf professor was standing on were precisely those same fantasy works authored by Gilderoy. It immediately became clear to him that Flitwick was unhappy with the extra workload and was expressing his "love and respect" for the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
After demonstrating the charm, the professor demanded they begin practicing it. Richie lazily traced a circle with his wand and pointed it at one of the targets mounted on the wall.
- Flipendo.
A match-thin blue beam hit the target.
Professor Flitwick clapped his hands and said in an exaggeratedly cheerful tone:
"Excellent, Mr. Rich! Five points to Hufflepuff. Have you already studied this spell? Young man, you remember that learning charms on your own is a very risky endeavor, right?"
"Professor Flitwick," Richie replied calmly, "I learned this spell under the supervision of a mentor."
"And who is your mentor?" the little professor asked with genuine curiosity.
- Madam Marchbanks, sir.
Flitwick's eyes widened in surprise. He looked at his student with a new, appraising expression. The professor looked utterly dumbfounded, as if something impossible had happened.
"Marchbanks herself, Master of Charms and Master of Transfiguration?!" he asked quietly.
- Yes, sir. Madame Marchbanks.
"Hm..." Flitwick was speechless and nearly fell off the stack of books. "I see you're bored, Mr. Rich. Practice this spell nonverbally."
- As you say, professor.
Richard remained unperturbed. He pointed his wand at the target again and silently fired an even thinner blue beam of repulsion spell.
"Five points to Hufflepuff!" Flitwick exclaimed enthusiastically, then looked sternly at the other students, who were watching Richard with surprise and envy: "What are you waiting for? The assignment hasn't been cancelled!"
All the students immediately began to bustle about and practice their spells.
Padma was the first to perform the spell. By the end of the lesson, everyone was able to perform the spell.
As everyone started to leave the classroom after the end of the lesson, Padma said excitedly:
"Richie, that looked awesome! Is there any way I can sign up for extra lessons with your tutor? I'll ask Dad for some money, he'll pay for everything."
"Sorry, Padma, but I haven't been spoiled with extracurricular activities since I started at Hogwarts. We could hire someone simpler. After all, Madam Marchbanks is a very old and busy lady, a Wizengamot elder."
"No, no," the Indian woman said, not the least bit upset. A sudden gust of wind made her shiver. "It's only the beginning of September, and the corridors are already so drafty..."
Richard commented on this from his point of view:
- It's all because Dumbledore is a bad administrator.
"You think so?" Padma looked questioningly at Richard.
"Without a doubt. Padma, wizards can enchant fire to burn continuously, yet the school's fireplaces are heated by wood. Can you even imagine such waste?"
"But the headmaster won't run around the castle and bewitch all the fireplaces," Padma objected.
"He doesn't even have to," Richard chuckled. "All he has to do is instruct the teachers to teach the senior students the necessary spells. Then give the students practical assignments: fix all the frames and walls to eliminate drafts; enchant the heating system to make the castle comfortable. And in general, with the right leadership, a lot of problems can be solved without much effort. Dumbledore has a huge resource at his disposal-almost three hundred young wizards. If I were him, I would transform Hogwarts into a piece of the high-tech future within a few decades, a paradise, magical, and extremely safe place. My castle and its surrounding grounds, for example, would be capable of flying through space to other star systems."
"Richie, you're a dreamer," a wide smile adorned Padma's sweet face. "No, I heard your interview about building the first private spacecraft, but to send an entire ancient castle into space... I can't believe such a thing is possible."
"Padma, my dear, I've realized one very important thing: with magic, the impossible becomes reality. And you need to understand and accept that."
Padma sighed sadly, glanced cunningly towards Rich and said sadly:
"Sigh... My father started looking for suitors for my sister and me. I thought that the fate of marrying at a young age was only for country bumpkins..."
Richard heard a distinct hint of testing the waters in this phrase. It seemed the girl was only twelve years old, and yet she was already preoccupied with such a serious matter as marriage. Rich shook his head.
"Sorry, Padma, but finding a bride won't be any easier for me. My betrothed will have to be approved by Her Majesty. If I try to resist, there will be so many problems that it's best not to. So we're all dependents. Big money and high social status impose certain obligations and restrictions on people."