Aristocrat (HP/SI)

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***

Richard lay low. Like a true student of the Puffendui faculty, he became quiet and inconspicuous, careful not to draw attention to himself and to be on guard.

To distract himself from his paranoid thoughts, Grosvenor Junior immersed himself in his studies, mainly focusing on practising transfiguration spells, as practice had shown them to be extremely useful.

So November flew by and snowy December came. Christmas was only four weeks away, and Richard had received the first reports on the Dumbledore investigation.

The information was disappointing. A psychiatrist working with the secret services, based on a detailed verbal profile of Albus Dumbledore, had concluded that the Headmaster was likely to have delusions of grandeur.

The doctor identified as the main elements, firstly, the throne on which the Headmaster sits; secondly, the colourful and distinguished robes. He also suggested that the headmaster might be a psychopath. Its symptoms are as follows: callousness towards others, reduced capacity for empathy, inability to sincerely repent of harming others, as well as deceitfulness, eccentricity and superficiality of emotional reactions. The doctor also wrote a few other diagnoses: narcissism and partly Machiavellianism.

Narcissism is a character trait of excessive narcissism and inflated self-esteem. For example, in Dumbledore, it can be seen in the grandiosity with which his presentation in the invitation letter with a list of all the positions and names.

Machiavellianism is the conduct of politics based on power, disregard for morality and the like. The headmaster positions himself as a great wizard, dresses eccentrically contrary to the business fashion of magicians, shows disdain and distrust to the authorities (Ministry of Magic) and in every possible way demonstrates his power by various trifles, which the psychiatrist managed to discern in the description.

The doctor's conclusion was that subclinical psychopathy, along with subclinical Machiavellianism and narcissism, are part of the "dark triad of bad characters" characterised by callousness and manipulativeness. These traits are indicative of dissocial personality disorder.

According to the psychiatrist's report, the personality of the "unknown patient" is prone to criminal behaviour, sadism and recidivism. He deftly lies and takes the initiative during dialogues and interrogations, and may pose a threat to the lives of law enforcement officers. The doctor strongly recommended that such a person be interrogated with all necessary security measures.

Richie after reading these documents thought:

"So much for good Grandpa Dumbledore, the great wizard. And in reality, a dangerous madman, which wizards do not notice."

The next day after studying the report, Richard met Harry Potter and took him aside for a chat.

- How's it going, Harry?

- Fine, thanks. And you, Richie?

- Excellent. Read this.

Richard handed Harry a copy of the psychiatrist's report sheet. Potter read the text curiously. Tearing his gaze away from the paper, he said:

- What kind of psycho is this? Is it the Dark Lord or something?

- Take a wild guess, Harry.

- I don't know," Harry had no idea who he was talking about.

Richard explained:

- Your Uncle Scott went to a criminal psychiatrist who does mental profiles of dangerous criminals for Scotland Yard and the intelligence services. He provided the doctor with a detailed description of Albus Dumbledore without naming names.

Harry Potter's face stretched in amazement.

- I knew it! - he exclaimed. - Headmaster Dumbledore is a mad dictator and manipulator! But what does this mean for us?

- It means, Harry, that this lunatic has set a trap from the school on someone his mind has labelled as an enemy. He's using the Philosopher's Stone as bait. We should stay out of it, it'll be safer for us.

- I'm sure Dumbledore stole the Philosopher's Stone from Flamel. Richie, we can't leave something like that to a madman. Can you imagine what would happen if a madman became immortal?

- The end of the world, I think he could do that," Grosvenor said thoughtfully. - But it's too dangerous, Harry. I suggest we stay out of the heat of the moment and find a way to eliminate the dangerous wizard by other means.

- How? Harry Potter was dumbfounded. - Ritchie, what can we do to a strong adult wizard?

- I don't know yet, Harry. I don't know, but I'll think of something. Until then, we should keep a low profile.

- While you're thinking, Dumbledore might become immortal," Potter frowned. - Richie, I think we should save the Philosopher's Stone after all.

Richard rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He wasn't sure if Dumbledore was a threat to the world, but the possibility was very high. Having a problem in the form of a mad and dangerous wizard was bad. But it was one thing to confront an old man, and quite another to confront him, but young and at the peak of his powers. The Philosopher's Stone so-and-so must be taken away.

Richard, who had been brought up to be a serious businessman and politician, was thinking on a grander scale than the philistine he had been in his previous life. It occurred to him that if you didn't know where the threat to the planet was coming from, the best thing to do was to eliminate anyone who could, in theory, destroy the world. No, not to organise a genocide of wizards, but to find out potentially dangerous mages and neutralise them by one or another method. And if suddenly there are innocent people among them... What can we do? Chop wood and splinters fly. Against the background of five billion human lives, the fate of two or three or ten wizards is nothing. Reduction of personnel in a large company causes more trouble than the disappearance of a few potentially dangerous wizards.

- All right," he said. - Harry, I'll provide magical gadgets that will allow them to fight adult wizards on equal terms and not get killed in traps. Dumbledore won't be able to be lured out of the castle until the end of the school year. I've already organised everything. All that's left is to eliminate some of the teachers and provide alibis. But I'm limited on funds until after the Christmas holidays. So wait until the summer, and don't get involved in anything and don't draw attention to yourself.

- All right," Potter agreed. - What should I do now?

- In general, study," Richard replied. - But if you mean right now, there's an idea that's been in need of testing for a while.

- What is it?

Harry was bored, and he was ready for any adventure, just to get away.

- Tell me, Harry, do you actually have a living portrait that controls the opening of the door?

- Well, yes," Potter shrugged. - Why?

A wide smile stretched across Richard's face.

- Brilliant! - he said in a happy voice. - Amazing! I've felt like I've missed something before. It turns out that portraits are intelligent and can interact with their surroundings in some way, like opening doors.

- What's the big deal? - Harry asked, puzzled, as he was used to having to walk into the Gryffindor dormitory.

- A reasonable portrait, Harry!

- Yeah, well, it's a picture of wizards," Potter shrugged. - I don't see where you're going with this, Richie.

- Come on, my friend, let's go find a living portrait.

Harry nodded his head in agreement and followed Richard. The cold corridor of the castle was drafty and made the boys shiver. Soon they stopped at a portrait of a man dressed in a smart, dark green sixteenth-century camisole. The brown hair on the man's head was sparse and short, his face thin and his chin sharp. A massive cross hung around his neck.

- Good afternoon, sir," Richard addressed the portrait. - Do you have some free time to socialise?

- Young men," the man in the portrait bowed politely. - Podrick Crookshank is at your service.

- Earl Grosvenor, Richard," Richard bowed politely in return. - And Mr Harry Potter. Pleased to meet you, sir.

- Oh, Earl! - Podrick cheered. - It's an honour to speak with you. Do you have any questions for me?

- Yes, Mr Cruikshank," Richard said under Harry's puzzled gaze. - If you don't mind, I'd like to conduct a little test. Can you answer a few questions?

- A test? - Podrick was surprised. - Count, you don't look like an Equinox. Well, ask your questions.

- Are you a wizard?

- Yes, Count. How can there be any doubt? - Podrick was indignant.

Then Richard asked a stream of questions. The man in the portrait answered some willingly, some not. After about half an hour, Harry Potter lost interest in the conversation. He stood with a lost look, counting the stones in the masonry wall. He had been standing in one place for so long that his feet were cold and poured with fatigue. Suddenly Richard shook him by the shoulder.

- Harry, what are you doing up there? Is there something interesting?

- А? - Potter turned to his friend. - No, nothing. Have you finished?

Richard was glowing with happiness. He nodded in response.- 'Richie, so what was all that for? - Potter asked. - Did you just want to have a chat with the portrait?

- Harry, didn't you realise what was going on?

- I hope you'll explain," Harry didn't want to admit that he didn't understand or want to understand anything.

- Easy! - Richard replied. - I ran a Turing test on the portrait of the esteemed Podrick Cruikshank. And it passed all three stages!

- А?!

There was bewilderment in Harry Potter's glassy eyes.

- Turing test, Harry!

- Erm... What's that?

Potter's question made Richard roll his eyes up to the ceiling and take a deep breath.

- Roughly speaking, a test of artificial intelligence. And the portrait passed. Do you know what that means?

- No... - Harry hesitated and grabbed his unruly hair. - 'The portrait is intelligent, isn't it?

- Yes, Harry, the portrait is sentient. It just doesn't have all the memories of the original. But that's nothing. The main thing is that living portraits can make decisions and interact with reality with special charms. That's a breakthrough, Harry! I just need to find information on how to create living portraits, and I'll have artificial intelligence in my pocket.

Richard himself didn't bother to search the library. It's a waste of time. He took the path of least resistance - he approached the senior students of Puffendui and announced that he would pay fifty galleons for copies of books with information on creating magical portraits. Three days later, five sixth and seventh year students brought him a stack of literature. After making copies of the books, Richie sent them to Arthur Weasley with instructions to come up with ways to create an iskin and control artefacts with it.

As luck would have it, just a day after that, Richard received a phone call from Hermione.

- Hello, I'm listening.

The girl's voice was excited and joyful. She spoke softly, almost in a whisper:

- 'Richie, I've found it!

- You found it?

Hermione switched to a whisper, and her voice was barely audible from the speaker.

- Yes, I found the right book.

Richard realised at once what she was talking about. He sprang up like a cat before it leapt at a sparrow.

- Hermione, my heart's delight, meet me after dinner by the greenhouses.

- Um... I don't have the book," Granger said sadly. - The charms... They didn't work on her. The book must be enchanted.

- I see. In that case, we'll meet at the greenhouses anyway.

After class and during dinner, Richard kept catching Hermione Granger's impatient gaze.

- Your Gryffindor girlfriend would bore a hole in you, Richie," Justin Finch-Fletchley said.

- Don't be jealous, Jas! Maybe you'll have girls chasing after you one day.

- I'm no match for the lordship," said Justin ironically.

- I suppose you're going to be a Lord, too," Richard grinned. - It's just that I had to take the responsibility much sooner. You can enjoy a carefree childhood... By the way, Justin, I have a private meeting," he whispered, leaning over his mate's ear.

- A date? - Finch-Fletchley grimaced as if he'd eaten lime instead of chicken for dinner. - Phew! With a girl!

- God, Justin, don't frighten me. The Grosvenors never approved of certain aristocrats having affairs...

- What are you talking about? - Finch-Fletchley furrowed his brow.

- Dating other than girls," Richard quirked his eyebrows at the innuendo.

- I don't get it," Justin shrugged.

- It's all right, mate," Richard patted his mate on the shoulder. - You'll understand when you grow up.

Richard got out from behind the Puffendu table and walked calmly towards the street. He could literally feel Hermione's gaze on his back. As soon as he was in the hall before the exit, he heard the tapping of heels behind him.

Turning round, Richie found Hermione hurrying away. The Gryffindor student had caught up with the Puffindu. She was breathing hoarsely with her arms at her sides. The girl's face was flushed after her run.

- Dear Hermione," Richard said primly, "I thought we agreed to meet at the greenhouses. You shouldn't have been in such a hurry.

- I decided not to take too long," Granger blurted out in one breath.

- Hermione, this beautiful castle has ears in many places. The greenhouse, some corridors and offices are devoid of the happiness of bestowing us with magical art.

Granger furrowed her brow thoughtfully, but soon the creases smoothed out and she spoke:

- You mean the live portraits?

- You display a keen mind as always, Hermione. Miss, I invite you for a walk in the fresh air.

Richard gallantly extended his elbow to the girl. Hermione grasped Grosvenor's arm with a steely grip, and the boy and girl continued on their way, looking like a couple from the outside.

There wasn't much snow outside, but darkness had already taken hold. Only the faint light of the moon gave a semblance of illumination.

- Now, Hermione, no one can hear us out here," Richard began. - Tell me.

- I searched the library for a long time, but there was nothing in the public domain about creating the Distributing Hat. So I infiltrated the Forbidden Section.

- Once?

- No, not once..." Hermione sucked in a breath, as if she was about to jump into an ice hole. - It took me a whole month of going to the Forbidden Section. I did it at night after lights out, so I didn't get much sleep.

- Oh, Hermione, you're a hero! - Richard marvelled. - It's rare to find such dedication. Judging by the fact that you didn't get caught, did you use a ninja costume?

- Yes, I had to," Granger replied. - It's incredible! It's just a shame that invisibility only lasts for an hour a day.

- You don't have to regret it. I wouldn't forgive myself if I knew you were sleeping in the library because of me. I'm sure you would if the invisibility worked all the time.

Hermione was embarrassed.

- Anyway, I found the right book," she said. - It was a huge, ancient eighteenth-century folio by Dexter Fortescue. He was Headmaster of Hogwarts at the time, and he was doing a lot of research on the Distributing Hat. Headmaster Fortescue relied on materials left by the founders of the school. He was able to fully recreate the process of enchanting such a headdress.

- I wondered why such a book was kept in the Forbidden Section.

- I've wondered about that, too," Hermione said. - Unfortunately, I haven't had time to read the whole book, but from what I have read... I'm not sure....

- Courage, Hermione. Trust me, no one will throw rotten tomatoes at you for voicing your thoughts. Certainly not now.

- I think that magic was allowed in the time of the founders that is forbidden now," Granger continued more boldly.

- A perfectly reasonable conclusion. Hermione, I agree with you completely. Go on.

Granger grew even more bold and continued:

- 'The Distributing Hat reads the thoughts of the person wearing it with special charms! It communicates through thought transmission, which is a form of mental magic that the Ministry of Magic restricted to a few authorised spells at the end of the eighteenth century. But this ban was originally enacted by the International Confederation of Mages to minimise the risks of violating the statute of secrecy, so that wizards would be less tempted to influence Muggles.

Richard smiled sadly and commented:

- The Holy Mental Three: Confundus, Obliviate, and Abigerus.

- Are those the spells?

- Yes, Hermione. They are all mental spells that are strongly recommended by the Ministry of Magic to be used on ordinary people to protect the statute of secrecy.

- So they're not forbidden? - Granger asked. - What can be done with them?

- Confundus disorients a person, wizard or artefact, and allows you to make suggestion like hypnotic settings. Sort of like the Jedi mind tricks from the Star Wars film. Oblivite allows you to erase and alter memories. Abigerus is the most harmless of these spells, as it is cast on an area or wizard. It is an aversion spell, or otherwise known as a muggle repelling spell. Once in the field of action of these spells, a person remembers about urgent matters and forgets that he was going to look at or enter the territory, which is protected by this spell. There is another variation of such a spell - Repello Magletum. This is a more powerful and sophisticated version of the diversion.

- I haven't read about such spells," Hermione said frustrated.

- 'You will if you're interested,' Richie said in a soothing tone. - So you're saying that the book in the Forbidden Section is enchanted?

- Yes," Granger nodded in agreement. - I'm afraid if I take forty minutes a day to rewrite it, it would take a long time, and I might get caught.

- Forty minutes in the library and twenty minutes travelling back and forth? - Richard suggested.

- Exactly.

- Hermione, one book isn't worth the sacrifice. Take this.

Granger took the small box from Richard's hands. It was only after twirling it in her hands that she saw what it was. Then she exclaimed in bewilderment:

- "A camera?!

- A camera.

- A CAMERA?!!!

- Yes, a camera.

- Richie, are you suggesting I take pictures of the pages?

- 'Hermione,' Richard replied, 'as long as we've known each other, you've always been quick-witted....

- But there are only thirty-six frames in the camera's film," Hermione shook the miniature camera. - And there are at least three hundred pages in the folio!

- You don't have to worry about that. If you paid attention to the small size, you should have realised that this is an unusual camera.

- Is it spy, alien, or from the future? - Hermione asked.

- You'd recognise a camera from the future straight away," Richard's voice had a note of nostalgia in it that was hard to identify. - It wouldn't have room for film. Instead, there will be a small hole for a memory card and a place for the battery. There'll also be a display to view photos. The camera of the future will not take analogue photos, but digital ones.

- How do you know that? - Granger asked suspiciously, leaning again towards the idea of Richie being a time traveller.

- Hermione, I invest in venture capital projects that are closely related to the development of mobile phones, computers, and the internet. It's vital that I keep abreast of the I.T. market.

- Ahhhh... I see," Granger stretched out with a slight hint of disappointment.

Hermione had hoped to get not such a trivial answer, but an initiation into the secrets of time travel. She had already imagined travelling in the company of someone like Doctor Who. And the explanation was so simple.

- But you were right about something.

Hermione reacted to Richard's words with a sharp sigh and looked at the boy with anticipation. She thought:

"Is he really going to say he's an alien from Alpha Centauri now?"

- The camera is actually a spy camera. You can't imagine the effort it took for MI6 to kindly share this device with me. It uses two hundred frames of microfilm, so if you take two pages at a time, that should be enough.

- MI6?!

Hermione was even more amazed than if Richard had been an alien from outer space.

- So tea with the Queen didn't surprise you, but the fact that I asked Colin McCall to give me a modest gift during the royal reception makes you go into a blue screen?

- McCall? - Hermione's statue-stiffened voice stretched out in an otherworldly voice. - General McCall, the head of MI6? Do you know him?

- We haven't had a drink, but we've seen each other a couple of times. He's a funny bloke. If you want, I could put in a good word for you after school and get you a job in the secret service.

- Um... I'll think about it, thank you," Granger didn't answer right away.

After the memorable conversation with Hermione, the very next day Richie had a film with pictures of the pages of the book he needed. He sent the film home by owl so that his father could give it to the secret service to be developed.

In mid-December, Richard woke up in the morning to find the castle covered with a thick layer of snow and the lake completely frozen.

That day turned out to be a marvellous day. Richie finally got a copy of the book describing the method of creating the Distributing Hat. Making another copy, he sent it off to Mr Weasley.

Now the puzzle was complete, meaning there was magical technology to create iskines and form a two-way communication with the user using a semblance of telepathy. Plus Richie had given the wizards in the workshop the idea of using confundus and oblivite for programming. So it wouldn't be long before a full-fledged artificial intelligence was available.

The day continued to bring pleasant surprises. Young Grosvenor was approached by the Weasley twins after dinner. Fred and George had a puzzled look on their faces.

- 'Lord Grosvenor,' Fred began, 'would you deign to give us some of your precious time?

- Yes, Fred, of course," Richard replied.

- Then let's go into our laboratory," Fred said. - By the way, may I ask how you knew it was me and not George?

- I have a good memory, gentlemen," Richard replied, rising from the table and following the twins. - There are minimal differences in your appearance and tone of voice that I recognise and use to tell who is who.

- Amazing! - George said with genuine admiration. - Even our mother can't always do that. If I had a hat, I would certainly take it off in front of you, sir.

- Gentlemen, I have a sneaking suspicion you've been switched," Richard raised his right eyebrow and scrutinised the twins. - You're not joking or fooling around today. Hmm... How will you prove that you are Fred and George Weasley?

Fred turned to his brother and said:

- George, who said you had to be serious with our benefactor?

- Oh, I'm sorry, My Lord," George switched to a joking tone. - We had hoped to make a lasting impression on you.

- You did," Richard replied. - I confess I was expecting your visit a little sooner. Did you succeed?

- Yes, but it's better to see it once," said Fred.

The trio of boys reached the Weasley twins' secret hideout. Fred began to perform some strange manipulations. He put a pillow over his head and fastened it to his chin with a strap. Then he took out a vial of acid-green potion, and in the style of a comedian, he began to chatter:

- Gentlemen, I present to you the greatest invention of Fred and George Weasley! This marvellous invention we've named the "Jump-Skip" potion. Surely you're curious to know what it does?

Without waiting for an answer, Fred continued:

- It's simple, gentlemen. All you have to do is take a small sip of the potion and your weight will be like a feather. In the next minute you will be able to jump very high and you will not be injured when you land from a great height.

In front of a curious Richard and a worried George, Fred took a small sip from the vial. After which he began to demonstrate the wonders of acrobatics. It seemed that gravity for the young wizard was no longer equal to the Earth's gravity, but became like the moon's. He jumped under the high ceiling, which was about seven metres away. Fred galloped like a rabid saiga that had been bitten by a parkourist. He pushed himself off the walls, performed complex acrobatic elements like somersaults, a little clumsily, but it looked amazing.

During his brother's performance, George held a stopwatch in his hands. At a certain point he exclaimed:

- Fred, it's time!

Hearing his brother, Fred stopped jumping. His face was sweaty, his pillow was bunched to the side, and his robe was pulled up. The boy was breathing heavily, but a wide, happy smile was still on his lips.

- How was it? - Fred asked.

- Terrific! - Richard voiced his emotions honestly. - A useful thing, but... Gentlemen, it's a potion. Unfortunately, potions have a huge disadvantage - they contain rare ingredients of magical animals or plants. So there's no way to mass-produce potions on a large scale. And disguising a potion as something Muggle is problematic. But I appreciate your efforts, and I believe the grant is well spent. Gentlemen, I expect a detailed description of the potion's composition, method of preparation and a sample. Here's your next grant.

Under the happy looks of the twins, a small tinkling bag of coins was placed on a vacant section of the table with test tubes.

- We won't let you down, Lord! - Fred saluted jokingly, placing his right palm on the cushion that sat on his head like a triangle hat.

- Yes, we'll think of something useful," nodded George.

- I'm sure we will, gentlemen," said Richard. - But there's one thing that worries me. You've been buying ingredients for your research somewhere. Therefore, you have a way of leaving Hogwarts secretly and coming back.

The brothers looked at each other. It seemed as if there was a silent duel going on between them, or as if they were communicating with each other by telepathy.

- Shall we say? - Fred asked.

- I think we can," replied George.

- Richard, we do know where the secret passage is," said Fred. - And we are ready to show it, if it remains a secret.

- My word is law," Richard said with a barely perceptible nod.

After a short conversation, the Weasley twins gave a tour of the castle and showed the place where the underground passage began, which led to the basement of the house where the Sweet Kingdom sweet shop was located.

The boys stopped near the statue of the one-eyed witch on the third floor. Fred furtively looked around and, finding no strangers, began to explain:

- "To open the passageway, you need to hit the statue with your wand and say the password 'Dissendium'."

Fred was not slow to demonstrate the opening of the passage in practice. He did as instructed, and the witch statue moved aside. A narrow and dark manhole began near her hump, but in the light of the corridor torches it was clear that the tunnel was wide and tall enough to be walked through at full height.

It was only ten seconds before the statue was in place.

Richard thanked the twins, bid them farewell, and headed for his dormitory.

***

On Sunday morning, with the Christmas holidays just days away, the weather outside was frightful. Dark blue clouds covered the sky and a thick blanket of snow covered the ground. Richard didn't want to go out in this weather. He didn't even go to breakfast, because the kitchen was within easy reach of the house elves.

In the faculty lounge, in the armchair in front of the fireplace, Richie was reading a book on charms and enjoying hot tea and meat pie.

Suddenly, Richard was brought out of his pleasant slumber by the voice of the Headmaster:

- Grosvenor, you are summoned to the Headmaster's office.

- Headmaster?

Richard was incredibly surprised. He tried to think of any sins that might have brought him before Dumbledore's eyes, but there were many. The first thing that came to mind was the battle with the troll. It was also possible that the challenge had to do with Granger's infiltration of the forbidden section or Potter's preparation for stealing the Philosopher's Stone.

Excitement swept over the young Earl. He asked:

- 'Gabriel, do you know why I'm being summoned?

- 'No,' the headman shook his head in reply. - But recently the Minister of Magic arrived at Dumbledore's house. Perhaps it has something to do with that.

- Minister? - Richard raised his eyebrows in amazement. - That's odd.

- Come on, I'll walk you out," the headman said.

- Let's go," Richard agreed reluctantly. - Eh, I have a bad feeling about this....