Richard gazed outwards until the Owl he had sent disappeared into a dot.
He had written to Tonks. Richard deduced that it might be for the best to inform her about the dealing with the minister and company.
He still disliked using owls. Compared to cell phones, they were very slow. He needed to create something.
He remembered the spy papers from The tapestry series, a book series which had some similarities to this.
What's traced on one paper will appear written on the parent paper. He should create something like that for communication.
As he pondered on the mechanics, Richard noticed a familiar shade of platinum blond in the shadows of the forest edge.
'Oh, it's Luna'
She was standing there in the forest. Richard had not seen anyone die yet, so he couldn't tell if she was talking to thestrals or not. He should kill someone soon. Richard concluded. His list of have to kill people won't cross itself off after all.
'Keep an eye out for her.'
His bishop perched on his shoulder, for a moment, then flew towards Luna who was surprised when the glowing fire bird flew towards her, but then followed the birds gaze and waved at Richard who waved back slightly before leaving the owlery.
The dark forest was dangerous. There were acromantula ,centaurs and even werewolves there at times.
Richard remembered what happened to Tonks last year vividly. And he did not want Luna to end up caught up in any of the danger.
He took his divination books and made his way to the class. It was in the north tower, and he was not too sure where it was.
He decided to follow some old acquaintance, who themselves were following a portrait of a knight on a fat pony.
He didn't bother hiding his steps. Why should he?
"Richard!" Hermione was the first to notice his steps. "You chose divination as well?"
Richard barely glimpsed at the golden chain that was around Hermione's neck. If he wanted to get his hand on it, he had to get close. Slowly.
"Yes," Richard replied." It was the only subject interesting enough to-"
"Villain!" The knight leapt to the portrait next to Richard while brandishing his sword." Maiden, run with your companions while I hold back this villainous knave ."
Oh, damn it.
Richard stared at the knight who was prancing around like an idiot. And then at the trio.
"Your guide is very eccentric."
Richard walked forward. They were already halfway there, so he wasn't worried about loosing his way.
"Tell me about it." Richard heard Ron murmur as he stepped by.
They quickly walked through the narrow spiral staircase until they finally climbed through the trapdoor to the class room.
Though classroom might be a little misleading, considering that it looked like a plus sized version of a fortune tellers stall. With extra curtains and burners with who knows what.
Richard waited till the trio took their seats, nd pulled another chair before putting himself between Ron and Hermione. Straight in front if Harry.
Right in front.
They looked a little uncomfortable, Richard didn't lie to himself. They probably didn't want to .
'Too bad.' He glanced at the hidden time turner. They were gonna have to deal with it.
Richard zoned out again while Trelawney started her introduction. Richard had her catagorised into a scammer with minimal applicable skills and dumb luck.
So he ignored her self introduction all together.
Instead, he started to plot.
How to get the time turner...Richard thought. He couldn't just force it. If he does, the whole school staff and the ministry would be on his ass. He could just knock her out from the behind and then use his circuits to copy it. In fact that was probably the best solution, except the small matter. Hermione is always in classes. Her attendance is almost always accounted to.
Still, Richard couldn't think of a better method either. So he kept thinking, until someone poked him in the side.
Right...they had to drink tea first.
Richard picked a blue cup, and proceeded as Trelawney instructed. Drink the tea, swill the dregs and draining the remains to the saucer after turning the cup upside down.
He pushed his cup to Hermione, making it so that they exchanged their cups.
He flipped the pages of his book, while he tried to unfog the future, as the book said. He tried for a few minutes. And more. And then shut the book and slid it away.
He didnt know how Harry and Richard were fairing, but he couldn't make heads or tails out of it. They kept talking about crosses and sun and so on, but all Richard could see in the bottom of the cup was just the dregs. Nothing else. No shapes, no symbols. nothing.
He turned to Hermione who was flipping through the book like mad.
"This doesn't make sense." She too finally snapped the book shut.
She looked at Richard who already had his book shut, and pushed away.
"So, what does my future look like?"
Richard questioned, though his tone was anything but serious.
"Your future tells you to beware tea leaves."
"Makes sense."
Richard ignored the death predictions and pretty much everything else from then on. He believed in predicting the future. But reading tea leaves? That was where he drew the line.
That was a whole lot of guess work for something that had a more than 50 ℅ error rate. And that too was wrapped in incomprehensible garbage.
If there was a future prediction he wanted to learn, that would be something like the future vision from advanced observation haki. A thing like that was actually use full. Unlike the predictions or prophecies that only make sense when the thing that is supposed to happen actually happens.
He would prefer to see a future where he can do something about than seeing a future that makes no sense, and ends up being inevitable in the end.
Richard paused his train of thought for a moment. What if he DID practice observation haki?
The way true seers make predictions already imply that magic is beyond the constraints of time. And if the existence of time turners were anything to go by, magic should be able to not just decipher the future, but also change it.
Richard couldn't wait until the classes ended. He couldn't believe that he had actually never considered the possibility.
He was so focused on the subject that he barely paid any attention to the transfiguration class.
'I need to train it.' Richard concluded as he absentmindedly stabbed his lunch. He should train it with Neville. He would probably help him.
The training method for observation wasn't exactly the typical study and practice. It involved blindfolding and then beating someone until they can see without their eyes. And he couldn't just ask anyone to do that.
Richard focused back onto his dinner, and the surrounding conversation, as he noticed that he had become the subject of the said conversation.
"Did you really punch a dementor?" Ron asked to confirm the rumors while even Harry looked at him with curious eyes.
"That's just rubbish Ron." Hermione replied before Richard replied. "If you read the Daily Prophet, you should know they already made a detailed report on the incident. Don't bother him just because you like listening to rumors-"
"Actually, I kind of did." Richard said, as he started to eat ." It was a special dementor too. And it came right at me. Almost had me dead, so I punched the bugger right off the train."
"Now you are just being silly. " Hermione dismissed his claims ignoring the two boys who were looking at him as if he was the second coming of Merlin himself.
"You can't punch a dementor. Normal attacks dont work on dementors. And the only spell that can counter them is the patronus charm, which is a spell only the most skilled wizards can use."
"And I'm the most talented wizard in a hundred years Hermione." Richard said as he moved the salt shaker to his hand without using his wand. A small demonstration, which made their eyes widen like saucers. "Believe me. When I say, I punched it, I mean it. Sure, it didnt do much damage, but I held my own."
"Wow, was that wand less magic?"
Ron had his mouth open, while Harry was looking at him with a burn in gaze.
"But the Daily Prophet clearly said.." Hermione was stuck repeating like a broken machine.
" The prophet lied,Hermione. Deal with it."