Richie went to Diagon Alley on Friday, August second. Although the boy no longer needed to study the standard school curriculum, he still had fencing training and lessons with a charms tutor. So Friday still remained his only full day off.
Near the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron—which was located between a bookstore and a shop selling CDs—Harry and Scott Potter were already waiting. Harry wore a cap pulled low over his scar.
"Good morning," Richard greeted the Potters.
"Hi, Richie," Harry replied cheerfully.
"Morning, kid," Scott answered, looking rather grim.
"Mr. Potter, are you all right?" Richard asked, noticing Scott's slight pallor.
"I'd say yes, if not for harsh reality."
"Harry?"
Richard raised an eyebrow and looked at his friend.
"Uncle Scott's worried about Hagrid."
"Hagrid?"
"A giant in a moleskin coat, reeks of cheap whiskey from a mile away, beard like a shovel—the terrifying Hogwarts groundskeeper, Hagrid!"
"Ah, Hagrid! So he did come to see you after all?"
"Yeah. Richie, just imagine—we're relaxing in a tent, it's pouring rain outside, thunder's crashing, and suddenly… the roar of a motorcycle! Then—rip!—the tent flap tears open, and this enormous bearded head appears in the opening! I nearly soiled myself!"
"So did I…" Scott muttered quietly.
"Anyway, we were terrified. This monster, like some hardened stalker-maniac, goes, 'So there you are, Harry! You've gone far, haven't you?' And I just froze— couldn't say a word, completely forgot about my wand. And then Uncle Scott points a gun at the giant and says, all cool, 'I don't know who you are, mister, but if you don't leave my nephew alone, I'll fill you with lead!'"
"And what happened next?"
Scott answered instead of Harry:
"What happened?.. That bastard glared at me maliciously and sneered, 'What are you going to do to me, Muggle?' Then he pointed his umbrella at me—no doubt hiding a wand inside—and I didn't wait for things to get worse."
"You shot him, Mr. Potter?" Richard asked calmly, as though discussing the weather.
"Unfortunately, no," Scott shook his head. "I hit his elbow joints and kneecaps. And even like that, the monster kept trying to get to me. It roared with the fury of an enraged grizzly bear. Harry and I had to abandon the tent and run. In the middle of the night, in the rain, far from civilization—I thought we weren't going to make it anywhere. But then Harry had an idea."
"Yeah!" Harry said proudly. "I called the Knight Bus. We got to the Leaky Cauldron, and Tom the bartender helped us contact the Aurors."
"And how did it end?"
"The Aurors went to our campsite and found Hagrid there, injured," Scott continued. "Turns out, the Hogwarts headmaster, Dumbledore, sent him to check whether Harry and I could manage the shopping on our own. But the gamekeeper, in his infinite wisdom, decided to make a 'surprise' out of it. For some reason, he was convinced that Harry still lived with the Dursleys and that they treated him badly.He wanted to scare the Harry's guardians and show up at exactly midnight between July thirtieth and thirty-first as a birthday surprise. Only instead of a surprise, he ended up scaring both of us half to death."
"And the Aurors found my vault key on Hagrid!" Harry added.
"I hope the Aurors had no complaints against you?" Richard asked.
"No," Scott shook his head again. "They ruled it self-defense. Hagrid was sent to a magical hospital. What puzzles me is why they sent a gamekeeper at all when we had already sent the school a letter confirming Harry's enrollment?"
"Perhaps he was meant to deliver the vault key?" Richard suggested. "By the way, have you checked the vault yet? After all, that key was in someone else's possession."
"You're thinking along the right lines, kid! I had the same thought. That's why we're here today—to check with the goblins whether anyone's stuck a hairy hand into Harry's vault."
"Um… Richie…" Harry shifted from foot to foot. "Here—this is for you. Happy belated birthday."
Richard accepted a small, brightly wrapped package from Harry.
"Thank you, Harry. And I'd like to wish you a happy belated birthday as well."
"You already did. I got your gift and your letter. Awesome toy motorcycle!"
"A toy?"
"Uh… I mean, it looked like a toy…"
"Ha-ha! A toy!!!"
"…Not a toy?"
"Shrunken!"
"Blyat, shrunken!" Harry smacked his forehead with his palm.
Scott gave his nephew a light smack on the back of the head.
"Harry, where did you pick up Russian swearing?" he asked.
"Uh…" Harry tried not to glance in Richard's direction. "Nowhere, Uncle… just heard it somewhere."
The detective let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his face with his hand.
"Richie," Harry said, turning back to his friend, "is the bike enchanted in any way?"
"Yes, but nothing too fancy. Reinforcement charms—and it no longer needs fuel."
"That's awesome! I'll try riding it today."
"Harry, did anyone give you permission to ride a motorcycle?" Scott shot his nephew a stern look.
"Oh…" Harry hunched his shoulders. "No, Uncle…"
"All right, we'll go somewhere out into the woods—you can ride there," Scott relented. "But not today! I've got a feeling these purchases are going to wear me out."
"Thanks, Uncle Scott!" Harry beamed.
(End of Chapter)
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