With a few flicks of his hands, the wizard used levitation to gather all the ordered items; only the grips and sheaths he picked up manually. Then he quickly calculated the total:
"That will be seventy-three galleons."
From a compartment of his wallet, enchanted with Extension Charm, Richard silently laid stacks of gold coins onto the counter.
"Thank you, Mr. Kiddell," he said.
"Thank you for your purchase," Mr. Kiddell replied with a broad smile, his gaze lingering a bit longer on Richard. "Do come again. I'll be expecting your owl, Mr. Grosvenor."
"Well then, boys," said the grim-faced Detective Potter, clearly feeling a bit out of place—he had once dreamed of being in their shoes, but things had turned out differently—"robes next?"
"Yes, sir," Richard answered politely.
Once the trio stepped back into Diagon Alley, Harry said:
"Richie, I'll pay you back."
"Harry, forget it. Consider it another birthday present."
"No, kid," Scott said firmly. "A gift is one thing—school supplies are another. I know you've got money, but you shouldn't spend it recklessly."
"Mr. Potter, you can pay me back in sweets," Richard waved him off. "I'm not exactly spoiled at home. It's always the same scary words: diet, cavities, healthy eating…"
"Sweets?" Scott repeated.
"Well, yeah. We're heading off for ten months to the middle of nowhere. Just send a big package of candy through Harry… Now then, to Madam Malkin's. I believe we can buy school robes there."
"Whatever you say, kid," Scott replied. "You'll get your candy."
Madam Malkin turned out to be a short, smiling witch dressed in pinkish-lilac robes.
"Good afternoon. Heading to Hogwarts?" she asked before the boys could say anything. "You've come to the right place."
"Greetings, ma'am," Richard gave a polite bow.
"Hello," Harry muttered.
"Boys, I'll wait for you at the café down the street."
Scott made a quick retreat before anyone could object. It was clear he disliked shopping.
"Step up on the stools."
Madam Malkin led the boys deeper into the shop, where tall stools were arranged. Harry climbed onto one, and another witch immediately began fussing around him—throwing a black robe over his shoulders and adjusting it. Richard took the neighboring stool, and Madam Malkin herself attended to him.
"Ma'am, are there any other options in Britain besides Hogwarts?" Richard asked curiously.
"No," Madam Malkin replied. "We have only one school of magic in our country—Hogwarts. That's all we need. There aren't that many wizards."
"Excuse me, ma'am, my letter didn't specify what kind of robes, gloves, or hat I need. I assume they're standard?"
"Yes, dear. School robes are the same for everyone," Madam Malkin said. She touched the sleeve of Richard's jacket and noticed platinum cufflinks set with diamonds on the pristine white cuffs of his shirt. "Lovely suit. Were you looking for something special? Hogwarts doesn't forbid wearing other clothes after classes or on weekends. I have a wide selection to suit any taste."
"Aunt Diana once appeared in public wearing the same coat four times," Richard said vaguely, "and the scandal they made out of it was so blown out of proportion that… Well, never mind. I am a man, after all, and can afford to wear a suit as often as I like. Still, ma'am, I'd like to have some variety and perhaps a few sets of robes for growth. I am, after all, a young and rapidly growing organism."
"Richie, not this again…" Harry groaned. "When you dragged me to the tailor's last time, right before birthday last year—I thought I was going to die!"
"Harry, what are you complaining about?" Richard asked in surprise. "We picked you a perfectly decent suit—something you wouldn't be ashamed to wear in front of the Queen."
"I know how this ends… First you ask about the selection, then comes choosing fabric, style, size… Going clothes shopping with you is worse than going with a girl!"
"Mmm!" Richard drawled meaningfully, giving him a wink. "My dear friend, and since when have you been going shopping with girls?! So many secrets, it turns out, were hidden within you…"
"N-no! That never happened!" Harry cried in horror. "Ugh! H-how could you even think that?!"
Madam Malkin was struggling to hold back a smile, while her assistant was grinning from ear to ear.
"Don't worry, dear, we'll make you robes with room to grow," Madam Malkin said to Richard. "If you'd like to purchase anything else, come by anytime—we'll be sure to find something suitable, and if we don't, we can always make it to order."
"Thank you, ma'am, I'll think about it," Richard replied. "Tell me, do you use any special magical fabrics?"
Harry Potter pressed his palm to his face and groaned quietly:
"Oh no… it's starting!"
"Harry, suffer in silence!"
Richard's snide remark made Madam Malkin's assistant let out a bright laugh. Harry sighed heavily, and his sigh carried pain, sorrow, and suffering.
In truth, Richard was genuinely interested in whether wizards had any special materials for clothing.
"Yes, dear, of course there are magical materials," Madam Malkin replied. "The most popular is dragon hide. It's used for gloves, jackets, belts, shoes, and inserts in various garments."
"And fabrics, ma'am?"
A muffled groan came from Harry's stool.
Despite Harry Potter's suffering, Madam Malkin eagerly continued sharing information with her potential customer:
"The most famous magical fabrics include acromantula silk—from the web of giant spiders; demiguise hair fabric, which is used to make invisibility cloaks; and unicorn hair fabric. The last one is the finest of all!"
"And what makes it so good, ma'am?"
"Unicorn hair has a mild healing effect and repels dirt on contact. It always remains clean and even improves the wizard's health."
(End of Chapter)
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