"Mhm… And this lady… green dress, hair in a strict bun, and answers to the name Minerva McGonagall?"
Justin stopped dead in his tracks. His jaw practically dropped to the parquet floor, and his eyes fixed on Richard in utter astonishment.
"How—?!"
"Did I guess right?"
"Yes, damn it! But, Richie, how did you know?"
"She came by our place before seeing you. Can you believe it, Jus? It's my birthday, you're about to arrive, the Queen's on her way, a whole crowd of princes—and she tells me, 'Boy, you're a wizard. Come with me to Diagon Alley to buy all sorts of nonsense!' HA!"
"And what did you do?" Justin stared at him, still wide-eyed.
"We told her to get lost, of course—politely, as befits the occasion."
"Richie, don't tell me you refused to attend a school of magic?!" Justin whispered loudly, a mix of disbelief and admiration in his voice.
"Of course not. Jus, neither aristocrats nor peasants turn down something like that. Wizards can be very persuasive—and having supernatural abilities yourself is quite advantageous. In short, congratulations, my friend—we'll be studying at Hogwarts together."
"So you're not surprised that I'm a wizard?!"
"Surprised?! Ha-ha! Justin, I'm so shocked I can't even put it into words! But after being thrashed a few times for my lack of restraint, I've revised my views on expressing emotions. I'm holding myself back with all my strength from shouting something like, 'Et tu, Brute?!'"
"Wait a minute, so you're a wizard too!" Justin's eyes lit up with delight. "And we're going to the same school… My God! This is incredible! Richie, this is… this is…"
"Quite something, isn't it, Justin?" Richard gave his friend a sly smile. "Until the very last moment, I had no idea you had superpowers as well. Jus, you're a natural-born spy!"
"Quite something? Quite something?! Richie, this is damn near impossible! I only found out today about magic, about being a wizard, about a school of magic, about an entire world of people with supernatural abilities…"
"Hmm…" Richard thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "Now that's an idea! I should tell my father that your father knows about wizards. That will make their interactions easier. Shared secrets bring people closer."
"Oh, that's what you mean…" Justin drawled. "Yeah, I suppose it really is worth telling my dad… Richie, aren't you nervous? We're going who knows where, learning who knows what…"
"Don't worry, my friend. You're not alone. By the way, our mutual acquaintance—Harry Potter—is also a wizard. He told me about his Hogwarts letter over the phone a week ago."
"Harry? No way! You're not joking?"
"Jas, I'm completely serious. Can you imagine the coincidence?"
"Richard, what if all kids in the world are wizards?"
"Ha! No, no, no—definitely not! Justin, think about it: if that were the case, who would attend ordinary schools? The universe is just small, and it tends to drop convenient coincidences in your lap," Richard thought to himself: Especially for people like me… otherwise, how could so many wizards end up around me?
"I was so shocked when I found out I'm a wizard," Justin said. "At first, my father and I didn't believe it. But Madam McGonagall turned a statue on the doorstep into a pig—and then she turned herself into a cat and back into a human. It was incredible! But you should have seen her face when my father said we didn't have time and were on our way to a reception at the Grosvenors'… God, I thought she might have a stroke. She went so pale and pressed her lips together…"
"What a sensitive lady," Richard remarked with irony. "Etiquette exists for a reason. What kind of tradition is it to show up uninvited? Didn't it occur to her to consider that you might have important plans?! Jus, so how did it end?"
"My father arranged to meet Madam McGonagall tomorrow at ten in the morning on Charing Cross Road."
"I was planning to visit Diagon Alley myself, though not quite so soon. I still need to pick up a few odds and ends. Listen to a piece of advice."
"Yes, yes," Justin said, ready to listen.
"Wizards have their own currency. To shop in their stores, you need to exchange pounds for galleons. But you won't be able to exchange more than a thousand pounds. Bring gold with you. At Gringotts Bank, ask for a goblin named Rikbet and tell him I sent you. For one percent of the metal's value, he'll exchange your gold for galleons."
"I'll pass it on to my father. Thanks for the advice, Richie."
"Wait, that's not all. I haven't even told you where to buy all sorts of useful things yet…"
Richard slung an arm around Justin's shoulders and slowly led him toward the dining room, quietly initiating him into the finer points of the magical world.
(End of Chapter)
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