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"I was hoping that after a winter break, those troll-eaten brains of yours might have actually managed to filter out some of their useless impurities. Instead, they remain as nauseatingly murky as ever."
...
"So, who can tell me which specific ingredient in Skele-Gro prevents bone misalignments during regrowth?"
...
"It is worth noting that a half-scale of a salamander can be added to salamander blood to neutralize..."
"Then why aren't your quills moving?!"
The Hogwarts bells finally chimed. Watching Professor Snape's black robes disappear out the doorway, the young wizards collectively let out a massive sigh of relief.
A few Hufflepuffs huddled together, looking genuinely traumatized.
"Oh, Merlin. I was terrified that entire class."
"Seriously. After a couple of weeks off, Professor Snape's temper is somehow even worse. I honestly felt like he was going to whip out his wand and hit me with the Killing Curse at any second!"
"Thank God Harland was there. If he hadn't answered Professor Snape's questions..."
Richie packed up his books and left the classroom with Terry and the others. They headed up the stone staircase, making their way toward the Great Hall for lunch.
"Good thing we reviewed ahead of time. Otherwise, Snape would've definitely targeted us," Terry said, patting his chest in relief.
"We always review. We had nothing to worry about," Anthony replied, throwing an arm around Terry's shoulder. He looked over at Richie, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Hey, Richie. I wanted to ask you during Charms—how did you end up at Beauxbatons over the Christmas break? I read that it's located in France."
"My grandfather lives in France," Richie explained. "I just happened to visit Beauxbatons while I was there."
"Oh man!" Anthony playfully nudged Richie. "The books say Beauxbatons has a ton of girls, and that they even have Veela and sprites! Did you see any? What did they look like?"
"Wait, what's a Veela?" Terry blinked, looking at Anthony.
"Technically, he means wizards with Veela heritage," Stephen chimed in, stepping up to provide the academic context. "Veela are magical creatures that take human form. They possess breathtaking beauty, but they are also incredibly dangerous. They have an overwhelmingly powerful charm, but if they are angered, betrayed, or attacked, they physically transform and become highly aggressive."
"Whoa, seriously?" Terry's eyes widened. He turned back to Richie. "So, did you see any?"
Highly amused but slightly annoyed, Richie reached out and flicked both Terry and Anthony on the forehead. Both boys winced, rubbing their heads.
"First of all, no. I didn't see any Veela or sprites," Richie said, his tone turning serious. "Second, as wizards, the absolute last thing we should be doing is judging things based on appearances. Knowledge and wisdom might be invisible, but they are real, and they are exactly what we should be chasing. Everything else is just noise."
With that, Richie tightened his grip on his books and kept walking.
"I entirely agree," Stephen said, pushing his glasses up his nose as he hurried to catch up.
"Man, Richie is always so deep," Terry muttered, rubbing his forehead as he quickened his pace. "But still... Veela heritage..."
In the blink of an eye, the three of them disappeared around the corner. Seeing them leave him behind, Anthony panicked and started sprinting.
"Hey! Wait up!"
After finishing lunch and taking a quick break, the group headed to the Transfiguration classroom. For this block, Ravenclaw was paired with Gryffindor.
The students who had arrived early were grouped together, buzzing with excited chatter. The second Richie and his roommates walked through the door, every single eye in the room instantly locked onto Richie.
"See? I told you," Terry smirked, looking incredibly smug. "The whole school already knows you won the Star-Wand Dueling Medal. Honestly, Richie, you should just pin the medal to your robes so people stop asking about it."
Richie shot him a hard eye-roll. "I literally just gave you guys a speech this morning about how superficial things don't matter, and you two instantly turn around and sell me out."
If Terry and Anthony hadn't deliberately "leaked" the news by loudly "gossiping" about his Star-Wand Dueling Medal during lunch, it probably would have taken a while for the rest of the school to find out.
Instead, practically the entire Hogwarts student body already knew.
"Haha! You're welcome!"
Richie: ┏(.-.┏)┓
The four of them found their usual seats. A moment later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked in and sat down in the row right next to them.
"Good afternoon," Hermione greeted.
"Afternoon," Richie replied.
Ron leaned over, completely ignoring personal space. "Hey, Richie! Congrats on winning that medal thing." He paused, lowering his voice. "Fred and George told me to pass along a message. They need to talk to you. Said to meet them at the 'old spot' after dinner."
Richie nodded in understanding. The "old spot" was obviously the Weasley twins' underground Dungbomb factory. If they needed to see him, it probably meant his cut of the profits was ready.
Having delivered the message (and likely secured a small fee from his brothers for doing so), Ron leaned back in his chair.
"By the way, are you guys still looking into Nicolas Flamel?" Richie asked quietly, instantly grabbing not just Ron's attention, but Harry and Hermione's as well. "I have a few leads."
"Nicolas Flamel is a Master Alchemist," Richie explained, keeping his voice low. "He's also an honorary alumnus of Beauxbatons Academy, and he lived over six hundred years ago. You should probably focus your research in that direction."
"Oh, Richie, you are a lifesaver!" Ron's face flushed bright red with excitement. Despite his constant slacking, he had actually been genuinely invested in the investigation. Going two full months with absolutely zero progress had been torture. Getting a solid lead was huge.
"A Master Alchemist? Six hundred years ago..." Hermione slapped her forehead. "Oh, I know exactly where I read that! We've been wasting so much time..."
Hearing Richie's tip, Harry let out a massive breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Ever since he started suspecting Snape was trying to steal whatever was hidden in the third-floor corridor, he had been consumed with anxiety. Their investigation had been completely dead in the water, leaving him stressed and totally helpless.
Richie handing them this massive clue was an absolute godsend.
Just as the trio looked ready to completely ditch class and sprint straight back to the library, the bell rang.
Professor McGonagall appeared in the doorway right on cue.
"Please take your seats. Class is beginning!"
She shot a stern glare at Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the front row. Catching the look, the three of them instantly straightened up and fell silent as Professor McGonagall stepped up to the podium.