Aristocrat (HP/SI)

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***

On the eighteenth of July, Richard, accompanied by Nymphadora, arrived at the Ministry of Magic by noon. Instead of one elderly wizard, two stout mages in the dark blue robes of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement were on duty at the entrance. There was no weighing of the wand, instead a thorough search was conducted.

Richie was a little surprised at the increased security measures, but took such a decision normally. These mages were far from Her Majesty's security. They didn't even ask him to take off his belt; they just waved a retractable aerial artefact along his body and let him inside.

After going through many obstacles, Richard finally found himself in the minister's office. Nymphadora remained in the reception area of the secretary's office, from which there was a passageway to the minister's fiefdom.

It was a cosy rectangular office. Opposite the entrance was a fireplace with a stone engraving in the form of a horizontally arranged modified figure eight and a surrounding ornament of some rune-like signs. Above the fireplace there is nothing remarkable except a mirror in the form of an elongated half-oval. In the centre of the room stands a large round antique table, on which is engraved the emblem of the Ministry. The emblem is a circle with a huge black letter "M" in the centre. In the centre of the circle is covered with yellow lacquer, and along the edge goes a wide black stripe, in which in golden letters is written "MINISTRY OF MAGIC".

There was also a desk in the Minister's office: a large, massive, antique desk, almost identical to the one in Grosvenor Senior's office at Eaton Hall. The comfortable chair was just the right size for a man who held such an important position: luxurious, covered in burgundy leather.

The slightly worn burgundy carpet cushioned his steps, and the intricate mirrors in the corner of the study swirled chaotically on their axis. But as soon as Richard stepped on the carpet, the mirrors stopped their spinning.

Millicenta Bagnold broke away from studying a stack of parchments. She was wearing a lettuce dress today, with open shoulders and a deep neckline. The new minister's appearance left much to be desired. Dark circles under her eyes and pale skin suggested that the woman had been up all night.

- Richard, it's you," the minister said tiredly.

- Good afternoon, Millicenta," Grosvenor bowed politely. - I apologise if this is a bad time.

- No, no," Bagnold shook her head tiredly. - Have a seat.

- Is something wrong? - Richard asked politely. - I don't want to say anything bad, you always look gorgeous, but I'd recommend you see a doctor now.

- Sleepless night..." the minister said, and then she straightened her back with a crunch and leaned back in her chair. - Oh, my back is stiff... We have an emergency....

Richard, seated in the comfortable visitor's chair, looked up sharply. The first thing that came to his mind was the problem of a wizard threatening the planet.

- What happened? - He asked excitedly.

- 'Escape from Azkaban,' Bagnold replied. - 'A dangerous wizard has escaped - Sirius Black.Richie squinted his eyes and asked:

- 'Ma'am, is this by any chance the same Black who was Riddle's closest supporter?

- He is..." a heavy sigh escaped from the Minister's chest.

- How did this happen? - Ritchie was puzzled. - I heard that escape from Azkaban was considered impossible.

- Black is a strong wizard," the minister replied.

- So you don't know," Richard stated. - What do we know?

- The escape happened the day before yesterday," Bagnold said. - We're trying to keep it a secret for now, but I'm genuinely afraid it won't last much longer. Dumbledore has already come to me and asked me what I'm going to do about it.

- How does he know about the escape? - Richie asked suspiciously.

- Richard..." Millicent squared her shoulders and tried to rest them comfortably on the back of the chair. A crunch sounded from her back. - Dumbledore has spies everywhere: in the Ministry, in the Wizengamot, in the Aurorate, and even among magical criminals. Don't underestimate him.

- I see," Richie ran his palm over his chin thoughtfully. - Since there's never been an escape from Azkaban before, I suppose Black could have had help. In that case, someone high up must have acted, or the prison guards must have been bribed.

Madam Minister's look was extremely thoughtful. Covering her eyes, she pondered for a while, then looked at Richard carefully and said:

- The DMP has put forward a similar theory. The guards can be ruled out. All the guards at Azkaban were interrogated using the Truth potion after the prisoner's escape. But a high-ranking official...

- Do you have a guess? - Richard asked.

Millicent's red hair fluttered against the back of the chair. She leaned forward to fix her hair, but another crunch in her back made her ignore it and return to her comfortable position. The Minister continued:

- 'I believe this is Scrimgeour's doing, but there is no proof.

- Why him? - Richard raised his right eyebrow. - Let's say he has a motive - losing the election for the post of Minister. But there must be other reasons besides motive.

- Scrimgeour wanted to become a minister," Bagnold continued. - He would have been if I hadn't gone back into politics. It was a great disappointment to him. If he can take me out, he has a good chance of becoming the next Minister of Magic. Isn't that a motive? To besmirch my name... No sooner had I taken office as Minister than a mess begins among British wizards. An unprecedented case of escaping from Azkaban! A scandal of unprecedented proportions.

- In that case his motive was serious," Grosvenor agreed.

- And not just motive, but opportunity! - Bagnold raised her forefinger. - On Friday the thirteenth of this month Scrimgeour was still acting minister. That was the day he went on his annual inspection of Azkaban. On the sixteenth, the Azkaban guards discovered a shortage of prisoners.

- Could this be related? - Richie said with a questioning tone.

- Yes, Richard," Bagnold said with a long sigh. - The thing is, for centuries now, Azkaban has been set up in such a way that human guards don't need to patrol every day. Dementors constantly roam the corridors of the prison and siphon the magical powers from the prisoners, plunging their minds into nightmares. The prisoners are simply unable to escape, they are immersed in their fears. The guards only make rounds twice a week.

- What about food? - Richard asked. - Somebody feeds the prisoners.

- The food is multiplied by the wizards from the guards and moved around the cells with the help of charms," the minister explained.

- Millicenta, you said that it would be impossible to prove Scrimgeour's involvement....

- Exactly," Bagnold nodded in agreement. - Scrimgeour was in Azkaban, accompanied by Dolores Umbridge, the Minister's Senior Assistant, and Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law and Order. Plus the warden and aurors from the Minister's guard were there.

- So there was a whole crowd there, and anyone could be a suspect," the young earl said. - I suppose everyone was questioned?

- Yes. They were, but the leaders were questioned without the Truth Potion.

- Did anyone say anything to Sirius Black during the inspection? - Richie asked.

Bagnold hesitated for a moment. Three creases formed on her forehead near the bridge of her nose.

- Hmmm," she said. - According to the Aurors, Scrimgeour had stopped by Black's cell and had a word with him. Black had asked Scrimgeour for a newspaper, arguing that the prison was boring. Scrimger had with him a recent issue of the Daily Prophet. On the front page was an article with an interview with Arthur Weasley. There was also a picture of Arthur along with his entire family. Scrimgeour had given the paper to Black!

- Didn't that raise any questions with the investigators? - Richard wondered. - Magic could do anything! Scrimgeour could have transfigured an object useful for escape into the newspaper he'd given to the prisoner. Otherwise, how else to explain such an incident? Hundreds of years of Azkaban, no one escapes, and then this happens!

- Scrimgeour, you bitch!!! - Bagnold hissed through clenched teeth with unbelievable anger. - I'll rot the bitch!

- Assistant," Richie snapped to the minister's attention.

- Assistant what? - Bagnold interjected.

- She might be in on it too, so I wouldn't rule out Umbridge. How did she end up in her position in the first place?

- Fudge pulled Umbridge up with him," explained Bagnold. - Dolores worked in the sector against the misuse of magic. Fudge was Deputy Head of the Magical Disasters and Incidents Unit when I was here. Their departments were in the neighbourhood. Apparently Fudge was friends with Umbridge, and after he became Minister, he brought Dolores with him.

- Get her out of here! - Richard was adamant. - Millicent, you're an experienced politician. You must realise that your deputy must be on your team. And sack Scrimger as well.

- If only it were that easy," sighed Bagnold sadly. - I can't fire any of them without good reason. Dolores is easier - I can reassign her to another position in another department. I can't get Scrimgeour out of his position as head of the Aurorate. It's all right, I'll think of something. I'm more worried about what to do about Black.

- Millicent, couldn't Black have escaped on his own? - Richard asked. - What if he had some rare talent? Like Nymphadora Tonks, for example, he was a metamorphmagician, turned into a Scrimgeour, and got out of prison. Or possessed animagia, for example, like McGonagall.

- No," the Minister shook her head negatively. - As an animagus Black was not registered. And if he was, he would have escaped long ago. Black similarly couldn't have turned into Scrimgeour, since no one from the inspection committee had visited him in his cell. So the newspaper-turned-paper version seems the most likely to me.

- Suppose so," Richard agreed. - What were you planning to do? I can send you a good detective who used to work at Scotland Yard.

- A muggle?! - Bagnold made big, surprised eyes.

- No, a squib," Richard shook his head negatively.

- We could use a detective," the Minister said. - Actually, I was thinking about putting up posters about Black's whereabouts, writing about his escape in the Daily Prophet before it gets out through other sources. I also wanted to ask the Muggle authorities to help us with the search, like putting an advert on the television.

Richard clicked his tongue and shook his head from side to side.

- Bad idea..." he stretched out. - It's a set-up and a blow to your reputation, dear Millicenta. You'll be reminded of your official appeal to the Muggle authorities.

Millicenta stepped forward and asked meaningfully with a hint:

- And the unofficial one!

Ritchie realised that the minister was hinting at his connections.

- No problem," he replied. - But that's not the answer. We have to think of something else, something more effective. Unless Black is an idiot, which is doubtful, he'll lie low, and neither wizards nor ordinary people will find him. We have to lure him out somehow.

- Lure him out! - Bagnold grinned sadly. - If only it were that easy... The investigators assume that Black will try to break into Hogwarts.

- Why would he do that? - Richard was greatly surprised.

- 'According to Black's 'neighbours' in Azkaban,' Bagnold began, 'after the commission left, Black shouted: "He's at Hogwarts! I'm going to kill him." There is speculation that Black wants to kill Harry Potter. After all, it was Sirius who turned the Potters in to Riddle, as he was the keeper of the secret of Fidelius - the hiding spell.

- Uh-huh-huh-huh-huh...," Richie stretched out. - I didn't know such details. Why was Black the keeper of the secret?

- Sirius Black was James Potter's best friend when he was young," Bagnold explained.

- That's how-" Richie thought for a moment. He covered his eyes and ran his palm over them from top to bottom. Looking at Millicenta, the boy said," We need to give Black retroactive amnesty!

- WHAT!!! - Bagnold couldn't believe her ears. Her look was dumbfounded to the extreme. The woman's eyes widened in great amazement.

- Amnesty," Richie repeated. - 'Backdated... Although the latter is not necessary. An amnesty would suffice.

The Minister's gaze was very telling. She had treated Richard as an equal before, but now she looked at him as a stupid boy who had said something unrealistically stupid. Choosing her words, she said:

- Richard, I confess I thought you were a clever young man. I've heard of your genius. But are you now seriously suggesting that we grant amnesty to a dangerous criminal who killed one wizard, Peter Pettigrew, and a dozen Muggles, betrayed his best friend's family, escaped from Azkaban, and is hunting Harry Potter?!

- Yes," Richie replied shortly. - And don't look at me like I'm an idiot. It's not like I'm suggesting he actually get amnesty. Just make it look like it, leak the amnesty to the press. That's how you cover your backside. To the public, it'll look like Black didn't escape, he was released. Can you imagine how shocked Black would be? He'd be blown away by a stunt like that. There's a very good chance Black will stop hiding. That's when the Aurors will round him up and you'll tell everyone about your brilliant plan. There was no amnesty. Black escaped from Azkaban, and the disinformation was a plan to catch him.

- No, Richard," Bagnold shook her head from side to side in astonishment as she began to see her interlocutor as an equal again. The idea, crazy at first sight, did not seem so to her any more. - If amnesty was to be granted, it had to be for real. You can't do it for real.

- So do it for real, and after capture, convict Black of escaping from Azkaban. After all, he escaped from prison before the amnesty was granted, and that's a crime. In any case, it would be easier to catch a criminal if he's careless than trying to find a wizard who spends all his energy hiding.

- Hmmm... - Bagnold seriously thought about the proposed idea. - On second thought, it was better than trying to catch Black by the usual means. But just to be on the safe side, we should post guards outside Hogwarts.

A reassuring smile appeared on Richard's face. He said:

- That's where the new department for guarding important magical objects will come in handy. Hire wizards to guard Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, Mungo's and my firm. Have them take a short course in the Aurorate. I suppose we should introduce a paid guard licence and divide the position into different ranks. You do a two-month introductory course, you get a first-rank guard licence. A couple more months of advanced training - second rank. And so on. The higher the rank, the higher the salary. So slowly mages will raise their qualification up to the level of aurors, they don't need to fight with magical creatures of higher danger classes and learn the investigative part. So they won't have to go through three years of training like aurors. The money for the training would be deducted from their salary. So the wizard will be tied to the job, because in case of dismissal he will have to pay serious compensation. And the Ministry of Magic will get an additional inflow into the budget at the expense of paid courses on the basis of the Aurorate training centre. Part of the funds will be compensated at the expense of the courses, and part of the guards will be paid directly by me.

The Minister looked at Richard with admiration and respect. She had no trace of the former disappointment in the young man's mind.

- Richard, I admire you! - With sincere joy she said, and at the same time, as an experienced politician, habitually complimented her interlocutor. - Would you share the secret, how you manage to make money on what was supposed to bring reputational losses?

- Millicenta, I had excellent tutors, - a dazzling smile adorned Richard's face. - A professor of economics... And the business sharks from the Grosvenor Group who coached me... I'd rather not say anything. This isn't about me. Millicenta, can you handle it?

- I can do it now," Bagnold replied with relief. - Richard, thank you so much. I didn't realise your visit would be so helpful.

- You're welcome. I'll send you a detective.

- What's your detective's name? - Bagnold asked.

- Potter.

Madam Secretary's eyes widened.

- Scott Potter," Richard added.

- Is he a relative by any chance..." Bagnold stretched out in amazement.

- Harry Potter's uncle and his legal guardian," Richard finished the Minister.

Bagnold leaned back in her chair tiredly. For a while, all she could do was open her mouth with a dazed look. But after a few moments her body began to shake, and a moment later a melodious laughter was heard.

- Oh, Richard..." Millicent wiped away the tears that came from the laughter. - It's unbelievable! Harry Potter's uncle is a squib and a detective... He couldn't be a better person to investigate. He'll have a vested interest in finding Black. Yes, Richard, I'm speechless. I'm ready to applaud you.

- Millicenta, Detective Potter works for me," Richard said. - He's a competent specialist, but he's a bit rude and doesn't like wizards. I ask you to show him some leniency.

- No problem, Richard," Bagnold nodded. - Thank you for your support. I hope to see you soon.

- I wish you all the best," Richard said goodbye. - Keep me posted.

***

Richard didn't remember Sirius Black from his past life. He had learnt about him from a collection of material on Death Eaters.

After he left the Ministry of Magic, Richard had not let go of the thought of Black. He had assumed that the wizard would be a threat to the world. Since wizards believe that he is extremely dangerous, therefore, it is impossible to exclude such a wizard from the suspects. Bagnold was a minister at the time when there was a complete defeat of Tom Riddle's group. It is worth noting that in her position she was an extremely effective manager and was quite satisfactory to the Queen.Because of Sirius Black's potential danger, Richard had to rack his brains and come up with a very unconventional way out of the situation. It should be noted that he didn't come up with the idea of amnesty himself, but remembered a similar incident from his past life.

In the world of the future, people remained human beings with all their vices. There were many criminals, and the government had to fight them. An entire planet had been set aside to hold dangerous prisoners. For a long time there were no escapes from there, it was considered an ideal prison, like Azkaban in British wizards. But one day, a prisoner escaped.

To catch a fugitive who was able to escape from the most impregnable prison planet became an obsession for the government. It was a serious blow to the reputation of the authorities. But the galaxy is big, mankind has mastered many planets, including some where no one looked at the colonist's past. Roughly the same thing happened in the history of colonisation of North America. Under such circumstances, finding an escaped prisoner who was actively in hiding was not an option.

For two years, an unsuccessful search across the galaxy continued. But one day the news broke that the galactic government had granted amnesty to the escaped prisoner. Not six months later, the fugitive freely showed up in a major colonial city and acted at ease. He walked into a bank branch on an agrarian planet and demanded access to his bank account. That's when he was captured by law enforcement officials. Since the prisoner had been amnestied, there was nothing to charge him with, at least that's what he and many others thought. But he was accused of escaping from prison before the amnesty. A trial was held, at which the fugitive was given a substantial sentence and sent back to prison.

Richard decided to use a tried-and-true tactic and hoped he wouldn't miscalculate.

"It wasn't enough to deal with the business, now there's a fugitive! - Richard thought with irritation. - There are so many problems with the construction of the power station that no shovel will be enough to clear them up. And with Her Majesty's support! And we have to figure out what to do with the Philosopher's Stone.

The situation with the Philosopher's Stone is strange. It seems to be there, but there is no way to use it. To know how to use it, you have to study alchemy. But if Richie rushes to the shop to buy books on alchemy or, worse, starts reading textbooks on this science at Hogwarts, from the outside it will look very suspicious. According to Bagnold, Dumbledore has spies everywhere. It's foolish to think that the Headmaster of Hogwarts wouldn't add up the disappearance of the Philosopher's Stone and Richard's interest in alchemy.

From prolonged reflection, Richie concluded that it was worth putting off the study of alchemy for the time being. It would be best to forget about the existence of the Philosopher's Stone for five years. The stone should be hidden so that no one would find it. Only when the hype subsides, you can safely begin to study alchemy. For example, after Hogwarts, hire an alchemist as a tutor.

***

On the twentieth of July, two important events took place. The Daily Prophet published an article about Sirius Black's amnesty. But Richard was more concerned about an upcoming meeting with an American young specialist in computer science, cryptography and law.

For the meeting, Richie set up in the conference room of the Grosvenor Group. Everything was ready for negotiations. And then came the important moment - a young secretary brought a guest into the room.

The young man looked to be twenty-five years old and was tall. He was slightly nervous. The gaze of his brown eyes was directed at Richard. His black hair was cut short and uneven. He had a small beard and a moustache of the same dark colour as his hair. The guy was wearing a dark blue shirt and an inexpensive dark two-piece suit. The collar of the shirt was unbuttoned, and there was no tie.

- Good afternoon, Mr Szabo," Richard said affably. - Please have a seat.

Sabo sat down in the offered chair opposite the young Grosvenor. He was somewhat astonished.

- Hello, sir," Sabo could hear the uncertainty in his voice. - You are the Richard Grosvenor with whom I corresponded, are you not?

- Yes, Mr Szabo," Richard replied. - I don't want you to be embarrassed by my young age. I have been self-employed for several years now, and my business is thriving. I hope you had a safe journey.

- Yes, Mr Grosvenor," Sabo replied. - Thank you for inviting me and paying my travelling expenses. I liked the hotel. Um... If you can call me Nick. I'm not used to such a formal address.

- OK, Nick.

Richard condescended to be a Yankee. He thought it was worth speaking a man's language to get things done. What's a Yank to do? They don't know British decency. No chatting about the weather or cultural references like Lord, Earl, My Lord...

- Sir, I'm not sure why you invited me here," Sabo said.- Nick, you graduated from the University of Washington three years ago with a degree in computer science and continued your studies. If I'm not mistaken, you have a doctorate now, and you didn't get it for show.

- Yes, that's right," Sabo agreed. - I've been working on new cryptographic techniques applicable to computer systems.

- I've heard about your achievements, Nick," Richard said respectfully. - A smart contract... I like the concept.

- Mr Grosvenor, I'm surprised," Sabo looked dumbfounded. - Forgive me, you look very young. Do you really understand what my work is about?

- Of course, Nick," Richard confirmed with a slight nod of his head. - You are developing a tool to utilise advanced contract law techniques in e-commerce protocols on the Internet. I know how that ends.

There was genuine curiosity in Mr Szabo's gaze. He asked with interest:

- Yes? I'm curious to know where you're going with this....

- Cryptocurrency..." Richie said in a meaningful tone and then stopped talking.

Mr Sabo's eyes abruptly became the size of large coins. He opened his mouth in amazement and looked at Richard with genuine admiration.

- Mr Grosvenor, you surprise me," Sabo said. - How did you know? I've never told anyone about cryptocurrencies!

- Hm..." Richard said. - Nick, some people think I'm a genius, but I don't think so myself. It was on the surface of your work.

- And..." Sabo began, but stopped talking. After some thought, he continued:- And you want to offer me something?

- Yes, Nick," Grosvenor Jr. nodded. - On your own, on a weak computer, you will develop your cryptocurrency for another ten years. Undoubtedly, it will bring you huge revenue, but ...

Mr Szabo's face showed understanding. He exclaimed:

- You want to invest in my project and get a share!

- You're very clever and smart, Mr Szabo," Richard replied. - I wouldn't expect anything else from you.

- What's the point of me sharing with someone else? - frowned the American.

Richard's glance at the Yankee was mocking. He asked ironically:

- Nick, you have a choice. You can live for ten or more years, even if not starving, but not in luxury. Or... You can get support from me not only in material form, but also a technical base. How about providing access to the world's first artificial intelligence?

Sabo fell out of favour. He was so shocked that he could not utter a single word for some time. When he came to his senses, he barely got out a word:

- "E-iskin?! You're kidding me!

Richard shook his head negatively with barely perceptible movements.

- No, Nick," he said. - I have ready prototypes of several iskines. They just need to be programmed properly. You can have access to one of them. With that kind of help, you could develop a cryptocurrency in a year or two. During this time, you will be provided with accommodation. You'll get a decent grant. And when the development is complete, you'll get a decent stake in the business. Either way, you won't be shortchanged. Either way, you'll be a millionaire. Only if you accept my offer, you'll be rich ten or fifteen years sooner. Think about it - to spend all your youth with a huge fortune in bank accounts or to spend much more time and come to the same result.

Sabo gave it some serious thought. There was complete silence in the conference room for about five minutes. Richard did not prevent Nick from thinking and did not rush him, he was afraid that any careless word or action could scare away the one who could bring a huge fortune. Suddenly Nick snapped out of his musings and asked:

- Do you actually have an iskine?

- Yes, Nick," Ritchie nodded. - But it's strictly classified information.

- Then I agree! - Nick Sabo replied enthusiastically. - Where else could I get access to the iskin... Yes, I agree, Mr Grosvenor. Let's discuss the division of shares in the digital gold.

- Bitgold? - Richard raised his eyebrows questioningly. - It's a good name, I like it. But I think bitcoin would be more appropriate.....