Hermione put up a good fight, but she wasn't able to stay standing for too long.
She had talent. That was sure. In the path of orthodox wizard way of growth and combat, almost no one would be able to match her.
But Darwin wasn't stuck to the orthodox.
"Good job" Richard commented as he walked towards the fallen girl while picking up her wand from the ground. "You gave your your best."
Rustle
Hermione stood up while glaring. "Stop acting like a pompous prick Richard. Haven't you learned to be gentle with a lady?"
"Nope" Richard grinned but still extended his hand to her. "My hands are rated E, as in for everyone."
"What?"
"Never mind .." When there is no one who could understand the references he make, is such a reference, a references at all?
Richard pulled her up and handed her the wand.
"You've got leaves on your hair by the way."
"Oh for gosh sake.."
She started to pat down her voluminous bushy hair.
Richard looked at her.
"Say Hermione, you are muggle born right?"
Richard didnt know if she intended to or not, but she had a scowl on her face
"Yeah, so?"
Richard held his hands defensively.
"Just relax. I don't me a anything bad, just wanted to ask if you got any spare cash I can borrow?"
The scowl lessened a bit.
"How much? Because my parents don't give me a lot of pocket money. Also, why does being a muggles matter to that?"
Richard looked at her and took a deep breath. He was going to explain a part of his larger plan he's been cooking up for the past two years.
"Tell me, what do you know about stocks?"
...
Apparently not much, and Richard spent the next half hour explaining shares, dividends and profits as well as to how the profits worked based on what he understood.
He's been messing with stocks for the past two years with every single bit of extra cash he had, cooperating with Ted Tonks via mail.
Not doing that would have been a shame. The biggest chance for profit, just ripe for picking. And if he, as someone who knew what's the best places to invest didnt use that advantage, then shame on him.
But for him to make a real killing, he was gonna need more than just pocket money. And if he remembered correctly, Hermione's parents were Dentists. In Britain.
"So basically, its about buying a partial ownership of a company, which they sell to gain proper capital. And you are gambling on whether or not the company succeeds?"
"Yeah, and as a seer, I can tell you that the companies I've chosen to invest in are definitely gonna go big in the future."
He played the seer card as well ,confidence packed in his voice. No one could say no, and Trelawney was basically treating him as her golden child, which made it both disgusting and awkward for him to even attend the class.
Still, no one dislikes free cash.
Now that he thought about it, after his debut as a seer, he hasn't done much "seering" anyway. Not even the battle precognition.
Hermione seemed to think for a moment.
"I'll write to my mum and dad." She replied finally. "BUT! I need all the information on what's happening if I'm going to be a part of this little scheme-"
"No problem." Right now, what he and Tonks lacked was the seed money. If someone else could chip in, their future fortune would definitely double.
"..also" Hermione looked a little red in her ears as she asked. "Can you teach me the spells you taught Harry and Ron?"
Richard grinned, as he felt the shift.
"I'll try," Richard replied, and then asked." But why the sudden change of heart? I thought you didn't want to because it wasn't an official magic taught in Hogwarts."
Hermione turned her gaze away.
"Professor McGonagall told me to..."
"You mean, you saw us practicing told McGonagall and she told you to stop being a snitch?"
Richard read between the lines and quickly pieced what happened together, making Hermione look at her feet embarrassed.
"Alright"
Richard was silent for a moment. He wanted to make her sweat there for a second, but in the end, the more people learn about his method, he better his reputation and influence becomes.
Hermione looked at him, surprised.
"Honestly speaking, I was hoping you'd try o learn it . " Richard admitted. "You, Harry and Ron seem to live the most exciting life around here, and it'd be good for you to have that extra protection. Just in case."
And the trio falling under his influence would cause massive twists to the story as well.
He had already called the other person who he Intended to teach magic to.
"Hey Richard"
"Hey Luna" Richard waved back as the platinum blond skipped down towards them.
"Hermione, meet Luna, Luna Hermione-" Richard was interrupted mid introduction.
"I was wondering why Fiora wanted me to follow her. Did you tell her to bring me here?"
"Who's Fiora-"
Caw
"Right..its her isn't it? .." Richard didnt bother looking up.
"Is that..." Wonder was evident on Hermione's voice. " a phoenix?"
Swoosh
His bishop...now named Fiora landed on his shoulder. Richard decided not to question the sudden growth of intelligence in the mass of magical energy. And he definitely decided not to ask as to why a magical phoenix born from his fire circuit and a male phoenix's feather turned to be a female.
Instead he decided to answer Hermione's question. That much he could manage.
"This is my bishop...whose name is Fiora apparently. And think of her as a magical creature with relation to a phoenix instead of a real phoenix."
She looked mesmerized at the glowing energy bird.
But that should be reserved for the future. Because right now, it was time to train.
'Clap!'
"Forget about the bird. Let's talk about magic. Magic circuits..."
.....
There were two people in Richard's mind. He wanted those two to learn his magic as well because their talent was apparent.
And those two were in Gryffindor as well.
Richard had scouted them for some time to see what would truly spark the persons inner magic, and so he laid foundations that night after teaching for two possible wild cards.
Colin Creevy, and Sheamus Finnegan.
That night he placed something in their bags. Two people. Two books, and a recipe for disaster.
One was called ' Capturing the magic with frames and animation: Guidance for projection sorcery' while the other was named ' The magic of explosion!'.
Richard felt giddy as he left that night. The future was going to be insane and he couldn't wait for it to come.