"Yow! Ow! Ow!" Weasley suddenly yelped, hopping from foot to foot. "Malfoy, you bastard!"
"Ron, what happened?" Potter rushed to his friend in alarm.
"The owl… That bloody Malfoy owl is pecking me!"
Weasley's exosuit split apart. The owl shot out first and immediately began flying crooked circles beneath the ceiling. Ron burst out of the suit like a meteor. At once, Richard stepped into his path, using the bulk of his robotic armour to shield the mirror.
"No, not the mirror!" he cried.
Ron came to an abrupt halt and said indignantly,
"I wasn't going to smash your mirror. Honestly, you ought to feel sorry for me, not that piece of glass! I'm the one who got hurt in a hard-fought battle."
"With an owl?" Richard asked sarcastically.
"Yes, with an owl!" Ron replied, puffing himself up. "Do you have any idea how painful those pecks are? I thought it was going to peck my liver out."
"Don't exaggerate, Ron," Richard said. "The fabric of our suits can't even be cut with a knife, let alone pierced by a beak. Besides, you were the one who decided to bring an owl along."
"Guys, stop arguing," Harry said, deciding to head off the brewing quarrel. "The Philosopher's Stone is hidden somewhere around here. We need to find it as quickly as possible."
"Harry's right," Richard agreed.
"Too right." Ron shuddered. "I'd rather not get caught stealing."
"Rescuing it, Ron!" Harry corrected.
Weasley waved a hand dismissively.
"Call it whatever you like. If we get caught, we'll be buried in detentions."
Potter swept his gaze across the empty chamber and mused,
"I wonder where they could have hidden the Stone in here."
Weasley's eyes settled on the Mirror of Erised.
"Guys, this is an artefact, isn't it?" he asked.
"Good point," Richie said, turning towards the mirror.
"Maybe the Stone is inside it?" Ron suggested.
"Possibly," Richard agreed.
"I think we should look into it," Harry proposed.
"In the absence of any better ideas, I consider that reasonable," Richard said. "But first, we should get out of the suits so we don't accidentally smash the mirror."
"Fair enough," Harry agreed.
Richie and Harry moved over to the same wall on the right-hand side where Ronald had already removed his suit. Leaving their exosuits there, they returned to the mirror.
The three boys halted a short distance from the artefact. The owl had grown tired of flying and retreated into a dark corner of the hall, illuminated by enchanted torches. It eyed the boys warily now that they had stopped paying attention to it.
"Who's first?" Ron asked.
"You go," Harry replied.
Ronald stepped forward boldly, stopping directly before the mirror and gazing into it. He froze, staring at the reflective surface in fascination.
"Guys, just look at me!" he exclaimed.
"Did you find a way to get the Philosopher's Stone?" Harry asked.
"No." Ron said, shaking his head. "Can you believe it? I'm prefect, just like Bill, and Quidditch captain, just like Charlie. I'm the best student in the school, and I've got loads of money."
"Ron, that's not quite the result we were hoping for," Richard observed.
"If you're so clever, why don't you try it yourself?" Weasley snapped.
With obvious reluctance, Ron tore his eyes away from the mirror and stepped aside. Richard took his place.
At first, nothing happened. Richie saw only his own reflection. He focused on obtaining the Philosopher's Stone in order to save the planet and… his thoughts kept slipping, against his will, towards immortality. Or at least an exceptionally long life.
Suddenly, the image changed. Richie saw a map of a spiral galaxy illuminated by countless points of light. He stood within a futuristic interior, while the three-dimensional star chart was projected by a miniature holographic transmitter that he controlled with his thoughts.
Richard noticed that his reflection appeared to be about twenty-five years old. He possessed an athletic physique and wore a white imperial dress uniform. He was the Emperor of a Galaxy containing hundreds of thousands of inhabited worlds.
The holographic map shifted into a live broadcast of a grand fleet parade. Gigantic starships sailed in perfect formation against the backdrop of a blue planet. There were multi-kilometre battleships equipped with hyperdrives, kilometre-long cruisers, frigates several hundred metres in length, and hundreds—thousands—of elegant yet terrifying spacecraft.
Everything surrounding Richard felt familiar and wonderfully advanced: countless gadgets, some of which he had only ever seen advertised by popular vloggers; a garage filled with a collection of high-performance flyers; the latest models of androids; and much more besides.
For a fleeting instant, he thought he saw the Philosopher's Stone, but no… it remained stubbornly beyond his grasp.
Young Grosvenor managed, with considerable effort, to tear himself away from the mirror.
"Well?" Potter asked.
Richard shook his head and stepped away towards Ronald. Harry immediately took his place before the mirror, his face set with determination as he gazed into it.
"What did you see?" Ron asked innocently.
"Oh, nothing much. Just some nonsense."
"Right," Weasley added with a hint of envy. "You've already got everything, after all."
"Everyone has dreams, Ron," Richard replied calmly. "Everyone. It has nothing to do with the depth of one's purse or one's social standing. Besides, you've no right to complain, Ronald. You have a good, loving family. Your family has money these days. By the time you leave Hogwarts, there'll be a house waiting for you. You're not a stupid bloke. You ought to understand that if you stick with me, you'll go far. I'm counting on your family, Ron. I'm counting on you. Who knows? Perhaps one day you'll become someone important."
"Ah," Weasley said, waving a hand dismissively. "Cut it out. We're just friends. And, er… sorry."
"I'm not offended."
(End of Chapter)
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