After leaving the Dursleys, the two families picked up Mrs. Harland and Mrs. Granger and headed to a nearby restaurant for a big dinner. Once the meal was over, everyone went their separate ways.
It was nine o'clock by the time Richie finally got home, showered, and sat down with a book. He'd just reached his desk when he noticed an envelope that definitely hadn't been there earlier.
He sat down, opened it, and read the wobbly handwriting.
> Richie,
> I got two visitor passes to the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary. I'm going to see Norbert. Want to come?
> —Rubeus Hagrid
"Hagrid?"
Hagrid had tried to keep the letters small to fit on normal paper, but the result was a messy mix of huge and tiny letters that looked like a first-grader had written it while riding a roller coaster.
Richie raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Hagrid to write at all. As for the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary passes…
His eyes lit up. That actually sounded like a great idea.
Just like how tourists in China always want to see pandas, Richie had been curious about the magical world's creatures ever since he got here. Visiting a real dragon reserve would be incredible.
But… he was already behind on his summer study schedule. He'd already lost a whole day today. Did he really want to lose more time just for fun?
Then again, he reminded himself, he wasn't some book-obsessed robot. Reading ten thousand books was great, but traveling ten thousand miles was just as important. Opportunities like this didn't come along every day.
Decision made.
He quickly wrote a reply asking about the departure time, then stepped to the window and gave the owl call he and Wangcai had worked out.
"Hoo… hoo…"
A dark shape soon glided down from the night sky—Wangcai.
Richie stepped back to give him room to land.
"Hoo."
The owl settled neatly on the windowsill. Richie tied the letter to his leg with a quick knot.
"Take this to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Straight to Hagrid, okay?"
He gave the bird a quick scratch behind the head. The premium feed was definitely worth the Galleons—Wangcai's feathers already looked glossy and healthy after just one week.
Wangcai gave another soft hoot, spread his wings, and vanished into the darkness.
Richie closed the window and went back to his desk. If he was going to Romania with Hagrid, he needed to rearrange his study plan right away.
---
The next morning, Denton shook Richie awake.
"Richie, one of your magic-school… professors is here to see you."
Denton looked thrilled as he dragged a sleepy, half-awake Richie out of bed.
"Professor?"
Richie blinked, still groggy. He didn't remember any Hogwarts professors doing house calls.
Denton's eyes were sparkling. "Do you guys have a troll on the faculty? Lockhart's book said trolls are really stupid, right?"
"A troll?"
Richie rubbed his eyes and finally woke up properly.
Oh. It was Hagrid.
He'd only sent the letter last night. That was fast.
Richie explained while pulling on clothes and tucking his wand into his waistband. "We don't have any troll professors. That's just a giant—a really big human."
"Oh… oh, right." Denton nodded excitedly. "The magical world is amazing."
Richie agreed. No argument there.
Still in his pajamas, he headed downstairs.
Mrs. Harland stood at the open front door looking slightly helpless. Hagrid was hunched outside, trying to make himself as small as possible.
"Er… sorry, ma'am. Is Richie still sleeping?"
Hagrid looked embarrassed. He almost never showed himself to Muggles. When he had to walk through their world he usually just ignored the stares. Right now he was literally trying to fold himself into the doorway so the neighbors wouldn't freak out.
The real problem was size. At eleven feet six inches tall and wider than most people were tall, Hagrid simply didn't fit through a normal door. He'd only planned to stop by, set up a meeting time with Richie, and leave. But the Harlands had mistaken it for a school visit and kept insisting he come inside.
Richie pulled out his wand. "Vera Verto!"
The doorframe stretched upward and outward with a soft groan until it was the perfect size for Hagrid, then stopped.
Mrs. Harland smiled. "Professor, please come in."
Hagrid's big face turned red. Everyone at Hogwarts knew he was just the gamekeeper, not a real professor. But he didn't want to get thrown out, so he let the little white lie slide.
"Er… just call me Hagrid, ma'am."
He ducked low and stepped inside, careful not to bang his head on the ceiling. The moment he was through, the doorframe snapped back to normal.
"Hey, Richie—you just used magic?" Hagrid looked surprised.
"Yeah, but don't worry," Richie explained quickly.
Hagrid grumbled, "No wonder those Slytherins act like they own the place. Their families get all the Muggle-world perks the rest of us can't have!"
He caught himself and added quickly, "Not you, Richie."
Richie shook his head. "It's fine. I know what you mean."
Some inequalities were just part of life. Hermione and Harry couldn't risk magic at home or the Ministry would send a warning. Richie could casually enlarge a doorframe. That kind of privilege wasn't going away anytime soon.
They moved into the living room. Richie waved his wand again and turned one of the sofas into a perfect copy of the big red one from Hagrid's hut—brand-new and extra sturdy.
Mr. and Mrs. Harland waved Hagrid toward it like it was the most normal thing in the world, then sat down on the other couch with Richie.