Arthur's children and wife remained on the ground. The family's breadwinner took to the skies together with his guest, who occupied the front passenger seat.
Inside, the car truly was larger than it appeared from the outside, just as Mr. Weasley had said. The flight was exhilarating. Judging by the speedometer—which, surprisingly, functioned even in midair—their speed was around two hundred miles per hour. Not bad for a flying automobile, though one couldn't help wishing for more.
Apart from the sound of the wind, nothing could be heard—not even the hum of the engine.
"And this is how you turn on the invisibility."
Mr. Weasley flipped one of the toggle switches, clearly not factory-installed on the dashboard. After that, only the mirrors and the interior of the cabin remained visible. Everything else vanished.
"Incredible! Sir, you've done remarkably complex work. Are there any other functions?"
"No," Arthur replied, shaking his head with satisfaction. "But if you wish, I could place additional charms on your car."
"May I ask, Mr. Weasley, what might be possible?"
"Er…" Arthur pondered, circling at an altitude of about half a mile. "What exactly would you like?"
"Mr. Weasley, I won't conceal it—I need to be able to travel as far and as fast as possible, while remaining as inconspicuous as possible."
"Like the Knight Bus?"
"Sir, forgive my ignorance, but I've never heard that name before."
"What? Lord, you don't know about the Knight Bus?"
"Unfortunately, one cannot know everything, sir. I hope you'll forgive me."
"It's a bus for witches and wizards in distress. It's enchanted and can transport a wizard to any point in the world using a portkey marker—provided the destination isn't underwater, and provided the bus has previously visited the location and recorded its coordinates in memory for portal points. When traveling without portal jumps, the bus can reach four and a half thousand miles per hour. Muggles don't notice it, and obstacles are avoided thanks to a multitude of protective charms. The only drawback is that it shakes terribly due to the short Apparition-style jumps."
Richard barely restrained himself from letting out a triumphant shout. Instead, he said calmly:
"Sir, I want all of those charms on my car. And if possible, I would very much like the shaking issue resolved."
"Unfortunately, I don't have sufficient knowledge to enchant a vehicle like that," Mr. Weasley said regretfully.
"Sir, but someone must have enchanted the Knight Bus! Hire those wizards to work for you—or at least as consultants. Or hire other competent witches and wizards, British or foreign. I will allocate funds to pay for the services of consulting magi and outside specialists."
"That's a solution!"
Mr. Weasley's eyes lit up with excitement. He seemed ready to dash off immediately in search of consultants. Apparently, he himself was curious to learn how the Knight Bus had been enchanted.
"In the summer, sir, you will have full funding," Richard added, tactfully bringing the man back down to earth. "For now, please look for the right specialists and negotiate with them."
"Yes, yes, of course," Mr. Weasley said, returning from his daydreams to reality.
"How long can this car remain airborne?"
"Six or seven hours, after which the charms require some time to recharge. I haven't yet figured out how to make such a large object fly for long periods. A broom requires far less magical energy, which is why one can fly it indefinitely. And a broom carries very little weight, whereas a car is heavy on its own—not to mention any cargo."
"What is its load capacity?"
Mr. Weasley made a quick calculation in his head and replied, "The entire family fits inside, and a month's worth of groceries fits in the trunk. Roughly fifteen hundred pounds."
Richard immediately converted the figure into more familiar numbers—about seven hundred kilograms of tested load capacity for the flying automobile.
"Sir, what if you were to enchant not a car, but an airplane—whose design is far more suited to remaining in the air?"
"An airplane?"
"Yes, sir. An airplane."
"That Muggle metal contraption with wings?"
"Yes, sir. Exactly."
"Now that's an idea! I'd very much like to see a real airplane."
"Sir, in addition to the automobile, I shall send you an airplane. A small one. I hope you'll enchant it in a similar fashion."
"Of course! With pleasure!"
"Oh, and one more thing, Mr. Weasley—could it be arranged so that the equipment could shrink to a small size, allowing one to carry it in a pocket?"
"Shrinking charms?" Arthur Weasley mused. "If the enchantments don't conflict with one another… I would need to run calculations and devote more time to the process. In that case, we'd have to forgo the expanded interior space. In principle, it's possible."
"There's no need for expanded space. If it's feasible, I would like the ability to reduce the equipment and carry it without fear of damaging it. And now, we may land. A splendid automobile, Mr. Weasley—I'm very pleased with it."
After landing, Richard, displaying impeccable politeness, conversed with the Weasley family for a while longer on neutral topics. The young Lord adhered to the unspoken British rules: not a word about religion, politics, or money unless the hosts themselves raised the subject. Money was entirely taboo—except at a business dinner. But since financial matters had been discussed previously, albeit briefly, Richard made an effort not to bring up the subject again.
In the end, young Grosvenor left the Burrow shortly after nine in the evening—tired, but thoroughly satisfied.
When Richard got into his own car, he found both the detective and the bodyguard staring with equally wide eyes. They turned their heads toward the young master in unison and remained silent for a moment.
Richard climbed into the back seat, glanced at the men's stunned expressions, and asked:
"Gentlemen, is there something on my face?"
"Sir…" Stephen began. "We heard your conversation—and we saw the flying car before it turned invisible."
"Stephen, it would be better if you didn't tell anyone about this. Otherwise, your memory will be erased."
"Yes, sir!" Stephen replied, turning pale—an unexpected reaction from a fighter of a special forces unit. "I know how to keep secrets."
Richard gave Scott a reproachful look. He pulled a listening device from beneath his jacket and placed it on the seat beside him.
"Mr. Potter, you promised that no one but you would hear anything."
"Kid, those headphones aren't perfect. You can hear everything inside the car, and it's freezing outside," the detective shrugged calmly. "Besides, if you wanted to keep it secret, you probably shouldn't have flown the car right over our heads."
"Bloody hell…" the driver muttered under his breath. "First time I've ever seen a damned Ford Anglia fly like that damn DeLorean from the movies!"
(End of Chapter)
P@treon: /SadRaven
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