Sirius's son

Revealing Secrets

It was late the night after the final Hogsmeade trip for the year, and Rigel was sitting up in his bed, as he'd done every night for weeks, pouring over the map. He had just finished watching a prefect stride past a corridor on the third floor when he paused. He blinked and rubbed blearily at his eyes. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was no way that he was reading the map correctly. On the page, attached to a small set of feet, was the name "Peter Pettigrew."

But that couldn't be right. Pettigrew was dead. Rigel knew that he was dead. He had died confronting his father twelve years ago. The map had to be incorrect. It had to be defunct. But Rigel couldn't stop staring at the name. Before he knew what he was doing, he'd slipped out of bed, and was sneaking out of the Tower. So quick in his desire to discover the truth of the matter Rigel didn't even think about activating his invisibility pendant.

Using the map to avoid roaming professors and prefects, he picked his way to the third floor. Checking the map, he saw that Pettigrew's dot was moving quickly in his direction. He strode forward, his eyes flicking between the darkened hallway in front of him and the map. Pettigrew's name was moving quicker in his direction. Almost as though he were running, but that didn't make sense, because there was still nothing in front of him. He thought briefly that maybe the man was using an invisibility cloak. But Rigel had no way of knowing.

Waving his wand, which he'd been using as a makeshift torch, he waved it blindly in front of him, just as Pettigrew drew even with Rigel, but his wand hit nothing. As Pettigrew's name raced past his own, he whirled around, raising his lit wand above his head, but all he saw was a rat turning the corner down the next corridor. Confused, Rigel turned around, only for his heart to stop. There, striding down the corridor quickly, was the name, Severus Snape. Thinking quickly, Harry tapped his lit wand against the map and whispered

"Mischief Managed," And the map went blank. He didn't even have time to turn invisible, as all of a sudden Snape materialized out of the darkness. Rigel was standing face to face with Snape (They were nearly the same height). He was sneering at him, a look of utter triumph on his face.

"Out for a midnight stroll, Black?" Snape said silkily. Rigel's heart hammered against his chest, as he took a step away. He didn't know what to say, he couldn't think of any reasonable excuse for why he was out of bounds so late.

"So," he said, pacing around Rigel. "Like father like son eh? breaking the rules left and right with no thought for the consequences."

Rigel stayed silent. Snape was trying to provoke him into telling the truth. He wasn't going to do it. Snape had no proof — yet.

"You," Snape said as he advanced on Rigel, "Are so extraordinarily like your father and godfather. Strutting about the castle, too arrogant for their own good. Thinking that a minuscule amount of talent on the quidditch pitch and transfiguration made them Merlin's successors." Snape's teeth bared into a snarl, "The resemblance truly is uncanny."

"My father." Rigel said between clenched teeth, "Did not strut. And nor did my godfather,"

"Your father didn't place much stock for following the rules either." Snape pressed, his sunken cheeks flushing with fury, "After all, who needs to follow the rules when you think you're above them when you place yourself so much higher than the rest of us mere mortals,"

"Shut up!" Rigel roared, unable to take it anymore. For nearly three years, he had put up with the man's bullying. He had taken it all, not willing to stand up to the man, in spite of his incessantly pathetic behavior. Rigel wasn't going to stand for it any longer. Snape's body went rigid, and he trembled in rage, Rigel saw him withdraw his wand from an inner pocket of his cloak. Both of their magic was thick with anger.