"Good morning everyone," Professor Dumbledore said when he arrived the next morning. "how are you all?"
"Perfectly fine, sir," Rigel answered. "And what about you?"
"As well as I can be, my boy," Dumbledore said with a small chuckle. "I am rather surprised to find that Mrs. Black's portrait has decided to not scream at me as she had previously done."
"Rigel has... persuaded her not to," Andromeda replied.
"By persuaded you do mean threatened right?" Dumbledore asked to which Rigel nodded. "Makes sense. I knew her as a student." Dumbledore shook his head. "Now I came here to decide who the secret keeper will be, if it is acceptable then I am willing to become the secret keeper."
"No." Rigel and Sirius both spoke up then turned to each other both suprised.
"Why not? There is no better person to be the secret keeper than Dumbledore." Tonks frowned.
"Despite that, Dumbledore can also let anyone he wants," Sirius spoke up. "I don't want to be rude headmaster but you can just let anyone in my house. No matter how much I hate this place, it is still my property."
"As is your right," Dumbledore nodded. "do you have someone in mind or do you wish to make yourself the secret keeper?" He asked.
"Actually..." Rigel spoke up with a grin on his face. "...I know someone who could be a great secret keeper."
"I'm not sure it would be the best idea for you to be the secret keeper," Dumbledore began speaking in an apologetic voice. "you are still required to attend school and..."
"Not what I meant," Rigel cut him off. "Kreacher, Holly," Harry called and the two elves popped into the room. "Take your pick," Rigel casually said as he gestured to the two elves.
"House-elves?" Professor Dumbledore asked in a curious voice.
"Loyal as shit and hard to catch." Rigel shrugged. "And their magic is boundless. Besides they can ask approval from myself and dad before letting anyone else in, also who is going to suspect a house-elf when there are so many other options?"
"Hmm, clever," Dumbledore said approvingly before turning to the two senior-most elves. "Now, which one to choose? Which one of you would like to be the secret keeper? This is a very big responsibility and will greatly help your master a lot."
"Kreacher would be willing," Kreacher spoke up. He may not like Sirius but the old house-elf respected Rigel and Andromeda. The only two Blacks who treated him properly. "Kreacher will be-" He was cut off with a punch to the face, sending the elf to the floor.
"Holly is willing," Holly said with a cheeky smile.
"Welcome all, come in," Sirius said when the Weasleys and Hermione arrived, he was thankful that he had been able to get his hair back before they arrived.
"Thank you for letting us all stay." Molly Weasley said as she entered the house followed by the twins, Ginny and Ron. "Arthur is busy at work so he'll be here in an hour or so."
"That's all right. I've been informed." Sirius waved off. "I suppose you still have time for breakfast."
The curtains on the portrait of Walburga Black opened up and she tried to speak but instead, no sound came out of her voice.
"Who is she?" Hermione asked as the no soundless portrait was still shouting without any sound.
A portrait of my thankfully deceased mother." Sirius calmly explained as if the portrait wasn't silently screaming. "Just ignore her, she'll drain herself out eventually."
"She seems... charming." Hermione eventually made out.
"More like a pain in the ass," Sirius said under his breath. "Follow me," Sirius said before leading everyone into the kitchen.
"Hey, guys." Rigel smiled as he continued drinking his coffee. "Miss me?"
"Not in a million years." Ron snorted as Rigel rolled his eyes. "What is this place anyway?"
"Grimmauld place Mr. Weasley," Andromeda spoke up. "One of four ancestral properties of the Black family."
"Four!" Hermione's eyes widened
Sirius shrugged. "The Black family has a manor in Kent, a chateau in France, and a few other cottages we loaned out. Now enough about my family. Let's eat."
At the same time, Ron's stomach rumbled.
Everyone nodded as Sirius at the end of the table, the position where the head of the house was supposed to sit, leaving Rigel on Sirius's right.
Hermione was rather interested in how everyone had been seated, on one end of the table was Sirius with Mr. Weasley on his right and Mrs. Weasley opposite him. The twins were opposite to each other and so were Ron and Ginny. With Hermione being next to Ron. But on the other end of the table, Rigel sat opposite to his father with Andromeda and Ted opposite to each other and at his left and right with Tonks next to her dad. She found this interesting because from what she knew Mr. Weasley was supposed to be sitting opposite Sirius as they were both heads of their respective house.
"Mr. Weasley" Hermione spoke, "shouldn't you be sitting opposite Mr. Black instead of Rigel? I mean you're both head of your families?"
"Not really" Mr. Weasley shrugged
"Why not?"
"It's simple" Sirius replied "I'm head of the Black family and this is my house so I get the head seat. Usually, Mr. Weasley would sit opposite me but Rigel here is also head of the Sayre family which is, no offense, Arthur is an older and noble house"
"None taken" Arthur smiled
"Plus he's my only son" Sirius continued "So from society's point of view, Rigel is more important than Arthur"
"it's true" Arthur nodded "I have no trouble admitting that"
"But then shouldn't Andromeda and Ted be next to you?" Hermione asked curiously.
This time, Mrs. Weasley. "In this case, Ted's a muggleborn. which I do not want to be offensive is below the Weasley's and since Andromeda married Ted, she shares the same status." she shrugged. "Seating arrangements don't really matter Hermione. Most of us are just used to it so much it's part of our daily life. Even I, having to be from house Prewett, an ancient and noble house and Arthur's mother being a Black."
"I thought the Prewett line was extinct in the male line," Rigel spoke up.
"Oh, no dear the name hasn't died out." Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "I have a few distant cousins from America and were Prewett by name and blood so they had inherited the title. The reason it's extinct is that the British Prewett males died out with the last being my brothers." This time Mrs. Wealsey looked ready to sob and the discussion died out.
After breakfast, Rigel help direct Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Fred, and George to their respective rooms were while his father talked to Mrs. And Mr. Weasley.
"Jeez, this is big," said Fred looking around the extravagant drawing room
"It's a little over the top." Rigel shrugged.
"Rigel is there a library?" Hermione asked looking slightly hopeful.
Rigel smiled. "I'm sorry Hermione but the family library is only allowed to those who have Black blood and we haven't exactly looked over the books so I haven't got rid of any of the more dangerous things. "
"Oh" Hermione looked disappointed.
"But I did manage to get one of the... safer books," Rigel said and Hermione brightened up as Rigel took a small black book. 'Ignore the pictures though.'
A few weeks had passed and there wasn't a single day that the Weasleys didn't nag about not being able to participate in the order. There was also the event that Dumbledore had also lost Supreme Mugwump and Chief Warlock titles and there we even talks about taking away his Order of Merlin. There were also talks about the Potter twins.
Though they have been barred from sending letters that didn't stop Rigel from sending his via house-elves. Initially, Hermione had been too reluctant but after Rigel pointed out how they've been denying the twins information, she relented.
Rigel had enough tact to not mention Grimmauld place but Sirius (who had also decided to send letters) had cleverly sent them a two-way mirror to chat through. Much to Rigel's confusion, he also told sent them books about occulmency, the magical art of closing one's mind, and told them to practice.
"Dumbledore said you can come in a few days," Hermione said one day
"Dumbledore isn't the boss of us Hermione," Eliza grumbled as Harry nodded. "I just want to get out of this hellhole and come to wherever you are."
"Which is why an extraction will come to your house tomorrow red," Rigel said to his girlfriend. "Just try and be patient."
Harry snorted. "Patient and Eliza dont fit together mate."
"True." Rigel conceded with a small smile. "But... how are you lot?" he asked softly
"We're fine," they said quickly. Too quickly
"Really?" Ron spoke up with a raised eyebrow. "When was the last time you two slept?"
"Harry, Eliza, it's ok to feel weak," Hermione said softly. "At some point, we all hit our bottom point and we always have someone to help us get through. You have us and Sirius, and Remus so it's ok to not feel okay."
The twins didn't speak though Eliza did mumble about nightmares.
"I'll send you sleeping potions." Rigel signed. "Just... be careful. Have you been reading the daily prophet?"
"Only the headlines." Harry shrugged. "Why?"
"Well read properly, they started a slandering campaign against you two and Dumbledore." The twin's eyes widened. "The ministry is denying Voldemort came back so I won't if they try to.... exterminate you two."
Hermione gasped. "Fudge won't do that!"
"Fudge won't," Rigel said. "But a Fudge supporter on the other hand..." he said knowing that a diehard supporter would definitely send someone to exterminate the twins. "There are order guards watching you two. Any problem, go to Arabella Figg. She's a squib," he added at their surprised look. "Keep your wands every time. Don't lose them. I have a bad feeling about this."
The next day while Rigel had been doing his homework, he heard Mr. Weasley shout from downstairs.
"Harry's been expelled!