Snow was swirling against the icy windows once more; Christmas was approaching fast. Hagrid had already single-handedly delivered the usual twelve Christmas trees for the Great Hall; garlands of holly and tinsel had been twisted around the banisters of the stairs; everlasting candles glowed from inside the helmets of suits of armor and great bunches of mistletoe had been hung at intervals of along the corridors. Large groups of girls tended to converge underneath the mistletoe bunches every time Harry or Rigel went past, which caused blockages in the corridors; fortunately, however, their frequent nighttime wanderings had given both boys an unusually good knowledge of the castle's secret passageway
Ron, who might once have found the necessity of these detours a cause for jealousy rather than hilarity, simply roared with laughter about it all though he avoided Eliza all the time. The twins had sent Ron a hexed letter that made his skin turn rainbow-colored. Over the past three weeks, there was barely a day that went by without Ron being pranked at some point. Rigel had to marvel at how the twins were managing it all. They had to be getting help from someone and it certainly wasn't Eliza.
"Don't you think you're taking it too quick?" Rigel said, "Don't take it wrong. Lavender is good for you but you guys. . . snog a lot"
"What can I say. She can't resist me," said Ron grinning but Harry and Rigel rolled their eyes.
Harry, Rigel, Eliza and Hermione met up at the library
"Harry you need to be careful," said Hermione
"For the last time," said Harry, speaking in a slightly hoarse tone after three-quarters of an hour of silence, "I am not giving back this book. I've learned more from the Half-blood prince than Snape or Slughorn have taught me in —"
"I'm not talking about your stupid so-called prince," said Hermione, giving his book a nasty look. "I'm talking about earlier. I went into the girl's bathroom just before I came in here and there were about a dozen girls in there, including that Romilda Vane, trying to decide how to slip you a love potion. They're all hoping they're going to get you to take them to Slughorn's party, and they all seem to have bought Fred and George's love potions, which I'm afraid to say probably work —"
"Why didn't you confiscate them then?" Harry asked,
"They didn't have the potions with them in the bathroom," said Hermione scornfully, "They were just discussing tactics. As I doubt the Half-blood prince" she gave the book another scornful look "could dream up an antidote for a dozen different love potions at once, I'd just invite someone to go with you, that'll stop all the others thinking they've still got a chance. It's tomorrow night, they're getting desperate."
"There isn't anyone I want to invite," mumbled Harry
"Well, just be careful what you drink, because Romilda Vane looked like she meant business," Eliza said grimly.
"Hang on a moment," Harry said slowly. "I thought Filch had banned anything bought at Weasley'sWizard Wheezes?"
"And when has anyone ever paid attention to what Filch has banned?" asked Hermione, still concentrating on her essay.
"Definitely not us," Rigel murmured. Hermione nodded.
"But I thought all the owls were being searched. So how come these girls can bring love potions into the school?"
"Fred and George send them disguised as perfumes and cough potions," Eliza explained. "It's part of their Owl order service."
"You know a lot about it," Rigel asked
Eliza gave him the kind of nasty look Hermione gives on Harry's copy of Advanced PotionMaking.
"It was all on the back of the bottles they showed Ginny and me in the summer," Hermione said coldly, "I don't go around putting potions in people's drinks...or pretending too either-
"Yeah, well, never mind that," said Harry quickly. "The point is, Filch is being fooled, isn't he? These girls are getting stuff into the school disguised as something else! So why couldn't Malfoy have brought the necklace into the school —?"
The three groaned. "Not this again," Eliza whispered.
"Come on, why not?" demanded Harry.
"Look," sighed Hermione, "Secrecy Sensors detect jinxes, curses, and concealment charms, don't they? They're used to finding dark magic and dark objects. They'd have picked up a powerful curse, like the one in the necklace, within seconds. But something that's just been put in the wrong bottle wouldn't register — anyway Love potions aren't dark or dangerous -"
"Easy for you to say," muttered Harry.
"— so it would be down to Filch to realize it wasn't a cough potion, and he's not even a wizard, I doubt he can tell one potion from —"
Hermione stopped dead; Harry had heard it too. Somebody had moved close behind them among the dark bookshelves. They waited, and a moment later the vulturelike countenance of Madam Pince appeared around the corner, her sunken cheeks, her skin like parchment, and her long hooked nose illuminated unflatteringly by the lamp she was carrying.
"The library is now closed," she said, "Mind you return anything you have borrowed to the correct — what have you been doing to that book, you depraved boy?"
"It isn't the library's, it's mine!" said Harry hastily, snatching his copy of Advanced PotionMaking off the table as she lunged at it with a clawlike hand.
"Spoiled!" she hissed. "Desecrated, befouled!"
"It's just a book that's been written on!" said Harry, tugging it out of her grip
She looked as though she might have a seizure; the Gryffindor's hastily packed their things, grabbed Harry by the arm, and frogmarched him away
"She'll ban you from the library if you're not careful. Why did you have to bring that stupid book?"
"It's not my fault she's barking mad, Hermione. Or d'you think she overheard you being rude about Filch? I've always thought there might be something between them..."
"Oh, haha..."
They made their way along the deserted lamp-lit corridors back to the common room, arguing whether or not Filch and Madam Pince were secretly in love with each other.
"Baubles," said Harry to the Fat Lady, this being the new, festive password.
"Same to you," said the fat lady with a roguish grin, and she swung forward to admit them
"Hi, Harry!" said Romilda Vane, the moment he had climbed through the portrait hole. "Fancy a gilly water?"
Hermione gave him a "what-did-I-tell-you?" look over her shoulder.
"No thanks," said Harry quickly. "I don't like it much."
"Well, take these anyway," said Romilda, thrusting a box into his hands. "Chocolate Cauldrons, they've got firewhiskey in them. My gran sent them to me, but I don't like them."
"Oh — right — thanks a lot," said Harry, who could not think what else to say. "Er — I ' 'm just going over here with..."
He hurried off behind Hermione, his voice trailing away feebly.
"Told you," said Hermione succinctly, " Sooner you ask someone, sooner they'll all leave you alone and you can —"
But her face suddenly turned blank; she had just spotted Ron and Lavender, who were intertwined in the same armchair.
"Well, good night, Harry," said Hermione, though it was only seven o'clock in the evening, and she left for the girl s' dormitory without another word.
Rigel lingered outside the Transfiguration classroom where he knew the Gryffindors were currently having a lesson. She had spent his free period in the library studying a few projects he could do for transfiguration. Sure he had cleared the entire syllabus but he and McGongall occasionally had a few extra lessons and even though he had a trophy (he had owled it to Aunt Andromeda), but Rigel loved transfiguration, ever since his first class turning a matchstick into a needle, he had studied the various aspects of that magic pushing it's boundaries.
When the bell rang, Hermione burst out of the classroom and ran off, seemingly without realising Rigel was there. He was about to run off after Hermione but Harry hurried out with her things, also not noticing Rigel
Ron left the classroom hand in hand with Lavender, also not noticing him though a scowling Eliza was the one who did.
"Hey I need to talk to Ron quickly. Bye!" Eliza said kissing Rigel on the cheek and running after Ron.
"Well hello to you." Rigel said dryly.
"Harry is taking Luna to Slughorn's party? Luna!" Rigel stared at Eliza incredulously.
"Yeah, she's really excited, it's not like he can take who he actually..." Eliza stopped talking.
"What? Who does he want to take?" Ron looked excited and Eliza bit her lip.
"I don't know. How would I know?"
"Well you are his twin." Rigel grinned. "And you two sharing dreams; that must be awkward." Ron and Eliza laughed. The relationship between the quartet was odd but it actually appeared to be holding up. Hermione and Ron weren't speaking but weren't being mean to each other either. If Lavender happened to arrive, Ron would suddenly find himself alone.
"It is, anyway I better go and get ready." Eliza knocked over her own king for symbolism and then stood up.
"Who's Hermione taking to the party?" Ron asked, looking up at her.
"Ron, don't make me tell you; we'll be there in forty-five minutes and you can see for yourself." Ron's face became distinctly pout-like but he let it go.
"Did anyone ask you." Ron asked Rigel as they went up to change.
"Nahh..." Rigel shook his head as he wore his dragonhide jacket. "I mean I was thinking of taking Eliza but since you stole my girl." Rigel shrugged. "Guess I have to go alone eh?"
A minute later when they came down, Cormac Mclaggen came wearing nicely trimmed black robes. He offered Rigel a nod and ignored Ron who also ignored the seventh year.
Eliza came down wearing a beautiful emerald dress that Rigel bought for her in her fifteenth, black pumps. Then Hermione followed wearing a similar dress though it was in pink. Both were wearing grey robes over their dresses.
"Ready?" Hermione asked, clearly realising that Eliza and Rigel weren't comfortable in the company and that Ron would continue not talking to her.
"You look nice, where's Potter?" Cormac asked, with only a fleeting look at the two girls before whipping out a small mirror from his pocket and checking his reflection. The two boys looked like he was containing a smile with great difficulty.
"He's meeting Luna in the Entrance Hall." Hermione said as they walked across the room and exited the common room.
"Harry Potter is taking Loony Lovegood?" Cormac asked, looking flabbergasted.
"Luna Lovegood McLaggen." Rigel corrected, over the minutes he had gotten along well with Luna seeing her as a kindred spirit. Both lost their mothers at a young age and could see thestrals because of their deaths.
When he arrived in the entrance hall , he found an unusually large number of girls lurkingthere, all of whom seemed to be staring at him resentfully. Five minutes later, Harry came in with robes that Rigel swore he saw Sirius wear.
When he saw Luna, Rigel did a double take. She was wearing a set of spangledsilver robes that were attracting a certain amount of gigglesfrom the onlookers, but otherwise she looked quite attractive. He was used to seeing her wear radishearrings, her butterbeer cork necklace, and her Spectrespecs. They made small talk and walked towards Slughorn's office.
The ceiling and walls had been draped with emerald, crimson, and gold hangings so that it looked as though they were all inside a vast tent. The room was crowded and stuffy and bathed in the red light cast by an ornate golden lamp dangling from the center of the ceiling in which real fairies were fluttering, each a brilliant speck of light. Loud singing accompanied by what sounded like mandolins issued from a distant corner; a haze of pipe smoke hung over several elderly warlocks deep in conversation, and a number of house-elves were negotiating their way squeakily through the forest of knees, obscured by the heavy silver platters of food they were bearing.
"Oh dear lord." Rigel muttered.
"What-"
"Eliza Potter! There you are my dear, oh and Rupert is it?" Ron blushed before correcting him.
"Harry Potter and Rigel Black! Come in, comein, so many people I'd like you to meet!"
Slughorn was wearing a tasseled velvet hat to match hissmoking jacket. Gripping Harry and Eliza's arms, Slughorn led them purposefully into the party; Harry seized Luna's hand anddragged her along with him.
"The Potter twins! I told you we were close Worple! both taking my course. Harry is a trifle more talented than Eliza when it comes to Potions, wouldn't you say Severus?" Slughorn threw out an arm and pulled Snape into the conversation.
Trapped, with Slughorn's arm around his shoulders, Snapelooked down his hooked nose at Harry, his black eyesnarrowed.
"Funny, I never had the impression that I managed toteach Potter anything at all."
"It's a natural talent, from Lily no doubt! Did you used to sit next to Lily in class during the lower years or was it, Kiara Sayre?" In spite of himself Rigel, Harry and Eliza looked up at Snape in shock. "No Sayre was in you're later years correct? When you two worked on your masteries?"
Rigel couldn't help but blink dumbly. Magical masteris were similar to that of their muggle counterparts. Rigel's mum started her masteries after the war in '82 and completed them in '84 which meant-
"I don't recall." Snape muttered, colour flooding his pale cheeks as he avoided their eyes.
"Well, Harry here produced a perfect Draught of Living Death, I mean perfect! Never seen anything like it, I doubt even you Severus..."
"Really?" Snape interrupted.
"Remind me what other subjects you're taking, Harry?"asked Slughorn.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration,Herbology . . ."
All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror," saidSnape, with the faintest sneer.
"Yeah, well, that's what I'd like to do," said Harry defiantly.
"And a great one you'll make too! What about you, Eliza?" Eliza said the same though Snape did not sneer but merely looked... worried?
"And Rigel?" Slughorn peered at him.
"Umm...Charms, Defence, Herbology, Potions...umm Care of Magical Creatures and Advanced Transfiguration." Rigel rattled of.
"Fine choices Rigel, fine choices! You want to join the ministry don't you? Which department?"
"IWP." Snape and Rigel said at the same time. Rigel looked at him surprised.
"Oho the ICW eh!? Well I don't blame you. Well Perseus is here, come with me dear I'll introduce you, come along Rigel." Snape, for some unfathomable reason, joined Harry, Eliza and Slughorn.
"...still looking for new members! Heavens know we need more english speaking wizards in the department!" Perseus Jackson was a tall man, even taller than Dumbledore. He kind of resembled Harry with the black hair and green eyes though Jackson was more of a sea green shade.
"Perseus! This is the Transfiguration star, Rigel Black!?" Jackson turned to look at the group and looked carefully at Rigel as if trying to read his mind.
Then he smiled. "Thr transfiguration prodigy of Britain eh? Pleasure's all mine Mr. Black. The article of yours was brilliant, how long did you work on the paper?"
"Overnight sir."
"Overnight?" his green eyes widened "Holy Sayre! You must have been up all night?"
Rigel shrugged. "I mean I don't want to brag but I'm very passionate about Transfiguration."
"You would do well as a professor in that particular branch." he mused. "What about dueling?"
Rigel perked up something that did not go unnoticed. "I love it, sir, the adrenaline rush, how every strike and the mind games. I enjoy it as much as quidditch."
Jackson grinned. "So not a down-to-earth person eh? you will fit in very well as a hit wizard, the recruits will come next year. Hope to see you pass." Rigel nodded and smiled.
I'll love that, sir."
"I don't think you should be a hit wizard, Rigel," said Luna unexpectedly. Everybody looked at her. "The Hit wizard is part of the halitosis Conspiracy, I thought everyone knew that. "
"What is this conspiracy, Miss-"
"Lovegood Mr Jackson. The halitosis conspiracy. They're working to bring down MACUSA using a combination of Dark Magic bad breath and flobberworms."
Rigel choked on his mead early spilling it out. He saw something calculated to raise his spiritseven higher: Draco Malfoy being dragged by the ear toward them by Argus Filch
"Professor Slughorn," wheezed Filch, his jowls aquiver andthe maniacal light of mischief-detection in his bulging eyes,"I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. Heclaims to have been invited to your party and to have beendelayed in setting out.Did you issue him with an invitation?"
Malfoy pulled himself free of Filch's grip, looking furious.
"All right, I wasn't invited!" he said angrily. "I was trying togatecrash, happy?"
"No, I'm not!" said Filch, a statement at complete oddswith the glee on his face. "You're in trouble, you are! Didn'tthe headmaster say that nighttime prowling's out, unlessyou've got permission, didn't he, eh?"
That's all right, Argus, that's all right," said Slughorn,waving a hand. "It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to wantto come to a party. Just this once, we'll forget anypunishment; you may stay, Draco."
Filch's expression of outraged disappointment wasperfectly predictable; but why, Rigel wondered, watchinghim, did Malfoy look almost equally unhappy? And why wasSnape looking at Malfoy as though both angry and . . . was itpossible? . . . a little afraid?
Filch had turned and shuffled away, muttering under hisbreath; Malfoy had composed his face into a smile and wasthanking Slughorn for his generosity, and Snape's face wassmoothly inscrutable again.
"It's nothing, nothing," said Slughorn, waving awayMalfoy's thanks. "I did know your grandfather, after all. . . ."
"He always spoke very highly of you, sir," said Malfoyquickly. "Said you were the best potion-maker he'd everknown. . . ."
The group disintegrated. Rigel moved back to Ron and Eliza. Harry seemed to disappear completely.
"Hi Ron, sorry about Slughorn." Ron waved Eliza's apology away and passed her a piece of butterbeer.
"Does Hermione really like McLaggen?" Eliza rolled her eyes,
"Do you really like Lavender?" Eliza countered.
Ron didn't reply.