It was the first of September. Rigel stood by the edge of the platform, the scarlet engine of the Hogwarts Express hissing softly behind him. His emerald-steel eyes scanned the crowd, lingering briefly on Mrs. Hiss, who clutched his travel bag with a worried frown, and then on Arcturus, whose expression was a mixture of pride and caution.
"Remember what I told you," Arcturus said, his voice low but firm. "Keep your head. Keep your secrets. And trust no one blindly."
Rigel's lips curved into a faint, knowing smirk. "I'll manage, Gramp" he replied smoothly, bowing his head slightly in acknowledgment.
Mrs. Hiss tugged at his sleeve, her usual composure faltering for a moment.
Rigel murmured, his smirk deepening as he hoisted his bag over his shoulder. Then, without another word, he stepped toward the train, the polished black wheels gleaming beneath the rising sun, ready to embark.
He searched for an empty cabin, stowed his suitcase carefully, and settled near the window, taking out a book to pass the time. The train was ready to depart when the door opened, and a red-haired girl asked if she could sit with a friend
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Susan Bones and her friend Hannah Abbott were searching for a cabin with enough space. When Susan opened the door of one of the remaining cabins to check, she saw a boy with black hair—beautiful yet intimidating with green eyes rimmed with grey-steel, slitted pupils, and a book in his hands titled Darkness and Destruction by Draven D., and asked"Excuse me, can I sit here with my friend"
Rigel looked up from his book, his green-gray eyes slitted and sharp, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "No problem at all if you don't mind sharing a cabin with two snakes," he replied smoothly, unbothered by their curious glances.
The girls hesitated only a moment before stepping in. Susan settled beside her friend, and Hanna took the seat across from Rigel. After a brief pause, with Rigel quietly assisting them in smoothing over the language barrier, Susan spoke. "I'm Susan Bones, and this is my friend Hanna. Pleasure to meet you."
Hanna nodded quickly, adding with a small smile, "Yes, thank you for letting us sit. I'm Hanna Abbott, as my friend said."
Rigel's smile widened just slightly, the faint glimmer of amusement in his serpent-like pupils. "Well, then… welcome aboard," he said, his voice calm, teasing, yet somehow commanding the space around him.
"I'm Rigel Black," he said, extending a hand with a formal grace. "Sorry for the late introduction—it's a pleasure meeting the two of you."
Susan smiled, holding out her hand. Rigel bowed slightly and kissed her hand, a gesture of noble courtesy. "The pleasure is mine," he said.
Susan pulled her hand back slowly, her eyes widening slightly as the reality of his name settled in. "B-Black…?" she whispered, almost to herself. "As in… the Black family?"
Hannah's mouth opened slightly, her gaze flicking to Rigel with a mixture of awe and apprehension. "You… you're a Black?" she repeated, her voice barely above a breath. "I… I didn't expect anyone like… well, anyone from that family, here."
Rigel's serpent-like pupils glinted faintly with amusement, his calm, noble posture unwavering. "Indeed," he said smoothly, bowing just slightly again. "A family with a… rather notable reputation, yes. But today, I am merely your traveling companion."
Susan straightened a little, still intrigued, a small smile breaking through her initial surprise. "I see… well, it's… an honor to meet you, then."
Hannah nodded, recovering her composure, though a hint of respect lingered in her wide eyes. "Yes… an honor," she murmured. "Quite unexpected, I must say."
Rigel's faint smile deepened, almost teasing, as his gaze swept over them. "Unexpectedness often makes the journey far more… interesting," he said, his voice smooth and confident.
Ethelin shifted softly beneath his clothes, a subtle reminder of the otherworldly presence accompanying him, while Tenebris slithered elsewhere along the train, unseen but ever watchful.
The girls exchanged a glance, their curiosity mingled with a twinge of caution, aware that this was no ordinary traveling companion.
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Some small talk followed.
The trolley lady passed through the cabin, the clatter of her cart announcing her approach. Rigel's green-gray eyes flicked to the small selection of treats. With a polite, controlled movement, he leaned slightly toward the girls.
"Would you like some sweets?" he asked smoothly, his voice calm, almost warm.
Susan hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Hanna followed suit, curiosity glinting in her eyes. Rigel handed them a few of the candies, his movements elegant, precise, every gesture steeped in natural nobility.
Hanna, curious and playful, offered one of her beans to Rigel. He accepted it, popping it into his mouth. For a heartbeat, he chewed silently, eyes narrowing slightly in concentration. Then a deranged, clipped chuckle escaped him: khhhk-hehhk…
Susan and Hanna froze. The sound was brief, but the low, eerie cadence made the hair on their arms stand on end.
"Mhhm," Rigel said, a faint, unsettling smile tugging at his lips. "It's good."
"What… what flavor is that?" Susan asked, voice small, uncertain.
Rigel's pupils narrowed to slits, the green-gray gleam turning almost predatory. He tilted his head, voice soft and composed, yet carrying an edge that made the girls instinctively lean back.
"It tastes of human blood," he said casually, almost as if commenting on tea or chocolate.
Susan let out a small, nervous laugh, half frightened, half in disbelief. Hanna clutched her seat, eyes wide.
Rigel's chuckle bubbled again, low and clipped: khhhk-hehhk… Playful, teasing, and yet eerily chilling. Even in that short burst, the sound carried the echo of something dangerous, something beyond ordinary.
The girls exchanged glances, realizing quickly that sitting here with Rigel Black his manners impeccable, his demeanor noble wasn't simply unusual. It was deeply, unmistakably… unnerving.
A few moments of uneasy silence passed after Rigel's unsettling remark, when the cabin door creaked open once more. A girl with bushy brown hair stepped inside, eyes scanning the space anxiously.
"Has anyone seen a toad?" she asked, her voice polite but tinged with worry. "It's Neville—he's lost his toad."
Her gaze fell on Rigel, seated calmly, pupils slit like a serpent's, a faint, deranged chuckle still lingering in the air. Her eyes widened slightly.
"Oh…" Hermione hesitated, lips parting as she took a cautious step forward. "Rigel, what are you doing here?" she asked, clearly surprised. She hadn't expected to see her friend from kindergarten aboard the Hogwarts Express.
Rigel inclined his head slightly, bowing with noble courtesy, the faintest glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "Well, it seems the world is smaller than it wants us to believe," he said, his voice calm, teasing.
"…but it's good to start with a friend," Rigel added, the corner of his mouth lifting in a half-smile.
Hermione laughed softly, the tension in her shoulders easing. "It really is. You haven't changed much, have you?"
"Perhaps," Rigel replied, resting his chin on one hand, "though I like to think I've become slightly less terrifying."
"That's debatable," Hermione said with a quick grin. "Last time we met, you tried to explain why two plus two could also equal zero 'under the right philosophical conditions.'"
Rigel let out that low, eerie laugh of his the kind that made even friendly moments feel slightly off-balance. "And you disagreed, passionately. Some things don't change either."
Hermione rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Because it doesn't make sense."
"Oh, it does," Rigel countered smoothly. "Imagine a world where nothing truly adds up. Where everything you gain, you lose in equal measure. That's balance. A cosmic two plus two equals zero."
Hermione blinked, half amused, half exasperated. "You've had too much free time this summer."
"And you've had too little," he said with a knowing smile.
Hermione's gaze then shifted, noticing the other two girls sitting with Rigel. She quickly smiled and introduced herself. "I'm Hermione Granger," she said, stepping closer with her usual earnestness.
Susan and Hanna looked up, eyes curious. Susan inclined her head politely. "Susan Bones," she said. "And this is my friend, Hanna Abbott."
Hermione nodded, giving a small smile in return. "Pleasure to meet you both."
Then her eyes returned to Rigel, a note of concern in her voice. "Etheline… is she alright?"
Rigel's expression softened slightly, though his serpent-like pupils remained alert. "She's fine," he replied smoothly. "Sleeping under my clothes."
Susan and Hanna exchanged a glance, curiosity piqued. "Wait… who or what is Etheline?" Susan asked, tilting her head.
Rigel's smile turned faintly amused, his clipped, low chuckle escaping softly: khhhk-hehhk… "She's the other snake," he said simply, gesturing subtly toward the folds of his clothes. "Apart from me, she keeps to the cabin. Quiet company."
Hannah's eyes widened just a little. "A… snake?" she whispered.
Rigel's calm, deliberate smile didn't waver. A short, clipped chuckle slipped out: khhhk… "I already told you," he said, his voice low and measured. "There's Etheline, the snake under my clothes, and then there's me. That's the cabin you're sharing."
Susan and Hanna exchanged another glance, a mixture of awe and apprehension in their expressions.
Rigel tilted his head slightly, pupils narrowing to those subtle, serpent-like slits. "Nothing to fear," he added smoothly, khkk… "She's quiet… and I am polite."
The girls shifted slightly in their seats, still unsure, but there was no denying the strange, compelling authority in Rigel's voice.
Rigel, calm as ever, inclined his head slightly. "Hermione, we haven't seen a toad for the moment," he said in his measured tone, pupils narrowing faintly, khhhk… "But if I see it, I'll call you."
Susan and Hanna exchanged a quick, uneasy glance at the low, clipped chuckle that followed his words, the sound somehow playful yet chilling all at once.
Hermione glanced at Rigel, her lips curving into a faint smile. "Thank you. See you later and try not to khhhk-hehhk so much; you're giving the girls a fright," she said, her voice amused but knowing exactly what to expect from him.
Hermione gave a final nod, smiling faintly, and stepped out of the cabin.
The door slid shut behind Hermione.
Susan exhaled, tension leaving her shoulders. "She's… nice."
Rigel tilted his head, thinking for a moment. "She always was," he said softly, then reached for another Bertie Bott bean. "Let's see if this one also tastes like sin."
And then they kept making small talk for the remaining time of the ride, starting in this way a possible new friendship.
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The train screeched to a halt at Hogsmeade, and the students began to descend, excitement and chatter filling the air. Rigel kept Ethelin coiled securely against his chest under his clothes, a silent, protective presence. Tenebris was nowhere in sight, slithering unseen somewhere else.
They were met by a towering figure a half-giant with a kind, weathered face. Rigel wasn't entirely sure, but he thought the man was called Hagrid..
Once they reached the lake, Hagrid gestured to the boats. "No more than four in each, mind. Safety first."
Rigel found himself in a boat with Susan, Hannah, and another boy. The water shimmered under the moonlight, and as they glided across the lake, the sight of Hogwarts castle rose breathtakingly in the distance. Its spires glimmered, and the moon cast a silver glow across the enchanted waters, painting the scene with an almost unreal serenity.
As the boats approached the cliff, Hagrid called out in a low, urgent voice, "Heads down!" Instinctively, the students ducked, the boat gliding silently through an ivy-draped opening that led into a hidden tunnel beneath the castle an entrance shrouded in legend, from which the whispers of Hogwarts itself seemed to emerge.
And thus, our story of magic truly begins.
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