Morning came far too soon.
Rigel dragged himself out of bed after a night of broken sleep, the kind that dredged up memories better left buried.
His hand found the locket at his throat. One brief squeeze then the mask slid back into place.
The day wasn't going to slow down for him.
Potions was first, and Snape didn't tolerate stragglers.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
Snape skimmed the final parchment on his desk, quill scratching once more before he set it aside.He didn't bother looking up.
"Black. Stay. We need to talk."
Rigel froze mid-step, then approached without comment.He sat in the chair opposite the desk, composed, patient, annoyingly calm.
When the last student finally cleared out and the door swung shut, Snape spoke again, voice low and clipped.
"From next week onward, you will report to my office on Wednesdays and Fridays. Immediately after dinner."
Rigel's brow lifted a fraction. "For what purpose, Professor?"
Snape leveled him with a stare sharp enough to cut.
"You have potential as a brewer."A pause."At present, watching you attempt precision is like watching a troll perform ballet."
Rigel blinked once, the faintest crack in his usual composure."Thanks… I suppose?"
Snape's lip twitched the closest he came to amusement."That was not praise, Black. You're dismissed."
Rigel rose smoothly, turning toward the door.Halfway there, he paused, glancing back with a small, needling smile.
"Maybe not for you, Professor.I'll still take it as one."
He reached the door, hand on the handle, then added tone mild, but pointed:
"And next time… at least try to address me as Rigel, if we're in private."
Then he slipped out, the door clicking shut behind him, leaving Snape staring after the boy with an expression balanced perfectly between irritation… and an unwilling, almost grudging approval.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
Rigel exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair as he stalked down yet another empty corridor.
Tenebris coiled lazily across his shoulders.
Rigel shot him a flat look.
Tenebris clicked his tongue if the creature had one.
At that moment, a low grhmm rolled out of Rigel's stomach loud enough to echo off the stone walls.
He stopped walking.
Tenebris flicked his tongue.
Rigel sighed through his nose, long and resigned.
Rigel pinched the bridge of his nose, irritation simmering.
Tenebris lifted his head lazily.
Tenebris hissed a laugh.
Tenebris slid off Rigel's shoulders, scales whispering against fabric, and began gliding down a different corridor. He offered one last dismissive hiss before disappearing around the corner.
Rigel set off at a brisk pace, boots whispering against the stone as he slipped into the narrow passage hidden behind an old suit of armor. The wall swung shut behind him with a muted grind of stone on stone.
He moved quickly, steps echoing faintly in the cramped space as he descended the tight, spiraling stairs, floor after floor ticked by, each level marked by a small slit in the wall, giving him a glimpse of dim corridors or the muffled hum of distant student chatter.
The deeper he went, the quieter everything became. Hogwarts always felt old but down here, it felt ancient.
Finally, the passage spat him out into a shadowed alcove near the lower levels. Rigel stepped out, adjusted his robes, and scanned the hall.
Destination reached.
Now to find the damned kitchens.
Minute after minute, Rigel stalked the corridor, hunting for the entrance with increasing irritation. He was certain he was in the right place the rows of barrels marking the way to the Hufflepuff common room were unmistakable.
Which meant the kitchens had to be nearby. Somewhere.
His stomach growled again, louder this time, and Rigel scowled at the betrayal.
Brilliant. Starving in the bowels of Hogwarts because I didn't bother to ask the twins for actual instructions.
He paced the length of the hallway for what felt like the fifth time, eyes narrowing at every portrait, every torch bracket, every suspicious dent in the stone.
Still nothing.
Hunger was turning into annoyance, and annoyance into self-directed contempt.
He clicked his tongue.
But at that exact moment.....creak.....one of the barrels shifted open.
Rigel froze.
In a heartbeat he slipped back into the shadows, breath held, every instinct telling him to avoid being spotted by some overly–dutiful Hufflepuff prefect.
Soft footsteps followed. Too light for an older student, too unhurried for someone on patrol.
Rigel leaned out just enough to glimpse the corridor.
Red hair.A small, bright smile.And a presence he'd somehow grown… tolerant of.
Susan Bones.
One of the few people who'd bothered talking to him since he arrived at Hogwarts Herbology, Charms, the occasional shared walk between classes.
Not a friend.... not yet. But heading that way whether he liked it or not. She had that steady warmth about her, the kind that slipped under his guard before he noticed.
Something in her reminded him of things he'd lost long ago.
Not that anyone looking at him would ever suspect.
Having confirmed she wasn't a threat, Rigel relaxed slightly, letting the edge of his usual mask fade. "Hello there, Susan. What are you doing out on such a fine night?"
Susan jumped, letting out a high-pitched, startled squeak, arms instinctively drawing closer to her body. She had expected anyone, but not a snake-like figure like Rigel, lurking here, especially at this hour.
Susan blinked, half startled, half amused. "Rigel? What are you doing down here?"
He gave her a small shrug, the corners of his mouth twitching just slightly. "Looking for the kitchens." His tone was calm, almost too calm, but there was a subtle lift in his eyebrow that betrayed a trace of embarrassment. "…I haven't found them yet."
Susan's lips twitched in a smirk. "Let me guess you wandered past three barrels, muttered something about 'filthy elves,' and got lost?"
Rigel's low, humorless laugh rumbled softly, the sound familiar enough that Susan felt oddly reassured rather than frightened. "Close enough. Apparently, Hogwarts is determined to hide its kitchens from me."
She grinned, shaking her head. "You know, that reminds me of that train ride… the bean thing. You had me convinced you'd actually.....well, never mind." She laughed lightly, more comfortable now. "Anyway, I'm going there myself. Care to join? Might be safer with company than wandering alone."
He regarded her for a heartbeat, the faintest shadow of amusement crossing his otherwise composed features. "Lead the way."
Susan guided him to a wall not far off and, with a small grin, tickled a pear inside a painting. The fruit shifted, the frame swinging open to reveal a hidden door.
Rigel let out a soft, sibilant whistle of surprise.
Susan turned toward him, curious. "Did you… say something?"
Snapped back to reality, Rigel inclined his head slightly. "Nothing. Just… wondering who the madman was that discovered this passage. Probably ended up in Azkaban. No sane person wakes up one morning thinking: 'You know what I should do today? Caress fruit for secret passageways'."
Susan blinked at him, then burst into a soft laugh the kind that warmed a room without trying."You're impossible," she said, shaking her head. "And maybe you have a point. It is strange."A small smile tugged at her lips. "Though I guess that makes the two of us a little insane too"
Rigel's lips quirked in a half-smile. "Seems that way."
Susan pushed the pear-door open and stepped aside, holding it with one hand."Come on then, before the elves think we're up to mischief. They'll still feed you," she added with a teasing grin, "but they'll stare at you like you just punted a puppy."
Rigel dipped his head in a mock-polite gesture, one hand sweeping toward the open doorway."After you, milady."
Susan blinked, heat creeping into her cheeks before she could stop it."Oh.. right. Thanks," she mumbled, trying, and failing to hide the small smile tugging at her mouth as she stepped past him into the kitchens.
Rigel followed a heartbeat later, expression composed… save for the faintest, almost smug curve at the edge of his lips.
The moment the two stepped inside, the reaction was immediate.
Dozens of house-elves snapped to attention then swarmed.
Tiny feet pattering, ears flapping, eyes shining with the manic joy of creatures desperate to be useful. They circled Rigel and Susan like overeager hummingbirds.
"Students! Students in the kitchens!""Oh, such a treat!""Can we help? May we help? Should we help?""Food! They must be starving!"
Susan giggled, already used to the chaos.Rigel, however, went rigid like someone who'd been attacked by cheerful wildlife.
One elf tugged gently at his sleeve."Sir! Master Student Sir! What can Twip get for you? A snack? A feast? A whole table?"
Rigel stared down at them, expression flat but eyes slightly wide, as if re-evaluating every life choice that led him here.
"…I'm not sure I require an entire table," he said, voice carefully controlled. "Just food. A normal amount. Preferably not thrown at me."
The elves gasped horrified.
"We would never throw food, kind sir!""Never ever!""Unless asked politely!"
Rigel blinked. Slow. Disbelieving.
Susan snorted behind her hand.
One elf puffed out its chest, determined."We will prepare you the best normal amount of food Hogwarts has ever seen!"
Rigel shot Susan a deadpan look."…Why do I feel like I made a mistake?"
******************************************
Once he'd eaten and after surviving the elves' aggressive enthusiasm Rigel leaned back slightly, finally looking like a human being and not a half–starved feral creature.
Susan wiped her hands on a napkin and tilted her head at him."I didn't expect you to be that surprised by them. Don't you have house-elves at home?"
Rigel's brows rose, offended in that quiet, dignified way only someone raised in a pure-blood household could manage.
"I had two," he said, tone clipped. "Growing up, at least. They were nothing like… this."He gestured subtly toward the swarm of elves hovering a polite distance away but still vibrating with eagerness.
"And at the Black estate, the elf knows how to serve with a minimum of decorum," he added dryly.
As if fate wanted to mock him, one of the kitchen elves spotted Rigel looking over and immediately waved both tiny arms with frantic enthusiasm.
Rigel stared back at it like the creature had just insulted his entire bloodline.
Susan covered her mouth, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
"Nothing like that? Then how were they?"
Rigel straightened a little, a flicker of pride slipping through the cracks of his mask.
"For starters, they wore proper Roman-style tunics. High-quality ones. And they were trained, class, manners, discipline."His gaze drifted pointedly to the cluster of elves still peeking at them like overeager puppies."Not… whatever this is. They're practically starving for attention."
One elf waved at him again.
And so Rigel and Susan chatted quietly, time passing unnoticed.
From the side, a familiar teasing voice cut through the warm clatter of the kitchens.
"Well, well, well, Rigel Black, lord of darkness, caught late-night snacking with a Hufflepuff. Is this a tryst or a ritual sacrifice?"
"Hard to say, Fred. If she disappears tomorrow, we'll know the answer," came the equally amused reply.
Susan froze, ears reddening instantly. She glanced at Rigel, who merely arched an eyebrow, deadpan, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. She buried her face in her hands, utterly mortified.
Rigel leaned back slightly, voice low and amused, almost a whisper only she could hear."Relax, Susan. They've got nothing on what I get accused of at home like, 'Rigel! Did you try setting fire to your grandmother's talking portrait again?'"
Susan went pale, blinking at Rigel in shock, while Fred and George who somehow seemed to have superhuman hearing when it came to pranks caught the last part of his sentence and erupted into laughter like there was no tomorrow.
Susan, cheeks still rosy from embarrassment, gave Rigel a small, almost sheepish smile. "I should probably head back before I fall asleep right here," she said, stretching lightly. The corridors were quiet, the castle settling into its nocturnal rhythm, and the pull of her own bed grew irresistible. She lingered for a heartbeat, glancing at Rigel and the twins, still caught up in their banter, before nodding politely. "Thanks… for, you know, keeping me company." With that, she slipped from the kitchens, the soft swish of her robes fading as she made her way back to the comfort of her common room. Rigel watched her go, noting how even the simplest gestures the tilt of her head, the light in her eyes left an unexpected warmth lingering in the kitchen long after she was gone.
Rigel lingered in the kitchens a while longer, trading dry remarks and teasing banter with the twins until it was finally time to retreat to his own quarters, needing at least a few hours of rest before daylight made it impossible to rest undisturbed.
And so the bizarre night came to a close, quietly marking the first stones of an unlikely friendship one that, even Rigel would admit, he might just allow himself to care about, with the school's most notorious pranksters, no less.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------