"Rigel, you've come to Hogwarts too!" A voice called to Rigel from behind.
Rigel and Calypso turned around, looking at the approaching trio.
Seeing the family's blond hair, he knew exactly who they were.
The woman was very attractive, tall and slender. She had very fair skin, blue eyes, and long blonde hair. Due to her lineage, she also possessed the classic, haughty "aristocratic appearance", beside her stood a tall man with very pale skin, a thin, pointed face. He had very light blonde (almost white) hair and cold gray eyes, his haughty posture no better than the woman's, walking with a cane with a snake-shaped handle.
Among them, coming in front, was a slender boy with very pale skin, a thin, pointed face, and light blond hair. His grey eyes, like his father's, clearly tried to imitate his 'nobility,' but failed due to the youthful impulsiveness coursing through them.
Rigel knew it was clearly Draco who had called him.
Rigel sighed inwardly, of course, that brat would have found him right away.
Rigel ignored Draco and gave a gentle bow toward the older Malfoys. "Aunt, Uncle, it's good to see you both well."
Lucius nodded gently, but his eyes returned to Calypso, not with desire, but with cold calculation. He knew her, the wizarding community was uninteresting enough for a new shop to open in Hogsmeade. There had been a whole article about Calypso, including the fact that she was engaged to Rigel.
Given how Rita wrote it, you can guess how 'crazy' this article was. Rigel hadn't thanked the woman for it yet, but he would remember it.
Narcisa glanced briefly at Calypso, but ultimately focused on Rigel, noticing his posture, as well as his neatly styled clothes and hair, she was clearly pleased with what she saw.
She nodded and gave a slight smile. "Rigel, you've grown quite a bit."
Draco frowned at being ignored, but he wasn't going to make a scene in front of his parents, so he could only endure it.
They spoke briefly before Narcisa's focus turned to Calypso. "You must be Calypso Valliere, I've heard of your family, my condolences."
Calypso simply nodded briefly, smiling softly. "Thank you, that's very kind of you."
She displayed a more open and kind demeanor because she was Rigel's family, but for Lucius, his impression of Calypso fell apart, that kind of kindness didn't fit with their family, but he didn't say anything from beginning to end.
It was only after Narcissa dragged Calypso aside that Lucius finally turned his gaze to Rigel, actually, he first looked at Jack, but the creature only earned Lucius's disdain before he ignored him and spoke to Rigel. "Rigel, you and Draco can look after each other while you're at Hogwarts, in Slytherin, it's always good to have more friends."
Rigel nodded, but to be honest, he still hadn't decided whether he would go to Slytherin.
The decision of which house to go to was difficult for Rigel.
He would like to go to Hufflepuff, there he could have seven years of peace, which he would greatly appreciate.
Going to Slytherin would avoid problems with the other purebloods, it was clear he was a Black, and there he would just be another pureblood from a family of Death Eaters, but precisely because of that he could be included in their group without even volunteering.
However, Rigel was seriously considering going to Gryffindor.
To be honest, if it were up to him personally, Rigel would have preferred Ravenclaw to Gryffindor, he hated riddles.
(A/N: Did you catch the play on words? Lmao.)
Gryffindor not only has a bunch of hyperactive brats, but also Harry Potter and all his baggage, and Rigel, who preferred a discreet life, would place himself close to the whirlpool, potentially being swept away by it at any moment.
Besides, since he was the son of avowed Death Eaters, his life there could be even more complicated.
So why was he actually considering going to Gryffindor?
The answer is simple: achievements.
You don't need to be a genius to know that the achievements of this world, although he hadn't yet unlocked any, were tied to books.
Standing aside would guarantee seven peaceful years, but it would make achieving goals much more difficult.
Being near Harry was a nuisance, but the quickest path to success.
Therefore, going to Gryffindor was the smartest decision, and also the dumbest.
Everything depended on how much Rigel was willing to pay to 'achieve more achievements'.
That's why Rigel hadn't decided yet, on the one hand, he wanted to grow up in peace, on the other, he had already experienced the power of achievements. What would he receive next time? He couldn't say, but the expectation was clear.
Rigel felt as if the Adventure Book was pushing him out of his comfort zone, not with a stick, but with a carrot.
Although he said he hadn't decided yet, the chance of him ending up in Gryffindor was high, very high, so when he heard Lucius's request, he feigned a composed expression and nodded in agreement.
The future would remain in the future.
Draco was excited. He didn't have much of a relationship with Rigel, rarely seeing him, especially after Walburga died, but Rigel's lineage was noble, they were the same age and cousins. That was enough for Draco to see Rigel as a potential friend, not like the idiotic followers, Crabbe and Goyle.
Rigel, on the other hand, got a headache seeing Draco's smug look, as if it were an honor for Rigel to be his friend.
He hadn't even boarded the train yet, but his problems had already begun.
Calypso returned shortly afterward with Narcissa, the two already seemed very comfortable with each other. Rigel didn't know how Calypso managed to be so well-liked by everyone, but in the end, he didn't ask anything. He watched his uncles say goodbye as they put Draco on the train. Narcissa hugged Draco tightly, her face slightly losing its composure as she felt the pain of 'losing her son'.
Draco clearly wasn't happy about being hugged in public, but he loved his mother too much to yell at her, so he could only run away as fast as he could as soon as she let go of him.
Calypso looked at that, then at Rigel with an incredibly sad face, as if she would lose a piece of flesh if Rigel didn't hug her too.
Rigel almost fell for it, but he held back, rolling his eyes at her, turned around, and quickened his pace.
Calypso's sad expression faded as soon as he left, her eyes rolling, but she let out a soft giggle at the end, that was Rigel.
//-//
As soon as Rigel boarded the train, the adventure book opened, but he ignored it for the moment, the place was too crowded to concentrate on the book.
Finding a seat on the train proved difficult. Rigel planned to find an empty compartment and use a spell to lock the door, but unfortunately, Draco saw him halfway there. Rigel tried to ignore him, but Draco didn't even think twice, grabbing Rigel by the arm and dragging him inside.
Draco was too weak for Rigel to completely ignore him and walk away, but he was still his cousin and Rigel didn't want to burn bridges over nothing, he could only sigh wearily as Draco dragged him away.
So, he had a blank expression on his face, nodding as Draco spoke, sitting next to him, with Crabbe and Goyle sitting in front of them, nodding at everything Draco said.
Rigel heard Draco boasting about almost hitting a Muggle plane the other day while flying, then boasting about his vacation in France, then boasting about killing a dragon, although to be humble, and perhaps more believable, it was only a young dragon.
He also asked about Jack, to which Rigel only said that he bought him in Diagon Alley. Draco looked at the monkey with disdain, saying that if it weren't for his mother stopping him, he would have caught a snake, which seemed much fiercer than that ugly little monkey.
Seeing Draco's disdainful face, Jack wanted to teach the brat some manners, but remembering Kreacher and knowing he couldn't step out of line or he'd be sent to the house-elf, he held back, even so, he would remember this annoying blond brat in the future.
Rigel wasn't having fun either, the more Draco talked, the angrier he became. He could almost feel a vein bursting in his forehead. This wasn't going to work! He needed to escape!