{15th July 1992}
{Rigel's POV}
I blinked slowly, pulling myself back into the present as I reluctantly dragged myself away from the tangle of thoughts that clouded my mind after the recent update.
I didn't take a genius to figure out that the update kind of nerfed me, as it capped my ability to easily level up my spells by just spamming them mindlessly.
'Now I need to focus on increasing my affinities instead, while also increasing the number of spells I know.' I thought. My mana sense gently nudged me, indicating everyone was gathered, each magical signature warmth and buzzing with quiet excitement. I forced my worries aside, taking a deep breath and finally looking up.
The scene before me was enough to distract me as I pushed my lingering worries aside, at least momentarily.
Sirius stood in the middle of the group, proudly holding aloft a pair of absurdly oversized, worn-out pink sunglasses, their plastic frames shaped into wings reminiscent of the ones Luna Lovegood famously wore in the films. He waved them around with exaggerated pride.
"Now, that's stylish," Fred said, smirking wickedly as he elbowed George in the ribs. "And here I thought we knew everything there was to know about Sirius."
George nodded thoughtfully, playing along. "Indeed, Fred. Perhaps there's something he's never shared with us."
Sirius raised an eyebrow, a mock-offended expression crossing his face as he twirled the sunglasses gracefully around one finger. "I'll have you know, these are a highly valuable family heirloom."
"Valuable for what, exactly?" Fred shot back, eyes glinting mischievously. "Attracting curious birds?"
Ron snorted loudly, while Ginny rolled her eyes dramatically beside him. "Where are we going again?" He asked as she glanced toward Ron with an exasperated expression. "Honestly, Ron, if you paid half the attention in History of Magic that you give to meals, you'd know why we're going."
Ron flushed a little, shrugging sheepishly. "Well, I wasn't exactly listening earlier… so where are we going?"
Ginny shot him another annoyed look, but instead of scolding him like always, she was clearly embracing her newfound maturity as she explained, "Gangotri. It's one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Himalayas, one of the Char Dham, or something like that, the four holiest sites visited by both Muggles and magical communities alike in India."
"Oh, right. That sounds…important," Ron responded vaguely, entirely unenthused about the concept.
"It's where the Ganges River begins," Parvati explained patiently, but from what my mana sense was telling me, that fact did little to increase Ron's interest. "Lots of Muggles travel there, so we have to blend in and avoid drawing attention."
Sirius cleared his throat loudly, adopting a more serious tone. "Exactly right, you young traveler. And you lot must be careful with magic. Most of the area is full of Muggle worshippers and travelers, especially along the routes leading to the temple. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," George chimed mockingly, snapping off an exaggerated salute. Sirius narrowed his eyes at him but didn't bother responding.
"Enough chit-chat then," Sirius declared firmly, glancing at the watch strapped to his wrist. "We're almost out of time. Everyone, grab hold quickly."
As everyone reached forward to grab hold of the absurd sunglasses. I felt the shift as mana around the room surged and began pooling rapidly into the pink pair of eyewear. Suppressing a smile, I moved forward and clutched one end of the bright pink frames. Ginny grasped the other end beside me, giving me an amused look as everyone gathered around to awkwardly grip the plastic wings.
"You know," I murmured lightly to Sirius, "next time we might consider something larger for the Portkey. Something we all could actually hold comfortably."
Sirius shot me a dry, sidelong glance. "Don't whine. It was clearly the perfect choice."
"Don't bite me, I'm merely offering constructive criticism," I replied smoothly, earning a quiet laugh from Ginny beside me.
But before Sirius could retort, I felt the familiar pull at my navel, and we were whisked away in a dizzying swirl of magic and space.
...
The first change that struck me was the air itself. The warm, humid breeze of Mumbai vanished instantly, replaced by a crisp chill that nipped at my skin.
My mana sense overloaded briefly as I struggled to recalibrate to our new environment with the rush of portkey magic all around. Something small and feathery smacked gently against my cheek as my vision cleared, and I realized with surprise it was a leaf, drifting lazily on the cool mountain breeze.
Blinking away the lingering dizziness, I felt gravity tugging insistently, guiding me downward onto a grassy clearing surrounded by towering mountains and lush greenery.
Cursing myself inwardly for not better regulating my mana sense before traveling, again, I nevertheless landed far more gracefully this time, steadying myself quickly in an impressive air-walk.
Around me, the others were having varying degrees of success landing. Ron stumbled but recovered quickly. The twins landed confidently, immediately striking ridiculous triumphant poses. Ginny touched down softly, managing to hold her balance before I grabbed onto her arm so that she wouldn't fall face first. Sirius landed comfortably, brushing off his robes as if the transition was completely ordinary.
And then, predictably, there was Harry. Face-first in the grass once again, glasses slightly askew, groaning softly as Fred and George rushed gleefully over to him. This time, he didn't even move, lying there comfortably, knowing what was coming.
"Still haven't mastered Portkey landings, Harry? At least it was comfortable this time, and your face wasn't rubbed raw against the sand." Fred teased good-naturedly.
"Yeah, if I were you, I would take the lush grass over hard floor any day, mate-" George grinned.
Harry flipped him off as he stood up while adjusting his glasses indignantly. "I'd like to see you try it with your head spinning like a ruddy tornado."
'I don't get it. He's supposed to be good on the broom, so why is he this uncoordinated with magical travel?'
George snickered, reaching down to offer Harry a hand up. "At this point, it's tradition, Harry. We'd all be worried if you landed gracefully. Then there would be a whole debacle of the Boy-Who-Lived being possessed by someone, only for the perfect ploy to fail as Harry Potter successfully managed a portkey landing..."
Shaking my head and suppressing a snort at Fred's exaggerated tale, I glanced around and quickly spotted Parvati standing to one side, as she tried to suppress her laughter. She noticed me approaching and offered a gentle smile as I stepped closer.
"Have you managed to make the arrangements?" I asked quietly, ensuring my voice was low enough not to be overheard. Her parents had approved her joining us, though I knew they had another plan in place; her emotions and mana sense told me she was tense and uncertain about the trip.
Parvati nodded reassuringly. "Yes. I sent word ahead yesterday. We'll be staying at a small inn near the closest village. It's modest, nothing luxurious, but private enough for us to have a little party without being disturbed. Of course, I managed to get someone to decorate it for the birthday girl."
"Perfect," I replied, relieved at hearing nothing had gone wrong. "Any word from your family or anyone else?" I asked, and her mana flickered with tense emotions.
Our eyes met, and she averted her gaze a few moments later, as I was disappointed. I had high hopes for her.
She hesitated only briefly, her eyes flickering away with something unreadable, before she shook her head. "Just a reminder to stay careful and not draw undue attention. Father specifically mentioned not to meddle too deeply with the locals."
I studied her carefully, not pointing out the underlying tension in her shoulders. "Is there something we should worry about?"
She sighed softly, gathering herself and shaking her head gently again. "Nothing serious. But these places are deeply sacred, Rigel. Not just magically, but they're culturally significant too. My parents are just concerned that we might unintentionally cause offense or attract unwanted attention."
"I understand," I assured her gently. "We'll tread carefully and take no unnecessary risks."
She relaxed visibly at my words, offering me another small smile. "Thank you. I appreciate it."
Before we could continue, Ginny stepped up beside me, casting a curious glance at both of us. "Everything alright?"
"Just finalizing some logistics," I explained smoothly. "Parvati's arranged our accommodations."
Ginny'snodded slightly, though I could tell she wanted to interject quite a while ago. "That's brilliant. Thank you, Parvati." Her tone was a little clipped, which Parvati didn't notice as she was buried in her own worries.
Parvati nodded. "Of course."
Sirius called out from a short distance away, cutting through our conversation. "Come along, everyone. We still have some walking to do before reaching the village."
As everyone gathered, preparing for the trek up north, I realized I would have to share my observations about Parvati with Sirius, which would complicate this sweet little trip we had planned.
'I guess it can wait till tomorrow, no need to ruin Ginny's birthday...'
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AN: 54+ chapters on P.atreon!