{15th July 1992}
{Rigel's POV}
I gave him another look to hurry up, as he was taking his time, surrounded by laughter. The cool mountain air hit me, briefly stealing my breath and calming my rising emotions.
'Alright, need to calm down and not alarm everyone,' I thought.
"Sirius," I murmured urgently once we were safely outside, flicking my wand discreetly to cast a privacy charm around us. A shimmering bubble appeared briefly, invisible to the naked eye but discernible, shielding our conversation from prying ears, only to my mana sense.
Sirius raised a questioning eyebrow, already sensing trouble. "What is it, Rigel? You look spooked."
"We've got a problem," I began quickly, lowering my voice despite the charm. "Parvati's worried about her mother. Apparently, Mrs. Patil has been asking pointed questions, especially regarding our exact whereabouts, the places we've visited, details Parvati wouldn't usually be pressed about, or at least shouldn't."
Sirius's playful demeanor instantly vanished, replaced by the alertness of the former auror he once was. His eyes hardened, scanning my expression carefully as they drifted into the darkness, already thinking of a counterplan in case things went wrong. "You think she's tracking us?"
"I can't be certain," I admitted reluctantly. "But Parvati's jewelry, most of her rings and pendants, are infused with mana. Any of them could easily conceal tracking charms."
He scowled. "I had a feeling that something felt off about this inheritance business from the start, Rigel. The whole thing has always seemed so conveniently set up."
I nodded at that, knowing he was right. "I know. But the book is authentic, I've tested the Parseltongue spells myself. They're real, and they work."
Sirius nodded slowly, accepting my reasoning. "Maybe the book itself is genuine, but it doesn't mean the circumstances around you finding it are genuine. Let's think about it. Maybe the Patils knew the book's location all along, knew we'd stumble across Jyoti's shop eventually if we wandered around Mumbai's magical markets. If I were trying to trap someone, I'd lay out a treasure too tempting to ignore."
Frustration boiled within me as a wave of helplessness washed over me at the thought. "Then what are we supposed to be? Bait? Cannon fodder? Why trap us? Is it aimed at Harry?"
Sirius stared grimly out into the night, eyes distant as he was calculating exactly what was at play. "I don't know that, Rigel. Maybe it was something or someone else. But one thing's clear: we're not playing their game. We're not walking into an obvious trap."
I blinked and realized that it was the most obvious solution to our problem. We could simply bail out now and not care about their plans and traps.
"You did copy the book, right?" Sirius asked suddenly, breaking through my swirling thoughts.
I nodded immediately. "Yes, of course. I transcribed what was said with a spell and made two duplicates, just in case"
He nodded approvingly, immediately shifting into a strategist's mindset. "Good. That at least we have a backup detour later. Listen, the first rule of survival is to never play the game at all. We need an immediate escape plan. If they're tracking us, we can't stay here. Too many people in our group aren't combat-trained or have ever seen combat, you included. If it comes to a fight, we'll have a disaster on our hands."
I swallowed thickly, forcing down my pride about my magic and nodding solemnly. "Okay, but how are we going to escape?"
Sirius cast a calculating glance around, eyes falling on an empty flowerpot sitting near the balcony's edge. He moved decisively, lifting the pot and brushing soil from its edges. "I'll turn this into a portkey. It'll take us straight back to a Black Family safe house in Greece, that's close enough that way I won't have to charge the spell for too long. Tell everyone we have another special surprise planned for Ginny's birthday celebration. Keep it casual."
"Alright," I murmured and moved quickly to follow his lead. After all, he had years of Auror experience. I'd be foolish to question him now. Plus, my proficiency in magic aside, no way I am going to be looking for a real fight against adult wizards, right now.
Sirius immediately turned over the flowerpot, wand tracing careful, intricate motions as I stepped back inside the house. The warmth and cheerfulness of the birthday celebration now felt strained and distant, as though viewed through a colored lens.
As I entered, I sensed immediately that the others had noticed something was wrong, likely from my blank look. I hadn't hidden my emotions behind a mask for most of the trip. The twins exchanged worried glances, Harry shifted nervously, and Ginny's eyes never left my face.
"So, Rigel," Fred drawled, trying to lighten the suddenly tense mood, "what's the big secret?"
George smirked weakly. "You look like you've seen a Dementor."
I forced a smile, trying to seem nonchalant. "Just another surprise we planned. Sirius wanted something special for Ginny's birthday. Grab your bags, everyone. We'll be heading out shortly to a secret location."
Ron groaned audibly. "You've got to be joking! We just lugged everything up here!"
Ginny shot Ron a sharp glare. "Ron, seriously. It'll be fine."
Ron huffed but reluctantly complied. My nerves twitched painfully as everyone started to gather their things slowly, still watching me suspiciously.
Suddenly, before I could fabricate another excuse or try to calm everyone down, my mana sense flared sharply—an intense surge of magical power resonated dangerously close, just beyond the wall beside me.
My blood ran cold as I shouted a warning that came too late, "Wait—"
*Boom*
My warning was drowned out as the wall exploded inward violently, a deafening, roaring gust of wind slamming into me with brutal force. I felt my body thrown forward helplessly, crashing painfully against the far wall and then tumbling hard onto the stone floor. My vision blurred, ears ringing painfully as my entire world spun wildly. Dazed and confused, I struggled to regain my bearings, gasping weakly against the searing pain radiating through my ribs.
'Fuck I broke something.' The pain was sharp, jabbing as I struggled to take in deep breaths.
Slowly, agonizingly, I forced my eyes open, choking against the clouds of dust filling the air. Through blurry, distorted vision, I made out shadowy figures stepping confidently through the ragged hole where the wall had once stood, their forms illuminated only by flickering lanterns outside. My pulse thundered painfully in my ears as a fresh wave of panic surged through me. My mana sense pinged them, firing several spells at the broken wall.
They wore dark, hooded robes, their faces completely obscured, their presence radiating cold, ruthless intent as their mana vibrated with resolve. I sensed their powerful mana through my overwhelmed senses, whoever these attackers were, they were prepared to strike at a moment's notice. Every instinct within me screamed danger.
Desperation clawed at my chest. Where is everyone? Ginny. Harry. Sirius. My friends—were they safe? Alive?
"Ginny!" I tried shouting, voice raw and hoarse, barely audible even to myself. I couldn't see clearly as my vision swam when I exerted myself, shadows danced in front of my eyes. My mana sense flickered wildly with anxiety and fear as I felt mana envelop me. I fought to push myself upward, pain lancing fiercely through my side as I collapsed back weakly onto the cold floor.
Figures moved swiftly through the room as the ringing sound vanished and various shouts echoed from my friends, sounds of chaos and confusion. Panic gripped me tighter, squeezing my chest painfully as I strained desperately to rise. My hands trembled, vision wavering dangerously, fighting against my battered body's protests.
"Wait…" I whispered desperately, my consciousness beginning to slip. "N-o…"
As my vision faded slowly, helplessly, into blackness, a single terrifying thought haunted me relentlessly:
'What had I led us into?'
Then everything faded into merciful silence.
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AN: Not feeling too good these last couple of days. Thinking about taking a couple of days of rest to get my head set right once again. Depression is a fickle mistress, it seems.
P.S. - 54+ chapters on P.atreon.