Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Story Notes:
For the purposes of this story and because JK Rowling has admitted she sucks at math, Hogsmeade isn't the only all Wizarding village/town in Britain. That just doesn't make any since more than 100,00 witches and wizards attended the Quidditch World Cup Final and the tickets were hard to get, not to mention the size of the Ministry, the number of Quidditch teams mentioned, and the fact the people with magic lived much longer than Muggles.
I've also adjusted the number of students at Hogwarts. From the books, Hogwarts couldn't have more than 300 students, especially since counting Harry, there are only 5 boys in Gryffindor in his year. Given how large the castle is, the estimated number of witches and wizards, I'm going to say that more than 1,000 students attend Hogwarts at a given time, though less during the war.
This is a story is a sequel of sorts to "The Beginning", but it's not necessary to read that to understand this story since this takes place years after that story ended. That story merely covers the Bellatrix's pregnancy. She and Rodolphus have a son, Rigel Arcturus Lestrange.
In this world Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastan, and Barty Crouch Jr. were sent after the Longbottoms while Voldemort went after the Potters, so they still ended up in Azkaban. Rigel was sent to live with his with his aunt and uncle, Narcissa and Lucius, who are also his godparents.
Rigel's birthday is November 17, 1978, so he started Hogwarts in 1990. He is almost two year older than Draco, but only one year ahead at Hogwarts because his birthday is after September, which I believe is the Hogwarts cutoff month. I've made Daphne Greengrass as year older so she's in Rigel's year. Adrian Pucey is mention in the books but not much is known so I've made him my own.
The first few chapters cover the books, but the bulk of the story will take place post DH. Most of the story will be from Rigel's point of view, with a few scenes checking in on the Order, mostly to cover differences in canon outside of Rigel's perspective.
This will jump around a bit as we build towards the beginning of the war.
5 July 1995, Malfoy Manor
Rigel Lestrange had no real memories about his parents. Everything he knows about his parents he learned from someone who knew them before they were sent to Azkaban. Most of his knowledge came from his Aunt and Uncle, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. They raised him from the age of three and talked to him about his parents. He's seen pictures of them and recognizes the some of his features in them. He knows from Narcissa that his height and jawline are like his father's and hair from his mother. His eyes, electric blue, were different from Narcissa's sea-blue eyes, but still Black family features. There were some Black family portraits are the Manor, and a fair few possessed blue eyes, some bright and stormy like his or sea-blue like his aunt Cissy. In a way, his Black features made him look like Narcissa's son.
It made sense in a way; the Malfoys had taken the place of his parents in his life. And Draco was more brother than cousin. They were there in all his memories, his first broom and flight lessons, getting his wand, going to Hogwarts for the first time, making the Quidditch team as a chaser, winning the Quidditch cup, and getting his Prefect's badge. He remembered Draco; just two years younger than him, sitting with Narcissa watching as Rigel took his first flight. Draco upset that he wasn't part of it, but he was too young and Narcissa refused. Two years later, Rigel helped Lucius teach Draco to fly and eventually ran Quidditch drills with Draco.
In all of his memories, Lucius and Narcissa took the roles of parents and Draco was his brother. He always felt like a Malfoy, not quite like a Lestrange. Even when he went to Hogwarts and was address by his last name, when gossips talked about his parents, and even when the Longbottom boy arrived at Hogwarts and the school was waiting for a confrontation that never quite came, through all of it Rigel felt no real connection to his last name.
Lestrange was the name of his parents, people of which he had no real memory of, prisoners in Azkaban and murderers. Malfoy was the name of the family he was raised by, the family that he loved, and the ones who were there for him. Everything that he was it was their doing. Rigel thought of the Malfoys as family, but his parents were strangers to him. Strangers that killed and tortured; strangers that he had never met and had no affection for.
Narcissa had always maintained that his parents loved him. That they did many terrible things, but they loved him. Rigel wasn't quite sure he believed her. Rigel had ordered his house-elf to tell him about his parents and bound by his master's command, Bingo told him that his parents had returned to their Death Eater duties shortly after his birth. He knew that his mother worked closely with the Dark Lord after her return and often went days without visiting him despite his young age.
Bingo said that his father took care of him at first and when he had Death Eater business Rodolphus had left him with Narcissa. The house-elf told him how as they returned to their normal activities they began to spend less time with him. Worst of all, Bingo spoke of an increasing sense of darkness that surrounded around them, how as time went on and they continued as Death Eaters they seemed to lose themselves in the dark arts. Rigel had discovered various sources that spoke of the consequences of using dark magic, particularly the prolonged use of Unforgivables. Among the cautions for dark magic was madness, something that Rigel knew was somewhat of a family trait of the Blacks, his mother's family.
Years' worth fearful people's reactions to his last name had made him wonder about what he might have inherited from his parents. By most accounts, they were already insane before they sent to Azkaban. Now more than a decade later, Rigel wondered just what his parents were like, but that was a moot point. Besides, he was happy with the Malfoys.
Lucius had always been cold and distant, but Rigel never minded, he had always been quite. He preferred the quiet and solitude of Lucius and Malfoy Manor. As for Narcissa, she had always enjoyed doting on him even if he hated to show his feelings, felt uncomfortable with her displays of affection. Lucius and Narcissa had been great guardians to Rigel, even if Draco was more of rival than anything else.
Rigel and Draco had been close when they were young, but as they grew their relationship changed. Lucius had always been strict with high expectations for both of them, though they responded in different ways. Rigel was determined, focused, and highly motivated to get things done. He worked tirelessly to accomplish his goals and never gave up. Draco was restless, impulsive, and indecisive. He also lacked the determination and patience to accomplish his goals. Despite their differences, they had remained close even at Hogwarts.
Rigel and Draco had been back from school for two days now, but had yet to see Lucius. Narcissa had picked them up at the train station and refused to answer their questions about the supposed return of the Dark Lord. She only told them to mind their own business and start on their summer homework.
It was late now, after supper, and Rigel was reading. The door opened in walked Lucius. He was dressed in all black robes, but not his usual fine dress robes. He motioned with his wand and an identical set in Rigel's size floated to him.
"Rigel," he said. "These are now yours. You'll wear them every time we have a lesson. Never wear them for anything else. Get dressed, we have work to do."
Rigel nodded and moved to dress without a word. If he was right, Lucius would be teaching him about the Dark Arts. With the new robes, he left his room and followed Lucius outside past the gardens and well into the forest area far away from the manor.
"There's a lot I must teach you," Lucius said. "You must never tell Draco about this, he is too young."
Lucius paused in a small clearing. Rigel watched as he removed a disillusionment charm and several caged animals became visible. There were rabbits, squirrels, and deer in cages on the edge of the clearing. In the middle was a fenced area.
"What is this place?" he asked.
Lucius had finished removing the charm and he turned to face his nephew. "You've no doubt heard about what happened with Potter and Diggory during the third task." Rigel nodded. "The Dark Lord is back and he is looking for faithful servants," Lucius stated. "I've never sheltered you to the truths of this family's involvement during the first Wizarding War, and I won't start now. You know that your parents were among the Dark Lord's most powerful and trusted Death Eaters. As their son, you will be expected to follow in their footsteps and join us after you come of age."
Rigel stared at his uncle. For all the truth he knew about his parents and Lucius's involvement with the Death Eaters, he never really thought it would matter. The Dark Lord had been gone for over a decade and for all the trouble of the past few years that Potter had encountered, it never seemed like he was actually still alive. Even when Lucius had reunited with some other former Death Eaters at the World Cup, he hadn't thought it meant anything in the long run. During the past years, he'd been too focused on the Tournament and spending time with Fleur to really pay attention to what was going on. The signs had been there. The Death Eaters, the burning marks, and someone was clearly out to get Potter, but he hadn't paid it any attention.
"You must learn the dark arts. It's my responsibility as your guardian to train you in them," Lucius explained.
It clicked. The animals would be his test dummies. "Unforgivables," he said. "You want me to learn Unforgivables."
"Yes, among other things."
It was the first time he used dark magic. He managed to cast the Imperio with some talent. He didn't get the Cruciatus Curse that night. All he managed to do was knock the animals down. It would be a long time before he could try it on humans with any amount of success. Rigel wondered if he could handle the screams that accompanied a well-cast curse. After another unsuccessful attempt at Crucio, Lucius stopped him.
"Sectumsepra," he said. He nodded in the direction of the fenced in rabbit he was supposed to have practice Crucio on.
Rigel turned to the rabbit and called out "Sectumsepra!"
The spell hit the rabbit and blood splattered Rigel. He closed his eyes and mouth as he fought the urge to vomit. He opened his eyes and found the rabbit dead in a pool of blood. Its body was mangled and unrecognizable. He turned away from Lucius and threw up.
Early August 1995, 12 Grimmauld Place
Harry had arrived at Grimmauld Place, but it changed nothing. Mrs. Weasley had them cleaning most of them time, and Hermione had yet to see spend any time in the library. The Blacks were an ancient family, and they would have plenty of information on the Ministry, information that they would need if the Ministry kept trying to discredit Harry and Dumbledore.
Hermione seemed to be the only one that was thinking of the long-term consequences of what the Ministry was doing. You-Know-Who was back and the Ministry was giving time to rebuild his army. By pretending that he wasn't back and there was no danger, the Ministry was hurting itself. Then there was the Order, Hermione didn't' know what exactly they did. She understood their reluctance to include them in the Order while they were still in school, but she, Harry, and Ron had been fighting You-Know-Who since their first year. They had fought Death Eaters. They could no longer be considered children, but the Order didn't want to acknowledge that.
Of course, the Order themselves didn't seem to be doing much. They were protecting something, Hermione knew that much, but they didn't seem to be getting ready for a war. For what she'd been told about the First Wizarding War, it had been brutal, with disappearances, torture, and death reported every week. The Order, while full of talented wizards, wasn't numerous, and with the Ministry refusing to help, it fell on the Order to battle the Death Eaters.
But the Order didn't have enough members to do much of anything. They didn't even seem to have a plan. You-Know-Who had come back from death, or something close to death, at least twice that they knew of, and nobody had a clue as to how to defeat him. Dumbledore was the greatest wizard alive and he wasn't raising an army to fight the Death Eaters while he battled You-Know-Who.
It was beyond frustrating, even the Order, who knew that You-Know-Who was back, was failing to properly prepare for a war they expected to happen. Then there were all the people that didn't know You-Know-Who was back. Those who relied on the Prophet, and had no ties to the Order. What would happen to those people? They weren't being protected or prepared for war. When the war officially began, they would most likely be slaughtered if they opposed You-Know-Who, or be forced to join the Death Eaters. Nobody in the Order was thinking about them. They were all concerned about Harry. Hermione was glad they were protecting him, she really was, but Harry himself wasn't going to make much of a difference if You-Know-Who killed all those who opposed him.
13 January 1996, Hogwarts, Great Hall
Rigel walked into the Great Hall with his friends at his side and made his way over to the Slytherin table. As he walked he felt dozens of eyes land on him, but he showed no emotion. His eyes found Draco at their house table, but the Daily Prophet in his hands distracted the blond. He glanced at Adrian and Miles at his side, but they were curious about the newfound attention. Rigel had always been well known at Hogwarts for many reasons, including his prison bound parents, but never had the entire Great Hall been fixated on him.
Finally, Rigel reached his customary seat across from Draco and was promptly given a copy of the Prophet. Death Eaters had escaped from Azkaban, his parents were among them. Rigel turned to his housemates and glared at anyone who stared. They should know better than to expect him to tell them about his parents. He'd never mention them before and he had no plans to talk about them now. Draco remained silent, and completely ignored his cousin. Rigel wasn't surprised, Draco was jealous of the attention Rigel was receiving from Lucius.
Rigel had always known where he stood with the Malfoys. Narcissa doted, Lucius remained distant and harsh, and Draco was his very competitive friend. He and Draco always spent time together, even though they had their own set of friends and were in separate years. But after Lucius began to privately train Rigel in the dark arts, Draco became jealousy and angry. In the past when Rigel got something before Draco because of his age, Draco still knew about it.
When Rigel had learned to fly, Draco at least got to watch and be there until he was old enough for his own broom. Now Rigel got private lessons from Lucius and Draco didn't know what they were about, he didn't get to even see the lessons. Not knowing why Rigel needed private lessons from Lucius made Draco feel left out, as if he was losing his father to Rigel. But there was nothing they could do about it. Narcissa refused to have Draco get involved, and even though Lucius suspected he would be drafted into the Death Eaters he believed it would be years away, particularly if Rigel did well in the Death Eaters.
Though they still weren't talking, when Draco antagonized Potter and the Weasleys to attack him, Rigel had flown down and thrown them away from his cousin. But that was expected. Slytherins stuck together, at least in public. No matter what your personal feelings toward your housemates, outside of the common room you were all friends. For now, Rigel was just going to have let Draco be and do everything in his power to keep him away from the Death Eaters
With a final glare to his the others students that waited to see him react, Rigel began to eat. There wasn't anything he could do anyway. As he ate, he thought about what would happen. Obviously, they were fugitives, but where were they staying? Where hiding they at Malfoy Manor? Or at the Lestrange Manor? Rigel knew that despite being in Azkaban, they still retained their assets, at least until he came of age and claimed them. Gringotts kept their clients' accounts until their deaths and Rigel wouldn't have access until his parents died or gave him access. The only thing he could claim was a small portion set aside for the family heir. His 17th birthday had been some months ago but he had done nothing to retrieve his assets from Lucius or petition the Council. He'd been waiting until summer. Now he wondered if they had returned to their former home and would hide there. Rigel wondered when he would see them.
18 June 1996, Hogwarts, Great Hall
For the second time that year, Rigel learned about his parent's exploits from the Daily Prophet. His father was back in Azkaban after being captured breaking into the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry. Potter and his idiot friends had been there but the Prophet made it clear that it had been Dumbledore who captured all the Death Eaters, except for his mother, Bellatrix Lestrange. Rigel looked up and glared at the students staring at him. He looked at Draco, sitting across from him and stubbornly focused on his meal. Rigel had grown used to his parents being in Azkaban, but this is a new experience for Draco.
Draco finished his meal quickly and left the Great Hall. Rigel left his half-eaten meal behind and followed him. He found Draco in the empty Slytherin Common Room, staring into the fire. Rigel sat down beside his cousin and consider his words.
"Draco," he started.
"I don't want to hear it," Draco snapped. "I just want this year to be over, to go home."
Rigel sighed but did not reply. Draco was probably hoping that things would be better at home, with Narcissa, who he long believed could fix anything. It was a childish thought but Rigel didn't dispute it. He had no idea what lay ahead for them and there was no point in worrying Draco about something they wouldn't be able to control.
20 June 1996, Hogwarts, the Library
Hermione was back at the Hogwarts library. Ever since the debacle at the Department of Mysteries, she had focused on Wizarding battles, particularly duels. How they were fought, rules, know battles. Most importantly, she had researched spells to use during battle. What they did, how to cast them, and how long their effects lasted.
The battle had shown Hermione just how unprepared she and the others had been. Sure they were students and had done a decent job fending off the Death Eaters, but only because of the prophecy. The Death Eaters were there to get the prophecy, and as long as Harry had it, the main concern was to retrieve intact.
Now that the Ministry accepted Voldemort's return, the Aurors were on a look out for him and his followers, but Hermione wondered just how effect the Ministry was. From what she knew of the First Wizarding War, had Voldemort not gone to the Potter's house, he may have won the war. The Ministry wasn't particularly adept at fighting a war, and the Order had many young wizards with more guts than brains.
If they were to defeat Voldemort for good this time, then everyone needed to change their strategy. There were rumors that Voldemort had recruited werewolves, vampires, and other dark creatures, and while there was no proof, Hermione suspected Voldemort needed a surge in followers. Most of his top Death Eaters were now in Azkaban, and he would need to build a proper army if he was to take on the Ministry.
Then there was the Muggle question. Muggles were starting to notice something was wrong. They were being attack more than wizards, and they had no means to defend themselves against magic, which they didn't even know existed. Muggles had weapons, but Hermione didn't know if they worked on wizards. Could Protego stop a bullet? Nobody had ever tried; she doubted wizards even knew about half the weapons Muggles had invented.
If the Death Eaters kept attacking Muggles, they could very well break the Statue of Secrecy. It was clear that while Ministry was trying to Obliviate Muggles that witnessed Death Eater activities, there had to be Muggles who were witnessing the strange occurrences and weren't taken care of. Hermione shuddered to think what would happen if Muggles discovered that magic was real. Muggles had committed atrocities on their own kind for things like religion, who knew what they'd do if they discovered magic.
Hermione had yet to figure out where the rest of the Wizarding world stood. Would foreign Ministries try to help them? What were things like on the continent? Hermione had talked with Viktor about what life on the continent immediately before Grindelwald's defeat and it sounded grim. Even after his death things been dark. If Grindelwald had left such destruction on the much larger continent, what could Voldemort do to Britain?
His followers were already close to breaking the Statue of Secrecy and that affected more than just Britain. Hermione wondered if the Death Eaters had allies on the continent. Karkaroff had been a Death Eater and as far as Hermione knew, he hadn't attended Hogwarts. How had he gotten mixed up with them? She would have to start researching foreign Ministries and the history of magic on the continent, though she never recalled anything of that sort being mention at Hogwarts or any books about the continent at Hogwarts. Great more research to be done and she had no help.
She had talked with Harry and Ron, but when they weren't interested. Ron hated research no matter what the reason. Harry was busy wallowing after Sirius's death. Neither of them seemed to understand the far-reaching implications on a full war against Voldemort. The Order didn't want to include them into their plans, but considering how foolish they'd been when they went to the Department of Mysteries, it would probably be best if they were included. They didn't have to fight, not that the Order did much fighting, and they weren't ready for a real fight, but if they at least knew what the Order was doing they might be of some help. At least that way they would be better informed in case something happened.
Not that the Order seemed to be doing anything. Hermione suspected that the Department of Mysteries was the first fight they'd been in, at least during this war. It was one thing for students to be unprepared to fight Death Eaters, but Hermione didn't think the Order was prepared to fight them either. Not that anybody seemed inclined to train. That was probably the best thing they could do to prepare for the war, seeing as they would have to rely on Harry to end Voldemort.
The Order and the Ministry ought to be training people to fight Death Eaters or at least help them defend themselves. They should be recruiting heavily, but only Voldemort seemed to want to do that. If the Ministry and the Order relied on their current tactics, the war wouldn't last long. Voldemort would surely win if half the Wizarding world couldn't properly defend themselves.
Hermione thought to all the recent Hogwarts graduates, and she doubted any of them would last very long against Death Eaters. After talking with Viktor, Hermione wondered just who decided the Hogwarts curriculum because they clearly didn't know what was important for students to learn. She wondered if maybe a Dueling Club would help. It would certainly teach students how to properly battle, if someone who knew what they were doing taught it.
All of Hermione's knowledge had failed her at the Department of Mysteries. For all the spells she knew, she hadn't been very effective in fighting the Death Eaters. Her mind was bogged down by useless spells and facts. Faced with ruthless Death Eaters, Hermione hadn't been able to stop them. Her reflexes weren't sharp enough, she didn't have practice dueling competent opponents, and she just hadn't been good enough. None of them had been, but they had nobody to teach them, aside from Harry, and he was no expert. He had earned his knowledge, but it wasn't much when pitted against seasoned Death Eaters.
In order to stand a chance against Voldemort and his Death Eaters, they had to change their tactics. They need to inform people, recruit, train, and plan for every possible scenario. They didn't know what Voldemort was planning but they couldn't afford to wait for him to make the first move. They had to be proactive. They had to be ready for when he did make his move, except Hermione seemed to be the only one who thought that. Everyone else was fine with waiting.
21 June 1996, Malfoy Manor
Narcissa, Rigel, and Draco arrived at Malfoy Manor after apparating from the train station. Narcissa let go of their arms and stepped away from her son and nephew. They had not spoken since greeting each other at the station, though she knew they had questions.
"I'm sure you have questions," she began. The boys nodded, both looking weary. "There is nothing I can say that you have not already read in the paper."
"What's going to happen?" Draco asked.
"Nothing, what's done is done," Narcissa said. "There is no need to worry. For now, it would be best if you would concentrate on you studies, Newt level students have plenty of homework."
"All right," Draco said. He seemed relieved to hear his mother's explanation.
Narcissa smiled and stepped forward. She pressed a kiss to Draco's check and watching walk up the stairs. Rigel watched him go before turning to Narcissa.
"My mother, can I see her?" he asked.
"It's … complicated," Narcissa answered. She paused for a moment and continued, "You'll see her soon."
Rigel nodded and headed to his room. His things had already been brought back and put away. He took out his books and began working on his summer homework. He was taking six Newt level classes and they all required a lot of work.
Hours passed while he worked. The sun disappeared and he lit the lights around the room. He was putting his books away when the door to his room burst open. He looked at the dark figure approaching.
A tall dark haired woman wearing a black corseted dress sauntered in. She was pale and thin, almost like a skeleton. Her face was gaunt but there were remnants of beauty in it. Narcissa trailed in after her, looking worried, but Rigel barely paid her any attention. His mother was there, standing in front of him. He stared at her, trying to recall the few pictures he'd seen of her. He could see some resemblance, in their cheekbones and the color of their hair.
"Mother?" he said.
His mother, Bellatrix, stared at him, her dark eyes looking him up and down. Rigel straightened, drawing himself to his full height and waited. Narcissa moved forward, stepping between Bellatrix and Rigel. Bellatrix walked around Narcissa and circled Rigel. He stayed still, waiting for her to speak. Her observation complete, she settled next to Narcissa.
"Cissy tells me you at the top of your year," she said.
"I am," he said.
"Schoolwork is one thing, duels are another," Bellatrix said. "Have you ever dueled anyone?"
"Not really, only play dueling for fun," he said, feeling stupid and childish for his answer. He'd heard all about his mother's dueling skills, knew that she was a supremely talented witch.
"We'll have to change that. Come with me boy," Bellatrix ordered. She moved past Narcissa and out the door. Rigel glanced at Narcissa who nodded and followed his mother out the door. Bellatrix was already halfway down the stairs and he ran after her. He thanked Merlin for his height as he caught up with her.
Bellatrix led him outside, behind the Manor. They passed by the garden and Bellatrix sneered at the white peacocks walking across the lawn. She shot a quick, nonverbal spell near them, scattering them. They kept walking, heading into the woods behind the manor. Finally, they stopped in a small clearing; the same one Lucius had taken him to the previous summer. Bellatrix flicked her wand and torches around the clearing flared up.
"Lucius told me of his attempts to train you," Bellatrix said, her voice full of contempt, for him or Lucius, he couldn't say. Bellatrix walked further into the clearing, stopping only when she was opposite of him. "He should have known better than to use animals. The Unforgivables, you need to mean them, but we'll get to that later. Now, we duel."
Bellatrix took her stance, wand at the ready. Rigel copied her position, his mind racing. His mother was a prodigious duelist. He didn't stand a chance. Rigel bowed and waited as his mother mimicked the bow. She was straightening out when she fire off a spell. A pale yellow light flew at him and Rigel barely had time to put up his shield. The spell hit his shield and dissolved but the force it carried pushed him back. He staggered back and tripped over an exposed tree stem. Rigel fell on his back and scrambled to his feet, barely avoiding a blue light that hit a tree behind him. He turned to face his mother and raised his wand.
"Expelliarmus!" he shouted.
Bellatrix didn't bother blocking his spell, she jumped out of the way and fired off a series of spells. Rigel raised a shield but the barrage of spells sent him flying back. His back slammed into a tree, the force of the crash making his drop his wand. He groaned as he slid down the tree trunk. He fell to the ground and he rolled in the direction of his wand. He sprung to his feet and reached.
Rigel was reaching for his wand when a branch crashed into his stomach, knocking the breath out of him, and drove him back. His back hit the tree again and the branch wrapped around the trunk, trapping him. The branch squeezed him tightly before loosening. He looked up and saw Bellatrix standing in front of him, her wand pointed at him.
"You have a long way to go," she said, sneering at him.
They trained for hours, dueling against each other. Rigel lost every time. It was a game of sorts, to see how long he could last. He'd given up hope of beating her. She blasted him back, using spells he'd never read about mush less used. Sometimes she spoke them aloud, when she wanted him to figure out the spell and its effects, but mostly she used nonverbal spells.
When the sun started to rise, Bellatrix finally let him go. Rigel dragged his feet, feeling exhausted. He was bruised and bloodied. His clothes were dirty and torn, and his hair was partially signed. He'd never felt more fatigued in his life. Even after brutal Quidditch matches, he'd never felt so hurt and exhausted.
By the time they reached the manor, Rigel was ready to collapse. Narcissa was waiting for them. She stood up when they came and rushed to Rigel's side, checking his injuries. She took his arm and led him to the nearest room. Bellatrix watched them go but did not follow. Rigel wanted to call out to her, but held the words back.
Narcissa led him to a sofa and began healing his wounds. His aunt had a quite a talent for healing spells and she made use of it, cleaning and sealing all the cuts on his body. Rigel watched her work, wondering how she had learned it all. Once she was finished, Narcissa produced a small vial and handed it to him.
"You should get some rest. Take the potion, it'll help with the bruising and pain," Narcissa said.
"And my mother?" he asked.
"She'll be back tomorrow. Don't worry," Narcissa answered. She smiled reassuringly at him. "Bella's not the same as before, Azkaban changes people, but she cares about you."
Rigel wanted to say more, but Narcissa had a faraway look in her eyes. She was probably thinking of Lucius, stuck in Azkaban. Rigel nodded and headed to his room to sleep.
In the weeks following the end of term at Hogwarts, Rigel trained with Bellatrix. Every day she woke him up before dawn and led him to the clearing in the woods behind the manor. Their duels had devastated the area and the clearing was bigger than before, all courtesy of her spells. Rigel had yet to beat her or even come close. She was fast and had incredible aim.
He'd gotten used to being blasted around the woods, smacking into trees and rocks. Bellatrix had proven a better teacher than Lucius, showing as astonishing knowledge of jinxes, curses, and hexes, not all of which were classified as Dark Magic. Despite the one-sided duels, Rigel was learning. He was faster with his spells, he'd learned which hexes couldn't be blocked by Protego, and he'd learned to makes use of his surroundings.
His biggest success was in Occlumency. Building and maintaining mental shields came easily to him, though he was not yet at her level. Bellatrix seemed impressed with his skill at Occlumency
Despite all the time they spent together, Rigel felt no affection from his mother. She was cold and distant every time they spoke and he never saw her outside of training, though he knew she spoke with Narcissa. On occasion he caught her watching him, studying him but it never lasted.
In early July, Bellatrix broke off contact.
"It's for the best," Narcissa said, trying to placate him. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder but he shrugged it off. She hadn't liked that Bellatrix had been training him or that he'd taken to the Dark Arts quickly.
"The Ministry is increasing their surveillance," she said. "If they find proof we've had contact with her, we'll all be in trouble."
"We can get around it," Rigel said. "The Ministry is full of idiots or followers of the Dark Lord."
"It's not that simple. Dumbledore's Order has been getting to the highranking Ministry members under the Imperius and removing the spell," Narcissa explained.
Rigel frowned and stared out the window. He wouldn't exactly miss his mother, for all the time they spent together training, he barely knew her, but he wanted to know her. He wanted to know that she cared about him.
Honestly this is has been on my laptop for years since I finished The Beginning. The plot has changed about 5 times now and I once erased 20k+ words because I changed my mind about something. At the moment, it's maybe 1/3 or 1/4 done but if I never publish it I'll probably never finish. Getting feedback definitely helps so let me know what you think. I've got enough for about 5 more chapters right now depending on how I split it but in anticipation of publishing this I've started working on it so hopefully I'll pump out more chapters quickly.
