CHAPTER 14: THE DEPARTMENT OF MYSTERIES, PART 1

…

"Universal though the instinct for revenge may be, it is much stronger in some of us than others. And those who have it in abundance pay something of a price."
-Ellis Cose

…

"Er, you should talk to her."

Rigel and Holly were both looking slightly down their table at where Scott was talking to a third-year guy and Ceridwen was sitting next to him and gazing up at him so often that the result was she never quite ate much of her lunch.

"I already have," Holly sighed in reply. "Before we hung out with you guys at the game, after we hung out with you guys that night, and a couple nights since then, too. I know how Scott is. Playboy."

"No, you don't know how he is," said Rigel, defending his friend. "You are not to tell Ceridwen this, and it won't make any difference to the fact that she needs to give it up. But." His words were a low hiss, not to be overheard. "Scott has issues. He had it hard growing up. Foster families, a run of perspective mothers that fell through, stuff like that. He's a good guy. He's loyal to the people he cares about, he's smart, and he can be tactless sometimes, but can also be really helpful and—and kind. But he doesn't let people in, Holly. Especially girls. Ever. It's taken Brax and I four years to get much of anywhere. And he's not good for Ceridwen. Or for anybody until he gets over that."

Holly moved her mouth like she was sucking on this new insight. Her eyes looked softer than they had been. "Thank you for telling me that, Rigel. But you're right in that it doesn't make a difference. On the outside, he's just a playboy. And he isn't right for her. But I've tried to talk to her."

"Does she get embarrassed?"

"Not with me. More like defiant. And as her friend I have to respect what she wants, even though I know it'll get her hurt. I just—I just don't want to deal with the fallout of his rejection."

"She won't want you spending time with us. With me," he said softly.

"Well…yes." She looked up at him. As always, her beautiful blue eyes warmed his gut and made his blood feel like it was humming. Her face was sad.

Impulsively, Rigel reached up and touched her chin with gentle fingers. "If you can respect what she wants, then she should respect what you want."

A warm blush slowly rose to Holly's cheeks but she did not look abashed, nor did she look away.

…

The end of the year seemed to come at Rigel Black like the very train that was going to speed him from it. Hagrid sacked. McGonagall Stunned right to the chest and put into the hospital wing. Exams. And the issues resulting from Ceridwen's unreturned infatuation with Scott kept the five of them from being the solid friend group Rigel had hoped they'd be. Scott had so far avoided having to openly reject her by literally avoiding her, but it was still straining. Rigel saw Holly less. He hadn't gotten the chance to even ask her out.

Rigel had just gotten out of his last exam when he ran into Severus Snape almost running down a corridor toward his office.

"Rigel!" he barked and basically skidded to a stop. Rigel stared.

"Do you have a way to get into contact with your mother? Immediately?" He sounded deadly serious and rushed.

"Er, yeah—yeah, I do. Mum's a bit paranoid about safety…you've probably noticed…" He was taking his wristwatch off and unclasping a very small compartment behind the face. He tipped a tiny, very flat, white stone onto his palm. "It's a scrying stone. She has a connected one. She'll be able to hear me from it." He was enlarging the stone with his wand so that it was now larger than his palm.

"Walk with me," Severus said sharply and Rigel quickly obeyed. "I have to get to my office in case she isn't at Grimmauld. Rigel, I need you to speak with your mother and ask her if Black is at his house."

"Yes, sir." Walking, Rigel put his wand tip to the stone and began murmuring words of magic. Then he said loudly, "Mum! Mum, don't panic but I need to talk to you. It's for the firefighters."

Severus gave him a confused look.

Code for the Order, Rigel mouthed. Severus rolled his eyes. Rigel almost had to jog to keep up with the professor's pace as they zoomed down the corridors.

Lenna's anxious face appeared in the stone. "Rigel?! Rigel! What's going on? Are—"

Severus had reached out a hand behind him for the stone and Rigel handed it over while his mother babbled.

"Lenna," Severus said in a cuttingly serious yet oddly calming tone. "I need to know right now whether or not Sirius Black is at Grimmauld. Are you there?"

"Yes—we just got done feeding Buckbeak—I can go show you right now."

Severus had stopped walking. He watched intently as Lenna climbed Grimmauld Place's stairs and held the stone in front of her. Sirius' face came into view giving her an odd look.

"What?" he muttered.

Lenna's face was back in the stone's view. "See?"

"Yes," said Severus. "Thank you, Lenna."

"Severus, what's going on?"

"Potter's in Umbridge's custody. He apparently broke into her office to use her fireplace. He seems to be under the impression that the Dark Lord has Sirius in the Department of Mysteries."

Lenna muttered an expletive. She was going down the stairs.

"Sirius!" she snapped. "What's my brother's name?"

"Uh, Calun…" came his response.

"What form did Regulus' Patronus take?"

"A damn guard dog last I knew—some shepherd or something but I bet he took on yours later—what the hell is going on, Lenna?"

"This is him, Severus," Lenna said, looking back into the stone. "Sirius is definitely here."

"Potter is known for acting rashly, for trying to be a hero…" Severus growled to himself. Sirius indignantly cried out something in argument. "He may try to get into the Ministry," Severus finished. "The Dark Lord must be trying to lead him into a trap."

Lenna swore again.

Rigel began inching away from the Professor, looking longingly down the corridor.

"Rigel, you will stay here," Severus ordered.

Rigel scowled.

"Thank you, Severus," Lenna breathed in a rush, hearing the exchange. Her tone was oddly tender. In that moment he had sounded like the father her son had never been able to have. Severus looked back at her.

"Help me round up the Order. It may take some time, unfortunately, but—"

"Of course. Keep my son from going anywhere, even if you have to chain him up."

"Mum!" Rigel sounded desperate. "But Mum!" His face was set into an expression Severus oddly knew well—Regulus Black had possessed the world's fiercest tenacity.

So he magically knocked the boy unconscious.

"I am literally taking your advice and magically restraining him in the nearest room," he told the boy's mother.

"I don't blame you a jolt," she replied.

Severus allowed himself a quick smirk. He was growing rather fond of this woman.

"Go," he said. She nodded and ended the magic of the scrying stone. Severus pocketed the stone and levitated Rigel into the nearest classroom and sealed the room shut magically. He then half-ran to his office to assist Lenna in rousing the Order.

…

Rigel woke, disoriented.

He was in a dark room.

Did he have his wand? Yes. He lit the room. His memories reeled back to his last few minutes of consciousness and he swore loudly. Professor Snape had knocked him out and locked him up!

He'd had the sense to know he wouldn't have done as told and gone back to his dorm as if nothing were happening. But he had still underestimated the son of his old friend.

He should have taken his wand.

Rigel set to work trying to find the magic that would undo the door's seal. Professor Snape had been confident in its security, but Rigel attacked it like a puzzle. It took twenty minutes, but the door finally glowed a soft orange, and Rigel kicked it open as if on rampage. He looked at his watch. It had been at least an hour since he had been talking to Professor Snape.

He swore again and kicked at a statue in a niche in the wall. It was possible they had headed off Harry. He ran to the Gryffindor common room entrance.

"Is Harry in there?" Rigel demanded of the first semi-familiar face that came out of it.

"Er, no. I haven't seen Harry for hours."

Rigel wheeled around and began sprinting toward the nearest exit of the castle. He ran down through the grounds and down the track toward Hogsmeade. Once out of the castle's grounds, he stood, panting.

He had never Apparated on his own before but he had read two entire books devoted to it. It was one of the things he was looking forward to most about being a wizard. He knew without proper training he could splinch himself and be royally screwed. But he had too—and maybe that would make the difference. Voldemort was making a move—and his mother might already be at the Ministry fighting. Desire to be where she and Harry and the other people he cared about filled him up.

He closed his eyes. He focused on his destination. He gritted his teeth. And then he spun into space.

His entire body was being squeezed through a miniscule tube—he could not breathe, there was no space for it—he was speeding through space, through the tube—and pop!

Rigel fell on his ass in one of the enormous fireplaces that lined the far side of the Atrium, used by those that came in via the Floo Network.

Odd.

Rigel laughed breathlessly once. Breathing felt really good. He stood shakily on his feet and checked himself for blood.

He had Apparated. At fourteen. Without a license. Which was very illegal. Rigel laughed breathlessly again. His mum was going to kill him.

Off he ran into the Atrium and into a lift. The place was deadly silent. Bad sign. He selected Level Nine and went through the black door and the end of the hall when he got off.

He found himself in a circular room and could now hear screaming. Blue fire flared up around him and the doors rotated dizzyingly, disorienting him from where he had come from or where he needed to be going. It seemed the yelling and crashing was coming out of every door. Which made sense—Rigel had read that the Department of Mysteries was all interconnected. It didn't matter what door he chose.

Knowing this, Rigel flung himself through one at random.

There was dancing, diamond-sparkling light. Clocks gleamed from every surface. The Time room. A busy, relentless ticking filled the room. The source of the light was a towering crystal bell jar that stood at the far end of the room. Rigel knew the objects in these Mystery rooms could be dangerous and alluring. He averted his eyes from the innocent-enough-looking jar and went right to the door at the far end. There was no sign of disturbance in this room, so it obviously wasn't one he wanted or even one any of his group had been through.

The next room, however: different story. Towers of shelves of prophesies had crashed down in this room, destroying the contents of the glass spheres they were kept in here. All was quiet here as well, but it obviously had seen a fight. Rigel could hear the yelling again now and he knew he was closer. It was horribly frustrating to hear the yelling, knowing his help could be used, and not being able to get—

He wrenched open a door and gasped at the sight before him. He was in the Thought Room.

"Diffindo!" yelled Harry, his wand pointed at Ron's chest where thin ribbons of brain tentacles were spinning like the curls of a snake. He was tearing at them, thrashing—Ginny was clutching her ankle on the floor, looking horrified, her face white—Neville was there—so were Death Eaters—

Rigel let out a yell, launching himself in to duel the five oncoming Death Eaters with Neville and Harry. One sent a Stunning Spell right into Ginny's face and she keeled over sideways.

"STUBEFY!" Neville bellowed, blood running down his face from his nose.

"Help Ron!" Rigel ordered, spinning as he avoided curses and sent his own spraying from his wand.

"Rigel?!"

"Rigel, how—?!"

He ignored them. He was terrified—but terribly exhilarated at the same time. This is what he had wanted from the moment his mother had told him how his father had died. This was what he'd been training himself to be able to do for years: destroy the sons of bitches who had all played a part in taking his father from him.