{Slytherin Common Room, Hogwarts}
{10th Sep 1991}
{3rd Person POV}
Rigel was nestled into one of the sofa chairs, the area where he was sitting was placed on the other end of the lake view. He looked around as everyone sat down in small groups, talking among themselves. Looking at the harmonious environment, no one would guess that almost half of the current conversations might have malicious or other nefarious intentions.
Till now, Rigel hadn't talked to most Slytherins outside of his group. Evelyn has been his one connection to the political games that run through the house, but even they don't really talk about stuff about stuff. His eyes traced everyone's behavior. No one showed any abnormal signs, and there was no inconspicuous black diary in sight, so the info Narcissa gave him was kind of a bust.
At least for now, since he couldn't spot the Horcrux, he then proceeded to eliminate potential targets. If the condition he set was a reserved personality then he was shit out of luck since no one in Slytherin was quite vocal. Except for maybe Marcus Flint, who reveled in the position he held. Speaking of the quidditch captain, Tracy was still glaring at him, utterly failing at keeping her annoyance and anger hidden.
"You know glaring at him would not make any difference, right?" Rigel noted. He ignored the brunette when she turned her death glare at him.
"I hate him..." Tracy grumbled, the venom in her voice was quite unhealthy. Rigel gave her a look and she flopped back into her chair with a defeated sigh.
"First years aren't allowed on the team, Tracy," Daphne consoled her friend. Her monotone voice had a hint of sarcasm.
"He said that no girl would be allowed into the team without paying the 'Toll'..." Tracy spat, her glare turned back to the Slytherin quidditch captain.
"Leave it, Tracy, for now. He's a seventh year, he'll be gone by next year when you take your trial." Rigel reminded her.
"Humph," Tracy puffed her mouth as she sunk into her chair again. Rigel looked at Daphne, who was reading through a roll of parchment, her Potion homework. The blond was unusually determined to excel at the magical art even when she was so far ahead of all of them. Her dedication was admirable, but Rigel stopped admiring her and turned to look at the Magical signature that finally decided to walk toward him.
Pansy Parkinson had been eyeing him for a while now. At first, she would glare at him, but throughout the week, that anger had turned into a confused blend of emotions. When he looked at her pale face, he was greeted with a standard stoic look.
"Greetings, Heir Black. We seem to have started on the wrong terms. House Parkinson does not intend to stand in your path, and I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience my actions might have caused you. If you don't mind, can I have a word with you in private?" Pansy finally finished the whole script that she had memorized. She was worried that her inner prejudice might leak out, which could affect the whole negotiation.
...
Rigel looked at her, contemplating her offer. He didn't have much time, so in the end, he decided to lend her an ear. She had a nasty personality in canon, so he wasn't actually attracted to her, and considering her rather flat chest, she didn't actually have many advantages in that regard.
Her face was described in the novel as pug-like, or maybe it was the fanfictions that had colored his memories, but she didn't look half bad to him. Sure, she didn't have sharp facial features, and the arrogance in her eyes was clear as day, but she wasn't the worst-looking one in Slytherin.
"Alright, Heir Parkinson, follow me," Rigel said as he stood up. He noticed Daphne's eyes following him, and after giving her a nod, he walked toward his room. Their movement was quite small, and they went unnoticed by almost everyone—or at least he thought so. As soon as he walked through the doors to the dormitory, quite a lot of witches in Slytherin shared a look with each other.
"~Mischefss Managedsss~" Rigel whispered and his door swung open. He walked into his room and allowed Pansy to enter. He closed the door but didn't use the password to lock the wards completely on the door.
"Alright, heiress Parkinson. What can I do for you?" Rigel asked, his eyes easily revealing his slight curiosity as he waited for an answer.
"..." Pansy hesitated as she bit her lips. Her internal struggle was quite obvious to him, but the girl finally overcame her own barriers and asked, "I heard some rumors from Evelyn Rowle that you don't mind doing the Core Expansion Ritual with her?"
Her question gave him pause, and he looked at her with confused eyes, "Aren't you Draco's girlfriend?"
"I was. Father had temporarily put a hold on any talks of a betrothal contract with the Malfoy's..." Pansy replied, her tone slightly bitter, but through the past week, she had come to terms with the situation. She knew her Father wanted her to marry Draco for a long while because he was the heir to the Black fortune. But now all the plans have shattered, and although Draco was still her prime suitor, the opportunity to get into the Black family bloodlines was too good to pass up.
"So you want to do the Core Expansion Ritual with me?" Rigel questioned. He knew what she was implying but he wanted it to hear from her mouth. The thought of fucking Draco's girlfriend and his mother at the same time was a little intoxicating. Once that thought entered his mind he couldn't think about not doing it. Especially with Pansy being in his room, her guard down just like Narcissa had been a few days ago.
"Yes..." Pansy replied, her voice almost muted as she didn't dare to look into Rigel's eyes.
"~Mischefss Managedsss~" Rigel whispered in Parseltongue and he felt the wards click in place. The only exit to the room was locked, and he saw Pansy shiver slightly. Whether it was because of Parseltongue or because the fear was overwhelming her, he didn't know. But since she walked into his room of her own volition, Rigel considered her fair game.
...
'Let's see, Requirement Analysis!'
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AN - 40+ Advanced Chapters on p.atreon!