Chapter 255 - Intrusion!

{1st September 1992}

{Rigel’s POV}

The joke about me having a harem died quickly, not because anyone addressed it, but because everyone suddenly found something else to talk about.

Ginny turned back to Luna with a giggle, Harry muttered something to Ron that sounded suspiciously like the start of a Quidditch argument, and Hermione reached for her bag with the reflex of someone who had learned that awkwardness could be neutralized by getting lost in books.

I let it happen as I had no intention of talking about something like that; try as I might, it would turn the situation awkward pretty soon. It was one of the reasons I didn't try to expand my circle of 'harem' last year. Dealing with 4 witches who had gotten hooked on the mind-breaking pleasures enhanced by the system was already tough, not to mention that I had my fair share of sex every day anyway. Sometimes, the best way to survive a conversational landmine was to simply walk away from it while nobody was looking.

'Though I won't mind a crack at Luna, Hermione, and Ginny. Especially since they were a part of the main character cast from canon.' I thought, was it wrong for me to do so? Absolutely, would I not do it... I don't think so...

The compartment settled into a low murmur of overlapping voices and shifting seats as I delved into my own thoughts. I leaned back slightly and allowed myself to observe everyone.

Harry and Ron were hunched close together on the far end of the bench in front of me, whispering with the intensity of people planning a military campaign. From the cadence of Ron’s voice and Harry’s animated gestures, I could tell it was Quidditch—probably the Chudley Cannons again, or Gryffindor’s chances this year, or some of the thousand other things they could possibly talk about in that stupid game. I could have listened if I wanted, but honestly, I had no interest in the sport. 

Hermione, on the other hand, had already pulled out Standard Book of Spells, Grade Two, and was flipping through it with the quiet hunger of someone who now knew that the mastery over magic that she thought she had was a fickle thing. It took a lot of persuading from her, but she did manage to bargain for a demonstration of what advanced magic is capable of when mastered successfully in exchange for a favor that I now hold. Her wand was tucked onto her lap, and her free hand moved through the air as she silently traced spell forms, lips moving as she mouthed incantations.

She had spent a significant amount of her time this summer at the black manor, taking advantage of the wards to practice the spells in which she had supposedly fallen behind. A full month of grind did show its effect as she was a full cup size bigger now at C. My gaze drifted down for a moment before I looked away. A year into this world meant that I was not ruled by my dick anymore... well, mostly.

I turned to Ginny and Luna, who sat together beside me, shoulders nearly touching as Luna spoke in a low, dreamy voice, likely talking about creatures that lived in hedges and under floorboards and disappeared around people, while Ginny nodded along with eager fascination. Ginny’s own energy was brighter than it had been last summer—still cautious, but no longer weighed down by the events.

She shot me the occasional sideways glance when she thought I wasn’t looking, quick and mischievous, then turned back to Luna as if nothing had happened.

And Luna…

Luna Lovegood was not like anyone else in the room. She had a quality to her. That's the best way I can describe her.

Her mana didn’t coil or pulse in tension the way everyone else’s did. It drifted in a serene tone—thin and misty, constantly moving, especially around her eyes, where it gathered in faint luminous currents that softly touched her pupils. It was as though she were always looking through a veil, seeing something that existed half a step beyond reality.

I noticed her attire, a thin pink jumper that stood out as odd, considering her family was pureblood, and her navel was slightly exposed, though still partially covered by her jeans. She was wearing an odd necklace that was made out of an odd assortment of buttons from different clothes, and two flowers were interlaced along her ears as a decoration.

'That look does suit her whimsical attitude from the movies. Though Luna in the stories became less airy by her seventh year, adulthood, maybe that was because she grew more confident in herself. Right now, she only has one friend in Ginny.'

She laughed softly at something Ginny said, then, without any obvious reason, her gaze suddenly slid toward me. Our eyes met. There was no smile, no surprise—just that wide, distant awareness, as if she’d always known I was there. For a few seconds, the world seemed to narrow to the space between us.

Then my mana sense twitched.

Familiar signatures, sharp, cold, and filled with dread and disgust, with one filled with lust and anticipation, were approaching down the corridor, their presence cutting through the ambient magic of the train like knives through fabric as I focused on them. I leaned back slightly, already tracking their progress through the wall as their auras grew closer.

...

A second later, the compartment door slid open.

Draco Malfoy stood there, pale and his blond hair perfectly groomed, for a moment, the image of Narcissa appeared in my mind, her legs spread wide with her blonde hair, the same shade, sprawled across the bed as she screamed aloud in pleasure. I shook my head back and looked at the other two boys. Malfoy was flanked by Crabbe and Goyle like living statues.

'Is that supposed to be a stern and intimidating face?' I thought as I looked behind them, standing there 'nervously' was Pansy Parkinson, dressed in a black evening gown with an expression that could have frozen water as she tried to suppress her emotions in front of so many outsiders, but meeting her gaze I realized it had been a week since our last meeting and I would probably be getting a knock from her tonight. 

While I was observing, Harry and Ron both reacted at last, straightening with visible hostility, while Hermione shut her book and fixed Malfoy with a sharp, unimpressed stare.

The air changed.

“Can I talk to you?” Malfoy asked after a beat, his gaze fixed on me.

His voice was steady, cool, almost bored—but his mana told a different story. There was tension there, tightly wound, edged with something like apprehension and disgust.

I rose slowly, holding up a hand to stop Harry and Ron before they could say anything. “It’s fine,” I said quietly, giving Harry a small nod to stay put. I stepped past Malfoy and his entourage, and we moved down the corridor as I kept one eye on them until we found an empty compartment. The door slid shut behind us with a soft click.

For a moment, no one spoke. I took that time to focus on Pansy’s change in appearance: a black evening gown, dark makeup with black lipstick and eyeshadow, a carefully composed posture as she tried to maintain a bored face, and I stopped myself from smiling.

'So she did take that Muggle magazine seriously.' I thought, during our last two meetings, she had complained about doing it in a muggle hotel, so I had shown her a few lessons on the pleasures of BDSM and muggle injuinity.

Malfoy cleared his throat. “My mother,” he began, then paused, clearly choosing his words. “Has advised me that it would be… prudent to put our disagreement behind us.”

I tilted my head slightly. “That so?”

“Yes.” He drew himself up, pale chin lifting just a fraction. “So, on behalf of House Malfoy, I am offering a truce.”

He extended his hand.

For a second, I simply stared at it.

His mana was steady but strained, like someone walking across a frozen lake and pretending not to hear the cracks.

“Well,” I thought out loud, “this is new.”

I let the moment stretch just long enough to make him uncomfortable before I spoke, "While that certainly would be an ideal scenario, I'm not sure that agreeing to something like this is to my advantage. So how could we reach a deal that only has me on the losing side?" I questioned, and the blonde gave me a pursed lip.

"Fine." He spoke through gritted teeth as he let his hand drop. He hesitated before continuing, "I can offer you some information in exchange for a truce." He bargained, before I could speak further, he continued, "Trust me, it is huge and pretty secretive, the meetings about this have been going on all summer, and knowing things in advance would be a huge boon for the upcoming year."

'Hmmm, at least he's not faking his confidence.' I thought as I deliberated whether to agree. 'Let's fish for some more favourable deal first...'

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AN: Pansy will be going the Goth route, while Hermione will be the nerdy slut. Cheers! Working on new photos for Hermione, Ginny, and Pansy next!