Spring A Trap
Forget about the harm to the potions society. Severus was going to kill his apprentice when he next saw him.
Absolute bumbling Gryffindoring fool—
The words they'd agreed on should Rigel be called in were Vow activated.
What on earth did she mean by ' I'm going in '?
That she was an idiot, that's what it meant. Really, there was no other explanation.
"Would you stop your eye-twinkling, old man?" Severus said through gritted teeth.
Dumbledore merely smiled, "A hero indeed. You of all people know he forever surprises, Severus."
"Not you, apparently," Severus said, voice still low.
"Me? No, Severus, I did not know that Rigel would come despite the Vow not compelling him. But I did suspect that he would want to, despite his denials."
Severus resisted the urge to shake his head.
"And now with our initial formalities concluded," Riddle said with a smile, "I present to you the true part of this required task for the champions: the crowning!"
"Champions, please step forward," he said, not a hint of doubt leaking through his face.
Delacuor and Owens came into view.
Riddle waited.
A minute passed.
"Well, it seems—" Riddle was cut off.
"It seems I am a minute late," a familiar voice said, as though it couldn't care less, "I do hope that will not be a problem."
A ripple went through the crowd as everyone's eyes drew to the source, a black haired boy with grey eyes and a small smile tugging at his lips. A boy who was standing right by the staircase to the podium.
An absolute idiot, Severus repeated to himself, teeth clenched tightly in worry.
There was nothing for it.
Severus quietly poured some more magic into the thin, invisible conjured shield between the crowd and the stage, blocking out most Aurors from reaching it as well.
It was powerful, and would give the girl time to make her escape, if only little. But it took a lot to keep going, which meant, however loath he was to, Severus was not alone in managing the shield. Several others from the Order kept contributing to it. The plus of this particular protection was that any magic hauled at it was only absorbed by the shield, making it stronger and tougher to take down.
Hopefully the Aurors would take a while to figure that out.
For now they stood silently, watching. The Ministry had declared they would not try and apprehend the imposter until the ceremony was over.
"Not at all, Rigel ," Riddle said, in a voice that made Severus' skin crawl.
Look away from her you—
Severus ruthlessly clamped down on his emotions with Occlumency.
"Riddle," Rigel said, dispensing with the 'Lord' right in front of the crowd.
There were some murmurs at his impoliteness, but most people were too enraptured to do anything but stare.
Riddle looked back at the audience, smiling as though he knew just what they were thinking, "We have our Triwizard Champion!"
The crowd clapped, a bit startled.
Severus did not miss the way Riddle did not call Rigel the 'Blood Champion'.
Rigel stepped forward, not giving Riddle the chance to speak further. "I allocate the prize money as a scholarship fund for half-bloods and muggleborns who wish to receive education away from this discriminatory country."
Several people flinched, but the outrage at his words was palpable all the same.
Never mind. The audience was mostly purebloods, anyway, a fact that Severus was sure was specifically engineered by Riddle. The half bloods and muggleborns at their homes must be glued to their screens, entranced to hear one of them speaking out for them when finally offered the position to.
Severus clenched his fists and ignored the fact that he could have had that opportunity, but he didn’t.
Riddle, strangely, did not bother interrupting.
“The secondary scholarship to an institution of my choice, too, can be put towards this fund,” Rigel said clearly, “It’s not as if you’ve left me in a position to study anymore.”
Here Rigel looked at Riddle ironically, “The World Tour, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. I’ve just been on one thanks to the SOW Party.”
There were some uncertain chuckles through the crowd.
“As for the Rod of Zuriel—”
“The Rod is compulsory for the champion to accept,” Riddle interrupted.
Rigel’s lips twitched, "Even if I prove it inappropriate? "
Riddle said nothing.
Rigel shook her head in mock disapproval, “So you wish to play it that way.”
She turned to face the crowd.
“I’m going to tell you a story. Do you enjoy stories?”
“Speeches are not to be made—”
“Oh, is it?” Rigel laughed, “Are you sure, Riddle? I have things to say to the crowd, and I’ve got many ways to do it and many more things I can add should I be held back right now.”
Riddle’s jaw clenched.
What is the boy doing? And how is he succeeding?
“The Rod of Zuriel is the origin of the sleeping sickness,” Rigel said, voice ringing through the crowd.
You could hear a pin drop in the silence that had settled over the place.
“Baseless accusations—”
“I suggest,” Rigel said sharply, ignoring Riddle, “That the Ministry examine it after I am gone.”
“I won’t insult you all by elaborating, as I'm sure you all can guess what this indicates as to the origin and motive of the sickness , ” Rigel continued, “Should Headmaster Dumbledore not have found a way to counter it— something which Riddle here could have simply asked to retreat back to him —he would clearly lose favor with the masses. And for this, we were put at risk. Children were put at risk. Because no matter how much one claims there wasn't a risk, events prove otherwise. I attained a life debt for a reason.”
“Second year,” Rigel said carefully, as though treading on a thin line, “I’m sure you didn’t miss the similarity between the self-proclaimed half-blood Lord Voldemort and younger Tom Marvolo Riddle? Do any of you like anagrams, because this is a place you can get to work. Know this: a certain attacker of mine after the last task— I'm sure you don't know who I'm talking about —was behind the petrifications that took place at Hogwarts. I am compelled to say no more.”
Severus felt a chill down his spine.
Why was Riddle not intervening?
Severus tuned out the boy’s next words to really focus on the man, risking flaring his sensing ability towards him.
And that’s when he noticed.
What in seven hells—?
There was a legilimency link joining Riddle and Rigel.
Somehow, and Severus was beginning to realise it might just include a sentient piece of rock, Rigel Black was executing a legilimency attack on Lord Riddle. To incapacitate him.
He decided he might not hate the jewel after all.
"Third year," Rigel swallowed in mock fear that only Severus knew held a shade of sincerity, "Well, the ministry will have my under even more duress should I say anything, so let's leave that one off."
"Year four. And now comes the Triwizard Tournament," the girl's mouth twisted ironically, "and what a mess that turned out to be. Rigged from the start for the pureblood champion to win— only it wasn't a pureblood at all, it seems."
"But no. You shall, as always, argue on this too. It was a gamble, you might say. Another blood champion could have won too, and then pureblood supremacy would have had a slap to the face. But what would said pureblood supremacists really have said in their defence if that happened?" She gestured to the other two champions, "Fleur Delacuor. A girl any could defend as pureblooded with just a dash of creature blood if the need truly came to be. Jacob Owens," And Rigel Black smiled, "Muggleborn who did not submit his ancestory to the tournament judges. Do you see where this is going? For really, you might as well put people of different blood groups for all the scientific prowess it represents, and it would only be used as an example if it benefits bigots. That's the thing— it hurts no one but the already oppressed. If a pureblood champion won, it would be used as a testament to the fact that blood supremacists were right. And if another did, they'd find an excuse anyway."
"You let blood dictate the quality of our living, our employment options, our educational options, and then tryied to gain control over our marriages as well. Rita Skeeter once asked Hermione Granger, when the girl said that the tournament results would reflect on everyone's different educations, if she considered American education subpar. That isn't the point. We should have the option to go to Hogwarts if we want to. We should have the freedom for all these basic human rights that you all are taking from us," Rigel took a deep breath, and Severus caught her eyes flitting to Riddle for a second.
He understood. The boy didn't have much longer to make his speech.
Get out of there, you idiot, Severus thought, although some part of him wanted his student to speak more, speak all the things those of his kind never had a chance to.
"You say that purebloods are different in many ways. That they are the origin of magical gifts, of good control. That's partially true," Rigel said, "there are differences between us, but they are not a matter of 'good' and 'bad', 'worthy' and 'undeserving'. Muggleborns come in two categories— some with near Lord-Level magic and others with exceptional control. Half Bloods have some of both worlds. We are different as three different colored roses might be— but we are roses all the same. We are all human. We still hurt the same, die the same, and can grow the same if we are given the environment to do so."
Rigel shook her head, "I'm not the exception. I shouldn't be the exception for all of you. Think of what kind of person you want to be."
And with that, she tapped her foot and… vanished.
There was startled surprise through the crowd and the aurors reached toward the spot—
—only to find a barrier containing them.
Severus grit his teeth and hoped the girl had managed to don her invisibility cloak over her disillusionment already, because Riddle had come to his senses. It was the most concealment she could be offered.
Now he was only left to do damage control.
Harry gulped fresh air like she'd been deprived of it for ages. The vow was gone, and she'd done her part even without it, and the thought and realisation that the fear and guilt were over gave her such a freedom she was sure she could transform into a bird and fly away, but…
Her head felt heavy. It was more than exhaustion. It— Riddle— he—
He had done something to her. The idea was so horrifying it was all she could do to continue straight ahead, cloak wrapped around her tightly.
She hoped Dom was okay.
Her magic flared and she took a calming breath before turning into a raven, cloak transforming along with her.
She was passing through the last layer of wards when it happened.
Pain stung her body as it burnt on contact and Harry crashed more than landed down.
Her eyes found that she was in human form again, then turned grimly to look at the containment ward in front of her.
It warded against animagi.