{Hidden Corridor, Outside Gryffindor Tower}
{18th Sep 1991}
{George's POV}
"...But why Neville Longbottom, and what is in there?" George asked. He guessed that it was Rigel because this hidden corridor had a very specific place that one needed to press with magic in order to get through to this part, and from the direction where the unknown person, likely Rigel, was coming from, that had to be the case.
He didn't like underestimating anyone, but the chances of someone finding out about the way to use this corridor were very, very low. Let alone Longbottom being able to figure it out, even if Longbottom was a legacy. He didn't think someone as strict as Lady Longbottom might have been the one to tell him about this corridor.
Combined with the fact that Neville's face was still stoic, a look that the young heir never sported, it made it all the more unlikely. The wrapped-up bundle was suspicious as well, so George was being intimidating on purpose. The surprise had made it so that he had his wand in his right hand, and he was ready to fire a Diffindo at a moment's notice.
He saw how 'Neville's' eyes moved. Even though he had been discreet, he was pretty confident in his subtlety, the eyes of the boy in front of him were already locked onto his wand, and his stance shifted for a moment, eerily similar to the encounter he had had with another first-year weeks ago.
'So it is Rigel... but how does he react so quickly...' George thought.
Now that he knew he was dealing with another first-year student, even one from a fairly dark house, he became a little more relaxed. According to the rumor mill, the boy had been an orphan, so no matter how smart he might be, he wasn't a threat to the two of them for now. What interested him now was what Rigel was doing and what was in his arms.
The silence stretched for a bit and he could see that Rigel's eyes were still locked onto him, even though he was pretty sure his brother was pointing a wand at him as well, Rigel still regarded him as a threat.
'Interesting, it's as if he can tell that I would fire at a moment's notice...' George mused. He thought about it for a moment as he twirled his wand slightly and let go of the intent he was preparing.
The change was instant, 'Neville's' eyes shifted to Fred for a moment before he looked back at George. His gaze now took stock of his surroundings before the first year opened his mouth and asked, "W-what do you mean, George? Or is it Fred?"
The effort and stutter were admirable, and he would have even believed that the person in front of him was Neville, but everything else didn't fit. The position and timing were way off, so although he didn't mind playing this game and pushing to see how far Rigel would go to keep his ruse going, they were out of time.
He lifted his wand and pointed it at Rigel, the stunner he fired was deflected off a pretty good Protego shield that appeared in front of 'Neville' who had entirely discarded the timid behavior.
The Protego made him back away, making space for Fred to launch a spell if needed. The playful atmosphere was gone as George stared into the fake Neville's eyes. Earlier, he had assumed it was Rigel because of circumstances, but the Protego changed things. The Protego, while not a super advanced charm but one that can deflect a stunner, was not something a first-year student should not have.
'Heck, even I could not pull it off until this year... Is it the wrong Black, Sirius Black? He was part of the Marauders, so he must know about this entrance. And since he's a Black as well, he must have the same ability as Rigel...' George thought. The tension started to build as he glared at the stranger and asked, "Where is Neville Longbottom?"
...
"He's safe." Fake Neville spoke, "He's sleeping in a broom closet."
'Polyjuice then, his glamour charms held surprisingly well, a little too well for them to be feasible... and Sirius Black should have no way to get a Polyjuice Potion.' George thought as a tentative feeling of relief spread through him. The thought of staring into the eyes of a mass murderer was terrifying, and even though he still had questions as to how a first-year knew how to do the Protego charm, anything but fighting against Sirius Black would be fine.
"How many Galleons did we agree on?" George asked. He needed to be sure and double-check, just in case.
The silvery shield was still in front of him, making it a little difficult to maintain eye contact, so at least he could take in some comfort when the other boy finally replied, "1000."
George let go of his intent to fire a shield breaker as he relaxed his stance. The silver shield stayed in front of him for a moment before it flickered out of existence. His eyes lingered on the ashy wand that stood out. The origins of its wood and its alliance had a little sinister meaning, as George remembered hearing the stories about the war.
'The wand of death...' George thought. He knew why the rumors reached for the Dark Lord. It was part of the dark arts package that was circulating around the rumor mill. He looked into fake 'Neville's' calm eyes and let his mind wander for a bit before he snapped out of it and took a step back. He lifted his right hand up and spoke.
"Alright, let's calm down, Rigel. We are not going anywhere. Now we know your secret, and it is a big messy secret, the kind for which you have to kill us to keep us quiet." George went back to his default joking mechanism to defuse the tension, although the stoic look and the white wand had a more sinister look.
"Let's talk?" George asked.
...
The silence was broken by a low "...Fine" before Rigel put his wand down and looked down at the box that was lying on the ground, still covered by a white bedsheet.
"So, where did you get the PolyJuice Potion, and what is in that box?" George heard his twin ask as Rigel sighed and ruffled his head. His face was still stoic, but George could tell that he was thinking as his eyes kept moving between the box and them.
...
'10 Galleons that he stole something?'
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AN - 44 Advanced Chapters on P.atreon!