Chapter 228 - The Party! Part-2

{15th July 1991} 

{Rigel's POV}

I blinked slowly, drawing myself back into the present, pulled reluctantly from the tangle of thoughts that clouded my mind after the recent update. I didn't take a genius to figure out that the update kind of nerfed me, with it capping my ability to easily level up my spells by just spamming them.

'Now I need to focus on increasing my affinities again.' I thought. My mana sense gently nudged at me, indicating everyone was gathered, each magical signature warm and familiar, buzzing quietly with excitement and anticipation. I forced my worries aside, taking a deep breath and finally looking up.

The scene before me was enough to instantly banish any lingering worries, at least momentarily. Sirius stood in the middle of the group, proudly holding aloft a pair of absurdly oversized, worn-looking pink sunglasses, their plastic frames shaped into wings reminiscent of the ones Luna Lovegood famously wore in the films. He waved them around with exaggerated pride.

"Now, that's stylish," Fred said, smirking wickedly as he elbowed George in the ribs. "And here I thought we knew everything there was to know about Sirius."

George nodded thoughtfully, playing along. "Indeed, Fred. Perhaps there's something he's never shared with us."

Sirius raised an eyebrow, a mock-offended expression crossing his face as he twirled the sunglasses gracefully around one finger. "I'll have you know, these are a highly valuable family heirloom."

"Valuable for what, exactly?" Fred shot back, eyes glinting mischievously. "Attracting curious birds?"

Ron snorted loudly, while Ginny rolled her eyes dramatically beside him. "Where are we going again?" He asked as she glanced toward Ron with an exasperated expression. "Honestly, Ron, if you paid half the attention in History of Magic that you give to meals, you'd know why we're going."

Ron flushed a little, shrugging sheepishly. "Well, I wasn't exactly listening earlier… so where are we going?"

Ginny shot him another annoyed look, but immediately softened into explanation mode, clearly embracing her newfound maturity. "Gangotri. It's one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Himalayas, one of the Char Dham—the four holiest sites visited by both Muggles and magical communities alike."

"Oh, right. That sounds…important," Ron responded vaguely, entirely unenthused about the concept.

"It's where the Ganges River begins," Parvati explained patiently, but from what my mana sense was telling me, that fact did little to increase Ron's interest. "Lots of Muggles travel there, so we have to blend in and avoid drawing attention."

Sirius cleared his throat loudly, adopting a more serious tone. "Exactly right. You lot must be careful with magic. Most of the area is full of Muggle worshippers and travelers, especially along the routes leading to the temple. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," George chimed mockingly, snapping off an exaggerated salute. Sirius narrowed his eyes at him but didn't bother responding.

"Enough chit-chat then," Sirius declared firmly, glancing at the watch strapped to his wrist. "We're almost out of time. Everyone, grab hold quickly."

I felt the shift immediately—mana around the room surged and began pooling rapidly into the absurd sunglasses. Suppressing a smile, I moved forward and clutched one end of the bright pink frames. Ginny grasped the other end beside me, giving me an amused look as everyone gathered around to awkwardly grip around the plastic wings.

"You know," I murmured lightly to Sirius, "next time we might consider something larger for the Portkey. Something we could actually hold comfortably."

Sirius shot me a dry, sidelong glance. "Complaining already, Rigel?"

"Merely offering constructive criticism," I replied smoothly, earning a quiet laugh from Ginny beside me.

But before Sirius could retort, I felt the familiar pull at my navel, and we were whisked away in a dizzying swirl of magic and space.

...

The first change that struck me was the air itself. The warm, humid breeze of Mumbai vanished instantly, replaced by a crisp chill that nipped at my skin. My mana sense overloaded briefly as I struggled to recalibrate to our new environment and the rush of portkey magic. Something small and feathery smacked gently against my cheek as my vision cleared, and I realized with surprise it was a leaf, drifting lazily on the cool mountain breeze.

Blinking away the lingering dizziness, I felt gravity tugging insistently, guiding me downward onto a grassy clearing surrounded by towering mountains and lush greenery. Cursing myself inwardly for not better regulating my mana sense before traveling, I nevertheless landed far more gracefully this time, steadying myself quickly.

Around me, the others were making their own varying degrees of success in landing. Ron stumbled but recovered quickly; the twins landed confidently, immediately striking ridiculous triumphant poses. Ginny touched down softly, managing to hold her balance with impressive ease. Sirius landed comfortably, brushing off his robes as if the transition was completely ordinary.

And then, predictably, there was Harry. Face-first in the grass again, glasses slightly askew, groaning softly as Fred and George rushed gleefully over to him. This time, he didn't even move, lying there comfortably knowing what was coming.

"Still haven't mastered Portkey landings, Harry? At least it was comfortable this time." Fred teased good-naturedly.

"Yeah, if I were you, I would take the lush grass over hard floor any day, mate-" George grinned.

Harry flipped over, adjusting his glasses indignantly. "I'd like to see you try it with your head spinning like a ruddy tornado."

George snickered, reaching down to offer Harry a hand up. "At this point, it's tradition, Harry. We'd all be worried if you landed gracefully. Then there would be a whole debacle of the Boy-Who-Lived being possessed by someone, only for the perfect ploy to fail as Harry Potter successfully managed a portkey landing..."

Shaking my head and suppressing a snort at Fred's exaggerated tale, I glanced around and quickly spotted Parvati standing to one side, gazing up at the breathtaking scenery with quiet appreciation. She noticed my approach, offering a gentle smile as I stepped closer.

"Have you managed to make the arrangements?" I asked quietly, ensuring my voice was low enough not to be overheard. Her parents had given their approval for her to join us, though I knew they also had some other plan by now, her emotions and mana sense told me that she was also a little tense and uncertain about this trip.

Parvati nodded reassuringly. "Yes. I sent ahead word yesterday. We'll be staying at a small inn near Gangotri village. It's modest, nothing luxurious, but private enough for us to practice magic without being disturbed. Of course, I managed to get someone to decorate it for the birthday girl."

"Perfect," I replied, genuinely relieved at her thoroughness. "Any word from your family or anyone else?" I asked, and her mana flickered with tense emotions. Our eyes met, and she averted her gaze a few moments later, as I was disappointed. I had high hopes for her.

She hesitated only briefly, her eyes flickering away with something unreadable, before she shook her head. "Just a reminder to stay careful and not draw undue attention. Father specifically said not to meddle too deeply in local matters.

I studied her carefully, not pointing out the underlying tension in her shoulders. "Is there something we should worry about?"

She sighed softly, gathering herself and shaking her head gently again. "Nothing serious. But these places are deeply sacred, Rigel. Not just magically powerful—they're culturally significant too. My parents are just concerned that we might unintentionally cause offense or attract unwanted attention."

"I understand," I assured her gently. "We'll tread carefully. No unnecessary risks."

She relaxed visibly at my words, offering me another small smile. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

Before we could continue, Ginny stepped up beside me, casting a curious glance at both of us. "Everything alright?"

"Just finalizing logistics," I explained smoothly. "Parvati's arranged our accommodations."

Ginny's expression brightened slightly, though I could tell she wanted to interject quite a while ago. "That's brilliant. Thank you, Parvati." Her tone was a little clipped, which Parvati didn't notice as she was buried in her own worries.

Parvati nodded warmly. "Of course."

Sirius called out from a short distance away, cutting through our conversation. "Come along, everyone. We still have some walking to do before reaching the village."

As everyone began gathering, preparing for the trek down toward Gangotri, I realized that I would have to share my observations about Parvati with Sirius, which would complicate this sweet little trip that we had planned.

'I guess it can wait till tomorrow, no need to ruin Ginny's birthday...'

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