Sirius's son

Felix Felicius

Soon, the news of Katie Bell being cursed had traveled all around the school as she was transferred to St. Mungos. Though nobody except Harry, Hermione, Rigel, Ron and Leanne knew exactly what happened.

That day, they had Herbology first thing in the morning and so Rigel and his friends made their way over to the greenhouse as Harry and Eliza told them about his most recent lesson with Dumbledore and how he had seen the memory of Tom Riddle in an orphanage.

"Wow, scary thought, the boy You-Know-Who," said Ron quietly, as we walked across the vegetable patch. "But I still don't get why Dumbledore's showing you all this. I mean, it's really interesting and everything, but what's the point?"

"It is useful to know your enemies Ron." Rigel pointed out. "Through his past, you could pinpoint his weaknesses.

"So how was Slughorn's latest party?" Harry asked them thickly through the gum shield. 

"Oh, it was quite fun, really," said Hermione, now puttingon protective goggles. "I mean, he drones on about famousex-pupils a bit, and he absolutely fawns on McLaggenbecause he's so well-connected, but he gave us some reallynice food and he introduced us to Gwenog Jones." 

"Gwenog Jones?" said Ron, his eyes widening under hisown goggles. "The Gwenog Jones? Captain of the HolyheadHarpies?"

"Yep." Eliza nodded.

 "That's right," said Hermione. "Personally, I thought shewas a bit full of herself, but —" 

"Quite enough chat over here!" said Professor Sproutbriskly, bustling over and looking stern. "You're laggingbehind, everybody else has started, and Neville's already gothis first pod!" 

They looked around; sure enough, there sat Neville with abloody lip and several nasty scratches along the side of hisface but clutching an unpleasantly pulsating green objectabout the size of a grapefruit. 

"Okay, Professor, we're starting now!" said Ron, addingquietly, when she had turned away again, "should've usedMuffliato, Harry." 

"No, we shouldn't!" said Hermione at once, looking, as shealways did, intensely cross at the thought of the Half-BloodPrince and his spells. "Well, come on . . . we'd better getgoing. . . ." 

"Ready Rigel" Eliza asked knowing how much Rigel hated herbology. 

"Let's get this over with." Rigel scowled. 

They all tookdeep breaths and then dived at the gnarled stump betweenthem.

 It sprang to life at once; long, prickly, bramble-like vinesflew out of the top and whipped through the air. One tangleditself in Eliza's hair, and Rigel beat it back with a pair ofsecateurs (Sprout wont let him use magic); they succeeded in trapping a couple of vines andknotting them together; a hole opened in the middle of allthe tentaclelike branches; Eliza plunged her arm bravelyinto this hole, which closed like a trap around her elbow; 

Rigel tugged and wrenched at the vines, forcing thehole to open again, and Eliza snatched her arm free,clutching in her fingers a pod just like Neville's. At once, theprickly vines shot back inside, and the gnarled stump satthere looking like an innocently dead lump of wood.

"You know, I don't think I'll be having any of these in mygarden when I've got my own place," said Rigel, pushing hisgoggles up onto his forehead and wiping sweat from hisface. 

"Pass me a bowl," Eliza ordered, holding the pulsatingpod at arm's length; Rigel handed one over and she droppedthe pod into it with a look of disgust on her face. 

Don't be squeamish, squeeze it out, they're best whenthey're fresh!" called Professor Sprout. 

"Anyway," said Hermione, continuing their interruptedconversation as though a lump of wood had not justattacked them, "Slughorn's going to have a Christmas party,Harry, and there's no way you'll be able to wriggle out of thisone because he actually asked me to check your freeevenings, so he could be sure to have it on a night you cancome."