As it turned out, there wasn't actually very much to do as the Slytherin reserve. During practices, Aurora more often than not found herself sitting alone on the bench, damn near frozen to it, watching the others zoom around like blurs of emerald green. A lot of the time, she found herself wishing she had been working through ballet exercises with the school dance club instead, because much as she loved Quidditch, it was no fun not getting to do anything. She got the distinct feeling that Flint didn't really see the point in training her, as he didn't think she would be needed. The thought frustrated her immensely, but one advantage of being on the bench was that she was able to see who needed work. Draco, for all he was a fast flyer, needed to work on his reflexes if he was going to beat Potter. The Chasers were good, and worked well as a team, but their formations became repetitive after a while. The Keeper was much more inclined to save right than left, and the Beaters, while powerful, needed to have more precise aim. She said as much to Flint, but he didn't looked pleased, and sent her back to the castle on her own to shower after practice. Not that she minded that - she'd never showered with the rest of the team and had no desire ever to do so.

She was halfway down the stairs to the dungeon when she saw him. Death. His shadow dipped over the stones under the sconces, seeming to be nowhere and everywhere at once. A chill passed over her, and for a fleeting moment he materialised on the staircase, before disappearing again. Though she was freezing, Aurora couldn't deny her curiosity. She hurried up the stairs after him and along the corridor, though his shadow seemed determined to evade her. There was a strange, faint sort of hissing noise coming from nearby, maybe in the pipes. It didn't stop her though. She hurried on, chasing Death, until he brought her to the edge of a tower ledge that opened into the air, and disappeared.

Aurora made a sound of frustration, and made to turn back around, but something caught her eye in the grounds below. A red-haired figure was running across the grass towards the forest, showing no hesitation as they entered and were swallowed by the darkness. Death's shadow flickered on a nearby wall, a reddish gleam dancing there, taunting her. Was Death the one who was hissing? She clenched her jaw, turning around, and walked out into the corridor straight into Harry Potter.

Of all the luck in the world. "Sorry," she muttered quickly, grimacing.

He stared at her, startled. "Oh. It's... Alright." He didn't look convinced, but held her gaze.

"What?"

"Nothing. Who - who were you speaking to?"

"Excuse me?"

"Who..." He shook his head. "Never mind. Sorry for bumping into you."

He hurried back down the corridor, looking rather flustered. Aurora stared after him. She hadn't been talking to anyone, nor had she heard anyone else talking. Was Potter hearing voices? Even for wizards that was concerning. But maybe that was just Potter. She shook her head, and made her way back to the dungeons for a shower as Flint had instructed, her mind returning to Death. Something unsettled her. Something wasn't right. Probably it had something to do with Potter, whatever he was up to, roaming the school on his own and asking about voices.

Over the course of October, though, Aurora found herself distracted by all morbid thoughts of Death and Potter. Their teachers - except Lockhart, who only talked about himself and his books in a shoddily concealed attempt at a publicity stunt - were piling on the work, so much that Aurora even found herself slipping up a few times. She'd brewed an imperfect potion for Snape once, and received a detention for 'endangering the public', despite the fact that the potion proved entirely harmless. That put her in a terrible mood, but she was cheered up by talk of the first year initiation due to take place at the end of the month, on Halloween night.

"Obviously we haven't been told," Pansy said to them, when she, Aurora, Daphne, Lucille, Millicent and Gwen were all huddled on their sofa, "but word is this time they're going to have them sneak cake from the kitchen for us."

"Well I hope they've got good taste then," said Millicent, and Pansy looked at her wryly.

"I don't know about that," Gwen said, "I heard one of the tasks is to retrieve a house tie from the Gryffindor common room."

"What nonsense," Pansy said dismissively. She still hadn't taken a liking to Gwen, even despite Aurora's silent insistence on her inclusion. Daphne and Millicent had been most accommodating, with Lucille remaining politely distant. Draco had nothing to do with her.

"I hope they get Potter's," Aurora said, to laughs. "He'll get house points taken by Snape for sure."

"I would like to see that," Pansy said. "Or Granger. Can't you imagine her crying because she lost a house point over a tie?"

Daphne laughed. "Oh, poor dears. Whatever these first years have to do, I hope it's entertaining. Maria Cox said the year before ours, they made them all bring slugs to the common room and make them dance."

The others all burst into laughter at the idea. "Can you imagine little Hestia Carrow making a slug dance?" Millicent said gleefully, referring to a first year they'd grown rather fond of. "She'd faint!"

"I think that is a simply awful thing to do," Lucille said indignantly. "I wouldn't touch a slug."

"You do in Potions."

"That's when they're dead, and even then, I can usually bully Vincent into dealing with them for me." She shook her head, clearly disgusted. "Oh, don't even discuss this with me! Dancing slugs!"

Gwen and Aurora both laughed loudly along with Millicent, while Pansy looked unimpressed and Daphne seemed to be trying to hide her smile from Lucille, who was glaring at her. "Do settle your stomach, Lucille," Aurora told her. "I dread to think how embarrassing it would be if a first year made a slug dance and you threw up."

The others did all laugh at that, and even Lucille gave a reluctant half-smile. "So long as they keep well away from me," she said. "I'll be quite alright."

The run up to Halloween saw increased nerves amongst the first years, but Aurora felt nervous too. She kept seeing shadows everywhere she turned, no matter how she tried to ignore them. Come the morning of October the 31st, however, she was determined simply to enjoy her day and the feast, and revel in the nerves of the first years that night, and make use of the party, which she hadn't been able to do last year.

"I think I'll sneak a firewhisky," Draco told her in Herbology. "Shouldn't be too hard, I doubt anyone will really stop me."

"I'll stop you," Aurora said, and he glared at her. "I'll tell Narcissa."

"You won't."

"Will."

"You're such a spoilsport." She stuck her tongue out, laughing at Draco.

"Maybe you can sneak me one too."

While last year none of them had been able to properly enjoy the Halloween Feast, this year was exceptional. Pastries and pies were stacked high on the tables, desserts were everywhere and the only vegetable anyone seemed to be eating was pumpkin. It was, in a word, glorious. "There'll be more of this tonight," Pansy said, plucking a large, blood red velvet cupcake from a stack. "Oh, I can't wait. Mother said it's always so much fun waiting for the firsties to come back, everyone gets together and the food!" She grinned. "Beautiful!"

Aurora smirked back at her, taking a cupcake for her own. The feast seemed never ending, a torrent of food and laughter, yet at the same time seemed to be over far too soon. She led the other girls out of the Great Hall in the swarm of excited students. Hestia and Flora Carrow were begging their older cousin, Demeter, to tell them what was in store for them during initiation, but she refused to tell them a word, as was tradition. A gaggle of young boys were discussing snakes in low, worried voices. Pansy hissed at them and one squealed, causing all the girls to laugh as they turned the corner towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Aurora stopped dead in her tracks. The corridor had been flooded, but that wasn't all. There was a trail of what looked like blood leading to Potter, Weasley and Granger, who stood staring at something. "What's going on?" Millicent whispered.

"I don't know."

The rest of the crowd was pressing onwards, and they hurried to keep up. Potter and his friends turned, just enough that Aurora could see what they had been looking at. Filch's cat was hanging from the wall, frozen, and on the wall above her... She clamped her hands to her mouth.

The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir beware.

It was written in blood. "Yaxley," one of the seventh years said to a younger Prefect, "get Snape. Now!"

Yaxley, who had been staring at the wall in horror, jumped to action and sprinted down the corridor. "Enemies of the Heir beware?" Draco read out loud, looking nowhere near as horrified as everyone else. He was staring between the three Gryffindors. "You'll be next, Mudbloods."

"Draco," Aurora hissed urgently, tugging him back. "Don't. That's Filch's cat."

"I know, that-"

"Out of my way." Dumbledore's voice rang urgently through the corridor. He swept past them all in violet robes, face more serious than Aurora had ever seen it, and towards Potter and his friends. "What has happened here?"

They all started speaking at once. "We found it like this," Potter said quickly, which was immediately suspicious. "Professor, someone's hurt Filch's cat."

"Prefects," Dumbledore said, addressing them, "take your students to their common rooms and stay there. This is a grave incident."

No one needed telling twice. There was a crush as the Slytherins all turned the same way, going around the other side of the bathroom to find the entrance to the dungeons, squeezing down the narrow staircases. Somewhere, Aurora got ahold of Gwen and pulled her along, heart hammering nervously. Draco's words rang in her head. She'd never heard of the chamber of secrets, not that she could recall, but something about it seemed familiar, and certainly not in a good way. She didn't like how Draco had brought up Muggleborns. How he'd referred to them. And Filch's cat... She kept a very tight hold of Gwen and kept her firmly between her and Daphne when they got back to the common room, claiming their usual sofa.

"What Heir?" Daphne whispered as soon as they were seated. "What's the chamber of secrets?"

"I don't know," Pansy hissed, and she didn't sound happy about it. "Aurora?"

"You think I'd know?" She shook her head. "Who would do this?"

"You saw Potter, didn't you?" Lucille said, flicking her hair. "Rather suspicious to loiter at the scene of a crime. And did anyone see him at the feast?"

"I don't think he'd kill a cat," Gwen said dubiously. "Well, I don't," she said, when Pansy looked at her. "Do you?"

"No," Millicent said slowly. "I don't see what he'd get out of that."

"Scaring people?" Pansy suggested.

"No," Aurora said, "he's more of a saving people type of person."

"But what," Gwen started, looking nervous. She lowered her voice. "Who are Mudbloods?"

They all stared at her. Aurora didn't know what to say. She was glad Gwen didn't know what it meant, but she didn't know how to tell her, and she didn't want to think on what Draco had said. They'd be next. Clearly he knew something none of them did. "Muggleborns," Pansy said at last, though even she looked apprehensive.

Gwen looked like she'd been slapped. "What?"

"It's a foul word," Daphne told her. "I can't believe Draco said that."

"He called Granger it, too. That day when we got into the fight with the Gryffindor Team."

"He did not," said Millicent, sounding appalled. "Mother told me never to say such a thing!"

"But what - what did he mean?" Gwen asked quickly. She'd gone quite white. "That they - we - would be next?"

Everyone looked at each other uncomfortably. "I don't know," Aurora said, though she had an inkling that was hard to ignore. "I'll speak to-"

The common door opened sharply and Snape billowed in, black cloak rippling around him. He was white with fury, looking around at them, and though Aurora had done nothing wrong she still managed to feel guilty when he looked at her. "I would like everybody to gather here," he said. "Prefects, ensure there is nobody left in the dormitories."

A couple of prefects scurried off. The second years closed ranks together quickly, until they were all assembled around their cluster of seats and sofas. Sally-Anne Perks was pale and looked like she might burst into tears; Aurora remembered she had a great love for animals, and had always been squeamish in Potions, especially if blood was involved. Only a handful of students trickled back out of the dormitories; no one had wanted to be on their own after what they'd just seen.

"A grave offense has just occurred," Snape said lowly. "I do not expect you all to understand what has happened tonight. Indeed, many of you may still not understand the gravity or the meaning behind this situation." Everyone was listening very intently. Aurora could hear her heart beating extra loudly. "The chamber of secrets has indeed been opened for the first time in fifty years. The Heir referenced in the writing on the wall is the Heir of Slytherin." There was a sharp intake of breath. Gwen went white and clutched Aurora's hand tightly. "If any of you," his eyes glittered around the room, "know anything about this incident, I ask you to come forward now." Nobody moved. His eyes fell deliberately on Aurora. "No one?" She held his gaze. Why did he think she had anything to do with this? "Very well. I would like to reiterate to you all the seriousness of this. This is not a prank, this is an attack, and will be treated with the utmost gravity. I know that tonight is an important night for Slytherin House. The decision on the initiation rests ultimately with its students; but spare a thought for what has just taken place. Consider what Slytherin's legacy ought to be. And if anyone wishes to come forward at any point... I urge you to do so."

He swept from the common room and the moment the door closed, they went into uproar. "Heir of Slytherin?" Daphne hissed. "There isn't one!"

"The line died out decades ago!"

"It explains what Draco said," Millicent whispered. "About, you know... Muggleborns."

"Why?"

"Slytherin didn't want Muggleborns in the school, only purebloods," Pansy explained. Gwen looked aghast and Aurora winced. That wasn't the way she would have broken it to her.

"Why?"

"Well, most Muggles wanted to burn us at the stake at that point in history," Daphne said.

"That's not the only-" Pansy faltered at the warning look on Aurora's face. Gwen was spooked enough.

"Are they going to cancel the initiation, do you think?" Blaise asked, leaning over, Draco and Crabbe either side of him.

"They can't!" Pansy sounded quite appalled. "It's tradition!"

"Think how it would look though," Aurora whispered. "To celebrate Slytherin values after what's just been done in his name."

"It wasn't any of us that did it!" Pansy said. "It certainly wasn't a first year!"

"It would be in poor taste," Lucille said, wrinkling her nose. "But I don't see how they can cancel it. Seven hundred years didn't see them cancel it."

"What if the heir's still out there though?" Gwen whispered.

"None of the firsties will have to worry about that," Draco sneered. "The Heir wouldn't attack a Slytherin, not when they know about the initiation."

"You're presuming the Heir was in Slytherin," Blaise pointed out.

"Obviously he was," Draco said. "How could the Heir of Slytherin not be?"

"You don't think this is because of the initiation, do you?" Daphne said.

"Because of it?"

"Part of it," Daphne clarified.

"I didn't see anyone stringing up a cat on a wall when we were initiated," Aurora said, and Daphne flushed.

"No," Millicent said slowly, "but someone did let a troll in."

"Which has nothing to do with the initiation," Lucille reminded them. "That was Quirrel, wasn't it?"

They all sobered at the memory, and a stiff silence fell in their little bubble. Aurora's mind churned. Could this have anything to do with the Dark Lord? Surely not. "I don't suppose anyone has the blood trees on hand?" Pansy asked, and they all shook their heads.

"Blood trees?" Gwendolyn whispered, looking quite alarmed.

"Of our families. Most purebloods have them, the Black tree can be traced to the eleventh century. We could try tracing them back to Slytherin."

Gwen stared at her. "That's... Great, Aurora."

"Alright!" The Prefect Joseph Farron called over the common room and everyone went very still and quiet. "In light of recent events, we have had a discussion, and the first year initiation will go ahead, with some modifications. No first year is to leave the dungeons; in fact, no student is. There will not be the usual party while this is all going on, as we feel this would be in bad taste." Draco made a face. "With that said, we would appreciate as many of you as possible joining us at midnight. I assure you, this common room will be quite safe from any threat." Farron nodded. "That is all. First years, clear off to your beds and meet back here at midnight, sharp. You will be punished for lateness."

The first years scrambled to get to their rooms. Aurora knew just how exhausted they would all be by the end of the night. "They're taking this seriously then," Millicent whispered as the chatter resumed in the common room.

"Why wouldn't they?" Gwen whispered in response. "It is serious! Filch's cat's been killed!"

"Oh, don't say that," Aurora moaned. The cat had to be dead, she thought, but it was still horrid. Draco had looked so pleased, even excited, but she didn't understand how anyone couldn't be revolted by what they'd seen.

"Don't worry about Stella," Pansy told her. "They won't go after the cat of a Black."

"That doesn't make it better," Aurora said, leaning her head against the back of the sofa.

"It's only a cat, Aurora," Lucille said. "And the Heir poses no threat to us."

"Yeah." She shook her head, gaze falling on Gwen's wan face. "I think I'm going to go for a nap. I'll see you all at midnight?"

Pansy gave her a critical look, but no one challenged Aurora as she stood up and swept from the common room, Gwen following at her heels. "Did you hear that?" Gwen whispered. "What they were saying? Do you - do you think the Heir would hurt me?"

She looked at her for a long moment. "I don't know, Gwen. I'd hope not."

"But they might." Gwen's lip wobbled. "I'm not going to the initiation."

"Gwen, it's-"

"I'm not." She went inside their room and got changed silently. Aurora didn't know what to say to her, only got herself changed and crawled into her own bed, setting an alarm for quarter to three.

She'd never heard of the chamber of secrets before, or the Heir of Slytherin. She knew the Black family had become entangled with the Slytherins and Gaunts at one point - they were all purebloods, after all - but that sort of thinking meant anyone could be the Heir if you went far back enough, even Weasley. She curled up under her sheets tiredly, ill at ease. This wasn't what Slytherin ought to be about. Whoever killed Mrs Norris, they didn't understand that.

But then she thought to the way Draco had responded with relish, to the way the other girls had dismissed Gwen, how the affair was treated as gossip. Had she played a part in that? Maybe she had. It still didn't sit right with her. Perhaps she ought to forego the initiation tonight as well, as protest, but what good would it do? It would only attract attention, and as last year's top ranking student, she was expected to attend.

No, she thought, dozing to sleep. Best to go, if only for appearances. And that way, if this was all to do with the initiation, she could find out. Maybe get a sense of the sort of threat the Heir posed. Maybe make sure they didn't get Gwen.