Despite Aurora's initial hopes, the four snakes had proven even less useful than Kreacher in helpin her figure out anything to do with the Chamber of Secrets, and after a week or so her curiosity dwindled. So long as her friends remained safe and there was no threat to her personally, she could let it rest. It was up to the teachers to deal with anyway, and though her pride didn't really want her to admit it, if she couldn't get the snakes to tell her directly, she had no way of figuring it out, and even then they only confirmed there was a monster.

Besides, as the term wore on, there were no new attacks. Aurora wondered if maybe they'd stopped for good, and she couldn't help but be relieved. Even if they didn't like to admit it, she could tell her friends were too.

"Of course, there was never a chance of us being targets," Draco said, "but I suppose it makes things easier, the teachers aren't as stressed and strict anymore."

And they all had other things to focus on soon, too. During the Easter holidays they were asked to choose what elective subjects they wanted to begin in their third year. She had a choice of Ancient Runes, Divination, Arithmancy, Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures, though Divination and Arithmancy were scheduled for the same times, as were Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies. The former two were both subjects that interested her, while she had very little interest in either of the latter, which made it a more difficult than she wished.

While if she had been in a different house she might have asked her head of house if there was any chance of her being moved into different time slots in order to accommodate her choices, she thought Snape would be very unhelpful, and she didn't like to talk to him any more than was strictly necessary. He felt the same way, and so Aurora was in a bit of a pickle over her subject choices. Arithmancy was something she had always been interested in, but Divination presented a chance to learn something new. Care of Magical Creatures could indeed be interesting, but she had never been much of an animal person, with the exception of Stella. Dora had recommended Muggle Studies, but she knew she'd be laughed out of the common room if she decided to study that, and she didn't think there was that much the Muggle world could give anyone that wizards didn't have in another form, except for ballpoint pens. Ancient Runes was a given choice, and so that didn't bother her, but the other four presented a peculiar challenge. She didn't know why they couldn't just let her study everything she wanted to, but she thought if she raised that question to Snape he'd find a way to stop her studying any electives, purely out of spite.

She deliberated on this subject for days, during which time all her friends received numerous owls suggesting what they should study. "My father says Divination's a load of crackpot nonsense," Draco said.

"I suspect some Muggles would say that about any form of magic," Daphne said lightly - she had decided to take Divination and was not impressed by the others' dismissal of the subject.

"And I suppose anything is better than Muggle Studies." He said it so sneeringly that Aurora knew she couldn't possibly elect to study it now. "So I'm going to do Care of Magical Creatures."

"That's it settled, then," Aurora said. "I'm doing Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes. Though I do wish I could do Divination as well."

Daphne sighed. "Well, at least I won't have anyone to distract me."

"You'll have me," Theodore said cheerfully, and Daphne glared at him.

"You're not interesting enough to distract me, Theodore."

Pansy laughed and Aurora gave Theodore an apologetic look. His cheeks had gone very red.

Tensions began to mount again as the end of the Quidditch season approached. The Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff match was due shortly after the end of the holidays, and Neville seemed surprisingly anxious for someone who wasn't even on the team. "I really want us to win this year," he told Aurora in Potions, when Snape was too busy insulting Potter to hear them. "We missed our chance last year, and imagine taking the house cup and Quidditch Cup!"

"You're not going to win the Quidditch Cup," Aurora told him, a little harsher than usual. "Slytherin's the superior team and always has been. Just because you have Potter doesn't mean you're the best. Besides, I wouldn't support you anyway." Neville went a little red and wouldn't meet her eyes. "If you lose, we go up in the rankings."

"Yes," he mumbled, "but we might not lose. And you've had your fair share of victory now, it's our turn."

Aurora laughed. "Just keep an eye on those porcupine quills, Neville. Because Gryffindor is never winning the Quidditch Cup."

The morning of the match was a sunny one. Perfect playing conditions. Aurora wished she could have been playing today, but her time would come eventually, she just knew it had to. The Slytherin Table wasn't particularly excited about the fixture, though Flint and some of the boys on the team - who were pointedly excluding Aurora at the minute - talked excitedly about how many points Gryffindor would have to lose by for Slytherin to slip past their lead.

She decided to leave breakfast early to have a walk and look in the library before the match; after all, she did still have to figure out how that ring worked. She made promises to Pansy and Daphne to meet them at the Quidditch pitch, and made her own way out of the Great Hall. She'd barely made it along the corridor when she was stopped by Potter, interfering as always.

"Black." His voice rang out in the corridor behind Aurora and she turned around slowly, eyebrows arched.

"Potter."

"Give it back."

She stared at him, quite perplexed. "Give what back, Potter?"

"I know you broke into Gryffindor Common Room yesterday. I know you - you broke into my dormitory and you stole my..." He went red. Aurora sneered, laughing a little.

"Stole your what, Potter? Stuffed lion?"

"You stole my diary," he mumbled.

She grinned, bursting into laughter. "What possible reason would I have for taking your diary, Potter? I have no desire to know about your life."

He looked flustered. "Because... Because of Christmas."

She frowned, and then laughed airily as she realised what he meant. "Oh, I dealt with that ages ago. You have kept your word, haven't you?" He nodded tightly. She hadn't seen anything in papers, nor had she heard anything from Draco that suggested otherwise. "Well Potter. I'm quite over revenge, so long as you and Weasley keep your mouths shut." At his confusion, she grinned. "You really are clueless, you know."

"I am not!" To prove his point, Potter stamped his foot childishly, which only made Aurora laugh harder.

"What possible reason could I have for wanting to read your diary? And, loathe as I am to admit it Potter, I don't even know how to get into Gryffindor Tower."

"You've been following Neville about, cozying up to him! Taking advantage of him!"

"Of Neville?" Aurora stared at him. "He's my friend."

"Yeah, right."

"No, he is," she said. "He helps me with Herbology and I help him with Potions. Keeps us both out of trouble."

"He's scared of you. He told me so. He won't stand up to you."

"He doesn't need to stand up to me."

Potter glared at her, apparently furious at the idea of being incorrect. "I know you're up to something, Black. You're - you're manipulating him!"

"Am I now?"

"Well I don't know what other reason you'd befriend Neville for!"

She stared at him. For a horrid moment, Aurora didn't know what to say, but came to her senses. "You don't actually know me, Potter. I don't hate everyone as much as I hate you." There was still a slight nervous feeling in her stomach which she hated. Was Neville really afraid of her? She knew he wasn't, she'd never even tried to intimidate him. She couldn't explain why he mattered, but with the guilt of what her family did to his and the fact that he was clearly scared of most things, she could never not be kind to him. At least as far as she'd realised. But how cared what Potter thought, she reminded herself. He was an idiot, after all. Aurora smirked half-heartedly at him. "You know, you really ought to go to your Quidditch match. I would be so awfully disappointed if we didn't get to see you lose. Besides," she added lowly, "I think you're attracting quite enough suspicion, lurking in the corridors all the time."

"Like you don't! If you're trying to accuse me-"

She laughed. "You accused me first, Potter, remember? And I'll remind you again of how well that went, Mr. Parselmouth." Aurora sneered. "Run along now, Potter."

"Don't talk to me like that!"

"Like what?" she asked, putting on an image of innocence that she just knew would anger him.

"I don't trust you, Black."

Aurora considered him for a long moment, and he didn't look away. She sneered down her nose. "I don't honestly care what you think of me, Potter. But I would appreciate if you showed some signs of intelligence instead of accusing me of attempted murder."

And with that, she turned on her heel, trying to remain cool. She would wander for a little while before heading to the game late; she had to cool off. But she did dearly want to see Potter defeated.

It was only five or ten minutes before she headed down to the Quidditch Pitch, where most of the school was already filling the stands. She made her way up the stairs where the green and yellow colours were, eyes peeled for any of her friends, but was interrupted just before she reached Pansy and the girls by a sharp blow of the whistle. She turned around, as the announcement echoed over the stadium. "All students are to return to their common rooms at once. The match has been cancelled."

She looked up. It was a bright and sunny day, perfect Quidditch conditions. This could only mean one thing. There had been another attack. "Gwen!" she yelled immediately, rushing to meet Pansy. "Where's Gwen?"

"Tearston? I don't know, last I saw she was with Oliphant."

Her heart raced. No, not Gwen. She should be protected, she reminded herself. She'd be fine. But she couldn't help the sense of panic that gripped her. What if she wasn't? And she'd spent her time arguing with Potter, and she could have been with Gwen, and then she'd know she was okay.

"Robin!" she yelled, searching the stands even as the crowd started moving in the other direction. "Robin! Gwen!"

"What?" It was Robin who yelled out, and a second later someone was ruffling her hair.

"Oi! Get off!"

"Relax," Gwen laughed, and Robin dropped his hand down to his side. Aurora fixed him with a glare.

"Do not touch my hair again."

He winked. "Noted."

"Do you know what this means?" she demanded as they clung together in the crowd. "Someone must have been attacked, that's the only reason they'd call the match off."

"You really think so?" Gwen's voice was laced with nerves now. "God, I didn't think... There haven't been any attacks in so long." She looked around her as though expecting to be attacked at any second. "We should hurry back."

Aurora nodded as they descended the stairs. "My thoughts exactly."

The news came later that evening. There had been two attacks: Hermione Granger and Penelope Clearwater were both Petrified. Aurora felt sickened. She didn't like Granger, but she did know her, and the news shook all of them. The only good thing was that no one had been killed - or at least, no one had been killed yet. Dumbledore had been removed from his post as Headmaster, and word was that Hagrid had been sent to Azkaban. Aurora supposed he did have a certain weird affection for monstrous, dangerous animals, but she had a difficult time believing the man who had been so kind to everyone could possibly want to hurt Muggleborns students. Granger had done an awful lot for him last year in harbouring his dragon, and Aurora just didn't buy the idea that he had done this. Still, it wasn't like she knew him. She'd never really spoken to him, apart from that one incident last year. She just hoped that it did stop the attacks.

Now no one was allowed to be alone, and they were to be moved from class to class by teachers. This did seem to comfort Gwen a little bit, but she seemed terrified at the prospect of Hogwarts closing, as Snape had told them might very well be the case. "We can go to Beauxbatons," Aurora told her confidently, when the girls were settled in Pansy and Millicent's room - they'd been ordered out of the common room for a prefects' meeting, but no one wanted to go to sleep just yet.

"I don't even know what that is!"

"It's in France," Lucille said. "My mother was educated there, I wouldn't mind studying there at all."

"My dad'd like to send me to Durmstrang," Millicent said. "But I think it'd be awfully cold."

"I'd prefer Beauxbatons," Aurora said, and gave Gwen an encouraging smile. "It's meant to be really lovely there in the Summer, and they teach Alchemy."

"I can't go to France!" Gwen cried. "I don't speak French! I'll have to go back to the Muggle world!"

"No, you won't," Daphne assured her. "They're bound to catch the Heir now, and we won't let you get stuck in the Muggle world. The Ministry will have to find somewhere for you to learn, and assist you in doing so. It's their duty to people like you."

"See?" Aurora said, as Daphne sat back primly. "It'll be alright. We just have to stick together for now, and we'll get through it."

Though most of the school was very on edge about the Heir, as they should be, Aurora couldn't help but notice that Draco and Pansy seemed almost happy about it. "Of course, there's nothing for us to worry about," Draco said in a drawling voice the next day at breakfast. Gwen looked down, pale. "We'll all be quite safe, I'm sure. And perhaps with Dumbledore gone, the way is paved for better leadership."

"Like who?" Aurora asked. "I don't like Dumbledore all that much, but he is very well respected by most of the Wizarding World. People won't take his removal well."

"Oh, I don't know," said Pansy. "I suspect my parents will be rather pleased. Dumbledore's been Headmaster for so long, and he's getting old. It's about time we had some new blood."

"I think Snape should go for it," Draco said, and Aurora didn't bother to hide her disgust.

"If Snape became Headmaster, I think I really would go to Beauxbatons, regardless of what happened with the Heir."

The atmosphere of fear was tangible around the school over the next few weeks. Aurora could feel Potter watching her intensely during and between classes, and she knew exactly why. She wanted to slap some sense into him, but considering how close he and Granger had been, she did feel a certain twinge of sympathy.

Neville was terrified, too, despite being a pureblood. "You'll be fine," Aurora assured him briskly during Potions a couple of weeks after the attacks. "Hagrid's been taken to Azkaban and if he is the Heir, that means the attacks will stop now. Besides, Granger and the others are only Petrified, and you know the Mandrakes are almost ready." She grinned encouragingly and stopped him from adding a shrivelfig by mistake. "From what I heard you helped Professor Sprout with them, too."

Neville went red. "She told you that?"

"I have my ways of hearing things," Aurora told him cheerfully. "They'll be alright, Neville. Just keep your chin up and it'll be back to normal in no time." She hoped so, at least.

On the other side of the classroom, Draco was loudly telling Crabbe and Goyle how his father had played a personal role in having Dumbledore dismissed. Aurora didn't understand how he could act so pleased about everything, when even most of Slytherin House was on edge and worried about the Heir coming for them. It was like he just didn't care, and that unnerved her. "Sir," Draco was saying aloud, clearly trying to draw the class's attention to him. Aurora rolled her eyes and kept bent over her cauldron. "Sir, why don't you apply for the Headmaster position?"

That was the last thing anybody wanted. Neville looked like he might pass out at the very idea. "Now, now, Draco," Snape said, looking like he was trying not to smile. Aurora wanted to slap him. "Professor Dumbledore has only been suspended by the governors. I daresay he will be back with us soon."

"I'd rather Snape was the one who got kicked out," Aurora said very quietly to Neville, who smiled a little, though he still looked nervous. He always looked nervous, though.

"I expect you'd have Father's vote if you did want to apply for the job, sir. I'll tell Father you're the best teacher here, sir."

Seamus Finnigan mimed throwing up into the cauldron and it was the first time Aurora agreed with him. "Suck-up," Millicent muttered from in front of Aurora, and both she and Daphne laughed.

"I'm quite surprised the Mudbloods haven't all packed their bags by now," Draco said, and Aurora tensed. She wished he would just shut up and leave it. "I bet five galleons the next one dies. I just wish it had been Granger."

It was very lucky that the bell rang then, because Aurora was sure Draco was going to be punched by Weasley. She had to drag him out of the Gryffindor's way.

"What'd you say that to Weasley for?" she asked in a hiss as they were moved along to their next lesson.

"Don't tell me you feel bad for the Mudbloods now, Aurora."

"I feel bad for anyone who's been Petrified, Draco," she snapped. "It's honestly more concerning that you don't. And that's not the point - you're just giving Weasley an excuse to fight you!"

"It's not like you don't do the same to Potter."

"That's different," she whispered back, not totally sure how, but convinced that it was. "I make sure I have the upper hand. And I get you out of trouble."

Draco glared at her. "I don't need you to get me out of trouble, Aurora. Just leave off, would you? I don't need a lecture."

He strode forward to mutter to Crabbe and Goyle, leaving Aurora with furiously stinging eyes. She fell into step with the other girls - though remained close enough that she could hex Weasley if he got within swinging distance of Draco. "You were awfully short with Draco there," Pansy said, frowning at her. "You shouldn't be so rude."

"He's being stupid," Aurora told her, anger and frustration shaking her. "When he acts like that, all he achieves is angering people. He fancies himself a politician like his father, but Lucius Malfoy didn't get anywhere by simply insulting people and expecting to be feared."

"She is right," Daphne said, with a cold look at Pansy. "I think Draco's being foolish, too. The last thing he wants is for someone to get the impression that he actually is the Heir, and the way he's talking, I wouldn't be surprised if people did speak that."

"Except the Heir wouldn't be so loud about it," Millicent pointed out. "So he's really just being a prat."

Aurora gave Millicent an approving look, though Pansy and Lucille still looked like they wanted to argue with her, but could tell they would lose. She kept her eyes on Draco though, hand tight on her wand every time Weasley struggled towards him. If he laid a finger on her friend, she'd hex him to oblivion. Regardless of what she thought.