With tension ramping up, Aurora had two releases. Quidditch, and ballet. When Gwen was out of the room, she would take the opportunity to work through an exercise or two and just breathe. There was a beautiful structure to the style that she couldn't get from anything else, and it kept her going.
On a Sunday afternoon, with the lake darkening outside the window, she finished a fondue exercise and sank down onto her bed. She was by no means good. Maybe if the wizarding world - or Hogwarts, for that matter - had any decent infrastructure for dance education she could have been better, but the movements came back to her nonetheless, and the feeling of being in that headspace, not worrying about anything else, was freeing.
Working through a cooldown, Aurora's eyes drifted to her trunk where the necklace her father had sent had been buried. She hadn't dared touch it. There was a great part of her that wanted to throw it into a fire. But as far as she could tell there was no curse or anything dangerous on it, and that frustrated her. There had to be something. Unless all her father wanted was to scare her, in which case he was succeeding.
Until she could work out what was wrong with it and what exactly her father was playing at, she had to keep it. It was meant for her, he was coming for her, and for that reason, she had to be the one to stop him. She had to be the one to kill him - if it came to that.
Most of her time was consumed by that and studying. It was easier to drown herself in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy and Transfiguration than it was to contemplate the reality of the world outside the walls of Hogwarts. Everyone kept telling her she needed to get out more. That only annoyed her.
Neville was still sitting by her in Potions, which was actually more of an annoyance than anything, but if she told him to bugger off now it would make everything worse and, frankly, she didn't have the time to deal with him or the reaction it would surely gain from Potter and his little fan club. Relief came in the form of Quidditch practice. It was a time to be free, and with the first match against Gryffindor coming closer and closer, it offered plenty of an outlet for her ever-present anger. She savoured her imagination and the look on Potter's face if either she or Draco managed to steal the Snitch from him. She kept telling herself that if Slytherin won the match, all would be right with the world. It was a lie of course - but it was comforting.
Before that, though, came Halloween. She finished her homework on the Friday so that she could enjoy the whole weekend; on Saturday she would have her first Hogsmeade trip, then the Halloween feast, and then the Slytherin House initiation. Last year it had been suitably subdued after the Petrification of Mrs Norris, but that only meant that everyone was even more excited for this year.
She, Pansy, and Daphne had created an itinerary of all of the shops they wanted to visit. There was Gladrags Wizardwear, Dervish and Banges, Schrivenshaft Quill Shop, Honeydukes Sweetshop, Gadolfo's Beloved Bookshop (that was Aurora's idea mainly), Floribert's Jeweller's Shop, and Bavo's Boutique. The three of them set off together with promises that they would meet Draco, Lucille, Blaise and Millicent at the Three Broomsticks in the afternoon.
All of them obsessed over the pretty sets of silk and lace robes in Gladrags, the lovely scarves, shawls, and a whole manner of assorted clothes in Bavo's, and the pretty jewellery in the windows of Floribert's. "This would match my eyes," Daphne said, pointing to a sapphire necklace. "Don't you think?"
"The stones would," Aurora said assessingly. "But they're rather large; you'd suit something smaller and more delicate, I think."
"I like this ring," Pansy said, gesturing to a golden band with a diamond. "It's lovely."
"And far too expensive and fancy for you," Daphne said.
"It is not," Pansy said primly, but Aurora privately agreed with Daphne. "Do you think Draco would like it?"
"Who cares what Draco thinks?" Daphne said airily. "He has no fashion sense, Pansy."
They spent simply forever in the jewellery shop, to the extent that Aurora felt very rushed in the bookshop and couldn't adequately browse the Arithmancy section as she wanted to. Pansy, whose interest in the subject had been quickly dwindling, got lost in a section on fashion of the witch trials - which had gotten a lot of witches into a lot of trouble - and Daphne was left unamused in the doorway, hauling them back to the other side of the village where the Three Broomsticks was.
They were nearly there when Aurora heard a loud bark and nearly jumped out of her skin, turning around. She blinked in surprise. A thin, ragged black dog was standing at the corner of the street, staring at her. It looked just like the dog that had been in the Tonkses' garden, and the resemblance startled her. "What is it?" Pansy asked, stopping just ahead of her.
"This dog," she said, and Daphne gasped when she realised what she was looking at.
"Aurora, that's the Grim! You have to get away from it!"
"It's not the Grim," Aurora told her, though nerves crept through her. "It's just a dog."
"They're omens of death!"
"Its eyes are creepy," Pansy said with a shudder. "It looks like a stray. Aurora, don't go near it." But she couldn't stop herself from taking a few steps forward. "It'll have fleas!"
"Aurora," Daphne said urgently, "Don't you know what a Grim is? This is an awful omen, you ought to get away from it."
"If its an omen then it won't make much of a difference how close I am," Aurora said, but she still kept her distance. Something about the eyes...
"Arcturus always said omens are a lot of nonsense and I agree. Divination isn't real magic, it was just made up by Muggles who wanted to feel more important than they actually are and so decided certain symbols have certain power so they can try and rationalise magic and pretend they have a part in it. Arithmancy is much more reliable." She frowned at the dog nevertheless. It was a bit creepy, not only because of its resemblance to the dog she'd seen at the Tonkses'. And the fact that she'd seen an eerily similar shadow at Quidditch practice. She shivered remembering it.
"I'm freezing," Pansy said, rolling her eyes. "I don't want a theory lecture. Let's go inside already."
The Three Broomsticks was cozy inside, and smelled slightly sweet. They spied Draco, Blaise and Theodore already in a corner booth together and so hurried over. The boys glanced up as the girls approached; they'd already gotten them butterbeers. Aurora smiled gratefully at Draco as she took a seat beside him. "Have fun?" she asked lightly.
"As much fun as you can have when Crabbe and Goyle are trying to steal your chocolate," Draco told her grumpily, and she laughed at the pouty look on his face. "No sign of Potter, then?"
"Looks like he's kept to the rules," she said and Draco scowled; he'd hoped to see him in trouble. "For once." It had been rather amusing to witness Potter's attempts to persuade Filch and McGonagall to allow him to Hogsmeade without a permission slip. She wouldn't be surprised if he turned up at some point, though. "You wouldn't believe the day I've had, those two kept me in the jewellery shop forever!"
"Like you weren't looking, too," Pansy retorted. "We saw some really lovely pieces, Draco."
Draco looked like he couldn't care less. "I found this rather funny Sneakoscope in Dervish and Banges. Instead of whistling, it makes a trumpet sound."
"Well, I suppose that is an easier way of getting someone's attention."
"Yeah. We were in Zonko's too - look, purple powder. Anyone you put it on, all they see's purple. Could be useful against Gryffindor."
He had seemed even more determined to prove himself since Flint mentioned Aurora could take his place. "I suppose, but it would be rather obvious you'd tampered with the game."
"I bet there's nothing in the rules about it, though. They wouldn't think to create a rule for something so specific."
"No, they'd have to ensure you couldn't tamper with the Seeker's sight. Or any players, it could get dangerous."
Draco pouted. "Well, I thought it could be a fun idea."
"We can always look up the rulebook," Aurora told him, grinning, and he brightened a little. "Provided you can play?"
He looked sullenly at his arm. "I want to be my best against Potter. I should have beaten him last year and I didn't, and I need to beat him this time!" There was a bitter determination in his voice, of the sort Aurora hadn't heard before.
As Millicent and Lucille arrived and got their own drinks, the conversation turned towards the initiation that would be happening tonight. They kept their voices low and hushed so any passing rival students couldn't hear - this was strictly Slytherin business. "Martin Whitman told me they've to bring something back from Dumbledore's study," Lucille said hushedly.
"That's too far," Blaise put in. "If they got caught, then they would be given the ultimate punishment, no one would do it."
"That's exactly why it would be a challenge," Aurora reasoned. "How much trouble would one of us have gotten in for all the things we did on our initiation? They have to learn how to take risks and minimise their chances of being caught."
"Apparently they're going to have to recreate a relic of Morgana," Pansy added. "That's what Thea told me."
"Does anyone have reliable sources?" Theodore asked with a long-suffering sort of sigh, and Pansy glared at him.
"Thea Rookwood is a perfectly reliable source, thank you very much, Theodore."
"Isn't she the one who started that rumour about Snape being a Holyhead Harpy?"
"I think that was a joke."
"Well," Millicent said, "I overheard Loraine Howell - the seventh year prefect - telling Jacqueline Abbott that they're going to make them work together. All of them."
"Together?" Aurora raised her eyebrows. "That's a new one."
"Teamwork has always been important," Daphne mused. "But what are they going to?"
"Steal the sword of Gryffindor from Dumbledore's study." Millicent sat back, looking very pleased with herself. "It fits with what Lucille just told us. I think it's true."
But they did not get to find out that night what the upper years had in store for the first years. For they had barely gotten back to their room and into their night clothes when the alarm was raised, the prefects came running, and Professor Snape coul he heard barking from the common room that they were all to go to the Great Hall immediately.
"What's going on?" Draco wondered aloud as Aurora and Gwen joined the rest, having run from their room. He'd gone rather pale. "What's happened this time?"
"I bet it's something involving Potter," Aurora said bitterly. First the troll, then Mrs Norris. Definitely something to do with Potter. Then a worrying thought hit her. What if it was something to do with her father and Potter? What if her father...
"Come on," she said tensely, and held Draco's hand tight. He looked at her in surprise, glancing at their hands in question. "They wouldn't get us out of the dorms unless something really major had happened. We need to stick together."
No one outright said it, or at least not in front of her, but Aurora could tell the other students all thought it was something to do with Sirius Black, too. Had he been sighted nearby? Had he gotten into the castle? Had he gotten to Potter? Was he coming for her next?
The Gryffindors were already in the Great Hall when the Slytherins arrived, all of them looking nervous. Colin Creevey jumped out of the way when Aurora passed him and she clenched her fist. Draco noticed the tension and sent Creevey a glare that had him scurrying all the way over to Ginny Weasley, whispering in her ear. "Don't scare the Gryffindors," she whispered. "That's all I need, one of them to go running scared to Dumbledore."
"He was scared anyway," Draco said, and he was right. Aurora tried to make sure she didn't look scared as she and her friends sat down in a corner of the hall, whispering to each other.
"Does anyone know what's happening?" Gwen whispered frantically.
"If we did, we would have said so," Pansy said, but she looked even paler than Gwen did. "Oh, this is going to disrupt the initiation again, isn't it? I can't believe it!"
"Shush," Aurora said, for one of their prefects - Loraine Howell - was headed in their direction, and she wanted to see if they knew anything.
"What's going on?" Draco demanded to know. "Why have we been dragged out of the dungeons."
"Apparently," Howell said in a low voice, "Sirius Black tried to get into Gryffindor Tower while we were all at the feast. He's destroyed the portrait they use to get in and out."
Aurora felt numb and nauseous. That was her father. He'd snuck into the school under everyone's noses and gotten as far as the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. He'd gone after Potter, that much was clear, and it must have been purely out of luck that he hadn't gotten in and that he hadn't hurt anyone. The one night they'd all be downstairs at the feast. If he'd come across anyone, who knew what he might have done to get his hands on that password? To get his hands on Potter? What if he'd tried to get into the Slytherin common room first, what if he'd tried to attack her? What if he'd waited until they should be asleep, what if he'd done it when their first years were running about the castle, what if he'd killed someone?
"Aurora," Draco said, nudging her knee. His eyes were wide with worry. "Aurora."
She came to her senses quickly, though it felt like she'd just been hit over the head. "What? How - how did he get in?"
Howell sighed. "We don't know. Professor Dumbledore would like to speak with you, though."
This was what she was afraid of. Her heart tumbled into her stomach and she felt like she might throw up everything she'd eaten at the feast. "Now?"
"He says it will only take a moment." Howell looked assessingly at her. "Go on, Black."
She got rather clumsily to her feet, and went to the other end of the hall, where Dumbledore appeared deep in conversation with Professor McGonagall. She could feel all the others students' eyes on her as she passed; some scared, others accusatory. It was rare for Aurora to want to hide, but right now she truly did.
"Professor," she greeted mildly. "Headmaster. I was told you wanted to speak with me?"
McGonagall looked very worried, but Dumbledore smiled calmly. "Ah, yes, Aurora. As you may have heard by now, your father has broken into the castle."
"Dumbledore," McGonagall cut in. "I am not sure this is the time... The children..."
"Loraine Howell told me," Aurora said, tightening her jaw. "She said he went to Gryffindor Tower."
"I thought it prudent to ask, if you had any idea about this?"
She stared at him, almost flinching. "No, sir," she said coldly. "I didn't have any idea that my father, who I have not seen or had any contact with in twelve years, was going to break into Hogwarts castle, nor did I help him, if that's what you think."
"I did not accuse you of anything, Aurora," Dumbledore said pleasantly.
"You as good as did."
McGonagall looked disapproving of Aurora's tone, but didn't tell her off. "You are quite sure, you haven't heard anything or seen anything to suggest how your father may have intruded?"
"No," she said sharply, folding her arms. "Why would I have? Far as I know, he could very well have been trying to kill me too. I've been in Hogsmeade all day, and I think if he was hanging around there someone else might have seen him, so I don't know why you're only asking me."
"I only asked to make sure, Aurora." Dumbledore smiled grimly. "If you have any ideas, I urge you to tell me. If your father is nearby, he may attempt to contact you-"
"Or kill me."
"Please, Miss Black," McGonagall said crisply, in a warning tone. "Dumbledore, I think we can leave this for now. Let us begin our search."
Aurora gave McGonagall a grateful look, but when she turned to return to her friends, even more of the students were staring at her, and those just before her had gone rather quiet, like they had been straining to eavesdrop. She tried not to glare, because that wouldn't help her case at all, but she felt bitter as she made her way back to the others.
"What did old Dumbledore have to say?" Draco asked.
"Oh, he only wanted to accuse me of harbouring a mass murderer," she said with fake lightness. Her bitter look betrayed her. "Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Dumbledore's an idiot," Pansy said primly. "I've been saying he's losing his marbles for ages now."
She cracked a grin. "Yeah. Thanks."
But as she looked around the settling hall, she could tell Dumbledore was not the only one who thought she might have something to do with it. She shouldn't be surprised, but she did find herself oddly hurt by the venomous and accusatory glares of her fellow students. They didn't matter, she reminded herself, glancing at the small group gathered around her. She had her friends, and they knew her better than anyone else. Draco gave her a warm and comforting smile. "They'll catch him," he promised, intertwining their pinkie fingers. "Don't worry."
"I can't not worry," Aurora sighed in response, leaning her head on her cousin's shoulder. "He could still be here."
"We'll protect you," Millicent said with conviction.
"Exactly," Pansy said haughtily. "That blood traitor isn't getting anywhere near our Aurora."