The second week in December, Snape came around with a roll of parchment so the students who were staying over the holidays could register their names. Though the Tonkses had invited Aurora to stay, she preferred to stay at Hogwarts where she could read and be relatively alone for a little while without anyone whispering and distracting her. In the wake of the attack on Creevey, many people had started pointing the finger at her even more - "Her father was a murderer, she's a Slytherin and an old pureblood, why not?" She wanted to scream.

It did come as a surprise to her, however, when she discovered that Draco would also be staying for the Christmas holidays. He approached her after seeing her name on the list, and though they hadn't spoken properly in a while, he sat down and started a quite amicable conversation about human Transfiguration, which she had been reading about. "Of course," he said, "it's very advanced magic. But if anyone's going to be reading about that sort of thing, it's you, isn't it?"

His comment made her beam and then, quickly, he was fine again, and so was Pansy and everyone else. Gwen sighed when Aurora moved to sit beside Draco in History again, but she didn't say anything - not to Aurora, anyway. The great excitement of the week came in Thursday afternoon's Potions lesson with Gryffindor. For the purposes of staying out Snape's eye, Aurora remained with Neville in the back of the classroom nearer the Gryffindors, Gwen and Robin behind her. With Potter around, Snape was generally distracted with many more opportunities for bullying, and Neville didn't cause so many accidents to draw his attention anymore.

They were working on Swelling Solutions, something which was considerably more difficult than last year's work, but Aurora felt she was managing. The consistency was admittedly runnier than she would have liked, but had she been given a bit more time it could have obtained a high mark.

But about fifteen minutes from the end, someone sent a firework soaring into Goyle's cauldron, causing it to explode. His Swelling Solution erupted over the classroom like a volcano, and Aurora had to duck to avoid it. Neville wasn't quite so lucky; his left hand swelled to the size of a pufferfish and he went miserably to the front of the classroom so Snape could administer the antidote. Aurora was left behind lingering in the shadowy back, trying to scrub some of the mess from her table, when she saw Hermione Granger dart through the chaos in and out of Snape's supply cupboard, with ingredients stuffed very unsubtly down her robes. She stared at her. What was Granger thinking, robbing Snape? It was clear that Potter and Weasley were in on it too, and Aurora gave them very significant looks. Potter went white, but they gave no further indication of what they had done, and Aurora wouldn't have been surprised if Granger had put a Vanishing Spell on her bag to retrieve at a later time. She was watching them, though, from that point on.

Especially considering how Snape said he'd expel whoever set the firework off and gave Aurora a deliberate, nasty look. She hadn't done anything in his class this year except keep her head down, help Neville out a little, and produce good work. But apparently that wasn't what he asked of his students, or at least not those named Aurora Black.

A week later, a notice was posted in the Entrance Hall, stating that Hogwarts would be holding a Duelling Club. "The first meeting's tonight," Pansy said, addressing their reformed knot of Slytherins. "Shall we?"

They all nodded eagerly, and so at eight o'clock that evening they went upstairs to the Great Hall together. There was a pretty good turnout from across the houses - Potter and his friends were there too, of course - and everyone was speculating on who would be teaching them. Aurora's bets were on Flitwick, alleged to have been a Duelling Champion when he was younger, and so she was sorely disappointed to see Lockhart take to the golden stage at the end of the Hall. "Granger's going to wet herself with excitement," Lucille murmured, and Pansy laughed loudly. He was also accompanied by Snape, who looked most displeased by the situation.

Lockhart waved an arm and the gossiping hall quietened. "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Hear me? Excellent!

"Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little Duelling Club." It was hardly little, Aurora thought, considering most of the school seemed to have turned up. "We're going to train you all up in case you ever need a little extra protection to defend yourselves, as I myself have done on many occasions - for full details, please see my published works."

Aurora snorted. "Like they're not on all our booklists anyway."

"Anything for publicity," Lucille murmured.

"Now, let me introduce my glamorous assistant, Professor Snape." Aurora and Gwen both had to try very hard not to laugh. Professor Snape was the opposite of glamorous, and he was also looking rather murderous at the thought of being referred to as assistant. "He tells me he knows a little bit about Duelling himself and so has agreed to help me demonstrate before we begin! Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry - you'll still have your Potions Master when I'm through with him!"

"I hope Snape decimates him," Millicent said with glee as the two professors turned to one another. Lockhart bowed with a lot of unnecessary flourish, while Snape merely jerked his head. It was more than most would get out of him. Both held their wands at their sides and then raised them slowly in front of themselves.

"As you see, we are holding our wand in the accepted combative position. On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aimin to kill, of course."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Snape did," Lucille said - very, very quietly.

"One, two, three!"

"Expelliarmus!" Snape yelled, bringing his wand up. A jet of red light flew from the tip of his wand and Lockhart was blasted into the air, crashing into the wall so that he sprawled in the ground.

Aurora surprised herself by actually cheering Snape's victory, though she stopped quickly. Lockhart got to his feet rather unsteadily, like he was trying not to appear as flustered as he really was. "Well, there you have it! That was a Disarming Charm - as you see, I have lost my wand - oh, thank you, Miss Brown." Lavender Brown flushed as scarlet as a Gryffindor scarf. "Yes, it was an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying, it was rather obvious what you were going to do. If I had wanted to, I could have easily blocked your spell. However, I felt it would be instructive to let them see. But enough demonstrating!" He was looking slightly nervous at the expression on Snape's face. "I'm going to come amongst you now and put you into pairs. Professor Snape, if you would like to help me!"

Aurora moved automatically towards Daphne, who would be a good match for a duel, but Snape called her over. She startled at the sound of her name. "Yes, you, Black. Over here, see if you and Potter can't finish each other off for me. Bulstrode, with Miss Granger."

Millicent huffed, and Pansy gave her a very false apologetic look as she and Aurora moved off towards Potter and Granger. "Evening," Aurora said, meeting Potter's eyes. When Snape moved out of earshot, she moved close enough to whisper in his ear, "Nice stunt with the fireworks. I hope the ingredients you stole were worth it; it'd be such a shame if Snape found out and expelled you."

When she stepped back, he was looking slightly rattled, which of course had been exactly what she was going for. She smirked, gripping her wand. This would be very interesting. She knew a fair few hexes and jinxes and a few curses as well, mostly from observation and reading, but Potter was one person she wouldn't mind taking them out on if she was given the chance.

"Face your partners!" Lockhart called. Aurora gave Potter a hard look. "And now!" She inclined her head the tiniest bit, never dropping her intimidating gaze. "Wands at the ready! When I count to three, use your wands to disarm your opponent - only to disarm them - we don't want any accidents! One, two, three!"

Aurora was quicker than Potter. The first syllable left her before he got through the number three. "Expelliarmus!"

In a flash of red, Potter was shoved back, his wandflying in the air, and he had to dive to catch it. Aurora smirked, but he just as quickly got his wand as he countered her. "Rictusempra!"

The spell hit her square in the chest and she doubled over, feeling all the breath knocked out of her a second before the horrid feeling of being tickled all over came over her. "Bastard," she said between very undignified laughter, already raising her wand again. "Colloshoo!"

Her spell hit Potter's feet. He tried moving to retaliate, but the hex worked, and his feet were stuck firmly to the ground, causing him to wobble in place rather foolishly and topple forwards, stuck halfway between standing and hitting the ground. "Stop!" Lockhart yelled, for Aurora's laughing was beginning to get rather out of control. "Stop! I said disarm only!"

"Finite incantatem!" Snape shouted, and the tickling sensation left Aurora. She got to her feet with flaming cheeks and sent Potter her most hateful look.

A sort of greenish smoke hung over the scene. Pansy and Draco were arguing about the propriety of their spells, and looking over, Aurora saw that Millicent had abandoned her wand and now had Hermione Granger in a headlock. "Millie!"

Potter rushed forward and dragged Millicent off of Granger. Aurora helped reluctantly, giving Millicent a disapproving look as she dragged her away. "Really, Millicent?"

"She's a Know-It-All," Millicent said with a hard face. "Knew I wasn't going to beat her with magic only and so did she. She got my wand so I went for her head. It worked."

Aurora had to concede that point, no matter how undignified Millicent had appeared.

"I think I had better teach you all how to block unfriendly spells," Lockhart said, looking rather flustered as he looked around the aftermath of the duels. "Let's have a volunteer pair - Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you?"

"A terrible idea," Snape said, eyes glittering. "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley home in a matchbox." Neville flushed pink and Aurora felt another surge of anger towards Snape. "How about another pair? Potter and Black, perhaps." She knew he was just dying for them to both embarrass themselves.

She exchanged dark looks with Potter, but did as Snape instructed and took a place in the centre of the hall. Everyone else swept away to give them space. "Black," Snape said in her ear, and she jumped. "When you come to duel, use the snake summoning Charm."

"What, sir?"

"You do know the spell."

"Yes," she said quickly. "I've used it before but what good will it do in a duel?"

"It will disconcert your opponent," he said. "Potentially bite and immobilise them. And if it gets you too, then all the more fun for me."

He stepped away smartly before Aurora could retort, and she clenched her jaw. Concealed by all his insults, she knew Snape made a good point. Lockhart was doing some terrible flourishing of his arms, and Potter clearly was not learning how to block a spell either. She smirked at Potter, who glanced at Lockhart nervously. She wanted a good duel, and she wanted to win it.

"Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?"

"Not quite up to it, Potter?" she taunted, and he glared at her.

"Just do what I did, Harry!" Lockhart said, cuffing him on the shoulder. "You'll be grand!" He stepped away out of the crossfire and shouted, "Three, two, one, go!"

Aurora was quick to cast. "Serpensortia!"

There was an explosion from the end of her wand - she had, perhaps, overdone it a little - and a giant black snake shot out of it, slithering towards Potter, and reared up. He went white, and Aurora stepped forward anxiously, silently telling it not to strike. The crowd screamed, backing away, and Aurora kept the tip of her wand tracing the snake, holding it in place.

"Don't move, Potter," Snape said lazily, looking like he was enjoying himself immensely. Aurora tried to enjoy it, Potter standing there terrified, eye to eye with a very dangerous looking snake. "I'll get rid of it..."

"Allow me!" Lockhart stepped forward, brandishing his wand, and though he clearly made an attempt to vanish the snake, all he accomplished was to create a large bang and aggravate it further.

Hastily, Aurora tried to stop the snake moving, but it shot towards Justin Finch-Fletchley, her wand still following it. She tried to pull it back even as it got ready to strike, but then Potter ran forward and hissed. The shock of it almost made her drop her wand, and she stared at him furiously. He was talking to the snake. Not like people normally spoke to animals, in sweetened English, but he was hissing.

Parselmouth. Snake speaker.

The snake slumped to the floor quite innocently, lying docile. Aurora stared at it, at Potter, and then back to the recently domesticated snake. "What did you do?" The question left her before she could stop it, and Potter rounded on her, looking quite confused.

"What do you think you're playing at?" Finch-Fletchley yelled. "Both of you!" He turned and stormed from the hall. Aurora blinked as the doors slammed shut behind him.

Snape stepped forward to vanish the snake in a puff of smoke, but Aurora wasn't done. She turned on Potter and said in a hiss - but an English hiss - "What did you just do?"

He stared at her, caught between confused and furious. "What are you on about, Black? I only told it-"

But whatever he had told it to do, Aurora wasn't to find out, for Weasley and Granger had grabbed Potter and were hauling him out of the hall. Aurora stared at Snape, then after the three of them, and sighed. "Perhaps we ought to round it off there," Lockhart said uneasily. "Off to bed, chop chop!"

"What was that?" Draco whispered as they left. "What'd you conjure a snake for?"

"Snape told me to. What was Potter up to, talking to it?"

"He's a Parselmouth," Pansy whispered, joining them. "Obviously."

"How? He's not - no." She drew in a breath. "I know the blood trees. The Potters aren't any relation to the Gaunts or the Slytherins. Are they?"

She was sure they weren't, but then how could Potter be a Parselmouth? It was an inherited skill, not a language of words that could be learned as Latin or French were, but one of magic and understanding only fostered through blood and power. It was generally taken as a sign of a dark wizard, but Aurora didn't think that was necessarily true - it was just that a lot of dark wizards had been Slytherins and they got a reputation for friendship with the snakes. Even so, she'd wanted to be a Parselmouth when she was young, determined to add it to her repertoire of languages. She'd never managed, mainly because there weren't any Parselmouths left in Britain to learn from. So how could Potter speak it? People would know if the Potters were Parselmouths, and she didn't know what family Potter's mother was from but she had a feeling she was a Muggle-born, so it was highly unlikely there was a Slytherin relation on that side.

So how could Potter be a Parselmouth? The question haunted her all night, keeping her up. She ducked out of History early, knowing that Binn wouldn't realise, and she wanted to get a book about Parseltongue from the library before anyone else could swipe one up. The library was only just along the corridor from the classroom, so it would take her two minutes to run back. She'd identified a couple of potentially useful books while hiding from Pince before she stumbled upon Potter hiding, too. Their eyes met and she stared at him, quite flustered.

His eyes fell on the books she was carrying, specifically the top one. The Language of Deceit: Dark Wizards and Snakes. "You don't-"

She shushed him, seeing Madam Pince pass them, and ducked down so she could be concealed behind Potter. "Be quiet, Potter. How are you out of class?"

"It's a blizzard," he said. She huffed. "Why are you?"

"None of your business." Madam Pince moved off. Potter was glaring at her, seemingly annoyed that she hadn't told him the truth. She didn't know what he had expected. "See you, Potter. Hope I didn't scare you too much."

She hurried back to class and stuffed the three books she'd found in her bag. She hadn't checked them out, but she was a fast reader, and good at identifying what was useful and what wasn't, so would be able to return them by the evening. She'd barely been back five minutes, however, when there was an awful lot of commotion from the corridor outside.

"It's Justin Finch-Fletchley!" a girl shouted, running into their class, quite white. Binns continued his droning lecture, but everyone else sat bolt upright, turning to stare at her. "And Nearly Headless Nick! They've been Petrified! Just now! Just outside."

Aurora tried not to swear.

Over the next few days before the end of term, she could tell people were talking about her. She wasn't entirely unused to this, but it didn't make it any better. First years scurried out her path, and the Hufflepuffs all gave her wary looks. She'd never been friends with any of them, but it didn't mean she didn't care about the way everyone reacted to her presence. What was worse was that, despite getting the same treatment as she was, Potter, seemed awfully suspicious of her, shooting glares across classrooms and whispering to his friends. It really was incredibly frustrating.

"That's a Gryffindor and a Hufflepuff down now," Pansy said over their Astronomy homework. "Ravenclaw must be next."

"Don't say that," Aurora muttered.

"Well, it's not going to be a Slytherin, is it?"

Gwen glanced up, if only for a moment, and then looked worriedly back down at her Potions essay. Aurora bit her lip. "I'd hope not, but I'd hope it isn't anyone."

"Me too," Daphne said. "It's horrid business. I can't believe Dumbledore isn't doing more to stop it. He's meant to be the greatest wizard alive, and yet he can't stop a student Petrifying others?"

"I doubt he knows who the Heir is," Pansy said.

"Oh, but he must." Lucille was frowning at them. "It was opened fifty years ago, remember? Whoever did it was expelled, and Dumbledore was already a Professor here, so he must know."

They all stared at her, agape. "You didn't think to mention this earlier!" Millicent yelped.

"Well, it seemed obvious!"

"There must be school records," Aurora said quickly. "Students who have been expelled, or even just those who have attended. That must give some indication, and it would make sense that whoever the Heir was last time, their child - or maybe grandchild - would be the Heir now!"

"That could be anyone, though," Pansy pointed out. "My grandfather was at Hogwarts fifty years ago, but he certainly was not the Heir."

"I suppose," Daphne said, pursing her lips. "I just don't understand how Dumbledore isn't doing anything. None of the professors are, not really! I don't think they'd do something unless someone died at this rate."

Gwen shuddered visibly, and closed her textbook loudly. "Don't talk about people dying, please."

"It's realism," Millicent said. She chewed the end of a sugar quill. "Do you think Dumbledore knows where the chamber of secrets is?"

"I doubt it," Lucille said. "Otherwise they would have stopped it from being opened. I'm not entirely certain Dumbledore knows anything. If he does, he's being very unhelpful."

"Even so," Aurora said quietly, "it worries me how quickly this has all progressed. There was only about a fortnight between the first two, and then five weeks between second and third - but those were two separate victims." She furrowed her brow. "You have to wonder what might happen next term."

"You'll be safe over the holidays, won't you?" Millicent said to her, looking worried.

"Of course she will," Pansy said dismissively. "No ones going to hurt Aurora." She glanced at her. "And besides, Draco's staying."

Daphne laughed. "I don't really think Draco's up to much defending."

"I'll be the one defending him," Aurora said. "He's bound to start a fight with Potter at some point."

"As if you won't," Gwen said knowingly.

"I'm keeping my dignity," she said, pursing her lips as the other girls laughed. "Now, all of you, we've barely anything left of the term. How about some gobstones?"