When she woke up in the morning, Aurora somehow felt even more tired than she had the night before, and when she glanced over at Gwen she slightly wanted to bury her face in her pillow again, but she was determined to make the most to the start of this - admittedly unorthodox - new school year. She had three new classes starting this year - Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures - as well as a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Lupin, though his familiarity unnerved her, had already proven himself smarter than Lockhart had been, and she hoped he'd make a good teacher.
"Why do you have to wake so early?" Gwen groaned as Aurora flicked her wand and turned the lamps around the walls on.
"Come on, Gwen," she said briskly, standing up without looking at her, "rise and shine, that's what the Muggles say, isn't it?"
Gwen didn't reply, just groaned, and then there was a sound like she'd flopped back onto her bed, though Aurora didn't take care to look. She put her books into her bag before hurrying to the bathroom to get ready. When she came out, Gwen was tiredly getting herself organised, and Aurora gave her a stiff nod before heading to breakfast.
Draco was, thankfully, already heading through the common room with Blaise and Theodore, with Vincent and Greg hanging a little ways back, and she latched onto them with a forced smile. "Happy new year," she said cheerfully, and Blaise's face fell into one of horror.
"Are you okay?"
"Why on earth wouldn't I be, Zabini?"
"You're smiling at me. It's unnerving."
She replied with an even sharper smirk and linked her arm through Draco's. "Why, whatever do you mean?"
Blaise looked rather confused, and so Aurora and Draco led the way to the Great Hall. "Is it Potter?" Draco whispered, as they spied him coming down the staircase towards them.
"No. Him I can handle quite fine."
"Tearston, then?" She pursed her lips. "She's not worth your time anyway, Aurora." She tried to smile.
When they got into the Great Hall, Snape handed them their timetables with a sneer. "Comb your hair, Black," he hissed. "You look like a mess."
The comment was entirely uncalled for, Aurora thought with a scowl, and she snatched her timetable from Snape's hand. He glared at her and went on down the length of the table, seeming more hateful every time he had to interact with a student.
"Arithmancy first," Aurora told the boys happily.
"Good for you," Theodore said, looking down at his bacon like he was about to fall asleep in it.
"I expect Divination will be positively wretched. You have it with Gryffindor."
Theo scoffed. "Check your own timetable, Aurora: you're sharing Arithmancy with Gryffindor too."
Draco groaned. "He's right. Merlin, and Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes. Is there no end!"
When Aurora checked her timetable again, she realised Theo was right. "Oh, no," she groaned. "This is going to be a rough year."
When Gwendolyn did eventually arrive to breakfast, she gave Aurora a rather awkward wave and was dragged away by Robin, who merely looked curious. Aurora ignored them and when the time came, headed to class with Draco, Blaise and Pansy. The Arithmancy classroom wasn't very far, and they found it easily. She knew the Divination class was at the top of North Tower, and so Aurora was very glad she hadn't chosen that subject.
Professor Septima Vector welcomed them into her class the exact moment that the bell rang, and they filtered inside. "I have organised a seating plan based on your houses," she said. "We want to encourage integration, as four is a very divisive number." Four actually had very few factors, so Aurora wasn't sure what Vector meant, though she couldn't wait to find out. "Please refer to the blackboard." She tapped it with her wand and a seating plan appeared. There were only a dozen or so students in the class - most opting for the more easy-going Divination - and far more Slytherins than there were Gryffindors.
But as luck would have it, the seating plan placed her right next to Hermione Granger - sharing a desk, no less. Aurora withheld a groan as she made her way over to the row by the window, claiming the seat next to the airy window. Granger came in a moment later and her face fell and paled when she saw the chart drawn up on the blackboard, but nevertheless she didn't complain when she went over to sit by Aurora.
"Granger," Aurora said as pleasantly as she could manage, taking out her textbook.
"Black," Granger replied stiffly, as she did the same.
They didn't speak again, which suited Aurora just fine. Once they had all claimed their seats - Pansy had miraculously wound up next to Draco on the complete other side of the room, because of course she had all the luck - Vector cleared the blackboard and began writing with her wand.
"Arithmancy," she read aloud. "How many of you have studied at Muggle primary schools?" Granger and two other Gryffindors put their hands up. "How many of you had Mathematics tutors as children?" Now a few more of them put their hands up, Aurora included. "Very good. I hope you all have a grasp of the four fundamentals - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. You will need them. Going forward, we will study further Mathematical theorems as well as Arithmantic theories, in order to integrate the magical study with the physical and give a rounded education that will not only serve your spellwork and understanding of the magical world, but should serve as a basic for numerical interaction and transactions in the future.
"Who can tell me the name of the founding father of Arithmancy?"
Aurora's hand went into the air, but Granger got there first. "Yes. Hermione Granger, is it?"
Granger nodded. "Yes, Professor."
"Yes, Professor McGonagall told me all about you." Granger glowed with pride and Aurora mimed throwing up to Blaise, who sat behind her. He grinned, stifling a laugh. "Your answer?"
"Arithmancy builds off of the constructs of Ancient Greek isopsephy and Hebrew gematria, but the construction of Arithmancy as a form of magic was founded upon the work of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, who simplified these concepts and adapted them to the Latin alphabet."
"Thank you, Miss Granger. That should be familiar to you all, if you have done your required reading, as it is near word for word the passage in your textbooks." Granger went rather pink and Aurora turned to hide her smirk from Professor Vector. "Nevertheless, you are correct.
"Throughout this term," Vector went on, "I plan to introduce you not only to the concepts of Arithmancy and Numerology, but their history and their use throughout the Magical world. While Arithmancy is a highly precise field of work, this curriculum will also invite you to form your own ideas and concepts built on a solid foundation of knowledge. Arithmancy has a relevance not only in spellwork but in the workings of time and the future. Despite the oft detached nature of Numerology, Arithmancy can often tell us much about our selves, lives, souls, and fates." She smiled, and it instantly made the room warmer. "On that note, we will start by a simple exercise founded upon the work of Agrippa." Vector smiled in Granger's direction.
"In chapter two of your textbooks, you will find an Agrippan number chart, where each letter of the Latin alphabet is assigned a number. Using your full names, please calculate your life numbers, character numbers, and heart numbers according to the instructions in your textbook."
Granger flipped frantically to chapter two, and Aurora watched her in amusement. She herself had done these calculations numerous times before. Her heart was three, her life was one, and her character was a four. Though she opened her textbook and double-checked the calculation just for something to do, she wasn't frowning like Granger was. "Why aren't you working?" she hissed at her.
"Sorry?" Aurora asked.
"Professor Vector told us to do these calculations".
"I've already done them," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Three, one and four."
Granger looked furious that Aurora had gotten ahead of her, though really it was only because she was interested in this subject in particular. She smirked, and took to re-reading her textbook, going over the history of Agrippan method. After five minutes, Vector called time up, and came around to check everyone's calculations and tell them what they meant. "Your calculation is interesting," she told Aurora. "Three, one and four. It is a circular number, emphasising change... Your heart and life numbers are both very strong... Your character number is a four. Signifying an honest soul. Does this sound right?" Vector was examining her closely. "Your number is like that of a phoenix. It is rare, and yet it doesn't seem to quite add up." She frowned. "Aurora Black, is it?" She nodded. "Middle name?"
"I haven't got one."
Professor Vector didn't appear satisfied. "Mother's maiden name?"
Aurora swallowed. "I don't know, Professor."
Vector's mouth thinned into a tight line. "Mother's forename?"
"I don't know that either, Professor."
"Hm." She narrowed her eyes. "I sense a change is indeed afoot, Aurora, but your numbers do not quite add up. Three names make for the most stable of calculations. Miss Granger, how about you?"
Granger gave a superior look, but Aurora hardly noticed it, too engrossed in her own thoughts. She knew her calculations were correct - she was more than capable of basic numeracy - and yet Vector didn't seem satisfied by them. Granger was told her soul was genuine and then Vector went on to speak to Davis and Drought, leaving the pair alone.
"So much for having already done the calculation," Granger said in a smug voice, and Aurora glared venomously at her. "Still, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."
"Don't patronise me, Granger. I'm more than capable of figuring out what my numbers mean for myself, thank you very much. Still, I'm sure you're very proud of your genuine soul. How positively Gryffindor." She sneered and turned back to her parchment, though she was fuming. It wasn't her fault she didn't know her mother's name, after all. Even then, it wouldn't be a supplement for a middle name, which she didn't even know if she had.
Or maybe she could just have an honest soul and be happy with it. Who was to say that wasn't at her core, that that was the person she'd become? Honest, and perhaps kind with it. Not a scheming Slytherin. But getting away with lying and bluffing with so fun. Honesty would be boring.
Still, she would figure it out. Numbers could be manipulated and interpreted in many ways, and this wasn't the be all and end all of Arithmancy or her personality. She simply had to broaden her understanding of the subject a little bit more.
The rest of the class was more like a history lecture, as Professor Vector went over the basic foundations of Arithmancy and its relationship to other forms of magic - primarily Divination, Transfiguration, Alchemy, and Potions. At the mention of Alchemy, Aurora sat up straight and scribbled furious notes on everything the professor said; Granger looked surprised at her, though she could only be distracted from her own diligent note-taking for a handful of seconds.
With the promise that they would be taking a deeper dive into the properties of Arithmancy and its practical applications in the next lesson, Vector let them go. "That was rather alright, wasn't it?" Pansy said as she met Aurora at the door. She sneered at Granger as she passed. "Pity you had to sit with her." She lowered her voice to a rather giddy whisper. "Draco and I have the same heart number, can you believe it? Do you think it means anything?"
Aurora laughed. "Not romantically, if that's what you're thinking." From the blush on Pansy's cheeks, it seemed that was what she had been thinking. "No, your heart number has more to do with your magical abilities, power and core, like Professor Vector said."
Pansy bit her lip. "Do you think it might mean something, though? Do you think he thinks it might?"
"Ask him yourself," Aurora told her quietly, with a smile even though it was strange to think of her two oldest friends having any sort of romantic relationship.
"Oh, I can't do that! Won't you find out for me, Aurora?"
"I can't ask him! It's your life!"
"Oh, but Aurora, it would be so dreadfully embarrassing if he said no!"
Shaking her head, Aurora led Pansy upstairs towards their Charms class. "You'll just have to work it out yourself then."
"But you will tell me if he says anything about me?"
"Pansy, he's always talking about you. How am I to know why?"
Pansy sighed. "Please?"
Aurora rolled her eyes fondly though she had no idea what sort of thing she was even supposed to report back on. "Sure. I'll keep an ear out."
Pansy beamed. "This is why you're my best friend," she said, hugging her tightly, and it made Aurora blush so much she was still boiling when she slipped into a seat between Theodore and Daphne - on the opposite side of the classroom to Gwen - five minutes later.
"How was Divination?" she asked. "I bet it wasn't as good as Arithmancy."
"It was alright," Theodore said with a shrug. "Not my cup of tea, but Daphne enjoyed it.
"Trelawney predicted Potter's death."
"Lovely," Aurora said with a tense smile as she got out her notes. "That gives me something to look forward to."
"I told you she'd say that," Daphne said quietly, and Theodore glared as he handed her a sickle.
Aurora rolled her eyes and said primly, "You shouldn't gamble."
"Oh, but you're so fun to predict. And besides, now I have an Inner Eye." He screwed up his face comically. "I predict... Aurora will become bored of Arithmancy, which sounds like the worst subject ever invented, and instead see clearly and turn to Divination to explore her soul."
"You need Inner Glasses, Theodore. Do be quiet."
Charms passed without much of an event, but over lunch everyone was excited about their first afternoon lesson - Care of Magical Creatures. "I have to say, I'm not pleased they've got that oaf Hagrid teaching classes," Draco said with a sniff.
"You never know," Aurora said placidly, skimming her copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them - she was loathe to touch the Monster Book of Monsters - "he might be alright. He certainly knows a lot from being gamekeeper."
Draco didn't seem convinced, and confessed to Aurora that he was worried they'd have to go into the Forbidden Forest again, like they had in first year. "He won't take a whole class in," she said confidently, though she did wonder if he might. "It was a punishment. Besides, it's the day time and there's nothing murdering unicorns now as far as I know. Plus, we'll probably start small - bowtruckles and pixies and things like."
Aurora walked to Care of Magical Creatures with Pansy, Millicent, Lucille, Theo and Blaise. This was mainly because Draco, Vincent and Greg were having a good old time making fun of Potter for fainting, and Aurora didn't want her facial expressions to betray the fact that she'd fainted too. It was horribly embarrassing, and would only be made worse if Draco realised he'd upset her by taunting Potter.
"You don't think he'll really take us into the forest, do you?" Lucille asked, though she seemed more interested than scared.
"Hard to know," Aurora said. "I doubt he'll take us far in, but it could be interesting to see some creatures in their natural habitats."
"There are unicorns in the forest, aren't there?" Millicent asked. Aurora nodded and she grinned. "Oh, I hope we get to see one!"
"I doubt they'll show unicorns to third years, Millie," Pansy said patronisingly, and Millicent went pink. "Honestly! They're incredibly rare and they don't like most humans. They value elegance." She smiled smugly. "Seeing as we have this class with Gryffindors, elegance will be in rather short supply."
When they arrived at Hagrid's hut, there was no further clues as to what they could expect. "'Lo, Aurora," Hagrid said cheerfully to her, and she waved back.
"Afternoon, Professor. Did you have a nice Summer?"
"Couldn't have been better." He beamed proudly. "Excited for your new classes then? Who're these friends you have with you?"
Pansy and Lucille were both eyeing Hagrid with apparent distaste, but Millicent was surprisingly quick to introduce herself, as were Theo and Blaise. The rest of the class arrived quickly and Hagrid's attention was diverted by Potter, Weasley and Granger, leaving Aurora to the questions of her friends. "How does Professor Hagrid know you?" Lucille asked, wrinkling her nose.
"I made a point to get to know all the staff," Aurora said airily. "It comes in useful, and I suspect will be especially handy now he's a professor. It does pay to be nice to people sometimes, Lucille."
"Right," Hagrid said loudly before Lucille could snipe back. "Off we go then, if everybody's here. Got a real treat for yeh today! With me."
For a moment, Aurora really thought Hagrid was going to lead them into the forest, but it turned out he was leading them around its edge instead, to a large - and empty - paddock. Aurora peered in curiously.
"First thing yeh'll want to do," Hagrid was saying, "is ter open the books!"
"And how exactly do we do that?" Draco asked coldly, taking the question right out of Aurora's mouth.
Hagrid looked around blankly. "Has - has no one figure it out?" Aurora felt incredibly annoyed to have to admit that she hadn't. "Yeh have ter stroke 'em."
"Stroke them?" Lucille said shrilly to the girls. "I'm not touching one! I don't even have it with me, it's a beastly thing."
Aurora took her own book out of her bag. It snapped around the belt, but then she ran a finger down the spine as Hagrid had demonstrated and smiled as it relaxed. "It's not too hard," she told the others, who - with the exception of Lucille - were quick to follow her example.
"I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly, and Draco and Pansy both snorted.
"Oh yes. Really witty, that. Giving us books that try and rip our hands off!"
"Well," Aurora said quietly, "I suppose it gets us used to dealing with wild, dangerous things."
"Yes," Blaise said haughtily, "except books aren't meant to be either of those things."
"I think it is a little funny," Millicent admitted, but only so Aurora could hear.
Hagrid went off flustered and returned a couple of minutes later with a herd of horse-like, feathered animals that Aurora quickly identified as Hippogriffs. They were gorgeous, though she was hesitant to go near them at first. Potter was the first to introduce himself to a Hippogriff named Buckbeak, bowing lowly to it, and eventually got to ride it. Aurora was incredibly jealous, and when Potter landed beaming, she wished dearly that she had been the first to ride a Hippogriff.
They all got a chance, though. Draco got to introduce himself to Buckbeak while Aurora spoke to a dark-feathered, almost raven-like Hippogriff named Softail. "Hello, my lovely," she said, sinking into a low bow. "You're gorgeous."
Softail regarded her curiously, and made a low sort of whinnying sound. Aurora took a step backwards as Hagrid had warned, never breaking that gentle eye contact. Softail whinnied again, tossing his head, and she stepped further back. She was about to hurry out of the paddock towards Hagrid and Potter when Draco let out a cry and she turned around, just in time to see Buckbeak slash his arm with his claws. Time seemed to stop as blood bloomed suddenly from the gash and she felt suddenly sick with sharp terror.
"Draco!" she shrieked, rushing towards him with her heart in her mouth. "What's it done to him?"
"Out of the way," Hagrid said fretfully, running over to wrestle Buckbeak back. "Out the way, I've got you!"
"I'm dying!" Draco cried, and though he was being dramatic, Aurora felt panic rise in her throat as she clutched him, trying to move him out of harm's way. "I'm dying, look what it's done, it tried to kill me!"
"Professor!" Aurora cried. "Professor Hagrid, do something, Draco's hurt!"
In a moment, Hagrid had run over and was scooping Draco up in his arms, both of them quite white. "I gotta get him to the Hospital Wing," he muttered, and Pansy rushed over, grabbing Aurora's hand.
"What's happening? Will he be okay?"
"I gotta go," Hagrid said. "Class dismissed!"
And he ran back up to the castle with Draco in his arms. Aurora and Pansy wasted no time in grabbing their bags and books and hurrying after him, along with the rest of the class. When they got back at the castle, there was no sign of Hagrid, but they took the stairs two at a time, rushing to the Hospital Wing.
"Draco!" Pansy cried as they burst in, much to Madam Pomfrey's annoyance. Draco was being laid onto a bed, moaning as he clutched his arm. "Oh, Draco!"
"Miss Parkinson, do calm down," Pomfrey snapped.
"Are you okay?" Aurora asked quickly, trying to keep calm, looking to Draco. "It looks horrible, Draco, what happened?"
"He'll be quite alright, Miss Black," Madam Pomfrey said, ushering them back towards the door. "Now, I will have to ask please let me attend to my patient. You can speak to him later, when I have fixed his arm."
"But-"
"No buts, Miss Parkinson, I know what I'm doing." She ushered them out and Aurora got only one fretful glance towards her friend before the door swung shut.
"Ugh!" Pansy let out a cry of frustration, whipping around. "Who does she think she is, not letting us see Draco? What if he's badly injured?"
"He'll be alright," Aurora said uncertainly, looping Pansy's arm through hers. "I suppose she does know what she's doing. But that thing was absolutely beastly, don't you think? I can't believe Professor Hagrid brought those out in our first ever lesson! They were interesting but we barely knew how to handle them, it's a wonder no one else got hurt!"
And they debated that all the way down to the common room, still fuming.
-*
Aurora didn't have her first Ancient Runes class until Tuesday. It didn't interest her quite as much as Arithmancy did, but she was still looking forward to it, despite her worry over Draco's condition. She'd gone to see him the night before and he was alright, but clearly shaken, and his arm looked rather a mess. He assured her that he'd be alright for Quidditch, though, which satisfied her and the rest of the Slytherin team who she reported back to upon her return to the common room.
She went along with a still disconcertingly reserved Gwendolyn and Robin, Leah MacMillan, and Theodore Nott after lunch, as they were the only Slytherins studying Runes this year. MacMillan eyed Aurora warily, but as the others were at ease, she didn't say anything.
Aurora was annoyed but not entirely surprised to see that Hermione Granger was also in her Ancient Runes class, along with her fellow Gryffindors Eloise Midgeon and Frida Selwyn, the former of whom glared at Aurora and the latter of whom merely raised her eyebrows coolly and whispered to her friends. Leah split to sit by her brother Ernie, who came in with Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones. The rest of the class was formed by Ravenclaws, who whispered excitedly as they entered.
Aurora sat between Theo and a rather quiet but civil Gwen, taking out her textbooks and the notes she'd made over the holidays in preparation for the class. Their Professor, Bathsheda Babbling, came in a few minutes late, and smiled around at her small collection of students. "Good turnout this year," she said cheerfully, though Aurora didn't think it was. "Lovely. I am Professor Bathsheda Babbling, and I do hope you are all in the right place because I would hate to lose anybody." Aurora and Theodore shot each other quietly confused looks and Gwen whispered something to Robin on her right. Granger, who sat predictably in the front on her own, looked up curiously at the teacher. "You're all meant to be here? Wonderful. You won't mind if I take a quick register then? I do think it's vitally important to learn everybody's names - your names can reveal an awful lot. Abbott!"
Hannah Abbot, a round faced, red-haired Hufflepuff, sat up straight and stared at Professor Babbling. "Yes, Professor?"
"Are you here?"
Abbott blinked. "Yes, Professor?"
"Jolly good, say here, then."
"Here?"
Babbling smiled. "Lovely. Allan?"
Caroline Allan, a pale, mousy-haired Ravenclaw girl, looked very startled, but said, "Here."
Babbling continued on down the list cheerfully. There were barely two dozen students in their class, which considering it involved students from all four houses, was a very small proportion. Aurora thought perhaps it was a good thing. It meant they'd get more attention.
"There are over ten thousand understood Runes," Babbling said as she finished the register with Gwendolyn. "And even more that are known but not understood. Much of our knowledge of Runes is from a Western, and often Scandinavian, Celtic and Germanic focus, but Runes do not merely encompass those languages that belong to a Muggle sense of linguistic identity, but those that refer to magical symbols and understandings of the world. Over the course of this year we will cover a variety of Magical and Muggle focused Runes, all of which you will understand to play a role in the way we view the magical world, history, and magic itself.
"For now, consider alphabets. The word itself comes from Greek; an alphabet which begins with what two letters, Miss Selwyn?"
Frida Selwyn jumped. "Alpha and beta, Professor."
"One point to Gryffindor. Mr Oliphant, what Latin letters do Alpha and Beta correspond to?"
"A and B, Professor."
"A point to Slytherin. Miss Bones, how many letters in the common Greek alphabet?"
Susan Bones looked rather flustered. "Er, twenty one, Professor?"
"Twenty four, Miss Bones. Mr Corner, how many letters in the English alphabet?"
"Twenty six, Professor."
Babbling spread her arms. "And herein lies our problem. Runes rarely not align well with our modern understanding of language. Similarly, many magical and symbolic Runes do not correspond well to modern magic. Runes must be understood in their own contexts and historical languages as well as their role in that universal, temporal language that is magic. Creating an English or modern equivalent can be helpful but cannot be relied upon. Miss Granger, do you have any idea how many characters form the Chinese Mandarin language?"
Granger looked surprised. "I'm not sure, Professor. Twenty thousand?"
"Over fifty thousand - most dictionaries would list around twenty thousand, however, while the average Chinese speaker is estimated to know around eight thousand." She cleared her throat. "We think of Runes as something from the past, symbols of a forgotten era, however if we take the definition of Runes to mean a symbol denoting a word or letter, how can they be? Not every symbol has magical potential just as not every spoken word does; it is the history of magic and power behind a word or symbol that makes it significant to our practice. Ancient Runes therefore remain extremely relevant in our modern magical era.
"Now, I hardly expect you all to know every Rune off the top of your heads. No one knows every English word after all, so they? But I do expect that by the time you reach the end of your fifth year, you will have a grasp on the key Runic alphabets and scriptures as well as understand magical Runes and their significance in a wider context." She smiled. "Now, I have some slate here. How about you all try writing your names in Runes?"
But just as with Arithmancy, Aurora grew stumped. Getting a grasp on the first set of Anglo-Saxon runes was simple enough, and the guide was well explained, but when she only had two names written down she couldn't help but feel like there was something missing. Theodore had three middle names - Arthur Charles Phillip - and even Gwen, Robin and Leah all had one each. Aurora was sure she must have one, but it had been lost. Maybe Andromeda would know, or Narcissa, though both were long shots.
Professor Babbling made no comment on their names themselves, only their quillwork when writing them, but by the end of the day it was already stewing in Aurora's mind. There was only one living person who would know for certain her middle name but she had no intentions of going anywhere near him. And it pained her to think that she didn't even know the name of her other parent. Her own mother.
Yet no one else around her seemed to realise or care. Why would they? No one else had lost so much of where they came from, their entire family, as she had. They all knew who they were. She liked to think she did too, but everything she had come from was gone and it wasn't coming back.
And therein lay the problem. That the one person who could tell her the truth - her name, her mother - was the one who had destroyed her family in the first place.