Green Light in the Dark

by AStrangeHopefulDreamer

AU in which Sirius Black had a daughter with Marlene McKinnon. Following the death of her mother and godparents and the imprisonment of her father, Aurora Black is moved from home to home with various members of the Black family until she finally arrives at Hogwarts and finds not only new friends, but a true home. (Please keep comments respectful and think before you type.)

79. Sneaking Around

The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students arrived, as promised, on the afternoon of the thirtieth of October. After their usual Double Potions class — cut half an hour short for the occasion, something Aurora was very grateful for considering Snape had threatened to poison them to test their antidotes — everyone rushed to their dormitories and back again.

"Remind me again how this all works," Gwen said anxiously to Aurora while they were putting away their cloaks and books, "Beauxbatons is in France?"

"Yes, but its students can come from all over. Mainly Western Europe, but there are plenty of students from the rest of Europe, Africa, and North America. And it isn't the only wizarding school in the area, obviously, that would be a ludicrous idea — it's just the largest and oldest. Same for Durmstrang — no one really knows where it is, but it's probably somewhere around the Baltic, and most of its students are from Eastern or Central Europe."

"And that's the one with the Dark Arts?"

Aurora nodded. "Yes, but that doesn't mean everyone from there is bad. I mean, if we give Durmstrang a reputation just because of Grindelwald, then Hogwarts would have the same reputation for the Dark— for You-Know-Who. Just watch yourself."

Gwen nodded, still looking slightly anxious, and Aurora tried not to sigh too loudly. "They're really not going to be awful, Gwen. But Snape will if we're late, so let's go and join the others."

The dungeons were already abuzz with excitement when they left and found Theodore and Robin amid the crowd, shortly joined by Draco and Blaise. Once they reached the Entrance Hall, the volume of the students seemed to have also reached an all-time high, and the Heads of Houses were trying to manoeuvre their students into respectable lines, without much visible progress. The Gryffindors were a predictable mess, all running around excitedly, and Aurora was sure she would have been hit in the face by an over-excited first year had it not been for Theodore tugging her quickly out of the way and tucking her under his arm.

"Gryffindors," he muttered, and she grinned, spinning out slightly from his grasp.

"The very worst specimens Hogwarts has to offer," Aurora drawled, putting on an imitation of Professor Snape, who looked highly put out by his role organising a bunch of first years who all kept jostling one another to try and stand at the front.

Theodore laughed along with her as their group managed to find the other girls and Vincent and Greg, somewhere in the middle of the more orderly section of Slytherins. "McGonagall looks stressed," Lucille noted, while the Transfiguration professor snapped at Parvati Patil.

"Snape looks like he's got a lemon stuck in his mouth," said Millicent, which made Aurora laugh.

"He does rather, doesn't he? Though I suppose he looks like that rather often."

"Slytherins," he said over their heads, and everyone moved quickly into position together, keen to avoid his disapproving glare. "With me now, it is almost six o'clock. No running, no shouting, and absolutely no heckling the guests."

Some third year whistled and received such a scathing glare that Aurora was surprised he didn't disintegrate on the spot. "Quiet, Mr Vaisey. Quickly, now."

He whirled around and the students were all quick to follow him down the steps to the grounds, where dusk was already beginning to settle, and a translucent moon hung above the darkened trees.

"I don't suppose they'll have taken the train," Millicent said, looking around, "will they?"

Lucille stared at her. "Not from France, Millie."

"I know not from France," Millie said, scowling, "but Kings' Cross Station isn't exactly difficult to get to, is it?"

"Beauxbatons students have a carriage which the school owns," Lucille explained, rolling her eyes, "I expect they'll be using that."

"I hope we get to speak to the students," Aurora said, trying to peer over the heads of the students in front of her. "Beauxbatons offers Alchemy courses right from the first year, you know."

Pansy tutted and rolled her eyes fondly. "Alchemy is the natural priority, of course."

"Well, I'm curious. Nicholas Flamel studied at Beauxbatons, don't forget. And we are supposed to be learning from the other students."

"I want to learn from Durmstrang," Draco told them all importantly, "you know, my father wanted to send me there for a time."

"You've told us that twenty times," Theodore drawled, amused.

"Headmaster Karkaroff is a good friend of my father's. No doubt he'll be pleased to see me."

At the name Karkaroff, Lucille scowled and moved closer to Blaise and Daphne, abandoning the conversation. "I've no doubt Karkaroff is a good friend of Malfoy's," Robin muttered, and Aurora shot him a quelling glance. "Well, he is. We all know why."

"It is not our place to speculate," she said primly, but saying so made her uneasy. Gwen glanced between the two of them with her usual air of confusion, but before they could try to explain or else dance around her questions, someone let out an excited yell from among the Gryffindor students, and everyone started to look upwards.

Aurora followed the collective gaze, to see a grand powder blue carriage soaring across the sunset sky, pulled by giant winged horses at least twice the size of the school thestrals. She watched as the carriage drew into the grounds, landing smoothly on the grass. Each of the doors, Aurora noted, bore the Beauxbatons coat of arms — two crossed golden wands, the tips of each surrounded by three sparks — and she smiled appreciatively at the sight before the doors sprang open, and a short blond boy emerged in a powder blue silk uniform with a tiny hat. He ran down the massive, wide steps of the carriage and held his hand out to be taken by another giant one, glistening with rings.

A moment later, a woman stepped out, in fine black satin robes. She was tall, taller even than Professor Hagrid, and Pansy had to nudge Vincent to stop him from gawping.

"That is a big woman," Blaise said, blinking, but his voice was drowned out by the applause that went up among their students as Dumbledore greeted Madam Maxime.

"Don't be rude, Blaise," Daphne chided, but she too was staring. Draco and Robin's gazes, however, appeared to have been drawn by the small cluster of students standing in their headmistress's shadow, staring apprehensively up at the castle.

"They all look freezing," Gwen commented, nodding to the group, many of whom had wrapped shawls and scarves around themselves.

"They all look like they're being dramatic," Millicent replied, shaking her head. "It isn't that cold, it's only October."

"Yes," Theodore conceded, "but they are in silk."

Aurora nodded, watching a pretty blonde girl shake her head, annoyed, and mutter something to her peers. "Do you think Durmstrang will have a carriage?"

Theodore shrugged. "Who knows anything about Durmstrang? Don't know how else they could, though."

They watched as Madam Maxime and her students bundled into the school, shivering and muttering about the cold. The great horses which had brought their carriage snorted and clipped at the ground, and everyone watched, agitatedly, with a growing sense of impatience, for the Durmstrang delegation to arrive.

"Were any of you considered for Durmstrang too?" Gwen asked curiously, to break the silence. "Like Draco was?"

Lucille scowled and shook her head, muttering the word, "Swine," under her breath.

Aurora didn't dare look at her, nor, it seemed, did Theodore. "My mother thought about Beauxbatons for me, actually," Blaise admitted, "but I convinced her that Hogwarts would be more beneficial."

"I looked at both," Aurora said quietly, "but there wasn't really much question about it in the end." Her gaze swept over to Dumbledore and McGonagall, who were conversing lowly, heads bent. Mr Crouch was supposed to be arriving for the opening feast, Aurora knew, though she saw no more sign of him than she did of the Durmstrang students.

Robin just shrugged, looking quite bewildered by all of them. "I don't know why you'd want to go anywhere except Hogwarts. It's still the best."

Pansy made a derisive sound. "Apart from the alleged three-headed-dog in the third floor, and the acromantulae and centaurs in the forest."

"And whatever happened to be in that chamber," Daphne said, gaze darting around before she spoke. "And that hippogriff. And Professor Lupin."

"He didn't hurt anyone," Gwen protested.

"Yes, but he's still a werewolf. I don't think Beauxbatons or Durmstrang have werewolves."

"I'd rather have a werewolf than Snape the vampire bat," Aurora said with a sniff. Gwen grinned at her.

"Oi," Greg said, turning back to them and pointing toward the lake, "look at that!"

Aurora glanced up, standing on her tiptoes, but she couldn't get a good look at the lake. "For Merlin's sake, what is it?"

"It's like... All the water's being sucked out."

As he spoke, a low rumbling sound started to break through the chatter of the students around them, and Aurora moved backwards onto one of the rocks on the hill to try and get a better look across the slope that roll down towards the black surface of the lake, where waves brushed against the shore and bubbles ripples upon the surface, circling the beginnings of a whirlpool.

Then, slowly, something dark and pointed began to rise from the depths. Aurora tried standing taller, then grasped Theodore's shoulder to steady herself. "There's something moving," she said, "it's coming out of the water."

Theodore tried to join her on the shaky rock, though he was unfairly much taller than her and likely didn't need it. They pressed close together, and his fingers brushed against hers slightly as they watched a mast appear from the surface of the water, followed by pure white sails which unfurled the higher the mast rose, with the deep red Durmstrang emblem stark against the fabric. There was something almost skeletal about its appearance as it protruded from the water, the porthole windows gleaming with yellowed light.

"And we have a train," Theodore muttered lowly in Aurora's ear. She held in a giggle, pressing her lips together, as they watched the ship glide out of the water and towards the bank of the lake.

"A very beautiful train," she whispered back. "With a lovely trolley witch."

They watched the students beginning to spill out of the Durmstrang ship, dressed in heavy red cloaks with thick grey furs. At their rear was a tall, grey-haired man in silver fur illuminated by the moonlight. The procession was about two dozen people in all, and wound its way up through the grounds towards Professor Dumbledore.

Aurora was too far away to hear properly what was said, but she could see the Headmaster clearly as he clasped Professor Dumbledore's hands with his, beaming. "That's Karkaroff," Theodore said, as if she didn't already know who he was. An alleged Death Eater, who only escaped imprisonment by giving the names of his peers — among them, Gabriel Travers, Lucille's uncle and the man responsible for the slaughter of the McKinnon family. She wasn't sure if Theodore knew that significance, for she hadn't disclosed her mother's identity to many people, but his eyes were fixated on the Headmaster.

And then, Aurora saw Karkaroff tug one of the students forward, clapping him on the back. Murmurs went up from the front of the Hogwarts students, and once the boy came into the light, Aurora understood why.

"Theodore," she said lowly, staring as she moved forward, "that's Viktor Krum."

His eyes snapped to the boy and widened. "No chance."

"It is," she said breathlessly, as the news spread around the Hogwarts students. "I know it is. I knew he was young, but I didn't realise he was still in school."

The Durmstrang group started moving on up back towards the castle, with the professors behind them, and Aurora tried to get a better look at Krum before the Slytherins all started moving off too. "It's definitely him," she whispered to Theodore, who hopped off their rock and gave her a hand down graciously. "Merlin — now I have to interrogate him as well as all the Beauxbatons students."

Theodore laughed, but didn't have time to reply before Draco appeared at Aurora's shoulder, and practically yelled, "Viktor bloody Krum!"

"Yes," she said, wincing at the volume, "we saw him too, Draco."

"D'you think he'll speak to us? Millicent wants to get his autograph, I'm sure Karkaroff can arrange for us to speak to him — he knows my father after all."

At that, Aurora shrugged her cousin off as gently as she could. She didn't particularly like the idea of an ex-Death Eater doing her any favours, especially not on the behalf of Lucius Malfoy. "He'll probably be swamped by people this evening," she said, turning around with Theodore and beckoning for Draco to follow with them back to the Entrance Hall. "And he looked rather grumpy. At least hold off for some time, then we can catch him unawares without a whole fan club about."

"I bet he'll be Durmstrang champion, don't you?"

"Not if the judge witnessed his performance at the World Cup," she said lightly, though the comment earned her a scathing glare from an older Gryffindor girl.

In the Entrance Hall, she passed three separate groups of people scrambling for quills and parchment to get him to sign, as if he was going to disappear in the next five minutes if they failed to get an autograph. Even Ron Weasley seemed desperate for Krum's signature — not that Draco was much better, trying to convince Daphne to lend him her eyeliner pencil so Krum could sign his Potions textbook.

They breezed past the Durmstrang students who still stood clustered in the Entrance Hall, uncertain of where to go, and claimed their usual grouping of seats at the Slytherin Table. Draco looked anxiously towards the door every five seconds. "D'you think they'll sit with us? The Beauxbatons lot are over at Ravenclaw, see? Oh, there's Krum. Budge up, Aurora, go on."

"Excuse me?"

"I want Krum to sit next to me, they're coming this way."

Aurora sighed and shifted closer to Pansy, who rolled her eyes. Across the table, Theodore watched on with amusement and she shook her head.

"He is rather fit," Pansy whispered, toying with a strand of hair, "don't you think?"

"Objectively, yes, but I'm not going to lose my head over — oh, Merlin, he is coming this way."

And indeed, when Viktor Krum sat down between her and Draco, Aurora had no idea what to think, and hurriedly combed through her hair. Draco took the opportunity immediately, before Aurora could even say hello.

"I know you," he said breathlessly, "you're brilliant. Are you really going to be champion?"

Krum blinked. "Thank you. And I hope so — it is why we are all here, is it not?"

"Oh, absolutely. I'm certain you'll get it — I'm Malfoy, by the way. Draco Malfoy." He held his hand out for a rather tentative looking Krum to shake. "I must say, we're all very excited by this tournament business, aren't we?"

Aurora tried to hide her amused smile at Draco's eager tone. "Very," she agreed, grinning, "though I'm not too happy they've cancelled our Quidditch Cup."

Krum's eyes widened. "They did what?"

"It's a travesty," Blaise drawled, and then winced when someone — probably Draco — kicked him under the table.

"But it is! They cannot cancel Quidditch."

"That's what we said!" Draco and Aurora chorused, catching each other's eyes and trying not to laugh.

Further along the table, Krum's fellow students were examining the golden plates and goblets that were lined before them, and staring up at the enchanted ceiling. It was Draco who engaged Krum best, while Aurora listened to Pansy and Daphne's conversation about the Beauxbatons students sat over at the Ravenclaw table.

"They all look so gloomy," Pansy was saying, "but it really isn't that bad. I'm not one to defend Dumbledore, but really!"

"Maybe it's just cold," Daphne said peaceably, "Beauxbatons is in the south of France, isn't it?"

Pansy sniffed, but was swiftly interrupted by Lucille. "Charlotte isn't complaining," she said, gesturing across the hall to a dark-haired girl who chatted quite happily to Padma Patil. Something uncomfortable clenched in the pit of Aurora's stomach. "Unlike most of them."

The doors to the Great Hall opened then, and Aurora turned sharply to see the three headteachers entering the hall. Over at Ravenclaw, the Beauxbatons students leapt to their feet and, despite the giggles from the surrounding Hogwarts students, did not sit down until Madam Maxime had also taken her place. Only Dumbledore remained standing. Aurora eyed Igor Karkaroff warily, then the two empty chairs, before Headmaster Dumbledore spoke into the silence that had descended over the hall.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and ghouls and — most specifically — guests. I take great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both pleasurable and enjoyable. The Tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast." He smiled around the hall, eyes alighting on various students before he lifted his head slightly. "I now invite you all to eat, to drink, and to make yourselves at home!"

The tables filled with a variety of food such as Aurora had never seen — and considering the standard at Hogwarts, that was truly saying something. Before them appeared to be some sort of ghoulash, further along were various soups, pastries and pies mixed in with the more traditional Hogwarts cuisine, such as roasted meat and Yorkshire puddings. Aurora took a bit of everything new that looked like it may go together — a bowl of warm mushroom soup, one of the meat-filled pastries, and fried pork, alongside a selection of boiled vegetables. Draco followed the example of Krum, so that their plates were near identical in composition, while Pansy eyed everything rather warily and opted for a regrettably bland soup and steak pie combination.

As they ate and chatted, Aurora kept an eye on the top table for the imminent arrival of Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman — as they were the heads of the Department of International Co-Operation and the Department of Magical Sports and Games, respectively, Aurora knew they were both meant to be in attendance, though neither had yet arrived.

"You seem interested in the teachers?" Krum asked suddenly, making Aurora startle slightly. His brow was furrowed when he glanced to Karkaroff, then back again. "You are looking at Headmaster Karkaroff?"

"Not as such," Aurora said, facing him with a polite smile. "I believe there are supposed to be two Ministry officials arriving, but they haven't yet, and I'm merely curious as to their whereabouts." She noticed, when she glanced back, that Professor Moody also seemed agitated by their current absence. His false eye darted furiously around the hall.

Krum huffed and then turned sullenly back to his meal, just as one of the Beauxbatons girls stood at the other end of the hall, and crossed to where Potter was sat. This in itself was not dreadfully exciting, but it seemed to have a ridiculous effect on the boys around the hall, many of whom had also turned towards her, ogling the girl. Pansy shot Blaise a scathing look when he did so, while Aurora raised her eyebrows at Draco, who had stood quite suddenly.

"Boys," she muttered, gesturing for her cousin to sit down before he embarrassed herself. Across the hall, Weasley also looked incredibly flustered, as did Potter.

Aurora and Pansy exchanged an exasperated look, but a distraction soon arrived in the form of Crouch and Bagman, who took seats either side of Dumbledore at the High Table. Though she didn't have a very good view from the Slytherin Table, Aurora did note a certain air of anxiety around Crouch, quite opposite to the jovial manner with which Bagman greeted his peers at the table. Crouch's eyes roamed the hall, catching every so often on an unsuspecting student. He seemed especially fascinated by the Slytherin Table, and though it was rather obvious anyway, Aurora did feel a creeping sense of unease with the way his gaze lingered around her friends, his expression almost excited.

Pudding was quick to arrive after that, and Aurora took delight in sampling the French pastries and cakes that had been laid out on the table for them, even as she watched the High Table. Crouch and Moody seemed to be having some sort of argument exchanged entirely in eye movement and little twitches of the mouth and shoulders. It was odd to watch, especially given the lack of context, but it seemed the air of paranoia had already begun to set in between them. The only thing Aurora could see to unite them was the air of disgust with which they both regarded Professor Karkaroff.

Once everyone had eaten their fill and the chatter in the hall rose in the absence of hunger, the golden plates were wiped clean and Professor Dumbledore stood, hushing all conversation and cutting off the exchanges at the High Table.

"The moment has come," he began as the students quietened. "The Triwizard Tournament is about to be started. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket, just to clarify the procedure which we will be following this year. But firstly, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mister Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Co-Operation—" he paused for a smattering of applause which Aurora did not deign to contribute to "and Mister Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports." Whether because of his Quidditch fame or because he looked that much nicer than Crouch, Aurora didn't know, but Bagman received a considerably louder applause than his counterpart and waved jovially at them all. "Mister Bagman and Mister Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament, and they will be joining myself, Madam Maxime, and Headmaster Karkaroff on the panel which will judge the three champions' efforts."

At that, the whole hall seemed to sit up straighter, waiting attentively for Dumbledore's next words. Dumbledore smiled serenely at the sight and said, "The casket then, if you please, Mister Filch."

Aurora glanced around, looking for the caretaker, who emerged from a shadowy corner of the hall holding a large, ancient-looking wooden chest, all over encrusted with various glittering jewels. The students started murmuring and whispering among themselves, some of the younger years trying to stand up and get a better look.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mister Crouch and Mister Bagman, and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge." Nodding, Dumbledore shifted so that Filch could place the chest carefully on the high table in front of him. "There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways. Their magical prowess, their daring, their powers of deduction, and of course, their ability to cope with danger." The students all waited in utter silence as the headmaster paused for effect, smiling. "As you know, three champions compete in the Tournament, one from each of the competing schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the tasks and the champion with the highest points of the three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector... The goblet of fire."

Dumbledore took out his wand and the students watched in a still but anticipatory silence, as he tapped the top of the wooden casket three times. The lid creaked open, and Aurora straightened further to watch as he took from within the casket a large cup dancing with blue-white flames, then placed it on top of the closed casket for all to see.

"I thought it'd be a bit more impressive," Pansy murmured so only Aurora could hear.

She pressed her lips together in a small smile as Dumbledore explained, "Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and their school on a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet. Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has chosen worthy to represent their schools." Along the table, Drina Bulstrode rolled her eyes. "The goblet will be placed in the Entrance Hall tonight, where it will be easily accessible to anybody wishing to compete.

"And to ensure that no underage student yields to temptation—" Dumbledore's eyes flickered in an almost amused manner towards the Weasley twins at Gryffindor, and then swept over the Slytherin Table "—I will be drawing an Age Line around the goblet of fire once it has been placed in the Entrance Hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line.

"Finally I must impress upon you all that entry into the Tournament is not to be taken lightly. Once a champion has been chosen by the goblet of fire, they are obliged to see the Tournament through until the very end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly willing to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed." Aurora blinked at the sudden shift in tone as Dumbledore smiled merrily. "Goodnight to you all."

There was a second of silence before the hall filled with the scraping back of benches and chairs, as students got to their feet.

"Trust them to choose the names on Halloween," Pansy muttered as they got up — Draco had been quick to pull Viktor Krum into conversation about the goblet. "It's as if this school wants to ruin our traditions. First the troll breaks in, then Filch's cat gets Petrified and pinned to a wall, then last year — I mean, we all know he's innocent now but it was still very disruptive, even you have to admit — and now the goblet!" One of the Durmstrang girls looked up with confused concern as they passed. "What are the chances it's going to blow up in the middle of it and take out Dumbledore?"

Aurora laughed, then nodded her head to Drina as they passed. "I'm sure they'll find a way to make it work. And I'm sure Salazar wouldn't care much about old Dumbledore anyway." Pansy grinned. "At least they won't have to move the whole date like they did last year — and think, if we get a Slytherin champion, then that's all the more cause for celebration."

"Especially if it's Cassius Warrington," Pansy said, raising her eyebrows teasingly.

Heat rose to Aurora's cheeks as she said stiffly, "I don't know quite what you mean by that tone, but I agree that he would be a very good choice."

Her friend laughed, and they waited at the head of the table for Daphne, Millie and Lucille to catch up. The rest of the students streamed past them towards the Entrance Hall, many throwing curious glances towards Viktor Krum and the Durmstrang students, who were now being led by Headmaster Karkaroff.

"He gives me the creeps," Daphne said, following Aurora's gaze.

Lucille made a sound of disgust. "You're telling me. Let's just go, and ignore him. Right, Aurora?"

At being addressed by Lucille, Aurora felt something unpleasant twist in her stomach, but she nodded sharply anyway. "Yes, let's. I want to get our good seats again, and it's freezing in here still."

But Karkaroff's eyes still followed them as they left the hall, only drawn away by Harry Potter, as Weasley stumbled over himself towards Krum. The others went on, but Aurora fixed her gaze nervously on Potter, noting the shock that twisted Karkaroff's features. Karkaroff surely would not pass comment on it, she thought, but the Durmstrang students had clearly begun to catch on, and Aurora felt an uneasiness which urged her to stay, hand by her wand, just in case things went awry.

Moody, though, appeared before Karkaroff could get another word in. "Karkaroff," he said in a voice more like a growl.

The colour drained from the headmaster's face, and he seemed to choke on the next word, "You!"

"Yeah, me." Moody's eye darted around the students then settled again on the gawping Karkaroff. "And if you're wondering, yeah, this is Harry Potter, but I don't reckon you've anything you need to say to him." Aurora took a few steps back, quietly pleased at the faint look on Karkaroff's face, and as Moody went on in some approximation of a scolding, she hurried after Pansy and the other girls towards the Slytherin common room, hardly daring to look back.

Karkaroff had unsettled her, from the way he had looked at Potter to the way he treated his students. And there was the fact Moody didn't seem to like him at all. If it was true that Karkaroff had been a Death Eater, that would explain why. But the attitude towards Potter was unnerving.

Even so, she had little time to dwell on it. Cassius Warrington met her by the door of the common room, grinning.

"You still up for helping us get some firewhiskey?" he asked, grinning. "I promise you'll get some too."

Aurora had forgotten about her deal with Cassius, but grinned at the reminder. "Right now?" she asked him in a whisper, aware of the first years hanging about them.

"If that's alright," he said quickly, running his hand through his hair, which had grown longer and brushed the tops of his shoulders. "We could do it tomorrow, if that'd be easier, but basically we need into the kitchens and with everyone around for the tournament, that makes it a lot harder. Drina and Kiersten want to do a run to Hogsmeade tomorrow, for extra, if you know how to get out."

Aurora smiled faintly at that. "Give me a moment then," she said, glancing to where her friends were assembled on their usual sofas. Theodore looked up and caught her eye with a look of curiosity, and she shook her head before turning back to Cassius. Could she trust him with the secret of the map, she wondered? It felt somehow like sacred knowledge, a relic of a time gone by. But it was hers now, wasn't it? Her father probably wouldn't like another Slytherin in on it but he didn't know anything about them. And sneaking around the school while there were multiple Ministry members present definitely had to fall in some category of mischief making. "But you can't tell anyone about what I'm about to show you."

His eyes lit up. "It'll be our secret," he promised, and Aurora felt a strange but not unpleasant flutter in her chest as she tried to withhold her smile at him. "See you in a minute."

She hurried to her dorm room to fetch the map, feeling oddly giddy about the prospect of sneaking about the school, even though she thought to herself that she really shouldn't be so excited. This was only Cassius, and it wasn't like they were going far. But they'd be alone, together, in the dark castle, trying to avoid detection, and there was something exciting about that, as well as the fact that this was forbidden. After she unlocked the map and slipped it into her pocket, she took a moment to check her appearance in the dark reflection of the dorm room mirror. She looked alright, she thought, trying not to smile, though she did take a second to straighten her high ponytail and arrange the loose strands of her hair to better frame her face.

"Don't be silly about it," she scolded herself, and fiddled with the chain around her neck. The pendant, Julius, hissed at her. "Yes, yes, I know. It's only a boy."

"A strange boy," Julius hissed. "Charming?" Her cheeks heated up. "Interesting," Julius hissed, then twisted himself into position and went quiet.

There was no harm in taking some care in her appearance, Aurora thought to herself, trying to hold in her excited smile/

When she got back to Cassius, he was grinning at her, and she felt those butterflies again. "Ready to go?" he asked, extending an arm, and Aurora beamed at him, taking it.

"Yes, but keep your voice down. Careful footsteps. And please don't sneeze."

Cassius chuckled, and with a nod to Draco, who was looking wary about their proximity, she slipped out of the common room with him. As the wall closed behind them, she said, "You have got to promise you keep this secret. I mean it, Cassius. It's top-secret, confidential... And it's important to me."

"I won't say anything," he promised her, and nervously, Aurora took the old, folded-up parchment from her pocket and looked at it in the dim half-light.

"No one's around," she said, "we'll go up the second staircase across from the potions lab, the tapestry of the Battle of Camlann has a passage behind it which runs through to the Hufflepuff common room. Then we can slip down to the kitchen, and put in our request with the elves for food. I'll show you the passage to Honeydukes, if we can get there, and then you can sneak out to the shop."

She searched for the names that kept track of the teachers and staff. Most of them were in Dumbledore's office, though Snape had already retreated to his own quarters and Professor Trelawney was in North Tower alone, while Moody seemed to be stomping around on the fourth floor. "What on earth is this?" Cassius asked, breathless.

"A map of the school. It comes in very useful, if you need warning of where people are. But it's top secret," she reminded him.

"How did you get it?" Cassius asked, and she smirked, tossing him a wink before she spoke.

"Nicked it out of Professor Lupin's desk."

The admission was worth it for the impressed, if slightly surprised, look on Cassius's face. It made that giddy smile come back again and a small, odd feeling of pride. "You never did."

"Mhm." She grinned. "I knew a lot of the passages before that, though. It was just very useful. See, there's everyone in Dumbledore's office. Maxime and Karkaroff and all the teachers. Crouch isn't, though."

"Yeah, but he's a boring bastard," Cassius pointed out, and Aurora resisted the urge to laugh.

"True, but keep your voice down."

They crept up the stairs, Cassius lighting the tip of his wand to lead the way through their desired route. They headed across the castle in the dark, listening out for any stray footsteps. Pressed closely together, trying not to take up too much space, Aurora could hear her own heartbeat, and every few moments heard the soft sighing of Cassius's breath.

When they reached the passageway towards the kitchens, which was mercifully devoid of any prowling professors or Filch's cat, Aurora went first, towards the still life painting of a fruit bowl hanging upon the wall. "We have to tickle the pear," she told Cassius, repeating what her father had already informed her of. He was going to be greatly excited to hear of her nighttime wanderings, and taking on something vaguely adjacent to mischief-making and rule-breaking.

"Tickle it?" Cassius asked with a dubious look.

"Yes, tickle it. I suppose whoever made the picture thought no one would think to tickle a painted pear. I suppose it's not the thing people think to do. But anyway — would you like to do the honours, or shall I? I've never actually been into the kitchens before."

"That's reassuring. You're sure it's the right place."

"Well, I don't think my dad would lead me to the wrong place."

Cassius frowned. "Your dad? You wrote to him to ask? I thought you were using that map."

"Well," she said, flustered suddenly, "yes, but he — he told me how to get in. Anyway — do you want to tickle the pear, Warrington?"

"Alright, Black," he said playfully, rolling his eyes, "so much for ladies first."

Aurora tutted and, frustrated by the lack of progress, hurried forward and tickled the underside of the yellowish pear on the painting. The wall slid open, revealing a large, wide hall filled with chatter which died quickly upon their entrance.

There was a moment of silence before Cassius stepped forward and said easily, "Hello, are we allowed to be here?"

A house elf giggled. Another pursed their lips, frowning. "Students are not supposed to be out of bed at this time," one, rather irritated looking elf said.

"They must be hungry!" said another, hurrying forward. "What can Dizzy fetch ou?"

"Nothing jut now," Aurora said quickly, as a crowd began to form, "er, we just had a question, about tomorrow night. It's a Slytherin house tradition, and Cassius here is in charge of... Refreshments?"

"Ooh!" Dizzy the house elf clapped her hands, turning to Cassius. "We thought that would be soon! What can we do for you, Mister Cassius?"

Cassius looked slightly abashed by the attention, but hurriedly explained the gist of what they needed to the assembled elves, one of whom was taking notes. Aurora leaned back, uncertain of where to fit in now Cassius seemed to have everything in hand, and she peered around the cavernous hall wondering to herself just how frequently her father and his friends had visited here in their school days. Then, she wondered — had her mother ever visited? Had her mother and father snuck down here together, with the map, perhaps having nicked James Potter's invisibility cloak, had they made a similar request for Gryffindor traditions, or merely for a party? Had they spoken, had they had shared moments in the corridors?

She shook the thought from her head, largely because she did not want to think about those sorts of shared moments, but also because the question had surprised her. Rarely had her mother come up in her mind, but for some reason here, she had to wonder about her.

"Would Miss like anything?" an elf said, peering up at her with wide eyes. Then, he tilted his head, as though intrigued.

"Oh, I'm quite alright," Aurora assured him hurriedly. "Thank you, though — sorry, what was your name?"

The elf blinked as though surprised at having been asked. "Dobby, miss."

"Thank you, Dob—"

She stopped short, mind reeling as she realised quite what he'd said. That was Draco's family's old house elf, the one Potter had infamously freed two years ago, royally pissing Lucius off. "That's very kind," she finished, mind reeling, "I'll be sure to let you know if I do."

"Dobby recognises you, Miss," Dobby said, which was rather forward for an elf. He seemed to realise this, blinking as though surprised by himself. "Apologies, Miss—"

"That's alright," Aurora said quickly, taking in for the first time what exactly he looked like. As opposed to the rest of the elves' rags and such, Dobby was covered in as many items of clothing as possible, from a great woolly pink hat down to three pairs of unmatched socks.

Definitely a free elf. And one working for Dumbledore nonetheless. It was so baffling that she almost smiled, if only because she imagined how utterly furious it would make Lucius. "I recognise you, too. Aurora Black."

His eyes widened and he made a move as though to hasten away, before stopping himself. She was glad — she didn't like that look in his eye, frightened in surprise. At least he recovered from it quickly. "Pleas - pleasure to see Miss Black again," Dobby said hastily, before hurrying away. Another elf made a scornful scoffing sound.

Aurora stared at his retreat. It was so strange to see Dobby, Draco's family's old elf, bedecked in clothes and working for Hogwarts. Something about it felt uncomfortable, but so did the fear in his eyes, and then, she was reminded harshly of the way Draco always spoke of him and the other elves, of how his father might 'clamp down' on one's unruliness.

"Hey," Cassius said, breaking her sharply out of her thoughts, his eyes sparkling, "you ready to go?"

She nodded silently, then forced a grin, as they bid the elves goodbye and hurried out of the kitchens, back up the corridor into a passageway hidden by a tapestry of the Battle of Camlann. It was dark behind the tapestry, dimly lit by the amber glow of torches, and with the draught blowing in through the cracks in the stones, Aurora and Cassius pressed even closer together. Her heart skipped a beat when their arms touched and she tried fiercely to stop herself from grinning as giddily as she wanted to.

"So," she said, trying to fight through the quiet between them, "you're going to sneak out for the firewhisky, right?"

She could just make out Cassius nodding through the gloom. "There's a liquor store just down an alley, they don't ask questions."

"Sounds a little dodgy."

Cassius shrugged. "I mean, they make sure we're seventeen and that's about it. But if I can sneak out the back entrance of Honeydukes from the cellar like you said, I'll be five, maybe ten minutes, tops."

She nodded even though the concept made her nervous, fearful that she would be caught. It didn't take them long to reach the passage that led them towards Honeydukes, and then into the gloom of the cellar. Upstairs, she could hear faint footsteps, but the shop was surely closed by then, and she supposed it must have been the noise of other tenants up above it.

"I'll be ten minutes," Cassius whispered in her ear once they reached the cellar, and he lit the end of his wand. His breath sent a shiver over her skin, and then he winked. "Try not to get caught."

Aurora huffed and rolled her eyes, still too aware of the smile threatening her lips. "Yeah, you're definitely the one more likely to get caught. Try not to fall over your own feet on the way to get the drink."

"I'll do my best," he said with a wink, and then cast a Disillusionment Charm before melding into the shadows and hurrying away, towards the stairs which led outside to the back alley.

Aurora shivered in the cold of the cellar and retreated to behind the door, listening out for every sound and hoping Cassius would be back soon. She checked her watch every minute, feeling that the hand was ticking far too slowly. Ten minutes passed, then, fifteen and twenty and then it was half an hour and her nerves were rising dangerously, stirring nausea up within her throat. He was taking far, far too long, and in the cold and gloom of the cellar, it felt certain that some sort of monster would jump out from the dark, that something had inevitably to go wrong.

Rising to her feet, Aurora shook herself out, her legs tired and cramped from staying in the same position. Her eyes flicked to the map in her hand, which showed everyone still more or less in the right place in the castle, the Slytherin students still mostly gathered in the common room and most of the teachers in Dumbledore's office, though she noted Snape had returned to his quarters already.

Trying to steady her breathing, she walked across the cellar on her tiptoes, hoping she wasn't making too much noise. The voices from above seemed to become louder the more she thought, and they sent unexpected shivers down her spine. There was someone familiar, and it chilled something in her soul. The map crinkled as she tightened her grasp.

On her tiptoes, Aurora crossed to the door that led up some stairs to the external corridor. The voice became louder once she had opened the door, so that she could hear snatches of conversation.

"All is according to plan," one familiar, stiff voice said, though with a deeper, sleazy tone which confused her, distorted the voice so it was unrecognizable, "all is in place. I will have your people delivered to you, I swear, I will find a way... I am tightening my control every moment... Yes." The last word trailed off into a low hiss, then a sharp gasp. "He will be yours!"

Something brushed past Aurora's side and she held in a shriek, jumping backwards which her wand outstretched. Someone grabbed her hand and she struggled away, before realising Cassius stood before her, tugging her back down the stairs and into the cellar.

"What's wrong?" he hissed, seeing her shock.

"Where were you?"

"I got caught up, the guy behind the counter recognised me, and then I thought I saw someone - it was busy, I don't know, I'm sorry I kept you waiting. But we should probably go, I'm sure I saw Barty Crouch and he will not like if he catches us skulking about Hogsmeade tonight?"

"Crouch?" Aurora asked, surprised, hurrying along with Cassius to the secret door at the edge of the cellar. "What's he doing sticking around? I thought he'd have gone home?"

"Beats me." Cassius shrugged, as they slipped into the passage, shutting the door behind them. "I'm just glad he never saw me - but hey, I got the firewhisky!"

He held up a bag of bottles which clinked all too loudly in the quiet passage, and Aurora, struck by the absurdity of the change, let out a shrill, surprised giggle and stilled his hand. "You're making noise!" she hissed at him, clutching her map tightly. "Someone'll hear!"

"Then we'd better hurry back," Cassius said with a grin, bumping her shoulder. Warmth spread through her at the glimmer in his eyes. "If you're scared."

"I'm not scared," Aurora scoffed, dismissively. "Don't be ridiculous. I would just rather not be barred from initiation by Snape tomorrow night, nor do I want this passage uncovered."

"If you say so." Cassius winked. "In fairness, Snape's bloody terrifying anyway."

"Oh, so you're scared of Snape, then?" She cocked an eyebrow, amused. "Do you have a fear of bats, vampires, or both?"

"Vampire bats," Cassius said, making her laugh as they walked briskly, half-dancing along the passageway together, "definitely."

With a laugh, Aurora bumped into his side, trying to stall the bubbling giddiness and excitement, as they were huddled together in the gloom together, obscured in private, so close that she could brush her hand against his.

And, biting down her smile, she did. A second later, she was sure, he curled his pinky finger ever so slightly around her.

The passageway didn't seem quite so gloomy anymore.