Though Winter was almost upon them and the grounds outside Hogwarts growing cold, Aurora and her friends spent most of the day out there, finding a sheltered spot in a courtyard to gossip and speculate on the potential Hogwarts champions while the older Slytherin students had ordered them all out of the common room so that they could prepare for the evening. Cassius had already entered his name, of course, but he had put it in the goblet very early that morning, so as to avoid the audience which had gathered around breakfast time. None of the other houses, it seemed, were at all keen on having a Slytherin as their champion.

"We all know it isn't going to be a Hufflepuff," Lucille had declared as the group of them sat on a pair of benches, crowded, "And Gryffindors are too foolish."

"But Dumbledore said the Tournament will test bravery, didn't he?" Draco replied, frowning. "So they might do. Not," he was quick to add, looking around like he thought someone was spying and going to report him for treason against Slytherin house, "that I want a Gryffindor as champion. I think it would be awful."

"I quite agree," Aurora said, glancing up from the book she was reading — one of Gwendolyn's, Wuthering Heights. "They were insufferable enough after they won the Quidditch Cup last year."

Lucille pursed her lips, frowning at them both. "Well, I think the goblet will choose a Slytherin, and if not, then a Ravenclaw. If the aim of the Tournament is to nurture international relations then we're obviously the best choice."

Theodore sighed, "Except the Tournament itself isn't about that — it's about winning. Slytherins are obviously competitive, but so are Gryffindors, like you said."

Aurora had to concede that, though none of them were happy about it. "Plus," Blaise said, "we all know there will be far more Gryffindor applicants than from any of the other houses, except maybe us. I'd honestly put my money on it being one of them."

They all stared at him, until Vincent said loudly, "You bloody traitor, Zabini!"

He shrugged. "Just giving my opinion, Crabbe."

"Well, I'll bet on Slytherin," Vincent said, still looking scandalised.

Aurora grinned as she watched the boys squabble over odds, and caught Theodore's eye. He was doing the same, but stopped when he saw her looking over to smile and lean over. "What is it you're reading?" he asked, tilting his head so he could read the cover before she even got the chance to reply.

"Wuthering Heights," she replied quietly, dropping her voice so as to limit the chance of any of the others hearing. "It's by a Muggle author." Theodore raised his eyebrows, surprised. "I know, I know, but Gwen lent it to me. Their literature is quite interesting. She says she's going to recommend me some modern stuff next, but I don't know quite what that means."

"Well, I've no idea," Theodore admitted, "is it any good though?"

"I suppose." She pursed her lips, gaze darting over to where Pansy and Daphne were arguing over the suitability of the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, Roger Davies, for the role of champion. "It's hard to say though. It isn't too dissimilar in style to a lot of our literature, but the world is... Well, it's Muggle, isn't it? There are recognisable elements, but they all feel weirdly disjointed without magic?" Theodore nodded along musingly. "I don't know, I'm not very far through yet, and I did quite like Jane Austen."

Theodore frowned, then shrugged. "Tell me if you do like it. I've been up to my eyes in the Ancient Runes texts, it has to be better reading than that."

"I thought it was interesting!" Aurora protested but in truth, the seventh century text on the installation of the Wizengamot had been rather dry after the first few paragraphs of rhetoric, and the context reading hadn't been much better. "Anyway, the Beowulf passages should be much better next week."

"Oi!" Blaise's voice broke through their conversation and Aurora turned her glare on him, sighing.

"Can't you tell when two people are trying to have a conversation, Zabini?"

"Place your bets," he said with a grin, fully ignoring her. "Which house will the champion be from?"

Aurora rolled her eyes and exchanged exasperated glances with Theodore, who was watching her with some amusement. "Obviously we both stand by Slytherin, right, Theo?"

"Absolutely." He nodded seriously, though the corners of his lips flicked up in a small smile. "Salazar forbid anything else."

Blaise still just shrugged, and Millicent said, "Do you know, I think I'll put my money on Hufflepuff?"

Daphne stared at her, as did the rest. "This isn't just because you think Cedric Diggory's cute, is it?"

"No," Millicent said quickly, though her cheeks went pink. "I just think there's a chance. They're always saying they're better than everyone thinks, I just want to see if that's right."

"It is because she thinks Cedric Diggory's cute," Pansy whispered to Aurora, leaning over, "which he is, but he's also a Hufflepuff."

Aurora nodded, grinning at her friend. "I suppose only tonight will tell. Personally, I want to know why Crouch and Moody had so much tension between them last night."

"Yes," Pansy said, rolling her eyes, "but you're obsessed with Crouch."

"Wouldn't you be?" Aurora asked pointedly, and Pansy shrugged.

"S'ppose." Pansy hopped down from the edge of the bench, standing, as the clock tower chimed four o'clock. "I'm going to see if we're allowed back in the common room yet or if the upper years have barricaded the doors. I need my lipgloss."

Aurora chuckled, but made to stand with her. "Alright, but you can do the asking, I'm not getting hexed by a seventh year."

Grinning, Pansy linked her arm with Aurora's and they waved goodbye to the others as they made their way out of the courtyard, into the relative warmth of the castle corridors which were still unfairly chilly.

"Do you really think it's going to be a Slytherin champion?" Pansy asked.

"Well, I certainly hope so. And I see no reason why it shouldn't be. Don't you?"

"I don't know." Pansy shrugged. "It just feels like the sort of thing we don't get given. I doubt a single person from the other houses would be happy at one of ours representing the school."

Considering this, Aurora took a moment to reply. "Maybe that's why we need a champion from Slytherin. The other houses have their perception of us, and obviously we have ours of them but... I don't know, maybe we need someone to prove we're not all awful people. And that just because some of our... Past members might have been, doesn't mean all of us have to turn out the same." Perhaps, she thought privately, as they slipped past the twin portraits of Gornuk and Gormlaith, they needed to learn that themselves. That their parents views didn't have to be theirs, and that Slytherin was about more than blood purity.

Pansy frowned, thinking on this. "I suppose... Still, it might only leave them to hate us even more than they do now. It depends who it is, doesn't it?" Her gaze slid over to Aurora's, somewhat assessingly. "What exactly do you mean when you say those things?"

"Say what things?" she asked lightly, though she knew exactly what Pansy meant.

"Past members? Do you mean our families, or the Dark Lord, or both?"

She had not expected Pansy to ask such a thing quite so bluntly, but then, Pansy always had been the more direct one between the two of them and Draco.

"I suppose," she said carefully, "I don't mean anyone in particular. But I do think... You've heard Draco, and the others. My mother was a muggleborn, whether we like it or not. And Gwen is a muggleborn, and Robin's aunt is a muggleborn, and I suppose..." She didn't know why she was saying all of this to Pansy — she had heard her say such things too, or at least go along with it when Draco insulted people, but then again, hadn't Aurora often done the same? "Well, we're all Slytherins anyway. We're all here anyway."

Pansy looked away from her, eyes drawn carefully to the ground. "You know I don't really..." She sucked in a breath. "Isn't it just easier to go along with it? My father's unpopular enough with his circle and he barely—" But whatever she was going to say she forced herself to stop, lifting her eyes towards the staircase down to the dungeons. "Draco says it's only a matter of time before the Ministry turns in our favour again."

Aurora wasn't quite sure if the Ministry had ever definitively turned against the idea of them, but she did not voice this, instead saying the common room password, "Serpentine," and letting the two of them in, to see the room already bustling with excited students which the elders didn't have a hope of containing any more.

"Just so you know," Pansy added, as they slipped off towards their dorms, "your blood doesn't make a difference to you, not to me."

Yet, Aurora thought, she was very much the exception to her friends' rules — and was growing only more aware of that unsavoury fact.

-*

No one at the Slytherin Table — and indeed, across the rest of the hall — seemed particularly invested in the feast that evening. The champions' names would be drawn from the goblet only after the last courses were cleared away, and everyone seemed to be in great haste to finish eating and find out. Down the far end of the table, Cassius looked anxious, as did Charles Avery and Adelaide Fawley, two seventh years who had also entered their names. A handful of similar expressions could be seen across the hall — Angelina Johnston of Gryffindor seemed to have lost any and all appetite, Cedric Diggory was unfocused and subdued, and the Ravenclaw Catherine Jordan kept drumming her hands against the table, eyes flickering up to the goblet in front of the High Table.

Up there, Aurora could see the teachers and guests talking lowly, no doubt theorising on who the champions might be. Snape looked distinctly unimpressed by the whole fanfare — though Snape was never impressed by anything — but Barty Crouch, Aurora noticed, seemed to have a certain air of anxiety about him, too, like he really wanted to have it all over and done with so he could flee home. Bagman, on the other side of Dumbledore, was the perfect picture of joviality, often catching students' eyes and winking or waving. Every time he did this, Professor Moody's magical eye would follow the attentions of Bagman's gaze, scraping over students who wilted at the sight.

When the golden plates finally cleared, the noise in the whole swung up sharply. Anastasia Nott squealed and grabbed Amélie Travers's arm, whispering rapidly until Dumbledore stepped up to his podium and the noise died down. Aurora looked quickly over to the Ravenclaw Table where the cluster of Beauxbatons students sat clutching one another nervously. Lucille's cousin ran her hands through her hair, as though priming herself, and Aurora had to look away.

"The goblet is nearly ready to make its decision," Dumbledore declared smoothly, "I expect that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I ask that they come up here to the top of the hall, walk along by the High Table and into the chamber behind us where they will receive further instructions."

He took out his wand and swept it over the hall — at once, the candles in the room went out, plunging the hall into a tense darkness, the only night coming from the faintly flickering flames of the deliberating goblet. Watches all around the room ticked down by the second, until at last, the flames of the goblet turned a bright red. One flame shot up in the air, bearing with it a small slip of parchment, which Dumbledore plucked out expertly.

"The champion selected for Durmstrang school," he said slowly and clearly, looking around at them all as though expecting a drum roll, "is Viktor Krum!"

Krum, who was sat a few places down, got to his feet stoically. His face betrayed no emotion but the faintest glimmer of relief, as his fellows clapped him on the back and the hall cheered in applause. Chants of, "Krum, Krum, Krum!" went along the table as he made his way to the High Table and then through the door behind it, disappearing from view. Crouch's gaze followed him with narrow-eyed curiosity.

Barely a second after the applause died down, the goblet lit again and everyone's attentions turned toward it as another piece of parchment floated from the flames. "The Beauxbatons champion," Dumbledore declared, louder this time, over the rumblings of the students, "is Miss Fleur Delacour!"

A silvery-haired girl at the Ravenclaw Table leapt to her feet, beaming, but with a steady sort of self-confidence. Aurora clapped loudly for her, pleased that at least one of the champions chosen was a girl. Many of the boys, though they certainly cheered and made a fuss, were staring at the girl as she passed down the hall, ogling her.

"Stop that," Aurora muttered to Draco, catching him, "you look like your eyes are going to fall out of your head."

"Fleur Delacour," he said, "I've never heard of her. She looks like a veela."

With a sound of disgust, Aurora shoved his side. "She looks like a school champion. At least applaud for her, don't just sit with your jaw hanging open."

He flushed, sinking down in his seat. "Everyone else is."

"Everyone else is a pig. Your mother would not appreciate the way you're looking at that girl."

"Don't bring my mother into—"

"Oh, shush, both of you," Pansy whispered from Draco's other side. "Aurora's right, I don't like you staring at Delacour, but Dumbledore's about to announce our champion!"

At that, Aurora straightened, giving Draco a short apologetic smile, watching their Headmaster pluck the final name from the goblet. "And the Hogwarts champion," he said, with a bright smile, "is Cedric Diggory!"

Aurora tried to mask her disappointment, clapping politely as the boy who was usually the Hufflepuff Seeker stood from his table to the thunderous applause of his housemates. She daren't look down the end of the table where Cassius was sitting with Avery and Fawley, knowing how disappointed they all would be.

The cheering of Hufflepuff Table — most of whom were standing up, cheering and stamping their feet by this point — more than drowned out any comments from the other houses, so that it was some time before Dumbledore could regain any control over the volume of the Hall. At the High Table, Ludo Bagman cheered loudly, and Professor Sprout looked like she was trying to stop herself from leaping to her feet in support of her student. As Diggory passed, the Herbology professor smiled proudly at him, and Aurora saw him grin back. The other teachers also beamed at the announcement, except Snape, who looked terribly bored and clapped at a ridiculously slow pace, which Aurora thought was rather unnecessarily rude. Crouch, now partly obscured by Dumbledore, looked still like he wanted desperately to get out of there, but he had that same curious look about him now, as though he were sizing Diggory up.

It took several minutes before the noise in the hall had died down enoug that Dumbledore could make himself heard — something, Aurora noticed, which the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang delegations did not appear pleased by.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore said, beaming. "Now at last, we have our three champions! I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real way to their success and the co-operative spirit of the tournament. Now, I am sure you all want to get to bed, and for those of you in Hufflepuff House, I ask that you please restrain any celebrations." An outbreak of giggling from Hufflepuff House — they weren't exactly known for exciting parties, but Aurora supposed they had cause enough for celebration tonight. "And now it falls for my fellow judges to speak with the three champions who I am sure will do make their schools very proud enough."

He clapped his hands, and Filch darted forward to take the goblet — which had by now faded to cold — away. That was their cue for dismissal, and at once whispers of excitement sprung up around the hall.

"Come on," Pansy said, grinning despite the fact that the champion had turned out to be a Hufflepuff, "looks like we'll finally get a normal initiation."

"Ours was normal," Aurora pointed out, and she laughed.

"Yeah, if you don't count everyone being dead scared of that troll and the fact we were all way too exhausted to enjoy it."

"I wasn't scared of it," Aurora said, flicking her hair as they stood up. She glanced to the High Table, but most of the teachers had left now, and so had Crouch and Bagman.

Her friend just grinned. "Sure you weren't, Aurora. You just went snooping after Potter."

"I did not go snooping."

"Stalking may be a more apt description," Theodore put in — she hadn't even noticed him joining them, running a hand nervously through his hair — with a nervous-looking Anastasia at his side.

"I did not stalk him," Aurora muttered. "Anyway, I didn't see anyone else in a hurry to get to the dungeons that night. But that doesn't matter right now." She turned a sweet grin towards Anastasia. "Are you excited?"

"Absolutely," she said faintly. "It's not like there is a millennial of tradition and pressure riding on my ability to do well in this."

"You'll be fine, Ana," Theodore told her, putting an arm around her shoulder which she immediately shrugged off.

"That's easy for you to say. Phillip's being going on all day that he knows something, so he's going to do better than I am. Grandfather already thinks he's better than me."

At the mention of his grandfather, Theodore tensed, but just pushed his sister gently back in the direction of the crowd of first years which she had come from, while Pansy broke away to talk excitedly to Draco, Vince and Greg. "She'll be fine," Aurora told Theodore, though she was sure he knew that anyway. "She takes after you, you swot."

"Hark who's talking," Theodore said, with a small smile. "And I know she'll be fine, and so does she. But if she isn't first... She won't be upset at that, but she will be upset that our grandfather will take it as her being... Not as good as Phillip, Will and I. Which is bollocks, because Will was sixth or something, but he's always harder on her. He's always — well, he's just never thought she's..." He made an awkward motion, the sort he always made when he didn't know how to explain his thoughts. Aurora was getting good at interpreting them.

"As good as a boy?" She raised her eyebrows and he nodded weakly.

"Yeah. And obviously, I think that's all nonsense—"

"I know you do."

"—but he's... Well, he's my grandfather. He isn't exactly pleasant. About anything."

When he said that, his eyes turned down and Aurora wasn't sure what to do, knowing what he meant but struggling to fully understand how he was trying to express his feelings on the subject. Nothing Theodore had ever told her about his grandfather had given her the impression that he was a pleasant person at all, and he was one of the lords who had always made her feel uneasy in the way he looked at her. Like she was inferior, yes, but also in that unnerving manner that suggested he wasn't really seeing her at all, and that he didn't want to.

"No offence, Theodore," she said at last, "but I really didn't need you to tell me that."

He cracked a small grin and met her eyes again. "Yeah, to be fair, it probably isn't too difficult to pick up on. He's a bit of a — well, I can't say it in school."

Laughing, Aurora linked her arm through his, headed for the double doors, which were being blocked by the slow traffic of gossiping students. "You can whisper it in the common room later if you like," she told him in a low voice, "I promise I won't tell Snape on you."

"As if you'd ever willingly talk to Snape," he retorted, and she grinned, before they moved on. Just a few paces away from them as they entered the Entrance Hall, Potter was talking to a rather dejected Angelina Johnson, whom Aurora assumed had put her name in the goblet, unsuccessfully. "I can't believe Millie was right."

"It's almost as shocking as Zabini betting on Gryffindor."

"What's this?" Potter had heard her — Aurora stifled a groan at the bright, amused glint in his eye.

"None of your business."

"One of your mates bet on Gryffindor in what?"

"A competition of which house is the most annoying," she snapped back, and Theodore laughed. Potter, much to her frustration, laughed, too.

He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a low, cold voice, "Mr Potter." Aurora turned sharply, seeing Mr Crouch watching them from close by. "Lady Black."

"Mr Crouch," she said, trying to hide her personal disdain for the man as she looked at him. She glanced behind him, but neither Dumbledore, Moody, or any other adults were nearby. "Good evening. You're looking well."

Better than expected considering he had apparently been too stressed to acknowledge her father's innocence.

He didn't seem interested in her though — his eyes watched Potter in a rather disturbing manner, the same critical gaze he had turned upon each of the champions, like he was looking for something. Then his gaze crawled over her, making her feel suddenly nauseous, and then onto Theodore. His lips twitched into a smirk.

"Lord Nott's grandson?" he asked, and Theodore's shoulders hunched on instinct. Aurora brushes against his arm slightly, to get him to relax — Crouch had noticed the reaction and seemed coldly amused by it. "I'm sure you're all most excited by tonight's events."

"Quite," Aurora said shortly, eyes flicking to Potter. Granger and Weasley had joined them now — just what she needed — and were staring at Crouch in that typical Gryffindor manner. "I would have thought you were with the champions."

"Ah, we did not have quite so much to discuss." He was looking directly at Potter now, eyes fixed on the scar on his forehead. "No doubt I will have many opportunities to return to the school this year."

"Right." Potter was looking at him with that hard glare in his eyes. "Well, nice seeing you."

All five of them made to move off, but Crouch said, "It intrigues me, Mister Potter, that you surrounded yourself with such... Company. And you, Miss Black."

She bit back a comment about how it was not by choice, and instead settled for a grimace. "Well, we do happen to come across one another in a school, sir."

Crouch's eyes, though, were focused beadily on Potter, who shifted uncomfortably beneath his gaze. Potter shrugged, though his shoulders remained tense. "We're just trying to get back to our common rooms."

Crouch pursed his lips, but nodded slowly. "Very well. Good to meet you, Potter."

Potter's smile wavered. "Right," he said as Crouch nodded briskly, glared at Theo, and then swept away, his heels clicking on the stone floor.

She wasted no time in leaving, close by Theodore, though the three Gryffindors followed.

"Did you think he was creepy?" Potter asked once they were out of earshot.

"Very," Aurora and Theodore said at the same time. Weasley, she noticed, was glaring at Theodore as if Crouch's appearance was his fault, and she instinctively moved closer to him, slightly in front, glaring at Weasley.

"He's one of the Ministry's top people. People say he's a good person, just not very pleasant." She and Theodore exchanged wry glances — people said that about a lot of people who were anything but. "I'm sure my father has mentioned him."

"Yeah." Potter frowned. "He had. And I met him at the Quidditch World Cup, too."

"Right." They looked at each, all five of them, uncertain and appraising, before Weasley seemed to jolt himself out of the one-sided staring match he had gotten into with Theodore. "We must get back to our common room." Aurora nodded, still very aware of Theodore standing right next to her. "Goodnight."

They turned together, hurrying away, and she heard the others go too. She and Theodore didn't speak on the way down the stairs, but she could still feel that crawling unease. Soon she would catch Mr Crouch, but she didn't really know what she planned to do. She was angry, yes, but there was something cold in him that she hadn't fully anticipated before. What could a man like that really be persuaded to do?

"He knows my grandfather," Theodore said quietly just before they went into the common room, already able to hear faint but excited conversation next door. "They don't like each other — obviously." His jaw tensed at the admission which they both knew carried more weight than simple dislike. "I did not like the way he was looking at us. There was something strange about it."

"Nor did I," she told him, as if it needed to be said. "But Barty Crouch doesn't strike me as a particularly nice character himself. Certainly not as pleasant as you. Serpentine," she said, and the wall moved aside for them, where they were hit by the onslaught of noise and the excited first years all gushing about the goblet and their initiation. It felt sudden and harsh, but Aurora tried to adjust quickly, trying to put thoughts of Barty Crouch and his strange behaviour out of her mind.

"They're never going to sleep before midnight," Theodore said, smiling slightly as he caught sight of his brother and sister among their crowd of giddy friends.

"To be fair, I don't think most of us did either," Aurora pointed out.

"Aurora! Theo!" Daphne called from their spot on the sofas, waving them over. "Where did you two get to?"

They exchanged a quick, nervous look before Theodore said breezily, "Just got stuck in the crowd coming out."

"Bloody Hufflepuffs wouldn't stop talking," Aurora embellished, to grins, as the pair of them sat down together. Aurora checked the time on her watch — half past nine now — and sighed, leaning her head against the arm of the sofa. "At least we get a party tonight too though, right?"

At that, Millie's eyes lit up and she held her hand out before anyone could get excited. "And I get a galleon from each of you, don't forget!" They all groaned, and Aurora flicked hers over to her with a wink.

Technically, the fourth years weren't really supposed to be a part of the alcohol part of the evening, but in seemed that, in everyone's excitement about finally having a proper initiation celebration for the first time in three years, this little fact was overlooked. Once the first years had been sent off to their dormitories for the next couple of hours, the two seventh year prefects — Charles Avery, looking sour, and Kiersten Davidson — brought out bottles of firewhiskey to line the tables nearest the lake windows, and various cakes, pastries and snacks appeared.

"Just in case anyone is still hungry after that feast," Davidson said, with a laugh, "the house elves are very helpful for school traditions — when you ask them nicely."

At this, Avery pulled a face and slunk away, muttering to Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole, who were already helping themselves to drinks and had apparently drawn Draco in to the ordeal, too.

"I hope he at least lasts until midnight," Aurora said to Pansy, who was watching Draco with a curious expression on her face.

"Didn't Flint have to confiscate his drink last time?" Pansy asked. "At that Quidditch after-party?"

"Yes." Aurora pursed her lips, trying not to smile at the memory. "But I imagine he's learned from that."

"Hm." Pansy frowned, lost in thought. Just as Aurora was about to get up and offer to fetch one of the strawberry tarts for her, she said, "My mother wrote to me this morning."

This was nothing out of the ordinary, but there was a catch of nerves in Pansy's voice which made Aurora uneasy. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Not really, I mean — she says my father's looking into potential... Candidates. For marriage." Her cheeks were flushed and her lips wobbled. "She says that unless there is someone specific I have my heart set on, then they'll find someone for me and I... Well, I really don't think I want to."

Aurora frowned. She knew Pansy was a romantic at heart, much moreso than either herself or Daphne. She had never appeared opposed to the idea of marriage itself, but then, when they were younger, she had always seemed assured that it would work in her favour.

"Of course," Pansy went on, slightly breathless, like she was trying to hold her breath and push the words out, as if that might then help her forget that she had said them, "Father wants the very best for me. Likely it would be someone older than us, if it isn't Draco. Which I don't think it will be, unless he wants me, but I — I'm not sure that he does. And Theodore's alright, just quiet, but his family doesn't have quite as good a reputation anymore, and they say his grandfather's starting to lose it. And it isn't as if his family is on better terms with mine than Draco's at the moment." Aurora frowned at this. Theodore was sitting well in earshot, and from the furrow of his brow and the way he looked intently upon Gwen, Robin and Leah's conversation, she could tell he was only pretending not to overhear. "Then there's Crabbe and Goyle — respectable families, but neither particularly attractive. Blaise is alright of course but — and I'm sure he wouldn't really mind me saying this — the Zabini name doesn't mean quite as much, and everyone knows how his mother gets around."

"Pansy," Aurora hissed, glancing over to where Blaise, Lucille, Daphne and Millie were playing cards. "That's not really polite conversation."

Pansy tutted. "Well, no, but it's true, Aurora. Anyway, Lucille has her older brother, that would be advantageous, even a Flint." Aurora tried to picture her friend with their old Quidditch captain. He was only four years older than them — she knew many had larger age gaps — but he was certainly not the type of man she could imagine Pansy having fun with, even if that wasn't really the point of arranged marriages. "And I suppose that must be alright, mustn't it? My parents were an arranged marriage and they — they don't hate each other. Not all the time, anyway. They manage."

"But you don't want to just manage, do you?" Aurora said softly. "I know that isn't what you want."

"No, but... Well, it's better than having an awful marriage. That's what Mother said, anyway. Don't you think so?"

Aurora bit her lip. She had always known it would be expected of her to marry, and a good deal of pureblood marriages were arranged at around the age of sixteen or seventeen between fathers. For obvious reasons, Aurora's own father was getting no say in the matter. In a nicer world, Aurora would have had Arcturus or at least Lucretia to help guide her and manage an alliance, but as things stood, she was on her own, apart from the gentle, tentative guidance of Andromeda and the firmer meddling of Narcissa. It wasn't as if she didn't expect any offers, especially given her experience at events this past summer, but there was another worry that egged at her. The vast, vast majority of women took on their husbands' names at marriage, effectively becoming a part of their family and leaving their old one behind. If she were to marry, as was expected — and presuming her father did not sire any potential male heirs, which she would be furious about anyway — then the Black name would die out. Her family would be consigned to the pages of history.

So she said to Pansy, "I think it must be a complicated matter," though that didn't explain the half of it.

Pansy sighed and tilted her head back, face drawn nervously. "It's always a complicated matter, Aurora. My father says there was an awful lot of negotiation and contract drafting when he and my mother were betrothed. You know there was a squib, on her maternal line?" Aurora blinked in surprise. Pansy had never divulged such information — not that she would have really expected her to. Squibs were kept hidden. "It was distant, and really had no bearing on us, obviously, but they had to work awfully hard to convince my grandfather to take the risk."

Suddenly self-conscious, Aurora folded her arms over herself and pursed her lips. She may have been a Black, and raised like one, but the question of blood, trained blood, was inescapable. Another complication: her mother's Muggle blood. To many it would make her less desirable, and with her family's name and power waning... She was struck with the sudden and terrifying thought that she would not be wanted. A risk, because of her mother's blood. Lesser, because of her mother's blood — never mind her own wit, and school grades, and power, and the fact that she had been raised as heiress of the Black family, and carried the weight of al that entailed on her shoulders.

As though realising the direction of her thoughts, Pansy winced and said, "But I'm sure it isn't really such a big deal as some people think. It mustn't be, right? Everyone has a squib somewhere, don't they?"

"It worked out fine for your mother," Aurora reminded her gently.

"I guess. But she doesn't love — I mean, it isn't like what I want. But I don't think that matters to them. They'd say it does, but..." She shrugged. "Daphne seems resigned to it, and Lucille seems convinced she can get whoever she wants, and Millie says her father's giving her the authority herself."

Pansy shook her head, and Aurora put an arm around her shoulders. She recognised the look on her friend's face, of her struggling not to shed a tear.

"I'm sure you'll have no problems. You can have a dowry any size you want, and it isn't like we really have to think about it now, my parents are more keen than I am in honesty. But I just — well, you know I'd like a love match." Her eyes darted, without any subtlety, to Draco. "But I know that I can't get my hopes up."

Aurora thought of all the times she had teased her friend for her crush on Draco, not realising all the complications it came with for Pansy. "If it helps," Aurora said quietly, "I'll speak to Draco. I'll find out his opinion, and I'll help you, I'm sure that I can find some way to interfere. His mother is a Black, after all."

Pansy grinned, even though both of them knew Aurora could realistically do no such thing. Maternal lines meant little, even if said maternal line was of the Black family. "We have time yet," Pansy said, frowning. "But I did hear Daphne say her parents were interested."

"In Draco?"

Pansy nodded, and glared at the sofa. "It's entirely ridiculous. The Greengrasses are far too liberal for Lucius to approve of."

Aurora pursed her lips. She supposed, with an uneasy feeling, that Pansy was right. The Greengrasses walked the fine line between pureblood and blood traitor, the line of political neutrality which often said more than it didn't. She knew her grandmother would have wanted someone with the views of the Malfoys — Arcturus was slightly more liberal in his views, as was Lucretia, but purebloods were always preferable over anybody else.

Still. Marriage to anyone was an unsettling thought. She didn't particularly want to hand over any dowry, any possessions of her family.

"What are you two looking so bothered about?" Gwen asked suddenly, appearing behind them, and Aurora jumped.

Pansy rolled her eyes and said, "You wouldn't understand it, Tearston."

She could see the edge of Gwen's frown as she came to sit down — Aurora budged up to make room. "Why won't I?"

"It's... Family stuff." When Gwen frowned, Aurora elaborated, "Marriage arrangements."

It was almost comical, the way Gwen's jaw dropped. Pansy snickered. "Don't look so surprised, Tearston."

"I — you lot actually do that?" She whirled on Aurora. "Who the hell are you arranging to get married to?"

"No one," Aurora said shortly. "Certainly not now. We were merely discussing the inevitability of betrothal."

"Betrothal." Gwen looked vaguely nauseated by the word and Aurora couldn't blame her. It didn't roll off the tongue quite right, and there was something rather upsetting in the implication, that of a lifelong commitment one could not get out of. She didn't want to be tied to anyone, even if it was of her own choosing. In that respect at least, she considered herself somewhat luckier than Pansy. Even if her friend did wind up in a romantic relationship with Draco, that did not mean that she would get to choose to marry him.

"Yes," Pansy said in a clipped voice. "And it is rather confidential, actually, so I suggest we three join the card came going on down there, before Blaise sets something on fire."

Gwen frowned, as though just realising she had intruded upon something more serious than she had intended to, and Aurora said quickly, "How about I fetch us some snacks to tide us over? We still have over an hour until the first years appear, and I need sugar. Strawberry tart, Pans?"

Her friend nodded numbly as she and Gwen slipped off the sofas towards their other friends. As Aurora made her way to the long tables, she couldn't help but look back over to her assembled friends, hoping fruitlessly that the issues she and Pansy had spoken of would simply resolve themselves, or otherwise wishing that they never existed in the first place.

They whiled away the hours until midnight with games of exploding which echoed around the room, trying not to make too much noise so as to avoid disrupting the first years, something which everyone failed at. Someone put on a Weird Sisters song, and Cassius and Graham could be seen dancing around the edge of the room, singing loudly, much to Drina Bulstrode's consternation.

When the first years did finally arrive — around forty in number, quite a considerable size bigger than their own year — they were bleary eyed, pale and yawning. Anastasia Nott was the first girl into the common room, much to Theodore's delight, but the first boy was an unknown, Jack Benton.

"Intriguing," Gwen murmured, imitating one of the older girls, as the other young students filtered in, in varying states of disarray. "She looks exhausted," she said, pointing to Amélie Travers.

"So were you," Aurora retorted, "you were fast asleep and snoring."

"Yes, and if I recall you barely made an effort to wake me."

"Well, perhaps I would have if you weren't such an awful snorer." Aurora grinned, and Gwen grinned back. Both had changed an awful lot since their first year, and she liked to think it was for the better. "And I did wake you, I just left quickly. Had to be first."

Gwen rolled her eyes fondly, as the final stragglers made their way in, including Theodore's brother Philip. "You always have to be first, Aurora."

"Precisely." Her eyes darted to Theodore, who had clearly caught some of their conversation and was smiling faintly. "Unless someone decides to beat me."

"I didn't make the decision," Theodore said, holding his hands up with a smirk. "It's not my fault I got extra points for the value of fraternity."

"One extra point," Aurora grumbled, but she smiled over at him as Kiersten Davidson gestured to get everyone's attention. The noise in the common room died down to a low hush, broken by the crackling of flames in the hearth and the gentle snores of a second year in the corner, whose friends seemed to have been trying to stack Exploding Snap cards on his face.

Davidson explained to the group of tired first years, and the rather bored upper years, the tasks that they would be asking of them this evening — the first task, to steal an ingredient of choice from Snape's Potions cupboard, the second, to locate a white snake in a seventh floor tapestry, mark their findings, and receive their clues about the third task. Aurora already knew what this final task was to be of course, as Cassius had told her that the first years were to work together to create some form of communication device to communicate across the common room, but the first years looked perplexed by the vague instructions.

Nevertheless, no one was going to argue with the prefects, and they all dispersed quickly.

"Ana looks terrified," Theodore noted.

"So do all of them," Daphne said, shrugging. "Tristan and Phillip seem to have paired off together already though. Quit worrying," she told him, for Theodore did look nervous for his siblings — mostly Anastasia, Aurora thought. "They'll be fine. We were fine, and we had a troll to contend with."

"The troll was gone by that point," Gwen pointed out, "to be fair."

Theodore shook his head, leaning against the back of his armchair. "Yeah, well, I just hope they're okay." He pursed his lips, looking around nervously. "I just have a bad feeling."

Daphne tilted her head and Aurora frowned, as Robin joined their now-hushed conversation. "What sort of bad feeling?" he asked.

"I don't know. It's like nerves, but I feel this sort of dread, too? Ever since the end of the feast."

"You're probably just put off by Crouch," Aurora suggested quietly, so that none of the others outside their circle overheard.

Daphne didn't look convinced. "You don't think it's because of what you saw in the crystal ball the other day, do you?"

Robin made a derisive sound before Theodore could even reply. "You're not putting this down to Divination, are you?"

"No," Theodore said defensively. "Even if I was, what if it isn't nonsense like you think? I've got a bad feeling."

"You know what you need?" Robin said. "Firewhiskey. Why not try firewhiskey?"

Aurora wrinkled her nose. "Robin, I hardly think firewhiskey is the solution to any problem."

"And Phillip and Anastasia will probably not appreciate their brother being drunk when they get back."

"What's this about Theodore getting drunk?" Blaise asked suddenly, appearing behind Aurora on the sofa, causing her to jump.

"I'm not getting drunk," Theodore said sharply, "I'm not drinking, I'm certainly not getting like Draco."

At that, Aurora swung around, seeing Draco standing in what appeared to be a very enthusiastic conversation with Flora Carrow. "Merlin," she muttered, before her gaze darted guiltily to Pansy, who was talking quietly to Lucille and Millicent.

But she realised when she turned around that Theodore had already disappeared, and Robin was sulking. "Go talk to Draco," he said, noticing her confusion. "Nott'll come back in a minute."

Uncertain, Aurora stood and make her way to her cousin, who smiled brightly and was quick to regale her with the story he had apparently just been telling to Flora Carrow, which involved a dragon, a sword, and some highly improbable duelling stunts on his part. At least, though, Aurora managed to drag her cousin away before he could say anything more obviously untrue and foolish, and managed to keep him sat down and being sensible with Pansy and the girls, while they played at Exploding Snap and gossiped about the first years' progress, or lack thereof.

It was some time before she caught sight of Gwen again, her roommate locked in an incredibly disturbing embrace with Robin Oliphant, and only once she had looked away from them did she catch sight of Theodore and Daphne. The former was pensive, staring at the door, while Daphne held an air of impatientness around her, gaze flicking between the common room entrance and the spot across the room where Gwen and Robin were sat together.

"Evening," she said quietly when she went to sit by them, stirring Theodore from his thoughts. Daphne smiled tightly. "You've been quiet."

Theodore gave a non-committal hum in reply and twisted around the signet ring on his left hand, eyes faraway. "Sorry," he said, "I'm just not in a good mood."

"That's alright." Aurora nudged his knee with her own. "You're worried about your brother and sister, aren't you?"

Daphne huffed loudly. "Tristan hasn't come back either," she told them, "like none of them have. They're going to be fine."

"I know that," Theodore said, "I'm just waiting. I don't want to miss them coming back, especially Ana."

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm going to speak to Blaise. He's probably thinking about his stepsister too—" considering how little Blaise had thus far appeared to care about his stepsister, Aurora found this unlikely "—but at least he's having more fun."

She danced off in a wave of perfume and Aurora blinked, surprised, before turning to Theodore, who appeared rather flummoxed by his friend's sudden exit. He turned to her with a frown. "Have I done something?"

Aurora laughed, shaking her head. "I mean, you could stand to... Relax, a little. Not saying I wouldn't be the same, but, Daphne's right, they'll be fine, and you have to let them do their thing. Plus, it's been an hour."

Theodore sighed. "I know. I know you're right, but I can't help it. Plus, parties like this... Aren't really my thing."

At that she did let out a small laugh and bumped his shoulder. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised to hear you say that, Theo." She looked to the door again; it was nearing one o'clock, and already students were starting to flag. She thought Theodore would likely have already retired for the night, had he not been up and waiting for his siblings. When he was not forthcoming about any more of his worries, she said, "Do you want to see something?"

His eyes flickered with curiosity. "Depends what it is?"

"Something rather amazing," she said loftily. "And which may help ease your nerves about Phillip and Anastasia."

Theodore frowned, but nodded, and she withdrew the Marauder's Map from the pocket she always carried it in. She was highly aware of the fact that she had revealed this to two people in as many nights, but this seemed as noble a purpose as any, and in this corner of the common room they were relatively secluded, most of their peers preoccupied with socialising. Quietly, feeling Theodore's gaze weighing upon her, she whispered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Theodore raised his eyebrows. "Well, that's a bit of a mouthful."

She shook her head, letting the ink bloom over the parchment, and smiled at the way his features were overtaken by curiosity. "How did you do this?"

"I didn't," she told him, then added in a rush, uncertain of how to say it but feeling like she could divulge the secret to Theodore, "my father did, when he was our age. It's a map of Hogwarts, see, and it shows everyone. You'll be able to see Anastasia and Phillip, and know that they haven't fallen in the lake or anything."

It was peculiar to see the expression of disbelief on Theodore Nott's face, though she was uncertain which part he was struggling with. She nudged the map towards him, shifting on the sofa so that they could share it. Most people were in their dormitories, so the small knots of Slytherin students were not difficult to locate; one on the seventh floor, another on the third, a whole host of other scattered duos and trios, and then a cluster of familiar names passing by the Great Hall. Anastasia Nott, Phillip Nott, Amélie Travers, Tristan Greengrass, Edward Bulstrode, and another, Hadrian Talbot.

"They're sticking together at least," Theodore said drily, eyes flicking between Aurora and the map. "And this — this traces everyone?"

She nodded, smoothing a crease out of the parchment. "I do believe so. It hasn't been wrong yet. It's how I discovered Peter Pettigrew."

"That's really amazing spellwork," Theodore said, and she tried not to smile.

"I'll be sure to pass your compliments on."

His gaze traced the names as they made their way up the grand staircase, splintering into two groups either side of the portrait gallery. Aurora's gaze, however, was drawn to Dumbledore's office, where a group of dots were once again situated. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Bagman... She watched, intrigued, as Bartemius Crouch paced the office, then left, his dot slipping down the illustrated spiral staircase. Aurora watched his dot head up towards the seventh floor corridor, and then her gaze darted back to the Great Hall, where Theodore's siblings and their group were moving along.

"Thank you," Theodore said after they'd sat for a moment, watching the cluster of students making their way nearer to the dungeons.

She shrugged. "You seemed nervous, moreso than usual." It did not escape her, how he avoided meeting her eyes, but there was little point, she thought, in pressing the matter now.

"Am I usually nervous?" he asked, seemingly oblivious, and Aurora had to laugh.

"Often," she told him, smiling, "but not always. I think it's sweet of you."

His cheeks flushed pink and Aurora tried not to laugh for his sake, as the common room door swung open behind them and she followed the map to see his siblings both re-entering the dungeons.

"Looks like they're ahead of schedule, too," she pointed out, to spare his blushing. Her gaze turned back to the seventh floor corridor, but Barty Crouch was no longer anywhere in sight. She frowned, but supposed he must have found somewhere to catch the Floo from, or else left by another route she had lost track of.

Theodore nodded, straightening up and watching the group of first years disappear into the boys' dormitories. "Shouldn't have worried, really," he said, "they're fine, aren't they? I'm just being all... Paranoid." He swallowed, eyes darting towards the windows that look out onto the lake. "I suppose this year just feels less certain. Which likely does not make sense. But my mother — she wants me to keep an eye on them, as the eldest." He took in a deep breath and then paused, like he was about to say something more but stopped himself, and smiled weakly — falsely — instead. "I suppose I knew they'd be fine."

"Well, of course they are," she said, "and they've had a safer Halloween than anyone has for the last three years."

She folded the map up and stowed it away in her deep pockets. Across the room, Cassius Warrington caught her eye, and her heart thudded in her chest again. He looked good, even if she didn't want to admit it.

"I'll go break up Robin and Gwen," Theodore said suddenly, surprising her, though she supposed he was more relieved now his siblings were back and he could find them, "they look like they're going to start... Well, nothing appropriate for first year initiation."

Glancing over, Aurora could see the pair in question leaning even closer to one another than they had been ten minutes ago. "Perhaps not." She almost wanted to put a hand on his shoulder, offer some sort of reassurance, but then felt that was foolish of her. So she merely shook her head, and said, "You'll be alright?"

Theodore nodded. "I'm being silly, to be honest. I'm just not in the mood. But thanks for trying to help."

He strode off, but Aurora moved slowly. Trying to help, he had said. As if she hadn't succeeded, as if she didn't know what to do to succeed. She watched him go in confusion, before shaking herself out of it and tapping the map to close it before making her way to Cassius, who grinned at her and made her heart thud in her chest again, making all other worries fly out of her head.

AN: Well, it's finally here. I've been so apprehensive about this chapter because I know everyone has differing expectations, but there was no way to please everyone, and this, I felt, was the best way. Simply retreading the canon path felt pointless and I wanted to embrace the new territories brought with the canon divergence at the end of third year. It opens a lot of exciting opportunities to explore different aspects of the world and magic, and new plotlines. I know this isn't necessarily what most of you were expecting, but I hope you'll bear with me.