Two Natures of the Beast

Chapter 7, In Which There Are Dresses, Dancing, and, Oh, Yeah- Doom

"Odessa?!?! What on earth are you doing here?"

When Aurora stormed into her chamber to find an unexpected visitor perched daintily upon her bed, the blood drained from her face. Her younger sister had apparently decided to pay her an uninvited visit. Aurora groaned mentally, knowing that the teenage girl's timing couldn't have been worse. The school was only under threat of attack, after all.

"What's wrong, Rory? You don't look happy to see me!" Odessa demanded, her younger her eyes twinkling merrily as she bounced off the bed. She embraced her older sister enthusiastically, nearly knocking her off balance. Recovering from her shock, Aurora returned the hug, saying, "Of course I'm happy to see you! But what are you doing here? In my room? At Hogwarts? In England?"

Odessa stepped back, looking as always like some sugary confection, so beautiful it made your teeth ache to look at her. Her long blond curls fell perfectly around her shoulders, and her blue eyes captured the color of the sky on a cloudless spring day. "Dad said I could visit over the winter holiday. He wanted to owl you, but I told him I wanted to surprise you. Surprise!"

"Surprise," Aurora echoed. "How long are you planning to stay?" she asked calmly, while her mind was racing, trying to figure out how she was going to entertain her impetuous younger sister while guarding against an attack from Voldemort.

"Three weeks- the whole holiday! Until New Years; won't this be fun? Oh, I am sooo excited! Are any students staying over? I can't wait to meet them!"

Yes. Yes. That was it. She would introduce Odessa to Fred and George Weasley; they were her age. Good.

"Actually, we still have classes until next Friday, but most of the students are staying over because they're having this Yule Ball thingy."

"Ooh, a ball!" Odessa squealed. Aurora rolled her eyes. Odessa loved any excuse to dress up and show off and have boys fawn over her. She knew she wasn't really being fair to her sister; it was annoying, but it wasn't Odessa's fault that young men seemed to become slavering idiots the instant she walked into a room. On second thought, maybe Fred and George weren't a good idea. Better make that Katie, Alicia, and Angelina. She sighed.

"Well, come on then, we'd better go see Headmaster Dumbledore about finding you a place to sleep," Aurora sighed, beckoning to her sister to follow her out into the hall.

Odessa clapped her hands gleefully as she exited the room. Aurora began to catch her younger sister's excitement. It would be nice have family with her for the holidays. She only wished that she could be with her father, too. A thought occurred to her.

"Dess, how's Dad doing?"

"Oh, fine," Odessa answered breezily. "Heading off to visit with Uncle Janus for Christmas."

"Good. You know the holidays are hard for him with Mom gone. I'd hate to think you left him to fend for himself," Aurora remarked pointedly.

"Daddy's fine, Rory. I promise. I wouldn't have come otherwise." Odessa smiled at Aurora earnestly. "Scouts honor!"

The fact that Odessa had never been a scout aside, Aurora was glad to hear her reassurance. After losing their mother to cancer, an evil not even magic could cure, in her seventh year, Aurora had faced her father's depression and withdrawal from the world. It was only recently, with the renewed threat from Voldemort, that he had begun participating in life again. This still mainly consisted of contact with the American Wizard's Council, and she had worried leaving him with her good-hearted but flighty sister. It was good to hear that he was spending time with his brother, their Uncle Janus, whose ebullient personality infected everyone around him, and his family. Aurora smiled softly at Odessa, clasping her hand as she led her to Dumbledore's office. She decided that she was glad to have her younger sister there with her.

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She was even gladder of her sister's presence when classes resumed on Monday. As a result of the interrupted duel in Hogsmeade, tensions were running high between houses, mostly Slytherin vs. the other three. Her double classes with Slytherin and Gryffindor were especially testy, malevolent glares and threatening gestures being made every time Aurora turned her back. Odessa sitting in on her classes, however, eliminated the need for student demonstrations. The two sisters engaged in a mock duel in front of the class, simultaneously stunning the class into well-behaved silence with hexes, curses, and counter-curses flying at warp speed, and preventing a headache for their professor.

"Finite Incantatem," Aurora said with a smile, ending the tarantellegra curse she had managed to hit Odessa with. Odessa returned the smile gratefully, for although she was a terrific dancer, Aurora had left her to it for a while and her legs were tired. The boys in the class eyed Odessa appreciatively, applauding her efforts. She rewarded them with a wink and a curtsy.

Since her seventh year students were getting ready for their NEWTs, Aurora had thought it was a wise idea that they review the simpler hexes alongside the nastier ones. She knew from personal experience that the examiners liked to throw testing students curveballs. It wouldn't hurt Odessa, a senior back in the States, to review a little either. She wasn't as studious as Aurora, and Aurora doubted that her father drilled Odessa the way he had with her, in his state of distraction. She sighed, thinking that the situation was hard on Odessa, too. She just didn't let it get to her. She deserved this vacation, and Aurora was determined to make sure it was extra fun for her.

With this in mind, after she dismissed the class she introduced Odessa to Alicia, Katie, and Angelina, explaining that her sister was their age and would they please show her a good time. The four girls seemed to hit it off, and satisfied Odessa was in good hands, she set about grading some first year essays on warding off vampires. She was chuckling over a Hufflepuff essay advocating a "No Vampires Allowed" sign by the door when Charity burst into her classroom.

"Was that your sister I just saw walking through the halls?" she demanded.

Aurora nodded, waiting for the inevitable.

"Yegads, Aurora, she's even more beautiful in person than in her photo!" Charity exclaimed.

"I know. It's disgusting, isn't it?" she answered wryly.

"I heard that, Rory!"

Aurora turned to see the heavenly vision in question sticking her tongue out at her.

"Rory?" Charity said quizzically, raising an eyebrow with an evil grin on her face.

"Don't even THINK about it, Charity," she warned ominously. To Odessa she said, "What are you doing back here? I thought you were getting along with the Gryffindor girls?" She was worried; girls were sometimes cruel to her sister out of jealousy.

"Oh, I was. I am. I just wanted to let you know that they invited me to spend the night with them up in their dorm, 'kay?" Odessa positively beamed at Aurora, her eyes lit up at the prospect of a slumber party.

"Totally OK. Have fun. By the way, this is professor Parsons; she teaches Muggle Studies. Charity, this is Odessa, my baby sister." Once the introductions and pleasantries had been conducted, Odessa turned to race out of the classroom, but was prevented by a running smack into a human wall.

"Well, I feel popular," Aurora quipped. "What's up, Draco?"

He didn't answer. He was eying Odessa suspiciously. Her sister was doing the same. Aurora once again performed introductions, but after a wary handshake Odessa and Draco were still acting more like oil and water than cousins. They continued to just stare at each other. Neither one had ever seen their own beauty reflected on another young before, but they were nearly identical. Only their gender and eye-color was different. They were shaken, each used to being the most attractive person in the room. It was the most bizarre case of instant dislike Aurora had ever seen. Well, at least she had finally lived to see a male who wasn't immediately enchanted by Odessa. Finally Odessa edged out of the classroom to find her new friends, leaving Draco looking after her bemusedly.

"She looks like Lucius," he commented.

"Yeah, so do you, honey," she said gently. Then, "Wait a minute- you call your father Lucius?"

"What? Oh, yeah, he likes it that way. Anyway, I came to see about extra credit, Professor Jackson." Draco's silvery eyes challenged her silently. Charity grinned, enjoying the byplay.

"You know you can call me by my given name outside of class. And you don't need extra credit. You and Hermione Granger share the top grade in my class," Aurora said, exasperated.

"I don't like to share," he answered coolly. "Besides, Lucius is skeeved about that detention you gave me. I wanted to be able to owl him some good news, for once." He gave her a pointed look.

Her relatives were obviously trying to make her crazy. Carefully measuring her words, she told him, "You know that detention is deserved. Draco, just because I'm your cousin, doesn't mean I'm not still your professor. Being your professor doesn't make me love you any less, though. Can you understand that?"

"Oh. So you're not mad at me, then?" Draco twirled his wand in his nimble fingers, a nervous habit that Aurora had noticed before.

"Of course not. But no extra credit." She impulsively reached out and stilled the twirling wand. Didn't anybody ever tell this boy that they loved him? "No detention until after the holiday, though, okay? Although, I should warn you, Hagrid has requested you serve it with him."

Draco managed to groan and smile at the same time. Coming round the desk to give Aurora an awkward and tentative, yet thoroughly charming hug, he excused himself to join his classmates during the free period between class and dinner. Once he was out of the room Charity gave her a knowing look.

"You realize that was all about making up with you, right?"

"You think?" Aurora was surprised at her assessment.

"Oh, yeah! Malfoys just don't come out and apologize. Wouldn't do. I imagine that was meant to encompass everything since the Quidditch match." Charity grinned at her. "Now...about the Yule Ball..."

"Don't you start, too." Aurora's countenance darkened.

"Too? Who else has started?"

"Severus. And it was more like demanded."

"Ugh- don't tell me he wants you to be his date?" Charity looked horrified.

Aurora was quick to correct her. "No, no, no. He just insisted I go in case anything Dark happens."

"Good. You had me scared there." She waggled her eyebrows at Aurora.

"Really, he's not so bad-"

"You'll never convince me. Rory."

"I told you not to call me that!" Aurora yelled, launching an eraser at her friend.

Charity retaliated in kind. Very quickly, an eraser-throwing battle ensued, until, covered in chalk dust, the two professors called a truce and headed to the Great Hall for dinner.

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Finally, miraculously, the last day of classes arrived. Most of the older students were staying over, but Snape, like most of the other teachers, was grateful to at least have the break form teaching the unruly and distracted kids. Once he dismissed his last class for the day, Snape leaned back in his chair, crossing his feet on top of his desk and folding his hands behind his head, happily contemplating the notion two weeks of relative peace and quiet, should Voldemort retain from attacking. He was engaged in a fantasy involving reading, uninterrupted, the copy of The Picture of Dorian Grey that was gathering dust in his room, when his fireplace roared to life with a sudden burst of green flame. Wondering who dared interrupt his quiet, he turned slowly to gaze balefully at the head appearing there.

"What do you want, Black?" he asked grumpily.

"Sev, I'm hurt! No hello?" Sirius said cheekily.

"Not when you're disrupting the first moment of solitude I've enjoyed for the past week. Although, according to Aurora Jackson, I do have a bad habit of not offering a proper greeting. But please, do tell me why I must look at your ugly face when I should be reveling in the novel concept of silence."

"Well, it's important, if that helps. I've got definite word on what the Death Eaters are planning."

Snape sat up at attention, completely businesslike at once. "What's up?"

"You were right about the Yule Ball. There's going to be an attack. Malfoy's heading it up. I don't know the specifics, though. You're just going to have to be vigilant." Sirius looked even grimmer than Snape.

"Have you informed Dumbledore?" Snape demanded.

"Of course. He thinks it would create panic if he cancelled the Ball, not to mention creating suspicions regarding the source of the information- namely me. So I thought I'd give you a heads up."

"I appreciate it." Snape paused thoughtfully. "Say, whose fireplace are you using?"

"Malfoy's." Sirius couldn't help grinning at the expression on Snape's face.

"You're stark raving mad, Sirius." Snape shook his head, wondering if Sirius was brave or stupid or both.

"No, just hungry. He's got great food in that huge kitchen! Seriously, Severus, keep an eye on my godson and his friends."

"I will," Severus promised. "So will Aurora."

"Feels strange to say it, Sev, but I trust you." With that, his head disappeared, leaving Snape in silence once again.

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The night of the Yule Ball arrived all too soon for Aurora's taste. Odessa and Charity, on the other hand, were barely able to contain themselves. While Aurora stared helplessly at her dress robes, the other two witches shouted advice to her as they got themselves ready. She just stood there, not even sure how to start. Finally, noticing her sister's predicament, Odessa put down her hairbrush and came to her rescue.

Once she got Aurora into her robes, Odessa stood back and eyed her critically. "Hot pink, Rory? Honestly, what were you thinking?"

"They were the right size..." she said in an unsure voice. Odessa held up a hand to shush her, tapping her wand thoughtfully against her leg. Nodding to herself, she pointed her wand at Aurora.

"Um, Dess, whatcha doing?" Aurora asked nervously.

The garish pink robes turned sapphire blue. "Much better!"

Odessa said happily. "Now, about your hair..."

"Ooh, make her leave it down!" chimed in Charity, who had finally finished garnishing her own short, curly hair and turned to watch Odessa's genius at work.

"No!" yelped Aurora, covering her bun protectively with her hands, but her protest went unheeded. Odessa pried her sister's hands away and began unraveling the length of her hair. Under Odessa's deft hands, Aurora's hair was woven into a mass of braids and loose tendrils trailing down her back. Charity pronounced it lovely. To Aurora's relief, she did manage to put her foot down when the two young women tried to put makeup on her. She was quite firm on that, not realizing that Charity and Odessa were pleased just to have won on the hair issue.

The three women took a final look in the mirror before heading down to the Great Hall. Aurora felt silly standing between Odessa and Charity. Charity looked stylish in silk robes with rhinestone studs scattered over the soft lilac fabric. She had ingeniously put little gems in her hair, as well. Odessa, of course, was gorgeous. She wore robes of ice blue that matched her eyes almost exactly and clung in all the right places. Her hair was curled and piled atop her head, threaded through with matching blue ribbons. Although the other two witches exclaimed that she looked beautiful, too, Aurora felt dowdy and nondescript, and she did not want to go to this ball. The students, she told herself, think of the students.

The students, she saw when she arrived in the Great Hall, were decked out impressively. The Hall was filled with an array of bright colors and flashing gems. Draco came over to her as soon as she entered the room with Odessa and Charity. Aurora couldn't help noticing Draco was definitely turning from boy into man. He had changed so much in just the brief time she had known him. At just turned sixteen, his trim Seeker's build was revealed in his black velvet robes, and he now rivaled Ron Weasley for height. For this night, he had left his hair soft and silky, falling across his elegant brow, rather than slicked back like usual. His catlike gray eyes shone with excitement. He was easily the handsomest boy in the room.

"Save me a dance, cousin?"

"Of course," Aurora answered.

"Wonderful." He smiled at her, but it quickly turned into a sneer as he spied the Gryffindors entering the Hall.

Aurora followed his gaze to find it resting upon two couples: Harry and Ginny, and Ron and Hermione. They were also looking good. Harry wore emerald robes that complimented his eyes; while Ron wore simple black ones that, thankfully, looked nothing like a nightgown. Ginny looked very pretty in turquoise satin, red hair loose and flaming, and dark haired Hermione had chosen classy cream lace. They all smiled and waved at Aurora and her companions, but didn't come over, probably because of Draco's presence by her side.

Angelina, Katie, and Alicia came over and began chatting with Odessa and Charity. Aurora used the time to scan the room for Snape while they were distracted, growing irritated when she couldn't find him. After all, he was the one who insisted she come to this stupid thing in the first place. The dinner bell rang, but there was still no sign of him. Disgruntled, she found her place at the head table, next to Odessa and across from Charity. Suddenly, a low murmur filled the room, heads swiveling towards the entrance.

"Oh, my god, Rory- who is that?" Odessa whispered.

Aurora couldn't answer, stunned into silence. Luckily Charity answered for her.

"That's- I can't believe it- that's Professor Snape!"

The man certainly knew how to make an entrance, Aurora thought. While he wasn't ever going to be traditionally handsome, garbed as he was tonight, he was definitely eye-catching. In fact, he was barely recognizable. He wore the silver robes he and Aurora had selected in Hogsmeade, but the improvement went deeper than that. His hair, clean, silky, and shiny, was neatly clubbed back at the nape of his neck, allowing everyone a good look at his face. His eyes, which had previously seemed cold and haunted, now simply appeared confident and intelligent. Without the omnipresent scowl, his features seemed chiseled instead of sharp, and he wore a slight smile, showing his newly straight white teeth. As he strode nonchalantly to the professor's table, he walked tall and self-assured, his shoulders squared. It was amazing what a change a good dose of confidence and decent posture could bring about. He was undeniably handsome. How had she never noticed it before? The force of his personality had distracted her, and it was a good thing too. If she had even suspected that she would find him this attractive, she probably wouldn't ever have spoken to him. She would have been far too intimidated to become friends with him. She knew she must be gawking at him like an idiot, because Charity was snickering. Dear gods, don't let him have noticed!

Aurora managed to recover enough to say hello normally when he sat down next to her just as Dumbledore started the feast. Somehow, she managed to keep her food down while Odessa flirted shamelessly ("Dess, he's a professor!") and Charity shot her knowing glances. Snape had, apparently overnight, developed the ability of charming conversation, which he exercised while his eyes swept the room. Mercifully, the meal was soon at an end, the tables removed, and the dancing begun. Aurora faded into the background, watching the festivities like a distant observer.

Odessa was constantly dancing with someone, as was Charity. Snape partnered Professor McGonagall, Professor Vector, and Madam Pomfrey. Draco was mostly monopolized by Pansy Parkinson, although he did take one turn with Ginny, much to her brother, Ron's, and her date, Harry's, annoyance. She didn't see Hermione, but Ron was dancing with Susan Bones, a Hufflepuff girl. The students and their teachers all were having a wonderful time. Aurora thought it would really be a shame if Voldemort decided to ruin it.

Aurora gasped, scandalized, when her eighteen-year-old sister went over and asked Snape to dance. What was she thinking- he was old enough to be her father! And what was he thinking- saying yes! Good lord, she's Fred and George Weasley's age! For Merlin's sake! She grew more and more outraged watching them dance together. She was sickened by the coquettish way Odessa was smiling up into Snape's face. She almost went to separate them, then stopped herself. What was wrong with her? Her sister and her friend were sharing a dance. She felt so strange, almost as if... She shook her head vehemently, denying the truth to herself, but it was useless.

She was totally, utterly jealous. She wanted to claw Odessa's eyes out. She wanted to smack Severus silly. Knowing how she truly felt, and knowing it was impossible now that her would ever want her, she fled. Nearly choking on the overflow of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her, she slowly backed out of the Great Hall. As soon as she was certain that no-one had noticed her retreat, she turned and ran in whatever direction would take her far away from the sight of the man that had inspired the horrific feelings now rampaging through every vessel in her body. She forgot Voldemort in the face of the intense personal threat she now fought.

She thought her flight went unnoticed, that no one had missed her presence. She was wrong. One observant pair of dark eyes followed her departure. He meant to follow her, but was distracted by the tinkling laughter of the lovely girl in front of him. By the time he remembered, the lights had gone out, and a high-pitched laugh had filled the hall.

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Somehow, Aurora found herself down by the lake. She decided to walk down the length of the dock to pet the giant squid, but when she neared the edge she saw that spot was already occupied by a softly sobbing figure. She recognized the cream lace robes as the ones Hermione had been wearing earlier. She swore silently, realizing that Hermione was much like herself at sixteen- good at everything but being a girl. Putting aside her own pain, she sat down next to the crying girl.

Quietly she asked, "Hermione? What's wrong?"

Hermione swiped at her tears with the back of her hand.

Meeting Aurora's eyes, she said succinctly, "Ron is an idiot."

"Ah, I see. Do you want to tell me why?" Aurora slipped her arm around Hermione's slim shoulders.

"I'm supposed to be Ron's date, right? I thought that maybe, just maybe, finally he'd noticed I was a girl. But when we got to the dance, he ditched me when that obvious blonde with the big you-know-whats, Susan bloody Bones, asked him to dance. After waiting for him to come back for four songs, I gave up." Her voice was bitter, but tears leaked out of her eyes again. "Professor Jackson, he told her 'Herm won't mind! We're just here as pals!'"

As Hermione sobbed Aurora enfolded her in her arms. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry." Thinking of her own predicament, she added, "Sometimes people just can't see what's right in front of their face."

She rubbed Hermione's back as the girl cried in her arms. "It'll be OK. Why don't we go back to my room, have a cup of tea, and talk? Come on." Aurora gently pulled the younger girl to her feet. They walked quietly back across the lawn, each submerged in her own thoughts. They were almost to the castle when the screams started. They exchanged a terrified look, eyes wide, and began running to the Great Hall.