Aeris Blake
The tension in the Great Hall was suffocating.
"Defense Club Duel Night" wasn't supposed to be serious. First-years weren't even expected to attend, let alone volunteer.
But there she stood—center platform, wand clenched tightly, facing Scorpius Malfoy.
It wasn't supposed to be him. She didn't sign up for this. But when Professor Chang called his name and he stepped forward with that unreadable expression, her mouth had acted on its own:
"I'll duel him."
Now her palms were slick with sweat, and the whispers returned—subtler this time, weaving between her thoughts like vines.
"Magic old as bone... show them your true form…"
She shoved the voice down. "I'm not what you think I am," she whispered.
Across from her, Scorpius raised his wand.
"I don't want to hurt you," he said, and it sounded... genuine.
"I don't want to hurt anyone," she replied.
But something deep in her chest thrummed—powerful and unrestrained.
Scorpius Malfoy
Scorpius hadn't come to duel. He came to watch. To observe Aeris Blake. Ever since the tunnel incident, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about the serpent she awakened. The ancient runes. The glow in her eyes.
But now, facing her in front of the entire Defense Club, he felt something else: fear.
Not fear of losing.
Fear of unleashing something neither of them could control.
"Wands up!" Professor Chang shouted.
"Begin!"
Scorpius cast first. "Expelliarmus!"
Aeris blocked it, quick and precise.
Then, her counterspell: "Stupefy!"
It struck with more force than expected—Scorpius staggered back.
Whispers rippled through the crowd. Even the older students were watching now.
He grit his teeth. "She's strong. Too strong."
He shot out a shield charm. "Protego!"
She flung three hexes in rapid succession. Who taught her that?
Her hair lifted around her like there was wind blowing from within her bones. Her eyes gleamed with the same green he'd seen in the hidden corridor.
That's when he knew: this wasn't Aeris anymore.
Rose Weasley
Rose shoved through the crowd. "This isn't safe! Call it off!"
Professor Chang hesitated, torn between awe and alarm. "They're within bounds…"
"No, they're not!" Rose snapped.
Aeris's next spell cracked through the platform like lightning. The floor splintered. Students stumbled back.
"Aeris, stop!"
But Aeris didn't hear her.
She didn't hear anyone.
Aeris Blake
The moment Scorpius hit her shoulder with a sharp jinx, something snapped.
The pain should've stung. It didn't.
Instead, the whisper roared back.
"He strikes what he does not understand. Show him."
Magic surged up her spine like liquid fire. Her wand lit up—bright green. Not just Lumos. Something darker.
Her mouth opened.
She didn't speak.
The magic did.
"Serpentem Incendia!"
The spell wasn't in any Hogwarts textbook. It shouldn't have existed.
A great emerald serpent burst from her wand, made entirely of fire, coiling through the air with a hiss that shook the walls.
The crowd screamed.
Scorpius fell backward, shielding his face.
Rose grabbed Professor Chang. "Do something!"
But the professor was stunned. "That magic… it's not in the curriculum…"
Scorpius Malfoy
Scorpius had seen dark spells.
He had heard stories from his father—spells banned after the Second Wizarding War, curses whispered by bloodlines long dead.
But this? This wasn't dark magic.
This was primordial.
Ancient and alive.
The serpent swirled above them, hissing words only Aeris seemed to understand. Her eyes locked with his. Something behind them glowed.
He saw her lips move: "Run."
He didn't.
Instead, he raised his wand and shouted the only counterspell that came to mind.
"Finite Incantatem!"
A blast of golden light met the serpent mid-air. It didn't vanish—it screeched. Shattered into sparks. The echo thundered across the hall.
Smoke drifted upward.
Silence.
Then, Aeris collapsed.
Rose Weasley
Rose was at her side in seconds.
"Aeris! Aeris, wake up!"
Her body trembled. Her fingers were curled like claws. Her eyes flickered open—and for one haunting second, they were completely green.
No pupils.
No whites.
Just serpent-green.
Then they faded.
She blinked. "Did… I hurt him?"
Scorpius stood slowly, brushing off dust. His robes were scorched. His cheek was bleeding.
"You didn't hurt me," he said, "but you almost burned the castle down."
Professor Chang finally regained her voice. "That's enough dueling for tonight."
Later That Night – Gryffindor Tower
Aeris sat by the fire, shaking.
Rose hovered nearby. "You have to tell someone. That spell—it wasn't normal."
"I didn't know it. I didn't choose it. It used me."
The flames popped softly.
Aeris turned her hand over. The serpent mark was glowing again. This time, she saw something new beneath it.
A name—faint, almost invisible.
She squinted.
Then froze.
"Morrigan Slytherin."
Final Scene – Slytherin Common Room
Scorpius paced the floor, replaying the moment over and over.
He'd seen raw power before. But this? This was ancestral. It was like the magic of Hogwarts itself had risen to answer her.
He looked down at the book in his hand—an old, tattered journal he'd stolen from his father's library last summer.
He flipped to a page titled "The Forgotten Line of Slytherin."
Underlined in crimson ink: Morrigan.
The lost daughter of Salazar.
Scorpius whispered, "You're not just the heir, Aeris."
"You're his weapon."