Stella's summer vacation had arrived with much joy. In her past few weeks of school she had been relatively quiet only helping Lovegood track down her missing belongings which made the teachers regard her with much suspicion. The Basilisk she had paid her final respects to before leaving the Chamber for good. When asked by a trepid Stephen how her year had been she had shrugged her shoulders noncommittally and stated it was fine. The Guild and the Andors had reacted with much melodrama at the news of the Chamber's opening and briefly considered taking her away to their warded mansions until they had come to their senses and told her to keep quiet at Hogwarts. She enjoyed regaling the Holmes brothers of her year and her gall at using the link to solve the case had impressed them.

That summer Sherlock and Stella had set up an amateur detective agency posting flyers advertising themselves around the neighbourhood which was met with belittlement by Mycroft, but kept them busy to the relief of Mrs Holmes. They had found Mrs Smith's cat which was hanging around Mr Jones's house who had taken to feeding it thinking that it was a stray. They had solved the case of who had been filching money out of the convenience store's register. They had also managed to catch whoever had been killing the power at an arcade. They even snuck into a crime scene where a boy just a few years older than them had been killed, the police had thought otherwise and sent them away with remarks about impertinent children while they fumed. That summer the three of them had discovered smoking which they kept well away from the house. Stella had promised that she would make a magical project out of it so that they wouldn't have to continually nick money from people to keep up their new habit which they seemed pleased about. Her Muggle summer bliss had been interrupted, however, when they were watching the news one evening and the reporter had informed them of an escaped prisoner called Sirius Black. She had looked meaningfully at the two of them and, understanding her cue, they moved outside to their "discussions corner".

"He's innocent," was the first thing she said. "I would need to do some digging at Hogwarts to find out the details, but I know."

"How," Sherlock asked excitedly.

"Remember how when I was two I was having those Morgan related nightmares?" she asked and their heads nodded. "Well, one of those nightmares exonerates Sirius Black of being a Death Eater. Peter Pettigrew was the one to become the Potter's Secret Keeper and he was the one who told Tom Riddle where they were hiding. I remember Black and the late Potter having a conversation and I don't think Black would be very inclined to start, let alone part-take in, a mindless killing spree either."

"Well how do you explain the lack of a Peter Pettigrew?" Mycroft asked and continued. "People can't disappear in such a short amount of time and the physical appearance would be a sure sign."

"There is the Polyjuice Potion, but I know that the three of them could turn into animals," she mused.

"So to solve the mystery you just need to find out what Pettigrew could turn into," Sherlock concluded happily.

"Yes, it will be a nightmare of digging and trying to remember everything, but I need to do it," she sighed at another mission starting so early.

"You don't need to do anything, you want to do it," Mycroft reminded her.

"Of course she needs to!" Sherlock burst out. "Stella is our Wizarding researcher!"

Very soon an owl had delivered Stella's Hogwarts requirements list and she had delighted in tearing down every Wanted Poster of Sirius Black in Diagon Alley until Stephen had told her to stop horsing around or people would become suspicious. She had noticed that several Ministry paid people had become Potter's shadow at the Leaky Cauldron inn and scoffed at the thought of the Ministry thinking that Black would want to attack his own godson. That September first was the first and only difficult train ride she had experienced. She was thankful that the Dementor hadn't stopped by her compartment, but she still moaned in agony as Potter was targeted and for the first time in ages that terrible evening was bought up. She had never hated Death's curse so much before then as that sharp pain drove itself into her heart and flashes of Lily Potter's death flickered across her eyes.

She had vowed to find a way around the Dementor problem as she shivered in the Great Hall waiting for the first years to pitch for the Sorting Ceremony. When professor Dumbledore had announced that the Dementors were going to be sticking around for a while she had lost her cool and had found a lavatory to go throw up in anxiety. She didn't care that she wasn't supposed to know about Black's innocence, she was just so sick of the stupid responses the Wizarding World had dreamed up. Lovegood had mercifully made no comments about her pale complexion that evening.

During her first week back at Hogwarts, Stella had been disinterested in the Hippogriff debacle with Malfoy and the stir that Potter's first Divination lesson had incurred with the ridiculous rumour of him having the Grim. She had thrown herself into Animagus research, sneaking into the Library, in an attempt to find out what animal Pettigrew could turn into while bemoaning her lack of concentration at the time of James Potter's existence. Black's sighting didn't help matters either because it threw her concentration off. The teachers had thankfully been far too focussed on Potter's safety to bother watching her investigation, but one Defence class made her worry about their attention. When she had found out that Boggarts were the topic of the lesson that day she had spluttered and tried to edge her way to the back of the line only to end up in front of Potter. She found she had no choice, but to comply as she trembled while walking towards the wavering Boggart. There were a few seconds before it morphed into Death, skeletal and shrouded in a dark cloak the twisted face turned to her and opened its mouth.

"You thought you could hide from me!" it yelled. "I have killed your brothers and now I am going to take you forever, Morgana!"

"No, you haven't!" she yelled all rational thought escaping her.

"Imagine their disappointment, their loathing, their fear," the creature mused cruelly.

"They won't be, Riddikulus!" she yelled tears prickling at her eyes while pointing her wand at it to no effect and did not notice professor Lupin taking over as she turned her head in shame.

As professor Lupin concluded the lesson with their assignment, she glumly stood in the corner trying to avert eye contact with any curious class members. When everyone started filing out of the staff room to collect their bags she resolutely put some distance between her and the others before the teacher in question called her name.

"Yes, sir?" she had turned to face him as he caught up to her.

"You looked rather upset with that Boggart and I was wondering if you needed anyone to talk to about it," he had said with much sincerity.

"Oh, no thank you, I am quite fine to deal with little insecurities while the rest of the castle concerns itself with protecting Harry Potter against an innocent man," she said eyeing Potter in the distance.

"What do you mean?" he asked suddenly alert and suspicious.

"Nothing, at least until my investigation is over and I can gloat about it," she said.

"Investigation, you can't be thinking of making an investigation of this, can you?" he looked around nervously.

"Of course not!" she lied and suddenly grinned feeling much better for his reaction. "That would be dangerous!"

"But you just said-" he started.

"Said what?" she asked innocently. "Anyway I better be off, classes need to be attended and essays don't write themselves."

"No, they don't," he said utterly confused and something in that instant reminded her of a hazy memory from when she was about one years old.

"Thank you for your enlightening conversation, sir," she said her voice falsely cheerful as she turned and contemplated her memory.

Nothing of much note had happened except for Stella figuring out what the memory had contained which had made her very happy. It had seemed that professor Lupin was also very close to James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. So close in fact that he knew about their Animagus capabilities and they knew about his monthly condition. Exactly what that condition was, was another case that Stella had put on the back burner until she knew about Pettigrew's animal form. Professor Lupin, it seemed had spoken to the other teachers about her and her extra credit had started again which made her very unhappy that she was hindered in her investigative process again. She concluded that sleep would have to become minimal in order to have everything done. It wasn't until October the thirty-first that she had any luck with her movements forward.

She had received a package pertaining to their project from the Holmes brothers that morning in the Great Hall and had run off to her common room to pack it away. As it was a Hogsmead day, she had made an appointment with Sarah Andor at the Hog's Head which she made it to despite her fears about passing the Dementors at the gates. She happily sat down to a steaming cup of coffee while Sarah had ordered a Butterbeer sneering at the concept of coffee.

"So what is ailing you so much that you risk our secrecy in bringing me so close to the public eye?" Sarah asked in a cutting tone.

"The Dementors," Stella replied and shivered. "They are bringing up those memories again, of when Riddle got himself blasted out of his body."

"Ah, Riddle, our interesting little relative," Sarah mused with a cunning smirk. "So what's the problem of seeing him destroying himself over and over again?"

"It hurts!" Stella hissed. "Not to mention the Death thing has me quite debilitated."

"Fine," Sarah sighed in aggravation. "What do you need?"

"I need to know how to defend myself against Dementors. Do you have a spell, or an enchanted object for the job?" Stella leant back in her seat expectantly.

"Well, there is the common method of the Patronus Charm, but I don't know if it would work with you learning the theory and then trying to apply it practically," Sarah said contemplatively.

"What other option do we have, though?" Stella asked desperately.

"None that won't be obvious," Sarah seemed perturbed by that fact. "I want you practising the Patronus Charm wandlessly, though. It is an awful impediment to have lost one's wand and being incapable of protecting one's self."

"That sounds reasonable," Stella conceded.

"I also want a monthly update on your progress and once you have mastered it, I will want to observe your casting of it," Sarah instructed and carried on. "I will have the books sent to you via owl so be at breakfast on Monday, I know how much you love to gallivant around."

"Sure thing," Stella said with a light voice.

"Speaking of which, I take it you have uncovered many truths about the escape of Sirius Black?" Sarah eyed Stella with trepidation.

"Oh, yes! I figured out the majority of the case with Mycroft and Sherlock, I just needed to be reminded that someone else was involved later," Stella brightened up and explained all about how James Potter, Black and Pettigrew were Animaguses and that it was Pettigrew who had been the Secret Keeper of the Potters and how the entire case would be solved when she got an opportunity to talk to professor Lupin about their animal forms.

Stella had felt significantly better about the prospect of learning how to defend herself against the Dementors as she skipped back to the castle that afternoon. She was so giddy that she decided to proceed straight to the Library to recheck any errors on her project and didn't venture out until it was well after dark. She figured that it had been good enough time for the feast to have finished and made her way to the common room where she found it was absolutely deserted. The sight of things left unfinished cooled her blood and she instantly left the common room to search for where everyone had gone. She had wandered around not really bothering to pay attention until she had bumped into professor Lupin as they were just rounding a corner. He yelped a profanity and then demanded in a very serious voice why she wasn't in the Great Hall.

"Why? Is that where everyone has gone?" she asked in a curious voice.

"Yes!" he exclaimed looking around madly. "Haven't you heard?!"

"Heard what? I was in the Library until about an hour ago and when I got back no one was in the common room so I decided to go looking for them," she explained calmly.

"Sirius Black attacked the Fat Lady and now the castle is in lockdown," he shook his head at her explanation. "How come you weren't at the Feast?"

"I don't like Feasts," she replied. "Too many people and October the thirty-first puts me off anyway so I like to avoid it. Is everyone now looking for Black?"

"Yes, do you know where he could be?" he seemed desperate in his eager reply.

"Gone with the wind if he has any sense," she responded and her face suddenly brightened. "This is actually the perfect opportunity!"

"What?" he asked wearily.

"Can I quiz you on your Hogwarts days while you waste your time looking for him?" she asked brightly.

"Fine, but if anyone asks I am escorting you to the Great Hall," he warned her.

"Okay," she said and skipped along next to him. "Don't worry about any honesty getting you into trouble, I won't tell a soul."

That evening she learnt about how Pettigrew's Animagus form was a rat and that Black's was a dog. She also learnt about the root of professor Snape's apparent hatred for Harry Potter and that the cause of the convoluted plot was because professor Lupin was a werewolf. He had been very reticent in the beginning about opening up about those facts, but after she told him that she knew almost everything already he seemed very happy to share the load. By the morning she had enough information to conclude her case which made her feel victorious to the point of being smug. It was with great satisfaction that she left professor Lupin, looking confused and alarmed, as the sun was beginning to come up. Her mood didn't last long, however, on that Sunday as she realised that she had left her extra credit until the last minute meaning that her project would have to be put off until another day.

Her theory books on the Patronus Charm had arrived and with it an increase in her workload. It had seemed that this time the teachers didn't want her running around what with the "danger" that Black posed and were quite insistent on her having as much as possible to distract her. Ordinarily, with a complete case, she wouldn't have minded, but she was irked that she wouldn't have as much time to complete her project and master the Patronus Charm. She had written professor Dumbledore an angry letter demanding that the teachers calm down on the extra credit, that she was drowning as it was, but he had simply ignored it which infuriated her. Putting sleep and other such activities aside had helped significantly with her time, but not with her mood so she wandered around in an irritable mood snapping at people who had dared look in her direction. She had remained that way until the Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff Quidditch match. A strange instinct had urged her to attend and she had been pleasantly rewarded with the sight of a black dog innocuously seated on the top row. She fought through the storm and sat down next to the dog sending a warming charm around the area and held up her umbrella over the two of them.

"The name's Stella Morgan!" she yelled over the storm as the game began. "I know you are innocent!"

The dog gave her a quizzical yelp as a response.

"When the newsagent reported your escape I knew something was off so I did a lot of digging!" she explained. "What makes you think that Pettigrew is here?!"

The dog looked around and then pawed in the direction of Ron Weasley.

"Weasley's rat?!" she exclaimed. "No way, how do you know?"

The dog licked at her fingers and then did the best impression of reading a newspaper.

"So the papers told you where you could find him, eh? Don't worry, I will try to get professor Dumbledore to see reason this time!" she yelled.

The dog leaned into her appreciatively.

"You must be so proud of your godson!" she yelled gesturing to the sky.

When the Dementors had come, Stella was proud to have been able to maintain a silvery shield which had wavered once Potter had been targeted, but she had refocused herself and concentrated on being happy and at peace which held it up until professor Dumbledore had banished the soul sucking creatures. She lightly held on to the dog's paw as it whined when Potter fell and it almost seemed to let out a relieved breath when professor Dumbledore slowed his fall. They both had noted Potter's broomstick being swept away by gale force winds in the direction of the very angry Whomping Willow. Once everyone had cleared the stadium, Stella and the dog stood and made their way to a secluded area of the Forbidden Forest where the dog had assumed the form of Sirius Black. They sat down together on a protruding root glad for the cover of the trees. He spoke first.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked nervously.

"I spoke to professor Lupin about your Hogwarts days on Halloween and his guilty conscience made him break," she said simply. "Before you ask how I know that you are innocent, I just know. You were openly against your family of Rid- Voldemort supporters so it wouldn't make sense that you would betray your own sense of morals, further it would be odd that you would start a killing spree. No, the only logical rats, excuse the pun, would be Pettigrew who felt resentment being unnoticed and in his friends' shadows. All of that appraisal from Rid- Voldemort would lift his ego so high and he would finally feel that he is getting the attention he thought he deserved."

"Wow," was his only response and then he thought of something. "Hang on, how did you know that we were so close in the beginning? I thought you were a muggle born who didn't have parents to inform you."

"Indeed, I am, Mr Black, but my methods need to remain a big secret or then I wouldn't be able to continue with my investigations," she said and he looked at her bizarrely. "I have been keeping a running investigation into the Wizarding World to see if I decide that I want to stay in it."

"Well, do you?" he asked quizzically.

"Not right now," she sighed heavily. "The muggle world certainly treats me more fairly and I have more friends there."

"You don't have any friends?" he asked with a sceptical tone.

"There is Lovegood who likes hanging on to me, but my investigations take me to dangerous places and I don't want her getting dragged into ex-Death Eater nonsense," she replied.

"Need I ask more on that?" he asked.

"Nope, but this year is about you," she said suddenly. "What have you been trying to do about your Pettigrew problem other than trying to break in to the Gryffindor common room?"

"I have Crookshanks, Hermione Granger's cat, trying to get Pettigrew for me, but he hasn't been able to get the slimy rat because Ron Weasley seems quite attached to it," he said with irritation at that last bit.

"Hmm," she mused on his statement before seeming to agree with it. "Continue with that and then get the rat to me so that I can throw it into the Minister's face while clearing your name."

"You would do that?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, I would," she said simply.

"Why?"

"I have a civic duty," she echoed her words to professor Dumbledore.

"But you are just a child, running into ex-Death Eaters, breaking more rules than I ever have, all when you seem to care more for the muggle world," he insisted and then warmer. "You don't have to do any of this."

"Yes, I do," she checked her watch. "I suspect that the Hospital Wing is empty by now, do you want to sneak in?"

"If you know how not to get caught," he said.

"I am Stella Morgan," she stated. "I never get caught."

They had visited a sleeping Potter, Black in dog form, while Madam Pomphrey slumped, stupefied, in her chair in her office. Black seemed to appreciate the time spent with his godson and had a bounce in his step when he walked back to the Forest with her. They had confirmed a plan of action and had parted ways. So over the next month and a half she had been relatively at ease with the workload that the teachers had given her and she was in good spirits enough to almost fully master the Patronus Charm. Her project with the Holmes brothers had been completed one Sunday afternoon and she was awaiting their response when the winter holiday came into effect.

She had decided that to make Black's idea for Potter's Christmas present easier and to give him some comfort over the winter break to take him with to the Holmes family as a stray dog that she was looking for a good home for. Mr and Mrs Holmes had reacted with the geniality of happy parents while Sherlock and Mycroft were ecstatic to meet the Sirius Black who had evaded capture. She had taken the three of them into Diagon Alley one day and did all the transactions for Black to purchase and send a Firebolt to Potter while letting Sherlock and Mycroft have a pick of whatever book they fancied at Flourish and Blotts. They had been very pleased to inform her that their project of a self filling and choice orientated cigarette box had been a success. Stella found that she enjoyed her limited time Christmas and was sad to leave for the second round of Hogwarts.

They had arrived back to see that much suspicion had arisen from the anonymous Firebolt and were disappointed to see that it had been taken away to check whether or not it had any malicious spells placed on it. In retrospect they had conceded that maybe a small note would have been better to allay any fears. Stella was largely disappointed to see that Potter and Weasley were ignoring Granger, who had raised the concern with professor McGonagall, and often sat at the same table as her at the Library just to make her feel as if she had company. With the increase in actual school work came an increase in her extra credit which left her in an irritable mood making her isolation worse. What had cheered her up was that she had finally managed to produce a corporeal Patronus on several occasions and she had skipped through the corridors that week with a grin on her face which only made the teachers anxious.

When Black had attempted to get Pettigrew from the Gryffindor common room, she had been in the Library and was not pleased that it had resulted in an extra Charms assignment due the next day. She had made it quite clear to him that he needed to wait until Crookshanks sniffed out and delivered the rat to him. The next few months had seemed to fly for her; she had been so stuck in school work, an increasing load of extra credit and in perfecting a corporeal Patronus Charm that time had seemed to vanish. When she had looked up to see that exams were starting in a week she had an anxiety attack which had her bound to the Hospital Wing for the evening with an ease up on her extra credit. By the end of the exams she had almost forgotten all about her plan with Black only to be reminded of it the day after.

He had sent her a letter explaining that Pettigrew had escaped into the night while Potter, Weasley and Granger were aware of the truth and that he was on the run with a condemned Hippogriff. He had also expressed his gratitude for her assistance and said that he would try to keep in contact. Frustrated that she had failed in her mission to bring Pettigrew to justice, she had set out on a power walk around the castle to cool off and vent her ire by making her legs struggle with the demand. She hadn't been watching where she had been walking and had bumped into professor Dumbledore almost sending them sprawling.

"Good Merlin, my dear, watch where you are walking!" he had exclaimed in surprise. "Oh, Miss Morgan, fancy running into you here."

"Good day professor," she had glumly said while straightening herself out. "I wasn't quite anticipating anyone to be wondering around on a day like this."

"No, I wouldn't either," he said taking in her mood. "What seems to be the matter?"

"I have failed again!" she exclaimed, her frustration finally getting the better of her. "Once again I haven't been able to bring another person to justice!"

"I take it you have figured everything out despite the teachers' excessive workload," he said with his signature twinkle, but she wasn't fooled and had up her defences.

"I had it figured within the first half of the school year, I was simply waiting for Mr Black to deliver the rat to me so that I could bring the slimy traitor to justice," she said her opinion of Pettigrew hardening her tone at the end.

"Interesting, so you were the one at the top of the stands the day Harry fell," he mused. "Why are you studying Patronuses?"

"The Dementors bring me back to when my mother died when I was little," she lied. "It was irritating and getting in my way."

"How young were you when she died?" he asked with that curious gleam in his eyes again.

"My birth murdered her," she replied flatly with an edge to her voice and eyes. "I have a Potions essay that I need to write; if you would please excuse me, professor Snape doesn't delight in his extra credit being handed in late."

With that they had parted ways. Stella had completed all of her remaining extra credit assignments in the last few days of school and had mercifully been handed none for the summer holidays. She had finally managed to master the Patronus Charm to her standards which meant sending out a message in the form of one to Sarah to inform her of this. Her silvery Thestral flying into the darkness was another grim reminder that she had failed in some respects to be exactly what her father had wanted; not Death's child reincarnate. Nevertheless she had enjoyed waving farewell to the gates of Hogwarts at the end of the school year, but she was put off and hid from Potter and his friends on the train as soon as she had overheard them saying that they wanted to thank her for helping Black.

Stephen had seemed oblivious when he had collected her from the station and had uncharacteristically asked if she had wanted to go to the Theatre that evening which seemed like a perfectly Muggle thing to her and she instantly agreed. During her first week back her Patronus Charm examination had taken place at the Andors well warded house. The Andors were massively impressed with her skill and wanted to test it out on a real Dementor, but having none the idea was instantly vetoed; the Guild had quickly scribbled down notes on her interesting form and asked if she had been using any of Death's magic which she had replied that she had not. All of them had been relatively impressed and had given her a pass for her progress update.

Her summer had started off blissfully, but a curious bored peak into Riddle's soul had broken that blissful bubble quite effectively. Pettigrew's successful relocation of Riddle had made her sour. The rat bringing Bertha Jorkins to her grave had made her irate. Riddle's successful transition from intangible soul-like creature into the foetus had made her blood boil. The pair of them getting into the United Kingdom had made her accidently break a vase in anger. Their location of Barty Crouch Junior after the debacle at the Quidditch World Cup had made her furious.

However, when she learnt about their plan she had thrown up in anxiety and disgust and spent the rest of the day in the foetal position in terror. She had been helpless throughout the summer to do anything about what she was seeing, but as much as it hurt and aggravated her she had continued peering into Riddle's soul intent on learning as much as possible until she had arrived back at Hogwarts. For the first time the Holmes brothers had nothing to say, not knowing how any of them could be of any help at that current stage. When September the first had come, Stella was anxious to board the train and get her information to Professor Dumbledore. Her plans had been hindered, though.

By the time she had reached the Great Hall she had been drenched to the bone by the rain and Peeves throwing water balloons at everyone thus spoiling her notes, she had become overwhelmed by a sudden case of anxiety driven nausea and she was held up by the many students attempting to get into the Great Hall. Her plans ruined she sat next to Lovegood shivering, because she wasn't bothered enough to cast a drying or warming charm, as she muttered mutinously under her breath about failures and conniving dark lords who conspired with Death to thwart her. Lovegood had simply started gibbering about her imaginary creatures which were interfering with the weather and, most importantly, her brain waves making her confused and upset.

She had glared when Crouch, disguised as Professor Moody, arrived making him regard her quizzically. At professor Dumbledore's announcement of the Triwizard Tournament she had taken to repeatedly banging her head on the table in front of her which did not go unnoticed by those around her. She had tried waiting for the end of the Feast to talk to Professor Dumbledore, but he had seemed eager to catch up with his "old friend" and see what the delay had been so she had sullenly went for a walk instead in the pouring rain.

During her first month she had tried desperately to contact the Headmaster, however, he had been too busy to slot in a time for her so she had taken to glaring defiantly at Crouch throughout his lessons and had smirked at his surprise when she had thrown off his Imperius Curse completely for the first time. The Andors had been particularly antsy about getting her resistance to the first two Unforgivable Curses to a stellar level which she was then glad about.

October had arrived yielding no further opportunities to get her information which had been re-written to the Headmaster and she had a fowl scowl on her face as everyone had been forced to meet the delegations from the other schools. She had been largely unimpressed by their arrival and had seemed to fit in with the sullen looks that the Beauxbatons students were wearing at the Ravenclaw table. She and Lovegood had ended up next to someone who she had identified as part Veela and glanced around furtively to see whether any of the male Hogwarts students had noticed. Sometime during the Feast the girl had struck up conversation with Stella, surprising her out of her gloomy mood.

"I hadn't thought that there would be so much food here," the girl said in a heavy French accent.

"There usually isn't," Stella replied darkly.

"Fleur Delacour; and you are?" Delacour stuck out her hand.

"Stella Morgan, pleased to make your acquaintance," she introduced herself warily shaking hands with Delacour.

"Oh, a Morgan," Delacour exclaimed excitedly. "My History of Magic teacher would be very interested. Last year we studied all the rumours of the Morgan Squib Line Curse and were so disappointed to not find any good books on the subject. Do you know anything about it?"

"I have a vague idea," she replied. "Something about a vengeful Death, a conniving Merlin and Morgana is all I have heard about it."

"Then you know so much more than the normal person!" Delacour gestured to the girl besides her. "Claudia, I have found someone who knows about the Morgan Squib Line Curse!"

The two of them jabbered on excitedly as Stella found herself panicking about an exit to the conversation. This had been the reason why the Guild and the Andors had been so happy about the idea of her being away from mainland Europe, the rumour hadn't been fully stamped out and ideas, romantic fantasies, still flew around in the minds of those who were interested.

She had been saved by the start of Professor Dumbledore's speech and she silently thanked him and the luck of timing. When the Goblet of Fire had been taken out and the deadline for submissions had been set, she had an idea to prevent Riddle's plan which brightened her mood considerably. She had waited for the Great Hall to clear telling Lovegood that she had something to do in the Library and eagerly walked along Professor Dumbledore as he carried the Goblet to the Entrance Hall. Bagman and Crouch Senior had regarded her oddly as she watched Professor Dumbledore draw the Age Line with a broad smile. The Headmaster had finally noticed her presence and had asked her what she was up to.

"I am not moving from this spot at all," she had said brightly.

"Why is that?" he asked while the others had moved off.

"I am guarding the Goblet, sir," she said rocking on her heals. "Something bad is going to want to happen and I am going to stop it."

"What is going to happen and how do you intend on stopping it?" he asked humouring her.

"Someone is going to try to put Harry Potter's name in the Goblet, but I am going to stun them," she conjured up a chair and sat down.

"Why would anyone want to do that?" he asked his demeanour light, but concern touched his eyes.

"Because there is always a plot, but this time I have a counter plan," she said focussing her eyes on the Goblet.

"Well, alright," he said in disbelief seeming to cast off her concerns. "Don't break curfew this time, or you know what your investigations will get you."

"Don't worry, everything is figured out already," she said cheerily. "Good night Professor."

He had left, but her plan had failed. Wand already grasped in her hand, she rose to take on Crouch Junior, and he had been too quick and stunned her keeping the magical eye trained on her as he hoodwinked the Goblet of Fire and entered Potter into the Tournament. He considered her, but his master had told him that he had special plans for Mudbloods that messed with his plans and that this one needed researching. He left her sprawled on the ground and when Stella had eventually roused she had let out an angry yell of frustration which had her with a black mood which had been aggravated when Potter's name had been spat out of the Goblet.

That evening she had taken to blasting a few windows to smithereens in a few abandoned classrooms while yelling profanities at Death, attempting to curse away an irritating Peeves and snarling at the ghosts that attempted to intervene. She had relaxed by the end of the weekend into a miserable stupor which Lovegood had been creative in her attempts to eradicate.

Her extra credit had started again, for some inexplicable reason, and in her darkened mood she had wondered what would happen if she refused to do it and owled Professor Dumbledore about it. She had received an amused reply stating that her extra credit was very vital to her continued success and that it was a healthy alternative to the detentions that Professors Snape and McGonagall had dreamed up. Deciding that she preferred learning about N.E.W.T level work by then, she continued begrudgingly with her extra credit work and wondered faintly if the teachers had anything planned for the next year if they continued with it. It was through this though, that her mind had come up with the brilliant idea of shadowing Potter though out the year to ensure his protection. Upon reviewing her workload, however, she realised that Lovegood may have her uses and a quick modification of the Protean Charm had her grinning as she gave Lovegood her assignment telling her that Potter's ignorance of their spying was very important.

She was glad that her afternoon of the first task was free enough to be able to watch Potter herself, but wasn't pleased to see that dragons were the obstacle to each champion's golden egg, the clue for the next task she had figured. However, she was happy and jumped around with vigorous joy when Potter had escaped with only a cut on his shoulder earning her an odd look from Lovegood who had asked if she needed to shadow him that day.

"Potter will be fine today, the intruder is now plotting his next step," she had replied to her partner's bewildered stare as they had settled into the Ravenclaw common room that evening.

Stella had been proud to say that the rest of the year had progressed like clockwork, having Lovegood and herself taking shifts to watch Potter, managing her insane workload and giving the both of them a good Christmas break. Preferring the tranquillity and peacefulness of home over the incessant babble and commotion of the Yule Ball, they had elected to go to their respective families and Stella had enjoyed her break with the Holmes brothers while filling them in on what had happened at Hogwarts. She and the brothers had outlined a new plan of action to prevent Riddle's plot, which included kidnapping Potter before the final task thus preventing his getting hold of the Triwizard Cup.

She was glad for an incident free return to school and had started preparing herself for their plan which she had gotten Lovegood's assistance with, she had convinced her that the plan was vital to the continued existence of life itself. She had been so sure of the plan's success that she hadn't made a contingency plan and had taken her extra credit with a smirk while the rest of the school year had flown. So it was with an air of confidence that she found herself sneaking along the seventh floor late at night on June the twenty-third in search of the Fat Lady's portrait. She was about to settle in for her watch when an irate Professor Snape caught her. Against her protests she was dragged by him to Professor Dumbledore's office where he delighted in telling the Headmaster about her recent in rule breakings. He certainly was sullen when he was dismissed and looked as if he had chewed on a lemon when he billowed out of the room. Stella had been told to sit down and explain herself. She weighed her options and decided to be selective in her explanation.

"Tomorrow, during the final task, something bad is going to happen," she began uncertainly. "Harry Potter must be prevented from taking part in the final task; I was going to be kidnapping him tonight to have an automatic disqualification from the task. I know that there is a plot to bring Riddle back, Potter will be drawn into this, and also Professor Moody isn't who he says he is."

"Mm," he hummed frowning at her. "Can you explain how you found this out and give evidence to support your claims?"

"I can't," she felt hopeless for the first time. "I just know that all these terrible thing s are going to happen, the imposter stopped me in the beginning, and I just need you to believe me for once."

"Miss Morgan," he started and sighed going cross eyed. "While your claims might have validity with certain proof, one cannot go on "I just know"."

"So you don't believe me?" she stared at him incredulously. "I was right about Quirrel, I knew about Riddle, I got the mystery of Sirius Black and when I tell you that Riddle is planning to use Potter in the final task to come back to life because of a gut feeling which you then don't believe me of-"

"Well if you perhaps told me how and why you know, then I could take the appropriate action, but right now we have a diplomatic image to uphold and until something actually happens I cannot act on mere words," he explained, his eyes looking sad.

"So nothing is going to happen to prevent Riddle's return and Potter's potential doom?" she felt a crushing weight begin to settle on her heart.

"Unfortunately not," he said his eyes X-raying hers. "What is going to happen now is that you will be escorted to the Hospital Wing where you will be put under a dreamless sleep potion. Tomorrow you will be escorted to your exam and when it is time for the final task you will be escorted down where you will be watched and where you will see that nothing bad will happen because the proof is what validates your fears."

"But-" she started indignation rising.

"No buts, I would have hoped that your extra credit would have put you out of harm's way, I was mistaken," he rose. "Now if you will follow me."

He escorted her to the Hospital Wing, humiliation, anger, hopeless desperation and fear welling up in her as he explained to Madam Pomphrey the importance of keeping her bound to her bed and out of trouble. Her eyes prickled as he apologised to her and left her to her wallowing; she didn't even protest as the Dreamless Sleep Potion was poured down her throat sending her into an oblivious sleep. She had nodded meekly when, instead of being taken to her exam, it was delivered to her and quickly scribbled her answers down passing it back without a second glance over, she knew that she would get an E at the very least anyway.

She was allowed a brief shower before Professor Snape took her down to the Quidditch pitch and sat her down in the teachers section while glaring at her silently daring her to cause trouble. Resigned to her fate she leant back and fell into a trance, seeing the world from the perspective of Potter. There were the slightest of gasps when he found himself in trouble, the smallest of twitches when Potter and Cedric Diggory landed in the graveyard, an eyelid flutter at Diggory's murder, a slight whine at the back of her throat at Riddle's return, a cough when the wands connected all which went unnoticed by her watchers. The return of Potter and the descent into mayhem was all the distraction she needed as she slipped away following Crouch Junior as he pulled Potter into his office. She had enough when she heard him threaten him and barged in to stand in between the two, her mind throwing caution to the wind and impulsivity ruled her actions.

"You're going to have to kill me to get through to him!" she had yelled.

"Very well, the Dark Lord will be disappointed, but he will understand," he mused and then. "Avada Kedavra!"