Stella Nova

by BrooklynFazenbaker

When the Weasley's took in Sirius Black's daughter on Halloween night, they expected him to return for her in a few days. Instead, they raised her alongside their children. How will a Slytherin "Weasley" change the story? Especially when she's a troublemaker and so close to so many snakes... and how will Sirius react to seeing his daughter again? (I do not own Harry Potter)

5. Chapter 4: The Goblet of Fire

Chapter Four: The Goblet of Fire

Stella sat up slowly, feeling much better after her fourth round of spells that summer. Once a week, Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape made a house call, performing the ancient healing spell on her before she would take a long nap. They only needed to do it once more this summer and she would be fully healed, no chances of becoming paralyzed ever again. Well, as long as no one broke her neck or severed her spine again, but the chances of that happening a third time were rather low… she hoped.

Pomfrey and Snape would always be gone when she woke, a months' worth of potions to take before bed every night waiting for her. She picked up her quill and bent over a piece of parchment, writing Harry back. His last letter had described a reoccurring dream, more like a nightmare, where Wormtail, Voldemort, a large snake, and an unknown man were plotting his death. He woke with his scar hurting every time. He didn't want everyone knowing about it and he knew Ron would ask dad and then every Weasley would know. If he told Hermione, she'd try looking in a book and tell him to tell Dumbledore. Nothing about Harry's scar was normal and therefore wouldn't be in some book. Stella had no advice either, but it seemed like Harry just wanted to tell someone.

She told him to put an ice pack with some herbs (peppermint, rosemary, ginger, and sage if he could get his hands on it) on his head afterwards to help with the pain. She ended up sending him the herbs herself when he told her that his aunt's garden was strictly for flowers and trying to impress the nosy neighbors. She also sent him a magical ice pack that was always cold so he didn't have to sneak or ask for one.

She fidgeted with her ring and immediately heard Sirius in her head.

'Alright, little star?' he asked.

'Has Harry written you about his scar?' she asked him.

'I just received a letter from him earlier about it,' Sirius confirmed.

'Okay, good. I just wanted to make sure he'd told someone else as well. He didn't want everyone to know so he didn't tell Ron and Hermione is far too logical at times.'

'I am very happy that you and Harry ended up being close, even without any of us around.'

Sirius was growing sad again.

'We better be close with how often we've gotten into trouble together. How's Uncle Moony?'

'Gets all teary eyed every time you call him that.'

Stella also had to do physical therapy for her injuries. So, she walked down to the magic market four kilometers (two and a half miles) away from the house. While she was there, she got meat pies, Yorkshire pudding, and treacle tart, all with stasis charms on them. Sirius had sent Ron and Stella each an owl to replace Scabbers and she sent hers, Owlivia or Liv for short, off with the food to Harry once a week to make sure he was actually being fed. He'd told her that his cousin had been put on a diet, meaning everyone else in the house was on it as well. He then mentioned that it was about the same amount he usually snuck out of the kitchen at night and she'd had to stop herself from stomping down to the muggle neighborhood herself to collect him.

She'd learned to avoid Molly at all times, the woman finding little things to nitpick her. Mostly because she was in constant contact with Gringotts bank about Sirius. Her last letter from Bloodshire told her that he'd found a lawyer willing to represent Sirius and that Gringotts was willing to offer sanctuary to Sirius for the time being. Professor McGonagall was more than willing to testify that she'd seen Peter Pettigrew with her own eyes that night, as were Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Remus had told her that he would but that his word wouldn't mean much to anyone on the Wizengamot. Snape had simply responded with one sentence: "If I must." The only issue was that, if Sirius was found guilty, which was likely due to bias and greed, he'd been shipped right back to Azkaban or given the kiss.

Stella had already filed a complaint against the auror department for how the case, or lack thereof, had been handled. They hadn't been pleased when she'd shown up at the ministry with Arthur just so she could demand a trial directly after. Arthur had been told what had truly happened and was on board with helping Stella, angry at the department for the lack of accountability. An investigation was being conducted and evidence was being collected. His wand, which had been sitting in a very skinny evidence folder, was being tested by Unspeakables as they did some sort of ancient magic to figure out what spells Sirius had used on that day. Stella about had a fit when she was told his wand hadn't even been tested when everything had happened.

Turns out magical fingerprints could be left on houses as well. The Fidelius had left an imprint and the secret keepers name was braided into the enchantment. It had already been revealed that Peter Pettigrew was, in fact, secret keeper due to that. Now, she just needed to wait for the lawyer to reach out to her once they finished studying the case and all of the new evidence as it was found. They were waiting on the wand and a few other pieces to fall into place before that would happen though.

Stella's last round of spells were complete and she was flying low in the backyard on Charlie's old broom, Ginny flying on the Firebolt. The sun had gone down and it was completely dark, clouds covering any light in the sky, so they were up a bit higher than they would normally be. Ginny was laughing as she flew around, enjoying the rush and saying how she couldn't wait to join the team one day. Stella was just happy that Ginny wasn't avoiding her for whatever reason anymore. All last year, Ginny had walked the other direction when she'd seen Stella, Luna walking with Ginny and giving Stella sad looks. Ginny had never explained why she'd been upset but Stella didn't really mind as long as she had her sister back.

They landed, placing the brooms in the shed before walking back into the burrow, both smiling brightly as they did so. Stella moved through the kitchen and to the stairs quickly when she saw Molly, Ginny following close behind. Ron was waiting for them outside of their bedroom door.

"Dad, the twins and I are going to go get Harry on Sunday," he announced and Stella smiled brightly.

"About time," she laughed. "Now Mum'll be telling you to clean your room so I can set up the spare bed for him."

"Hermione'll be here tomorrow," Ron reminded her.

"She's taking my bed," Stella reminded him. "Dad's dealing with the ghoul tonight if he hasn't already."

"He was heading up there when I decided to wait for the two of you. Were you flying?"

"We were," Ginny nodded, opening the bedroom door and showing off the clean room.

"Stella, are you actually a house elf?" Ron asked.

"Pass me a sock and let's find out," Stella joked as she stood in the doorway.

The next morning, Stella carried a bucket of soapy water up the stairs and into the attic. The ghoul had agreed to move into the broom shed and Stella and Ginny had run out to it, clearing out the brooms quickly before it could get there. The brooms were now in the closet outside of Stella's new room. She grabbed a long brush and began scrubbing the ceilings harshly, working up a sweat quickly. The three windows, all which faced a different direction, were open so a breeze would come through, helping to air the room out. Once the ceiling was cleaned, she moved to the walls, starting at the top and slowly working her way down.

Hermione had arrived at lunch, Stella running down from the attic and waving her a greeting, before grabbing a sandwich and water and going back up the long trek of stairs. She sat in the middle of the floor and ate before going back to scrubbing the walls. She began the floors next, music playing from the radio on the windowsill. It was dark when she finished scrubbing the floor. She went down to Ron's room, falling onto the spare bed and accepting the sandwich he'd brought up to her. She ate it quickly before taking a shower and returning. She slept in Ron's room that night before reminding Ron to clean his room before she made what would now be Harry's bed and heading upstairs again.

Stella smiled as the morning light spilled into her room. She asked Percy to help her move the bed and dresser up before he started his report on cauldron bottoms and he'd agreed as long as he could tell her what he'd thought up so far as they worked, which she agreed to. Unlike the other siblings, Stella listened when Percy talked. It was mostly repetitive about how much he liked his job and his boss, but every once in a while he'd tell her some juicy bit of gossip that he'd heard about, scoffing at the ridiculousness of people gossiping in the first place. Stella didn't tell him that, by telling her, he was actively participating in the thing he claimed to dislike so much.

Stella placed her folded clothes in her dresser and made her bed. Ginny helped Stella put up posters and Slytherin banners while Hermione put Stella's books on the two bookshelves that Bill had built into the wall for her, him and Charlie visiting for a bit. A plush throw rug was placed in the floor in front of her bed and that's where the three girl's laid until they heard everyone returning.

The three made their way down the stairs and Ginny and Hermione went to the kitchen while Stella went to the dining room, standing behind Charlie as Ron walked in, plopping down into the seat beside him. The twins came in next, looking rather excited as they stared at the doorway. Finally, Harry came in.

"Did he eat it?" asked Fred excitedly.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "What was it?"

"Ton-Tongue Toffee," Fred answered. "George and I invented them and we've been looking for someone to test them on all summer…"

The tiny kitchen exploded with laughter and Harry finally looked around at everyone else. His eyes locked on Stella's and his face brightened considerably as he moved towards her. Stella walked to him to, wrapping her arms over his shoulders and letting out a giggle when he picked her up as they hugged. Bill and Charlie exchanged curious looks with one another that no one noticed, all used to how Harry and Stella interacted with one another by now. Harry set Stella down and pulled away.

"Thank you," he told her and she simply shrugged as Charlie stood and walked over.

"How're you doing, Harry?" he asked, holding his hand, which Harry took.

Bill got to his feet as well, smiling with a bit of mischief in his eyes as he also shook Harry's hand, glancing at Stella as he did so. She gave him a confused look before a pop was heard. They all turned to find dad having appeared behind George looking rather angry.

"That wasn't funny, Fred," he shouted. "What on earth did you give that Muggle boy?"

"I didn't give him anything," said Fred, with another evil grin. "I just dropped it. He went and ate it. I never told him to."

Stella could appreciate how Slytherin that sounded, but Dad was a Gryffindor.

"You dropped it on purpose!" Dad roared. "You knew he'd eat it, you knew he was on a diet!"

"How big did his tongue get?" George asked eagerly. "Stella won't let us test this one on her."

"And for good reason! It was four feet long by the time his parents let me shrink it!"

The Weasleys and Harry roared with laughter again.

"It isn't funny!" Dad repeated. "That sort of behavior seriously undermines wizard-Muggle relations! I spend half of my life campaigning against the mistreatment of Muggles, and my own sons—"

"We didn't do it because he's a Muggle!" Fred defended.

"We did it because he's a great bullying git," George nodded. "Isn't he, Harry?"

"Yeah, he is, Mr. Weasley," said Harry earnestly.

"That's not the point!" raged Mr. Weasley. "You wait until I tell your mother—"

"Tell me what?" said a voice behind them and Stella hid behind Harry quickly. "Oh, hello, Harry, dear. Tell me what, Arthur?"

Dad hesitated, not having had any actual intention of telling mum anything. There was a silence as Dad eyed Mum nervously. Ginny and Hermione appeared behind Mum, both of which smiled to Harry, who smiled back and caused Ginny to go scarlet.

"Tell me what, Arthur?" Mum repeated in a dangerous sort of voice.

"It's nothing, Molly," Dad mumbled and Stella slowly began creeping backwards out of the room, Harry stepping with her to keep her hidden, having read Stella's letters ranting about how unfair her Mum was being blaming Stella for her siblings actions. "Fred and George just… but I've had words with them…"

"What have they done this time? If it's got anything to do with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes…"

"Why don't you show Harry where he's sleeping, Ron?" Hermione tried.

"He knows where he's sleeping," said Ron. "In my room. He slept there last—"

"We can all go," said Hermione pointedly, trying to get them out of there so that 1. They didn't have to witness the twins get yelled at and 2. Stella could escape.

"Oh," said Ron, catching on. "Right."

"Yeah, we'll come, too," said George.

"You stay where you are!" Mum snarled. "Where is Stella?"

"She's been getting the attic cleaned up for the past two days, Molly," Dad reminded her. "She's not had time to do anything else."

Harry and Ron edged out of the kitchen, Stella hidden behind both of them, and they, Hermione, and Ginny set off along the narrow hallway and up the rickety staircase that zigzagged through the house to the upper stories.

"What are Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?" Harry asked as they climbed.

Stella, Ron, and Ginny laughed, although Hermione didn't.

"Mum found this stack of order forms when she was cleaning Fred and George's room," Ron explained quietly. "Great long price lists for stuff they've invented. Joke stuff, you know. Fake wands and trick sweets, loads of stuff. It was brilliant, I never knew they'd been inventing stuff…"

"We've been hearing explosions out of their room for ages but we never thought they were actually making things," said Ginny. "We thought they just liked the noise."

Stella didn't say that she'd known and been helping them for years or that she planned on investing the moment they had everything sorted.

"Only, most of the stuff… well all of it really… was a bit dangerous," said Ron, "and, you know, they were planning to sell it at Hogwarts to make some money and Mum went mad at them. Told them they weren't allowed to make any more of it and burned their order forms. She's furious at them anyway. They didn't get as many OWLs as expected."

"And then there was this big row," Ginny said and Stella flinched as she remembered it. "Mum wants them to go into the Ministry like Dad and they told her all they want to do is open a joke shop."

Just then, Percy's door opened and his face came into view.

"Hi, Percy," Harry greeted.

"Oh hello, Harry. I was wondering who was making all the noise. I'm trying to work in here, you know. I've got a report to finish for the office and it's rather difficult to concentrate when people keep thundering up and down the stairs."

"We're not thundering," Ron said irritably. "We're walking. Sorry if we've disturbed the top-secret working of the Ministry."

"What are you working on?" Harry asked.

"A report for the Department of International Magical Cooperation," Percy answered smugly. "We're trying to standardize cauldron thickness. Some of these foreign imports are just a shade too thin. Leakages have been increasing at a rate of almost three percent a year."

"That'll change the world, that report will. Front page of the Prophet, I expect, cauldron leaks," Ron shot back.

"You might sneer, Ron, but unless some sort of international law is imposed we might well find the market flooded with flimsy, shallow-bottomed products that seriously endanger—"

"Yeah, yeah, alright," Ron stated as he began leading them up the stairs again.

"I'm going to go finish my room," Stella told the others. "See you all later."

Stella's room was actually done but she had some work to do, ledgers to keep up with, and inventions to secretly help the twins with. It was half an hour later that she heard a large bang outside her window, causing her to jump. She ran to her window, finding Bill and Charlie making two old tables ram into one another in the air. Stella cheered along with Fred and George as Charlie's table lost a leg before Percy began yelling at them. She rolled her eyes, grabbed her broom from the closet, and flew down to the yard.

By seven o'clock, the two tables were groaning under dishes and dishes of food. The nine Weasleys, Stella, Harry, and Hermione had settled down to eat beneath a clear, deep-blue sky. At the far end of the table, Percy was telling Dad about his report, still hinting at knowing something that the others at the table didn't. Stella had ended up beside Mum somehow (she guessed it was Bill and Charlie, trying to get the two speaking again after having figured out that something was wrong but no one willing to give them information) and the two were looking anywhere but at one another. Instead, Mum got onto Bill for his appearance.

". . . with a horrible great fang on it. Really, Bill, what do they say at the bank?"

"Mum, no one at the bank gives a damn how I dress as long as I bring home plenty of treasure," said Bill patiently.

"And your hair's getting silly, dear," said Mum, fingering her wand lovingly. "I wish you'd let me give it a trim. . . ."

"I like it," said Ginny, who was sitting beside Bill. "You're so old fashioned, Mum. Anyway, it's nowhere near as long as Professor Dumbledore's. . . ."

Stella could hear Fred, George, and Charlie talking spiritedly about the World Cup.

"It's got to be Ireland," said Charlie thickly, through a mouthful of potato. "They flattened Peru in the semifinals."

"Bulgaria has got Viktor Krum, though," said Fred.

"Krum's one decent player, Ireland has got seven," said Charlie shortly. "I wish England had got through. That was embarrassing, that was."

"What happened?" asked Harry eagerly.

"Went down to Transylvania…"

'Did you finish your room?' Sirius asked.

'I did. Harry's here now. He looks better than he did last summer. I think the food that I sent him helped,' she responded.

'Food?'

'Yeah. His aunt and uncle are stingy about food,' Stella told him, not wanting to lie but also not wanting to tell Sirius any of Harry's secrets; Harry could tell Sirius when he was ready.

Dad conjured up candles to light the darkening garden before they had their homemade strawberry ice cream, and by the time they finished, moths were fluttering low over the table, and the warm air was perfumed with the smells of grass and honeysuckle. Stella loved it, remembering a happy childhood before she'd been sorted. The scent of honeysuckle still clung to her skin whenever she left the house for school, her clothes smelling of it until a few weeks in. She hoped her room would smell like it, too, since she left the windows open, the smell comforting her as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, a small smile on her face.

Mum was staring at her when she opened her eyes. Not judgingly or angry for something Stella hadn't done. Just staring at her with a soft smile. Stella smiled back, wanting to mend the bridge but not knowing how since it was Mum that was constantly taking an axe to it. The two turned away from each other, Mum going back to trying to convince Bill to let her cut his hair and Stella back to talking to Sirius a bit.

As everyone wondered off to bed, Stella went to the kitchen. She began washing dishes as they floated in, humming a tune to herself as she did so. She'd told the twins that they could sleep on her floor rather than Ron's if they wanted to and they'd agreed, stating loudly that Ron snored. It was quiet and peaceful in the kitchen now as Mum walked in last, moving around the kitchen and wiping down countertops with a wash rag. She tucked some of Stella's hair behind her ear as Stella dried her hands.

"Oh, my dear, I really do wish you'd stop wearing that," Mum sighed, staring at Stella's ring.

"I like it," Stella shrugged.

Mum sighed before heading to leave the kitchen.

"Mum?" Stella asked and she stopped, turning back to Stella, who had finally gotten the courage to ask the question that had been heavy on her heart since she'd been sorted. "Why are you always mad at me?"

"Well, Stella, what did you expect?" Mum asked, angry again. "You got yourself placed in Slytherin and then you started getting in trouble at school the next day. You went off with Narcissa Malfoy, as well, to get a ring that represents a dark family. You keep getting into trouble and dragging your brother into it and helping the twins prank people."

"I didn't get myself put in Slytherin," Stella spoke up. "And Ron and the twins find trouble all on their own. You've yelled at me and grounded me for things I've had no control over multiple times now. You were even mad at me in the Hospital Wing when I had almost died and been paralyzed when I was attacked."

"Well, you riled them up!" Mum had started yelling again. "Those good Gryffindors all got in trouble because of you! You probably were spouting off about that dark family of yours!"

"I thought I was your family," Stella countered.

"So did I!" Mum yelled, face red as she glared at Stella.

Stella took a step back, shock clear on her face. Molly seemed to have figured out what she'd just said and looked horrified. Stella went to move pass her but Molly grabbed her arm, forcing her to stay in the room.

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley?" Stella asked, voice void of any emotions.

"Don't speak to me like that!" Molly said, releasing Stella's arm. "You have no respect for me anymore!"

"Earn it," Stella repeated the words she'd said to McGonagall her first year.

Stella's head snapped to the side and Stella didn't quite understand what had happened for a moment before a hot pain flashed across her skin. She brought a shaking hand up to her face, touching her cheek gently and flinching before she turned, wide mouthed to Molly. Molly's hands were covering her mouth, tears clear in her eyes. Stella ran pass her then, thundering up the stairs and tears falling down her face. Percy poked his head out of his door to complain but saw Stella's face, a bruise forming on her cheek and tears running down her face and changed his mind.

He tried to follow her, but Stella was faster than him. She ran into her room and shut the door quietly. Tiptoeing around the twins, Stella made it to her bed, crying silently into her pillow. Fred shook Stella awake the next morning, staring down at her with concern clear in his eyes.

"Is it time?" Stella asked, stretching.

"What happened to your face?" Fred asked rather than answer and Stella remembered the night before.

She shook her head and stood up, finding George looking over in confusion before he saw Stella and anger took over his features. Stella didn't speak. Just grabbed her clothes and went to the bathroom beside her room, which she'd spent a week cleaning when dad had mentioned giving her the attic. She took a quick shower before getting dressed, brushing her teeth and combing her hair. She did all of this without looking in the mirror. She went back to her now deserted room and went to her vanity, setting all of her makeup out before finally looking at her reflection.

A great, ugly bruise in the shape of a hand was on her cheek. Her face was a bit swollen from it and her eyes were red from the crying. She looked down at her makeup, chewing her lip as she tried to decide what to do. Covering the bruise wouldn't cover the swelling and she decided there wasn't much point to it. She put on her eyeliner and mascara before putting on a bit of clear lip gloss.

After adding her bathroom items into her already packed bag, Stella headed down the stairs, hair covering half of her face as she went. She fiddled with her ring but didn't think anything to Sirius, not wanting to wake him when it wasn't even light outside yet.

Everyone was already in the kitchen eating a spot of breakfast when Stella arrived, sitting between the twins and not looking up. She hoped everyone just assumed she was tired. The twins pressed closer to her when Molly walked pass them, who slowed to a stop behind Stella before moving again. Stella told herself not to cry over and over again. Even with the magical makeup, she didn't want to accidentally ruin it.

"George!" Molly's voice cried out.

"What?" he asked in a voice that was meant to sound innocent but definitely wasn't.

"What's that in your pocket?" she demanded and Stella, who had a hand under the table already, patted Fred's leg, signaling for him to pass her whatever he was holding.

She stealthily hid the trick sweets in her bag, which had a protection so nothing could be summoned out of it, protecting the items from being confiscated. All in all, the atmosphere was not very friendly as they took their departure. Molly was still glowering as she kissed dad on the cheek, though not nearly as much as the twins, who had each hoisted their rucksacks onto their backs and walked out without a word to her, Stella between them so that Molly couldn't get close to her.

"Well, have a lovely time," said Molly, "and behave yourselves," she called after the twins' and Stella's retreating backs, but they did not look back or answer. "I'll send Bill, Charlie, and Percy along around midday."

It was chilly and the moon was still out. Only a dull, greenish tinge along the horizon to their right showed that daybreak was drawing closer. They trudged down the dark, dank lane toward the village, the silence broken only by their footsteps. The sky lightened very slowly as they made their way through the village, its inky blackness diluting to deepest blue.

Stella knew she was cold, but everything felt numb as she realized she forgot to take her potions the past few nights. She sighed, deciding that she'd need to stay close to Ron if she began feeling worse and remember to take her potions that night to fix her emotions. She also knew that, even with her potions, the events of the night before would haunt her dreams and make her feel worse than ever.

They reached the top of a hill and spread out, looking for the Portkey when they heard someone call out to them. Two tall figures were silhouetted against the starry sky on the other side of the hilltop and Stella recognized Cedric Diggory even from this distance. He wasn't bad to look at, especially for a Hufflepuff, but she was in no mood to stare at the handsome seeker at the time. Everyone said hi to him except Stella, who was still not speaking, and Fred and George, who merely nodded, still not forgiving Cedric for beating Gryffindor when the dementors had attacked Harry.

"All these yours, Arthur?" Cedric's father, Amos, asked.

"The redheads and Stella over there," Dad smiled proudly. "This is Hermione, friend of Ron's. And this is Harry, friend of Stel—"

"Merlin's beard. Harry? Harry Potter?" Amos asked and Stella looked over, ready to step in if Harry became to uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Harry answered.

"Ced's talked about you, of course," said Amos. "Told us all about playing against you last year. I said to him, I said- Ced, that'll be something to tell the grandchildren, that will. That you beat Harry Potter!"

"Harry fell off his broom, Dad," Cedric muttered. "I told you. It was an accident."

"Yes, but you didn't fall off, did you? Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman, but the best man won. I'm sure Harry'd say the same, wouldn't you, eh?"

"I believe Hufflepuff got absolutely demolished by Slytherin," Stella spoke up. "The reserve seeker beat Cedric. Reserve. Best man indeed."

Stella didn't care that she was being rude but she did feel a bit bad that Cedric had to be included in it. He had always been kind to the Slytherins, helping the younger ones get to classes when they were lost.

"We'd better get ready!" Dad called out before looking to Harry and Hermione. "You just need to touch the portkey, that's all, a finger will do."

Stella wished she'd just flown as she landed on her back, flinching slightly and hoping she hadn't somehow screwed anything up, even though she knew that her treatments had ended the day before Hermione had arrived. She sat up slowly, not even realizing that her face was visible until Harry was suddenly by her side, hand gentle pushing her hair away so he could see.

"Who?" he practically growled out.

"Doesn't matter," she shook her head, accepting Fred's hand up and covering her face again.

"Seven past five from Stoatshead Hill!"

They trudged up the misty field between long rows of tents. Most looked almost ordinary; their owners had clearly tried to make them as Muggle-like as possible, but some had slipped up by adding chimneys, or bellpulls, or weather vanes. Halfway up the field stood an extravagant confection of striped silk like a miniature palace, with several live peacocks tethered at the entrance. A little farther on they passed a tent that had three floors and several turrets and another that had a front garden attached, complete with a birdbath, sundial, and fountain. Stella lad a feeling that she knew who owned each. They ended up climbing another hill, finding their camping spot at the top where they could look out over everything. 'Weezly' was written on a small sign that had been hammered into the ground and Stella smirked at the spelling despite herself.

"Couldn't have a better spot!" dad said happily. "The field is just on the other side of wood there. We're as close as we could be. Right. No magic allowed, strictly speaking," Stella didn't think it mattered if a Muggle caught sight of the other tents. "We'll be putting these tents up by hand! Shouldn't be too difficult. Muggles do it all the time. Here, Harry, where do you reckon we should start?"

Stella snorted and grabbed the tent bag from her Dad before passing it to Hermione, grabbing the second one for herself.

"Stell?" Dad asked.

"We put tents up in Muggle Studies," she told him. "Camped out on the astronomy tower one night."

Stella and Hermione began working, Harry doing as the two told him to. Dad tried to help, he really did, but he ended up getting too enthusiastic with the mallet and almost hit himself in the face with it. Harry had grabbed it from him, giving him a reassuring smile before doing it himself. The three stood back a bit later, staring at their handywork.

Harry seemed confused, as if trying to do a bit of math in his head. Stella smirked and grabbed his hand, leading him into one of the tents. She looked back as his jaw dropped in awe. It looked like an old-fashioned, three-bedroom flat, complete with two bathrooms and a kitchen. It was completely furnished as well, even though the furniture seemed like something an old maid would use in Stella's opinion. There were crocheted covers on the mismatched chairs and it smelt as if every Hogwarts cat had wonder through at some point. Stella made a point to remember to air the tent out for a day the next time they planned to go camping.

"I love magic," Harry whispered out, a bright smile taking over his face before he looked to Stella, frowning again as they stepped out of the way for everyone else, brushing hair from her face for a moment before letting it settle again. Harry reached into his rucksack, pulling out the ice pack she'd sent him and pressed it gently to her face, the two hidden behind a slight curtain so no one could see them.

"Well, it's not for long," Dad said, mopping his bald patch with a handkerchief and peering in at the four bunk beds that stood in the bedroom. "I borrowed this from Perkins at the office. Doesn't camp much anymore, poor fellow, he's got lumbago. We'll need water."

"There's a tap marked on this map the Muggle gave us," Ron spoke up. "It's on the other side of the field."

"Well, why don't you, Stella, Harry, and Hermione go and get us some water then and the rest of us will get some wood for a fire?"

"But we've got an oven," Ron tried. "Why can't we just—"

"Ron, anti-Muggle security!" Dad was practically vibrating in excitement. "When real Muggles camp, they cook on fires outdoors. I've seen them at it!"

"He's not wrong," Hermione told Ron softly.

Everyone went to tour the girl's tent and Stella and Harry stayed hidden in their corner as they did so, Harry still holding the ice pack to Stella's face. The twins had blocked the corner when everyone had been leaving the tent, having seen what was going on and making sure no one else saw. Fred kissed the top of Stella's head before he left the tent behind George.

"What happened?" Harry asked, voice so soft it broke Stella's heart a bit.

"Mum basically said I wasn't family so, when I called her Mrs. Weasley, she told me to show her respect. I told her to earn it. I don't know who was more shocked, me or her," Stella whispered, voice cracking a bit as she spoke. "Fred and George saw this morning. Think they figured it out rather quickly."

Harry looked beyond angry but he closed his eyes and took a few deep breathes before opening his eyes again and pulling Stella into a hug. She hugged him back, saying nothing. George poked his head back in a few minutes later, telling them it was time to get a move on. The two nodded and stepped out of the tent, the swelling on Stella's face having calmed a bit. They joined Hermione and Ron, hand-in-hand, and began following the map in Ron's hand. A little boy had, maybe two years old, had his mum's wand and had somehow made a slug the size of a salami. He'd cried when his mum had run out and accidentally stomped on the slug, squishing it. Two little girls just older than the boy were on toy broomsticks ahead of them. A Ministry worker was already rushing forward quickly, trying to find their parents.

Here and there adult wizards and witches were emerging from their tents and starting to cook breakfast. Some were very concerned with the idea of cooking the Muggle way, causing Stella to smirk, thankful that she'd chosen Muggle Studies since she already knew how to make a fire because of it.

"Er- is it my eyes or has everything gone green?" asked Ron.

It wasn't his eyes. They had just walked into a patch of tents that were all covered with a thick growth of shamrocks, so that it looked as though small, oddly shaped hillocks had sprouted out of the earth. Grinning faces could be seen under those that had their flaps open. Then, from behind them, they heard their names.

"Harry! Ron! Hermione! Stella!"

Seamus Finnigan was sitting in front of his shamrock-covered tent, a sandy-haired woman who had to be his mother, and Dean sitting with him. The three Gryffindors looked to Stella, as if asking a silent question. She took a step away from the tent and gave a smile.

"Go ahead," she told them. "I'm going to go find Teddy and Blaise. We agreed to meet up."

"Are you sure?" Ron asked. "We actually haven't spoken to either of them in a while. Ever since they admitted to being involved in…"

Ron trailed off but they all knew what he meant.

"Up to you," Stella shrugged. "I'll get the water first and go back to our tent before I wonder off."

"I'm not going over there," Harry spoke up and that was all it took for Ron and Hermione.

The four turned away from the green tent, continuing on their way. Ron had a fanboy moment when he caught a glimpse of posters of Viktor Krum and Stella couldn't help but smirk as Hermione said Krum looked grumpy. She wasn't wrong. He was scowling back at them from his poster. There was a small queue for the tap in the corner of the field. The four joined it, right behind a pair of men who were having a heated argument. One of them was a very old wizard who was wearing a long flowery nightgown. The other was clearly a Ministry worker and was holding a pair of pinstriped trousers and almost crying with exasperation.

"Just put them on, Archie, there's a good chap. You can't walk around like that. The Muggle at the gate's already getting suspicious."

"I bought this in a Muggle shop," Archie argued stubbornly. "Muggles wear them."

"Muggle women wear them, Archie, not the men. They wear these."

"I'm not putting them on. I like a healthy breeze 'round my privates, thanks."

Hermione had to duck out of the queue she was giggling so hard. She only returned once Archie had collected his water and moved away. They walked away slowly, passing the water back and forth to take turns carrying it. Here and there, more familiar faces were seen. Oliver Wood waved happily at them and Stella didn't mind waving back. Wood was competitive but he was still Percy's boyfriend, she'd seen them still writing each other. Ernie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff that liked to pair with Stella in Herbology every chance he got, as they worked well together, yelled Stella's name and then introduced her to his dad before moving along. Cho Chang, a very pretty girl who played Seeker on the Ravenclaw team, waved and smiled at Harry, who simply waved back with a tight lipped smile.

"You've been ages" George complained when they returned, going straight to Stella.

"Dad's having fun with matches," Fred said, seeming exasperated.

"Here," Stella passed her bag to her brothers, who immediately began digging their products out of it.

Stella stole the remaining matches from her Dad, a stack of splintered ones littering the ground due to previous attempts to light them. She showed him how to do it properly and lit the fire for him. It took an hour before the fire would be hot enough to cook anything and Stella decided to sneak away. She ended up at the three story tent again, smirking as Blaise and Theo came out of it, her hunch having been correct that this was the Nott tent. Both smiled when they saw her before seeming confused by her appearance.

"What's up with your hair?" Blaise demanded, trying to move it from her face just for Stella to slap at his hand.

"I fell down cleaning the attic yesterday and got a rather large bruise for it," she lied.

Theo, who didn't look like a believed her in the slightest, moved forward quickly, moving her hair before she could argue with him. Blaise gasped, staring in shock. Theo just looked the bruise over before looking into Stella's eyes.

"Did you fall on someone's hand?" Blaise demanded.

"We have bruise salve inside," Theo said to Blaise, eyes not leaving Stella's.

Blaise got the point and ran back inside. Once he was gone, Theo arched a brow at her.

"It doesn't matter," she whispered to him. "I'll figure it out before I go back next summer."

"And the rest of this one?" Theo asked her.

"I'll be alright, Teddy," she smiled to him.

"I hate that nickname."

"No, you don't."

"No, I don't," he sighed as Blaise returned.

Theo gently rubbed a bit of the bruise salve on Stella's face and she felt relief almost immediately. All that was left now was a bit of a bruise on her cheekbone that would need to heal on its own. Magic could only do so much at times, which was annoying, but she didn't mind since she no longer had a handprint on her cheek. The three took off then, joining in on the festivities.

There were carnival games set up at random, food stands, rides and everything. Stella knew for a fact that the Muggle groundskeeper was going to have to be Obliviated at the end of all of this. She laughed as Blaise swung a hammer and hit a lever, sending a puck towards a bell. It got halfway before it came back down. Theo rolled his eyes, paid a galleon, and swung the hammer. Stella cheered when the bell rang before Theo passed her a small stuffed dragon, it's wings flapping lazily every so often. Blaise bought them all fresh cornish pastries for lunch, the three sitting on a patch of grass as they ate.

"Has your Dad told you what's happening at the school this year?" Theo asked.

"I know something's going on but he and Percy are rather hush-hush about it. Want it to be a surprise," she shrugged.

"Do you want to know?" Theo asked.

"Please say yes?" Blaise begged, bouncing a bit where he sat.

"Sure," Stella laughed.

"The Triwizard Tournament," Theo said.

"THE TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT!" Blaise yelled and Stella shushed him as a few people turned to look at them.

"Quiet down. People are staring," she laughed, also excited suddenly. "It's been years since there's been a tournament."

The three talked back and forth for a while before they walked Stella back to the top of her hill. The Weasley's were all in their tents and Stella led the two inside the main tent, calling out for her dad when she walked in. He strode over quickly, looking to the two teens behind Stella.

"These are my friends," she explained. "Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott. This is my dad, Arthur Weasley."

"Nice to meet you," Theo held his hand out and Dad shook it, seeming a bit uneasy but smiling through it anyways.

"Hi, Blaise," Harry called out as he headed towards them. "Theodore."

"Potter," Theo nodded.

"How's it, Harry?" Blaise smiled before shaking Dad's hand as well. "Excited for the match?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Who're you routing for?"

"Ireland," Theo said at the same time that Blaise said, "Bulgaria."

The two cut their eyes at one another and Stella laughed.

"Oh, no. Are you getting a divorce?" she asked them.

"Shut it," Blaise bumped Stella's arm, causing her to laugh again.

"We should get back," Theo commented. "We didn't want Stella walking by herself."

"See you later," Blaise smiled, waving as they left the tent.

"Those are your friends?" Dad asked, chewing his lip.

"Yeah," Stella nodded, waiting for Dad to tell her why he was so worried.

"Good of them to walk you back," he smiled instead. "Hungry? I think there may be sausages left."

"No," she shook her head. "Blaise bought lunch. I'm going to the other tent for a bit."

Stella stepped out of the tent to find Theo and Hermione smiling shyly at one another as Blaise very obviously flirted with Ginny. Stella rolled her eyes before joining them, raising her brow at Blaise.

"Oh, fine," he grumbled. "No playing with your sister. I get it."

"The fact that you called it playing," Stella sighed.

"I'll deal with him," Theo promised, dragging Blaise away.

A sense of excitement rose like a palpable cloud over the campsite as the afternoon wore on. By dusk, the still summer air itself seemed to be quivering with anticipation as darkness spread like a curtain over the thousands of waiting wizards. The last vestiges of pretense disappeared, the Ministry seemed to have bowed to the inevitable and stopped fighting the signs of blatant magic now breaking out everywhere.

Salesmen were apparating every few feet, carrying trays and pushing carts full of extraordinary merchandise. There were luminous rosettes- green for Ireland, red for Bulgaria- which were squealing the names of players, pointed green hats bedecked with dancing shamrocks, Bulgarian scarves adorned with lions that really roared, flags from both countries that played their national anthems as they were waved. There were tiny models of Firebolts that really flew, which Stella got two of immediately, and collectible figures of famous players, which Ron got one of. No one was surprised as he picked up the tiny Krum.

The bruise on Stella's face had been noticed and she said it happened while cleaning. Fred, Geroge, and Harry stayed silent. Stella fiddled with her ring, telling Sirius how amazing everything was and how she wished he was there to see it.

"Four pairs," Harry said to the man selling omnioculars.

"I have a pair," Stella spoke up, showing the pair Draco had given her first year.

"Three," Harry corrected.

Bill, Charlie, and Ginny were all sporting green rosettes and dad was carrying the Irish flag. Stella passed flags to Fred and George, along with green hats that they could wear. A deep, booming gong sounded somewhere beyond the woods and, at once, green and red lanterns blazed to life in the trees, lighting a path to the field.

"It's time!" Dad yelled. "Come on! Let's go!"

Harry had somehow made friends with a house elf and Stella was rather amused by it. Ron was making some old man pick his nose over and over again in his lens. Hermione was going through the program. Stella set off a bit of green fireworks, causing some cheers to go up.

"And here's Lucius!" Fudge yelled, having been introducing the Bulgarian minister to Harry.

Stella held in a groan of annoyance as the Malfoy's appeared.

"Stella," Narcissa smiled to her. "How are you?"

"Good," Stella fake smiled back. "How are you?"

"Oh, we're wonderful," Narcissa smiled back.

Dad and Lucius glared at one another for a tense moment before Stella elbowed her dad and a fake smile crossed his face as well.

"Good lord, Arthur," Lucius said softly. "What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much? Or did you dip into the Black vaults?"

"Classy," Stella spoke up arms crossing her chest, and Lucius turned to Stella. "Very mature."

"Just checking to be sure Draco's inheritance isn't being wasted on… these people," Lucius cut his eyes at the Weasley's.

Stella smirked, looking rather Slytherin as she did so and causing the Malfoys to feel uneasy for once.

"Oh, I'm sure that whatever amount I put into Draco's inheritance will match what he deserves," Stella told them.

Lucius looked outraged before Stella moved to a seat between Harry and Fred, facing the field again. The others followed her lead, ignoring the Malfoys behind them. Harry wrapped his arm around Stella's waist, pulling her close to him. She smiled to him before looking forward again.

"So, Harry, Stella, how long have you been an item?" Bill asked curiously.

"What?" they both asked in confusion.

He looked to Harry's arm around Stella and how she leaned into him.

"Never mind," he shrugged, looking away.

Stella and Harry looked to each other and shrugged as well as George whispered to Bill and Charlie, probably telling them that Harry and Stella were just always like that.

"Veela!" Dad yelled.

"What are Veela?" Harry asked.

A hundred Veela were now gliding out onto the field, answering his question for him. Veela were woman… very beautiful women, except they didn't look quite human. Stella watched everyone's reactions, eyes landing on Harry to find him looking more puzzled than anything else. The music started and the Veela began dancing. Harry turned to Stella looking confused by everyone's reactions.

"Huh," she breathed out. "Nothing?"

"What?" he asked confused.

"I'll explain later," she told him as a rainbow appeared over the field. "Oh, look! Leprechauns!"

"Yeah. They aren't together," Charlie snorted from beside Bill.

Stella just rolled her eyes, continuing to watch as the Leprechauns threw fake gold into the stands. Ron passed Harry a handful of the coins "for the Omnioculars! Now you can get me a Christmas present!" and Stella wondered if Harry knew that the gold would disappear in a few hours. Ron sure didn't.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you Dimitrov! Ivanova! Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaaand KRUM!"

The stadium was drowning in cheers. Stella laughed as Ron jumped on top of his seat, clapping and hollering.

"And now, please greet the Irish National Quidditch Team! Presenting Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaaaad LYNCH!"

Stella slowed the players down with her Omnioculars so she see that each player was on a Firebolt. She and Harry exchanged grins before looking back to the field.

"And here, all the way from Egypt to referee, acclaimed Chairwizard of the International Association of Quidditch, Hassan Mostafa! Theeeeeeeey're OFF!" The game had finally begun. "And it's Mullet! Troy! Moran! Dimitrov! Back to Mullet! Troy! Levski! Moran!"

Stella looked to see Harry's and Hermione's reactions. Hermione, who had never looked so interested in Quidditch before now, was on the edge of her seat. Harry's Omnioculars were pressing so hard into his glasses that she was sure he'd have a cut on the bridge of his nose from them. She pulled the Omnioculars from his face and grabbed his glasses. She tapped Percy's shoulder, said something to him and passed the glasses over. He handed them back a moment later and Stella gave Harry his glasses again, a cushioning charm now on them so they wouldn't leave marks on his face. They both went back to watching the game.

"TROY SCORES! Ten zero to Ireland!"

Within ten minutes, Ireland scored twice more, bringing the score to thirty-zero. The match began becoming faster and more brutal. Bulgaria finally made it past the Irish keeper and scored a point, bringing it up to thirty-ten.

"Fingers in your ears!" Dad bellowed as the Veela started dancing.

Harry just shrugged, continuing to watch unaffected.

"Dimitrov! Levski! Dimitrov! Ivanora- Oh, I say!"

Krum and Lynch plummeted through the center of the chasers so fast that it looked as though they had just jumped from their brooms.

"They're going to crash!" Hermione screamed.

"One of them is!" Stella yelled back.

Just as she said it, Krum pulled out and spiraled off. Lynch, however, hit the ground with a dull thud that could be heard throughout the stadium. A huge groan rose from the Irish seats.

"Fool! Krum was feinting!" Dad moaned.

"It's time-out as trained mediwizards hurry onto the field to examine Lynch!"

"He'll be okay. He only got ploughed!"

"Stella's had worse," Ron shrugged and Stella laughed loudly; Ron always joked about her injuries to make her feel better about them, even when they'd been kids.

Harry seemed very interested in the move and she turned a glare on him.

"If you do that to me, I'll knock you off your broom," she warned him.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Harry shook his head, turning his head away to hide his smirk from her.

"Mhmm," she rolled her eyes.

The game continued and Stella watched on as a referee got distracted by the dancing Veela.

"Why do people keep looking at them like that?" Harry asked Stella.

"Veela can capture the attention of men when they dance or sing," Stella explained. "I'll have to reread the book for it to tell you how though."

"Alright," Harry nodded, accepting the answer before squeezing Stella's hip as the referee tried getting the Veela kicked out. "I don't think that's going to go over well."

The Veela no longer looked beautiful. Their faces were elongating into sharp, cruel-beaked bird heads, and long, scaly wings were bursting from their shoulders.

"And that, boys, is why you never go for looks alone!" Dad laughed.

"Levski. Dimitrov. Moran. Troy. Mullet. Ivanova. Moran again. Moran… MORAN SCORES!"

Krum had somehow gotten injured and Ron was yelling that they needed to time out.

"He can't play like that! Look at him!"

"Look at Lynch!" Harry yelled.

The Irish seeker had suddenly gone into a dive. Stella could see the snitch, patting Harry's shoulder and pointing to it. Half the crowd seemed to have realized what was happening. Irish supporters rose in another great wave of green, screaming Lynch on. Krum was on his tail and Stella had no clue how he could see where he was going with the blood on his face. They hurtled towards the ground.

"They's going to crash!" yelled Hermione.

"They're not!" Ron yelled back.

"Lynch is!" Harry yelled and he was right.

For the second time, Lynch hit the ground with tremendous force and was immediately stampeded by a horde of angry Vella. Stella flinched at the sight but her eyes landed on Krum.

"Krum caught it!" she yelled.

The scoreboard was flashing 'Bulgaria: 160, Ireland: 170' across the crowd, most of which hadn't even realized what had happened yet. Suddenly Ireland was screaming in victory, reminding Stella of when the last emerald had been placed in Slytherin's vial at school the year before.

"IRELAND WINS!" Bagman shouted, who like the Irish, seemed to be taken aback by the sudden end of the match. "KRUM GETS THE SNITCH BUT IRELAND WINS! Good Lord, I don't think any of us expected that."

"What did he catch the snitch for?" Ron bellowed. "He ended it when Ireland were a hundred and sixty points ahead, the idiot!"

"He knew they were never going to catch up! The Irish chasers were too good… He wanted to end it on his own terms!" Harry shouted back so he could be heard over the crowd.

"He was very brave, wasn't he?" Hermione said, leaning forward to watch Krum land as a swarm of mediwizards blasted a path through the battling leprechauns and Vella to get to him. "He looks a terrible mess…"

"Vell, ve fought bravely," said a gloomy voice behind them and they turned to see the Bulgarian Minister of Magic.

"You can speak English?" Fudge sounded outraged. "And you've been letting me mime everything all day?"

"Vell, it vos funny," said the Bulgarian minister with a shrug and Stella had to turn away, hand covering her mouth to keep from laughing in Fudge's face.

Stella watched with narrowed eyes as Bagman passed Fred and George leprechaun gold before rushing over.

"Leprechaun gold will disappear in a few hours," she told the three but her eyes were locked on Bagman. "I do hope that was just a simple mistake and not on purpose, Mr. Bagman."

"Oh, right!" Bagman nodded with wide eyes on Stella, clearly thinking he had been about to get away with it before pulling out real gold now and passing over Fred and George's actual winnings. "Completely forgot about it. Here you are boys."

There was singing and dancing and fireworks everywhere they looked. Leprechauns kept shooting over their heads, cackling and waving their lanterns. When they finally reached their tents, nobody felt like sleeping at all given the level of noise around them. Dad agreed that they could all have one last cup of cocoa before turning in. Blaise and Theo joined while the others around them argued about the game. She made them both a cup, passing it over before plopping down between the two.

Harry ended up on the floor in front of her, back leaned against her legs as she ran her fingers through his hair and talked back and forth with the other two. Ginny fell asleep first, spilling cocoa everywhere in the process. Blaise and Theo said their goodbyes and Harry hugged Stella before she followed Hermione and Ginny to the other tent, falling asleep rather quickly.

Next thing she knew, Dad was shaking her awake and telling her to hurry. She pulled on jeans quickly before her shoes and then a jacket, running out of the tent in front of Hermione and Ginny, Dad right behind them. At the same moment, fully dressed with their sleeves rolled up and wands out, Bill, Charlie, and Percy emerged from their tent, Harry, Ron, and the twins already standing outside of it.

"You lot stick together and get into the woods! I'll come find you after!" Dad yelled and that was when Stella saw them.

Death Eaters were roaming about, setting tents on fire and floating the Muggle family that ran the camping grounds in the air. She let out a gasp, hands covering her mouth before she felt herself being tugged along. Her eyes searched for Harry, finding him as he began getting separated from them. She pulled away from Fred's grip and ran back, grabbing Harry's hand so they wouldn't get separated from one another just as Harry got pushed over, Stella falling to the ground with him. Harry covered Stella's body with his own, protecting her as people trample over them.

They hid behind a tent as the Death Eaters moved closer, staying deadly silent as they marched pass them. Stella and Harry waited even after the footsteps were gone, too afraid to do anything else and just hoping that Dad would come back for them soon. She fidgeted with her ring and Sirius woke up with a start.

'What is it? What's happened?'

'Death Eaters at the World Cup. Harry and I got separated from everyone else. The Death Eaters just passed on the other side of the tent that we're hiding behind.'

"MORSMORDRE!"

A vast, green, and glittering erupted from the patch of darkness not far from them. The Dark Mark appeared in the air and Stella let out a whimper, pulling Harry closer. Anyone else who had been hiding screamed and took off running. Stella pulled Harry up and they ducked into the trees, trying to stay separate from the crowd but not too far in case someone tried to shoot off killing curses into the large crowd.

"DUCK!" Harry yelled, grabbing Stella and pulling her to the ground, body covering hers again.

"STUPEFY!" twenty voices yelled and a series of blinding, flashing lights appeared just above them.

"STOP!" Dad's voice bellowed "STOP! THAT'S MY DAUGHTER!"

Stella raised her head slightly, finding her dad rushing towards them. Harry helped her to her feet just as Dad reached them, pulling them both into a hug, Harry stiffening a bit at the contact but allowing it.

"Stella, Harry, are you alright?" he asked.

"Out of the way, Arthur," Crouch demanded. "Which of you did it? Who conjured the Dark Mark?"

"We didn't do that!" Harry defended.

"Was it you?" Crouch asked, wand pointed at Stella now.

"They're kids, Barty," a witch stated. "They wouldn't be able to…"

"Where did the Mark come from?" Dad asked Stella and she pointed to where she'd heard the spell coming from.

Turned out Crouch's elf had been knocked out, Harry's wand in her hand.

"That's mine!" Harry shouted when he saw it. "I dropped it!"

"You dropped it?" Amos repeated. "Is this a confession? You threw it aside after you conjured the Mark?"

"Oi!" Stella yelled, gaining everyone's attention. "You are speaking to Harry Potter. Ya'know. The one who defeated Voldemort when he was just a baby after the madman murdered his parents, so you can understand why that seems more than just farfetched, but actually impossible."

Harry's wand was tested and then given back to him. More arguments picked up and Stella rested her head on Harry's shoulder, completely exhausted as she told Sirius that they were both safe now and that she was sorry for waking him. They made their way back to their tents, finding the others having already returned. Stella and Harry fell onto the couch, still leaning heavily on one another. Dad explained what had happened to the others as Stella closed her eyes and promptly fell asleep on Harry's shoulder.

She woke a few hours later, Fred gently shaking her shoulder and George shaking Harry's. The two stood, Stella rubbing her neck where it was aching. They got a portkey to Stoatshead Hill before the sun had really risen and walked home from there. Harry kept ahold of Stella's hand the entire time, as if afraid they would get separated if he let go. Mum was waiting for them when they arrived.

"Oh thank goodness!" she yelled rushing to them. "Arthur! I've been so worried!"

She flung her arms around Arthur and it made Stella think of how she hugged Harry before a blush crept up her face.

"You're all alright," Mum continued, pulling Fred and George close. "Oh, boys…"

"Ouch! Mum, you're strangling us," George told her.

"I shouted at you before you left!" Mum sobbed. "It's all I've been able to think about! And… and where's my dear Stella?"

Stella was already inside, heading up the stairs and to her room, Harry following loyally behind. They climbed into her bed and fell back asleep, just barely kicking their shoes off before they did so. Stella woke to Mum sitting on her bed, brushing hair from her face and crying.

"I'm so sorry," she was whispering.

Stella said nothing, having tensed up when she'd seen Molly's hand so close to her still bruised face. Molly wiped her tears and stood, leaving the two alone. Harry's arms tightened around Stella in his sleep, pulling her ever closer and mumbling something quietly before burying his face in her neck. Stella blushed a bit but settled into Harry's arms, closing her eyes again to get more rest.

She told Teddy that she'd figure something out for next summer and she'd meant it. Bloodshire sent her a list of the vacant properties that she, well that her father, owned. She fiddled with her ring, reading out the addresses to Sirius, including the one in Hogsmeade.

'Is there any reason why you've mentioned the Hogsmeade address four times now? I know the goblins didn't list it that many times.'

'Well, I was just thinking. Uncle Moony could move in with his pet dog, ya'know?' Stella smirked.

'Will do, little star.'

Stella told Harry immediately, both giddy about how close Sirius would now be. The two tended to sleep in her room together every other night or more, Harry sneaking in when Ron was snoring away. It helped with Harry's nightmares and Stella felt safer when Harry was around.

One night, she wondered into Fred and George's room, smirking like the cat that got the cream.

"Why do you look like you know a secret?" Fred asked, eyes shining.

"And why do you look like you're going to make a deal with us for it?" George added, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Oh, because I am," she smiled. "Would you like to know the big secret that Percy keeps trying to hold over our heads?"

"You brilliant witch," Fred breathed.

"How'd you get him to tell you?" George questioned.

"Oh, I didn't. I have my own sources," Stella shrugged.

"What do you want?" they asked.

"So, I have to tell you for you to help me," Stella admitted. "I have to have your word first that you'll help me or I won't tell you."

"Deal," they both nodded.

"Have you ever heard of the Triwizard Tournament?"

The twins were bouncing with excitement as they helped Stella put her trunk on the train before leaving to plan with Lee. Her deal with the twins had been a rather easy one to accomplish, not that she thought it would be difficult anyways. Blaise, Theo, and Stella would help the twins sell their products to the Slytherins, taking a cut of the gold for themselves. The twins also had to get Ron new dress robes as quickly as possible with their earnings from the World Cup and make sure that Hermione didn't get picked on once the Yule Ball was announced, knowing that people would pick on the brainy girl with larger front teeth and bushy hair. She bought Sleek-Ezy for Hermione, planning to slip it to her at some point before the ball.

"Mum!" Ron complained. "What d'you three know that we don't?"

Bill and Charlie had come with Mum to drop them all off on the train and all three had hinted at the event without giving any details. Stella had simply winked when she caught Charlie's eyes, letting him know that she knew. He laughed loudly and Stella disappeared onto the train with a wave. Blaise and Theo were in the back of the train and Stella fell into the seat beside Blaise, laying down across it so that her head was in his lap.

Blaise and Theo both seemed uncomfortable, as if they were hiding something. She had a feeling that she knew what it was, but it was an unspoken rule that they didn't speak about their parent's decisions. Stella had asked them in first year if they were their titles or themselves and she hadn't let the question go at any point. Instead, she told them that Fred and George had agreed to her plan without any arguments. They both let out relieved breaths, knowing Stella wouldn't ask them who had been involved that night at the Cup.

The three exited the train, catching a carriage with Luna to the school. Stella asked Luna if her and her father had found anything interesting over the summer and Stella listened as Luna talked about the hybrid hummingbirds/crickets and Stella shivered at the idea of a bug that large. She told Luna not to tell Hagrid about it in Care of Magical Creatures because it might give him ideas.

Stella had a magical umbrella over her head, Luna walking under it with her as Theo and Blaise carried their own. She saw Peeves at the front door and immediately knew he was up to something before a red balloon came soaring at her. She pulled Luna out of the way quickly, knocking into Theo and Blaise a bit in the process so that they also didn't get hit by the water balloon, it crashing to the floor instead.

It seemed like most of the students had been drenched in the downpour. The only dry ones in the bunch were the Slytherins, who had also conjured umbrellas, the second-years walking with the prefects and older students to stay dry, and Luna, who swayed a bit in her seat.

"You know what they call her, right?" Blaise asked.

"No. What do they call her, Blaise?" Stella asked, voice hard and brow raised, daring him to repeat what he'd heard.

"Never mind."

"Good choice."

'I forgot how absolutely terrible the weather is in Britian. Moony and I both smell of wet dog.'

'Weeeelllllll…'

'Cheeky.'

'So you're both all settled, yeah?'

'Yes, little star.'

'I'll tell Harry after the feast. Tell Uncle Moony that he should really keep his dog inside during stormy weather. It's irresponsible.'

The poor first years looked like they had swam across the lake and Stella was ready to place drying and warming spells that very moment. Blaise and Theo, always in tune with her more Hufflepuff thoughts, already had their wands out and were telling a few second-years to save their seats for them. Stella smiled, happily jumping out of her seat and rushing forward. The three Slytherins got strange looks from everyone, a few even looking uneasy as Stella raised her wand and pointed it at the kids. McGonagall went to stop her but Stella had already dried and warmed two different students by the time she realized what was happening. Blaise and Theo worked with her, all fifty of the students getting dry and warm rather quickly between the three of them. They were done before any of the other students had a chance to stand and help before they sat again, the first-years smiling brightly at the three fourth-years.

McGonagall smiled at the three before pulling out the sorting hat and setting it on the stool. Finally, the hat began to sing:

"A thousand years or more ago,

When I was newly sewn,

There lived four wizards of renown,

Whose names are still well known:

Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,

Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,

Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,

Shrewd Slytherin, from fen.

They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,

They hatched a daring plan

To educate young sorcerers

Thus Hogwarts School began.

Now each of these four founders

Formed their own house, for each

Did value different virtues

In the ones they had to teach.

By Gryffindor, the bravest were

Prized far beyond the rest;

For Ravenclaw, the cleverest

Would always be the best;

For Hufflepuff, hard workers were

Most worthy of admission;

And power-hungry Slytherin

Loved those of great ambition.

While still alive they did divide

Their favorites from the throng,

Yet how to pick the worthy ones

When they were dead and gone?

'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,

He whipped me off his head

The founders put some brains in me

So I could choose instead!

Now slip me snug about your ears,

I've never yet been wrong,

I'll have a look inside your mind

And tell where you belong!"

The Great Hall broke out into applause as the Sorting Hat finished. Professor McGonagall was now unrolling a large scroll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool. When the hat announces your House, you will go and sit at the appropriate table. Ackerly, Stewart!"

"Ravenclaw!"

"Baddock, Malcolm!"

"Slytherin!"

Stella cheered loudly with the rest of her house, watching as the small boy bounced over to their table. They received seven more firsties and Stella beamed at each and every one of them, cheering loudly with the rest of her house. Finally, Dumbledore got to his feet.

"I have only two words to say to you," he told them, his deep voice echoing around the Hall. "Tuck in."

The platers were overflowing and plates were filled. The Bloody Baron floated close by, keeping an eye out for the poltergeist, Peeves, to be sure he didn't throw more water balloons around as the students ate. Once they were all full, Dumbledore stood again.

"So! Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices.

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-Yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check."

The corners of Dumbledore's mouth twitched. He continued, "As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year.

"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year." People were shocked and appalled but Dumbledore continued. "This is due to an event that will be taking up most of the teachers' time and energy but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure that this year at Hogwarts—"

But at that moment, there was a deafening rumble of thunder and the doors of the Great Hall banged open. A man stood in the doorway, leaning upon a long staff, shrouded in a black traveling cloak. Every head in the Great Hall swiveled toward the stranger, suddenly brightly illuminated by a fork of lightning that flashed across the ceiling. He lowered his hood, shook out a long mane of grizzled, dark gray hair, then began to walk up toward the teachers' table.

A dull clunk echoed through the Hall on his every other step. He reached the end of the top table, turned right, and limped heavily toward Dumbledore. Another flash of lightning crossed the ceiling. The lightning had thrown the man's face into sharp relief, and it was a face unlike any Stella had ever seen. It looked as though it had been carved out of weathered wood by someone who had only the vaguest idea of what human faces are supposed to look like and was none too skilled with a chisel. Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of the nose was missing. But it was the man's eyes that made him frightening. One of them was small, dark, and beady. The other was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving ceaselessly, without blinking, and was rolling up, down, and from side to side, quite independently of the normal eye — and then it rolled right over, pointing into the back of the man's head, so that all they could see was whiteness.

The stranger reached Dumbledore. He stretched out a hand that was as badly scarred as his face, and Dumbledore shook it, muttering words Stella couldn't hear.

He seemed to be making some inquiry of the stranger, who shook his head unsmilingly and replied in an undertone. Dumbledore nodded and gestured the man to the empty seat on his right-hand side. The stranger sat down, shook his mane of dark gray hair out of his face, pulled a plate of sausages toward him, raised it to what was left of his nose, and sniffed it. He then took a small knife out of his pocket, speared a sausage on the end of it, and began to eat. His normal eye was fixed upon the sausages, but the blue eye was still darting restlessly around in its socket, taking in the Hall and the students.

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Dumbledore brightly into the silence. "Professor Moody."

It was usual for new staff members to be greeted with applause, but none of the staff or students clapped except Dumbledore and Hagrid, who both put their hands together and applauded, but the sound echoed dismally into the silence, and they stopped fairly quickly. Everyone else seemed too transfixed by Moody's bizarre appearance to do more than stare at him.

"Does he mean 'Mad-Eye Moody'?" Stella asked, voice low. "The auror?"

"I think he does," Blaise nodded, looking uneasy.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"As I was saying," he said, smiling at the sea of students before him, all of whom were still gazing transfixed at Mad-Eye Moody, "we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" said Fred Weasley loudly, trying to act as if he hadn't already known.

The tension that had filled the Hall ever since Moody's arrival suddenly broke. Nearly everyone laughed, and Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively.

"I am not joking, Mr. Weasley," he said, "though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar . . ." Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly. "Er — but maybe this is not the time . . . no . . ." said Dumbledore, "where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament . . . well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation and allow their attention to wander freely.

"The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities — until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued."

"Merlin," Stella breathed. "What a time to bring it back. Hasn't a student almost died every year now?"

"We just blame your boyfriend for that," Blaise smirked and Stella slapped his arm, turning slightly red.

"There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament," Dumbledore continued, "none of which has been very successful. However, our own departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger.

"The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money.

"Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts," he said, "the heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age — that is to say, seventeen years or older — will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This" — Dumbledore raised his voice slightly, for several people had made noises of outrage at these words, and the Weasley twins were suddenly looking furious — "is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion." His light blue eyes twinkled as they flickered over Fred's and George's mutinous faces. "I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen.

"The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop, chop!"

Dumbledore sat down again and turned to talk to Mad-Eye Moody. There was a great scraping and banging as all the students got to their feet and swarmed toward the double doors into the entrance hall. Stella waited by the door until she saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione about to exit before popping up beside Harry, causing all three Gryffindors to jump as she yelled, "Boo!" causing them to jump.

"I wanted to let you know that Uncle Moony and his dog have moved to a flat in Hogsmeade," she smirked to Harry.

"Brilliant," he smiled brightly.

"See you three later," Stella smiled, wandering away from the lions and back to Theo and Blaise. "Carry me, Blaise!"

She jumped on his back and he gave her a piggyback ride to the common room, the password now being 'Basilisk,' which felt a bit like poor taste but she didn't say anything about it. Once in the common room, Blaise sat on the couch, Stella locked behind him with her legs on his sides. Theo rolled his eyes before laying across the couch, head resting on Stella's and Blaise's leg as he opened a book, holding it above his head and reading quietly as the other two engaged in conversation about the Tournament.

Conversation slowed as the first years came in, and then Professor Snape. Stella gave him a bright smile when his eyes flickered across the room. He rolled his eyes when he saw how she was sitting, deciding to let it go for now. Stella whispered the speech in Blaise's ear, voice dropped low as she spoke and causing him to have to bite his lip to keep from laughing out and interrupting their head of house. Theo pinched Stella's and Blaise's legs and they bit their lips to stop themselves from cursing him. The moment Snape was out the door, they both began swatting at Theo, causing him to jump up from the couch as they chased him through the common room.

Stella and Blaise ended up cornering Theo behind a chair, the two jumping on him at the same time and tackling him to the floor. The three were tangled around one another, laughing loudly. Stella had never stayed awake after the speech, so she'd never been around for the excitement that clung to the air once the youngest students had gone to bed. It was strange to see all of them so calm around one another, smiling and joking and playing and laughing. Stella, Blaise, and Theo were not the only ones chasing one another or wrapped around each other. It was actually rather nice.

"Let's see," Stella sighed. "Looks like charms with Ravenclaw and then Care of Magical Creatures with Gryffindor."

"I can't believe we don't have Herbology with Hufflepuff anymore," Blaise commented. "Feels like we're cheating on them with Ravenclaw."

"Blast Ended Skrewts!" Hagrid said joyfully and Stella felt uneasy as she looked into a crate. "On'y jus' hatched so yeh'll be able ter raise 'em yerselves! Thought we'd make a bit of a project of it!"

"And why would we want to raise them?" Malfoy questioned. "I mean, what do they do? What is the point of them?"

That was actually a rather good question.

"Tha's next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus' feedin' 'em today," Hagrid stated and Stella knew then and there that Hagrid had no clue what these things did. "Now, yeh'll wan' ter try 'em on a few diff'rent things. I've never had 'em before, not sure what they'll go fer. I got ant eggs an' frog livers an' a bit o'grass snake. Just try 'em out with a bit of each."

Stella grabbed a few of each item, use to handling nastier in potions class. She dropped a bit of each into the crate, watching as the Skrewts ignored all three options completely. Dean Thomas got burned and Stella couldn't help but smirk. The Gryffindors that had been involved in the attack on her last year weren't allowed to go to Hogsmeade and had served detention four nights a week, though that had only lasted for last year, punishments now over. Dean Thomas had been one of them.

"Some of 'em have got stingers," Hagrid said enthusiastically and Stella, Theo, Blaise, Malfoy, and Pansy all took a quick step back. "I reckon they're the males. The females've got sorta sucker things on their bellies. I think they might be ter suck blood."

"Well, I can certainly see why we're trying to keep them alive," said Malfoy sarcastically. "Who wouldn't want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?"

"We already have Stella for all that," Theo said dryly and Blaise and Stella laughed loudly.

"Just because they're not very pretty, it doesn't mean they're not useful," Hermione snapped. "Dragon blood's amazingly magical, but you wouldn't want a dragon for a pet, would you?"

Stella thought that was a bold statement to make in front of Hagrid who, during their first year, had tried to keep a dragon as a pet.

"How do you think we can accidentally kill these things without being caught?" Stella asked the other four as quietly as possible.

"I thought you liked that oaf?" Malfoy questioned.

"I do but he has no clue what these things do and I don't think I want to find out by experience. I would like for this year to actually be fun for once and those things do not look fun."

"Severing charm?"

"Too obvious," Pansy shook her head. "What if we tried to drown them? Claim we thought they were thirsty."

"And if they turn out to be able to breath under water?" Theo asked.

"Happy discovery and Hagrid gives Pansy points," Stella shrugged. "Aguamenti."

The crate filled with water but the buggers knew how to swim. They just floated to the top of the crate and Stella removed the water quickly, not wanting the things to get any closer to them.

"Keep an eye out," Draco whispered and Theo and Blaise watched Hagrid while Stella, Pansy and Draco tried multiple spells, even sending one high into the air before it came crashing back down on top of the other ones but nothing worked.

"Well… that's… interesting?" Stella offered.

"Terrifying," Malfoy corrected. "Weasley is in the paper by the way."

"Skeeter?"

"Yeah."

"Brilliant."

"Do you really live in that… house?" Malfoy asked as they left Care of Magical Creatures to head to lunch.

"At the very top," Stella nodded. "Got my own room over the summer. Harry and Hermione stayed with us so Dad and I cleaned the attic up so I'd have my own space."

It was a few hours later that she was back to disliking Malfoy.

"And there's a picture, Weasley! A picture of your parents outside their house- if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"

Theo and Blaise had to hold Stella back as she tried to rush Malfoy.

"Get stuffed, Malfoy," Harry defended, him and Hermione holding Ron back.

"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter?" sneered Malfoy. "So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it the picture?"

"You know your mother, Malfoy? That expression she's got, like she's got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?" Harry asked.

"Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter," Malfoy sneered, face pale.

"Keep your fat mouth shut then," said Harry, turning away.

BANG!

Several people screamed and Stella let out an angry yell as Harry plunged his hand into his robes to try finding his wand.

BANG!

"OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!"

Stella spun around, finding Professor Moody limping down the marble staircase. His wand was out and it was pointing right at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone-flagged floor, exactly where Malfoy had been standing. There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall. Nobody but Moody was moving a muscle now, Stella breathing heavily in Blaise's arms. Moody turned to look at Harry, at least, his normal eye was on Harry. The other was in the back of his head.

"Did he get you?" Moody growled to Harry.

"No," Harry shook his head. "Missed."

"LEAVE IT!" Moody shouted.

"Leave what?" Harry asked, bewildered.

"Not you. Him!" Moody jerked his thumb back at Crabbe, who had been about to pick up the ferret but was now unmoving.

Moody limped over to Crabbe, Goyle, and the ferret, which made a terrified squeak and took off, streaking through the legs and climbing Stella's robes.

"Give him here," Moody demanded as Stella pulled, what she assumed was, Draco into her arms, holding him close, protectively.

"No way," she scoffed.

"I don't like people who attack with their opponent's back's turned," growled Moody. "Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do."

"I get that but transfiguring a student is not a legal punishment for rather obvious reasons," Stella growled out. "Now, move."

Stella and a few other Slytherins strode pass Moody, who just watched them go, heading to the dungeons. Stella didn't even knock as she strode into Snape's office. He raised a brow of surprise as ten students walked in behind Stella, all looking rather angry.

"I may find this hilarious once we get you turned back but right now I'm angry for you," Stella told the ferret. "After this, we can talk about your words about my parents."

"Why are you speaking to a ferret?" Snape asked. "Furthermore, where did you get it?"

"It's Draco," Stella told Snape, placing him on the desk.

Ferret Draco stood on his hind legs, staring up at Snape hopefully.

"Put him on the floor," Snape sighed. "No need to have him turn back while on my desk. He could tip over."

"Oh, no," Stella deadpanned. "Not Draco getting injured."

She moved him anyways, setting him on the floor and stepping back. A loud snapping noise rang through the office and Draco was in a heap on the floor, wincing slightly, a few tears of pain in his eyes. Stella rushed forward, helping him slowly to his feet.

"Are you alright?" she asked him softly and he nodded.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "It was uncalled for."

"No shit," Stella rolled her eyes. "I can yell at you later. Sit down. I'll go sneak us some food from the kitchens."

"No need, Black," Snape spoke up, pointing to where food had appeared on the counter. "Also, language."

"Sorry, sir," Stella sighed, helping Draco to a chair. "What do you want to eat? No moving around for a bit."

Snape passed Draco a pain potion, kneeling beside him as Stella made him a plate. She placed the plate down to start pouring a cup of tea before she let out a shriek as the cup tried biting her.

"Damn you, George," she said, blowing the cup up before grabbing a goblet instead, pouring the tea into that instead.

"Language, Black," Snape said again.

"Sorry, sir," she sighed, walking back over and placing the plate and tea on Snape's desk in front of Draco.

"Thanks," Draco nodded to her, sipping the tea slowly before beginning to eat.

Theo brought Stella a plate, carrying his own in his other hand. The group ate in the Potions Master's office, a few other Slytherins joining them within a few minutes. Stella had an idea forming in her mind for her Thursday class.

The Slytherins sat in the back of the classroom, the Gryffindors having seemed rather excited about the class and taken up the first few rows. Stella sat in the center of the sea of green, a glare on her face and arms crossed over her chest. Soon they heard Moody's distinctive clunking footsteps coming down the corridor, and he enter the room, looking as strange and frightening as ever. They could just see his clawed, wooden foot protruding from underneath his robes.

"You can put those away," he growled at the Gryffindors. "Those books. You won't be needing them."

After rollcall, Moody started up.

"Right then. I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class. Seems you've had a pretty thorough grounding in Dark creatures. You've covered boggarts, Red Caps, hinkypunks, Grindylows, Kappas, and werewolves, is that right?"

'I understand why they call him Mad.'

'Who?'

'Alastor Moody, our new defense teacher. Tell Uncle Moony to get back here.'

"But you're behind on dealing with curses. So I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've got a year to teach you how to deal with Dark curses.

"So straight into it. Curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you countercurses and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in sixth year. You're not supposed to be old enough to deal with it till then. But Professor Dumbledore's got a higher opinion of your nerves. He reckons you'll be fine. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to put that away, Miss Brown, when I'm talking."

Lavender jumped and blushed. She had been showing Parvati her completed horoscope under the desk. Apparently Moody's magical eye could see through solid wood and the back of his head. That put a damper on her plan. She would need to get the map from Harry later.

"What curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?" Moody questioned.

Stella's brows raised and she kept her hand down, as did the other Slytherins. No need to feed the rumor mill about Slytherins knowing all the dark curses before they turned three. Moody pulled a spider out of a jar and Stella forced herself not to grimace, looking to Ron instead to see him skirting further back in his chair.

"Weasley!" Moody called out. "Name one."

"The Imperius Curse, or something," Ron offered.

"Imperio!" Moody cast on the spider.

The spider leapt from Moody's hand on a fine thread of silk and began to swing backward and forward as though on a trapeze. It stretched out its legs rigidly, then did a back flip, breaking the thread and landing on the desk, where it began to cartwheel in circles. Moody jerked his wand, and the spider rose onto two of its hind legs and went into what was unmistakably a tap dance.

The Gryffindors were laughing but the Slytherins and Moody didn't. He tossed the spider around the room then. It landed on Ron's hand before landing on Seamus' book, causing him to lift the book quickly, flipping the spider in the air. It landed in front of Stella next and she stared down at the poor creature, knowing how this would end for it. The spider crawled up her quickly and she didn't even flinch as she looked back to Moody, glare still in place.

The laughter had stopped at this point, Gryffindors glanced between Moody and Stella, feeling uneasy. Draco, Blaise, and Theo all looked unnerved by the creature being on Stella, as if they all wanted to speak up, but that wasn't in the plan. The spider went back to Moody's hand.

"Total control," he spoke quietly as the spider balled itself up and began to roll over and over. "I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats…

"Years back, there were a lot of witches and wizards controlled by the Imperius Curse. Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out who was being forced to act, and who was acting of their own free will.

"Another?"

Neville had barely raised his hand when he was called on.

"The… the Cruciartis Curse," he said in a small voice.

"Longbottom, yes?"

The spider was placed upon Moody's desktop.

"Crucio!"

Stella looked away, not wanting to watch.

"Stop it!" Hermione finally yelled.

Moody raised his wand and the spider's legs relaxed, but it continued to twitch.

"Pain," said Moody softly. "You don't need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you can perform the Cruciartis Curse. That one was very popular once, too.

"The last one? Black!"

"Didn't raise my hand, sir," Stella offered, looking unimpressed.

"I'm asking anyways."

"The Killing Curse," she sighed.

"Ah. Yes, the last and worst. Avada Kedavra!"

A flash of blinding green light and a rushing of sound. The spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked, but unmistakably dead. Several people stifled cries. Ron almost toppled over in his seat trying to get more space between himself and Moody.

"Not nice. Not pleasant. And there's no countercurse. There's no blocking it. Only one person has ever survived it, and he's sitting right in front of me," Moody stated, staring down at Harry.

Stella knew Harry was imagining the death of his parents in a new light now. She wondered how many nightmares he would have in the future because of this one class, how often his scar would hurt upon waking up. Her glare hardened and Moody's magical eye caught it. Moody started talking again and Stella was unable to concentrate, too angry at Moody and worried about Harry for anything else in the moment.

People were talking excitedly when class was released, as if the class had been some great show. Stella waited for Harry to come out of the class though, taking his hand without thought and pulling him away from the others, to hell with their next class. They took the secret passage out of the school and Stella warned Sirius that they were coming. Harry tossed the cloak over them once they left the tunnel, Stella leading the way to a house at the edge of the village where Remus was waiting out front.

Stella pushed the door open and Remus raised a brow but said nothing, following them inside. Stella pulled the cloak off of them and pulled Harry over to the couch, Sirius walking out of the kitchen and staring at them with concern. Neither said anything as Stella pulled Harry close, holding him close. The two grown wizards could see the anger on Stella's face but knew she wouldn't speak until she was sure that Harry was alright first. She fiddled with her ring instead, explaining the class to Sirius, who pulled Remus into the kitchen to relay the message.

Remus was the one to return first, which was unsurprising to Stella. He seemed like the calmer of the two. He kneeled in front of the two, hand resting on Harry's knee. Harry shifted a bit so he could see Remus better.

"I'm sorry," he told Harry. "It's horrible to have to see those curses first hand. You do need to learn them though. You should have been given a bit of a warning, though. Neville, as well."

"Why Neville?" Harry asked curiously.

"If he hasn't told you, I won't discuss it," Remus shook his head. "Point is, you shouldn't have been blindsided like that."

"It's fine," Harry shrugged.

"Then what am I comforting you for?" Stella demanded, causing Remus to smirk.

"Don' know. Just thought you liked comforting people, honestly," Harry offered and Stella pushed Harry off of the couch, Remus having just barely moved out of the way in time.

Remus was laughing as Harry glared up at Stella, who simply crossed her arms over her chest, smirking down at Harry as Sirius returned to the room.

"How's the weather down there?" she asked.

"How about I drag you down here and you find out yourself," Harry offered.

"Oh, you'll live," Stella rolled her eyes, standing so she could hug Sirius.

Remus helped Harry to his feet, patting him on the back before they both looked at father and daughter reuniting. Stella buried her face in Sirius's chest, breathing him in now that he didn't smell like he had been on the run for the entire summer. A knock at the door caused them to pull apart, Stella pulling her wand out quickly.

"It's fine," Remus told her, opening the door and allowing Snape in.

"How's that fine?" Stella groaned. "You just got us detention."

"Not this time," Snape spoke up and Stella brightened. "Remus sent word."

" Remus, huh?" Stella asked, arms crossing over her chest.

"Detention."

"That sounds more like you, sir."

"Black…"

"Yeah?" Sirius answered, smirk on his face.

"Oh, there's two of them," Remus sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"How do you think I've felt the past few years?" Snape shrugged.

"Oh, please. I'm your favorite student," Stella rolled her eyes before looking to Harry. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"We should get you both back to the school," Snape offered and Stella groaned before going to Remus, giving him a tight hug.

Harry stiffly hugged Sirius quickly, still not used to people other than Stella showing him affection. The two slipped under the cloak and Severus led them back to the school. The next few weeks felt like they were dragging along. Stella was participating in every class except Defense to earn her house points. The others took point with her, not answering questions or offering any sort of reaction to anything happening in class. Draco had never felt more loved by his house.

To everyone's surprise, Moody announced that he would be putting the Imperius Curse on each of them in turn, to demonstrate its power and to see whether they could resists its effects.

"But — but you said it's illegal, Professor," said Hermione uncertainly as Moody cleared away the desks with a sweep of his wand, leaving a large clear space in the middle of the room. "You said — to use it against another human was —"

"Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like," said Moody, his magical eye swiveling onto Hermione and fixing her with an eerie, unblinking stare. "If you'd rather learn the hard way — when someone's putting it on you so they can control you completely — fine by me. You're excused. Off you go."

One by one, people were called up. Dean hopped three times around the room singing. Lavender acting like a squirrel. Neville performed an unbelievable series of gymnastics.

"Potter, you next," Moody demanded and Stella felt her hands shaking but did nothing. "Imperio!"

Harry stared at Moody before starting to lift his foot. After a minute, Harry flung himself at the desk and Stella's arms uncrossed, sitting forward to see if he was alright.

"Look at that you lot! Potter fought! He fought it and he damn near beat it! Again, Potter!"

Stella watched as Harry fought again for longer this time before he let out a loud ribbit. He was released to his seat and Stella sat back again.

"Black!"

Stella held in an annoyed groan, not excited in the slightest. Multiple students sat up a bit further. Stella fidgeted her ring, telling Sirius what was about to happen.

'Question all of the thoughts that come into your head.' Sirius told her.

"Imperio!"

Stella felt like she was floating but she forced herself to concentrate, remembering her father's words.

Where is Sirius Black?

Stella felt fear creep up her spine but kept her mouth closed.

Where is Sirius Black?

Stella bit into her lip until she tasted blood.

WHERE?!

"Go fuck yourself," Stella panted, taking a step back as Moody's spell was broken, causing him to stumble a bit.

"How?" Moody asked and Stella leaned against a table, glaring at the man. "How'd you do it?"

"Are we done?" she asked, not waiting for an answer as she went back to her desk, falling into her seat.

Stella was exceeding in Transfiguration, Charms, and Potions, as was expected. Theo was still helping her with History though, which she felt bad for. He was good at all of his classes. Stella was starting to hate Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid had suggested they come down to his hut on alternate evenings to observe their Skrewts, Stella having named hers 'Blasty' after it had almost taken off hers and Pansy's fingers.

"I will not," said Draco flatly. "I see enough of these foul things during lessons, thanks."

"Yeh'll do wha' yer told," Hagrid growled. "Or I'll be takin' a leaf outta Moody's book. I hear you make a great ferret, Malfoy."

Stella grabbed Draco's hand immediately and left the class, not even looking back or caring about Hagrid's feelings. The other Slytherin's followed, all having had enough at this point. Transfiguring a person outside of their physical appearance caused physical pain for days at a time, especially into something smaller. Draco still had to take a potion every so often because of the residual pain he'd get. She went straight to Snape's office, knocking this time. He opened the door, sighing when he stepped aside, letting them into the room.

"We want to drop Care of Magical Creatures," Stella told him as she walked in.

"Very well," Snape nodded. "All of you?"

"Yes," Pansy spoke up, standing beside Stella. "Hagrid threatened to turn Draco into a ferret if he didn't come outside of class hours to visit those ridiculous things."

"He cannot force you to do anything related to his class outside of class hours except for written homework assignments. Hagrid also cannot perform magic, as he has no wand," Snape pointed out.

"Don't care," Stella shook her head. "It's the whole point of the thing, honestly."

"I understand," Snape nodded. "I will let the Headmaster know."

"Thank you, sir," Stella nodded.

"Stay back, Black. We need to discuss your detention."

Stella was confused. She didn't have a detention. Maybe she was receiving one for causing a mutiny? Oh, well. It would be worth it. The rest of the Slytherins filed out and the door closed. Snape turned to her.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"What do you mean, sir?" Stella asked, confused.

"I mean, why are you so protective of Mister Malfoy suddenly?"

"Oh. It's not on purpose. Moody just pissed me off—"

"Language."

"—by using a punishment he wasn't supposed to. We're supposed to stick together anyways. That's what you told us."

"I did," he nodded. "Alright. You may go. Stay out of trouble, Black."

"I fear I would not be living up to my full potential if I did that, sir."

Snape was not the only one who wanted to question Stella and her treatment towards Draco lately. Ron, Hermione, and Harry caught up to her one day after Ancient Runes.

"Stell!" Ron yelled, causing Stella, Blaise, Theo, Draco, and Pansy to all turn towards him. "Just my sister, please."

"It's okay," Stella assured the others and they walked a bit of a distance away, waiting at the end of the hall and keeping a lookout.

"Why are they standing there?" Ron asked, confused.

"Because the last night I wondered off on my own a bunch of Gryffindors put me in the hospital wing for a month. What's up?" Stella asked.

"Why are you being so nice to Malfoy?" Ron asked.

"And why have you been skipping Care of Magical Creatures?" Harry tacked on.

"I'm not skipping Care of Magical Creatures. All of the Slytherins dropped it, starting with me," Stella told Harry gently before her voice hardened as she spoke to Ron. "Why shouldn't I be nice to Draco?"

"He made fun of Dad and was calling Mum fat!" Ron defended, raising his voice.

"And then he was transfigured into a ferret," Stella stated.

"Best day of my life, honestly," Ron shrugged. "Still think it wasn't enough of a punishment. You should've let Moody bounce him around a bit."

"Bounce him around… Ron so you know why transfiguring students as punishment is prohibited?" Stella questioned before looking to Harry. "Do you?"

"No," they said together, seeming uneasy now.

"Hermione?"

"Transfiguring humans means rearranging their bones and internal organs and can be extre…" Hermione didn't finish her sentence, as if realizing what she was about to say as her eyes widened.

"Extremely…." Stella prompted.

"Extremely painful," Hermione whispered out. "It can lead to residual pains that could last for years and result in death if not done properly."

"What?" Harry asked, seeming horrified.

"It was extremely painful for him," Stella stated. "He still gets pains from it. But, yeah. Best day of your life. Hilarious."

Stella walked away from the three Gryffindors, rejoining her housemates and walking with them out of the castle. They flew around the grounds for a bit, Stella letting Draco take a turn on her Firebolt even. As she watched Draco fly overhead, she heard a loud barking and looked over to see Padfoot running towards her. Stella smiled brightly from where she sat on the grass as Padfoot jumped on her, licking her face.

"Ew!" she yelled, pushing his face away. "Knock it off, Pads."

Padfoot barked again, tongue hanging out goofily as he laid across her.

"That is not a cat, owl, or a toad," Theo commented as he landed and sat beside her.

"This is Padfoot," Stella told Theo and his eyes widened for a moment before taking a look around.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," Theo whispered.

Padfoot looked up at Stella.

"I told my two best friends," she rolled her eyes at him. "It'll be fine. I got a letter from our lawyer today. Said all of the evidence has been gathered and that he's just waiting for a trial date. Bloodshire says that you being Harry's godfather means that, magically, you couldn't have done anything to harm him or put him in danger, either. Telling Voldemort," Theo flinched, "where the Potters were hiding out is definitely a form of putting him in danger. I think we're going to win, Da."

Blaise landed next, plopping down and resting his head on Theo's lap.

"When did you get a new pet?" Blaise smirked. "Didn't the last one you have turn into a person?"

"This one does, too," Stella smirked, looking to Padfoot. "This is Teddy Nott and Blaise Zabini, my best friends."

Padfoot let out a bark and Blaise sat up quickly, staring down at Padfoot.

"Sorry, sir. Um… hello."

"Breathe, Blaise. He's the least formal head of house in existence right after Dad," Stella smirked.

"How many dad's do you have?" Blaise joked, laying back down.

"Let's see. There's Arthur Weasley, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and, how could anyone forget, Professor Snape," Theo answered.

Stella just rolled her eyes and continued petting Sirius' head. The others joined them, slowly approaching the large Grim-looking dog. Draco was the last to join them, looking a bit exhausted from flying.

"I told you to come down if you got tired," Stella reprimanded.

"Sorry, Mum," Draco rolled his eyes.

"Who would be Dad?" Pansy asked.

"I could call you daddy," Stella offered to Pansy and she turned beet red, causing everyone to laugh.

Padfoot covered his face with his paws and Stella let out a snort of laughter before petting him a bit more.

There was a pleasant feeling of anticipation in the air in October. Nobody was very attentive in lessons, being much more interested in the arrival that evening of the people from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. When the bell rang early in Potions, Stella, Theo, Blaise, Draco, Pansy, and all of the other Slytherins waited for the Gryffindors to leave before Snape let them go through his office directly into the common room. They all took their stuff to their rooms, fixed their appearances, and headed to the entrance hall. Stella wasn't the least bit surprised that Slytherin ended up being the first full house there, all looking rather well put together as they stood tall. Most of them were pureblood royalty after all. It was expected of them.

And then Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers, "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

"Where?" said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions.

"There!" yelled a sixth year, pointing over the forest.

Something large, much larger than a broomstick — or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks — was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time.

"It's a dragon!" shrieked one of the first years, losing her head completely.

"Don't be stupid . . . it's a flying house!" said Dennis Creevey.

Dennis's guess was closer. . . . As the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powder blue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant. The front three rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed — then, with an almighty crash that made Neville jump backward onto a Slytherin fifth year's foot, the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes.

A boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully. Then Stella saw a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage — a shoe the size of a child's sled — followed, almost immediately, by the largest woman she had ever seen in her life. The size of the carriage, and of the horses, was immediately explained. A few people gasped.

Stella had only ever seen one person this large and it was Hagrid. Yet somehow — maybe simply because she was used to Hagrid — this woman (now at the foot of the steps, and looking around at the waiting, wide-eyed crowd) seemed even more unnaturally large. As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, olive-skinned face; large, black, liquid-looking eyes; and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers.

Dumbledore started to clap; the students, following his lead, broke into applause too, many of them standing on tiptoe, the better to look at this woman. Her face relaxed into a gracious smile and she walked forward toward Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely to bend to kiss it.

"My dear Madame Maxime," he said. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumbly-dorr," said Madame Maxime in a deep voice. "I 'ope I find you well?"

"In excellent form, I thank you," said Dumbledore.

"My pupils," said Madame Maxime, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her.

About a dozen boys and girls, all, by the look of them, in their late teens, had emerged from the carriage and were now standing behind Madame Maxime. They were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks. A few had wrapped scarves and shawls around their heads.

" 'As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime asked.

"He should be here any moment," said Dumbledore. "Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"

"Warm up, I think," said Madame Maxime. "But ze 'orses —"

"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them," said Dumbledore, "the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other — er — charges."

"My steeds require — er — forceful 'andling," said Madame Maxime, looking as though she doubted whether any Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts could be up to the job. "Zey are very strong. . . ."

"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," said Dumbledore, smiling.

"Very well," said Madame Maxime, bowing slightly. "Will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?"

"It will be attended to," said Dumbledore, also bowing.

"Come," said Madame Maxime imperiously to her students, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps.

They stood waiting for the Durmstrang party to arrive. Most of the students were shivering, but Stella had placed warming charms on herself and a few of those around her. The other Slytherins followed her lead, warming themselves and the younger students. A first year Hufflepuff watched on longingly and Stella tapped his head with her wand, whispering the charm and causing him to smile brightly. She gave him a wink before hearing something coming from the lake.

Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks — and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor. . . . What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool . . . and then Stella saw the rigging and was suddenly reminded of playing pirates with all of her siblings as a kid. Ginny must have thought the same thing because she turned her head towards Stella quickly and they shared reminiscent smiles.

Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank.

People were disembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them, Stella noticed, seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle . . . but then, as they drew nearer, walking up the lawns into the light streaming from the entrance hall, she saw that their bulk was really due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur. But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair.

"Dumbledore!" he called heartily as he walked up the slope. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied.

Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice; when he stepped into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle they saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee (finishing in a small curl) did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own.

"Dear old Hogwarts," he said, looking up at the castle and smiling with yellow teeth. "How good it is to be here, how good. . . . Viktor, come along, into the warmth . . . you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold. . . ."

Whispers broke out now at the sight of Viktor Krum. A few of the girls seemed to swoon but Stella simply rolled her eyes before following the rest of the Hogwarts students back into the castle. Stella waved her wand as she passed the Beauxbatons, whispering the warming charm again and they seemed to sink a bit in relief.

"Twenty points to Slytherin," she heard Snape whisper to her as he passed their group, causing Stella to practically beam.

The Beauxbatons sat with the Ravenclaws and the Durmstrang students decided to sit with the Slytherins. Draco was practically vibrating in his spot beside Stella, so she placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to calm down rather than start bothering Krum. Once everyone was settled, the headmasters walked in, receiving a bit of applause in the process. Beauxbatons students actually stood until Madame Maxime sat down at the head table. Dumbledore was the only one to remain standing.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and, most particularly, guests. I have a great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable," Dumbledore told the room at large. "The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast. I now invite you all to eat, drinks, and make yourselves at home!"

Plates filled with food as usual, some even from the countries of the schools visiting.

"What's that?" Stella asked Blaise, pointing to a large dish that seemed to be shellfish stew.

"Bouillabaisse," he answered.

"Bless you?" Stella gave him a confused look as a few people laughed.

"It's a French soup made from fish and vegetables," Theo rolled his eyes. "Try some."

"Ya'know, I don't think I will," Stella said pushing away the small bowl that Theo tried pushing closer to her.

"You are funny," a gruff voice spoke up and Stella turned, finding it had been Viktor Krum who had spoken to her; Ron was going to be so jealous.

"Thank you. You should see how I talk to Blaise's mum," Stella stated.

"Please stop flirting with my mother," Blaise groaned, face going into his hands.

"Never," she smiled wickedly.

Ludo Bagman and Crouch walked in then, taking the last two remaining seats at the head table. They all ate, the hall sounding louder than normal, even with only twenty additional students. Once the plates were wiped clean, Dumbledore stood again. A pleasant sort of tension seemed to fill the Hall now and Stella felt a sort of excitement filling her chest.

"The moment has come," said Dumbledore, smiling around at the sea of upturned faces. "The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation" — there was a smattering of polite applause — "and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

There was a much louder round of applause for Bagman than for Crouch, perhaps because of his fame as a Beater, or simply because he looked so much more likable. He acknowledged it with a jovial wave of his hand. Bartemius Crouch did not smile or wave when his name was announced.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore continued, "and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts."

At the mention of the word "champions," the attentiveness of the listening students seemed to sharpen. Perhaps Dumbledore had noticed their sudden stillness, for he smiled as he said, "The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch."

Filch, who had been lurking unnoticed in a far corner of the Hall, now approached Dumbledore carrying a great wooden chest encrusted with jewels. It looked extremely old.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," said Dumbledore as Filch placed the chest carefully on the table before him, "and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways . . . their magical prowess — their daring — their powers of deduction — and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

At this last word, the Hall was filled with a silence so absolute that nobody seemed to be breathing.

"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore went on calmly, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."

Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames. Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the Hall.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," said Dumbledore. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.

"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," said Dumbledore, "I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line.

"Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all."

Karkaroff approached their table.

"Back to the ship, then," he was saying. "Viktor, how are you feeling? Did you eat enough? Should I send for some mulled wine from the kitchens?"

"Professor, I vood like some vine," said one of the other Durmstrang boys hopefully.

"I wasn't offering it to you, Poliakoff," snapped Karkaroff, his warmly paternal air vanishing in an instant. "I notice you have dribbled food all down the front of your robes again, disgusting boy —"

Stella already decided then that she didn't like the man as Harry went to Stella's side, looking as if he wanted to ask her something before realizing how big of a crowd was around them. He just took her hand instead, ready to pull her away as soon as they made it out of the hall.

And then Karkaroff froze. He turned his head back to Harry and stared at him as though he couldn't believe his eyes. Behind their headmaster, the students from Durmstrang came to a halt too. Karkaroff's eyes moved slowly up Harry's face and fixed upon his scar. The Durmstrang students were staring curiously at Harry too.

Out of the corner of her eye, Stella saw comprehension dawn on a few of their faces. The boy with food all down his front nudged the girl next to him and pointed openly at Harry's forehead. Stella rolled her eyes and moved forward, accidentally knocking into the man.

"Opps! So sorry, sir! Are you alright?" she asked.

"You stupid girl!" he began and then a hand was on Stella's shoulder.

She didn't have to look to know that it was Snape standing beside her.

"Karkaroff," Snape spoke in his silky, flat voice.

"Snape," Karkaroff seemed to have paled slightly.

"You were leading your students back to their ship," Snape reminded him, stepping a bit more forward and pushing Stella slightly behind him protectively.

Stella felt a bit confused by the action. Certainly she wasn't in any danger just from having bumped into the man. Why was Snape so worried? Without another word, Karkaroff swept his students away with him, Stella peeking out from behind Snape to watch him go. Snape relaxed a bit before moving forward, waving the students through the doorway. Stella gave him a questioning look and he shook his head, causing her to let out a frustrated groan before moving along with the others.

The next morning, Stella was sitting with her classmates, all watching with fascination as they waited for more students to put their names in. Almost all of the Durmstrang students had put their names in already but no one from Hogwarts had stepped forward. Fred, George and Lee ran over to her, ignoring the others as they lifted her into the air and tossed her between them.

"Put me down!" Stella laughed as Lee caught her and set her down in front of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "What's this about then?"

"We've done it," Fred told them. "Just taken it."

"What?" Ron asked.

"The aging potion, dung brains," said Fred.

"One drop each," George nodded, rubbing his hands together with glee. "We only need to be a few months older."

"We're going to split the money between the three of us if we win," Lee grinned.

"I'm not sure this is going to work, you know," Hermione said. "I'm sure Dumbledore will have thought of this."

"Ready?" Fred asked George and Lee. "C'mon, then. I'll go first."

Stella sat on Harry's lap before kicked her feet up and laying across all three of them, head turned in Hermione's lap as she watched the show unfold.

Fred pulled a slip of parchment out of his pocket with his name on it. He walked right up to the line and stood there, rocking on his toes like a diver preparing for a fifty-foot drop. Then, with the eyes of every person in the entrance hall upon him, he took a great breath and stepped over the line.

For a split second, Stella thought it had worked. George must have thought the same because he let out a triumphant yell and leapt after Fred. The next moment, there was a loud sizzling sound, and both twins were hurled out of the golden circle as though they had been thrown by an invisible shot-putter. They landed painfully ten feet away and Stella jumped up, running over to check on them. To add insult to injury, there was a loud popping noise, and both of them sprouted identical white beards.

The entrance hall rang with laughter as Stella helped them both to their feet. Even Fred and George joined in once they'd gotten a look at one another.

"I did warn you," said a deep, amused voice, and everyone turned to see Professor Dumbledore coming out of the Great Hall. He surveyed Fred and George, his eyes twinkling. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr. Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours."

Fred and George set off for the hospital wing, accompanied by Lee, who was howling with laughter, and Stella, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, also chortling, went in to breakfast.

The decorations in the Great Hall had changed this morning. As it was Halloween, a cloud of live bats was fluttering around the enchanted ceiling, while hundreds of carved pumpkins leered from every corner. Stella found Draco, Theo, and Blaise waiting for her at the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Warrington put his name in," Draco told Stella in a whispered tone.

"Oh, I do hope it's a Slytherin," Stella stated. "Imagine the school actually applauding us for once."

"I'm sure they'd still boo," Theo grumbled.

"True," Stella growled out, feeling annoyed before she was suddenly tackled by a large, black blur. "Seriously?"

The dog just made a face that told her he was telling her that he was always Sirius and she pushed him off of her. Blaise lifted Stella back to her feet when she reached her hand out, walking towards the Great Hall for dinner and the ceremony.

Stella was stuffed full from two feasts in a row as she tried to eat her sweet potato pie, whining as she tossed her fork down. Blaise simply smirked and rolled his eyes as she lifted the plate that had been picked clean by Padfoot from the floor and set it up on the table, offering him the less than half eaten piece of pie next.

Once Dumbledore finished eating, he stood and the hall fell quiet.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber" — he indicated the door behind the staff table — "where they will be receiving their first instructions."

He took out his wand and gave a great sweeping wave with it; at once, all the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging them into a state of semidarkness. The Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole Hall, the sparkling bright, bluey-whiteness of the flames almost painful on the eyes. Everyone watched, waiting. . . . A few people kept checking their watches. . . .

The flames inside the goblet turned suddenly red again. Sparks began to fly from it. Next moment, a tongue of flame shot into the air, a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it — the whole room gasped.

Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length, so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white.

"The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong, clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum!"

Krum stood from their table and approached Dumbledore, taking his slip of paper before heading out a side door. A second piece of parchment shot out of the goblet, propelled by the flames.

"The champion for Beauxbatons is… Fleur Delacour!"

When Fleur Delacour too had vanished into the side chamber, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement you could almost taste it. The Hogwarts champion next . . . And the Goblet of Fire turned red once more; sparks showered out of it; the tongue of flame shot high into the air, and from its tip Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment.

"The champion for Hogwarts…"

"Come on, Warrington," Stella whispered under her breath, just loud enough for the other Slytherins and Padfoot to hear, causing Warrington to give her a smirk that was basically a beaming smile in everyone else's book.

"… is Cedric Diggory!"

Every single Hufflepuff had jumped to his or her feet, screaming and stamping, as Cedric made his way past them, grinning broadly, and headed off toward the chamber behind the teachers' table. Indeed, the applause for Cedric went on so long that it was some time before Dumbledore could make himself heard again.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as at last the tumult died down. "Well, we now 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 —"

But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him. The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air and borne upon it was another piece of parchment.

Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out —

"Harry Potter."

There was no applause. A buzzing, as though of angry bees, was starting to fill the hall. McGonagall rushed over to Dumbledore, the two whispering urgently back and forth. Snape had moved forward as well and Padfoot let out a whine.

"Go," she whispered to him and Padfoot snuck out from under the table and ran over to Harry, leaning his head on Harry's leg.

Harry seemed to be in shock, confusion clear on his face. He turned, saying something to Ron and Hermione, who just stared blankly at him. Dumbledore straightened and called for Harry again. It took Hermione giving Harry a slight push and Padfoot pulling on his sweater with his teeth for Harry to move.

Stella watched as Harry and Padfoot walked beside each other up to Dumbledore and then through the same side door. They were all dismissed and Stella stood, set on chasing after Harry when Theo lifted her off her feet and tossed her over his shoulder, forcibly removing her from the hall so she couldn't do exactly that. Stella complained all the way back to the common room about being caried before being set back on her feet, turned, and pushed toward her dorm room, Pansy grabbing her hand and pulling her along.

Stella wanted to pull her hair out as Ron accused her of helping Harry enter the tournament. She hadn't even spoken to Harry yet and she was being screamed at. The rest of the Slytherins watched on, as if realizing that Harry wasn't smart enough to find a way into the tournament himself but Stella definitely would be able to get away with it.

"Ronald Billius! If you don't shut up and let me speak I will hex you into next week!" she finally spoke up and Ron quieted. "I didn't enter Harry into the tournament and I'm willing to bet he didn't put himself in either! He told… he told me he didn't want to be in it!" Stella had to keep herself from yelling that Harry had told Sirius, who had then told her last night. "Now, how about instead of throwing random accusations in my face, you tell me what this is really about?"

"You favor him," Ron growled out, voice low. "I'm your brother and you should have helped me put my name in, not helped Harry."

"I didn't help Harry put his name in. Harry didn't want to be in this tournament," Stella repeated.

"You still favor him," Ron pointed out.

"And can you blame me with the way you're acting?" Stella asked, just wanting Ron to leave her be now. "You treat me like trash every chance you get. You and mum should make a club for it."

Stella walked away, no longer hungry. She ignored everyone as she went to the lake, sitting under a tree and shivering a bit. She didn't bother with a warming charm, just sat under the tree and stared at the water. Harry and Hermione appeared a bit later, sitting down beside her as Harry chewed on cold toast.

"Are you alright?" Stella asked Harry.

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Any idea who could have done it yet?"

"Nope."

"Brilliant."

'How is he?' Sirius asked and Stella immediately began fiddling with her ring.

'Upset. Ron's probably been an ass towards him since last night. He accused me of helping Harry put his name in this morning.'

'Let Harry know that Remus and I are going to find a way up to the school to tutor him for the Tournament.'

"Uncle Moony and Padfoot are going to find a way to tutor you for the tournament," Stella told Harry as Hermione put a warming charm on Stella.

"When's Sirius' trial?"

"Don't have a date yet but I'm sure aurors will be here to take our statements one of these days," Stella sighed. "Professor McGonagall speaking up for him will help more than any of us but still."

"Let's go back inside," Hermione told them and Stella, Harry, and Hermione made their way into the castle, Harry taking Stella's hand again.

The next day was not something to be desired. Double potions with Gryffindor was typically a happy time for Stella. She'd sit near Ron so she could talk to her brother and brew potions for her favorite professor. Stella didn't want to be near Ron in the moment though and then she saw Draco's badges.

"Oh, what the bloody hell," she sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Want one?" Draco asked with a smirk.

"I will hex you if you try to pin that to my robes," she threatened him.

After lunch, Stella was waiting outside the dungeons with the rest of her house, the Gryffindors slowly joining them. She knew the moment Harry saw the badges because his eyes widened before he looked resigned.

"Like them, Potter?" Draco asked loudly. "And this isn't all they do. Look!"

Stella rolled her eyes when 'POTTER STINKS' flashed across the badges, shining brightly.

"Oh very funny," Hermione said sarcastically to Pansy. "Really witty."

Stella looked to Ron, finding him beside Dean and Seamus, two of the boys that Ron said he didn't speak with anymore because of their attack on her. Her eyes narrowed before his eye caught hers. She looked to Dean and Seamus before her eyes landed on Ron again. He gave a smirk at her and she felt anger welling inside of her. She didn't even realize that she and Ron weren't the only ones who had drawn their wands.

The hall was silent and still as everyone watched Harry and Draco, not even realizing that Stella and Ron were about to fight as well.

"Furnunculus!" Harry yelled.

"Densaugeo!" Draco yelled.

"Edublio!" Ron yelled.

"Melofors!" Stella yelled.

A few things happened then. Harry's spell hit Goyle, causing great ugly boils to appear on his face. Draco's spell hit Hermione, causing her teeth to begin growing. Stella was trapped in a floating bubble and Ron's muffled shouts could be heard as he yanked at the pumpkin that now encased his head. Stella let out an annoyed growl from inside her bubble and Blaise let out a laugh at the sight before him, causing her to glare at him.

"Sorry," he laughed. "You look ridiculous in there."

"And what is all this noise about?" a soft, but deadly voice asked.

Everyone began explaining at once and Snape looked around, eyes landing on Stella. She smiled wide and waved, causing him to close his eyes and breath heavily through his nose before he looked to Draco.

"Explain."

"Potter attacked me, sir—"

"We attacked each other at the same time!" Harry shouted.

"—and he hit Goyle. Look!"

"Hospital Wing, Goyle," Snape said calmly.

"Malfoy got Hermione! Look!" Harry stated, showing how Hermione's teeth had grown passed her collar now.

"I see no difference," Snape said coldly and Stella glared as Hermione ran off crying. "And you, Black?"

"Ron attacked me," she shrugged.

"Yes. You look very attacked," Snape rolled his eyes. "Nott?"

"Ready, sir," Theo nodded.

"Don't you dare," Stella told Snape but it was too late.

Snape poked Stella's bubble with his wand, causing her to fall, a shriek escaping her. Theo caught her easily, having been standing below her. Stella glared at Snape as Theo put her back on her feet. He waved his wand and Ron's face was back, pumpkin seeds and guts in his hair. Stella smirked.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor and a detention each for Potter and Weasley. Now get inside, or it'll be a week's worth of detentions."

Stella and Harry sat beside one another, arms crossed over their chests as they glared at the back of Ron's head where he sat with Seamus and Dean. The Slytherins saw where Ron was sitting and also began glaring, realizing suddenly what was going on with Stella and Ron.

"Antidote!" Snape called. "You should all have prepared your recipes now. I want you to brew them carefully and then we will be selecting someone on whom to test one."

Snape met Harry's eyes and Stella knew Harry would be the one getting poisoned. Her glare turned from Ron to Snape before a knock on the dungeon doors pulled everyone's attention. Turns out, Harry was safe from being poisoned for the day as Colin Creevey collected him for some interview.

People stared as Harry, Hermione, and Stella stuck together between and during classes the next few weeks, whispering about Harry being a champion and about Stella's fight with Ron. Harry had ended up hearing about it through the grapevine and Hermione'd had to calm him, telling him that Stella could handle Ron on her own as she'd been doing it since they were kids. That didn't keep Harry from being angry for Stella though.

The three were often times found in the library together, huddled over a stack of books that Stella had received by mail order on previous tournaments. Harry had looked panicked at the idea of having to open the Yule Ball with a dance, stating to Stella and Hermione that he'd never danced a day in his life. They assured him it would be fine and that they would help him learn. When she told Sirius about it, after he'd finished laughing, he'd explained that he'd been taught to dance as a child and would gladly help.

Stella helped Harry with his homework and forced him to study something other than the tournament as well. She'd bought a S.P.E.W. badge and displayed it proudly on her chest, buying one for Luna as well before donating a bit more to Hermione's cause. She knew house elves liked working but she agreed that they weren't treated very well. She thought of Remus and how he was treated due to his condition, which wasn't even his fault.

Theo and Blaise stuck by Stella, walking behind Stella, Harry, and Hermione everywhere they went, working as a glaring blockade against anyone trying to sneak up on them. Theo had sent three people to the infirmary for trying to shoot a hex at Harry's back. He'd simply shrugged when he'd been given a weeks' worth of detention for it, not really caring. The two sat close by in the library, Theo doing Stella's history homework for her and Blaise doing part of her Runes work. Hermione huffed when she saw it before realizing that Theo had written a few notes on her history work as well and thanked him, causing him to give her a tight smile. Stella and Blaise had stared at him with narrowed eyes and a smirk on each of their faces at the action and he'd looked away quickly, a slight blush on his face.

Stella had decided to make as big of a joke out of Harry being entered as possible. If Ron wasn't going to be around for comedic value, Stella would just have to step in and fill the void. She framed a copy of the article Rita Skeeter wrote about Harry to give to him for Christmas, saving the original and writing on it with red pen on all the parts that Rita had gotten incorrect before sending it back in to her, starting with the fact that Harry was fourteen, not twelve. Blaise had called her a cradle robber for two weeks following the article, especially considering Colin Creevey had said that Harry and Stella were an item to Rita Skeeter.

Harry was still stressed though and failing miserably at the summoning charm. Stella stood in an abandoned classroom with him after classes on Friday, helping him. He was beyond frustrated and Stella sighed, lowering his wand hand gently and making him look into her eyes only needing to use a single finger on his chin to get him to turn to her.

"I know you're beyond stressed and that you're terrified and that you're dealing with hate from so many people right now. You need to take a few deep breaths and let it go, though. You also need to be getting some sleep and eating more. Don't think I haven't noticed," she told him, voice soft like how Molly used to speak to her after nightmares.

"I can't sleep. Nightmares," he told her. "Every time I eat, I feel nauseous."

"I can make you potions to help," she told him. "I'll have them to you by lunchtime tomorrow and then we'll go to your dorm and you'll get a nap in."

"Okay," Harry nodded, seeming close to tears.

"Do you want to sneak out and see Sirius?" she asked.

"I didn't bring the cloak," he admitted.

"I've learned a new spell," she told him. "Makes you almost invisible. I've been working on it for a few weeks now and finally got it."

Stella took Harry's hand and did the disillusionment charm on both of them. They both shivered when they felt the spell working, causing a coldness to creep over them for a moment. Stella led Harry to the statue and opened it, the two sliding down together before the statue slid back into place. She let Sirius know that they were coming and they used their wands to see where they were going, the light glowing from their wands and their joined hands being the only way they knew where the other was.

Remus was waiting for them again, looking a bit worried before hearing the porch creak as they climbing the steps. He held the door open and the two entered the house. Stella removed the spell on both of them before leading Harry to the living room sofa, making him lay down before she went to the kitchen, finding Sirius working on dinner. She moved around the kitchen, helping him as Remus stayed in the living room with Harry. She could hear their soft voices but not what they were saying, though she didn't try straining to hear either, wanting to give them a bit of privacy.

Sirius bumped her arm with his, giving her a soft smile. She smiled back before tossing a cut carrot at him, which he caught in his mouth and ate in response. The two worked together, making meat pies for the four of them before Stella realized that five plates were out on the dining room table.

"Who's the fifth plate for?" Stella asked as she pulled the first eight pies from the oven.

"That would be me," a monotone voice answered and Stella turned, smiling brightly at Snape who was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest.

"Hi, sir," she waved before putting the next eight pastries in the oven. "Did Uncle Moony send for you?"

"He did," Snape nodded, moving into the room. "Next time, you should tell me ahead of time. You'll have permission to leave rather than earning yourself a detention for sneaking out."

"Can the detention wait until after the tournament by any chance?" she asked and that was when Snape realized just how stressed she actually was.

"Harry will be in the detention with you," he assured her. "It's more of a meeting with the two of you about your grades anyhow."

"My grades are fine," Stella said, confused.

"You are typically the top of your class and you are currently nineteenth," Snape stated.

"Oh," Stella said, sinking against the counter a bit.

"I know you're worried about Potter," Snape told her, voice low so Harry wouldn't hear and feel guilty about it. "You have to remember to take care of yourself as well."

"Yes, sir," Stella nodded, feeling a bit thick in all honesty.

She'd literally just been getting onto Harry for the same thing an hour and a half ago and now Snape was telling her the same thing. She tore one of the pies apart, nibbling on the crust.

"You'll be fine. Let us worry about Potter for a bit," Snape told her. "We are the adults, after all."

"Harry doesn't trust adults," Stella grumbled.

"He trusts at least two of them," Snape corrected. "Both happen to be in this house."

"You and who?" Stella smirked at her own bad joke.

"Good. Could be better," Snape told her, a smirk appearing on his face for a second before it returned to a scowl. "You received a letter at dinner. Apparently, your owl—"

"Owlivia?" Stella smirked. "Come on, sir. Say her name."

"—knows to leave your mail with me if you aren't in the castle."

Stella sighed as she took the letter, rolling her eyes. She sat up straight, smile leaving her face as she saw who the letter was from. She tore it open quickly, scanning the letter with her eyes before looking to Sirius.

"What is it?" he asked, fidgeting with his ring like Stella tended to do. "What's happened?"

"Your trial is tomorrow."

The next morning, Stella, Ron, Hermione, Harry, McGonagall, and Snape headed to the ministry. A portkey was delivered due to the underage witches and wizards. They appeared in Diagon Alley and then walked on foot to the Ministry, Stella wringing her hands together the entire time. Ron and Harry had bickered a bit at first before Hermione shushed them, reminding them that today wasn't about them or their petty arguments.

They squeezed into a red phone booth and Snape spoke on the phone for a moment before badges popped out and the phone booth worked like an elevator, taking them down into the ministry. Stella saw a flurry of movements below them, cameras flashing and telling her that Sirius had already arrived. She began bouncing on her feet a bit and Severus placed a hand on her shoulder the best that he could with all of them packed into the booth

Once the elevator had stopped, the door opened and they almost fell out, Stella standing tall and making sure everyone behind her kept their balance by planting her feet. Hermione looked relieved at not having embarrassed herself, the cameras now pointing at them. Stella walked forward, Harry beside her as they ignored the reporters shouting questions at them. They went straight to Sirius, who was standing beside his lawyer in a nice suit that Stella knew must have been brought to him just that morning.

Harry and Stella reached Sirius and wrapped their arms around him, hugging him tightly. Cameras were flashing rapidly at the reunion and Stella wasn't looking forward to how many times she was going to be seen in the paper for the next few weeks but if all of the pictures were of her and Sirius, she was perfectly fine with it. They pulled away, the two looking up at Sirius with shining eyes. He kissed Stella's head before kissing Harry's, giving them reassuring nods before pulling them to his sides, arms around their shoulders as they headed towards the lifts that would take them to courtroom number five.

Outside the courtroom door, they all stopped. Stella let out a slow breath as Sirius removed his arms from them and turned to face them.

"No matter what happens today, I want you both to know just how proud of you I am," he started.

"Tell us after," Stella told him with a nervous laugh.

"He'll be alright," Lyons assured her. "All of the evidence points to his innocence and they illegally held him for twelve years. You'll come in when you're called for, give your statement, and be sent back to the waiting room. As soon as a decision is made, I'll come find you."

"Okay," Stella nodded, feeling tears fill her eyes against her will. "Okay. Get in there so we can get it over with and you… you just… just…"

Sirius pulled Stella into his arms again and she felt tears escaping her. He shushed her gently, holding her tightly and kissing the top of her head. The doors opened behind Sirius and Stella heard Percy's voice telling Sirius that they were ready for him. Stella released Sirius slowly and he wiped her tears, kissing her head once more before turning and walking into the courtroom, Lyons directly behind him. Three aurors led them inside and Percy stared at Stella for a moment before heading inside as well.

Another auror showed them to the room off of the side of the courtroom where Remus was already waiting. Stella hugged him tightly before sitting down, Harry taking the spot beside her and holding her hand in his. The others spoke around the two but they remained silent, both far too stressed to engage in conversation. It was half an hour later that Remus was called away. Snape went when he returned, followed my McGonagall and then Ron and then Hermione. Stella was called next and she kissed the top of Harry's head before leaving him with the others. An auror led her into the courtroom, facing a rather large crowd sitting high up. Sirius was chained to a chair in the center and Lyons was standing beside him. Stella's eyes widened at the sight of the chains and Sirius gave her a smile, pretending to be comfortable as a way to help keep her calm.

Lyons told Stella to have a seat in the chair in front of Sirius, facing away from him and towards the Wizengamot. Stella did as instructed, fiddling with her ring the entire time nervously. She felt smaller than she was as she sat in the chair, even with knowing that she probably wouldn't be asked for more than her statement.

"Please state your name for the record," Crouch told her, sitting in the center of the Wizengamot members.

"Stella Nove Black," she whispered.

"Louder."

Stella thought of Theo, telling her not to let anyone see any weaknesses. She cleared her throat and sat up straight, raised her chin a bit higher, and spoke.

"Stella Nova Black. Heir to the ancient and noble house of Black."

"Thank you, Miss Black," Crouch stated.

"Heir Black," Bloodshire corrected, moving to Stella's side.

"State your name for the record, goblin."

"Bloodshire of Gringotts, overseer of the Black family fortune and representative of Heir Black for the proceedings."

Stella wasn't sure why Bloodshire was representing her but she felt a bit more relaxed knowing he was there. He hadn't led her astray yet. In fact, everything he'd done had been to protect her so far. Running her family's fortune and refusing marriage contracts, warning her of Narcissa Malfoy's true intentions.

"Heir Black, tell us what happened on June 3rd of 1993."

And so Stella did. Well, she left out the time traveling bit for obvious reasonings, something they had all agreed on. Not even Lyons knew about it. They could all be tossed in Azkaban for their actions that night if they admitted to it. Once she finished telling her story, thirty-five minutes had passed. Stella knew it had been thirty-five minutes because the session was being recorded and she could see the big red numbers floating in the air behind the Wizengamot members.

The courtroom was quiet and Percy was scratching a quill across parchment nearby, along with multiple reporters who were allowed to be there for the proceedings, Rita Skeeter included. Stella wondered how the she-witch would twist the story in her article the next day.

"Heir Black, do you know where Sirius Black has been residing since his escape from Hogwarts?" Crouch asked.

"No," Stella answered honestly; she didn't know where Sirius had been before Hogsmeade.

"And do you know where he resided directly after escaping Azkaban?"

"No," also the honest answer, thought slightly less deceitful.

"Have you been in contact with Sirius Black since his escape?"

"I have," Stella answered, having already had a briefing on these questions just in case; a few of the people on the Wizengamot knew how head and heir rings worked.

"How?"

"Through our rings. I have the heir ring for the Black family and he has the Head of House ring. They were spelled centuries ago so that the heirs and heads of family could speak whenever they wished."

"Did he speak to you before his escape from Azkaban?"

"Not so much," she stated. "He mostly just repeated his own name and the names of the people he loved on repeat."

"Tell us the exact words."

Stella had the words memorized.

"I am Sirius Orion Black the third. My wife is Marlenne Prudence Black. My daughter is Stella Nova Black. My best friends are James Fleamont Potter, Lily Marie Evans-Potter, Remus John Lupin, Dorcas Rebel Meadows, and Frank Cornelius Johnathon Longbottom. Harry James Potter is my godson. Stella is with Molly Weasley. It was the rat."

"He said it was the rat?"

"Repeatedly. I heard these words a few times a day for a while."

"When did it stop?"

"I told Professor Snape about it and asked him if there was a way to block his voice. He and Professor Flitwick worked together to temporarily block him out for me. They had to do the spell a few times a year for it to work."

"When did you stop having the spell done?"

"It was after he escaped from Azkaban. I was in the hospital wing for a severe injury and I could hear him again, but I couldn't speak at the time to tell Professor Snape or Professor Lupin. When I woke up again, I'd completely forgotten about it."

"Severe injury?" Crouch asked.

"Heir Black's injury does not relate to today's case," Bloodshire spoke up.

"An injury that made her forget that a madman could communicate with her whenever he pleased makes it relate to the case," Crouch insisted.

Bloodshire went to argue but Stella spoke up.

"I was attacked for being his daughter in the halls. People thought I was going to help him break into the school and hurt Harry Potter. A group of twenty students cornered me in the hall and I ended up with a broken neck. I was paralyzed for about a month and had to relearn how to walk. It's why I couldn't move in the shack. I was reinjured when I was pulled through the tunnel and couldn't move my legs. Professor Snape performed a rather extensive healing charm in the Shrieking Shack so that I could get through the tunnel and back to the school so that Madam Pomfrey could also perform the spell. They both came to see me once a week for six weeks over the summer to do the spell repeatedly so that I would be fully healed without the chance of becoming paralyzed again," Stella explained.

"You were attacked in the school?" a voice spoke up and Stella turned to a woman with kind eyes.

"I was."

"What was the punishment for the students involved?" she asked.

"I don't understand how that pertains…" Crouch started and Stella could tell by his reaction that Stella had just won Sirius sympathy votes.

"You made it pertainable by demanding to know of the injury," Bloodshire defended before nodding to Stella to answer.

"The students were given detention four times a week and their Hogsmeade visits were taken away for the year. They also weren't allowed on the Quidditch team for the year and a note was made in their permanent records that a student almost died due to their actions," Stella answered, fiddling with her ring again.

"You almost died?" a man asked and Stella turned to see a rather short and pudgy man staring down at her.

"Yes. Madam Pomfrey told me later that my heart stopped a total of three times when she and Professor Snape were trying to save me. I wasn't breathing when I was found, either."

The courtroom was silent again, shock working through the crowd. Stella remained quiet, looking slowly at the Wizengamot members, studying each of their horrified and shocked faces. Percy looked close to tears and even Crouch seemed upset about the news. A woman in all pink shook herself, coming out of the shock before tapping Crouch's arm, bringing him back to the present.

"Thank you, Heir Black. You may return to the waiting room."

Stella stood, looking to Sirius before leaving the courtroom. Harry stood when Stella walked into the room. He kissed her head before following the auror out. She sat where she'd been before, tapping her foot impatiently. Snape sat in Harry's vacated seat, just offering comfort with his presence. Stella said nothing, too nervous. Harry returned forty-five minutes later, taking just a little less time than Stella had. Snape moved when Harry entered, letting him retake his seat. Harry took her hand and Stella settled, staying still as Harry bounced his foot now. It was two hours later that Lyons opened the door.

"Cleared of all charges," Lyons smirked, stepping aside to revealing Sirius unchained.

Stella and Harry rushed forward, both almost knocking Sirius over as they plowed into him, hugging his tightly. He laughed as he held them both tightly, face shining with happiness. The strange group walked through the ministry, Sirius talking excitedly about plans for the future with Harry and Stella. Stella's face hurt from smiling so much.

They ate a late dinner once they got to Hogsmeade, staying in the house until McGonagall and Snape told the students it was time to return to the castle. They still had classes the next day after all. Stella complained loudly and Snape rolled his eyes before raising a brow at her.

"Fine," she complained, hugging Remus and then Sirius before leaving with the others.

The group split into two once they reached the castle, McGonagall leading the three Gryffindor's up to their tower while Snape took Stella to the dungeons. He said the password and Stella skipped into the common room, finding Theo and Blaise waiting for her. She fell onto the couch, head in Theo's lap and legs across Blaise.

"Cleared of all charges," she told the two and all three cheered, not caring when a few sixth years shushed them.

The next morning, papers were delivered before classes. A black dog strutted into the Great Hall, going straight to Stella.

"Seems your father isn't a criminal anymore, Black," Pansy stated, sipping her tea.

"No, I am not," Sirius stated, turning human and making everyone except Stella, Theo, and Blaise scream in surprise. "Oh, that's a nice picture."

It truly was. The photo across the cover of the Prophet was of Harry and Stella each under Sirius' arm, all three beaming as they left the ministry after the hearing.

"Think I'll frame it," Stella smirked as she stared at it. "Maybe I should start scrapbooking. I have a feeling that, between you and Harry, I'm going to have quite a few Prophet clippings."

The days leading to the first task were even more stressful than before, the happiness of Sirius's innocence only keeping Harry in high spirits for so long. Stella could see the panic in his eyes as the day came closer and closer with no clue what he would be doing. Remus and Sirius came up to the school and were given an empty classroom to tutor Harry in, Stella joining after classes every day to help keep Harry calmed.

On the Saturday before the first task, all students in the third year and above were permitted to visit Hogsmeade. Harry and Stella were under the cloak, Harry's arms around Stella so that they both fit under the cloak like the first time they'd snuck out. Stella felt herself blush as she felt Harry's front pressed to her back and she could hear Blaise and Theo picking on her in her head for the crush that she thought she'd been rather good at ignoring rearing its head. Stella just leaned against Harry, deciding that if her crush was going to run a bit wild, she might as well enjoy the moments she got.

Most of the people in the village were sporting 'Support Cedric Diggory' badges, causing Stella to roll her eyes. Hermione seemed annoyed that she had to speak to the cloak, knowing people would think her insane for talking to herself.

"People keep staring at me now," she said grumpily as they came out of Honeydukes. "They think I'm talking to myself."

"Don't move your lips so much," Stella suggested with a smirk as she fed Harry a piece of chocolate.

"Come on. Please just take the cloak off for a bit? No one's going to bother you here."

"Oh, really?" asked Harry. "Look behind you."

Rite Skeeter and her photographer friend had just emerged from the Three Broomsticks pub. Talking in low voices, they passed right by Hermione without looking at her. Harry and Stella backed into the wall of Honeydukes to stop Rita from hitting them with her crocodile handbag. Stella felt herself blushing more as Harry held her even more firmly against him. Her breathing basically stopped for a moment and she hoped he thought it was because she didn't want Rita to hear her breathing.

"She's staying in the village," Harry told Hermione once Rita was gone, stepping away from the wall but still holding Stella tightly. "I bet she's coming to watch the first task."

"She's gone," Hermione said, staring at the end of the street through Stella and Harry. "Why don't we go and have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks. It's a bit cold, isn't it? Neither of you have to talk to Ron."

The Three Broomsticks was packed, mainly with Hogwarts students enjoying their free afternoon, but also with a variety of magical people. It was hard to move through the crowds under the cloak, the two working hard to not accidentally trod on anyone. They edged toward a spare table as Hermione went to buy drinks. On their way through, Harry spotted Ron with Fred, George, and Lee, pointing them out to Stella.

They sat at a hidden table and sat down facing the room, Stella on Harry's lap. Hermione joined them a moment later and slipped them a butterbeer to share under the cloak.

"I look like an idiot here on my own," she muttered. "Lucky I brought something to do."

Hermione pulled her S.P.E.W. folder out and opened it.

"Maybe I should try getting some of the village members involved," Hermione said thoughtfully, looking around the pub.

"Hermione when are you going to give up on this spew thing?" Harry asked.

"When house-elves have decent wages and working conditions," Hermione hissed back. "You know, I'm starting to think it's time for more direct action. I wonder how you get into the school kitchens?"

"No idea," Stella lied.

"Ask Fred and George," Harry added.

Silence filled the area and Stella passed Harry the butterbeer, letting him drink some of it before holding it again, his hands resting around her hips. He saw her blush when she turned to him.

"Are you alright?" he whispered the question.

"Yeah," she whispered back. "Bit warm. I'm fine, though."

"Hagrid's here," Hermione smiled and Stella looked over, seeing Hagrid and Moody walking in and over to them.

"All right, Hermione?" Hagrid said loudly.

"Hello," Hermione smiled back.

Moody limped around the table and bent down, looking as if he were reading the S.P.E.W. members. Instead, he grinned.

"You two look cozy under that cloak, Potter," Moody muttered.

"You can see us?" Stella asked.

"It's a nice cloak but my eye can see through it," Moody said quietly. "And it's come in useful at times, I can tell you."

Hagrid was beaming down at them as well. They knew he couldn't see them but Moody had to have told him that they were there. Hagrid bent down, as if reading the page as well.

"Harry, meet me tonight at midnight at me cabin. Wear the cloak," Hagrid told him before straightening. "Nice ter see yeh, Hermione."

"Why does Hagrid want to see me at midnight?" Harry asked once Moody and Hagrid had left.

"I don't know," Hermione shook her head. "We should get back though."

The three rode a carriage back to the castle, cloak still on just in case as Stella sat in Harry's lap again, the carriage bouncing them a bit. Harry held Stella as still as possible and his face was red this time. Stella had to remind herself that Harry was a teenage boy when she saw it, her brain having thought that maybe he had a crush as well for a moment there.

Stella had Harry go to the dungeon with her as Hermione headed to the library. They stayed close as they walked through the portrait, cloak still in place. She disillusioned herself and told Harry to stay exactly where he was as she ran up the steps, grabbed the map from her room, and came back down the steps. She felt the cloak and got back under it again, taking the charm off of herself and finding herself facing Harry this time, their chests almost touching as they stood there for a moment just staring at one another.

She passed him the map, breaking the moment before giving him a tight smile and sending him on his way. Stella would have just seemed to appear in the common room had anyone been there to witness it, As it happened, no one was around as Harry snuck out of the Slytherin common room. Stella stayed awake all night, waiting for Harry.

Harry showed up at almost one thirty in the morning, Stella sitting in front of the fire and feeling rather tired. He tossed the cloak off, staring at Stella with terror in his eyes.

"Dragons," he told her. "The first task is dragons."

After calming Harry down, she sent him back to his tower under the cloak, letting him keep the map for now. She would start research in the morning, maybe write to Charlie. The next morning, Ron was glowering more than normal and muttering under his breath about Harry every few seconds.

"What happened now?" Stella asked Harry as she sat beside him at breakfast.

"He was being nosy when I went into the common room and started being rude. I threw one of the 'Potter Stinks' badges at him and hit him in the forehead with it. Told him he had something to wear on Tuesday now and if he were lucky it would leave a scar since that's what he wants so badly," Harry shrugged and Stella burst out laughing, causing a few people to turn and stare at them.

She calmed after a few moments, waving everyone off.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"You're the best."

They ended up in the library with Hermione. Stella had sent a letter to Charlie that morning and gotten a response rather quickly somehow before her eyes widened and she looked to Harry.

"Was Charlie there last night?" she asked him.

"Oh, yeah," Harry nodded. "Sorry. Forgot to mention that."

Stella left the library quickly, running through the school and out the front door. She went into the forest, using a 'point-me' until she found where the dragons were being held. She found Charlie moving around with a few other dragon tamers, one of which called out telling her she shouldn't be there. Charlie turned then, face lighting up when he saw her.

"That's one of my sisters," Charlie assured the others, jogging over to Stella. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" she shot back. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I told Ron to tell you."

"Ron's an ass and he's lucky he isn't coughing up bubbles right now," Stella stated before telling Charlie everything that had been happening with Ron, causing Charlie to seem angrier and angrier the more Stella told him.

"Well, why's he being so pigheaded?" Charlie demanded. "What caused all of this?"

"He's jealous of the attention that Harry gets," Stella told him. "Harry hates the attention though. Ron can have all of it honestly."

"So, is Ron why the two of you haven't actually told anyone that you and Harry are together?" Charlie smirked.

"Harry and I aren't together," Stella blushed.

"Ah, but you want to be," Charlie smirked.

"It doesn't matter. It's just a bit of a crush. I'm managing it."

"Like Ginny?"

"Better than Ginny manages hers," Stella grumbled before going back to her normal voice again. "Also, Ginny's crush is because she idolizes Harry as 'The Boy Who Lived.' I actually know Harry. We're friends."

"Is that what I witnessed? Just friends?" Charlie smirked.

"Shut it," Stella rolled her eyes. "What can you tell me about the dragons?"

"I don't think I'm supposed to be telling you," Charlie sighed, hands on his hips in a way that made Stella think of mum. "You'll just run back to Harry."

"Of course I will. Teachers aren't allowed to help the champions. No such rules apply to me though. Now spill. I'm trying to make sure he stays 'The Boy Who Lived.' Can't do that if he's flambéed by a dragon."

"Alright," Charlie sighed. "We have a Hungarian Horntail. Very territorial creatures. Feel bad for whoever gets that one, nasty mean thing. A Common Welsh Green, the smallest one, also the calmest. Swedish Short Snout, which has the hottest fire and is the fastest flyer. That one's the Chinese Fireball. Very clever and can produce fire faster than the others. They're all nesting mothers though. There's a golden egg with theirs. The champions have to get the golden egg from the nest without being, well, eaten."

"Great," Stella sighed. "Well, hopefully Harry gets the Welsh. Do you know how they're choosing?"

"Random draw," Charlie shrugged. "We were asked to make small versions of the dragons as well. More of play things than anything else. Here."

Stella smiled as she held the tiny Hungarian Horntail. It sniffed her cloak before tangling itself in her hair. Charlie helped her remove it before putting it back with the others. Stella hugged Charlie before leaving to go back to the castle. She found Harry and Hermione walking around the lake and joined them, telling them what Charlie had told her.

"So, what do I do?" Harry asked.

"Well, I'm sure you can't Accio it."

"I've gotten the spell down!" Harry defended.

"No. I mean it's probably protected against it," Stella smiled. "I know you've got the spell figured out. We should probably go actually study now. You're falling behind."

Stella put Harry's Firebolt under the stands the next night before watching the returned map and moving to the dungeons. Tuesday approached far too quickly and Stella felt her pulse quickening, heart thundering in her chest. Harry seemed as if his mind were off in some other place though as he sat between Stella and Hermione for lunch. He ate absently and Stella rubbed his back gently, trying to get him to wake from the trance he seemed to be stuck in.

"Potter, the champions have to come down onto the grounds now," McGonagall said from behind them. "You have to get ready for the first task."

"Okay," Harry said, dropping his fork to his plate with a loud clatter as he stood.

"Good luck, Harry," Hermione whispered. "You'll be fine!"

"Yeah," said Harry, sounding most unlike himself before walking out of the Great Hall.

Stella thought bugger it all and followed after them a minute later. She found the champions tent and went around the back of it, not wanting to get caught. She peaked in, finding Harry standing on his own close by.

"Harry," she whispered and he turned quickly, finding her.

He moved forward, looking relieved. Stella entered the tent, hugging Harry tightly as he breathed her in before a camera flash went off and the two jumped, not moving out of each other's arms as they turned, finding Rita Skeeter smirking at them.

"If all goes well today, Harry, you two may make the front page," she smiled.

"You really are a nasty woman, Rita. I remember that about you from school," Sirius's voice spoke up. "Time to go now. Stop bothering my daughter and Godson."

"Of course," Rita practically purred at Sirius, looking him up and down like she wanted to taste him.

"Ew," Stella pretended to gag, causing Harry to laugh, before they both stood straight, faces feigning innocence when Rita turned back to them sharply.

"Goodbye, Rita," Sirius told her.

"Buh-bye, Sirius Black," Rita smirked, walking away and her camera flashing once more as she exited the tent, cameraman close behind her.

"Well, that'll be fun," Stella sighed before looking to Sirius and smiling. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Dumbledore can only represent one student. As Harry's name was pulled out under a fourth school, he has to represent Cedric Diggory. I am here to represent Harry," Sirius smiled to the two.

"Brilliant," Harry smiled brightly.

"Off you pop, little star. Stands are going to fill up soon," Sirius smiled to Stella.

"Alright," Stella sighed, turning to Harry. "Your broom is close by. Don't panic. I'll be right there and Charlie won't let anything happen to you."

"Okay," Harry nodded, pulling Stella into a tight hug before releasing her so she could go.

Stella sat in the stands, hands shaking and messing with her ring as she waited with the other students. An announcement was made by Bagman, explaining what the champions would have to face. Blaise and Theo were to her right and Hermione was to her left, Ron taking the seat beside her.

Diggory went first and Stella let out a breath when she saw the Swedish Short Snout, meaning there was still a chance that Harry had gotten the Welsh Green. She watched as Cedric turned a rock into a dog, trying to distract the dragon as he ran straight towards the eggs. He grabbed the golden one and then flames shot towards him, hitting the side of his face before he hid behind a rock. Cedric ran back to the tent entrance, a shout of pain leaving him as he did so before Charlie and the others rushed forward, working together to subdue the dragon. He'd taken about twenty minutes in total.

Fleur Delacour came out next, trembling. Stella let out a groan as she saw the Welsh Green and she knew in her heart that it meant that Harry had the Hungarian Horntail. Luck was just never on his side when it came to certain things. He always survived though, so at least he had that going for him. Fleur began to sing to the dragon, strangely enough, and the dragons head lulled, as if falling asleep. It took her ten minutes to get her egg but got singed when a few flames escaped the dragon when it snored.

Krum came out after that, Chinese Fireball at the ready. He actually blinded the poor creature and caused it to stomp around and destroy a few of its own eggs. Stella gasped, hands going to her mouth in shock, a few tears in her eyes. Blaise's hand went to her knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. She glared at Krum as he left with his egg in five minutes.

Stella stood as Harry came out, standing at the barrier and looking out. The Horntail was on the other end of the enclosure, crouched low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled, her evil, yellow eyes upon him, a monstrous, scaly, black lizard, thrashing her spiked tail, leaving yard-long gouge marks on the hard ground. The crowd was making a great deal of noise but Stella ignored it, staring out at Harry. He raised his wand.

"Accio Firebolt!" he shouted.

Stella heard the broom speeding through the air and she ducked, the broom flew over her head and to Harry.

"Sorry!" he yelled out and Stella laughed before noticing the dragon letting out an angry huff.

Harry climbed onto his broom and soared upwards, wind pushing his hair back. It almost looked like she was watching the strangest game of Quidditch in existence. Harry dived and the Horntail's head followed before a jet of fire chased after Harry.

"Great Scott, he can fly!" Bagman yelled. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?"

Stella smiled brightly, watching as Harry soared high into the air, making circles and trying to make the dragon dizzy. That was, until the tail hit him, ripping his robes. Stella flinched back but Harry kept flying.

The Horntail didn't seem to want to take off after Harry though, too protective of her eggs. Not that Stella blamed her. She'd be protective as a dragon as well. Finally, she reared back, spreading her great, black, leathery wings. Harry dove. Before the dragon even realized what was happening, he sped at the ground as fast as he could go, toward the eggs now unprotected by her clawed front legs. He took his hand off the Firebolt as if reaching to catch the snitch, grabbed the golden egg and sped off, soaring over the stands with his egg safely under his uninjured arm.

Stella screamed, cheering loudly. Harry smiled brightly as Charlie and his friends ran onto the field to calm the Horntail. Harry's eyes found Stella's and he smiled to her, holding the egg high in the air, before flying to the tent to get checked over by Madama Pomfrey.

"Thank Merlin," she whispered before she and Hermione took off towards the tent, Stella not noticing as Ron followed behind them.

"Harry!" Stella yelled and the next moment she was in his arms as he held her in a tight hug.

"You were brilliant!" Hermione yelled. "You were amazing! You really were!"

Harry set Stella down gently, looking over her shoulder with his arms still on her waist. Stella turned her head, finding Ron standing behind Hermione. Hermione looked behind herself and moved over, letting Ron in further.

"Harry," he said, very seriously. "Whoever put your name in the goblet. I… I reckon they're trying to do you in."

"Caught on, have you?" Harry asked rather stiffly, arms tightening around Stella as he pulled her to his side protectively.

Ron looked like he wanted to apologize and Harry looked down to Stella. She simply shrugged and Harry nodded, looking back to Ron.

"It's okay," he said before Ron could get the words out. "Forget it."

"No," said Ron. "I shouldn't've…"

"Forget it," Stella told him.

Ron grinned nervously at them and Harry grinned back. Hermione burst into tears.

"There's nothing to cry about!" Harry told her, bewildered.

"You three are so stupid!" she shouted stamping her foot on the ground, tears splashing down her front.

Then, before any of them could stop her, she had given all three a hug and dashed away, now positively howling.

"Barking mad," said Ron, shaking his head. "C'mon, then. They'll be putting up your scores."

Sirius passed Harry his egg and Stella his Firebolt and all four ducked out of the tent, Ron by Harry's side, talking fast.

"You were the best, you know, no competition," Ron stated.

"Cedric turned a rock into a dog to distract it. Got burned on the way out though," Stella cut in.

"Fleur sang to it and made it go into a trance, caused it to fall asleep. It did blow fire at her when it snored, caught her skirt on fire," Ron added.

"Krum," Stella growled. "Half the real eggs got crushed when he blinded his dragon."

"Stella about cried," Ron added.

"Shut it," Stella told him as they reached the end of the enclosure.

"It's marks out of ten from each one," Ron told Harry.

Madame Maxime gave Harry an eight, Crouch gave a nine, Dumbledore gave a nine, Bagman gave a ten—

"Ten?" Harry asked in disbelief. "But I got hurt. What's he playing at?"

"Don't complain!" Ron yelled excitedly.

"Honestly, I would typically complain about favoritism but I don't mind when it's helping you," Stella offered from under Harry's arm, hers still wrapped around his waist.

Karkaroff raised his wand, paused, and then a number shot out. A four.

"What?" Ron bellowed. "Four? You lousy, biased scumbag. You gave Krum ten!"

"You tied for first," Stella smiled to Harry. "You and Krum."

"Great job, Harry!" Charlie ran over, smirking when he saw Stella. "Listen, I've got to run, I've got to go and send mum an owl. Swore I would tell her what happened. Bagman wants you to hang back. Wants a word back in the tent."

Ron said he'd wait and Stella went to leave Harry's side, but he pulled her along with him and Sirius back into the tent. She gave him a soft smile before turning to find the champions, headmasters, and Bagman waiting for them.

"Well done, all of you!" said Ludo Bagman, bouncing into the tent and looking as pleased as though he personally had just got past a dragon. "Now, just a quick few words. You've got a nice long break before the second task, which will take place at half past nine on the morning of February the twenty-fourth — but we're giving you something to think about in the meantime! If you look down at those golden eggs you're all holding, you will see that they open . . . see the hinges there? You need to solve the clue inside the egg — because it will tell you what the second task is and enable you to prepare for it! All clear? Sure? Well, off you go, then!"

Sirius walked out of the tent with them, Ron going to Stella's side this time. Rita Skeeter popped out at them.

"Congratulations, Harry!" she was beaming at him. "I wonder if you could give me a quick word? How you felt facing that dragon? How you feel now, about the fairness of the scoring?"

"Yeah, you can have a word," said Harry savagely. "Goodbye."

And they set off back to the castle. Sirius told Harry how well he'd done before heading back to Hogsmeade.

"Fred and George planned a surprise party for you," Ron smiled. "Let's get upstairs."

"Enjoy your party," Stella smiled to Harry.

"You're coming with," Harry told her, pulling her back to him by her hand before looking to Ron and Hermione. "We'll be right behind you. Need a minute."

"Yeah, alright," Ron nodded, giving a smile before moving along with Hermione.

Harry pulled Stella into an abandoned classroom. Stella gave Harry a confused look before he pulled her into another tight hug. She hugged him back, letting out a small laugh.

"I couldn't have done it without you," he whispered to her. "You kept me sane."

"Well, sane's a strong word," Stella joked.

"Stell," Harry sighed, pulling away, arms around her hips as he held her close.

"Harry," Stella said back, hands resting on his chest, one over his heart.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Of course, Harry," Stella whispered back, forcing herself not to blush with him staring into her eyes so sincerely. "Now, come on. We should join the others. Merlin forbid, Filch catch us in here."

Harry smiled, a small laugh on his lips as he pulled Stella from the room, hand holding hers tightly. Dumbledore stood at the end of the hall, watching the two run off towards the tower, causing him to think of a different Black and Potter from ages ago and knowing exactly who would be taken for the second task.

Sure enough, when they entered the Gryffindor common room it exploded with cheers and yells again. There were mountains of cakes and flagons of pumpkin juice and butterbeer on every surface; Lee Jordan had let off some Filibuster's Fireworks, so that the air was thick with stars and sparks; and Dean Thomas, who was very good at drawing, had put up some impressive new banners, most of which depicted Harry zooming around the Horntail's head on his Firebolt, though a couple showed Cedric with his head on fire.

Harry led Stella to the food, helping himself as if he'd just realized that'd he'd refused to eat that morning. Stella grabbed a strawberry to eat as she watched the fireworks. Dean and Seamus approached them slowly, Harry stepping in front of Stella protectively.

"We came over to apologize," Seamus spoke up in his Irish accent. "I know that what we did isn't forgivable, but we still wanted to say how sorry we were."

"We're sorry, Stella," Dean spoke up, looking sincere. "We just wanted to protect Harry. We didn't mean for you to—"

"Almost die?" Stella offered.

"Yeah," they both answered.

Stella looked to Harry and he sighed, looking to her.

"Forget it," Stella told them, the same words she'd used with Ron earlier.

"Really?" Dean asked.

"Really," Stella nodded. "If you do try anything again, I'll sick Fred and George on you so it'll be fine."

Dean and Seamus both gulped and stepped back. Stella just smiled.

"Blimey, this is heavy," Lee stated, picking up the egg, which Ron had taken for Harry when they'd been heading towards the castle. "Open it, Harry, go on! Let's see it!"

"He's supposed to work out the clue on his own," Hermione tried.

"Technically, the teachers aren't supposed to help," Stella told her. "Says nothing about other students."

"I was also supposed to get past the dragon on my own," Harry muttered so only the two girls could hear, causing them both to grin.

"Open it! Open it! Open it!" the Gryffindors started chanting.

Lee passed Harry the egg, and Harry dug his fingernails into the groove that ran all the way around it and pried it open. It was hollow and completely empty — but the moment Harry opened it, the most horrible noise, a loud and screechy wailing, filled the room.

"Shut it!" Fred bellowed, his hands over his ears.

Stella and Harry shut the egg together, locking it closed again.

"What was that? Sounded like a banshee," Seamus stated. "Maybe you've got to get pass one of those next!"

"It was someone being tortured!" Neville argued, his face white and spilled sausages rolling over the floor. "You're going to have to fight the Cruciartis Curse!"

"Don't be a prat, Neville, that's illegal," George offered. "They wouldn't use the Cruciartis Curse on the champions. I thought it sounds a bit like Percy singing. Maybe you've got to attack him while he's in the shower, Harry."

"Want a jam tart, Hermione?" Fred asked.

Hermione looked doubtfully at the plate he was offering her. Fred grinned.

"It's all right," he said, voice softening. "I haven't done anything to them. It's the custard creams you've got to watch—"

Neville, who had just bitten into a custard cream, choked and spat it out. Fred laughed.

"Just my little joke, Neville. . . ."

Hermione took a jam tart.

Then she said, "Did you get all this from the kitchens, Fred?"

"Yep," said Fred, grinning at her. He put on a high-pitched squeak and imitated a house-elf. " 'Anything we can get you, sir, anything at all!' They're dead helpful . . . get me a roast ox if I said I was peckish."

"How do you get in there?" Hermione said in an innocently casual sort of voice.

"Easy," said Fred, "concealed door behind a painting of a bowl of fruit. Just tickle the pear, and it giggles and —" He stopped and looked suspiciously at her. "Why?"

"Nothing," said Hermione quickly.

"Going to try and lead the house-elves out on strike now, are you?" said George. "Going to give up all the leaflet stuff and try and stir them up into rebellion?"

Several people chortled. Hermione didn't answer.

"Don't you go upsetting them and telling them they've got to take clothes and salaries!" said Fred warningly "You'll put them off their cooking!"

Just then, Neville caused a slight diversion by turning into a large canary.

"Oh — sorry, Neville!" Fred shouted over all the laughter. "I forgot — it was the custard creams we hexed —"

Within a minute, however, Neville had molted, and once his feathers had fallen off, he reappeared looking entirely normal. He even joined in laughing.

"Canary Creams!" Fred shouted to the excitable crowd. "George and I invented them — seven Sickles each, a bargain!"

"Don't tell the Slytherins! We're charging them double!" Stella called out, causing everyone to laugh again.

It was nearly one in the morning when Stella began yawning and mentioned needing to get to the dungeons. The twins and Ron exchanged a look before George lifted Stella off of the couch, causing her to gasp before realizing who had grabbed her. She gave him a glare as he carried her up the stairs. Stella caught a glimpse of Fred leaning down and lifting Hermione from the chair she had fallen asleep in, as well as Ron helping lead Ginny towards the stairs.

George carried Stella up to his room and set her on his bed.

"Does Fred like Hermione?" Stella asked.

"He does," George admitted, kneeling by the dresser and pulling out a pair of shorts and an old Quidditch jersey. "Do you like Harry?"

"He's my best friend," Stella shrugged.

"That's not what I asked," George smirked.

"I'm aware," she smirked.

"So, that's a yes," George nodded with a smirk, causing Stella's to fall.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Doesn't matter. You should tell Fred to ask her to the Yule Ball."

"I forgot all about that," George slapped his forehead. "We need to get Ron robes."

"Harry has to open the dance with whoever he goes with. He almost had a panic attack when I told him about it. Sirius laughed for a while before promising to teach him how to waltz," Stella smirked.

"Ah, well, here," George passed her the clothes. "I'll wait outside."

Stella changed quickly, smiling at the red jersey with 'Weasley' in gold on the back. She felt a sense of longing then, wishing that it was her own jersey in Gryffindor colors with her name on the back before sighing and opening the door, finding both twins, Lee, and Harry on the other side.

"Hey," Stella smirked.

"Hi," Harry said, staring at Stella in Gryffindor colors and in shorts.

"You alright, Harry?" Lee smirked, slapping Harry on the back.

"Yeah," Harry flinched slightly. "Just wanted to say goodnight."

"Night," Stella smiled, walking back into the room, the older three boys following after her.

Fred and George pushed their beds together and they and Stella curled up together like they did a few times over the summer and as children, falling asleep rather quickly.

The start of December brought wind and sleet to Hogwarts. Drafty though the castle always was in winter, Stella was glad of its fires and thick walls every time she passed the Durmstrang ship on the lake, which was pitching in the high winds, its black sails billowing against the dark skies. She thought the Beauxbatons caravan was likely to be pretty chilly too.

Theo seemed nervous one night, pacing back and forth in the common so much that Stella was growing dizzy watching him.

"What's wrong with him?" Stella asked Blaise, still watching rather than reading from her runes book.

"No idea," Blaise sighed, looking up from their potions book. "Oi! Theo! Why the pacing?"

Theo kept going though, not responding to them.

"Teddy!" Stella shouted and Theo stopped and turned to them.

"I want to ask someone to the Yule Ball," he told them.

"So, do it," Stella told him.

"I can't. My father…"

"Who is it?" Blaise asked as he and Stella both smirked, sitting up straight and staring at Theo as he began pacing again.

"It doesn't matter. It's not going to happen."

"Oh my God, Teddy. If you like the person so much, just ask them," Stella rolled her eyes.

The next day Stella watched with wide eyes as Theo asked Hermione to the Yule Ball, Fred watching on as well.

"Oh, damn," Stella whispered out to Blaise.

"What? He finally asked Granger out. Shouldn't we be excited about this? Think of all the studying they could do together," Blaise stated.

"I told Fred to ask her the night after the first task," Stella told Blaise. "Look."

"Oh," Blaise said, seeing Fred's reaction now before they both looked to Theo and Hermione, who were both smiling at each other, Hermione having agreed to go with him. "Well, that'll be awkward for you. Good luck then."

"You're a terrible friend," Stella grumbled.

"Think your sister would say yes to going with me?" Blaise asked and Stella went to make a comment about his mum before seeing the tense look on his face.

"Just go ask. The Gryffindors don't know about the Ball yet though. It isn't being announced until Monday. Professor Snape told me. I'm sure she'll be thrilled. If you hurt her, though, I have permission to skin you alive," Stella stated.

"Yes, ma'am," Blaise smiled brightly before running off.

"Alright," Sirius smiled as Harry stood in front of him with his wand out on Saturday. "No need for your wand today."

"Aren't we training?" Harry asked.

"We are, but not in wand work," Sirius shook his head. "Stella?"

"Hmm?" Stella asked, leaned back in her chair and looking rather comfortable.

"Come here, please," Sirius told her. "The Yule Ball is coming up and the both of you need dance instructions."

"Oh, fun," Stella smirked, jumping out of her seat and skipping over to Harry.

"Do we have to?" Harry asked, looking pained.

"Oi! I'll make you dance with Uncle Moony if you keep that up!" Stella defended.

"It's not you," Harry assured her. "I just feel like I'm not going to be any good at it."

"Not with that attitude," Stella mumble.

"Pay attention," Sirius told them, smirking as they went back and forth before waving his wand and causing music to begin playing. "Hand on her waist and the other holding her hand. Stella, your free hand on Harry's shoulder."

The two did as instructed. Sirius walked them through how to do a basic waltz, Stella only stepping on Harry's foot once in the process, causing her to apologize about ten times. Remus smirked as he watched them, used to the two of them behaving as they did with one another after having taught them for a year. He couldn't count the number of times Harry had tried sneaking into the hospital wing after she'd been attacked. He'd felt so guilty after she'd been hurt that he'd tried keeping his distance after she'd gotten out but it wasn't long before the two had become inseparable again.

Sirius, on the other hand, was watching them critically from a different stand point. He noticed the slight blush on Stella's face when Harry held her closer, how her breathing would stutter every so often. He also noticed how Harry looked at Stella, how his eyes always seemed to look for her in a room and how he refused to make a single move without her opinion first. He'd seen it when Ron had come to apologize, when they'd been in the shack. He saw how protective they were of one another, always protecting each other at every turn. He wondered how long it would take for the two of them to figure it out. He decided to give Harry a little push.

Once they'd finally had the waltz down, he taught them the dance that would be required for Harry to open the dance. Harry lifted Stella into the air, causing her to laugh, which caused Harry's face to light up. An hour later, the two teens were grabbing their bags to leave.

"Harry, do you mind staying back a moment?" Sirius asked and they both looked to Sirius in confusion. "Just a quick word."

Harry looked to Stella, just as Sirius had expected, and she nodded, giving Harry a reassuring smile.

"I have to go meet Theo and Blaise. I'll see you later," Stella told him, waving goodbye to all three of them before leaving.

"So, do you have a date to the ball yet?" Sirius asked him, Remus watching on and waiting to see what Sirius was getting at.

"Oh, no," Harry shook his head. "I forgot about that part until you reminded us we needed to learn to dance honestly."

"Well, is there anyone you want to go with?" Sirius asked.

"My friends," Harry shrugged.

"Hermione has a date, yes? As does Ginny?"

"Theo and Blaise," Harry nodded.

"Does Ron know about the ball yet?"

"No. The rest of the school finds out Monday. We only know about it because Stella and Hermione like to study so much."

"Well, I'm sure he'll look for a date as well. Think of it like this: Who do you want to spend the most time with at the ball?" Sirius offered. "Whoever you think of should be who you ask. Get a move on though. Don't want someone to ask her before you do."

Harry gave Sirius a smile and a nod, running out of the room quickly.

"What are you up to?" Remus asked Sirius.

"Nothing," Sirius smiled innocently.

The Slytherins were all gathered before breakfast, Snape standing in front of all of them much like he did the first night they'd arrived.

"I am here to inform all of you of an event that is approaching. There is a traditional part of the Tournament called the Yule Ball," Snape explained and Stella, Theo, and Blaise exchanged looks. "Dress robes are required. Dinner will be served at six and the ball will begin at eight o'clock in the Great Hall on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight."

The girls started speaking excitedly and Snape cleared his throat, silencing them.

"Students fourth year and older will be allowed to attend. Third years may go if invited by an older student. I expect each and every one of you not to embarrass the school or myself," he stated, eyes fixing on the trouble makers of the house, Stella included, for a moment as he spoke and Stella thought of all of the things she could do at the ball in that moment. "You are all free to go."

Stella, Blaise, and Theo left then, smiling and laughing as Stella told them all of the ideas she'd come up with on the fly. Draco ran after them, calling after Stella. She turned in confusion as he approached her.

"I was wondering if you'd be my date to the ball," he told her.

"Keep wondering," Stella told him before moving on.

Blaise snorted a laugh and Theo's lip twitched in a smirk. Stella told three others no that day, Neville included, even though he was the nicest by far to ask her. Flint had walked up and asked what time to meet her in the common room, causing her to laugh in his face before moving on. Ron's new dress robes came in at dinner and he looked relieved while looking around towards Stella, who acted like she didn't know who they came from before winking at the twins.

The next day, a third year walked up to Harry, asking him to the ball. Harry looked taken aback as Stella hid her laughter, approaching them slowly as Harry blurted out no, watching as the girl ran off looking hurt.

"Surely there was a nicer way to do that," Stella told him.

"I don't even know who that was," Harry told her. "Also, didn't you laugh in Flint's face yesterday?"

"He didn't ask me to go to the ball with him though. Just assumed I wouldn't say no and skipped that part," Stella defended as Harry took her hand.

No one asked them to the dance after that for some reason. Strange. Stella didn't mind, a bit too focused on all the pranks she'd be trying to get away with. She'd actually written a mental list and everything. It was when she heard about Harry asking Cho Chang, who was going with Cedric Diggory, that she felt her heart drop a bit. She'd heard about it in the library, a few Ravenclaws gossiping about it behind her.

"I thought he was with Black?"

"So did everyone else."

"Maybe they broke up?"

"I feel like we'd know though. I mean, I just saw them at lunch. Everything was fine."

"Maybe he realized that he shouldn't be with a Slytherin. Entire house is a bad bunch if you ask me."

Stella packed her things away quickly, leaving the library and forcing herself not to cry. Stella walked into the Slytherin common room and sat quietly between Blaise and Theo, not speaking and just holding her book to her chest.

"What's happened?" Blaise asked, voice soft.

"Harry asked Cho Chang to the ball," Stella whispered.

"He what?" Theo asked, sounding angry, which caused Stella to look over at him.

"He asked Cho Chang and I overheard two Ravenclaws gossiping about it in the library," she explained. "They think we broke up sometime after lunch apparently."

"Yeah, because the two of you are practically in a committed relationship already," Blaise responded, also angry. "What the hell is he playing at?! He's been leading you on!"

"He has not!" Stella defended, not caring that most of the common room was looking at them now.

"What would you call it, hmm?" Blaise asked, brows raised. "You always together, holding hands or standing ridiculously close! You sneak out of the castle together all the time!"

"We're friends!"

"Is that why you're so upset?"

Stella left the common room then, going straight to her dorm and falling face first onto her bed. She let out an angry shout into her pillow before kicking off her shoes and pulling her curtain closed, shutting out everything else. Two days later, Harry came running up to Stella, out of breath from the jog he'd just taken. Theo and Blaise were still mad at Harry but doing a rather decent job at hiding it.

"Hey," he smiled to her. "I've been looking for you for a couple of days now."

"Well, you found me," Stella shrugged.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, looking concerned.

"Tired," she lied. "What's up?"

"Will you go to the ball with me?" he asked and Stella just stared at him for a long moment.

"No," she said.

"No?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"No is a full sentence, Potter," Theo spoke up.

"I don't feel like being the second choice after Chang," Stella spoke up, looking at Harry with no emotion.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked in confusion.

"We know you asked Chang to the ball and she turned you down," Blaise stated. "It's been going around for the past two days now."

"I didn't ask Cho to the ball," Harry shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

"That's what the Ravenclaws are saying," Theo spoke up.

It was true. Every Ravenclaw was talking about it, making it so the whole school almost had heard about it. Stella had been asked what had happened by seven different people already. She'd ignored all of them, Pansy included, as she'd gone about her business.

"I asked if she'd found a date yet when I saw her in the aviary the few days ago," Harry shrugged. "I was just making conversation."

"What?" Stella asked confused.

"Yeah," Harry shrugged. "Stella, when I think about who I want to spend the whole night talking to and dancing and laughing with, I think of you. I've barely spoken to Cho my entire time at Hogwarts."

Blaise and Theo exchanged looks, nodded to one another, and walked away, leaving the two alone.

"Have you been avoiding me because you thought I'd asked Cho?" Harry asked.

"Well… I wouldn't say avoiding," Stella mumbled and Harry smirked as he moved closer to her. "I just wasn't seeking you out was all."

"And why is that?" Harry asked.

"Doesn't matter," Stella shook her head.

"I think it matters," Harry offered.

"Are you going to ask me to the ball or not?" Stella asked.

"Well now I'm not sure I want to," Harry tried joking but Stella had already spent the past two days being hurt and was still feeling a bit sensitive so she moved to walk pass him, just for Harry's hand to reach out and grab hers. "Stella Nova Black-Weasley, yes I know your last name isn't Weasley but it might as well be so I'm including it. Would you please do me the honor of being my date to and opening the first dance at the Yule Ball with me?"

"I don't know if I want to now," she shot back, trying not to smile.

"I could beg if you like," Harry offered.

"I might," she smirked.

Harry fell to his knees without thought, holding both of Stella's hands in his.

"I was joking!" she yelled, pulling him back up. "Merlin. I need to ask Da if your father was this dramatic."

"He was. I've asked," Harry smirked as he stood.

"Explains a lot," Stella joked.

"So, is that a yes?"

"It's a yes. You need to deal with those rumors though or I'll have to spill punch on Chang at the ball," Stella stated.

"I will figure out why Cho thinks I asked her to the ball," Harry promised. "I'm sorry for upsetting you. Can you promise to come talk to me next time?"

"I promise," Stella nodded.

"Good. Let me walk you to dinner."

The two held hands as they walked into the Great Hall, Harry taking Stella all the way to the Slytherin table before heading to Hermione and Ron.

"Black, I need your help," Tracy spoke up the next morning.

"What with?" Stella asked, trying to finish her Charms essay that was due in twenty minutes.

"I want to go to the ball with your brother."

"Which one? I've got about twenty."

"Ron."

Stella dropped her quill and turned to Tracy with a smirk.

"He doesn't have a date yet and he's terrible at talking to girls," Stella told her. "You'll have to go up to him and just ask him directly."

"I'm not the 'ask him directly' kind of witch," Tracy stated.

"I'll go with you. Come on."

Stella and Tracy walked into the Great Hall, finding Harry, Ron, and Hermione already sitting down and eating. Harry smiled brightly as Stella approached them, standing to greet her with a hug.

"I was just bringing Tracy over for something. Tracy?" Stella smirked, knocking the girls arm gently.

Tracy was staring at Ron, blushing brightly.

"Oh, good lord," Stella sighed. "Ron, ask Tracy to the ball."

"What?" Ron asked in confusion.

"You need a date, she thinks your funny and cute, for some reason. Ask her," Stella smirked.

"Oh, okay. Would you like to go to the ball with me Tracy?"

"She would love to. She'll meet you in the entrance hall at five thirty," Stella nodded.

"Will I be able to talk to her at the Ball?" Ron asked.

"Yes," Stella nodded. "Have a good breakfast."

Stella pulled the still silent and blushing Tracy away.

"That went better than I expected," Stella smirked. "I think you spoke too much though. Really talked his ear off."

"I'm going to the ball with Ron Weasley," Tracy whispered, a bright smile appearing on her face as the blush receded.

Stella walked into the Gryffindor common room as Fred and George were asking Harry, Ron, and Hermione if they had dates yet.

"Yeah," answered Ron. "Who are you going with?"

"Angelina," Fred answered without hesitation.

"You've already asked her?" Ron asked in surprise as Stella walked around the back of the couch and sat on the floor, leaning against Harry's legs before opening her potions book and reviewing antidotes to poisons.

"Good point," said Fred. He turned his head and called across the common room, "Oi! Angelina!"

Angelina, who had been chatting with Alicia Spinnet near the fire, looked over at him.

"What?" she called back.

"Want to come to the ball with me?"

Angelina gave Fred an appraising sort of look.

"All right, then," she said, and she turned back to Alicia and carried on chatting with a bit of a grin on her face.

"There you go," said Fred. "Piece of cake. Did you finally pick someone, Stell?"

"Pick someone?" Ron asked.

"Haven't you heard?" George asked. "Stella was the most sought after Slytherin in the school!"

"I was not," Stella rolled her eyes before she thought about it. After the rumors of her and Harry breaking up went around, more people from every house had approached her, asking to be her date. "Huh…"

"Huh, what?" Harry asked, looking down at her, Quidditch magazine having been tossed aside at George's words.

"Well, I guess he's not wrong," Stella said before shrugging. "I'm going with Harry."

"So, all three of you are going with Slytherins?" George asked curiously.

"Does this mean we can't count on you to help us with a few… fun ideas at the ball?" Fred asked instead.

"Oh, I've got plenty of ideas," Stella smirked, standing up and going to a corner with the twins.

"Should we be worried?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Ron answered without hesitation as he went back to building a card castle with his Exploding Snap cards.

The Hogwarts staff, demonstrating a continued desire to impress the visitors from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, seemed determined to show the castle at its best this Christmas. When the decorations went up, Stella noticed that they were the most stunning she had yet seen inside the school. Everlasting icicles had been attached to the banisters of the marble staircase; the usual twelve Christmas trees in the Great Hall were bedecked with everything from luminous holly berries to real, hooting, golden owls, and the suits of armor had all been bewitched to sing carols whenever anyone passed them. It was quite something to hear "O Come, All Ye Faithful" sung by an empty helmet that only knew half the words. Several times, Filch the caretaker had to extract Peeves from inside the armor, where he had taken to hiding, filling in the gaps in the songs with lyrics of his own invention, all of which were very rude.

Stella spent the first three days of break doing her homework in the library with Hermione, Blaise and Theo. Harry and Ron were there as well, but Stella didn't think they were doing homework to be honest. Theo and Hermione were sharing a potions book across from Stella, causing her and Blaise to exchange amused smirks before going back to their own homework. Fred and George had had a great success with their Canary Creams, and for the first couple of days of the holidays, people kept bursting into feather all over the place.

Snow was falling thickly upon the castle and its grounds now. The pale blue Beauxbatons carriage looked like a large, chilly, frosted pumpkin next to the iced gingerbread house that was Hagrid's cabin, while the Durmstrang ship's portholes were glazed with ice, the rigging white with frost. The house-elves down in the kitchen were outdoing themselves with a series of rich, warming stews and savory puddings, and only Fleur Delacour seemed to be able to find anything to complain about.

"It is too 'eavy, all zis 'Ogwarts food," they heard her saying grumpily as they left the Great Hall behind her one evening. "I will not fit into my dress robes!"

"Oooh there's a tragedy," Hermione snapped as Fleur went out into the entrance hall. "She really thinks a lot of herself, that one, doesn't she?"

Stella woke early on the day of Christmas, stretching her arms above her head and letting out a groan as her back popped loudly. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes before looking to the end of the bed and finding presents waiting for her. Stella pulled the boxes up one by one, opening them as she went. She herself had mail ordered gifts for everyone and really hoped everyone liked what they got. Stella smiled at the new quills she'd received from Percy before finding trick treats from the twins with a note to use them as she wished.

It was when she reached a box that was very obviously from her mum that she teared up a bit. Inside the box was the first Weasley sweater that Stella had received since starting at Hogwarts. She pulled it over her head immediately, smelling the yarn that smelt like home, a few tears rolling down her face in the process.

After pulling on a pair of jeans and brown boots, brushing out her hair and tossing it into a messy bun, Stella walked to breakfast with her dorm mates. Pansy seemed as if she were trying not to sneer at Stella's sweater before catching sight of Blaise and Theo, who were also wearing sweaters much like Stella's. Stella smiled when she saw them though, taking the spot between the two and making her plate.

She dragged the two and Tracy up to the Gryffindor common room, forcing them into the warmth that awaited them and smirking as they all sat around the others. The Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione didn't even bat an eye as the four joined them, while the other Gryffindors looked a bit uneasy at first. Blaise and Ginny flirted, something Stella didn't know Ginny knew how to do, much to the dislike of her brothers, but they said nothing once they caught sight of Stella's threatening glare on them.

Harry and Stella split off from the group at lunchtime, both dressing warmly as they met Snape at the front entrance and followed him into Hogsmeade to head to the home Sirius and Remus occupied for lunch.

"See how much easier that is when you don't sneak out?" Snape asked as they entered the house.

"Less fun," Stella wrinkled her nose before smiling and hugging Sirius and then Remus.

The five spent the afternoon in the house, eating a small lunch and exchanging a few gifts in the process. Snape looked surprised when he received a gift from Stella and one from Remus but said nothing, passing Stella a gift without making eye contact with her, causing her to roll her eyes as she opened it, finding an empty photobook.

"For your scrapbooking," he sniffed, Stella having made the joke to him at some point, before opening his gift from her and finding cookies, fudge, and a journal with his name engraved in it, cauldrons pressed into the leather. "Oh."

"Do you like it?" Stella asked.

"It is… acceptable," he answered and Stella beamed.

"Emotionally constipated," Remus coughed. "Ooh. Sorry. Had a little something in my throat."

"Fur ball?" Snape asked and Stella had to look away completely to keep from laughing.

Snape led Stella and Harry back up to the caste at four and Stella went straight to the dungeons to get ready. Stella smiled at her dorm mates before taking a quick shower. She dried her hair with her wand before she sat on the bathroom counter with the door open, doing her makeup close to the mirror so she could see what she was doing up close. After doing a rather natural look on her makeup, a bit of glitter added to her lids so they popped, Stella hoped down, smiling at Tracy and Lily, who had ended up on either side of her on the counter as they did their own makeup.

Stella pulled her long, straight, black hair back, braiding it before creating a bun out of it. She added silver flower pins in for decoration before pulling her dress box out and setting it on her bed. She'd received jewelry from Sirius earlier that day and she'd decided to wear it the moment she'd seen it. She put on the silver chain necklace with an aquamarine heart on the end of it, along with the matching earrings.

Stella opened her dress box, smiling as she pulled out the light blue dress and laid it out on the bed. Tracy and Lily came out of the bathroom and Daphne, Pansy, and Milicent went in to finish up. Stella put on the dress then, smiling as the dress fell down her body, ruffles fluttering a bit in the process.

"Oh, Stella," Tracy breathed. "You look beautiful."

"So do you," Stella smiled, finding Tracy in red. "Ron's not going to know what to do."

Once they were all ready, the six girls headed down to the common room, finding the fourth year boys waiting on them. Draco held his arm out for Pansy, who was in a pale pink, frilly thing of a dress that Stella didn't think suited her at all. Pansy had admitted that her mother had picked it, looking rather annoyed in the process. Theo and Blaise looked rather handsome in their black and white dress robes, causing Stella to smile brightly at them. Both boys saw her and smiled right back.

"Gorgeous," Blaise told her.

"You look beautiful, Stella," Theo told her.

"The two of you look so handsome," Stella told them.

"Shall we?" Blaise asked, offering Stella his arm.

"We shall," she smiled as she took it.

Theo offered his arm as well and Stella smirked as she walked out of the common room with both boys on her arm. They walked into the Entrance Hall and all looked around, Tracy coming up beside them as well as she looked for Ron.

"There's Potter and Weasley," Theo pointed out.

"And I see Ginny," Blaise smiled.

"See ya," Stella smirked, leaving the two boys and grabbing Tracy's hand. "Come on."

Ron smiled when he saw them and slapped Harry's shoulder, pointing in their direction. Harry looked over and his jaw dropped when he saw Stella before he began smiling so widely that Stella thought his cheeks must hurt from the effort.

"Hi," Tracy greeted Ron.

"You look great," Ron told her. "I got you this."

Ron pulled a corsage from his pocket and slipped it onto Tracy's wrist.

"I know it's not much," he told her. "I saw the flowers the other day and thought of you though."

"I love it," Tracy smiled.

"Should we go inside?" he asked her. "Leave these two to it?"

"Sure," Tracy nodded and the two left Harry and Stella standing together.

"I didn't get you flowers," Harry admitted.

"I don't need any," Stella insisted.

"I got you something else," he interrupted, pulling a velvet box from his pocket and opening it. "I almost panicked when I saw what Sirius had gotten you until I saw that it didn't include a bracelet."

Stella gasped at the diamond bracelet in the box. It was decorated with infinity symbols in between each diamond. She smiled brightly at Harry and he looked relieved.

"You like it?" he asked, just to be sure.

"I love it," she assured him and Harry pulled the bracelet from the box, which he slipped back into his pocket.

He put the bracelet on her wrist, smiling as he took her hand in his before something caught his eye behind her. Stella turned quickly, finding Hermione coming down the stairs towards Theo. Her hair was sleek and shiny from the products Stella had sent to her and she was wearing a floaty, periwinkle-blue dress. She was smiling nervously as she approached Theo, who had been rendered speechless at the sight of her.

"Champions! Over here!" McGonagall called but Stella and Harry didn't move, watching Hermione as she stood a step above Theo, neither speaking as Theo tried to find words. "Potter? Black? Oh!"

"She's beautiful," Stella smiled to McGonagall, seeing the soft smile on the strict teachers face as she caught sight of Hermione.

Once everyone else was settled in the Hall, Professor McGonagall told the champions and their partners to get in line in pairs and to follow her. They did so, and everyone in the Great Hall applauded as they entered and started walking up toward a large round table at the top of the Hall, where the judges were sitting.

The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables had vanished; instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.

When the champions and their partners reached the table, Percy drew out the empty chair beside him, staring pointedly at Harry. Harry took the hint and sat down next to Percy, who was wearing brand-new, navy-blue dress robes and an expression of such smugness that Stella thought it ought to be fined.

"I've been promoted," Percy told them before they could ask. "I'm now Mr. Crouch's personal assistant, and I'm here representing him."

"Why didn't he come?" Harry asked.

"I'm afraid to say Mr. Crouch isn't well, not well at all. Hasn't been right since the World Cup. Hardly surprising — overwork. He's not as young as he was — though still quite brilliant, of course, the mind remains as great as it ever was. But the World Cup was a fiasco for the whole Ministry, and then, Mr. Crouch suffered a huge personal shock with the misbehavior of that house-elf of his, Blinky, or whatever she was called. Naturally, he dismissed her immediately afterward, but — well, as I say, he's getting on, he needs looking after, and I think he's found a definite drop in his home comforts since she left. And then we had the tournament to arrange, and the aftermath of the Cup to deal with — that revolting Skeeter woman buzzing around — no, poor man, he's having a well-earned, quiet Christmas. I'm just glad he knew he had someone he could rely upon to take his place."

There was no food as of yet on the glittering golden plates, but small menus were lying in front of each of them. Harry picked his up uncertainly and looked around, causing Stella to do the same — there were no waiters. Dumbledore, however, looked carefully down at his own menu, then said very clearly to his plate, "Pork chops!" And pork chops appeared. Getting the idea, the rest of the table placed their orders with their plates too.

"Mincemeat tarts," Stella stated and five bite sized, fruit filled tarts covered in powdered sugar appeared on her plate. "Ahh."

"I think you're supposed to eat dinner first," Harry smirked at her.

"Can't hear you over how good these smell," Stella joked before picking one up and popping it into her mouth, moaning at the taste.

"Can't be that good," Harry joked and Stella picked another one up, holding her hand under it as she fed it to Harry, whose eyes widened once he'd taken a bite from it. "Alright, fine. You win."

"Never doubt me," Stella told him, finishing the bite.

"I'm actually not sure what I want," he admitted.

"Want me to pick something for you?" Stella asked, passing him another tart. "I'll get us both something different so if you don't like yours, you can steal mine?"

"What if I like mine but want to try yours?" Harry asked.

"We can split it," Stella smirked.

"Deal," Harry nodded, stealing the last tart from Stella and causing her mouth to open in shock before they both laughed.

"Alright. Beef wellington, brussels sprouts, and roasted potatoes for me. Turkey, roasted parsnips, and bubble and squeak for you," Stella stated and the meals appeared in front of each of them.

"What was that last bit?" Harry asked.

"Potato cakes," Stella told him. "Just eat it."

Harry held his hands up in surrender before picking up his fork. He and Stella shared their dinners, both liking everything on their plates, except that Harry didn't like the brussels sprouts. Harry ordered his dessert after that; Scottish shortbread topped with pears, which Stella stole a bite of quickly as payback.

When all the food had been consumed, Dumbledore stood up and asked the students to do the same. Then, with a wave of his wand, all the tables zoomed back along the walls leaving the floor clear, and then he conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it.

The Weird Sisters now trooped up onto the stage to wildly enthusiastic applause; they were all extremely hairy and dressed in black robes that had been artfully ripped and torn. They picked up their instruments and the champions stood, Stella taking Harry's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. The Weird Sisters struck up a slow, mournful tune as they walked onto the dance floor, almost all of Hogwarts watching them.

Stella rather enjoyed how Harry kept his eyes on her, a smile on his face as he spun her around. He lifted her into the air, spinning her before bringing her back down and continuing to lead her through the waltz. Others began to join soon after. Blaise led Ginny to the dance floor and Theo followed with Hermione, the two couples dancing much like how Harry and Stella were, though Blaise and Ginny seemed to be joking back and forth in the process, whereas Theo and Hermione moved together quietly, eyes locked on one another.

Dumbledore was waltzing with Madame Maxime. Neville was watching his feet as he danced with Luna. Mad-Eye Moody was doing an extremely ungainly two-step with Professor Sinistra, who was nervously avoiding his wooden leg.

"Nice socks, Potter," Moody growled as he passed, his magical eye staring through Harry's robes.

"Oh, yeah. Dobby the house-elf knitted them for me," Harry grinned.

"You're still wearing those?" Stella laughed, having seen the socks earlier.

"They're comfortable," Harry shrugged, smiling at her.

The final, quavering note from the bagpipe played and everyone applauded before a faster song began.

"I don't think we can waltz to this one," Harry commented, looking around as everyone around them began dancing.

"I think this one is more of a 'feel the music' type things," Stella laughed as Crabbe and Goyle flailed about. "We can't be worse than them."

Harry just pulled Stella close, dancing slowly with her and ignoring how everyone else was dancing. Stella felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach at the action and a slight blush going across her cheeks. Harry stared down at her for a long moment before slowly moving his head closer to hers.

'He's going to kiss me,' Stella thought to herself.

When he was less than an inch from her, however, Fred and George appeared, interrupting the moment.

"Sister!" they yelled together and Harry and Stella jumped apart.

"It's time," George smiled.

"Snape's gone out to check the grounds," Fred added.

"Coast is mostly clear," George nodded.

"Alright," Stella smirked before looking to Harry. "Stay away from the cream puffs and the red punch."

"You got it," Harry laughed. "I'll go find the others."

"I'll come find you in a bit," Stella promised.

Stella was dragged away by Fred and George. Fred and George kept a lookout as Stella walked pass the punch table, getting a cup of red punch as she poured a confidence potion in before moving along, rejoining her brothers with two butterbeers in hand for them. They clinked their cups together and separated, spreading out to hang spelled mistletoe at random. She found Harry soon after, giving him a smile before realizing he was sitting with Ron, Tracy, Ginny, Blaise, Hermione, Theo, and… Percy, for some reason?

Percy smiled brightly when he saw Stella.

"There you are," he said. "I was wondering where you'd gone."

"Well, I'm here now," Stella said, rolling her eyes when Percy didn't move so she could sit. She sat in Harry's lap instead. "What did I miss?"

"Well…" Percy went to start.

"I mean Yule Ball wise," she clarified.

"Cedric told me to take a bath with my egg," Harry offered.

"Hufflepuffs are weird," Stella shook her head, noticing how unhappy Percy looked with where Stella had sat but ignoring it. "Did he say why?"

"No. Just told me to use the prefect's bathroom and gave me the password," Harry shrugged and he and Stella shared amused looks at the idea of someone giving them a password when they had the map.

"How helpful," she stated.

"Want to dance?" Harry asked before hearing shouting.

"Yup," Stella nodded, standing and dragging Harry to the dance floor.

Turns out that confidence potions caused people to be a bit reckless with their actions. Who knew? Certainly not Stella if asked. Ron and Tracy ended up stuck under some mistletoe, unable to move from under it until they kissed, causing Fred to wolf whistle in the distance. The Weird Sister's stopped playing at midnight and everyone began heading out. Harry walked Stella all the way to the steps leading to her dorm room before kissing her head and wishing her a good night. She fell onto her bed, smiling like a loon.

The entire castle slept in the next day. Well, everyone except Stella. Stella used the map to sneak around the castle, putting up more spelled mistletoe in inconvenient places. Everyone had figured it out at the ball and a few couples had been made while others had broken up just a few hours ago.

Stella also set alarms on a few abandoned classrooms while she was at it so that the next people who tried entering the room would face a rather loud surprise. She got back to the dungeon, placing a mistletoe above the potions classroom door and praying Snape didn't get caught in it before heading back to the common room.

Stella helped Harry get his homework completed in the next few days before break ended before she sent him off with the map and his egg. Theo and Hermione seemed to have actually become official after he'd asked her to the ball, much to Stella's delight except for when she caught sight of Fred staring over longingly. She'd have to talk to him soon, make sure he was alright. Harry came running into the Slytherin common room two hours later with wet hair and his egg.

"He shouldn't be in here," Theo whispered to Stella, but she was already up and moving, eyes watching the Slytherins as they eyed him.

"I've got it," he told her, a bit breathless.

"Let's go find Hermione and Ron then. Come on," she told him before her voice dropped. "Away from all the Death Eater's children, please."

Harry's eyes widened a fraction and he nodded, leaving with Stella quickly. Blaise and Theo watched, making sure no one followed the two as they went. Harry passed Stella the bit of parchment with the riddle from the egg on it.

"Come seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground, And while you're searching ponder this: We've taken what you'll sorely miss, An hour long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took, But past an hour — the prospect's black, Too late, it's gone, it won't come back," Stella read. "Alright, so I'm guessing since you had to hold it under water, it means the merpeople in the lake. They want you all to jump into the lake in February? You'll freeze!"

"Warming charm," Harry told her.

"Warming charms only stick for so long," Stella stated. "Certainly not for the hour that they're giving you to retrieve whatever it is they steal."

"I'm keeping my cloak on me and I was hoping you could put my Firebolt with yours?" Harry asked. "They're the only things I own that I actually care about."

"Yeah, of course," Stella nodded. "I'll take it with me after we talk to Ron and Hermione. Do you even know how to swim?"

"No," Harry shook his head.

"Another problem," she sighed. "Okay. How big is the bath in the prefects loo?"

"Huge."

"Is it deep enough for you to learn to swim in?"

"Maybe?"

"Take Ron with you and he'll teach you," Stella told him.

"Stella, I don't think knowing how to swim is the biggest problem. I can't hold my breath for a minute, let alone a whole hour."

"We can look for potions and charms," Stella told him calmly. "We'll figure it out. I'll ask Da and Uncle Moony."

Stella immediately began fiddling with her ring, asking if either of them knew a way that Harry could breathe under water for an hour. Remus suggested the bubblehead charm just as Harry and Stella made it to the Gryffindor common room.

"Go tell them. Uncle Moony gave me an idea. I'm going to the library and I'll be back once I find it," Stella told him.

"Okay," Harry nodded, going inside as Stella took off running.

She didn't know why she was in a hurry for it but it felt important. The sooner Harry learned the charm, the better. She'd also looked for longer lasting heating charms while she was there. She ignored Filch as she ran past him and he yelled not to run in the hallways. Snape frowned and slowly followed after her, hoping that wherever she was going in such a hurry didn't mean she was running away from or towards trouble. He found her in the library with no less than ten books surrounding her, flipping through pages as quickly as possible.

"What are you looking for?" he asked, causing Stella to jump.

"You scared me, sir," she breathed, hand on her chest.

"Yes well I get frightened when I see you running through the halls as you were. Figured something was about to blow up and you were leaving the scene of the crime," he deadpanned.

"That's fair, sir. Not today though. Maybe Monday," she smirked. "I'm looking for the Bubblehead charm and a better heating charm."

"I see Mister Potter figured out his egg, then?" Snape asked.

"Yes, sir," she nodded, hands going to her hips.

"Hmm," Snape hummed before looking around the library. "Well, as you are not a champion, I can tell you that you'll find the Bubblehead charm in one of your older brothers charms books, the twin brothers, I mean. And a heating charm that will last for longer than thirty minutes can be found in the same book."

Stella kissed Snape's check and took off running again.

"You're the best sir!" she shouted, flying pass the angry librarian, Pince, as she left the library.

The books floated back into place and Snape let a smile slip passed before schooling his features and promising Pince he would handle the overexcited student for her. Stella ran back up the steps, hands on her knees once she reached the Fat Lady.

"Why, I never!" she yelled.

"Fairy- fairy lights," Stella breathed up, standing straight and putting her hands on her head. "I need to do more cardio."

The portrait swung open, the Fat Lady not even arguing anymore that Stella was a Slytherin every time she showed up. Stella walked into the common room and went straight up the stairs towards Fred and George's room, ignoring Ron as he called after her. Stella knocked and waited, Lee opening the door and staring at her in confusion before letting her in.

"I need a charms book," she told the twins.

"Sure," Fred nodded, pulling his out and tossing it to her.

"Thanks!" she yelled, running back out of the room and down to the other three. "Alright. The charms should both be in here."

"How do you know?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Asked Snape where I could find the spells and he said that, since I'm not a champion, he could tell me that both charms that I'm looking for are in the sixth year charms books. Aaaaaand here's the warming charm. Oh, just add 'Maxima' to the end of it. Simple enough. Where's the Bubblehead… Bubblehead, bubble… Here we are!" Stella smiled brightly, placing the book on the table so all four of them could look at it.

"That seems a bit difficult," Hermione commented.

"Well, it is a sixth year spell," Stella stated, stealing a bit of parchment and a quill from Hermione to copy the spell and wand movements down. "We can keep looking for other options while practicing this one, just in case."

"What else is in the lake?" Harry asked.

"Merpeople, Grindylows, thanks Uncle Moony for that information last year, the giant squid… I'd hate to mention it but there is a Shrake floating around down there as well but he stays in a rotation so as long as you stay away from a certain area, you'll be fine."

"I'm sorry, a what?" Harry asked in confusion.

"How do you know this?" Hermione asked curiously.

"We can see into the lake in our common room," Stella shrugged before looking to Harry. "A Shrake is a magical species of fish. It's covered in sharp spines and has a long mouth full of sharp teeth that can survive in fresh and salt water. They're typically only found in the Atlantic, but someone mail ordered a baby one twenty-odd years ago and it's been in the lake ever since."

"I've never heard of it," Hermione sniffed, looking as if she didn't believe Stella.

"Just because you haven't heard of it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist," Stella told her. "You should sit down with Luna Lovegood and talk to her every once in a while. She might actually teach you something when it comes to magical creatures."

"Well, I—" Hermione went to argue but Stella was looking at Harry again.

"Point is, I can tell you where not to go to stay away from it because it will just tear you apart if you go into its territory. I have half a mind to warn the other champions as well, honestly. No one needs to die in this tournament."

Stella did exactly that on Monday. She found Diggory, telling him about the creature and where not to go, watching as horror filled his features at the news. Delacour was flouncing around a bit, looking for her Hufflepuff boyfriend when Stella got to her.

"You figured out the egg, right?" Stella asked.

"What business is it of yours?" Delacour's eyes narrowed.

"Because I want to warn you of something but it's going to give away part of the egg if you haven't figured it out yet. I still have to find Krum and tell him as well so do you have the egg figured out of not?"

"I do…" Dalcour seemed a bit uneasy as she answered.

"Okay. Wonderful. Warming charms, by the way. There's a section of the lake…"

Stella told Delacour about the creature and where not to go, ready to take off looking for Krum.

"I'll tell him," Delacour promised. "Thank you."

"Thanks," Stella nodded before running off, already cutting it close to the bell for potions.

"Nice of you to join us, Miss Black," Snape's voice greeted as Stella got to the hall. "Mind telling me how this got above the potions door?"

"How what got where?" Stella asked, confused and still a bit out of breath before looking over to find Crabbe and Goyle stuck under the mistletoe, causing her to burst out in breathless laughter.

"This isn't funny, Black," Goyle was fuming.

"Oh, you're right. It's hilarious," Stella laughed before sobering when she caught Snape's eye. "No clue how it got there, sir. I just know what it is and find the situation hilarious. They might want to get a move on though. The longer they're stuck there, the longer they'll have to kiss."

"Get on with it," Snape sighed to the two boys. "We'll look away."

Stella did not want to see the two boys have to snog so she turned away immediately. After about forty seconds, the two breathed sighs of relief and everyone turned to find them standing as far apart as possible, the mistletoe gone.

"It's been happening all over the school, sir," Stella told him honestly. "No one knows who did it."

She liked this bending the truth thing she'd been doing. It was rather fun as Stella heard a classroom door go off and saw two Hufflepuffs running away from the area. It was when she saw Hermione and Fred get stuck under the mistletoe that she felt a bit bad for it. They were both blushing furiously, wide eyes on Stella as she was the only other person around.

"I'll go," she told them, giving them some privacy and deciding to watch her back, hoping Fred would thank her rather than prank her back.

Ron taught Harry how to swim and Stella and Hermione worked on the charm, both figuring it out in about a day and smiling as they raced to teach it to Harry, who was having a tutor session with Sirius and Remus, who was reviewing the Grindylows with Harry.

"We've got it!" Stella yelled as she ran in with Hermione. "We got the charm down."

"Oh, thank Merlin," Harry breathed in relief.

The rest of the hour was spent with Stella glaring as Hermione explained the charm with so much complexity that even she couldn't keep up. And she knew the spell! Harry looked at her with wide, pleading eyes.

"Hermione!" Stella yelled, getting the other girl to quiet and look to Stella, annoyance on her face. "You're making it too complicated."

"It's a complicated spell!" Hermione defended.

"Yes, but you're making it worse. May I?"

"Fine," Hermione threw her hands up in annoyance, leaning back in her chair and watching.

"Alright so the wand movement is rather complex," Stella told Harry. "Follow along with your wand."

Stella had Harry practice the movement for ten minutes until he had it perfect every time.

"Good," she smiled. "The incantation is 'Spiritus Bulla.' Spirit-us bull-a."

Harry practiced sounding the spell out for a few minutes before Stella nodded and they combined the incantation with the wand movements. Harry, who was more inclined to magic than Stella or Hermione were, got the spell in an hour. Hermione looked rather put out but Stella just felt proud as Harry showed off his bubble to Sirius and Remus, as if they hadn't been watching the entire time. Stella popped the bubble with her wand with a finite, giving Harry a smirk in the process.

Fred did thank Stella but that did not stop him from trying to get back at her. Harry's next tutoring session, Snape joined for, claiming he wanted to see Harry's progress as a third party. Stella thought he and Uncle Moony just wanted to flirt with one another again. It may have sounded like they were actually being rude and making underhand comments back and forth, but to a Slytherin, it was flirting. Especially for a Slytherin like Snape.

They all went to leave the room at the end of the session and Snape and Remus ended up leaving first before freezing in the doorway.

"I'd like to get to dinner," Stella told them, looking confused.

"Black," Snape seethed, glaring at Stella so much that she took a physical step back. "Why is it always the mistletoe?"

"I didn't put any up this time!" Stella defended before peeking out of the doorway and seeing the mistletoe. "Besides! That's white! Mine's blue!"

"Detention," he told her.

"But—"

"For the others," he told her, glare still on her.

"Yes, sir," she sighed, leaning back and looking up and down the hall.

She caught a glimpse of two red heads ducking behind a tapestry and knew that the prank must have been for her and let out a groan.

"This one is my fault, sir. I didn't hang it but I accidentally got someone else with it and they decided to return the favor. Sorry, sir."

"When I get my hands on those twins," Snape growled.

"I'd hate to remind you of this sir but the longer you stand there, the longer you have to kiss."

"Detention Saturday."

"Yupp."

"Can the three of you go back into the classroom?" Remus asked.

"And miss this lovely moment?" Sirius smirked, arms crossing over his chest. "This might be the only time Snivellus ever gets kissed. I wouldn't miss that. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

Stella's eyes widened as she stared at Remus and he sighed, doing his best to not look at Stella and deal with her judgmental stare. No wonder the two had broken up if Remus had chosen to keep Snape a secret. Stella would be pissed as well. She looked to Snape, who was glaring at Sirius now, sneer on his face.

"Don't. Call me that," Snape spat out.

"Hit a nerve, Snivellus?" Sirius asked and Stella elbowed Sirius in the stomach, causing him to gasp and bend over slightly. "Rude."

"She gets it from you," Snape stated.

"Hey!" Stella yelled, offended, but Snape wasn't done.

"Both of you are horrid. You're whole family is full of rude, distasteful, pathetic, bullying—"

Remus grabbed Snape's face, kissing him passionately. Stella looked away immediately, not actually wanting to see her Uncle and favorite teacher snogging in the middle of the hall. Harry looked away as well, face bright red. Sirius stared in shock though, mouth open wide. The kiss must have softened at some point though because Sirius's look of shock turned to confusion. Stella glanced back, finding the two holding one another gently, rocking back and forth as they kissed. Stella grabbed Harry's hand and snuck past the couple, not wanting to be there once they realized that they didn't actually need to kiss anymore, the mistletoe long gone now.

"You've got to work on your aim," Stella told the twins when they reached the tapestry and the four climbed the hidden staircase.

"I don't think they mind," Fred commented, looking confused.

Stella said nothing, still not giving away their secret. Stella headed to detention instead of Hogsmeade the next weekend, falling into her seat with a sigh and pulling out her potions book. Snape said nothing, just continued grading essays as she worked quietly. In truth, Stella had been avoiding the man. He seemed to find a way to insult her every other year and, had Remus not kissed him right then, Stella was sure he would have said something so hateful that Stella would have cried. She'd already almost done so after she'd fled the scene but Harry and the twins had unknowingly distracted her.

The hour was almost up and Snape had set down his red quill, watching Stella. She could feel his eyes on her but she kept working diligently, almost done writing all of her notes for next week's potions. Her hand was cramping a bit and she was beyond tired, but Stella had finally gotten caught up in her classes again. She was working on getting ahead now, already having done so for Charms and Runes. Potions and Transfiguration were next.

"Black," Snape tried but Stella kept her head ducked over her book, hair blocking her face as a wayward tear escaped her, splashing onto the book. "Stella…"

Stella's quill stopped moving but she stayed completely still.

"I am sorry," he told her, voice soft. "I was angry at being stuck and I was angry at hearing that name again. I seem to keep taking my anger out on you and that is unacceptable. I am sorry."

"It's fine, sir," Stella said, voice small. "I know you were just upset in the moment."

"That does not excuse my actions. I am an adult and you are a child. I should be able to control my anger and not take it out on you. I'm sorry."

Stella wiped her face quickly, making it seem like she was just pushing her hair out of her face as she lifted her head, a smile appearing on her face.

"It's alright, sir. I forgive you," and she did.

Stella hugged Harry tightly the day before the task, promising to see him at breakfast before heading to the dungeons.

"Black," Snape stopped her. "Follow me."

"Sir, I swear I haven't put up more mistletoe," she told him immediately.

"I'm aware, Black. Follow me."

Stella felt confused as they reached the headmasters office. They took the stairs up to the top and Snape led Stella inside, finding the headmasters, Cho Chang, and two people Stella didn't know waiting for them. Snape was more tense than normal as Stella sat in the chair offered to her, his hand resting firmly on her shoulder.

"Hello, all. Welcome. I've asked all of you to come because the second task involves a little assistance from the four of you: Miss Chang, Miss Black, Miss Delacour, and Mrs. Krum," Dumbledore spoke and Stella realized that the other two were Fleur's little sister and Viktor's mother. "See, the champions must collect the things they'd miss most from the lake."

Stella sat back, eyes wide as she looked up to Snape, panic clear on her face.

"You will all be safe and the merpeople will return anyone that the champions do not collect from the bottom. I assure you that it will be like falling asleep. You do not have to participate if you do not wish to, but I implore you not to tell the champions the task if you choose that route," Dumbledore stated, looking at each and every one of them.

"I'll do it," Cho smiled softly and Stella rolled her eyes, refusing to be one upped by the Ravenclaw that had spread a rumor about her Harry.

'Since when is he mine?' Stella asked herself before sitting up again.

"I'm always for a challenge," she smirked. "If Harry and Sirius end up shooting spells at you lot though, it's not my fault."

"Noted, Miss Black," Dumbledore smiled.

"Is it going to be cold?" Fleur's sister asked and Stella stood and walked over to the little girl, kneeling in front of her.

"Professor Dumbledore will make sure we don't get cold with a charm or potion of some sort. You don't have to do it if you don't want to, but I think your sister would be really proud of you for being so brave if you did," Stella said, voice soft as she spoke to the girl who couldn't be more than eight years old.

"She would?" the girl asked.

"Yeah," Stella smiled. "Yeah, she would."

"Okay," the girl nodded, looking above Stella to Dumbledore. "Okay. I'll do it. For Fleur."

"That's a brave girl," Stella smiled to her.

"I vill do it vor my son," Krum's mother nodded, head high and shoulders back.

"Professor Snape has made a potion that will keep you all warm and a potion that will make you all sleep until you have come out of the water. The merpeople are waiting for us," Dumbledore spoke up and Stella felt relieved that he wasn't going to make a liar out of her.

The little girl took Stella's hand as they began leaving the office. Stella smiled down at her, using the little girl as a distraction for how nervous she actually was. Snape's hand was back on her shoulder, steering how through the castle and down to the lake, where a tall, wooden tower had been built just for the event.

"Are students supposed to stare at the lake for an hour?" Stella asked curiously.

"There will be magical viewing screens so that the students may see what is happening below the water," Snape told her, voice stiff.

"Were you hoping I'd say no?" Stella asked him curiously.

"Yes," he admitted. "I do not like the idea of you going down there."

"I'll be alright. If all else fails, the Shrake will eat well," Stella shrugged.

"What's a Shrake?" the small girl asked curiously.

"A weird dolphin," Stella lied, trying not to scare the little girl.

There were eight merpeople waiting for them, four of them carrying tridents and seeming to be the lookout. Dumbledore screeched back and forth with them for a few moments before nodding to the four people who would be most missed. No one wanted to go first and Stella cursed herself in her head before stepping forward. She took the warmth potion first, swallowing it quickly before looking back to Snape one last time. She gave him a soft smile before she put the other potion in her mouth, stepped into the water, and drank it the moment she was below the surface.

Harry was feeling more and more nervous as the night went on. He felt like something was going terribly wrong and, as much as Ron and Hermione tried to keep him calm, it wasn't working. He finally took the dreamless sleep that Stella had brewed for him just so he was sure he'd get enough rest for the task ahead. He woke in the morning and sat up, stretching before taking a hot shower and getting ready. His uniform for the task was under his cloak as he, Ron, and Hermione headed down to breakfast.

Harry kept looking around for Stella, but Blaise, Theo, and Tracy walked into the main hall without her that morning, the three seeming confused when they looked over at him, as if they were also searching for her. Harry forced himself to eat a bit of toast before standing and heading to the Slytherin table, sitting on the bench beside Blaise.

"Where is she?" he asked them.

"We thought she was with you," Blaise stated.

"She didn't come to the dorm last night," Tracy told him.

All three Slytherins looked worried and stood at the same time, heading towards the head table, towards Snape, who looked terrible. Harry followed after them, the nerves in his stomach feeling like a heavy stone in his stomach now.

"Professor," Theo spoke for the group. "Stella didn't come back to the common room last night. We thought she might be staying in Gryffindor tower to keep Harry calm."

"She left the tower around seven," Harry told him, stepping forward and looking the man in the eye. "Is she alright? Was there another attack?"

"No," Snape shook his head. "She will meet you at the lake."

"What?" Harry asked, confused as Snape gave him what Harry was sure was supposed to be a pointed look. "Where did she sleep? Why isn't she here now?"

"Potter," Snape breathed through his nose as he spoke. "She will meet you. At. The. Lake."

Harry still didn't understand though. He never was good at understanding signals that weren't aimed to maim. It was always better if people just told him flat out what was happening. He scoffed and went back to Gryffindor table, telling Ron and Hermione what Snape had said.

"Oh, my God," Hermione breathed, hands covering her mouth. " We've taken what you'll sorely miss. Harry, they've taken Stella!"

Everyone was staring at them now but Harry didn't care. He was on his feet and running in an instant. He'd almost made it to the boats that would take him to the dock in the middle of the lake when he felt strong arms wrap around his torso, keeping him from jumping into the water to retrieve Stella right then and there.

"Let me go!" Harry bellowed, trying to wiggle away from the arms. "Let me go! Stella!"

"Calm yourself, Potter!" Snape yelled in his ear. "She is fine. I gave her a warming potion and a potion that would keep her in a sleeping state until she is out of the water. You cannot go in after her until the task begins."

"TO HELL WITH THE TASK AND SCREW YOU, SNAPE!" Harry continued fighting, trying to get to the water.

"HARRY!" Sirius's voice broke through Harry's worry and caused him to still.

Sirius was in front of him then, Remus beside him. Sirius wiped the tears that were running down Harry's cheeks, tears he didn't even know were there, before he pulled Harry into his arms, holding him tightly.

"Snape wouldn't let anything happen to her. She'd be pissed if you ruined your chances at the task just to go get her an hour early," Sirius told him with a laugh.

"She's down there," Harry gasped out, tears still coming out. "She can't… She hates the cold. I have to get her."

"She took a potion to keep her warm," Remus spoke up now.

"She was the first person to get in the water," Snape spoke up. "I was with her the entire time, up until then. She helped keep Delacour's sister calm, as well. The task starts in an hour and you'll go retrieve her then."

"Okay," Harry nodded, taking a shuddering breath as he pulled away from Sirius's hold. "Okay. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for," Sirius smirked.

"Well, a little to be sorry for," Remus offered, looking Snape over and seeing a bruise on his cheek. "You got Professor Snape in his face."

"I am fine," Snape rolled his eyes. "I have bruise salve in my office that I can use. A small calming drought to hold you over until the task begins should help, Potter."

Harry, Remus, and Sirius followed Snape into the dungeons. Snape walked through his classroom and into his office, waving the other three in. Harry looked around the room they'd just entered curiously, finding black, leather furniture with colorful quilts thrown over the back of them, fluffy throw pillows in the corners of the couch, and book cases lining the walls on each side of the lit fireplace, almost completely filled with books. Remus moved towards the fire as Snape walked into a closet, looking curiously at the pictures on the mantle, Harry and Sirius following him over.

Harry saw pictures of previous students that Snape had taught; two wedding photos, three photos of people with kids, and a photo of a man standing at what must be his work desk. All the pictures had notes attached to the frames from the students, thanking Snape for having mentored them during their time at Hogwarts, something that blew Harry's mind.

Sirius grabbed a picture suddenly and Harry looked over Sirius' shoulder, seeing a boy who looked a lot like Stella and Sirius standing beside teenage Snape, both smiling and laughing in the frame. A throat cleared and Harry and Sirius jumped, Sirius almost dropping the photo in the process to find Snape standing behind them with a potion in his hand. He took the picture carefully from Sirius's hands and passed Harry the potion, placing the photo back on the mantle where it had originally sat.

Harry took the calming draught and passed the empty vial back. Snape pointed to a couch and Harry sat, still staring at Snape as he placed a bit of bruise balm on his cheek. Snape sat across from Harry once he finished, leaning forward on his elbows with his hands clasped together.

"Who is that? In the picture Sirius was looking at?" Harry asked.

"Regulus Black, his younger brother. We were both Slytherins and grew close over the years together at Hogwarts," Snape explained. "You need to concentrate on Stella right now. Just relax for a bit and we'll head back towards the lake in half an hour."

Harry sighed and nodded, sitting much like how Snape was and staring down at his own hands. He fidgeted with one of his rings, thinking of how Stella tended to do the same when she was nervous. He'd noticed that Theo and Blaise did it as well and wondered if it was a habit everyone with a family or heir ring had picked up. The magic that hit him every time he played with one of his rings brought him comfort. He was sure it was the same for the others as well.

Harry walked down to the lake with Snape, Remus, and Sirius thirty minutes later, climbing into a boat with the four of them, blending with the crowd of students. He thought about Stella down there, floating in the water and waiting for him to come save her. He thought about her staying down there forever if he didn't make it to her and wondered if the Slytherins could see her from the common room, if she would become a permanent fixture in the lake.

He shook his head roughly. That wouldn't happen. There was no way Dumbledore would allow people to be lost under the lake. Especially not a little kid like Snape had described. Hell, Snape wouldn't allow it and he hated children.

Half an hour later, Snape and Remus walked side-by-side, leading Harry and Sirius out of the dungeons and towards the boats. The four climbed into one together, the other champions getting into boats as well, all looking on edge. Bagman smiled once all of the champions were lined up, ready to jump into the lake.

"Sonorus!" Bagman cast so his voice boomed out across the dark water, the students and staff all quieting quickly. "Our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have exactly one hour to recover the one most important to them. On the count of three, then. One… two… three!"

Harry tossed his cloak aside, cast the warming charm and then the bubblehead charm, and then dove head first into the lake. He used a propelling charm to get himself through the water faster. He remembered Snape mentioning the merpeople having taken Stella down into the lake and was willing to bet half his Gringotts account that the merpeople still had them now.

He could only see ten feet around him, the water so dark around him. He could just barely make out new scenes as he sped through the water; forests of rippling, tangled black weeds, wide plains of mud littered with dull, glimmering stones. He swam deeper and deeper, out toward the middle of the lake, his eyes wide, staring through the eerily gray-lit water around him to the shadows beyond, where the water became opaque.

Small fish flickered past him like silver darts. Once or twice he thought he saw something larger moving ahead of him, but when he got nearer, he discovered it to be nothing but a large, blackened log, or a dense clump of weed. There were no signs of the other champions, merpeople, Stella, or- thankfully- the giant squid.

Light green weed stretched ahead of him as far as he could see, two feet deep, like a meadow of very overgrown grass. Harry was staring unblinkingly ahead of him, trying to discern shapes through the gloom. Then, without warning, something grabbed ahold of his ankle.

Harry twister his body around and saw a grindylow poking out of the weed, its long fingers clutched tightly around his leg, its pointed fangs bared. Harry pointed his wand quickly.

"Relashio!" he shouted.

The grindylow screeched, bubbles flying from its mouth as it swam away quickly. He got away from the weeds quickly, shooting spells every so often at a grindylow that got a bit too brave.

"How are you getting on?"

Harry thought he was having a heart attack. He whipped around and saw Moaning Myrtle floating hazily in front of him, gazing at him through her thick, pearly glasses.

"Myrtle!" Harry shouted, causing her to giggle.

"You want to try over there!" she said, pointing. "I won't come with you. I don't like them much. They always chase me if I get too close."

Harry thanked her before swimming forward once more, careful to swim a bit higher over the vast expanses of black mud now, which swirled murkily as he disturbed the water. Then, at long last, he heard a snatch of haunting mersong.

" An hour long you'll have to look, And recover what we took…"

Harry swam faster and soon saw a large rock emerge out of the muddy water ahead. It had paintings of merpeople on it; they were carrying spears and chasing what looked like the giant squid. Harry swam past the rock, following the mersong.

"…your time's half gone, so tarry not. Lest what you seek stays here to rot…"

A cluster of crude stone dwellings stained with algae loomed suddenly out of the gloom on all sides. Here and there at the dark windows, Harry saw faces . . . faces that bore no resemblance at all to the painting of the mermaid in the prefects' bathroom. . . .

The merpeople had grayish skin and long, wild, dark green hair. Their eyes were yellow, as were their broken teeth, and they wore thick ropes of pebbles around their necks. They leered at Harry as he swam past; one or two of them emerged from their caves to watch him better, their powerful, silver fish tails beating the water, spears clutched in their hands.

Harry sped on, staring around, and soon the dwellings became more numerous; there were gardens of weed around some of them, and he even saw a pet grindylow tied to a stake outside one door. Merpeople were emerging on all sides now, watching him eagerly, pointing at his webbed hands and gills, talking behind their hands to one another. Harry sped around a corner and a very strange sight met his eyes.

A whole crowd of merpeople were floating in front of the houses that lined what looked like a mer-version of a village square. A choir of merpeople was singing in the middle, calling the champions toward them, and behind them rose a crude sort of statue; a gigantic merperson hewn from a boulder. Four people were bound tightly to the tail of the stone merperson.

Stella floated between Cho Chang and a small girl with brilliant blond hair. A woman who must be Krum's mother floated on the other side of Cho. Harry didn't care though, his eyes were locked on Stella. He propelled himself forward, hands going to her face instantly. She looked like she were just asleep but he needed to get her out of here. He sank a bit, slicing the weed away from her and wrapping his arm around her waist before using his wand to propel himself away from the others, back the way he came but above the weeds by quite a bit. The last thing he needed was a grindylow grabbing at Stella.

Next thing Stella knew, she was breathing cold, clean air again, lake water getting into her mouth and causing her to cough it back up. She felt arms around her and turned her head, finding Harry helping hold her up, his bubble gone as he began pulling her towards the shore. The warming potion was beginning to wear off so she swam beside Harry, reaching up once they were at the dock and taking Snape's and Percy's hands and the two pulled her up. Harry came up right beside her with the help of Sirius and Remus, blankets being thrown onto both of them by Madam Pomfrey.

Harry pushed the blankets and the hands of Pomfrey and Remus away, grabbing Stella and pulling her close. He grabbed her face between his hands and kissed her hard. Stella didn't even have time to respond before he pulled away.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, do you understand me?" he told her, voice thick with emotion.

"Okay," she nodded, still in shock.

Harry pulled Stella into a tight hug as blankets were wrapped around the both of them. Stella was blushing hard and happy that her face was hidden in Harry's chest. The crowd behind them was making a great deal of noise; shouting and screaming, all on their feet. Fleur had already returned, having been attacked by the Grindylows. Cedric arrived a minute after the hour with Cho, followed by Krum and his mother, Krum's head turning from that of a shark to a human again. The merpeople swam to the shore, bringing with them Fleur's little sister, who gasped once she had surfaced. Stella and Fleur moved forward, pulling the little girl up quickly and tossing their own blankets on her.

"Was I brave?" the little girl asked.

"The bravest," Stella smiled brightly. "Your sister is very proud."

"You are?" the girl asked, eyes going wide as she stared at Fleur.

"So proud," Fleur sniffled. "I'm so sorry. Ze water demons…"

"It's okay," the girl smiled. "Mizz Black promized I'd be okay."

"She did?" Fleur asked.

"She did."

Fleur gave Stella a grateful, tear filled look as she held her little sister to her chest.

"I have a little sister," Stella told her. "I get it."

"Stell!" Ginny yelled, rushing forward.

"Speaking of," Stella smirked, standing and hugging Ginny tightly, Ron, Percy, and the twins joining the hug immediately. "I'm fine."

Stella looked over to find Harry being fussed over by Sirius, Hermione, and Madam Pomfrey. She gave him a smile when he looked over to her, as if pleading for help. Bagman's voice broke over the crowd and Stella moved to Harry's side, siblings dragged along behind her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. We will be awarding points out of fifty.

"Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the bubblehead charm, was attacked by Grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."

"I deserved zero," said Fleur throatily, shaking her magnificent head.

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was the last to return with his hostage. We award him forty points."

Applause rang out, Karkaroff clapping particularly hard, looking superior.

"Cedric Diggory, who also used a bubblehead charm, returned second and a minute outside of the hour. We therefore award him forty-five points."

Enormous cheers from the Hufflepuffs in the crowd and Cho gave Cedric a glowing look.

"And finally, Harry Potter, who returned in forty-five minutes with his hostage and used the bubblehead and advanced heating charms, charms he will not be learning until his sixth year in school. We award him fifty points."

Stella would have gone deaf from the cheering had she not been cheering along with them. She jumped into Harry's arms, hugging him tightly. He laughed as he caught her, squeezing her in his arms.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered to him before he set her down.

His eyes were shining and the smile on his face was so bright he could have lit all of Hogwarts with it. He kissed her head, pulling her to his side so he could continue holding her.

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," Bagman continued. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."

Stella was beyond happy that it was over and took her wand back from Snape, who she'd left it with the night before. She cast drying and warming charms on herself, the champions, and the other hostages. She decided it was time to get back up to the castle. She was starving.

Stella wasn't typically bothered by Rita Skeeter being a hag. She'd been mad when she'd read what Rita had written about her dad and a bit peeved about the article about Hagrid. She was coming after Stella now though. Harry and Stella's kiss was all over Witch Weekly, along with a handful of other photos of the two, including when Stella had snuck into the champions tent to hug Harry once more before facing the dragons. There was even a moving picture that flashed between Stella cheering for Harry when he got his egg and going to Harry staring at Stella in the crowd, smiling brightly as he held the egg up, as if saying he'd gotten it for her.

'Harry Potter: A Champion For Love

A boy who illegally entered a tournament just to prove himself to a witch, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter has finally found solace in one Stella Black at Hogwarts. It seems his plan to woo Stella Black through the tournament had finally paid off.

"The two are always together," says Dean Thomas, a fourth-year student. "We all thought they'd been together since first-year, but I guess not."

This begs the question: Did young Harry enter the tournament illegally just to finally get the girl?'

The article went on, beginning to question if Stella had been leading Harry on for press, but Snape snatched the article from Stella's hands, rolling it up and sticking it in his robes as he continued walking around the room, checking on everyone's potions. Stella smirked and rolled her eyes, her potion simmering away and waiting for her to add the rose petals in ten minutes time. Stella leaned back in her chair, foot going to the edge of the table and rocking herself back and forth on the back two legs of her chair. Blaise and Theo rolled their eyes as they watched her, both smirking in the process.

They hadn't been able to break Stella off her high in two days since Harry had kissed her. They hadn't talked about it since and we're acting just as they always did, holding hands and talking in hushed voices, sneaking around the castle with the map and cloak every chance that they got. It felt no different than it always did and Stella was actually a bit happy about it. She worried things would get awkward if they tried talking about it or labeling anything. They hadn't kissed since and Stella worried that Harry had only kissed her due to how relieved he'd been to have her out of the water but she wasn't willing to ask in order to protect her own feelings.

Snape held her after class and the Slytherins laughed as Stella groaned. She packaged up all of her potion, labeling each of them and setting them in a crate for Snape as she waited for him to give her a detention. He didn't though. Instead, he waited for her to finish, looking apprehensive, as if he wasn't sure he wanted to have the conversation that he was gearing up for.

"You're killing me here, sir," Stella finally complained. "The expense is not good for my heart."

"Are you or any of your friends stealing from my personal stores?" Snape asked her straight out.

"I wouldn't steal from you, sir. If I needed an ingredient, I would order it myself or just ask," she shook her head. "As far as I'm aware, none of the Gryffindors or Slytherins are stealing from you, either. I can ask around though. What are they stealing?"

"Lacewing flies, boomslang skin…"

"Polyjuice," Stella mumbled, nodding her head before straightening, an idea forming in her head. "Sir, what if it isn't a student?"

"Do you mean that you think a member of the staff is stealing it?" Snape asked. "I've considered it but I wanted to ask if you knew about it first."

"What if whoever put Harry's name in is wondering around dressed like someone else?" Stella asked.

Snape and Stella just stared at one another at the revelation.

The next Hogsmeade visit, Stella was skipping along down the sidewalk with Tracy and Ginny, the three walking into the joke shop together. They weren't there to actually shop. Fred and George had been kicked out last visit because they were looking over the joke items, trying to find a way to make them better. The three split up, sneakily writing down the descriptions of specific items before leaving. Theo and Blaise went in after that, writing down different item descriptions before leaving as well. The five headed to the Three Broomsticks, smiling as they ran in, passing their lists over to the twins who already had lists from Remus and Sirius in their hands.

The five joined Sirius, Remus, Harry, Hermione, and Ron in the corner, butterbeers already waiting on all of them, along with a bit of food to snack on. Once they returned to the school, Theo dragged Stella with him and the other Slytherins to the dungeons, claiming Stella needed to help him with a bit of runes work, which Stella knew was a lie but didn't want to call Theo out on it. She was far too interested to know what was going on.

"There's a party tonight," Tracy explained as they joined the other fourth years. "It's only supposed to be fifth years and up but we're sneaking into it."

"Oh. Simple enough," Stella shrugged.

"Not simple enough," Draco argued. "We've no clue where it is. The seventh years said that we could go if we could find it and no one below fifth year has been able to do it in years."

Stella just sighed before turning her eyes on Draco, brow raised and smirk on her face. Draco just shook his head as Stella left with the other girls to get ready. Stella pulled on ripped jeans and a halter top before braiding her hair back and adding glitter eyeshadow to her makeup, along with a bit of glitter lip gloss and glitter body spray. The other girls were dressed much the same and Stella grabbed the map, whispering and tapping it with her wand, watching as it came to life. There were quite a few fourth years wondering around, trying to follow the older students, but the older students were obviously onto them, leading them in circles before taking a secret passageway and disappearing.

She found Harry, Ron, Dean, and Seamus making their way towards the dungeons and Stella had an idea that she knew exactly what they were coming to her for. She smirked before following the other fourth years out of the dorm, eyes glued to the map and watching as the older students snuck around, doing their best to avoid the patrolling teachers, prefects helping hide them as they went.

"Seventh floor," Stella told her group and they all stopped, turning to her in confusion and she just smirked, folding the map and heading out of the common room, smirking when Harry pulled the cloak off of them, Harry stuffing it into his pocket.

"We tried following the twins," Ron offered.

"Seventh floor," Stella smiled. "They're all disappearing off of the map though so we need to hurry. Snape is heading this way from his office. Let's go."

The fourth years snuck around the school, Stella pulling out the map every so often and watching for teachers. They made it to the seventh floor, finding Flint and Montague standing in front of a blank wall. The two smirked when they saw Stella, as if completely unsurprised that she'd found them.

"Unplottable room?" she asked them, point at the wall.

"Watch," Flint smirked as Montague walked pass the wall three times and a door appeared.

"Cool," Stella and Ron breathed before Flint opened the door, allowing them in.

Music was blaring and lights were flashing across the room. Stella grabbed Tracy's and Pansy's hands, pulling them to the dance floor immediately. The three girls began dancing together, grinding against one another like the others were all doing. Theo and Harry each had a spiked butterbeer, watching the three girls. Well, Harry was watching Stella and Theo was watching the people around them, making sure that no one was trying to encroach on the girl's space. Daphne, Lily, Millicent, and Blaise joined the dancing quickly, Blaise spinning Stella in a few circles before dancing with Pansy. Daphne pulled Stella's braid out, letting her black hair fly freely. Harry saw the moment that the twins and Ron saw how Stella was dancing, all three immediately rushing over to her. He and Theo moved quickly, Theo accidentally stepping in their way and Harry grabbing Stella's hips, dancing with her himself.

She grabbed his butterbeer, taking a small sip and finding it spiked with Firewhiskey. She smirked before taking a long swig of it and passed it back. The crowd was full and everyone was jumping up and down with the music, yelling the lyrics to a Weird Sisters song. Stella couldn't remember ever having had so much fun before. She danced until she felt like she were literally going to drop and drank until her brain went a bit fuzzy.

The older students helped them sneak back to the common room, Stella showing the map to Flint so the Slytherins could get back easier, Harry and the other fourth year Gryffindors struggling to stay under the cloak as they followed the twins away.

On Monday, Stella got a bit of hate mail from Harry's admirers. She'd rolled her eyes and set the letters on fire, ignoring them as they burnt on the table in front of her breakfast. Hate mail continued coming and Stella decided to have a bit of fun with it. After casting a charm and getting rid of anything that glowed red, she passed the letters around, along with red quills. She, Blaise, Theo, Draco, Tracy, and Pansy began grading the letters, giving points for creativity and taking points for spelling and grammatical errors. Snape walked pass them one morning, stopped mid-step, walked a few paces backwards, and looked down to see what they were doing before sighing and rolling his eyes before moving on.

Hermione hung back after class to speak with Moody one day. Stella was helping a few of the students with small injuries from the rigorous test of hex-deflection they'd had in class. Most of the Slytherins had gotten out without any sort of injury, but a few of the Gryffindors hadn't been so lucky. Harry had a bad case of Twitchy Ears and Stella was working on the left one while Blaise worked on the right one as they walked away from the class.

"Well, Rita's definitely not using an Invisibility Cloak!" Hermione panted five minutes later, catching up with everyone in the entrance hall. "Moody says he didn't see her anywhere near the judges' table at the second task or anywhere near the lake."

"Hermione, is there any point in telling you to drop this?" Ron asked.

"Who are we talking about? Drop what?" Tracy asked.

"Rita Skeeter," Hermione answered. "She's getting around the grounds somehow but she's banned. I'm trying to figure out how. And, no, Ron, I won't drop it. I want to know how she found out about Hagrid's mum!"

"Maybe she had Hagrid bugged?" Harry offered.

"Aren't you two ever going to read 'Hogwarts, A History'?"

"What's the point? You know it by heart. We can just ask you!"

"All those substitutes for magic Muggles use — electricity, computers, and radar, and all those things — they all go haywire around Hogwarts, there's too much magic in the air," Theo explained before seeing everyone's shocked expressions. "I read the book and I'm in Muggle Studies with Blaise and Stella."

"Rita's using magic to eavesdrop, she must be. . . . If I could just find out what it is . . . ooh, if it's illegal, I'll have her . . ." Hermione stated, giving Theo an impressed look.

"I'll help," Theo nodded and the two left towards the library.

"If they ever decide to take over the world, I'm immediately siding with them," Blaise commented.

"Agreed," everyone nodded.

The start of the summer term would usually mean Quidditch, Quidditch, and more Quidditch. Quidditch was cancelled this year though and Stella was tired of homework. She marched up to Flint after classes one day, hands on her hips.

"Gather the team and reserves. We're going to go play a game of Quidditch," she told him before striding away, Blaise and Draco following Stella without having to be told twice.

The three were already changed and in the air by the time the rest of the team joined them, most of Slytherin following behind, Snape included. The pitch looked… wrong though. Stella was studying it before realizing what was happening and flying over to Snape, floating beside him.

"The maze?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered. "I'll move to the stands and tell everyone to stay off the ground. Tell those ones up there for me."

"Yes, sir," Stella nodded, zooming off at top speeds.

Stella passed the message on to the team that they needed to stay off of the ground, which was going to be being used for the final task. The team all nodded before splitting off into teams mixed with reserves and first line members. The snitch flew into the air, buzzing around Stella and Draco before disappearing. Neither of them were really fused about catching it, having agreed to play as chasers for a while before they went looking for the snitch, Theo setting a timer for them and sitting at the commentator stands to keep score and speak into the microphone for the rest of the Slytherin house.

The bludgers flew into the air and then the Quaffle was tossed into the air by a second-year. The game began. Stella grabbed the quaffle first, tossing it to Flint who passed to Montague, who passed to Lee. Lee dropped the ball and Blaise caught it but Stella dipped down, kicking the ball out of his hands and back to Flint, who put the quaffle away pass Lofthouse. She could tell why Lee and Lofthouse hadn't made first line as she flew off after Blaise, who was now in possession of the Quaffle. Crabbe hit a bludger, sending it right in front of Blaise and causing him to pull back, throwing the ball to Baker quickly, who passed to Morris, to Daley to Pucey. Pucey barely dodged a bludger sent at him by Mulciber and threw the Quaffle towards the goal post, just barely getting it pass Evergreen.

Back and forth they played, none of them holding back, even against their own teammates. This was how the Slytherin team played, rough and without bias. The timer went off an hour into the game and Stella threw the Quaffle into the goal post before soaring high into the air, her and Draco flying around quickly, searching for the small golden orb. That's when Stella realized that the stands had filled while she'd been concentrating on the game. She'd thought the cheering and booing had gotten louder but she hadn't realized that most of Hogwarts and all of the students from the visiting schools had filled the stands, along with a majority of the staff. She ignored it though, flying through the air and searching.

There… right between herself and Draco. He saw it at the same time and their eyes locked for a moment before they both took off at top speeds towards one another. The snitch flew straight up and Stella and Draco both pulled up just in time to not collide, flying so close that their legs kept hitting one another.

"Malfoy and Black have both caught sight of the snitch as Flint puts another goal away for his team!" Theo announced and cheering was heard.

The snitch veered left and down, Stella and Draco following right behind it, Draco ramming into Stella slightly as they straightened. Stella tossed an elbow out and heard Draco hissed as he gave her some room.

"They are not going easy on each other as Malfoy rams into Black and gets an elbow to his ribs for his efforts! Black is pulling ahead! They're both reaching forward! Bludger!"

Stella and Draco both flew up immediately, avoiding the bludger that Goyle had sent their way.

"Zabini puts another away, bringing the score to 300 to 270, still in Flint's favor! Lee with the Quaffle now! Can he keep ahold of it this time? Really showing why you're only a reserve there, Lee!" Theo laughed.

Stella and Draco began flying around again, searching for the snitch when Stella caught sight of it again, flying straight for it through the game, making Lee drop the ball again. They really needed a different reserve next year. Draco wasn't close enough to get to her and he yelled for Goyle to hit a bludger but it was too late. Stella's hand was outstretched. Her fingers wrapped around the snitch and she pulled up with a shout of victory, hand held high in the air, golden wings flapping uselessly between her fingers.

Cheers filled the crowd as Theo screamed the score, declaring Flint's team the winners. The team changed quickly, storing all of their equipment before Flint lifted Stella into the air. He cheered as he carried her into the crowd as they headed back to the castle. Stella laughed as cheers reached her ears. She'd missed Quidditch, but she'd also missed winning.

Stella threw herself into studying, determined to become top of their class again. It almost felt like everything was back to normal minus that feeling of dread that took over every so often when she thought of the final task and everything that could go wrong. She was shocked when Viktor Krum walked up to her one day and told her she flew 'very vell'. Stella felt rather proud of herself for the rest of the week, standing a bit taller after that. Right up until Harry dragged her to Gryffindor Tower to tell her about Crouch coming out of the forest and talking like a madman.

"It comes down to this," said Hermione, rubbing her forehead. "Either Mr. Crouch attacked Viktor, or somebody attacked both of them when Viktor wasn't looking."

"It must've been Crouch," said Ron at once. "That's why he was gone when Harry and Dumbledore got there. He'd done a runner."

"I don't think so," said Harry, shaking his head. "He seemed really weak — I don't reckon he was up to Disapparating or anything."

"You can't disapparate on Hogwarts grounds," Stella immediately responded.

"Krum attacked Crouch — no, wait for it — and then Stunned himself!" Ron offered.

"And Mr. Crouch evaporated, did he?" said Hermione coldly.

"Oh yeah . . ."

"Just go through it again, Harry," said Hermione. "What did Mr. Crouch actually say?"

"I've told you, he wasn't making much sense," said Harry. "He said he wanted to warn Dumbledore about something. He definitely mentioned Bertha Jorkins, and he seemed to think she was dead. He kept saying stuff was his fault. . . He mentioned his son."

"Well, that was his fault," said Hermione testily.

"He was out of his mind," said Harry. "Half the time he seemed to think his wife and son were still alive, and he kept talking to Percy about work and giving him instructions."

"And . . . remind me what he said about You-Know-Who?" said Ron tentatively.

"I've told you," Harry repeated dully. "He said he's getting stronger."

There was a pause. Then Ron said in a falsely confident voice, "But he was out of his mind, like you said, so half of it was probably just raving. . . ."

"He was sanest when he was trying to talk about Voldemort," said Harry, and Ron winced at the sound of the name. "He was having real trouble stringing two words together, but that was when he seemed to know where he was and know what he wanted to do. He just kept saying he had to see Dumbledore."

There was a heavy silence before Harry started up again.

"If Snape hadn't held me up," Harry said bitterly, "we might've got there in time. 'The headmaster is busy, Potter . . . what's this rubbish, Potter?' Why couldn't he have just got out of the way?"

"Maybe he didn't want you to get there!" said Ron quickly. "Maybe — hang on — how fast d'you reckon he could've gotten down to the forest? D'you reckon he could've beaten you and Dumbledore there?"

"Not unless he can turn himself into a bat or something," said Harry.

"Wouldn't put it past him," Ron muttered.

"Someone's stealing from his personal stores," Stella spoke up. "He asked me if it was me, any of you, or any of the Slytherins a while back. I suggested that whoever put Harry's name in was also stealing from him. They were stealing the ingredients for Polyjuice. Maybe it's all connected?"

"It seems like a bit much, Stella," Hermione sighed.

"Hermione, you're a genius when it comes to memorizing books," Stella stated, deciding to use the sandwich method like mum did when trying to tell her children they needed to work on something. "You don't always see patterns in front of you if they aren't obvious though. However, you're absolutely brilliant."

"Thank you, I think?"

Ron snorted.

"Ron, you're a strategist," Stella offered.

"And?"

"And nothing. Do you see a pattern with everything else happening this year? Harry being entered against his will, someone stealing Polyjuice ingredients, and now Crouch going batty?"

"It all seems like too much to not be connected," Ron nodded and Hermione huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Hermione, Stella's right. You're brilliant, you are, but sometimes, if it's not in a book, you aren't the best at spotting things. Scary brilliant, though."

"Now I really do feel like I'm being insulted," she muttered but said nothing else.

"So, we're looking for someone who's disguised as someone else," Ron spoke up before she decided to.

"Shouldn't be too hard," Stella joked.

Stella and Harry practice dueled under the watchful eyes of Remus and Sirius for three hours before they left for dinner. The two of them had been learning new hexes from the two wizards and trying to figure out what kinds of creatures could be in the maze. Stella and Harry snuck out almost every night to spy on the maze. They'd tried drawing it the first night before watching as the bushes changed completely and they realized that the maze would change every ten minutes or so, making it unmemorizable.

'HARRY POTTER "DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS: The boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is unstable and possibly dangerous, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Alarming evidence has recently come to light about Harry Potter's strange behavior, which casts doubts upon his suitability to compete in a demanding competition like the Triwizard Tournament, or even to attend Hogwarts School.

Potter, the Daily Prophet can exclusively reveal, regularly collapses at school, and is often heard to complain of pain in the scar on his forehead (relic of the curse with which You-Know-Who attempted to kill him). On Monday last, midway through a Divination lesson, your Daily Prophet reporter witnessed Potter storming from the class, claiming that his scar was hurting too badly to continue studying.

It is possible, say top experts at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, that Potter's brain was affected by the attack inflicted upon him by You-Know-Who, and that his insistence that the scar is still hurting is an expression of his deep-seated confusion.

"He might even be pretending," said one specialist. "This could be a plea for attention."

The Daily Prophet, however, has unearthed worrying facts about Harry Potter that Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, has carefully concealed from the wizarding public.

"Potter can speak Parseltongue," reveals Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts fourth year. "There were a lot of attacks on students a couple of years ago, and most people thought Potter was behind them after they saw him lose his temper at a dueling club and set a snake on another boy. It was all hushed up, though. But he's made friends with werewolves and giants too. We think he'd do anything for a bit of power."

Parseltongue, the ability to converse with snakes, has long been considered a Dark Art. Indeed, the most famous Parselmouth of our times is none other than You-Know-Who himself. A member of the Dark Force Defense League, who wished to remain unnamed, stated that he would regard any wizard who could speak Parseltongue "as worthy of investigation. Personally, I would be highly suspicious of anybody who could converse with snakes, as serpents are often used in the worst kinds of Dark Magic and are historically associated with evildoers." Similarly, "anyone who seeks out the company of such vicious creatures as werewolves and giants would appear to have a fondness for violence."

Albus Dumbledore should surely consider whether a boy such as this should be allowed to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Some fear that Potter might resort to the Dark Arts in his desperation to win the tournament, the third task of which takes place this evening.'

"And you were doing so well," Stella sighed before waving her wand, causing the sausages on Draco's plate to explode, getting bits of food all over him, Crabbe, and Goyle. "I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed."

Stella had finished all of her final exams except for History of Magic. She spent the two hours after breakfast in Binn's class, answering questions about the goblin uprising before they were all dismissed. Blaise gave her a piggyback ride to the main hall.

"Mum!" Stella yelled, jumping off of Blaise's back and taking off at a run to the Gryffindor table.

Molly laughed as Stella's arms wrapped around her, hugging her tightly.

Bill, Remus, and Sirius were sitting at the table with Harry as Stella sat down between Harry and Molly, Ginny taking the seat on her mum's other side as she joined, the twins right beside her. It almost felt like they were back at home with how good of a time they were all having.

"Now, why didn't the two of you tell me that you were together?" Molly asked Stella and Harry, causing them both to blush.

"We aren't," Harry spoke up quickly and Stella felt her heart sink but ignored it. "Just friends. Skeeter just happened to get a few good shots."

"And the kiss?" Molly asked, brow raised.

"I was just relieved to have Stella out of the water," Harry admitted scratching the back of his head before looking to Stella. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine," Stella shrugged, giving him a weak smile before turning to Sirius and starting a conversation with him to distract herself.

Molly was uneasy watching Sirius and Stella. She was rather worried that Sirius was going to take Stella back now that he'd been cleared. Stella was as good as her daughter, not that she'd shown it very well in the past few years. She hoped she was doing better now though as she held one of Stella's hands in hers under the table.

There were more courses than usual at the evening feast, which Stella ate with her house mates, the rest of her family staying over with Harry at the Gryffindor table. Stella glanced over every so often, catching Harry drinking the potions she'd passed to him to help him with his nerves so he'd be able to actually eat something. As the enchanted ceiling overhead began to fade from blue to a dusky purple, Dumbledore rose to his feet at the staff table, and silence fell.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now."

Stella applauded for Harry as he and the other champions headed out. Five minutes later, Stella walked out to the stands with her family, which Stella had now decided included Blaise, Theo, and Tracy as they all sat together. The sky was a deep, clear blue now, and the first stars were starting to appear. Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick came walking into the stadium and approached Bagman and the champions. They were wearing large, red, luminous stars on their hats, all except Hagrid, who had his on the back of his moleskin vest. The champions all nodded to McGonagall as she said something to them and then Bagman stood at the front of their small group, wand on his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin. In first, we have Mr. Harry Potter, followed by Mr. Cedric Diggory. In third, Mr. Viktor Krum, and in last, Miss Fleur Delacour."

Stella waved back when Harry waved to their group, the others waving as well.

"On my whistle, Harry will enter the maze!" said Bagman. "Three- two- one—"

He gave a short blast on his whistle and Harry hurried into the maze. Cedric entered five minutes later, followed by Krum, and then Delacour.

"Well, this should be nice and boring," Stella sighed, no display board playing this time. "I don't think they thought this through."

"Definitely not," Molly sighed, getting comfortable in the stands.

"I have some fireworks," Stella offered and Fred and George laughed, pulling out their own fireworks.

The three worked together to make a firework show for everyone in the stands. Delacour was pulled out half an hour after going in and Fred and Stella worked together to set off a few more fireworks.

"You should make them more specific," Stella told him. "Make them move and dance on their own."

Fred wrote the idea down quickly, adding a few other notes as well. Krum came out another half hour later. It was just Harry and Cedric left now. A Hogwarts champion either way. It was over an hour later when Harry and Cedric both appeared with the cup. Stella knew something was wrong as everyone began celebrating around them. Stella pushed to the front, Sirius and Remus directly behind her.

Dumbledore pulled Harry up, revealing Cedric's dead body. Stella rushed forward, pulling Harry close as he was trying to clutch Cedric's body still.

"It's him. He's back. Voldemort's back," Harry sobbed.

"My God – Diggory," Fudge whispered. "Dumbledore. Harry, let go."

Dumbledore, Remus and Sirius tried as well but Harry refused.

"Harry," Stella whispered into his ear. "He's safe now. Dumbledore is here. I've got you. Let go."

Harry released Cedric, still sobbing as he fell against Stella.

"He wanted me to bring him back," Harry muttered. "He wanted me to bring him to his parents."

"You did so well, Harry. You got him back."

There was screaming and sobbing and Stella could see Amos Diggory pushing through the crowd. Someone pulled Stella and Harry up, leading them away from the crowd as the adults tried to figure out what to do. Stella could tell that it was Moody due to the 'clunk, clunk, clunk' of his wooden leg.

"What happened, Harry?" Moody asked.

"The cup was a portkey," said Harry as they crossed the entrance hall. "Took me and Cedric to a graveyard… and Voldemort was there… Lord Voldemort…"

Up the marble stairs they went.

"The Dark Lord was there? What happened then?"

Red flags went up in Stella's mind. The only people she'd heard call Voldemort 'The Dark Lord' were death eaters and their children.

"Killed Cedric… they killed Cedric… Wormtail…"

"The rat was there?" Stella asked, getting distracted by Harry in his fragile stated.

"Made a potion… got his body back…" Harry gasped out.

"The Dark Lord got his body back? He's returned?"

"Dark Lord…" Stella whispered.

"And the Death Eaters came… and then we dueled…"

"You dueled with the Dark Lord?"

"It's you!" Stella yelled, pulling herself and Harry from Moody just as they reached his office.

Her wand was in her hand, pointed at him. Harry was pressed between her and the wall. Moody's wand was on her as well and Stella felt fear creeping in. Harry was still in shock and unable to help. She would die before letting someone hurt him and the chances of that happening were very high in the moment as she stared down the wand of a wizard much more experienced than she.

"You Blacks," Moody growled out. "Far too clever for your own good, the whole lot of you."

"So I've been told," Stella shrugged.

"Get in, or I'll kill you in front of him."

"You're going to do that either way," Stella argued. "I won't let you hurt him."

"It can't be you," Harry spoke up.

"It hasn't been easy, Harry, guiding you through these tasks without arousing suspicion. I have had to use every ounce of cunning I possess, so that my hand would not be detectable in your success. Dumbledore would have been very suspicious if you had managed everything too easily. As long as you got into that maze, preferably with a decent head start — then, I knew, I would have a chance of getting rid of the other champions and leaving your way clear. But I also had to contend with your stupidity. The second task . . . that was when I was most afraid we would fail. I was keeping watch on you, Potter. I knew you hadn't worked out the egg's clue, so I had to give you another hint —"

"You didn't," Harry said hoarsely. "Cedric gave me the clue —"

"Who told Cedric to open it underwater? I did. I trusted that he would pass the information on to you. Decent people are so easy to manipulate, Potter. I was sure Cedric would want to repay you for telling him about the dragons, and so he did. But even then, Potter, even then you seemed likely to fail. I was watching all the time . . . all those hours in the library. Didn't you realize that the book you needed was in your dormitory all along? I planted it there early on, I gave it to the Longbottom boy, don't you remember? Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean. It would have told you all you needed to know about gillyweed. I expected you to ask everyone and anyone you could for help. Longbottom would have told you in an instant. But you did not . . . you did not. . . . You worked with a Slytherin. I shouldn't be surprised. The Blacks and Potters always seem to find one another. Watched it happen when I was in school myself."

Moody's wand was still pointed directly at Stella's heart, hers pointed at his chest as she stayed in front of Harry, refusing to move.

"You had an easier time of it than you should have in that maze tonight, of course," said Moody. "I was patrolling around it, able to see through the outer hedges, able to curse many obstacles out of your way. I Stunned Fleur Delacour as she passed. I put the Imperius Curse on Krum, so that he would finish Diggory and leave your path to the cup clear."

Stella could hear Sirius in her head and carefully pressed her fingers closer together, telling him she was alive and telling him he was on the right path. He assured her that they were almost there.

"The Dark Lord didn't manage to kill you, Potter, and he so wanted to," whispered Moody. "Imagine how he will reward me when he finds I have done it for him. I gave you to him — the thing he needed above all to regenerate — and then I killed you for him. I will be honored beyond all other Death Eaters. I will be his dearest, his closest supporter . . . closer than a son. . . ."

They were one hall over, feet silenced and disillusioned.

"The Dark Lord and I," said Moody, and he looked completely insane now, towering over Harry and Stella, leering down at him, "have much in common. Both of us, for instance, had very disappointing fathers . . . very disappointing indeed. Both of us suffered the indignity, Harry, of being named after those fathers. And both of us had the pleasure . . . the very great pleasure . . . of killing our fathers to ensure the continued rise of the Dark Order!"

"You're mad," Harry said, finally coming back to himself and trying to pull Stella behind him but she wasn't moving.

"Mad, am I?" said Moody, his voice rising uncontrollably. "We'll see! We'll see who's mad, now that the Dark Lord has returned, with me at his side! He is back, Harry Potter, you did not conquer him — and now — I conquer you!

"Avada—"

"Incarcerous!"

"Stupefy!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Three spells hit Moody at the same time and he flew sideways. Stella relaxed instantly, Harry catching her around her waist and holding her up.

"Oh, thank Merlin."

Snape, Remus, and Sirius rushed to the two teens. Sirius pulled Harry into a tight hug as Snape did the same to Stella, Remus standing between them and Moody with his wand raised. Dumbledore and McGonagall rushed pass them, wands also pointed at Moody, who had been blasted into his office.

"To the hospital wing, Potter," McGonagall began.

"No," Dumbledore said sharply.

"Dumbledore, he ought to- look at him- he's been through enough tonight-"

"He will stay, Minerva, because he needs to understand. Miss Black as well," said Dumbledore curtly. "Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery. Harry needs to know who has put him through the ordeal he has suffered tonight and why. Miss Black, I'm sure, is not willing to leave him."

"Damn right," Stella mumbled, still pressed against Snape.

"Moody," Harry said, still in complete disbelief. "How can it have been Moody?"

"It's not Moody, is it?" Stella asked and Dumbledore's eyes moved to her. "It's someone disguised as him."

"The real Moody would not have removed you from my sight, Harry," Dumbledore said quietly. "The moment he took you, I knew. We followed."

Dumbledore bent down over Moody's limp form and put a hand inside his robes. He pulled out Moody's hip flask and a set of keys on a ring. Then he turned to Professors McGonagall and Snape.

"Severus, please fetch me the strongest Truth Potion you possess, and then go down to the kitchens and bring up the house-elf called Winky."

Snape's arms tightened around Stella, showing how much he didn't want to leave her in the moment.

"I've got her," Remus's soft voice spoke and Snape slowly passed Stella over to him. "I've got her. Go."

Stella was pulled into the office by Remus with Sirius, Harry, and McGonagall, Dumbledore already inside, having floated Moody in ahead of himself. Dumbledore walked over to the trunk with seven locks, fitted the first key in the lock, and opened it. It contained a mass of spell books. Dumbledore closed the trunk, placed a second key in the second lock, and opened the trunk again. The spell books had vanished; this time it contained an assortment of broken Sneakoscopes, some parchment and quills, and what looked like a silvery Invisibility Cloak. Stella watched, astounded, as Dumbledore placed the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth keys in their respective locks, reopening the trunk, and each time revealing different contents. Then he placed the seventh key in the lock, threw open the lid, and Stella gasped as Harry let out a cry of amazement.

They were looking down into a kind of pit, an underground room, and lying on the floor some ten feet below, apparently fast asleep, thin and starved in appearance, was the real Mad-Eye Moody. His wooden leg was gone, the socket that should have held the magical eye looked empty beneath its lid, and chunks of his grizzled hair were missing.

Dumbledore climbed into the trunk, lowered himself, and fell lightly onto the floor beside the sleeping Moody. He bent over him.

"Stunned — controlled by the Imperius Curse — very weak," he said. "Of course, they would have needed to keep him alive. Remus, throw down the imposter's cloak — he's freezing. Madam Pomfrey will need to see him, but he seems in no immediate danger."

Remus released Stella and did as instructed. Stella felt cold and weak without someone holding her up and she fell into a chair. Once the real Moody was covered, Remus gave Dumbledore a hand up out of the trunk. Dumbledore picked up the hip flask then, unscrewed it, and turned it over. A thick glutinous liquid splattered onto the office floor.

"Polyjuice," Stella stated, staring at the potion. "It's old though. Would have only lasted twenty minutes at a time."

"Correct, Miss Black," Dumbledore nodded. "You see the simplicity of it, and the brilliance. For Moody never does drink except from his hip flask, he's well known for it. The imposter needed, of course, to keep the real Moody close by, so that he could continue making the potion. You see his hair . . ." Dumbledore looked down on the Moody in the trunk. "The imposter has been cutting it off all year, see where it is uneven? But I think, in the excitement of tonight, our fake Moody might have forgotten to take it as frequently as he should have done . . . We shall see."

Before their very eyes, the face of the man on the floor began to change. The scars were disappearing, the skin was becoming smooth; the mangled nose became whole and started to shrink. The long mane of grizzled gray hair was withdrawing into the scalp and turning the color of straw. Suddenly, with a loud clunk, the wooden leg fell away as a normal leg regrew in its place; next moment, the magical eyeball had popped out of the man's face as a real eye replaced it; it rolled away across the floor and continued to swivel in every direction.

The man before them was pale-skinned, slightly freckles, with a mop of fair hair. Stella had never seen before in her life. Dumbledore looked to her.

"I'm out of answers," she shrugged.

"Barty Crouch," Remus breathed, staring down at the man.

"What?" Stella asked confused.

"Junior," Harry tossed out.

"Good Heavens," McGonagall breathed just as Snape rushed back in.

"Crouch!" he yelled, stopping dead in the doorway. "Barty Crouch!"

Winky peered around Snape's legs. Her mouth wide and she let out a piercing shriek.

"Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you doing here?"

She flung herself forward onto the young man's chest.

"You is killed him! You is killed him! You is killed Master's son!"

"He is simply stunned, Winky," said Dumbledore. "Step aside, please. Severus, you have the potion?"

Snape passed a vial with clear liquid to Dumbledore before returning to Stella, kneeling in front of her.

"Veritaserum?" she asked in a whisper and Snape nodded, passing her a potion as well. "I'm okay."

"It'll make me feel better," Snape stated.

Stella sighed before taking the potion, drinking it quickly and passing the empty vial back to her professor. He nodded and stood, passing a vial to Sirius for Harry, another calming draught. Dumbledore poured three drops inside the man's mouth. Then he pointed his wand at the man's chest and said, "Rennervate."

Crouch's son opened his eyes. His face was slack, his gaze unfocused. Dumbledore knelt before him, so that their faces were level.

"Can you hear me?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"Yes," man muttered, still tied up by the black ropes that Remus had conjured.

"I would like you to tell us," said Dumbledore softly, "how you came to be here. How did you escape from Azkaban?"

Crouch took a deep, shuddering breath, then began to speak in a flat, expressionless voice.

"My mother saved me. She knew she was dying. She persuaded my father to rescue me as a last favor to her. He loved her as he had never loved me. He agreed. They came to visit me. They gave me a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my mother's hairs. She took a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my hairs. We took on each other's appearance."

Winky was shaking her head, trembling.

"Say no more, Master Barty, say no more, you is getting your father into trouble!"

But Crouch took another deep breath and continued in the same flat voice. "The dementors are blind. They sensed one healthy, one dying person entering Azkaban. They sensed one healthy, one dying person leaving it. My father smuggled me out, disguised as my mother, in case any prisoners were watching through their doors.

"My mother died a short while afterward in Azkaban. She was careful to drink Polyjuice Potion until the end. She was buried under my name and bearing my appearance. Everyone believed her to be me."

The man's eyelids flickered.

"And what did your father do with you, when he had got you home?" said Dumbledore quietly.

"Staged my mother's death. A quiet, private funeral. That grave is empty. The house-elf nursed me back to health. Then I had to be concealed. I had to be controlled. My father had to use a number of spells to subdue me. When I had recovered my strength, I thought only of finding my master . . . of returning to his service."

"How did your father subdue you?" said Dumbledore.

"The Imperius Curse," Crouch said. "I was under my father's control. I was forced to wear an Invisibility Cloak day and night. I was always with the house-elf. She was my keeper and caretaker. She pitied me. She persuaded my father to give me occasional treats. Rewards for my good behavior."

"Master Barty, Master Barty," sobbed Winky through her hands. "You isn't ought to tell them, we is getting in trouble. . . ."

"Did anybody ever discover that you were still alive?" said Dumbledore softly. "Did anyone know except your father and the house-elf?"

"Yes," said Crouch, his eyelids flickering again. "A witch in my father's office. Bertha Jorkins. She came to the house with papers for my father's signature. He was not at home. Winky showed her inside and returned to the kitchen, to me. But Bertha Jorkins heard Winky talking to me. She came to investigate. She heard enough to guess who was hiding under the Invisibility Cloak. My father arrived home. She confronted him. He put a very powerful Memory Charm on her to make her forget what she'd found out. Too powerful. He said it damaged her memory permanently."

"Why is she coming to nose into my master's private business?" sobbed Winky. "Why isn't she leaving us be?"

"Tell me about the Quidditch World Cup," said Dumbledore.

"Winky talked my father into it," said Crouch, still in the same monotonous voice. "She spent months persuading him. I had not left the house for years. I had loved Quidditch. Let him go, she said. He will be in his Invisibility Cloak. He can watch. Let him smell fresh air for once. She said my mother would have wanted it. She told my father that my mother had died to give me freedom. She had not saved me for a life of imprisonment. He agreed in the end.

"It was carefully planned. My father led me and Winky up to the Top Box early in the day. Winky was to say that she was saving a seat for my father. I was to sit there, invisible. When everyone had left the box, we would emerge. Winky would appear to be alone. Nobody would ever know.

"But Winky didn't know that I was growing stronger. I was starting to fight my father's Imperius Curse. There were times when I was almost myself again. There were brief periods when I seemed outside his control. It happened, there, in the Top Box. It was like waking from a deep sleep. I found myself out in public, in the middle of the match, and I saw, in front of me, a wand sticking out of a boy's pocket. I had not been allowed a wand since before Azkaban. I stole it. Winky didn't know. Winky is frightened of heights. She had her face hidden."

"Master Barty, you bad boy!" whispered Winky, tears trickling between her fingers.

"So you took the wand," said Dumbledore, "and what did you do with it?"

"We went back to the tent," said Crouch. "Then we heard them. We heard the Death Eaters. The ones who had never been to Azkaban. The ones who had never suffered for my master. They had turned their backs on him. They were not enslaved, as I was. They were free to seek him, but they did not. They were merely making sport of Muggles. The sound of their voices awoke me. My mind was clearer than it had been in years. I was angry. I had the wand. I wanted to attack them for their disloyalty to my master. My father had left the tent; he had gone to free the Muggles. Winky was afraid to see me so angry. She used her own brand of magic to bind me to her. She pulled me from the tent, pulled me into the forest, away from the Death Eaters. I tried to hold her back. I wanted to return to the campsite. I wanted to show those Death Eaters what loyalty to the Dark Lord meant, and to punish them for their lack of it. I used the stolen wand to cast the Dark Mark into the sky.

"Ministry wizards arrived. They shot Stunning Spells everywhere. One of the spells came through the trees where Winky and I stood. The bond connecting us was broken. We were both Stunned.

"When Winky was discovered, my father knew I must be nearby. He searched the bushes where she had been found and found me lying there. He waited until the other Ministry members had left the forest. He put me back under the Imperius Curse and took me home. He dismissed Winky. She had failed him. She had let me acquire a wand. She had almost let me escape."

Winky let out a wail of despair.

"Now it was just Father and I, alone in the house. And then . . . and then . . ." Crouch's head rolled on his neck, and an insane grin spread across his face. "My master came for me.

"He arrived at our house late one night in the arms of his servant Wormtail. My master had found out that I was still alive. He had captured Bertha Jorkins in Albania. He had tortured her. She told him a great deal. She told him about the Triwizard Tournament. She told him the old Auror, Moody, was going to teach at Hogwarts. He tortured her until he broke through the Memory Charm my father had placed upon her. She told him I had escaped from Azkaban. She told him my father kept me imprisoned to prevent me from seeking my master. And so my master knew that I was still his faithful servant — perhaps the most faithful of all. My master conceived a plan, based upon the information Bertha had given him. He needed me. He arrived at our house near midnight. My father answered the door."

The smile spread wider over Crouch's face, as though recalling the sweetest memory of his life. Winky's petrified brown eyes were visible through her fingers. She seemed too appalled to speak.

"It was very quick. My father was placed under the Imperius Curse by my master. Now my father was the one imprisoned, controlled. My master forced him to go about his business as usual, to act as though nothing was wrong. And I was released. I awoke. I was myself again, alive as I hadn't been in years."

"And what did Lord Voldemort ask you to do?" said Dumbledore.

"He asked me whether I was ready to risk everything for him. I was ready. It was my dream, my greatest ambition, to serve him, to prove myself to him. He told me he needed to place a faithful servant at Hogwarts. A servant who would guide Harry Potter through the Triwizard Tournament without appearing to do so. A servant who would watch over Harry Potter. Ensure he reached the Triwizard Cup. Turn the cup into a Portkey, which would take the first person to touch it to my master. But first —"

"You needed Alastor Moody," said Dumbledore. His blue eyes were blazing, though his voice remained calm.

"Wormtail and I did it. We had prepared the Polyjuice Potion beforehand. We journeyed to his house. Moody put up a struggle. There was a commotion. We managed to subdue him just in time. Forced him into a compartment of his own magical trunk. Took some of his hair and added it to the potion. I drank it; I became Moody's double. I took his leg and his eye. I was ready to face Arthur Weasley when he arrived to sort out the Muggles who had heard a disturbance. I made the dustbins move around the yard. I told Arthur Weasley I had heard intruders in my yard, who had set off the dustbins. Then I packed up Moody's clothes and Dark detectors, put them in the trunk with Moody, and set off for Hogwarts. I kept him alive, under the Imperius Curse. I wanted to be able to question him. To find out about his past, learn his habits, so that I could fool even Dumbledore. I also needed his hair to make the Polyjuice Potion. The other ingredients were easy. I stole boomslang skin from the dungeons. When the Potions master found me in his office, I said I was under orders to search it."

"And what became of Wormtail after you attacked Moody?" said Dumbledore.

"Wormtail returned to care for my master, in my father's house, and to keep watch over my father."

"But your father escaped," said Dumbledore.

"Yes. After a while he began to fight the Imperius Curse just as I had done. There were periods when he knew what was happening. My master decided it was no longer safe for my father to leave the house. He forced him to send letters to the Ministry instead. He made him write and say he was ill. But Wormtail neglected his duty. He was not watchful enough. My father escaped. My master guessed that he was heading for Hogwarts. My father was going to tell Dumbledore everything, to confess. He was going to admit that he had smuggled me from Azkaban.

"My master sent me word of my father's escape. He told me to stop him at all costs. So I waited and watched. For a week I waited for my father to arrive at Hogwarts. At last, one evening, I watched Krum and Potter take a walk and my father came out of the forest. I pulled on my Invisibility Cloak and went down to meet him. He was walking around the edge of the forest. Then Potter came, and Krum. I waited. I could not hurt Potter; my master needed him. Potter ran to get Dumbledore. I Stunned Krum. I killed my father."

"Noooo!" wailed Winky. "Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you saying?"

"You killed your father," Dumbledore said, in the same soft voice. "What did you do with the body?"

"Carried it into the forest. Covered it with the Invisibility Cloak. I walked out of the forest, doubled around behind them, went to meet them. I told Dumbledore Snape had told me to come.

"Dumbledore told me to go and find my father. I went back to where I left him. I transfigured my father's body. He became a bone… I buried it, while wearing the Invisibility Cloak, in the freshly dug earth in front of Hagrid's cabin."

There was complete silence now, except for Winky's continued sobs. Then Dumbledore said, "And tonight . . ."

"I offered to carry the Triwizard Cup into the maze before dinner," whispered Barty Crouch. "Turned it into a Portkey. My master's plan worked. He is returned to power and I will be honored by him beyond the dreams of wizards."

The insane smile lit his features once more, and his head drooped onto his shoulder as Winky wailed and sobbed at his side.

McGonagall went to fetch Pomfrey for Moody. Remus and Severus kept watch on the office and Dumbledore went in search of Fudge. Sirius and Stella worked together to get Harry to the hospital wing, his leg aching and his arm bleeding.

"Where are the Diggory's?" Harry asked as they went and Stella wondered the same thing.

"Professor Sprout is with them. She was his head of house and knew him best," Sirius explained, voice shaking. "Don't worry about that now. We need to get you taken care of before anything else."

Dumbledore appeared in the hospital wing not long after, Madam Pomfrey returning just before him with Moody. Harry told Dumbledore the events of the graveyard and Stella listened on in horror. When Harry admitted to seeing his parents, Stella held his hand tightly as tears fell from his cheeks. The Weasleys and Hermione appeared, harassing Madam Pomfrey until Dumbledore spoke up, telling them all that they may remain if they remained quiet, Harry needing his rest. A sleeping potion was passed over and Harry gulped it down. He rolled to his side so that he was facing Stella, hand still holding hers tightly. She brushed his hair from his face, giving him a reassuring smile as his eyes fluttered closed.

Harry's breathing evened out and it took Stella a while to look away from him. When she did, she found the others watching them. Stella stood slowly, legs shaking a bit as she moved away, allowing Sirius to take the seat she'd just been in, letting him stay with Harry for a bit. She gave her mum a hug before walking out of the hospital wing. She needed to get to the dungeons. She needed to warn Theo and Blaise of what was coming. She needed to warn her cousin, as well.

No one noticed as Stella slipped away, or if they did, they didn't stop her. Stella made it to the dungeons and stared at the portrait.

"Emerald," she whispered out and the door swung open.

The room quieted the moment Stella stepped in. Stella searched the room, eyes landing on her year mates in the corner around a chess table, none of them playing anymore as she approached them.

"What happened?" Tracy asked, voice soft.

Stella sat between Blaise and Theo.

"I don't know," she lied loud enough for the rest of the room to hear but her eyes told Theo, Blaise, and Draco that they needed to stay. "Harry was given a calming and a sleeping draught. I stayed until I was told to go."

The others around the room bought it, going back to their conversations. The common room began to empty, the four staying exactly where they were until they were finally alone.

"Voldemort is back," she finally told them. "Draco, Theo, your father's were there. I couldn't… I had to warn you. I didn't want you to go home without knowing what may be waiting for you. There were others as well. Harry told us all of them. Macnair, Avery, Crabbe, Goyle… Pettigrew…"

"He's back," Theo whispered, eyes wide in fear.

"He is," Stella nodded.

The four stayed in the common room until the sun came up, all too terrified and too tired to move. They leaned on one another. Stella knew she'd fallen asleep at some point. When she woke, it was to find the three boys still with her. The two couches in the common room had been pushed together and all four teens were wrapped around one another. Remus was standing over them, hand touching her shoulder, alerting her to what had woken her. He inclined his head and Stella carefully unwound herself from the three boys, Remus helping her up. They went straight into Snape's office and Stella took her normal spot, Remus leaning against the desk, arms crossed over his chest and ankle crossed over the top of the other one.

"This summer, you and the Weasley's will be staying in Sirius's childhood home," Remus spoke up. "Hermione and Harry will join you eventually in the summer."

"Where's Professor Snape?" Stella asked.

"He is… he will be alright," Remus shook his head, unable to make eye contact with her.

"You don't sound sure about that and you didn't answer my question," Stella stated, feeling unease working through her.

"Severus is a spy," Remus said, voice soft and waiting for Stella to catch up.

Stella was on her feet in a moment, running out of the office and through the school. Remus ran behind her, trying to get her to stop but she refused. She burst into the hospital wing, looking around and letting out a growl of frustration when she didn't find him among the crowd. She turned to leave, ready to search the entire school, but Remus stopped her, hands on her shoulders.

"Where is he?!" Stella demanded, not caring if she disturbed the patients.

"Stella Nova," Remus breathed.

"WHERE?!" she demanded.

"Miss Black," Dumbledore's voice spoke from behind Remus, stepping into the hospital wing.

"Where?" she asked, tears streaming down her face like the sunlight poured into the hospital wing and voice cracking. "Where did you send him?"

"I am sorry, Miss Black. Professor Snape has been sent to spy on Lord Voldemort."

"No," Stella crumbled, Remus just barely catching her. "No, no, no, no, no."

"He'll be alright," Remus told her.

"How can you be okay with this?" she asked him. "How?"

"Because it is what must be done," Remus whispered to her.

Stella left the school that night with Remus. She couldn't be in the Slytherin common room. Soon, word would reach the children of the death eaters and Remus was worried Stella would be targeted, especially by the older students. She packed her things away while everyone was at the breakfast and Remus shrunk her trunk down, sticking it in his pocket. Harry couldn't look at Stella when she went to see him.

"He was going to kill you," Harry whispered. "He had his wand pointed at you and he was saying the spell. You were going to die to protect me."

"I was," she nodded. "You're my very best friend, Harry. I would do anything to protect you."

"You can't," Harry shook his head. "You can't do that. I won't let you."

"Harry?"

"We can't be seen together anymore. The Slytherins won't like it," Harry stated. "I'm sorry, Stella."

Stella left with Remus after that and the two left for London. Sirius had gone early to the house, unlocking it so that they could enter and beginning his attack on the creatures inside. Stella and Remus walked in to find dust everywhere. Stella wasn't allowed to wander the house alone for the first two weeks before mum and dad joined them, helping to deal with the dirt and creatures.

Speaking of creatures, Kreacher the house elf took one look at Stella and began wailing at her feet. She had stared in horror before kneeling down and assuring him that she was Stella Nova Black, not Celeste Walburga Black back from the grave, a gentle hand on his knobby shoulder.

"I will treat you with the respect that I showed him," Kreacher promised. "Miss will be taken care of."

"Thank you, Kreacher," Stella whispered.

"You have to say that you accept," Sirius spoke up, eyes wide.

"I accept," Stella nodded.

She gasped as magic washed over her. Kreacher actually kneeled in front of her, head bowed. She wondered what Hermione was going to feel about the turn of events when she wrote to her later.

"You may overhear a bit of sensitive information from Order members," Remus told her. "I need you to keep it to yourself though. If too much information gets out, it may hinder our fight against Voldemort."

"Of course," Stella nodded.

The only person she planned to tell was Harry. It turned out that Harry was exactly who they didn't want her to tell.

"I need your word that you won't write to Harry and tell him everything you hear," Dumbledore told her.

"I promise," Stella nodded.

She would leave out the unimportant things that she heard, like what everyone was having for dinner. She liked bending the truth after all.