Chapter Eleven
He tried pulling her up but Stella's legs weren't working. The fear turned to anger as she thought about how much damage this man had just done. She thought about how exhausted Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey were going to be. She didn't even think on the fact that she was in danger, sure that the others were already on the way. Maybe they'd be smart enough to grab a teacher this time around.
"Not going to help?" Sirius Black asked her, seeming exasperated.
"I can't move my legs," she told him through grit teeth.
"What?" he was confused.
"Let. Go. Of. Me," she hissed out and Sirius set her against the side of the bed so she was sitting up.
He looked at her legs in confusion before Scabbers began squeaking again.
"Give him to me," Sirius demanded and Stella hit him with a stunner.
The man was so mad that he'd forgotten to get her wand. She sat there, listening carefully and taking in the room she was in. There were scratches on the floor and walls and Stella realized that this must be where Professor Lupin used to transform at one point. The dog was gone and Stella figured out why pretty quickly, realizing that the dog prints turned into human prints near the door. She hit Sirius with another stunner and then heard the sound of voices downstairs.
"Here!" she screamed. "Up here! I'm here!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione must have been close to the end of the tunnel, because they still sounded as if they were underground but moving close, fast.
"STELLA!" Harry's bellow was louder than anything else.
"UP HERE!" she yelled again and heard the tunnel slam open. "UP STAIRS!"
She could hear them thundering up the stairs and then they came into vision; Harry, then Hermione, and then Ron.
"One of you needs to go back for Professor Snape. I can't move my legs. My spine got refractured when he dragged me up the stairs," she told them, tears of relief leaving her.
Harry was beside her in an instant and Hermione turned back, running towards the tunnel.
"He's an Animagus," Stella told the boys before hitting Sirius with another stunner just in case before passing Scabbers to Ron. "He's the grim. I've seen him around school a few times but thought I was going insane."
"I saw him, too," Harry nodded.
"Professor Lupin is here!" Hermione yelled as she ran up the stairs, Lupin right behind her.
"Stella Nova," Lupin sighed, rushing forward to her.
Stella slipped her wand under her thigh as Lupin tested to see if she could feel him squeezing her ankles. She sniffled as she shook her head. Lupin cursed before he looked to Sirius, stunned on the floor. He stood, walking over to Sirius and staring down at him. Stella was shocked when Lupin pointed his wand at the teens and shot off a spell.
"Expelliarmus," he said and Harry's, Ron's, and Hermione's wands flew into the air and pass him, as they'd had their wands in their hands. "Rennervate."
"Remus," Sirius gasped, staring up at him.
Stella stared in horror as Remus helped Sirius to his feet and the two embraced.
"You killed my parents," Harry spoke up, placing himself so he was in front of Stella, protecting her.
"I don't deny it," Black said very quietly. "But you don't know everything."
"Where is he, Sirius?" Remus asked.
Stella was shocked. This was the man who had stood watch over her and Snape in the hospital wing a few weeks ago and now he had disarmed them and was helping Black. She'd helped with his potions and protected his secrets. Black raised his hand and pointed at Ron and Stella pulled Ron close, trying to push him behind her but Ron angled himself so he was in front of all of them, protecting all three of them at once and not blinking when facing a dark wizard and a werewolf without even a wand in hand.
"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to go through me," Ron said, voice shaking with anger.
"Kill Harry?" Black asked, seeming confused before Lupin took his attention.
"But then… why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless… unless he was the one… unless you switched… without telling me?"
"Does someone want to tell us what the HELL is going on?" Stella demanded, no patience left in her at this point.
Everyone jumped at the sound of Stella's voice except for Ron, who simply cracked his knuckles and prepared himself in case there was to be a fight. Stella's vision gained black dots and she must have passed out because she blinked and the next second Harry was asking her to wake up.
"I'm awake," she breathed out before glancing down at her shoulder, which was leaking blood. "That looks terrible. Do you think he has rabies?"
"Hurry it up, Remus," Black demanded, eyes glued to Stella now. "She needs help."
"You're the one who dragged me in here," she reminded him through grit teeth.
"Scabbers is not Peter Pettigrew," Ron stated and Stella looked in confusion.
"Apparently our fathers and Peter Pettigrew became illegal animagus in school," Harry explained.
"Why is it that every plan I think of someone's already done. It's rather rude," Stella complained. "First, I wanted to make a map of the school and then Fred and George give us one. Then, I wanna become an animagus without telling anyone and apparently that was done by them."
"Also, Lupin is a werewolf," Hermione tossed out.
"Yeah, I know. I help make his potions," Stella shrugged her not bleeding shoulder. "Keep up now, Hermione. I need competition for smartest witch of our age. Don't let me just have it."
"Wait, what?" Hermione asked, confused.
"I can give you another one of Lupin's dirty little secrets if you want?"
"Can we please go back to the subject at hand?" Lupin questioned, seeming annoyed as he glared at Stella.
"Don't look at me in that tone. I'll sick Molly Weasley on you first chance I get," Stella growled out as Harry, who had taken off his hoodie for the task, was applying pressure to Stella's shoulder.
"I've waited twelve years, Remus. I don't want to wait much longer," Black stated and a loud creak caused everyone to turn as the bedroom door opened of its own accord.
"No one there," Remus stated, looking around the landing.
"This place is haunted!" Ron yelled.
"Pretty sure it's not and that story was given because of the, well, werewolf in front of us," Stella grunted out, feeling a hand touch her good shoulder but no one was there.
"She's right," Remus nodded.
"I tend to be. Which is why I'm warning you both to give up now. You aren't going to like what happens next," Stella smirked.
"Oh, and what's that?" Black questioned.
"Well, you see, I'm Professor Snape's favorite student," Stella smirked and suddenly Lupin and Black were both blasted backwards as Snape came into view, tossing Harry's invisibility cloak to him.
"Found this at the base of the Whomping Willow. Very useful, Potter. Thank you."
"Sir, they said something about Peter Pettigrew being an animagus and think it's Scabbers. Is there a way to just check real fast?" Stella requested.
Snape looked at Stella like she was crazy before seeing her pleading look and letting out an annoyed sighed before turning to Ron, who was holding said rat. Ron looked to Stella before passing the rat over. Snape hit Scabbers with a 'Perfectus Totalus' and then placed him on the floor, Black and Lupin groaning as they sat up.
A flash of blue-white light escape Snape's wand and Scabbers turned into a very short man, who had a large bald spot on his head with a thin bit of hair covering it. His skin looked grubby, almost like Scabbers's fur, and something of the rat lingered around his pointed nose and very small, watery eyes. He looked around at them all frozen in place. Remus and Sirius stood slowly, staring down at Peter.
"Oh, ew," Stella complained,
"He slept in our beds," Ron added.
"I'm going to throw up and not from the pain," Stella complained. "However, Harry, love, if you press my shoulder into this bedframe again, I will have no choice but to knock you off your broom next year during Quidditch."
"Not the time, Miss Black," Snape sighed.
"Sorry, sir."
Snape moved forward, pulling up both of Pettigrew's sleeves to reveal the dark mark on his arm.
"Quick question to the escaped convict and the Professor who has had eleven stink pellets successfully placed in his pockets in the past few months: How did you not notice that one of your best friends had been branded with Voldemort's mark?" Stella asked.
"What now?" Harry asked.
"That's Voldemort's mark," Stella told Harry, pointing with her good hand to Pettigrew's arm. "I'm surprised you haven't seen it anywhere honestly."
"Black," Snape said sharply.
"What?" Sirius asked at the same time that Stella responded with, "Yes, sir?"
"Stella," Snape corrected. "Stop."
"I'm paralyzed from the waist down at the moment and about to pass back out from blood loss, sir. This is how I'm coping," she stated.
Snape hit Pettigrew with a spell that caused black ropes to form around him and then moved to Stella. Harry stepped aside and Snape tapped Stella's shoulder, wrapping it and helping with the bleeding. He then tapped her legs with his wand, followed by the back of her neck.
"I told you—" he started.
"Blame the escape convict," Stella stated. "He's the one who dragged me like a ragdoll through a tunnel and up two sets of stairs."
"Can I kill him now?" Black asked, glaring down at Pettigrew.
"And be given the kiss or thrown back in Azkaban due to lack of physical proof?" Snape asked, waving his wand over Stella and beginning to speak Latin.
Stella stayed still, looking around the room with just her eyes as Snape worked. Black's eyes turned to the two and he made to move towards them when Lupin stepped in front of him, stopping him.
"What's he doing?" Black demanded.
"Stella Nova had a life threatening injury in December that left her completely paralyzed. It took a month for her to be able to walk again. She then had another severe injury during the last Quidditch match," Stella was confused by that one but kept herself from moving to ask about it, "which refractured part of her spine. She's been slowly healing but she isn't meant to do anything strenuous because of it for the time being. Dragging her around must have stopped the healing process, which you are witnessing now."
Stella ignored everyone else for the next twenty minutes, closing her eyes as Lupin and Black explained their story in greater detail to the other three. She felt the spell end and opened her eyes, diving to catch Snape as he fell over, exhausted. Her legs were moving again, but she felt sluggish, forcing herself to move when she probably shouldn't be.
"We need to get them both to the hospital wing," Lupin spoke up.
Snape glared at Lupin, but he didn't care, lifting the man into his arms in a bridal carry easily, Stella letting out a snort of laughter. ("Detention, Black." "Sure, sir.") Ron found their wands and began floating Pettigrew in front of him, Hermione walking up front with her wand lit. Stella grabbed her wand and Harry put her arm over his shoulders, his other going around her waist, helping her walk. Black brought up the rear, hands held out in front of him as he made sure Stella wasn't going to fall over. They made their way through the tunnel and Stella suggested the people up front move faster and the others would catch up.
"Not happening," Snape spoke up but he sounded so tired Stella wondered if he would even notice.
"How'd you know he was there?" Harry asked curiously about halfway through the tunnel.
"Professor Snape always knows when I'm in trouble," Stella stated. "Plus, that place isn't haunted. No way did Professor Lupin find us but Professor Snape didn't."
"He does always tend to find you," Harry sighed, shifting Stella's arm a bit.
"Keep going!" Stella called ahead before removing herself from Harry.
She slid down the wall, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breathes. Her legs were beyond tired and her back was hurting. She felt a hand on her knee and knew it wasn't Harry, which left Black. Her eyes opened, meeting the same grey that hers were before she looked down the tunnel, seeing the others having had actually listened to her for once. Harry was kneeled down beside her though, refusing to leave her side.
"I'm fine," she promised him, seeing concern written across his face. "Just need a minute."
"I didn't know how badly you were hurt over Christmas," Harry whispered.
"You wouldn't have considering those two were keeping guard over my bed the entire time," Stella smirked, tilting her head towards the front of the tunnel where Lupin was carrying Snape. "I didn't know the Quidditch injury was so serious… Oh, I have so many jokes."
Black snorted a laugh, a smile stretching over his face.
"I'll tell you about it later considering I kind of broke into the hospital wing to get to you this time," Harry promised. "Think you can go again?"
"Yeah," Stella sighed and Harry helped her to her feet before taking most of her weight, holding her close to his side as they continued down the path.
The others had climbed out of the tunnel, the tree frozen in place somehow. Stella stared at it in confusion before looking to Lupin still holding Snape.
"Take him and then send someone back for us," Stella told him, sitting down against the tree. "I am not going to make it up there."
Lupin looked her over and then started running towards the school. Snape was yelling, arguing with Stella's instructions and not wanting to leave her behind. She just rolled her eyes, thinking of all the 'detention' she was going to end up getting.
"So? How are we all doing tonight?" Stella jokingly asked the group.
"She uses jokes and sarcasm to cope," Ron explained to Black. "You get used to it."
"Or, in Professor Snape's case, you give me detention for most of the year," Stella smirked.
"I can't believe you're a Slytherin," Black shook his head.
"Neither can Mum," Stella grumbled, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. "Think I'll get a nap in."
She could hear Sirius talking to Harry about coming to live with him and Harry agreeing so quickly that it made Stella hate the muggles that he lived with even more than she already did. Hermione stayed beside Stella, asking her every thirty seconds if she was alright. After about fifteen minutes of it, Stella opened her eyes and turned her head to Hermione.
"Granger, I don't think you understand what a nap is," Stella joked, a smirk on her face.
"Professor Lupin is coming back," Ron called to everyone, standing on top of the hill and looking out. "Looks like he's got someone with him."
"Maybe get Sirius out of spell range until they see the rat," Stella suggested.
"Now I believe it," Sirius snorted.
"Was it the sass?" Stella asked with a smirk.
"And the dry humor."
"Yeah, that'll do it."
Sirius sat down beside Stella, Harry standing partially in front of both of them. She rested her head on Hermione's shoulder, letting out a slow breath. Her legs felt rather numb and she kept wiggling her toes every so often to make sure she could still move. Lupin came over the hill, McGonagall directly behind them. She froze when she saw Peter Pettigrew.
"Oh, Merlin," she breathed before she saw Sirius Black sitting beside Stella and Harry standing in front of the two. "I will be requiring a full explanation later. Let's get Miss Black up to the Hospital Wing and Pettigrew and Black to the headmaster."
Lupin went to head towards the kids before he froze in place, letting out a grunt. Stella stared in confusion but Sirius cursed and stood quickly, pushing Harry and Ron behind him before running to Lupin. Stella looked around in confusion before realizing it had suddenly become much brighter.
She looked to the sky and there was the full moon.