Chapter Sixteen
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."
Hermione did not leave, and neither did anyone else. 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 chronic 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 so, 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 time 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, do 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."
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 and Ron must have thought the same thing because they turned their heads towards Stella quickly and they all 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, drink, 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.
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. She waved goodbye to the Gryffindors as she joined the sea of green.
"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.
Classes were cancelled for the day, the teachers knowing the students wouldn't listen anyhow. Stella spent the entire day with Harry, helping him to understand the Potter assets and ledgers a bit better, him giving her permission to look through his portfolio before waving his wand over the book so it became visible for her. Turned out the Potter family had made most of its money from potions, which was hilarious since Harry hated Potions so much. That was due to Snape and how much he hated Harry, though, something that Stella planned on using one of her questions to ask Snape about. She figured it would have something to do with Harry's father, but Harry wasn't his father.
"Seriously?" Stella asked as she walked into the Great Hall for dinner and immediately got tackled by a large, black blur.
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 Slytherin table for dinner and the ceremony. Padfoot trotted by her side, barking at anyone who stared at him for too long before hiding under the table, head resting on Stella's lap.
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 stomping, 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, Stella sounding a bit too much like Molly Weasley as she'd shouted. "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, Blaise sitting beside her. 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. "Thanks."
"When's Sirius' trial?" Blaise asked.
"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, Blaise, 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 before breakfast.
"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 and betrayal 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. 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, Blaise, 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 four 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 the other three that he'd never danced a day in his life. They assured him it would be fine and that they would help him learn, Blaise having received dancing lessons since he was a child. When she told Sirius about it, after he'd finished laughing, he'd explained that he'd been taught to dance as a child as well 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 smiled 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 Sunday morning."