Chapter Twenty-Five
Sure enough, a new decree was waiting in the morning naming Umbitch Headmistress. The office was not allowing her entry though, which Stella found absolutely hilarious. Umbitch approached Stella, Blaise, and Theo after breakfast, offering them 'Inquisitorial Squad' badges, to which Stella couldn't hold back the bark of laughter before simply walking away. Blaise and Theo had smirked and followed after her.
Stella went straight to the twins, who were standing with Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ernie.
"I'm bored," she announced and the smile that she received from the twins caused Ernie, Harry, Hermione, and Ron to take a large step back, Blaise and Theo just smirking from each side of Stella.
"Peeves?" Stella asked, smiling innocently. "Can you get in and out of Umbitch's office?"
"I can," he smirked.
"Can you carry things in?"
"I can."
"How would you feel if I just happened to hand you a few dungbombs to use at your leisure?"
"Inspired."
Stella sat in Defense, leaned back in her chair and looking extremely proud of herself as she rocked back and forth on the back legs of her chair. Umbridge's scream of anger and disgust reached their ears and she sighed happily, tipping her head back and listening with a large smile on her face.
"PEEVES! YOU DISGUSTING POLTERGIEST!"
"UMBITCH IS ANGRY!" Peeves yelled as he flew out of her office and through the classroom.
"Does everyone know how to do a bubblehead charm?" she asked the room and everyone nodded. "You're gonna need it."
The office door opened and the smell of twenty dungbombs reached them. Stella had her bubblehead charm on within seconds, still smiling happily. Umbitch ran out, shooting spells at him. Umbitch saw the entire class wearing bubblehead charms and she glared, eyes falling on Harry as he laughed happily.
"Detention, Potter!"
"Whatever for?" Stella asked, chair landing on all four legs, causing everyone to look to her.
"Finally," Theo sighed, smiling brightly.
"For the dungbombs!"
"I thought that was Peeves?"
"He's laughing!"
"So are all of us."
"And for the article!"
"I don't think you can talk to us about the dungbombs or the article," Stella shook her head. "Neither have anything to do with your subject. We're also not supposed to talk about the article in general so you bringing it up—"
"Detention, Black!"
"Bullshit," Blaise laughed.
"What?"
"He said bullshit," Theo offered. "Do you need to get your ears checked?"
"ALL THREE OF YOU! DETENTION!"
"Okay," Stella shrugged. "Draco, remind me to send a letter to Uncle Lucius later, yeah?"
"Will do," Draco smirked. "I'll just send it along with mine if you like?"
"Oh, that would be wonderful cousin!" Stella smiled happily at him.
"Uncle Lucius? Cousin?" Umbridge looked shocked.
"I'm a Black. Draco's mother is a Black, specifically my father's cousin. Makes Uncle Lucy, well, my uncle," Stella shrugged. "I think he'd be very interested to know that you've broken two decrees set by the ministry this morning. He and the Minister are rather close, you see."
Umbridge looked as if she'd been punched in the stomach.
"Everyone out!" she yelled and they all left.
Stella tossed her defense book onto the ground in the process, as did the other Slytherins, following after her as she left the class, all marching out like a green and silver army preparing for battle. The Gryffindors watched them go, Harry staring at Stella in awe before being pulled away by Ron. Two days later, Filch was looking for Harry and Stella told the twins that they needed a very large distraction at lunch.
Dragons comprised entirely of green-and-gold sparks were soaring up and down the corridors, emitting loud fiery blasts and bangs as they went. Shocking-pink Catherine wheels five feet in diameter were whizzing lethally through the air like so many flying saucers. Rockets with long tails of brilliant silver stars were ricocheting off the walls. Sparklers were writing swearwords in midair of their own accord. Firecrackers were exploding like mines everywhere Stella looked, and instead of burning themselves out, fading from sight, or fizzling to a halt, these pyrotechnical miracles seemed to be gaining in energy and momentum the longer she watched.
Filch and Umbridge were standing, apparently transfixed with horror, halfway down the stairs. As Stella watched, one of the larger Catherine wheels seemed to decide that what it needed was more room to maneuver; it whirled toward Umbridge and Filch with a sinister wheeeeeeeeee. Both adults yelled with fright and ducked and it soared straight out of the window behind them and off across the grounds. Meanwhile, several of the dragons and a large purple bat that was smoking ominously took advantage of the open door at the end of the corridor to escape toward the second floor.
"Hurry, Filch, hurry!" shrieked Umbridge. "They'll be all over the school unless we do something — Stupefy!"
A jet of red light shot out of the end of her wand and hit one of the rockets. Instead of freezing in midair, it exploded with such force that it blasted a hole in a painting of a soppy-looking witch in the middle of a meadow — she ran for it just in time, reappearing seconds later squashed into the painting next door, where a couple of wizards playing cards stood up hastily to make room for her.
"Don't Stun them, Filch!" shouted Umbridge angrily, for all the world as though it had been his suggestion.
"Right you are, Headmistress!" wheezed Filch, who was a Squib and could no more have Stunned the fireworks than swallowed them. He dashed to a nearby cupboard, pulled out a broom, and began swatting at the fireworks in midair; within seconds the head of the broom was ablaze.
Blaise pulled Stella behind a tapestry with Fred and George already there, Harry running in a moment latter, all laughing loudly.
"Impressive," Harry said through his laughter. "Very impressive . . . You'll put Dr. Filibuster out of business, no problem. . . ."
"Cheers," whispered George, wiping tears of laughter from his face. "Oh, I hope she tries Vanishing them next. . . . They multiply by ten every time you try. . ."
"Brilliant," Stella smiled brightly, leaning against Blaise so she'd keep standing from laughing so hard.
The fireworks continued to burn and to spread all over the school that afternoon. Though they caused plenty of disruption, particularly the firecrackers, the other teachers did not seem to mind them very much.
The upshot of it all was that Professor Umbridge spent her first week as headmistress running all over the school answering the summonses of the other teachers, none of whom seemed able to rid their rooms of the fireworks without her.
Stella was laughing as she left Charms, Blaise having to help hold her up again in the process due to how hard she'd been trying not to laugh, Theo leaning on Blaise's other side and having the same issue. Stella'd vanished the firecracker on purpose and Theo'd tossed a stunner at it. Umbridge was so disheveled and soot-blackened that you almost couldn't recognize her.
"Thank you so much, Professor!" said Professor Flitwick in his squeaky little voice. "I could have got rid of the sparklers myself, of course, but I wasn't sure whether I had the authority. . . ."
Beaming, he closed his classroom door in her snarling face. Stella joined the crowd of Gryffindors, walking with them to Gryffindor tower, Blaise and Theo right there with her. In the common room, Fred and George were being treated like heroes. Even Hermione fought her way through the excited crowd to congratulate them.
"They were wonderful fireworks," she said admiringly.
"Thanks," said George, looking both surprised and pleased. "Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-Bangs. Only thing is, we used our whole stock, we're going to have to start again from scratch now. . . ."
"It was worth it, though," said Fred, who was taking orders from clamoring Gryffindors. "If you want to add your name to the waiting list, Hermione, it's five Galleons for your Basic Blaze box and twenty for the Deflagration Deluxe. . . ."
"How much to make more as soon as possible?" Stella asked, pulling out her money bag, Blaise and Theo doing the same behind them. "Oh! Don't drink anything Umbitch offers you. It's got truth potion in it. Snape warned us."
"You are my favorite adopted sister," Fred smiled, lifting her into the air and spinning her.
"I would hope so," she laughed. "I'm the only one you've got."
"Theo…" Hermione said, voice soft.
"Granger," he said back coldly.
The two had broken up after the article. He wasn't mad that Harry told his story. He was upset that Hermione hadn't warned him and had completely ditched him on Valentine's Day. He'd also mumbled something about Stella but had refused to elaborate when Stella had asked him about it, Blaise just shaking his head and refusing to tell her what was going on when she'd ask him.
"How are you?" Hermione asked.
"Spectacular," he said, turning back to the twins and wrapping an arm around Stella's waist. "So, how much?"
"Well, to get some made before Easter holidays… Fifty galleons?" George asked Fred.
"Seventy, actually," Fred corrected.
"Oh, yeah," George sighed.
Stella, Blaise, and Theo passed over seventy galleons each and Stella winked to the twins before leaving. Stella found Harry and Cho arguing the next day by the hourglasses.
"That was a really horrible trick of Hermione Granger's," said Cho fiercely. "She should have told us she'd jinxed that list —"
"You're lucky it wasn't me," Stella spoke up, going to Harry's side without hesitation. "Some boils that spell out 'SNEAK' were the nicer option. Had it been up to me, it would have been painful boils all over her body that she could never get rid of."
"Yes, well, I expect nothing else from a Slytherin," Cho spat back.
"I'm with Stella," Harry said coldly.
"Oh yes, I forgot – of course, if it was darling Hermione's and spectacular Stella's ideas—"
"Don't start crying again," Harry told her and Stella let out a mean laugh.
"I wasn't going to!" she shouted.
"Sure you weren't," Stella laughed again. "All you ever do is cry about something or another. Run along and bother someone else. We're done with it."
Stella grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him away. Cho turned on her heel and stalked off, red in the face.
"You alright?" Stella asked him.
"Yeah," he sighed and Stella released his hand.
"Good. Go calm down and get to remedial potions."
"Hilarious," Harry rolled his eyes.
"Tell him I held you up," she told him. "That way you won't get yelled at."
"Thanks," Harry nodded and left.
Stella saw Draco and Snape rushing up the stairs a few minutes later, Harry not following behind. She headed to Snape's office, opening the door and finding Harry in the pensieve.
"Shit," Stella cursed, rushing over and pulling Harry out.
It was too late though. Snape had returned and he must have thought Stella had been looking as well from the look on his face.
"Having fun?" he asked, face white with rage.
"Sir—" Stella tried.
"Enjoying yourselves?" he asked, grabbing Harry's arm and pulling him further from the pensieve.
"N-no…" Harry said. "Stella didn't—"
"Amusing man, your fathers, weren't they?" said Snape, shaking Harry so hard that his glasses slipped down his nose.
"What?" Stella asked, now extremely curious.
"I — didn't —" Snape threw Harry from him with all his might.
Harry fell hard onto the dungeon floor.
"You will not tell anybody what you saw!" Snape bellowed.
"No," said Harry, getting to his feet as far from Snape as he could. "No, of course I w —"
"Get out, get out, I don't want to see you in this office ever again!"
Harry ran from the office but Stella stayed where she was.
"I said I never want to see you in this office again…" he hissed at her.
"Sir, I wasn't—"
"OUT!" Snape raised his hand, as if ready to strike her.
Stella ran straight into the common room and to her empty dorm room, ignoring Blaise as he called after her. Snape was too angry at whatever Harry had seen to listen to her. She would tell him after potions the next day. She would tell him and everything would be alright. She walked into Potions, taking her normal spot. They took notes all class period and, when the bell rang, Stella went straight to the front of the room. Everyone else left and Stella was staring at Snape, waiting for him to look up.
"Do you have a question about the notes, Black?"
He said her name with so much venom that Stella flinched.
"No, sir. I wanted to tell you—"
"If it is not about Potions, I cannot assist you," he told her.
"Sir, please—"
"Out…"
Stella took a small step back.
"Sir… please…"
"Are you so desperate for a healthy father figure that you can't see where you aren't wanted?" he asked. "I already know the answer to that. Arthur Weasley prefers his real children and Black prefers Potter. Lupin may act like he cares for you, but it is only out of obligation to his precious Gryffindors that he keeps you around."
"Sir!" Stella tried.
"GET OUT!"
"I WASN'T IN THE PENSIEVE!"
"I CAUGHT YOU IN THE ACT!"
"Just like you caught me second year?" Stella asked, anger clear on her features. "You were wrong then, as well, were you not? I saw you and Draco going up the stairs and, when Harry didn't follow, I went looking for him to make sure everything was alright! I pulled him out! He tried telling you when you were screaming at us but you are too blinded by your hate for a dead man to listen to anything he says to you! I thought you and his mother were friends? I guess your hatred will ALWAYS outweigh your love, if you can even feel love at this point."
Stella left after that, not caring to listen to any arguments that Snape had to give, not noticing how Snape's face crumbled, his thought on someone else who had said much of the same thing to him when they were still in school. She fiddled with her ring, catching Sirius's attention.
'Little star?' he asked.
'Sorry. I didn't mean to bother you,' she told him.
'Nonsense. What's the matter?'
'Got into a fight with Professor Snape.'
'What did he do?'
'He caught Harry in his pensieve. He thought I was also in the pensieve when really I was pulling Harry out. He isn't pleased with either of us. Unfortunately for me, his displeasure towards me is more vocal.'
'But you weren't in the pensieve?'
'No. I just shouted at him that I wasn't and well… shouting happened. Not pretty.'
'Are you alright?'
"Are you alright?" Blaise asked when he found Stella curled up in his bed.
"I'm fine," she lied.
"Stella," he sighed, lying beside her and pulling the curtain closed.
'I'll be okay.'
"I'll be okay."
"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Blaise asked and so Stella did.
Blaise was angry for her but good at setting it aside, holding her close to his chest rather than rushing off to try and hex their head of house. The week felt as if it were dragging on leading to Easter break. By the end of the week, they were told that they would be having a career advice meeting with their head of house on Monday. Stella was less than thrilled as she walked into the house in Hogsmeade with Blaise and Theo, the three waiting for Sirius to come and collect them in a few hours.
Sirius smiled brightly when he walked into the house, finding the three Slytherins curled up together on the couch.
"Ready to go see our new home?" he asked.
"Absolutely," Stella smiled brightly.
East Sheen was located eight miles southwest of central London and a fourteen minute walk to Richmond Park. It had shops, offices, restaurants, cafes, pubs, and supermarkets. It still retained a village-feel, having avoided becoming a commuter town as it houses so many families.
The detached house that the group of four stood in front of was white with three floors, a chimney on the side of the house with a path leading to the backyard and a garage. Sirius led them through the small front garden and into the house, a large reception room greeting them. Sirius had been right; it was bright. There were large windows in every room, except the loos which had small windows above the toilets or tubs depending on the layout.
"You three and Harry will have the first floor rooms. Remus and I will get the second floor," Sirius told them. "No fighting over rooms and don't give Harry the smallest room just because he isn't here."
"If he wanted to pick his room, he should have come along," Theo stated.
Stella had been surprised when Harry hadn't wanted to come with them to the house. It had surprised Blaise and Teddy, too, when she'd told them just a few days ago. Sirius had seemed disappointed when she'd told him, but he'd assured her it would be alright.
"Go pick your rooms," Sirius smirked, shaking his head as the three rushed up the stairs, Blaise and Theo bumping one another a bit as they went.
Sirius was willing to bet that Stella would pick the biggest room with it's own loo and the most windows. The boys probably wouldn't even argue with her over it. Blaise would choose whichever room had the largest closest and Theo would pick the room closest to Stella, leaving Harry in furthest from Stella, but not the smallest room. When he made his way upstairs a few minutes later, he wasn't surprised to find all three laying on the floor of the biggest room, their bags all tossed into the rooms he'd thought they would pick.
"Do you like it?" Sirius asked, smiling as he stared in at the three, leaning against the door frame.
"Love it," Stella smiled brightly.
"It's great," Blaise nodded.
"Are you sure you want to bring us along?" Theo asked, chewing his lip a bit.
"Of course," Sirius nodded, walking into the room before laying on the floor with them, picking the spot beside Stella. "Besides, Stella would kick me out if I didn't let you stay here. I was even looking into adding a basement just so Snape would have somewhere to sleep if he came by."
Stella said nothing even though she thought that maybe Snape would just share with Moony. What Pads didn't know yet, wouldn't hurt him.
"Do you boys mind getting settled while I stole Stella away for a bit?" Sirius asked and Stella turned her head, looking to him as the boys agreed, standing a leaving the room.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I said we'd go look at motorbikes," he smirked.
"Right now?" she asked, eyes wide and a smile on her face.
"If you want," he shrugged.
"Of course!" Stella jumped up, clearly excited.
Sirius laughed and stood quickly, leading Stella out. Sirius called for the Knight Bus and the two climbed in. They got out in central London and Sirius led the way, Stella staying close to him as they walked for a bit before they reached their destination. Stella stared around in wonder as they walked through the yard.
"Since it's your summer project, we'll need to get one that needs work," he smiled. "I built mine from scratch and I plan to teach you the same way."
"Oh, I'm all for it," Stella smiled brightly.
It took hours before they finally had most of what they needed, including a good frame. They rented a trailer and the parts were taken to the house, Sirius apparating himself and Stella in an alley to the backyard, walking into the garage and waiting there.
The rest of the week was filled with Sirius showing Stella, Blaise, and Theo different parts of the motorbike and explaining what they did. They went to junkyards to find other parts, making it an adventure and dragging the boys along with them every other day. Stella had never felt closer to Sirius, calling him 'Da' to his face twice by the end of it, causing the darkness that had once settled over him to diminish drastically.
The end of the week came and Sirius put them on the Knight Bus, sending them back to the school, hugging Stella tightly before releasing her.
Once back in their common room, the three read through the career information, passing it over as the other fifth years returned from their break. Stella sat in Snape's office on Monday, having fully intended to make a joke about it until she saw Umbitch in the corner, a clipboard on her knee, a fussy little pie-frill around her neck, and a small, horribly smug look on her face.
"Miss Black, have you thought about what you may want to do once you leave Hogwarts?" Snape asked.
"I think I'll just take over the Black businesses. May give teaching a go eventually," Stella shrugged.
"Hem, hem."
"I thought Professor McGonagall provided you with cough drops?" Stella asked innocently.
Umbitch's smiled faltered for a moment before it reappeared.
"I was just wondering if you planned on taking the Black family Wizengamot seats back," she stated.
"Don't fancy the ministry. I'd rather do something useful with my life. I'm sure Harry, Hermione, Fred, and Geroge would be more than happy to take my seats though. Well, technically, Harry has more seats then I do, so that won't work. I'll ask Ginny and Ron. Thank you for reminding me."
"Dismissed, Black. I'll send you information for teaching."
"Thank you, sir."
Stella left quickly, not even glancing back as she walked out with her head held high. In Potions, Draco knocked Harry's bottled potion off of Snape's desk and Stella looked over, seeing Hermione had already cleared away his potion. She bottled two of hers, passing one to Harry as she went before turning her perfect potion in. Harry turned in another, with his name on it, right after. Stella moved it so it was behind hers so no one could knock it over.
Stella set off fireworks during Defense, smiling brightly as she vanished the biggest ones, causing them to multiply, before all of the students evacuated the classroom. She'd also helped sneak a Niffler into the office while Umbitch was distracted.
'Snape stopped teaching you and Harry occlumency?!'
'How do you know about that?'
'Harry just told me.'
'Busy.'
Stella was watching as Umbitch stood in front of Fred and George, slipping her ring off so she could hear what was happening.
"So… you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"
"Pretty amusing, yeah," Fred looked at her without the slightest bit of fear.
"I've got the forms, Headmistress," Filch smiled wickedly. "I've got the forms and I've got the whips waiting. Oh, let me do it, now…"
"Very good, Argus. You two," she gazed at Fred and Geroge, "are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."
"You know what? I don't think we are," Fred smirked and turned to George. "George, I think we've outgrown full-time education."
"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," said George lightly.
"Time to test our talents in the real word, d'you reckon?"
"Definitely."
"Accio brooms," they called together.
There was a loud crash and Stella saw Harry duck just in time. Stella did an advanced severing charm and the heavy chains broke off of the brooms.
"We won't be seeing you," Fred told Umbitch as he swung his leg over his broom.
"Don't keep in touch," George told her.
"If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley — Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes," he said in a loud voice. "Our new premises!"
"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," added George, pointing at Professor Umbridge.
"STOP THEM!" shrieked Umbridge, but it was too late.
As the Inquisitorial Squad closed in, Fred and George kicked off from the floor, shooting fifteen feet into the air. Fred looked across the hall at the poltergeist bobbing on his level above the crowd.
"Give her hell from us, Peeves!"
Peeves saluted Fred and George and they flew off. Umbitch grabbed Stella's arm, dragging her along. Stella rolled her eyes, not really caring about the detention she was about to receive for cutting the chains. She ended up in Filch's office and she looked around in confusion as she was forced to stand in the center of the room.
"You," she growled out. "You helped them."
"I haven't even seen the swamp yet," Stella complained. "How could I have helped with something I didn't know about?"
"You cut the chains!"
"Very well spotted," she rolled her eyes. "Why are we here?"
"For your punishment," Umbitch seemed far too excited, as did Filch as he moved around behind Stella.
"It's ready," he announced and Stella turned to see what he was talking about.
"You're not chaining me to a wall," she rolled her eyes before she felt a stunning charm hit her back.
When she woke again, Stella was chained to the wall, her back exposed.
"You will take yours and their punishments," Umbitch seethed before stepping away.
Stella hadn't felt pain like that in her entire life. At least when she was paralyzed she couldn't feel it. The whips hitting her back and tearing into her skin caused her knees to buckle and she was forced to hang from the wall by the chains. Thirty lashes. She received ten for herself, ten for Fred, and ten for George.
The chains came undone and Stella fell to the floor. She had occluded through the majority of it, which kept her from screaming out in pain. There was blood splattered across the floor and her shirt was tossed at her before it was magically on her again, along with her cloak. Stella pulled herself to her feet, refusing to seem any weaker than she already did. She took a few breaths and turned but Umbitch and filthy Filch had already left. She slowly walked out of the office and found an empty classroom to hide out in until everyone was in bed, not wanting anyone to see as she headed to the hospital wing.
She ended up falling asleep from exhaustion and used her wand to figure out the time, finding it to be one in the morning. Everyone should be in bed right now except for a few random teachers and ghosts wondering around. Had anyone tried looking for her? Blaise and Theo definitely would have.
She reached in her pocket and slid her ring back onto her finger. She let out a groan of annoyance when she realized that she'd left the map beside Blaise's bed, meaning she had to try avoiding everyone in the process. Technically, Snape's office was closer, but Stella didn't think he'd actually care if she showed up.
That was a lie. She knew he'd care, no matter how angry he was at her in the moment. He'd probably murder Filch and Umbridge himself. She didn't need him going to Azkaban for her though.
Slowly, Stella pulled herself back to her feet, feeling rather dizzy as a bit of blood still dripped onto the floor. She'd definitely bled through her shirt and was thankful that her cloak was black, otherwise that would be ruined as well. She used the wall to hold herself up, making it to the stairs leading out of the dungeons and stopping. She let out a pitiful moan as she set her foot on the first stair.
Each step felt like it took an eternity as she climbed the small number of steps, not even wanting to think of how many stairs she was going to have to deal with in the entrance hall or the staircases themselves. She got to the entrance hall and realized that she wouldn't have any walls to hold onto to get to the stairs. Stella stood as best she could and as slowly as possible walked to the stairs, each step pulling on her back as she went.
She used the railing to get up the stairs at the entrance hall and then the wall again as she walked through the hall towards the stairs. She didn't realize that she'd been at it for two and a half hours already or that there was a trail of blood following her. She reached the staircases and climbed a few steps before losing her balance, too dizzy to hold herself up any longer. The stairs moved and Stella felt a wave of nausea hit her and she took a few deep breaths when the stairs came to a stop. She looked down and realized that the stairs had brought her to the correct floor on their own volition, the bottom of the steps that she was closest to being the side that was by the correct floor.
Stella bit her lip hard as she got off the stairs and reached the next wall, losing her stomach the moment she got to it. After a few minutes, where she tried to catch her breath, Stella started moving again. She reached the hospital wing at five twenty in the morning, pushing the door open and falling to the floor just inside the threshold.
Madam Pomfrey almost had a heart attack when she saw her, weak and bleeding far too much. Had it not been for her magic, Stella likely would have died. The number of close calls that she'd had in this school was getting ridiculous. Stella was floated to a bed and her cloak and shirt were removed once she was behind a privacy screen. Blood replenishers and pain potions were forced into her system before Dittany was used on the wounds. Stella, thankfully, passed out once the pain potions started working.
The blood was found by students and eventually the heads of house discovered who had been injured. Snape fell into the chair beside her bed when he saw her, looking far too pale with blood soaked bandages across her back. Dittany could only do so much. McGonagall wanted to alert Sirius, but the moment she went to do it, Umbridge walked in.
"As Head Mistress, it is my responsibility to alert parents and guardians of any injuries a student acquires."
"She was attacked!" McGonagall yelled.
"Miss Black received the injuries during a punishment," Umbridge corrected. "Her father was sent a letter when she received the punishment. Nothing more needs to be done."
"If Black doesn't kill her, I will," Snape hissed out once Umbridge left the hospital wing.
"I don't think she actually told Black what the punishment was," McGonagall whispered, hand on his shoulder.
"She'll tell Black," Snape stated. "Her Heir ring is connected to his Head of Family ring. She'll tell him."
"Will she?"
Stella was released from the hospital wing Monday morning, just in time for class. She hadn't told Sirius, no matter how many times McGonagall and Snape told her to. Instead, she allowed herself to heal over the weekend and then resumed her classes as soon as possible. Every teacher, minus Umbridge, was giving her a pass on the homework she'd been assigned over the weekend. She wrote her Defense essay in History of Magic, ignoring Binns completely. Blaise and Theo had tried to get her to tell them where she'd been but she shook her head, not wanting them to know, either.
Inspired by Fred and George's example, a great number of students were now vying for the newly vacant positions of Troublemakers-in-Chief. In spite of the new door, somebody managed to slip a hairy snouted niffler into Umbridge's office, which promptly tore the place apart in its search for shiny objects, leapt on Umbridge on her reentrance, and tried to gnaw the rings off her stubby fingers. Dungbombs and Stinkpellets were dropped so frequently in the corridors that it became the new fashion for students to perform Bubble-Head Charms on themselves before leaving lessons, which ensured them a supply of fresh clean air, even though it gave them all the peculiar appearance of wearing upside-down goldfish bowls on their heads.
Filch prowled the corridors with a horsewhip ready in his hands, desperate to catch miscreants, but the problem was that there were now so many of them that he did not know which way to turn. The Inquisitorial Squad were attempting to help him, but odd things kept happening to its members. Warrington reported to the hospital wing with a horrible skin complaint that made him look as though he had been coated in cornflakes. Pansy Parkinson, to Hermione's delight, missed all her lessons the following day, as she had sprouted antlers. Stella winked at her when she heard the news.
Meanwhile it became clear just how many Skiving Snackboxes Fred and George had managed to sell before leaving Hogwarts. Umbridge only had to enter her classroom for the students assembled there to faint, vomit, develop dangerous fevers, or else spout blood from both nostrils. Shrieking with rage and frustration she attempted to trace the mysterious symptoms to their source, but the students told her stubbornly they were suffering "Umbridge-itis." After putting four successive classes in detention and failing to discover their secret she was forced to give up and allow the bleeding, swooning, sweating, and vomiting students to leave her classes in droves.
But not even the users of the Snackboxes could compete with that master of chaos, Peeves, who seemed to have taken Fred's parting words deeply to heart. Cackling madly, he soared through the school, upending tables, bursting out of blackboards, and toppling statues and vases. Twice he shut Mrs. Norris inside suits of armor, from which she was rescued, yowling loudly, by the furious caretaker. He smashed lanterns and snuffed out candles, juggled burning torches over the heads of screaming students, caused neatly stacked piles of parchment to topple into fires or out of windows, flooded the second floor when he pulled off all the taps in the bathrooms, dropped a bag of tarantulas in the middle of the Great Hall during breakfast and, whenever he fancied a break, spent hours at a time floating along after Umbridge and blowing loud raspberries every time she spoke.
The only student he didn't mess with was Stella. In fact, Stella was pretty sure he knew what Filch had done to her because he targeted the man almost as often as he targeted Umbridge, looking over to Stella every so often when she was there to witness whatever he had planned.
None of the staff but Filch seemed to be stirring themselves to help her. Indeed, a week after Fred and George's departure Stella witnessed Professor McGonagall walking right past Peeves, who was determinedly loosening a crystal chandelier, and could have sworn she heard her tell the poltergeist out of the corner of her mouth, "It unscrews the other way."
Stella was called into Snape's office at the end of the day and Stella opened the door, standing outside of it defiantly.
"Don't be childish—"
"I'm respecting your wishes. Is there something you wished to speak to me about regarding my Potions work, Professor Snape?"
People in the common room turned their heads quickly, confusion clear on their faces with how cold Stella was being.
"Stella-"
"Heir Black," Stella corrected, practically growling the title at him to remind him just who she was.
"- Heir Black, would you please come sit so that we may discuss what happened to you Friday afternoon?"
"Nope," Stella answered, turning and walking away, slamming the office door closed as she went.
Stella had Draco play against Hufflepuff and he'd given her a strange, questioning look as she handed him her Firebolt to use.
"Why aren't you flying?" he asked as the rest of the team left the locker room.
"Umbitch let Filch whip me as punishment for Fred and George leaving. I'm not allowed any strenuous activities, such as Quidditch, for another week. Don't let me down, cousin. You've made so much progress this year and I believe in you. Go win this for us."
Shock, anger, and then determination crossed Draco's face and he left the locker room, Stella following out behind him. She sat with Lee in the commentator booth, watching the game and trying to keep him cheerful after Fred and George had left him behind. Slytherin had demolishing Hufflepuff 300-50 and Stella nodded to Draco to put the Hufflepuffs out of their misery. He caught the snitch just after Blaise scored again, making the final score 460-50. There was no way that Gryffindor would be able to catch up now.
During the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw game, Stella was standing, leaning forward and watching the game carefully as the Slytherins sang 'Weasley Is Our King' behind her, the line about being born in a bin having been taken out. The song ended up being changed by the Gryffindor's halfway through.
"Weasley is our King, Weasley is our King, He didn't let the Quaffle in, Weasley is our King. Weasley can save anything, He never leaves a single ring That's why Gryffindors all sing: Weasley is our King!"
Cho caught the snitch but Ravenclaw still lost. Slytherin had still won the cup at the end so Stella didn't mind a whole too much.
O.W.L.s were finally upon them and Stella was forcing herself to stay calm. The younger students were quiet in the common room, being respectful as the fifth and seventh years studied for O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. The next two weeks were hell and Stella had a migraine a majority of the time. Blaise pulled her into the Room of Requirement once they were a day away from finishing their O.W.L.s. The room looked like the Slytherin dorm rooms, but with only one bed in it.
"What's this?" she asked, smiling.
"I figured we needed a night to ourselves," he shrugged, pulling Stella over to the couch in front of the fire before panic took over his face. "We don't have to do anything. I know the bed kind of implies that we have to do something but I just figured we could stay here tonight. Unless you don't want to! I can sleep on the couch or we can go back to the dorms—"
Stella cut Blaise off with a kiss. She knew they didn't have to do anything but she wanted to. She trusted Blaise completely and was more than willing as they made their way to the bed instead of the couch. Clothes fell to the floor and Blaise was gentle with her, being careful and making sure she was okay as they went. It didn't hurt as much as every one claimed it would or maybe it was because of how careful Blaise was being with her, treating her as if she were precious as he held her.
They fell asleep wrapped around each other, a blanket covering their bodies. Blaise didn't even see the scars on her back.
The Slytherins and Ravenclaws did not witness the attack on McGonagall but they heard about it from the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors first thing in the morning. She could barely focus as Theo quizzed her on History of Magic. All of fifth year entered the Great Hall at two, sitting in a desk and waiting.
"Turn over your papers," said Professor Marchbanks from the front of the Hall, flicking over the giant hourglass. "You may begin. . . ."
She had just finished when Harry screamed and fell sideways out of his seat. Stella ran to him, not caring about the exam anymore. Stella helped him to the entrance hall and, once they shook off Professor Marchbanks, he dragged Stella up the stairs, heading towards Gryffindor tower.
"Can you reach Sirius on your ring?" Harry asked and Stella fiddled with her ring, calling out to her father.
"He isn't responding," Stella said, confused. "He always responds."
"It's Voldemort," Harry told her. "He's got Sirius."
Stella felt as if her heart had stopped.
"Voldemort's got Sirius," Harry told Blaise, Theo, Ron, and Hermione once they'd left Pomfrey and ran looking for them.
"What?"
"How d'you — ?"
"Saw it. Just now. When I fell asleep in the exam. Stella can't get him on her ring."
That caused Blaise and Theo's eyes to widen.
"But — but where? How?" said Hermione, whose face was white.
"I dunno how," said Harry. "But I know exactly where. There's a room in the Department of Mysteries full of shelves covered in these little glass balls, and they're at the end of row ninety-seven . . . He's trying to use Sirius to get whatever it is he wants from in there. . . . He's torturing him. . . . Says he'll end by killing him…"
"How are we going to get there?" Stella asked, voice shaking just as Harry's was.
"Get there?" Ron asked, confused.
"Get to the Department of Mysteries, so we can rescue Sirius!" Harry said loudly.
It took a while to convince Stella and Harry not to run off, Ginny and Luna joining them at some point while Harry was shouting at Ron and Hermione and Stella was whispering back and forth with Blaise and Theo.
"Maybe he took his ring off?" Hermione offered.
"He doesn't take it off," Harry argued.
"We need to confirm that he's not at Grimmauld first," Hermione stated. "All of us can draw Umbridge away from her office and you and Stella can check the floo."
"Blaise and Theo can't get caught," Stella spoke up.
"They won't," Hermione promised. "Ginny and Luna can be lookouts."
"Okay," Harry said aggressively to Hermione, "Okay, if you can think of a way of doing this quickly, I'm with you, otherwise we're going to the Department of Mysteries right now —"
"The Department of Mysteries?" said Luna, looking mildly surprised. "But how are you going to get there?"
Stella and Harry ignored her.
"Right," said Hermione, twisting her hands together and pacing up and down between the desks. "Right . . . well . . . One of us has to go and find Umbridge and — and send her off in the wrong direction, keep her away from her office. They could tell her — I don't know — that Peeves is up to something awful as usual. . . ."
"I'll do it," said Ron at once. "I'll tell her Peeves is smashing up the Transfiguration department or something, it's miles away from her office. Come to think of it, I could probably persuade Peeves to do it if I met him on the way. . . ."
It was a mark of the seriousness of the situation that Hermione made no objection to the smashing up of the Transfiguration department.
"We need to keep students away from her office while we force entry, or some Slytherin's bound to go and tip her off," Hermione continued.
"We can deal with the Slytherins," Theo spoke up.
"And Luna and I can stand at either end of the corridor and warn people not to go down there because someone's let off a load of Garroting Gas." Hermione looked surprised at the readiness with which Ginny had come up with this lie. Ginny shrugged and said, "Fred and George were planning to do it before they left."
"Okay," said Hermione. "Harry, Stella, and I can be under the cloak and we'll sneak into the office and the two of you can talk to Sirius—"
"He's not there, Hermione!"
"We have to make sure before we break into the Department of Mysteries," Stella told him, still fiddling with her ring and trying to get Sirius to talk to her.
"I… okay," Harry nodded, seeing the worry and fear etched on Stella's face. "Okay."
"Right, well, even if we do all of that, I don't think we're going to be able to bank on more than five minutes," said Hermione. "Not with Filch and the wretched Inquisitorial Squad floating around."
"Five minutes'll be enough," Harry nodded.
"Let's go," Stella agreed.
"Now?" Hermione asked, shocked.
"Of course now!" said Harry angrily. "What did you think, we're going to wait until after dinner or something? Hermione, Sirius is being tortured right now!"
"I — oh all right," she said desperately. "You go and get the Invisibility Cloak and we'll meet you at the end of Umbridge's corridor, okay?"
Harry and Stella did not answer but flung themselves out of the room and began to fight their way through the milling crowds outside. Two floors up they met Seamus and Dean, who hailed them jovially and told them they were planning a dusk-till-dawn end-of-exams celebration in the common room. Harry and Stella barely heard them. They scrambled through the portrait hole while they were still arguing about how many black-market butterbeers they would need and were climbing back out of it, the Invisibility Cloak and Sirius's knife secure in Harry's bag, before they noticed they had left them.
"Harry, d'you want to chip in a couple of Galleons? Harold Dingle reckons he could sell us some firewhiskey!"
But Stella had pulled Harry along, not that he needed any prompting as he grabbed her hand and the two ran. It only took a few minutes but it felt like a lifetime before they jumped the last few stairs and joined the others, Theo and Blaise already off to distract the Slytherins.
"Let's go," Stella panted.
"All right," whispered Hermione as a gang of loud sixth years passed them. "So Ron — you go and head Umbridge off. . . . Ginny, Luna, if you can start moving people out of the corridor. . . . Harry, Stella, and I will get the cloak on and wait until the coast is clear. . . ."
Ron strode away, his bright red hair visible right to the end of the passage. Meanwhile, Ginny's equally vivid head bobbed between the jostling students surrounding them in the other direction, trailed by Luna's blonde one.
"Get over here," muttered Hermione, tugging at Harry's wrist and pulling him and Stella back into a recess where the ugly stone head of a medieval wizard stood muttering to itself on a column. "Are — are you sure you're okay, Harry? You're still very pale."
"I'm fine," he said shortly, tugging the Invisibility Cloak from out of his bag. "Here."
The cloak was tossed over the three of them and they stood waiting.
"You can't come down here!" Ginny was calling to the crowd. "No, sorry, you're going to have to go round by the swiveling staircase, someone's let off Garroting Gas just along here —"
They could hear people complaining; one surly voice said, "I can't see no gas . . ."
"That's because it's colorless," said Ginny in a convincingly exasperated voice, "but if you want to walk through it, carry on, then we'll have your body as proof for the next idiot who didn't believe us. . . ."
Slowly the crowd thinned. The news about the Garroting Gas seemed to have spread — people were not coming this way anymore. When at last the surrounding area was quite clear, Hermione said quietly, "I think that's as good as we're going to get, Harry — come on, let's do it."
Together they moved forward, covered by the cloak. Luna was standing with her back to them at the far end of the corridor. As they passed Ginny, Hermione whispered, "Good one . . . don't forget the signal . . ."
"What's the signal?" muttered Harry, as they approached Umbridge's door.
"A loud chorus of 'Weasley Is Our King' if they see Umbridge coming," replied Hermione, as Harry inserted the blade of Sirius's knife in the crack between door and wall.
The lock clicked open, and they entered the office. The garish kittens were basking in the late afternoon sunshine warming their plates, but otherwise the office was as still and empty as last time. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.
"I thought she might have added extra security after the second niffler."
"I think she did and we have less than five minutes. Go, Harry," Stella pointed to the fireplace.
Harry dashed over to the fireplace, seized the pot of Floo powder, and threw a pinch into the grate, causing emerald flames to burst into life there. He knelt down quickly, thrust his head into the dancing fire, and cried, "Number twelve, Grimmauld Place!"
She could hear him yelling for Sirius multiple times and the terrible feeling in her stomach got worse and worse.
'Da, please… Please answer one of us… Please…'
"Where's Sirius, Kreacher?" Harry demanded.
It was quiet for a moment.
"Where's he gone? Where's he gone Kreacher?" Another moment of silence. "I'm warning you! What about Lupin? Mad-Eye? Any of them, are any of them there?"
They were out of time.
"Where is he?" Harry asked and suddenly Harry's head was ripped out of the fire.
Draco had Harry's wand and was barely holding Stella, her wand in his hand as well. He slipped both wands into Stella's pocket, trying to signal something to her but she was too close to tears to understand.
"I want to know why you are in my office," said Umbridge, shaking the fist that was clutching Harry's hair so that he staggered.
"I was — trying to get my Firebolt!" Harry croaked.
"Liar." She shook his head again. "Your Firebolt is under strict guard in the dungeons, as you very well know, Potter. You had your head in my fire. With whom have you been communicating?"
"No one —" said Harry, trying to pull away from her.
"Liar!" shouted Umbridge. She threw him from her, and he slammed into the desk.
Millicent had Hermione. There was a commotion outside and several Slytherins entered, each gripping Ron, Ginny, Luna, and — to Stella's bewilderment — Neville, who was trapped in a stranglehold by Crabbe and looked in imminent danger of suffocation. All four of them had been gagged. Theo and Blaise had joined the Slytherins somehow undetected.
"Got 'em all," said Goyle, shoving Ron roughly forward into the room. "That one." he poked a thick finger at Neville, "tried to stop me taking her," he pointed at Ginny, who was 'struggling' in Blaise's hold, "so I brought him along too."
"Good, good," said Umbridge, watching Ginny's struggles. "Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will shortly be a Weasley-free zone, doesn't it?"
Ginny glared at Umbridge defiantly and Stella felt pride well in her chest at the action.
"So, Potter," she said. "You stationed lookouts around my office and you sent this buffoon," she nodded at Ron, and Malfoy laughed loudly, "to tell me the poltergeist was wreaking havoc in the Transfiguration department when I knew perfectly well that he was busy smearing ink on the eyepieces of all the school telescopes, Mr. Filch having just informed me so.
"Clearly, it was very important for you to talk to somebody. Was it Albus Dumbledore? Or the half-breed, Hagrid? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall, I hear she is still too ill to talk to anyone. . . ."
Stella felt rage rushing through her but Theo shook his head and she stayed still besides fiddling with her ring.
"It's none of your business who I talk to," Harry snarled.
Umbridge's slack face seemed to tighten.
"Very well," she said in her most dangerous and falsely sweet voice. "Very well, Mr. Potter . . . I offered you the chance to tell me freely. You refused. I have no alternative but to force you. Nott — fetch Professor Snape."
Stella wanted to breathe a sigh of relief but held it in. Was Umbridge really stupid enough to send her best friend after Severus Snape? Apparently, she was. How had Stella forgotten about Snape? They should have gone to him immediately!
There was silence in the office except for the fidgeting and scuffling resulting from the Slytherins' efforts to keep Ron and the others under control. Ron's lip was bleeding onto Umbridge's carpet as he struggled against Warrington's half nelson. Neville was turning steadily more purple in the face while tugging at Crabbe's arms, and Hermione was attempting vainly to throw Millicent Bulstrode off her. Luna, however, stood limply by the side of her captor, Tracy, gazing vaguely out of the window as though rather bored by the proceedings.
"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?" said Snape, looking around at all the pairs of struggling students with an expression of complete indifference.
"Ah, Professor Snape," said Umbridge, smiling widely and standing up again. "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please."
"You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter," he said, observing her coolly through his greasy curtains of black hair. "Surely you did not use it all? I told you that three drops would be sufficient."
Umbridge flushed.
"You can make some more, can't you?" she said, her voice becoming more sweetly girlish as it always did when she was furious
"Certainly," said Snape, his lip curling. "It takes a full moon cycle to mature, so I should have it ready for you in around a month."
"A month?" squawked Umbridge, swelling toadishly. "A month? But I need it this evening, Snape! I have just found Potter using my fire to communicate with a person or persons unknown!"
"Really?" said Snape, showing his first, faint sign of interest as he looked around at Harry. "Well, it doesn't surprise me. Potter has never shown much inclination to follow school rules."
"I wish to interrogate him!" shouted Umbridge angrily, and Snape looked away from Harry back into her furiously quivering face. "I wish you to provide me with a potion that will force him to tell me the truth!"
"I have already told you," said Snape smoothly, "that I have no further stocks of Veritaserum. Unless you wish to poison Potter — and I assure you I would have the greatest sympathy with you if you did — I cannot help you. The only trouble is that most venoms act too fast to give the victim much time for truth-telling. . . ."
"You are on probation!" shrieked Professor Umbridge, and Snape looked back at her, his eyebrows slightly raised. "You are being deliberately unhelpful! I expected better, Lucius Malfoy always speaks most highly of you! Now get out of my office!"
Snape gave her an ironic bow and turned to leave. Stella spoke up from her corner where she hadn't been spotted yet.
"He's got Padfoot!" she called. "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden."
Snape had stopped with his hand on Umbridge's door handle.
"Padfoot?" cried Professor Umbridge, looking eagerly from Stella to Snape. "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What does she mean, Snape?"
Snape looked around at Stella. His face was inscrutable. Stella knew he understood and the look in his eyes told her that he wouldn't let her down.
"I have no idea," he said. "Black, when I want nonsense shouted at me I shall give you a Babbling Beverage. And Crabbe, loosen your hold a little, if Longbottom suffocates it will mean a lot of tedious paperwork, and I am afraid I shall have to mention it on your reference if ever you apply for a job."
The door closed with a snap and Stella let out a low breath. Umbridge was not satisfied though.
"Very well," she said, and she pulled out her wand. "Very well . . . I am left with no alternative. . . . This is more than a matter of school discipline. . . . This is an issue of Ministry security. . . . Yes . . . yes . . ."
Stella rolled her eyes, fingering the wands in her pocket.
"You are forcing me, Potter. . . . I do not want to," said Umbridge, still moving restlessly on the spot, "but sometimes circumstances justify the use . . . I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice. . . ."
Stella slowly pulled the wands out.
"The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue," said Umbridge quietly.
"Stupefy!"
The spell sent from two wands hit Umbridge so hard that she flew across the room.
"Incarcerous!" Draco shouted from beside her.
Black ropes wrapped around Umbridge and Stella let out a few harsh breaths before passing Harry his wand and turning to Draco.
"Thanks," she told him as the Slytherins all released the Gryffindors.
"Theo told us what was going on so we volunteered to grab you when the Inquisitor Squad was called," Draco explained. "What's the plan? Can we kill her?"
"We aren't killing anyone!" Hermione screamed.
"You don't have to participate, Granger," Blaise rolled his eyes.
"We aren't killing her," Stella confirmed.
"You take all the fun out of it," Draco complained.
"You did not take your potions this morning," Stella rubbed at her face harshly.
"How do you know about my potions?"
"I'm on the same ones, dumbass."
"Can we concentrate, please!" Harry yelled. "We have to get to Sirius!"
"What's happened to Cousin Sirius?" Draco demanded.
"No time. How are we getting to London?"
"We fly, of course," Luna shrugged. "We won't all be able to go."
"Right," Stella sighed as they all left the office and headed down the hall. "We don't have enough brooms."
"Thestrals," Luna spoke up. "They're in the forest. Most of you can't see them."
"Thes- what?" Theo asked.
"Thestrals," Harry provided. "You can only see them if you've seen someone die. Are there enough for all of us?"
"Everyone will have to pair up with someone who can see them," Luna shrugged. "I don't think enough of us can see them for all of us."
Stella was paired with Blaise, who'd seen two of his step-fathers die, Hermione was with Theo, who had been there when his grandmother had passed, Ginny went with Harry, and Ron ended up with Luna. Neville got his own invisible horse.
"Okay, you all just be careful and we'll let you know as soon as we figure out what's happened," Stella told the other Slytherins. "Thank you. So much."
Draco and Tracy hugged Stella quickly and sent her away, Blaise helped Stella up and she did not like not being able to see what she was currently sitting on. Blaise chuckled in her ear and held her close by her waist.
"This is mad," Ron said faintly, moving his free hand gingerly up and down his horse's neck. "Mad . . . if I could just see it —"
"You'd better hope it stays invisible," said Harry darkly. "We all ready, then?"
Everyone nodded and Harry looked uncertainly down at what Stella assumed was the Thestral.
"Ministry of Magic, visitors' entrance, London… If you know… Where to go?"
Nothing happened for a moment and then the next Stella felt the creature move beneath her and then they were in the air. Stella let out a little yelp of surprise and Blaise just held her tighter, assuring her that she was fine and he had her.
Twilight fell: The sky turned to a light, dusky purple littered with tiny silver stars, and soon it was only the lights of Muggle towns that gave them any clue of how far from the ground they were or how very fast they were traveling. How much time had elapsed since he had seen Sirius lying on the Department of Mysteries floor? How much longer would he be able to resist Voldemort?
On they flew through the gathering darkness. Had it not been for Blaise holding her, Stella was sure she would have frozen to death.
'Please be alive. Please, Da. You can't leave me already.'
They were descending at last and Stella let out a small shriek, causing Blaise to chuckle in her ear. She made a note to slap his arm for it later. Bright orange lights were growing larger and rounder on all side. They could see the tops of buildings, streams of headlights like luminous insect eyes, squares of pale yellow that were windows. Quite suddenly, it seemed, they were hurtling toward the pavement. The horse touched ground lightly and Blaise slid off, helping Stella down.
"Never again," she told him, legs shaking a bit.
"I can give you something better to ride," he wiggled his brows at her and she rolled her eyes.
"Where do we go from here?" Luna asked and Stella remembered how they got into the ministry for Sirius's trial.
"This way," she said and everyone followed her and Harry to the phone booth.
They all piled into the phone booth, squished together. She dialed six, two, four, four, two and a female voice sounded inside the box, "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."
"Stella Black, Theodore Nott, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Blaise Zabini, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood. We're here to save Sirius Black," Stella spoke clearly.
"Unless your ministry can do it first!" Harry added.
"Thank you," said a cool female voice. "Visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes."
Stella passed the badges over her head. Hers read 'Stella Black: Rescue Mission.'
"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."
"Fine!" Harry said loudly, as his scar gave another throb. "Now can we move?"
The floor of the telephone box shuddered and the pavement rose up past the glass windows of the telephone box. The scavenging Thestrals were sliding out of sight, blackness closed over their heads, and with a dull grinding noise they sank down into the depths of the Ministry of Magic.
A chink of soft golden light hit their feet and, widening, rose up their bodies. Stella bent her knees and held hers wand as ready as she could in such cramped conditions, peering through the glass to see whether anybody was waiting for them in the Atrium, but it seemed to be completely empty. The light was dimmer than it had been by day. There were no fires burning under the mantelpieces set into the walls, but he saw as the lift slid smoothly to a halt that golden symbols continued to twist sinuously in the dark blue ceiling.
"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening."