Chapter 5
Chapter 5
The next weeks went by quite normally, well as normally as Hogwarts gets. Not only did they include new knowledge and skills Stella had been dying to learn, but also quite some mischief from Sirius and his friend. The way they mixed up all the letters once and it took the entire first period to get them sorted back.
All the excitement almost made her forget about the meeting her parents had arranged for her.
But today was the day of the meeting and just thinking about that made her stomach tighten so much she couldn’t eat. It was the uncertainty of what this meeting was about and who it was with, but also the certainty that it wouldn’t be good since her parents had arranged it.
The last week she felt freer somehow, but this meeting might have the power to take that away.
All these thoughts made her nauseous as she walked to the agreed upon room in the dungeons.
When she opened the door she saw two people standing there already.
The familiar black curls, didn’t help to calm her nerves. And the tall guy standing next to her cousin wasn’t exactly the human version of piece either.
“There she is!” Belatrix told the boy.
“My cousin, you are to be with her until she turns 17 and then marry her” Belatrix didn’t even look at her while saying this.
“She is in Ravenclaw, but you don’t have to worry about her trying to be smart”
Stella couldn’t fully understand what Belatrix was saying. She should be in a relationship with this boy.
She new she wouldn’t be allowed to just marry anyone, but she didn’t even get to disagree. Shouldn’t relationships start later she was only 11. Maybe she would fall in love with him in a few years couldn’t they wait till then.
The boy didn’t seem to care for her opinion. He looked her up and down.
“A little pale for my liking, but it is a black family thing so it is acceptable”
“You are not to tell anyone, that this is a setup. Show up together at suitable events and act accordingly in public.” Belatrix went on ignoring the boys remark.
“Alright” the boy looked at her now “I’m Nott Mulciber”.
Stella didn’t know what to say, she wasn’t sure she even still knew how to talk or breathe.
Luckily the boy didn’t expect an answer he just turned around and left, Belatrix followed.
Suddenly Stella was all alone in a dark classroom in the dungeons.
She had a boyfriend now. Wasn’t she supposed to be happy? Weren’t others happy to have boyfriends?
Stella wasn’t happy she felt panic creeping up on her. Suddenly all these thoughts overwhelmed her. That guy, she had to spend the rest of her life with him.
He felt dangerous, but her parents picked him. That guy. Her future husband. She Collapsed onto the ground, scratching her arm on the corner of a desk. The sharp pain quickly cleared her mind. The overwhelming thoughts gone the focus on the scratch.
She got up. This was going to be fine.
She walked back up and sat in the common room, as if her life hadn’t just been drastically turned upside down.
Pandora appeared next to her.
“Your mood in three words?”
“Oh, ehm confused, surprised a bit sad maybe.” She instantly regretted being this honest Pandora had to ask now and Stella wouldn’t be able to answer.
“Want to paint rocks?” Pandora said like it was the most logic response.
Stella looked at her surprised for a second, but then she realized that was exactly what she wanted to do.
They summoned stones from the grounds by using the accio charm, which was still a bit of a struggle, but they where getting better at it. They selected the most interesting ones and threw the rest out of the window hoping no one would pass by right then.
They carried the stones into there dorm, where to Stella’s surprise Pandora had already set up paint and brushes. While Stella drew the sky with witches on broomsticks and flowers on her stones, Pandora drew the most abstract designs on hers.
It was so deeply calming that Stella almost forgot about the Mulciber boy and her family.
That was until a seventh year Ravenclaw with blond curly hair stormed into their room.
“Is it true you’re dating the youngest Mulciber?” She didn’t introduce herself or even knock.
Pandora looked up her face a single question-mark.
“Yes” Stella answered as she was supposed to.
“You are?” Pandora asked.
Stella just nodded. The Seventh year looked pleased about being the first to know. How she knew was a mystery to Stella.
“I’m Rita by the way. A … friend of your Cousin Belatrix” she said the word friend weirdly, but now it made sense that she knew about Mulciber.
After the girl left Pandora asked whether Stella liked Mulciber.
“I don’t really know him… jet” she added to not seem suspicious. And jet she had the feeling Pandora knew, but it didn’t scare her.
“Well let’s take the stones to decorate our room.” Pandora suggested as the finished painting.
Stella didn’t really find her stones decoration worthy, but she agreed to not worsen the mood.
So they placed them on the windowsill, the wall, the shelves and their bedside tables.
Pandora was right, while the stones might have seemed a bit weird at first they brought more colors to the room and made it more comfy.
The next day everyone new the Black girl was dating Mulciber.
Everyone was talking about it, she had made it into jet another gossip magazine.
Of curse everyone wanted to talk to her about it, but the most extreme Reaktion was most certainly Sirius’s.
He pulled her out of the great hall, threw an entire corridor until they where alone, to question her.
“Did Mother set this up?” Stella wasn’t sure wether she was allowed to tell Sirius, but he knew as soon as he looked at her.
“This is incredible, I get it they want us to keep up the family purity and all, but this is to far. They can’t do this. It’s probably not even legal.” Sirius’s rant made Stella scared that he might tell someone about this.
He couldn’t. It would cause a scandal and their parents hated scandals. They would kill them both.
“Sirius it’s fine. I might even like him and it had to happen someday.” She lied.
“You like Mulciber?” Sirius asked in disbelief.
“Well either way it’s not okay” He said, but sounded much calmer than before.
On the weekend Stella was supposed to have a date with Mulciber. All they did was walk the hallway. Stella thought it would make sense to get to know him better.
After all she’d have to live with him and have a family with him.
“So how…”
“I don’t like chatty girls.” He interrupted the moment she started talking. So they just kept walking in silence for the rest of the afternoon. They made sure to be seen by as many students as they possibly could.
Unfortunately that included Marlene McKinnon.
“So you are actually dating him.” McKinnon looked at her with disgust in her eyes.
Mulciber was looking at her now expecting her to answer.
“Yes I am.” Stella said trying not too seem chatty.
“So you are as materialistic as you seem, dating a prick just cause he’s a pureblood.”
Mulciber pushed past her pulling Stella with him.
“That girl needs to learn how to behave. I’m glad you’re not like that would’ve beaten you.She’s probably a mudblood or some filth like that.”
Stella heard Marlene scoff
“I didn’t know that’s how one talks to a lady of the noble house of Black.” Marlene said.
Mulciber turned “She is my girlfriend I can talk to her like that”
“Beating really? And you wanna be with such a guy?” Marlene looked at her that look of disgust still on her face, but some other emotion mixed in there.
Stella didn’t know what she meant. Was it because he said beating instead of curses. He probably hadn’t learned any curses jet.
So Stella just answered “What Jealous?”
Marlene shook her head as if in disbelief and turned.
“I don’t want you to talk to that girl anymore” Mulciber commandet.
She wasn’t talking with Marlene before, but instead of explaining she simply agreed.