Chapter 7
Chapter 7
It felt as though time in Hogwarts went by faster. Stella only noticed how much time had already passed because students went from t-shirts to sweaters and the trees where slowly losing their leaves.
This morning she sat up in bed and looked out of the window in disbelief.
Was it really the 3. of November already.
When she crawled out of bed she stepped on something. This something was connected to another something which fell over pulling at another weird object, which in turn turned on the record player that began blasting “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU” and sprayed colorful sparks through the air.
Pandora awoke from the noise and jumped out of bed to hug her.
“Happy Birthday! Your twelve now. I always thought when your twelve you are grown up. Do you feel grown up?”
“No I don’t think so. I don’t know, how do grown ups feel?”
“Hmm” Pandora looked at her intensely.
“You look grown up. Very sophisticated.”
Stella looked down at herself in her polkadot pajama and couldn’t see what Pandora meant. She just took it as a compliment and smiled back at her.
At breakfast Stella congratulated Sirius and Sirius congratulated her. They gifted each other a birthday cake. This was a tradition of theirs. They would even have fights over who was the best at cake gifting.
Stella had gotten Sirius one that looked like a book bound in black leather, fireworks escaping it’s pages. The fireworks where edible as well they where made out of colorful glowing candy. The pages where made out of buttercream and the black leather had a vanilla taste to it.
The cake Sirius gave to Stella was shaped like a miniature tree, it’s branches made out of dark chocolate and it’s colorful leaves and flowers and the butterfly’s and berries where in all the different color of the rainbow each color had a different taste.
Stella loved the cake. This year she wasn’t even sure the one she’d picked out was better, but she would never admit that to Sirius.
After they had hugged and admired their cakes they made their way back to their tables.
The Gryffindors made a very big deal out of Sirius Birthday they sung Happy birthday at least three times during breakfast.
Stella was happy about the less extreme reactions from her friends they wished her a happy birthday and happily ate the cake Stella had shared with them. It was truly scrumptious even better than the usual Hogwarts meals. The others agreed.
Xenophilius even said he could write a poem about how good this cake was and started making up rhymes.
“Raspberry, lemon and plum that’s not dumb
no it’s very good as it should
The chocolate not to bitter not to sweet it’s the perfect treat”
They laughed and tried to make up their own little rhymes, until professor McGonagall told them to hurry to their classes or they would be late.
They had defense against the dark arts. Their teacher Professor Crumble was a man who looked a little to weak to teach DADA but he was a good teacher.
Most of them had already mastered expelliarmus, which forces the opponent to drop their wand.
Stella wasn’t so concentrated today she had accidentally hit Pandora with the wand she had taken from Xenophilius with a little to much power. Pandora didn’t seem to mind.
Stella knew why she was this nervous. Her parents had organized a birthday get together with her cousins, she had hoped to spend her birthday with the Ravenclaws and Sirius friends.
At least she got to spend it with Sirius and her Cousin Andromeda wasn’t bad company either.
After they finished Herbology, their last class for the day, Stella washed the dirt of her hands and opened the gift from her parents.
It was a long, dark green elegant silk dress. It was way to elegant to wear in Hogwarts, but the letter coming with it made it clear that it wasn’t a request but a requirement to wear it for her Birthday.
Pandora helped her to close the dress.
“You look like a Queen”
Pandora was probably right but she didn’t want to look like a Queen. She put a bow in her hair. That was the way her cousins always wore their hair.
When she reached the room their Parents had told them to go to, Sirius was already standing in front of it in an elegant dark green suit.
He looked at her and smiled.
“They dressed you up as ridiculously. Glad I’m not alone.”
In that very moment Belatrix showed up.
“There is nothing ridiculous about elegant clothing, now in with the birthday twins”
She pulled them into the room. Belatrix was wearing a puffy black dress. Andromeda and Narcissa where inside already. Andromeda in a dress similar to Stella’s, just a little shorter and lighter. Narcissa was wearing a black cocktail dress with a ridiculously large white bow in the back.
They sat around the table on which there where little mugs with tea and some biscuits on tiny plates.
Andromeda was the first to break the silence.
“And what did you get from your parents?”
“This gown” said Sirius
“The dress Stella answered even though it seemed unnecessary.
“That was it. Did you get in trouble or what?” Andromeda asked with an amused smile
“That’s a little ironic coming from you” Belatrix chimed in without letting the twins answer.
“Oh really like you do everything the way mother and father tell you to” Andromedas voice had gone cold.
“At least she’s not a Mudblood and I’m not foolish enough to call it love” Belatrix spat her eyes wild.
“If you keep living like that, hiding who you are, your existence won’t be more than a half dead flower on our family tree.”
“And if you go on living with these bend morals you’re not gonna be on the family tree for much longer.”
Silence.
Narcissa was staring at her plate. When Stella looked up at Sirius it was clear that he was struggling to hold back laughter, which made Stella want to laugh. She pressed her lips together to keep from making a sound.
Suddenly Andromeda stud up almost knocking down the tea.
“Let’s face it non of us want to be here, so why not just leave”
She disappeared through the door. Stella and Sirius followed.
“Hey Andi are you good?” Sirius asked.
“Yeah I’m fine. Could you do me a favor and not tell anyone about this.
“Yeah of curse. I don’t even really understand what it was all about. It’s just nice to just listen to the family drama and not to be the family drama for once.”
Andromeda smiled at his answer.
“Well then you’re welcome. Happy birthday you two.”
“Wow that was interesting.” Stella said while they where heading back up to their dorms.
“Just wish we could have spend our Birthday with our friends.”
“Well there is still plenty of time” Sirius answered
“You’re right, would it be ok if I invited some of my friends up to the Gryffindor dorm and we could hang out together?”
“I bet they are already there” Sirius answered with a secretive smile. “We are gonna go there as well now. We just need a change of clothes.” Sirius handed her a dress this one was way less elegant. It was light green and puffy. She loved it.
“Consider this your first birthday present”
She smiled brightly. “Wow this is perfect”
They changed in one of the nearest bathroom and Stella couldn’t help but twirl around in her dress as they walked to the Gryffindor common room. Sirius smiled watching her.
“Wait let me make one adjustment before we go in” He pulled the bow out of her hair, so that her hair was now open, wildly twirling around with her.
“Unicorn eye” Sirius said to the portrait which instantly swung to the side letting them enter the common room.
The common room had been decorated and it was filled with people who now started singing happy birthday. Some of which Stella had never even talked to.
After they finished the song Sirius and Stella where supposed to cut the cake which was less extravagant than the breakfast cake, but much larger.
As everyone began eating Sirius pulled Stella over to the corner in which Pandora and Sirius friends where waiting.
“Now to your main present” Sirius continued. “Most of the thinking was done by Pandora and we just executed the plan, but we are happy to tell you that you are officially broken up with Mulciber.”
Stella couldn’t believe what Sirius had just said.
“What?”
“You no longer have to be with that asshole who hurt you” Remus clarified.
She had never told Remus about the hurting. No one was supposed to know. What did they do?
“How…?”
“It doesn’t matter” Sirius said. “It’s like mother and father just happen to have found out something about that prick that they didn’t like.”
It was over. She could stop worrying about making Mulciber angry. He no longer had any control.
She hugged Pandora and then Sirius and then the boys who had helped him.
“Well now I feel bad about my present, cause nothing can top that.” She smiled and pulled out a wooden box and gave it to Sirius.
It was a bunch of Silver jewelry. Stella knew that Sirius loved Silver jewelry, he just hated wearing the black family pieces.
“Are you kidding these are perfect” Sirius smiled. All his friends seemed happy for him. All except Remus who was eyeing the silver jewelry as if it was a dangerous weapon.
“Do you wanna dance?” Pandora asked.
Stella grabbed her hands and pulled her to the dance floor.
“In this dress you look like a fairy” Pandora said and to Stella fairy sounded way better than Queen.
They ate and danced and talked. Stella got some more little gifts from the Ravenclaws. Things like treats and books.
At one point Stella felt hot and went to get some water, when she saw Marlene McKinnon staring at her.
“What?”
“Can’t believe you showed up in Gryffindor acting like a fucking princess or something”
“If you hate me so much then what are you doing at my birthday party?”
“It’s not just yours. I happen to be here to Celebrate Sirius birthday, also let me remind you this is the Gryffindor common room. Not for arrogant Slytherins.”
“I’m in Ravenclaw”
“Oh I forgot you don’t seem very smart”
“That’s strong coming from you”
She turned around and left to find Sirius.
“Hey Sirius are you actually friends with McKinnon?”
“Yeah she’s cool, why?”
Stella gave him a judgmental look and than looked back to McKinnon she had now joined her friends Lilly and another Gryffindor girl Marry on the dance floor. Stella couldn’t help but think that she actually looked kind of pretty.
In that moment James came over to the girls.
“Lilly flower of my heart, sunshine of my life do you wanna go out with me”
The attention of the entire room was on them. Lilly instantly went red.
“Leave me alone Potter”
A few people laughed or whispered most of them just went back to whatever they where doing before.
James came over to them. “One day she’s gonna say yes” he said sounding convinced.
“Sure mate” Sirius answered with less enthusiasm.
As it got late Stella said goodbye to everyone and thanked Sirius.
“This was the best birthday ever!”
She walked back to the dorm with the Ravenclaws. The riddle they had to answer to get in was “what is full of holes but still holds water?”
Stella made sure to be the fastest to answer “a sponge”
When she went to sit on her bed she noticed a letter which must have arrived during the day. It had the Black family symbol on it which made Stella wonder, her parents wouldn’t send more than one letter. She opened it hastily.
Dear Stella,
I’m happy you are enjoying yourself at Hogwarts, but do not forget where you come from.
When will I hear from Sirius?
I hope the both of you have a good birthday.
Regards,
R.A.B
Regulus had answered. Why was he always this serious, he was only ten years old. And why hadn’t he heard of Sirius, did Sirius not write him even once?