Ever since Rin had made her revelation, Stella noticed that the compartment of friends had become a brighter group with their usual, steady chatter and laughter. It was really nice that the gloom had lifted from their minds, even if only for a little while. Even Oberon and Sebastian seemed happier to be there, communicating in whatever feline body-language they understand.

Their talks continued for so long that the time flew by. Stella took a cue from Calvin and Adelie and simply pulled her yellow and black Hufflepuff robes on over her regular clothes. It was too late in the game to expect that she could change in the loo. There weren’t enough of them on the train to accommodate the crush of students who would be scrambling to use them for dressing or for relief before the opening ceremony that began every year at Hogwarts.

She collected her things, and Oberon leapt onto her shoulders. He was a large cat, but she was used to this annual tradition. Ever since their first year at Hogwarts when someone had accidentally stepped on his paw when they were leaving the train, he refused to walk out on his own, so he hitched a right on his human’s shoulders or in her arms. Stella was just fine with that.

The teen swallowed a little as they approached the carriages. When she’d seen the carriages just before her third year at school began, she’d genuinely thought they’d changed from being magically pulled to being pulled by the strange, skeletal equines. It was only later that she learned the truth. The carriages had been pulled by these creatures, thestrals, the entire time, and she could only now see them because she’d witnessed her mother’s death.

Stella didn’t like to talk about the fact that she could see the thestrals because then she had to reveal that her mother hadn’t simply died but that she’d seen the entire thing. It tore at her that she hadn’t revealed that somewhat large detail to her friends when she’d told them her mom had died on the job, but it was too hard for her. It was enough that she’d told them what happened to her mom. They didn’t need to worry about her for the rest.

While she wasn’t afraid of the thestrals, they were a reminder of her guilt about both her mother’s fate and the things she’d omitted when discussing it with her friends. After a quick glance at the winged horses, her eyes darted away, and she climbed into the carriage after Adelie, scooting over for Rin and Zef.

Thankfully, it wasn’t too long before they had arrived at the castle. Stella could feel her excitement grow. She adored school. It was so beautiful, and she loved all of her teachers with the exception of Professor Develyn who she felt was a little too hard on those students who, like her, weren’t naturally gifted in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Even so, she didn’t dislike him. He simply wasn’t one of her favorites. Her true admirations lay with Professors Beasty and Lawrence for their helpfulness, kindness, and willingness to defend students against cruelty.

She was so lost in thought, envisioning how fun her final year would be, that she didn’t initially notice the dark cloud coming their way until Adelie stumbled. On instinct, the Hufflepuff quickly grabbed her friend’s arm, helping the Gryffindor to steady herself. It was then that she saw Lugnist who had been unaffectionately dubbed “Lugnut” by Adelie. The other girl spat a threat at him.

“What? I’m just walking here. Not my fault you’re such a clutz.” He replied with a smirk which earned him more laughter from his goons along with a glare that seemed to become Stella’s go-to facial expression whenever he was around. 

“Come on. Let’s just ignore him.” Stella said quietly so only the other four could hear. “He just wants a reaction. Let’s not give him one.”

They walked into the Great Hall, and split up to go to their tables. While Stella got along reasonably well with the rest of her house, she didn’t like parting from her group. Calvin and Zef didn’t seem to care very much for their housemates, and she hated that she had to leave them. At least Adelie and Rin had each other at the Gryffindor table.

The Sorting Ceremony hadn’t changed a bit. First Years were put on an uncomfortable display in front of the entire school and forced to await their fate. Stella’s mother had told her about it, and it hadn’t seemed to have changed one bit from her mother’s youth, so at least she’d known what to expect. It didn’t stop her from feeling a small twinge of disappointment when she was sorted into Hufflepuff instead of Ravenclaw as her mother had been.

She wasn’t disappointed any more, of course. Her mother had told her that if Stella’s father had been British instead of American, he’d have likely been a Hufflepuff, too, and her mother felt that Hufflepuffs were one of the more noble houses which experience hadn’t diminished one bit for the teen. Some of the best people she’d ever met – aside from her main group of friends – were Hufflepuffs, and she loved being a part of this house.

It wasn’t long before a little paper aircraft landed right in front of her. Adelie’s beautiful script asked a question that brought a smile to Stella’s lips. For the first two years of school, Stella had been very strict about abiding by the rules, but the longer she’d known this group, the more relaxed she’d become. It had even become fun to sneak about the castle, and as long as Oberon was with them, Mrs. Norris didn’t seem as eager to summon the ancient Mr. Filch to catch them in the act.

Stella pulled out a pen and inkwell and scrawled, [i]Yes! Where did you have in mind?[/i] Her script may not have been as beautiful and careful as Adelie’s but the round, bubbly writing was very legible and quite recognizable as belonging to the Hufflepuff. Her eyes moved around the Hall, and she sent the plane flying toward the next person to answer.