Stardust

Chapter 7

"A young witch might be the coldest and rudest person I have ever met, we couldn't even finish the interview before she stormed off. Apparently, she didn't tell her parents about the fact she is a part of the Triwizard tournament-"

"She called you rude?" Leigh asked, interrupting Lizzie's reading of Daily Prophet.

Stella shrugged while eating her breakfast, "Well, I wasn't exactly nice towards her, she is very annoying."

"She is indeed," Pansy nodded, "But is it true you haven't told your parents yet?"

"I-um, I guess they know," she said and scratched the back of her neck.

"You should probably tell them," Lizzie said and nodded to herself, "they would like to know their daughter is competing in the Triwizard tournament, it's kinda a big deal whether you like it or not."

Stella didn't listen to what they were saying, she just glanced over at a boy at the Gryffindor table. Rita made a mess of their interview and now everyone was making fun of him for no reason. She wasn't good at her job.

Indeed, from the moment the article had appeared, Harry had had to endure people — Slytherins, mainly — quoting it at him as he passed and making sneering comments. "Want a hanky, Potter, in case you start crying in Transfiguration?"

"Since when have you been one of the top students in the school, Potter? Or is this a school you and Longbottom have set up together?"

"Hey — Potter!"

"Yeah, that's right!" Harry found himself shouting as he wheeled around in the corridor, having had just about enough. "I've just been crying my eyes out over my dead mum, and I'm just off to do a bit more..."

"No — it was just — you dropped your quill." It was Stella.

Harry felt the color rising in his face. "Oh — right — sorry," he muttered, taking the quill back.

"Er... good luck on Thursday," she said. "I really hope you do well." He looked at her and her genuine smile and nodded.

"You too," he answered, walking away.

Hermione had come in for her fair share of unpleasantness too, but she hadn't yet started yelling at innocent bystanders; in fact, Harry was full of admiration for the way she was handling the situation. "Stunningly pretty? Her?" Pansy Parkinson had shrieked the first time she had come face-to-face with Hermione after Rita's article had appeared. "What was she judging against — a chipmunk?"

"Stop it, Pansy!" Stella glared at her the moment she heard the words leave her mouth causing most Gryffindors and Slytherins to look at her. Harry and Hermione were standing leaned against the wall next to their classroom and quickly glanced at each other.

"But-" Pansy tried, Stella only glared at her and raised her eyebrow. "Whatever," Pansy mumbled and folded the Daily Prophet.

After all the classes, Stella felt exhausted. She just wanted to be alone for a while. People were all around, talking about the first task and she couldn't handle it anymore. She took one of her books and headed to the library.

The moment she walked in she had to roll her eyes. Viktor Krum was in the library. Again. She didn't mind him being there, heck, she didn't own the place, but she minded the crowd of girls sitting around, giggling and looking at him. He spent a lot of time in the library lately. She wondered if he was studying or researching for his task. But then again, she was pretty sure she knew why he was coming so often.

She wandered around, looking for an empty place but almost everything was filled with girls. She sighed and just when she was about to go back in her dorm she saw one empty seat. She paused for a second, not knowing if it would be a great idea but shrugged and walked over there anyway.