Stardust

Chapter 21

Stella returned to the Slytherin dungeon the following evening. From what Lizzie and Leigh told her, Dumbledore had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. He had merely requested that they leave Stella and Harry alone, that nobody ask them questions or badger them to tell the story of what had happened in the maze. And he also added that the school will get a month break, and classes will start again on February first.

Most people, she noticed, were skirting her in the corridors, avoiding her eyes. Some whispered behind their hands as she passed. She guessed that many of them had believed Rita Skeeter's article about how disturbed and possibly dangerous she was. Perhaps they were formulating their own theories about what happened to her and Harry. She found she didn't care very much.

She liked it best when she was with Fleur and her friends and they were talking about other things, or else letting her sit in silence while they played chess. He felt as though all of them had reached an understanding they didn't need to put into words; that each was waiting for some sign, some word, of what was going on outside Hogwarts — and that it was useless to speculate about what might be coming until they knew anything for certain.

The only person apart from her friends that Stella felt able to talk to was Hagrid. She used the next afternoon to go down and visit Hagrid in his cabin. It was a bright and sunny day; Fang bounded out of the open door as they approached, barking and wagging his tail madly.

"Who's that?" called Hagrid, coming to the door. "Stella!" He strode out to meet her, pulled her into a one-armed hug, ruffled her hair, and said, "Good ter see yeh, mate. Good ter see yeh."

She saw two bucket-size cups and saucers on the wooden table in front of the fireplace when they entered Hagrid's cabin. "Bin havin' a cuppa with Olympe," Hagrid said. "She's jus' left."

"Who?" she asked curiously.

"Madame Maxime, o' course!" said Hagrid.

"You two made up, have you?"

"Dunno what yeh're talkin' about," said Hagrid airily, fetching more cups from the dresser. When he had made tea and offered around a plate of doughy cookies, he leaned back in his chair and surveyed Stella closely through his beetle-black eyes. "You all righ'?" he said gruffly.

"Yeah," said Stella.

"No, yeh're not," said Hagrid. " 'Course yeh're not. But yeh will be." Stella said nothing. "Knew he was goin' ter come back," said Hagrid, and Stella looked up at him, shocked. "Known it fer years, Stella. Knew he was out there, bidin' his time. It had ter happen. Well, now it has, an' we'll jus' have ter get on with it. We'll fight. Migh' be able ter stop him before he gets a good hold. That's Dumbledore's plan, anyway. Great man, Dumbledore. 'S long as we've got him, I'm not too worried." Hagrid raised his bushy eyebrows at the disbelieving expressions on her face.

"No good sittin' worryin' abou' it," he said. "What's comin' will come, an' we'll meet it when it does. Dumbledore told me wha' you did, Stella." Hagrid's chest swelled as he looked at her. "Yeh did as much as yer mother would've done, an' I can' give yeh no higher praise than that." Stella smiled back at him. It was the first time she'd smiled in days.

"What's Dumbledore asked you to do, Hagrid?" she asked. "He sent Professor McGonagall to ask you and Madame Maxime to meet him — that night."

"Got a little job fer me over this month," said Hagrid. "Secret, though. I'm not s'pposed ter talk abou' it, no, not even ter you lot. Olympe — Madame Maxime ter you — might be comin' with me. I think she will. Think I got her persuaded."

"Is it to do with Voldemort?" Hagrid flinched at the sound of the name.

"Migh' be," he said evasively. "Now who'd like ter come an' visit the las' skrewt with me? I was jokin' — jokin'!" he added hastily, seeing the look on Stella's faces.