chapter one | stella marie

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        Stella Marie Mason loved reading. Her mother, who was muggleborn, always made sure her daughter was educated on muggle culture, especially literature. Pride and Prejudice being her favorite. The imagery, the irony, the foreshadowing. Stella was sure she has read the book a million times and she is still touched by the ending. Seeing two unlikely and seemingly opposite people find their way to each other again and again and finally end up happy together sparks a flame in the girl.

        She didn't truly understand why she was here. She gazed around the many dusty corners of a room in Number 12 Grimmauld Place, and sighed. She could hear the voices of Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger from the room next to hers. In actuality, she was sharing that room with her and Ginny Weasley but decided the room she was currently in was much more quiet, what she preferred.

Her father was in the Order of the Phoenix. He was in it during his days in Hogwarts, and now it's like he never left. It made Stella nervous, though she would never admit it to her father. They had a strange relationship. She knew deep down he still held love for her, he just had a weird way of showing it. Stella believed her mother's death caused a strain on everything the woman left behind. Being a muggle witch, Selene Mason lost her life to cancer, which was passed on from her mother's side. Stella was only nine when the sunshine that was Selene dimmed. The star never gleamed as bright as it did when the sun went down. After her mother's death, Stella became quiet and always kept to herself. She willed herself to start a friendship with someone once she got to Hogwarts, and she did. The only person she would consider a friend is Hermione, seeing that they have been roommates since first year. And had always found friendship with a boy in her year, Neville Longbottom.

The Mason knew Harry Potter would be here soon. Her father gave her the run down as to why they had to go to Sirius Black's house so urgently. Stella always had faith in Black and was happy to know that he was innocent, even if he wasn't  free of charge and was in hiding from the Ministry of Magic. Harry had been attacked by Dementors at his home in the Muggle world, along with his cousin, and was facing a pending trial for expulsion from Hogwarts for performing magic underage and in front of a muggle. Both of her parents were good friends with the Marauders and made the Potters her godparents. It was a shame she didn't remember them but she was gifted pictures from different people such as her parents, Sirius and Remus Lupin.

        Stella sighed as she book marked her novel. Her father had asked her to try to interact with the other kids in the house and decided that that was what she was going to try to do. She opened the door where the other two teens in her year were and widened her eyes when the two jumped and looked toward her urgently.

She blinked, "it's just me. Sorry to scare you."

"It's alright, Stella," the Granger sighed, "I'm just on edge, is all. Harry will be furious."

"You guys couldn't write to him this summer, right?"

"Yeah," Ron answered the girl who now sat on the bed in front of them. The Weasley didn't know the Mason well, but he knew she was nice and heard from Hermione that she was very kind and helped her through a lot, so Ron took a liking to her.

"Well, if I were him, I would be angry," seeing their expressions, she added quickly, "but, I'm sure when he hears why you couldn't, it'll be fine."

        Just then, the three could hear footsteps coming their way and it didn't take long for them to realize it was Harry.

"Harry," Hermione reacted first. The curly haired girl took her best friend in her arms in relief to see that he was in one piece, "Are you alright? We overheard about the dementor attack. You must tell us everything."

"Let the man breathe, Hermione."

Ron was ignored, "And this hearing at the Ministry. It's just outrageous. We've looked it up, they simply can't expel you. It's completely unfair."

        "Yeah. There's a lot of that going 'round at the moment," the Boy Who Lived paused as he set his eyes on the girl on the bed. Stella Mason. He had heard her name from Hermione a couple times and knows the two girls sit together during classes, but had never had a conversation with her himself, "hello, Stella."

        "Hi, Harry, how are you?"

"I'm well, I guess, what are you doing here?"

The girl smiled lightly and motioned around them, "this is headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix—"

"It's a secret society," Hermione added swiftly, "Dumbledore formed it back when they first fought You-Know-Who."

Seeing the confused look on the boys' face still, the Mason chuckled, "my dad's a part of the Order. One of the first members actually."

"Couldn't have put this in a letter, I suppose," Harry questioned, turning serious again, "I've gone all summer without a scrap of news."

The three teens exchanged nervous glances before Ron spoke, hesitantly.

"We wanted to write, mate, really we did. Only..."

"Only what?"

"Only Dumbledore made us swear not to tell you anything."

"If it's any consolation, Harry," Stella spoke, her tone soft, "Dumbledore has always tried to help you as much as he can. He has a reason for everything."

"Thank you, Stella, but why would he keep me in the dark? Maybe I could help. After all I'm the one who saw Voldemort return. I'm the one who fought him. I'm the one who saw Cedric Diggory get killed."

A loud crack ended Harry's rant as the two Weasley twins appeared in the room. Stella enjoyed the company of Fred and George during her stay and thought they were quite funny. They landed from their apparition in front of Stella and next to Harry on the bed.

        "Harry," George greeted with glee, "thought we heard your dulcet tones."

  "Don't bottle it up though, mate. Let it out."

"Now, if you're all done shouting..."

"Do you wanna hear something a little more interesting?"

Everyone in the room gazed upon a string with an ear attached to it. Stella knew the twins were coming up with new products everyday for their business. And might she just say, they are quite creative.

The kids gathered around the top of the steps to listen in on the meeting. The Mason didn't really need to listen to it, knowing her father would give her a run-down afterwards. Her father, unlike the Weasley's, wanted his child to be in the know. Rowland Mason wanted his daughter to be prepared for anything.

After a couple of seconds of silence, the Extendable Ear started to pick up the voices downstairs.

"If anyone has the right to know, it's Harry," Sirius's voice rang through, "if it wasn't for Harry, we wouldn't even know Voldemort was back. He's not a child, Molly."

"But he's not an adult either," Mrs. Weasley argued, "he's not James, Sirius."

"Well, he's not your son."

"He's as good as. Who else has he got?"

"He's got me."

Just then, a new voice sounded from the contraption, "How touchingly paternal, Black. Perhaps Potter will grow up to be a felon, just like his godfather."

"You stay out of this, Snivellus."

Harry turned to his friends in a state of shock, "Snape's in the Order?"

Ron responded with a scoff, "git."

        In all honesty, Stella didn't mind Snape. It seemed he had somewhat of a soft spot for her. She thought it had to do with the fact that her mother was a friend of Snapes' during their days at Hogwarts. One thing she did remember about her mother was that she always wanted to make friends with everyone and make them happy. He didn't patronize her like he did with her fellow Gryffindors and always graded her assignments fairly. Her father once told her that if she needed anything at Hogwarts, Professor Snape would help with whatever she needed. She hadn't needed help for anything, but she was still open with asking for help when she did.

The Mason broke from her thoughts when she heard a distant 'meow' from below. It wasn't long before Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, scampered off with the Extendable Ear.

"Bad Crookshanks!"

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The lot were now seated in the kitchen for dinner. One question that was in the back of Harry Potter's mind, on top of everything else, was who Stella Mason was to the adults in the Order. Sirius and Lupin seemed to adore the girl like she were their own, greeting her with a kiss on the head as they passed her to get to her their seats as she sat next to her dad, who was sat next to Lupin. He made a mental note to ask someone, if not the girl herself, later.

In all honesty, the two adults could see Selene in Stella Marie in everything the girl did. They were great friends with the late woman and was devastated to hear of her passing, not getting to say goodbye since she past on in America.

        After some light conversation and laughs caused by Tonks and her transformations, the air seemed to tense as a hush came down on the group.

"This is very, very peculiar," Mr. Weasley expressed, "it seems your hearing at the Ministry is to be before the entire Wizengamot."

"I don't understand. What has the Ministry of Magic have against me?"

Stella frowned and watched her hand push around her food. She felt for the boy, it seemed he couldn't catch a break.

"Show him," the booming voice of Mad-Eye Moody demanded, "he'll find out soon enough."

Stella, seeing that the paper was right in front of her, grabbed it and handed it to Harry, her eyes soft with reassurance as the headline "The Boy Who Lies?" popped up on the front page.

"He's been attacking Dumbledore as well," Sirius added, referring to the Minister, "Fudge is using all his power, including his influence at the Daily Prophet, to smear anyone who claims the Dark Lord has returned."

"Why?"

"The Minister thinks Dumbledore's after his job," Rowland Mason chimed in, taking the heat off of his friend.

"But that's insane," Harry expressed, "no one in their right mind could ever believe that Dumbledore—"

"Exactly the point," Lupin nodded, agreeing completely, "Fudge isn't in his right mind. It has been twisted and warped by fear. Now, fear makes people do terrible things, Harry. The last time Voldemort gained power, he almost destroyed everything we hold most dear. Now he's returned, and I'm afraid the Minister will do almost anything to avoid facing that terrifying truth."

The Potter glanced back at the paper, lost for words.

"We think Voldemort wants to build up his army again," Sirius cautiously spoke, "Fourteen years ago, he had huge numbers at his command. And not just witches and wizards, but all manner of dark creatures. He's been recruiting heavily, and we've been attempting to do the same. But gathering followers isn't the only thing he's interested in," he paused as Moody cleared his throat from behind him in warning, "we believe... Voldemort may be after something."

"Sirius."

"...Something he didn't have the last time."

"You mean like a weapon?"

The sound of utensils clashing interrupted the conversation, "no. That's enough," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, snatching the newspaper from the table and anyone's view, "he's just a boy. You say more and you might as well induct him into the Order."

        "Good. I want to join," Harry jumped to say, "If Voldemort's raising an army, then I want to fight."

Nothing was said after that, aside from a sly wink from Sirius.

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don't be a silent reader!
edited: 5 april 2021

4 july 2021 a/n:
hi lovelies,
some of the comments about stella's comment about dumbledore are kinda making me sad, so i just want to clear it up for those who r put off by it and chose not to continue reading.
as it states in this first chapter, stella hadn't ever been around the golden trio (with the exception of being roommates with hermione). she really doesn't know anything that has happened fully in the years before fifth year. so for everyone who is cringing at her comment, this is a comment coming from someone who is on the outside and has seen dumbledore 'favor' harry since essentially first year.
don't come for my baby stella!
xoxoxoxoxo - bex