Star Girl | Cedric Diggory

|*| Thirty Six |*|

|*| all my friends are assholes murder them *sung to the tune of heathens*

And also 4K YASS BITCHES THANK YOU |*|

Aquila led Victor Krum through the corridors of Hogwarts, pausing at major locations along the way. She showed him all the places she got into fights with Carlos, Alexis, and Cassie, and she described them all vividly (Then, I shoved my wand in her face, and she cried).

The tour ended in the owlery. She finished it off with the story of the owl biting Alexis's finger in their first year. Krum seemed to be enjoying her story; he laughed and asked her a few questions. She gladly answered them. Aquila wasn't the biggest Quidditch fan, but she was a major Victor Krum fan.

"Can I ask another question?" Krum asked.

"Sure," she said.

"What do you know about Jennifer Trelawney?"

She was confused as to why he was asking about Jennifer, but she answered his question nonetheless.

"Quite a bit," Aquila answered. "What do you want to know?"

"I was planning on asking her to the Yule Ball."

|*|*|*|

"I don't think this is a good idea," Ethan said. He was in the library with Cassie. The girl practically drug him there against his will.

Ethan had no idea what Aquila would do when she found out about Cassie's plan.

"What could go wrong?" Cassie asked.

"Um, everything!" he yelled.

"Hush, Eth," she scolded. "Library; remember?"

"You know I'm loud, Cass...ie," he stumbled, accidentally calling her by the nickname he gave her in his first year. "And I'm not Eth. I'm Ethan."

"Look, Ethan. I get that you think Aquila will kill you-"

"I know she'll kill me," he said.

"She won't," Cassie said. "This is what you want, isn't it?"

"No," he said, "it's not."

"I think this agreement will work out in both of our favors," she said. "I'll get what I want-"

"What do you want?"

"Information," she said.

"On what?" he asked.

"On a certain Hogwarts Champion."

"No," Ethan said. "I refuse to help you stalk Cedric!"

"Shhh," Cassie scolded. "Library."

"I don't give a damn!" Ethan yelled, attracting the attention of all the students in the library. "Look, I let you mess with my friends once; I will not let you do it again!"

"Don't you remember what you told me in our first year?" Cassie asked. "Don't you remember your promise?"

|*|*|*|

First year Ethan was walking down the corridors with Cassie. Her hair was braided, and every time she turned her head, the braid hit Ethan's back.

"Cass," he said, "your hair hates me."

"I think it loves you," she said. "It just has a funny way of showing it."

"It sure does," he said.

"I have a question, Eth," Cassie said.

"I have an answer, Cass," Ethan said.

"No matter what happens," she asked, "will we always be friends? Even if all of Hogwarts is against us?"

"Yeah," he said. He didn't bother to ask her why.

"You promise?"

"Yes, Cass," Ethan said. "I promise."

"And you promise to keep your promise?"

"Merlin's beard, Cass! I promise!"

"Good," she said, smiling. "I promise to always be your friend too."

|*|*|*|

Ethan swallowed. He wasn't one to break his promises. But Cassie had him promise something he couldn't keep. Back in his first year, he had no idea he'd become friends with her enemies or that she'd sell him out. He was in his sixth year now, and he couldn't keep his promise from five years prior.

"I'm sorry, Cassie," he said. "I just can't keep that promise anymore."

"I guess promises mean nothing to you then," Cassie said. "But I'm keeping up my end, Ethan. If you want to change your mind, you've still got time."

"I'm not changing my mind, Cassie," he said. "Not ever."

|*|*|*|

Aquila could not come up with any way to tell Krum that Jennifer had a date already. All she could do was dance around the subject of the ball, "Oh, the Yule Ball... that's one formal event. I'm thinking about matching my dress color to my hair color..."

"Do you think she'd say yes?" Krum asked.

"I don't think she can," Aquila said, looking anywhere but at him.

"Why not?"

"Um, she kinda sorta has a... um, a date already," Aquila said.

"Oh," he said. "I see."

"I'm sorry," she said, "but there are plenty of other fish in the sea."

"Do you know any of them who are don't have a date?"

"Um," Aquila said. There was only one name that came to her mind, so that was the name she said.

"Hermione Granger."

|*| oh snap granger danger |*|