Star Girl | Cedric Diggory

|*| Thirty Seven |*|

|*| I just spent $60 at Barnes and Nobles and I have no regerts... BOOKS BRUH |*|

Ethan had no idea how to tell Aquila about what Cassie wanted. He knew if he didn't, Cassie would say something. If Cassie said something, Ethan and Aquila might not be friends any longer.

So, Ethan did the only logical thing to do.

He asked Cedric for help.

|*|*|*|

"And if she finds out from Cassie," Ethan concluded, "Aquila might murder me in seven places."

"Seven places..." Cedric repeated. "Interesting..."

"Are you even listening to me?" Ethan asked. "Ced, I spent like an hour explaining to you everything Cassiopeia wanted, and you just say interesting? What's wrong with you?!"

"Look, there is nothing wrong, Eth," Cedric said. "It's just... the task-"

"Don't concern yourself with the task yet! It's not until after the Ball!"

"But the Ball is tomorrow! And I have this horrible feeling that I'll fail it..."

"What?" Ethan asked. "Mate, you're Cedric freaking Diggory!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Cedric asked.

"Um, it means you're amazing! Mate, not only will you complete the task, you'll also end up getting a kiss from Aquila at the end! Ced, if there's anything I know besides everything about potions, it's that you will not fail this task."

"But the egg said something would be taken from me," Cedric said. "What if I don't even know what that is?"

"I'm sure you'll find it."

"Did you just make a Hufflepuff joke?" Cedric asked.

"Yes," Ethan said. "Yes, I did."

"I don't find that surprising at all."

|*|*|*|

Aquila had to tell Jennifer all about Victor Krum wanting to ask her to the Yule Ball. She made it her top priority to seek the girl out.

Aquila knew Jennifer was going with Neville, and she was sure Neville wouldn't get too mad if he found out. Hell, the boy might even have been happy for her. So, Aquila wasn't too worried about any jealous boyfriends.

She found Jennifer alone in the corridor by the Charms class. "Jennifer! Jen! Big news!"

"What?" Jennifer asked. "I didn't have any visions!"

"Yeah, because I'm here to tell you what happened," Aquila said.

"Is this about the task?" Jennifer asked.

"Ugh, you damn Champions! All you care about are these tasks-"

"It's kinda life or death, Quil," Jennifer said, folding her arms.

"Anyway," Aquila continued. "It's not about the task. It's about a certain Quidditch celebrity."

"Krum?" Jennifer asked.

"Yes. Krum. I ran into him at the Quidditch Pitch. After accidentally whacking him with a bat, I took him on a tour of Hogwarts. At the end of the Aquila Tour, he asked me a question about a certain fortune telling Ravenclaw."

"Me?"

"Yes, you!" Aquila cheered. "He asked me if you could go to the Ball with him!"

"But, Nev-"

"I know all about your shy boyfriend," Aquila said. "So I told him you'd have to politely decline, and I might've set him up with Stranger Granger."

"You set Victor Krum up with Hermione Granger? How?"

"Because he asked if anyone else didn't have a date, and I knew bushy hair didn't have one, so I thought she'd thank me."

"If they show up at the ball together," Jennifer said. "I'll pay you five galleons."

"And if you have a vision about them," Aquila said. "I get five more galleons!"

|*|*|*|

Carlos was just leaving the library after finishing up his potions homework. He was moving at a quick pace for fear of running into Aquila. A few days prior, he had insulted Jennifer Trelawney, and word in the corridors was that Aquila had overheard him. He did not need his sixth year to be like his first and second years.

Thing was, Carlos and Aquila had been getting along a lot better. They weren't friends, but she stopped threatening to kill him, so they weren't enemies. He didn't want one thing to ruin whatever was there keeping that "friendship" alive.

Aquila was scary when she was mad. Nobody-not even Carlos-could deny that.

As he sped down the dimly lit corridors of Hogwarts, he heard someone call his name. He stopped walking and saw a girl in Ravenclaw robes walking toward him.

"Carlos Blake," she said. "We need to talk."

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Cassie," she said.

"Cassie who?" he asked.

"Just Cassie."

"What do you want?" Carlos asked.

"Not much really," she said. "A date to the Ball."

"Only if you tell me your last name."

"Carrow," she said. "I'm Cassiopeia Carrow, and I've got an offer you can't resist."

|*| oh sNaP SnaP SNaP SnAp |*|