Star Girl | Cedric Diggory

|*| Forty Six |*|

"Cedric this is bad!" Aquila yelled running up to him in the Great Hall.

Ethan and Cedric who were sitting next to each other turned to see Aquila's green hair swinging side to side in the air as she ran.

"What's wrong now?" Ethan asked.

"This!" Aquila shouted, tossing a copy of the Daily Prophet at him. "Look!"

"Awww! You two look adorable," Ethan gushed, pointing to the cover photo of Cedric and Aquila kissing after the task. "You even made the front page!"

Aquila snatched the newspaper from him, "You must be stupider than I though. This isn't good or cute or anything positive! This is an all new level of bad!"

"Aquila..." Cedric said, looking at her through his widened eyes, "You didn't happen to tell your parents, did you?"

Aquila bit her lip. "Um... my parents don't approve..."

"Aquila, this is bad!" Cedric shouted. "They're gonna send you a howler!"

"I know!" she exclaimed. "The stars told me it was coming today. I've gotta go."

"Quil, you can't just run," Ethan said.

"Um, yes I can," she said.

"It'll be worse if you run," he informed her.

"Fine, but I want you to leave," Aquila said pointing to Cedric. "I don't want you hearing this."

"Quil, I can't just abandon you!" he said. "This is your time of need. What's the use in a knight in shining armor if he isn't here?"

"I'm no damsel in distress, Ced," she said. "But you don't have to hear this. They won't have anything nice to say about you, and you don't have to hear it. I don't want you to hear it."

"I'll be okay, Quil," Cedric said. "I'll be fine."

"I warned you," she said. "Cedric you're such... you're such... eyebrow sweat! Just leave! Just go and you'll be fine! I'll be fine! Don't stay here, Cedric," she pleaded. "Please go. Please."

"I'm not leaving you, Aquila," he said. "I'll never leave you. You're stuck with me forever."

|*|*|*|

Disgrace.

That was it. All the Howler decided to yell was one single word: disgrace.

All it took was one word to fill Aquila up with disappointment in herself. All these years trying to please her mother and father. She practically begged the Sorting Hat to place her in Slytherin; she tried so hard to remain friends with purebloods; she'd even created a fake name to talk to Cedric with.

She knew somewhere in the back of her mind that it was all going to end. She knew her parents would eventually find out about her and Cedric and her friends. Her Hufflepuff and Gryffindor and Ravenclaw friends.

With one word, Aquila knew they knew everything. They knew about the crazy Jennifer Trelawney and the mischievous Weasley twins and her Hufflepuff friend Ethan and the not-worthy-to-be-a-human Hufflepuff boyfriend she had. They knew everything.

And the letter she received not five minutes afterwards confirmed it. Her brother sent her a letter telling her everything.

Aquila,

I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have told them; I know I promised I'd keep your secrets. But they found out about Cedric from the Prophet and there was nothing I could do.

They asked me what I knew, and I had to tell them. They know about everyone: Trelawney, the Weasleys, that Edwin kid.

I feel like I complete jerk, and I'm terrible sorry.

Your brother,

Nash

Aquila balled the letter up in her fist and tossed it onto the ground below the Slytherin table. She remained in the Hall even after the Howler was sent but spoke to no one. She didn't laugh it off or scream and yell. She just stood still like a mannequin. She did find it amusing that Nash called Ethan "Edwin" though, but she was still silent.

At the Hufflepuff table, Cedric and Ethan were having a quiet argument. "Say something to her."

"What is there to say?"

"I don't know. You're her Hufflepuff boyfriend; you'll find something to say."

Cedric rolled his eyes, "She clearly wants her space."

"She wants a hug."

"Ethan, that's not the hug me face. That's the I need space face."

"Trust me, Ced; she really needs a hug."

|*|*|*|

Aquila really needed that hug.