Star Girl | Cedric Diggory

|*| Fifty Six |*|

"What're they doing?" Aquila asked, pointing to a group of students lugging large cases outside the castle. She was sitting with Cedric and Ethan by the lake.

"That's the band, Quil," Ethan told her. "They're playing music during the task tonight."

"Oh, right," Aquila said, resting her head on Cedric's shoulder.

"Hopefully it won't be as boring as watching the barren lake water for an hour," Ethan said, reaching his hand into the lake and splashing Aquila with the water.

"Hey!" Aquila yelled, hitting Ethan lightly. "That's cold."

"Yeah, Ethan," Cedric said. "That's cold."

Ethan rolled his eyes, "Seriously, Cedric? You're complaining about being cold when you're wearing five scarves, and you've got your lover's body heat to keep you warm? You clearly don't know what cold is."

Cedric groaned, "Shut up, Ethan. Can't you see I'm cold?"

Ethan closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, "Merlin, Cedric, you're such a-Aquila, what are you doing?"

Ethan's rant was cut short when Aquila wrapped her arms around him and snuggled up against him. "You said you were cold," she explained, "so I'm warming you up."

Ethan had no idea how to respond to that, so he didn't say anything. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her, and they just sat there in a weird hug while Cedric laughed from where he sat.

"Shut up, Ceddy," Aquila said into Ethan's chest. "I'm trying to use my penguin skills to warm up your annoying friend. You should be grateful he's stopped complaining."

"Yes, but now I'm cold," Cedric argued.

"No you're not," Ethan said, referring to the amount of scarves he was wearing.

"Ethan's right for once," Aquila agreed. "You've got more scarves than I can count on my fingers."

"But what about the rest of me?" he asked. "My neck might be warm, but what about the rest of my body?"

"You should've though about that before you left the castle wearing a gazillion scarves," she told him.

"But I need warmth!"

"But I don't care!"

"Do all lovers act like this?" Ethan asked.

"If they don't, are they actually in love?" Aquila asked.

"I wouldn't know," Ethan said. "The last person I was dating I wasn't technically dating, and that person was... it was you... Merlin, this is getting weird..."

"It's only weird if you make it weird, my love," Aquila said, wrapping her arms more tightly around him.

"You've gone and made it about ten times weirder," he informed her.

"I'm still cold," Cedric interrupted.

Aquila sighed, "Come here, eyebrow sweat. I'll warm both of you idiots up."

And Aquila sat in between two of her favorite people in the world and looked out at the lake thinking that she couldn't ask for better friends.

|*|*|*|

"My dad's coming to see me today," Cedric informed Aquila later that day. "He'll be here in about ten minutes."

"Are you out of your mind?" Aquila asked Cedric.

"Maybe?" he asked. "I don't fully understand what's going on."

"You decide to tell me ten minutes before he shows up that he's coming?" she asked. "What kind of a notice is that?"

"The best I could do," he replied. "Honestly, I didn't know he was coming."

Aquila crossed her arms. "You didn't even think for one second, 'Hey, my loving and supporting father. Is probably going to come and cheer me on today. I should let my crazy girlfriend know so she can get a shower.'"

"Um, no actually," Cedric told her. "It never crossed my mind."

"Broaden your mind!" Aquila yelled at him, flinging her arms open.

"Now you just sound like Professor Trelawney."

"Was that an insult, boy?"

"...No?"

"Good," Aquila said cheerfully. "So, how's this gonna go? Am I gonna hide or are you going to introduce me as a friend?"

"What are you talking about?" Cedric asked. "You're my girlfriend."

"Yes, but is that really what you plan on telling your pop-pop?"

"Yes."

"Why? I don't suppose he'll approve of the green-haired daughter of two Death Eaters."

Cedric grabbed his girlfriend's hands and said, "Aquila, I couldn't care less if he approves of you or not. The only thing that matters is that I love you, and he's going to have to deal with it whether he wants to or not. Besides, he's seen The Daily Prophet article where we were kissing. He already knows about you."

"But he doesn't know who I am," Aquila said. "Oh! We can make up a new backstory for me! I'll change my name to-"

"Stop that," Cedric said. "You don't have to impress him, Quil. Honestly, nobody ever does; the man's got extremely high standards. Just be yourself."

"What if he doesn't like me?" Aquila asked.

"Since when did you care who likes you?" Cedric asked.

"Since the person was your dad," Aquila said. "Something about meeting your dad really freaks me out."

"He'll love you, Quil," Cedric promised.

"How do you know that?"

"Because I love you."

|*| or will he... |*|