Star Girl | Cedric Diggory

|*| Seventy |*|

|*| one more day until the alternate ending!! (me from the future: lmao nope) |*|

"Aquila!" Nash hollered urgently. "Aquila! This is bad!"

Aquila rushed into the living room where her brother stood, breathing heavily. "What's wrong, Nashy?" she asked.

"Mum," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "She's here early."

Aquila's eyes widened, "What? Now? But you said-"

"She's early," Nash repeated. "Get Cedric and get out. Now!"

Aquila didn't respond; instead, she ran to where Cedric was and grabbed him. "Lets go!" she yelled, pulling him to the window.

"Quil, I'm not ready yet!" Cedric exclaimed.

"I'll bring your things to you after she leaves!" she explained. "You have got to go."

"Aquila, how am I supposed to do that?" he asked. "I can't Apparate, and neither can you."

"Oh... right," Aquila muttered. She had forgotten that neither she nor Cedric had learned to properly Apparate during their sixth year. Because of the Triwizard Tournament, their lessons would be postponed until their seventh year. "You're going to have to hide then," she suggested.

"Where?" he asked. "If she's as bad as you say, she'll be able to smell my scent. I can't just hide!"

"You can sure try!" Aquila exclaimed. "Quick, jump out the window!"

"What!?"

"Okay, bad idea."

"I'll say."

"AQUILA, YOU'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME HERE!" Nash yelled. "SHE'S ALMOST AT THE DOOR!"

Aquila began panicking, "Okay, um... The bathroom! We'll just hide in there, and if anyone asks, I'll just say that I'm taking a poop."

Cedric nodded, "A brilliant plan-it really is-but, there's a slight problem."

"Are you kidding me?" she asked. "For real?"

"I actually have to go," he said, looking at the floor.

Aquila crossed her arms, "Ceddy, you can't leave! She'll see you."

"No, not go as in leave... go as in... go."

|*|*|*|

"This is incredibly awkward," Aquila whispered. She and her boyfriend were hiding in Nash's bathroom. Aquila had her back turned to Cedric so he could privately-well, as privately as possible-do his business.

While he was doing that, Aquila kept one ear on the bathroom door and listened carefully to what Vega and Nash were saying just down the hall from where she hid.

"Is Aquila here?" Vega asked her son. Aquila couldn't see her expression, but she knew it wasn't a pleasant one.

"She went out," Nash lied, "but she should be home soon."

"Are you finished yet?" Aquila asked her boyfriend, trying desperately not to look at him. Privacy, she reminded herself. Privacy is key. Do not disturb his privacy... but it's only one little glance-NO, AQUILA! PRIVACY!

"Just about," Cedric said as he flushed the toilet. The flush was loud enough to alert Vega that Aquila was indeed in the house.

"Was that her?" Vega asked Nash.

"Is hope so," her son said, "otherwise there'd be an intruder in the house."

"Cedric, why did you flush it?" Aquila asked angrily.

"It's only a common curtesy," he defended quietly.

"Usually common curtesy is a one person limit in the bathroom," she informed him. "I think we've already crossed the curtesy line here."

"Aquila! Come in here!" Vega barked from the living room.

"Coming, Mother!" Aquila called. "Just a minute!" She then turned her attention to Cedric, who was washing his hands. "If you make one more noise, you'll probably die," she told him. "You know she doesn't like you, so stay in here, lock the door, and keep quiet!"

Cedric nodded, "I won't make a sound." He leaned on the sink but lost his balance. As a result, he knocked the soap bar on to the ground, making even more noise.

Aquila scowled at him, "You're doing a wonderful job."

|*|*|*|

"Took you long enough," Vega announced once Aquila joined her and Nash in the living room.

"I'm here now, Mother," the green haired girl said, sitting down next to her brother on the couch. "How's your summer been so far?"

"I'm not here for small talk, Aquila," Vega said. "I'm here to discuss an arrangement for Nash, but since you're here, you might as well have a listen. Could benefit you."

Vega continued, "The meeting his been rescheduled. Instead of Tuesday, it's tomorrow. Your presence is requested, Nash. We've confirmation on who will be the newest Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and you definitely know a good bit about said person. I would give you all the details, but you never know who might be listening."

"If this conversation is private, I'll step outside," Aquila suggested.

"Nonsense," Vega said. "You stay here. In other news, Nash, I've gotten word back from Mr. and Mrs. Edwin, and their daughter Ashley would be more than happy be your wife."

Aquila nearly choked. Arranged marriages weren't as common as they were back in her parents' day, but she wouldn't put it past Vega to sell her own son out to a random, pure blood family. She was horrified that it was happening, and almost fell out of her seat.

"Aquila, is everything all right?" Nash asked, noticing her strange behavior.

"I feel sick to my stomach," she lied. "Must've been that food I ate for breakfast. I should step out."

Vega nodded, "It would be best if you do. Oh, and Aquila, not a word of this to anyone-especially that boy."

Aquila nodded, "I understand, Mother." Quickly, she walked out the front door and ran around the house to her bedroom window. She climbed through it and crept to the bathroom door.

"Responsible Mom!" she whispered. "It's Boa Constrictor. Let me in."

Cedric unlocked the door, and Aquila pulled him out of there faster than he expected her to. She summoned all of his things and levitated them out of the house through her bedroom window. "Come on," she called to Cedric. "We're getting you home."

"How?" he asked. "We can't Apparate."

"That's true," Aquila agreed. "But we can fly."

|*| correction: Cedric can fly; Aquila can not (me from the future: she can't y e t hehe) |*|