Star Girl | Cedric Diggory

|*| Seventy One |*|

|*| the alternate ending is posted!! (me from the future: yeah, just don't go looking for it lol) |*|

Aquila was shaking as she and Cedric mounted the broom. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on to him like her life depended on it. Her heart raced a million miles an hour; she couldn't calm down.

"You don't have to come with me," Cedric reminded her. "You can stay here-"

"There is no way in hell I'm staying here!" Aquila yelled. "Not while they're arranging marriages! If I'm there, she'll want to arrange mine! She might try to sell me to the Carrows to be Cassiopeia's wife!"

"I don't think that would happen," he reassured her. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Is there a reason I shouldn't?" she asked.

"No," Cedric said, "but you are afraid of flying."

"I got on a broom in first year, remember?" Aquila asked. She was trying to boost her own confidence in flying by reminding herself that she had done it once before, and she didn't die. Besides, she trusted Cedric with her life, and she knew that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

But the subconscious fear was still there. The fear of falling, dying. The fear that Cedric wouldn't be able to catch her. No matter how much she trusted Cedric, she knew there would be a time when he might not be able to save her.

"Quil," Cedric said, "in first year, you got on that broom just to prove a point. There's no point to prove anymore. If you don't want to-"

"Listen here, Ceddy Bear," Aquila said. "I'm gonna get on the broom with you to prove that I'm not scared."

"There's no need to prove a point!"

"Yes there is! I'm coming with you!"

Cedric sighed. He knew his girlfriend was stubborn, but he didn't want to force her to do anything she wasn't comfortable with. He wasn't trying to talk her out of coming with him; he was making sure that she was okay with going. He didn't want her to get on the broom with him just to prove a point; he wanted her to get on because she wanted to.

But, once Aquila made up her mind, there was no arguing with her. "If you ever want me to land," he said, "just let me know, and I'll land."

Aquila smiled, "Great! Now hurry; if she sees us, she'll start to plan your marriage too. Merlin, she might try to marry you off to Ethan's brother..."

"Aquila, I don't know how you come up with these things," he said.

"It's a gift," she said, grinning.

"You know what else is a gift?"

"My love for you?"

"Yes, but that's not what I was talking about," Cedric said.

"Then what?" she asked.

Cedric's smile was cocky, and he brushed his hair back. "The gift is my ability to fly the best out of anyone in the world."

|*|*|*|

As soon as Cedric pushed his feet off the ground, Aquila went into full panic mode. Her breathing accelerated; her heart beat faster; her vision blurred. She wanted to tell Cedric to land, but she couldn't bring herself to. He wanted to take you flying, she reminded herself, so you're going to let him. After all, he did eat that sandwich...

Aquila's grip around her boyfriend's waist tightened as they went up higher into the sky. "Why are we going up so high?" she asked.

"The Muggles might see us," Cedric told her. He had to yell so she could hear him. "Once we're up high enough, we'll look like a bird."

Wouldn't it be so cool to be a bird? Aquila thought. Not just any bird, but an eagle, like my name. I wonder if I could become an eagle...

Once they were up high enough, Cedric slowed down. Aquila looked around from where she flew in the sky. The houses and streets appeared to be so small. It was like the houses were the stars, and Aquila was in space looking at them.

"It's so beautiful up here," she said in awe and wonder.

"I've flown up this high a few times," Cedric told her, "and I've seen this beautiful view before, but it's even more beautiful now that I get to share it with you."

Aquila smiled and put rested her head on his back. She wrapped her arms around him again, but it was more of a hug this time. "Why do those cheesy things sound so much like poetry when you say them?"

"It's a gift," he told her, smiling contently.

"You know what else is a gift?" Aquila asked.

"My love for you?" Cedric guessed, his smile brighter.

"Stop that," she laughed. "The amount of déjà vu is crazy right now. I was going to say that you're a gift in general, but I guess you could say that you're right."

"You're a gift too, Quil," he said. "Just try to keep your wrapping paper on during our descent."

"Wait, we have to go down now?" she asked. Panic was coming back to her head.

"We can't stay up here all day," Cedric told her.

"Fine," she grumbled, "but I'm closing my eyes."

"Hang on tight, Aquila," he exclaimed. "I'm gonna show you how fast this broom can go!"

|*|*|*|

"Are we on the ground yet?" Aquila asked. "Please tell me we're on the ground."

"We are," Cedric said. "You can open your eyes now."

Aquila opened her eyes to find her boyfriend looking at her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She didn't answer; instead, she pulled him in for a kiss.

"I take it you enjoyed the ride," Cedric said, proud of himself.

"I'll admit," Aquila said, "I was scared at first, and I was scared again at the end, but it was a good kind of scared. It was the fun scared when you're frightened for your life, but you're also thinking, 'Yeah! This is so fun!' So, thanks for letting me come with you."

"Thanks for agreeing to come," Cedric said. "We should do that again some time."

"I think I've had enough fun for a while now," she said.

"Would you like to stay for lunch?" Cedric asked.

"Who can say no to food?" Aquila asked. "Plus, your family is totally cool! So much better than mine. Unless they arrange marriages here too..."

|*| calm yo tits quil they don't |*|