Star Girl | Cedric Diggory

|*| Seventy Three |*|

"Where were you?" Nash asked his sister when she returned home late that night. "Who were you with? What were you doing?"

"Relax, Nashy," Aquila said. "I was at Cedric's house with him and his father, and we were stargazing. You act like I ran away."

"You did run away!" he yelled, flailing his arms through the air. "I was worried sick about you! Why in Merlin's green name were Cedric's clothes outside the house? What on earth ran through your head?"

"I needed to get Cedric out of here before Mother found him," she told him. "So we took his broom and flew to his house. Me, being the idiot I am, dropped his clothes when we took off. Look, I know I should've told you, but how was I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know, Quil!" Nash yelled. "Maybe you should've stayed and just let him go home! You had me going crazy! I had no idea where you were! Never do that again, do you hear me? Never again!"

"Geez, Nash, I'll invite you too next time. No need to overreact."

"There is every need to overreact!"

"Here we go..."

|*|*|*|

"If anyone asks you at school," Nash explained to Aquila as they walked through the barrier at platform 9 3/4, "you tell them yes."

The two siblings were arguing over Aquila's Death Eater status. Nash said it would be best for her to tell her villainous peers that she'd be joining them after the school year, just as she had told her parents. Aquila, however, wanted to tell them the truth. She wanted to deny having any affiliation with the Death Eaters.

"But that's a lie, Nash," Aquila told her brother. "Lies are bad for the soul."

"You'll be lucky to even have a soul if you answer truthfully," Nash told her. "Just... it's a little white lie, Quil. Who's it gonna hurt?"

"Um, me!" she exclaimed.

"You'll be fine!" he insisted.

"Fine!" Aquila shouted.

"Good!" Nash countered.

"Great!"

"Splendid!"

Aquila was running out of words, so she said the first one that popped into her head: "Eyebrow!"

Nash rolled his eyes. "Quil, get on that train."

Aquila took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll see you at Christmas, Nashy."

"See you at Christmas," he said. "Write to me every so often, won't you? It'd be nice to hear how you're doing."

"I will," she said. "Bye, Nash!"

"Goodbye, Aquila!"

|*|*|*|

Aquila searched the train for either Ethan or Cedric, but she couldn't find them. Instead, she found Alexis, Abby, and Carlos. The three were arguing over something inside a compartment. Both Abby and Carlos were focusing all of their energy at Alexis, who looked both fearful and worried. She was pressed up against the wall by the window, so Aquila could see her face. Her eyes were wide and pleading, and she saw Aquila standing outside. "Help me," she mouthed.

Aquila didn't know what was going on, but she knew she didn't like it. She considered Alexis her friend even after everything that the girl did to her in the past. Seeing Alexis being attacked by her own twin sickened Aquila. She waisted no time in grabbing her wand and opening the compartment door.

"What is going on in here?" she asked. She appeared warrior-like; her green hair made her look intimidating, and her stance showed confidence beyond measure. Her wand was pointed at Abby, who was pointing her wand at Alexis.

"What do you think you're doing?" Abby growled at her. She was seemingly unfazed by Aquila's stature, but Carlos remained silent. He lowered his wand quickly, pocketing it as though he never raised it in the first place.

"I asked you first," Aquila informed the girl. "So you're going to tell me. What are you doing to Alexis?"

"Why do you care, Whitman?" Abby asked. "She's been horrible to you all these years-"

"She has not," Aquila defended. "I highly suggest you lower your wand, or we're going to have problems."

"Problems?" Abby asked, a smirk falling onto her lips. "I think we already have problems." The blonde twin pointed her wand at the compartment door, closing it. "We have a problem with both of you little traitors."

"Who exactly are you referring to now?" Aquila asked. "You're sending all sorts of mixed words here."

Abby, who was taller than Aquila, walked over to her and glared at her. Aquila, who took this as a challenge, stood on her tiptoes, evening out the height gap. The twin simply pushed her back to her regular height with one slight tap on her shoulder, and Aquila's stare darkened.

"We need to discuss your allegiance, Whitman," Abby growled. Her blue eyes pierced into Aquila's brain, making her head ache. "Are you or are you not loyal to the Dark Lord."

Remembering what Nash had told her, Aquila nodded her head. "Yes," she lied. "I am."

"Show it to me then," Abby demanded.

"I can't," Aquila answered nonchalantly.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't have one."

"And you call yourself loyal?" Abby asked. She looked angry-so angry that steam appeared to spew from her ears.

"Uh, yeah," Aquila said as though nothing Abby did mattered. "I do."

"You're just as much a traitor as she is!" Abby yelled, pointing to her sister. "It's no wonder our parents disowned her! She deserves to be on the streets! Come on, Carlos; we're leaving!"

The blonde practically drug Carlos out of the compartment, leaving only Aquila and Alexis alone. "I'll get her for this," Aquila said. "I won't let her hurt you."

"Aquila, I'm fine," Alexis said. She avoided eye contact with Aquila, hiding herself behind her hair. Aquila only just noticed that she had cut her hair short, and instead of being golden blonde, it was now a sandy, dirty blonde color.

"What is she talking about?" the green haired girl asked. "You were disowned?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Alexis explained. "Can we please change the subject?"

"I like your hair," Aquila told her. "It looks good on you."

Alexis smiled. "Thanks. I'm glad someone thinks so."

"Hey, do you mind if Cedric and Ethan and I hung out with you for the ride? Keep you company? We won't ask about anything if you don't want to talk."

"That would be nice. Thanks, Aquila."

Aquila looked into the eyes of the girl who had once been her enemy, but she no longer saw the mean little girl from her first year. Instead, she saw an innocent girl with good intentions whom a lot of bad things had happened to. She no longer considered Alexis someone to hate; she considered Alexis to be someone to like.

Aquila wrapped her arm around Alexis's shoulder, "Call me 'Quil'."

|*| what is the meaning of this? Alexis has a... baCKstOrY? (me from the future: its a crappy one but I guess so fam) |*|