Star Girl | Cedric Diggory

|*| Eighty |*|

|*| I'm at universal YAY! (Actually I just left universal and I'm sad.) |*|

Aquila slept soundly that night in the company of the stars. She was amazed how much happier she was when she was out in the open as opposed to being cooped up inside the Slytherin dungeons. The stars kept her wonderful company, and they sang her to sleep that night with a sweet lullaby.

When she woke up the next morning, she felt serene, like nothing could go wrong. It was a wonderful feeling, and she relished it, never wanting it to go away.

Aquila was ready to leave the owlery when a little boy walked up the stairs. "Aquila?" he asked. "What are you doing up here this early?"

"I slept here, Richard," Aquila told him.

Richard shrugged, "That seems reasonable."

"You're not going to question it?" the green haired girl asked.

"Nah," he said.

"How have you been?" Aquila asked. "We haven't talked in a while."

"Yeah," he said. "I've been good. I'm going to try out for Quidditch this year."

"Really?" Aquila asked. "There's an open spot?"

"Yep," he said. "Haven't you heard? Harry Potter got banned from Quidditch by Umbridge."

Aquila raised a brow, "She can do that? Not that I'm complaining, but is that even legal? I thought professors could only take away House points."

"Apparently, Umbridge can do whatever she wants," Richard explained. "She's doing things by 'the minister's orders,' so she'll basically run the place soon."

"That's a terrifying thought," Aquila said. "Luckily, I'll be outta here this year. It's you who's got the short end of the stick."

"Not true," he said. "The Defense post is cursed, so she'll probably die before the year ends."

"One can only hope," Aquila said. "How am I supposed to pass my N. E. W. T.'s with her as my professor?"

"Maybe you'll get lucky, and Potter will fuck up the exams again."

"Don't swear, Richard. It's rude."

"I learned it from you!"

|*|*|*|

"Aquila, what is going on?"

Aquila had made her way to the Great Hall after her chat with Richard and met Cedric there. His arms were crossed like an angry mother, and his eyebrows were almost pressed together, which Aquila found adorable. Cedric was the cutest little thing when he was angry.

"I'm trying to eat," she said.

"Where were you last night? Alexis said you weren't in the common room," Cedric told her.

"When did you talk to Alexis?" Aquila asked.

"I'm a school Prefect, Quil," he said proudly. "I talk to everyone. Anyway, where were you?"

"Sending a letter to Nash," she told him. "I ended up falling asleep in the owlery."

"Aquila, are you aware of what Umbridge would do to you if you were found up there?" Cedric asked, turning red.

"Give me detention?" she asked. "I can live with that."

"She banned Harry from Quidditch, Quil," he said, his voice a loud shout. "She'll take something away from you too! I tell you, this woman is a monster."