Star Girl | Cedric Diggory

|*| Ninety Three |*|

|*| all of the spelling mistakes in Aquila's dialogue are intentional because of the leaf in her mouth. Just saying |*|

Aquila was laying down on her bed, looking trough the glass Cedric gave her for Christmas. She could see some constellations, and they gave her some relief after the DA meeting. Tensions with Umbridge were at an all time high; the Inquisitorial Squad was on to them, especially that prick, Draco Malfoy. There were rumors of questionings, but Aquila was sure she wouldn't have to worry about it. What would a model Slytherin be doing with a group of vigilante Gyrffindors?

She looked at the sky and smiled. In a few short weeks, she would become an Animagus. She couldn't wait to spread her wings and get her revenge on Cassie and Ethan. Everything would finally be set straight.

Only, her mind was wild with the idea that she might not be an eagle. She might be a very inconvenient animal like a lizard or an elephant. How could she spy on her enemies as an elephant? The prayed to Merlin that it would at least be a bird, but not a penguin. A bird that could fly specifically.

In the middle of her thoughts, Alexis entered her dorm, removing her tie and changing into her night clothes. Aquila's eyes wandered over to the girl's naked body, and she was met with the sight of gruesome scars and bruises along her back. The pale skin of her friend was destroyed with marks of evil.

She didn't want to say anything and quickly went back to her looking glass, but her mind was still on the scars. Did her parents do that to her? Was it because she refused to join the Death Eaters? She wondered if her own parents would do the same to her, and she touched her own skin, feeling for marks.

Fear set it, and Aquila spoke. "Does it hurd?" she asked, her voice cutting through the silence.

Alexis was fully dressed now, and she turned around to face Aquila. "It sometimes stings from the curses," she admitted, making no attempt to dodge the question. "I can still hear their voices, shouting out those terrible curses. Hers in particular."

"Your mother's?" Aquila asked.

"My sister's," she corrected. "It was Abby who told my parents about Fred. She even had a hand in the punishment. I always thought family was first, but apparently not."

"I'm so sorry," the green haired girl said. Alexis sat down on the bed next to her, and she handed her the shard of glass. "Lay down and look ad the ceiling," she said.

Alexis nodded, taking the glass from her hands. "It's beautiful."

"Cedric gave id to me for Chridmas," Aquila said. "So I could see the sars from here."

"That's sweet of him," Alexis said. "It's really beautiful."

Before Aquila could even ask, the other girl read her mind and answered. "I'm okay, Quil. I swear. Hogwarts is the safest place in the world for me."

"Wha aboud Umbridge?" the green haired girl asked. "She's a real bich."

"She's nothing for me to worry about, and you shouldn't either. The worst has already been done to me; I can take whatever she throws at me."

"If you ever need someone da dalk to, I'm always here," she promised.

"And I know you're in no condition to talk right now," Alexis said, "but I'm no fool, Quil. I know you didn't eat a poisonous fruit."

"Whad gave id away?" she asked.

"I've never seen you eat a fruit in your life."

"I would argue, bud you're righ."

"So what is it? Tell me."

"You have to sweat you won'd 'ell anyone."

"I swear."

"I'm gonna be an eagle. Caw caw, wizardfuckers."

|*|*|*|

True to her word, Alexis didn't tell anyone about Aquila's secret plans. Instead, she helped her hide it, often speaking for her in conversations. As the days went on, Aquila was talking less and less, complaining about the taste. She was grateful to her friend for helping her out.

Cedric and Alexis were the only ones who knew, and they helped her through everything, but there was one thing they couldn't help her with. The fear she had when faced with the thought of not becoming an eagle scared her, and sometimes, she'd skip class and brood over the possibilities in her dorm.

"I don wand to be a sdupid penguin," she told Cedric one evening in the library. "They're an abominadion to birds."

"Quil, you're overreacting," Cedric told her. "Whatever you end up being, it will suit you and your revenge plot. Who knows? Maybe being a penguin would be better."

"No id wouldn'd, Ced," she told him. "Penguins can'd fly. Useless."

"You'll be the prettiest penguin," he said with a smile. "Maybe you'll have green feathers."

"Id would be cooler to be an eagle with green feaders dan a penguin."

"Don't worry about this, baby," he told her, wrapping an arm around her. "No matter what happens, I'll be right there with you. And if you aren't an eagle, we can laugh about it in the future with our friends. But I believe you will be an eagle. It's in your name, it's in your spirit, and you'd be a killer eagle. Worrying about it will only cause stress, and we have enough of that with classes."

"You're righ... but I'm still gonna worry."

|*|*|*|

Aquila had just finished taking a huge potions exam, and she entered the common room in search of someone to complain to about it. Seriously, they never went over the answer to question sixty-four!

She found Alexis sitting alone on a couch that faced the window into the lake, and she sat down next to the girl without a second thought. "'Ey," she said.

Alexis quickly wiped her eyes. "Oh, hey, Quil," she said. She sniffled, and Aquila turned to see that she'd been crying.

"Wad's da madder?" the green haired girl asked.

"It's just... everything," Alexis said. "This summer was just the worst. My family... they disowned me."

"Wad? Why?" Aquila asked. She placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Because I told them I wanted nothing to do with the Death Eaters," she explained, "and because Abby told them about Fred. Long story short, I ended up on the streets, alone. I stayed with the Weasleys all summer at the Burrow. Cut my hair; tried to forget them.

"But I can't forget them because they're everywhere. Abby sleeps in the bed above mine; I'm terrified she'll kill me in my sleep, so I stay up all night, silently crying. I'm sorry I burdened you with all this, Quil. You don't have to feel sorry for me."

"You're my frien', Lexi!" Aquila exclaimed. "I can't jus' sid 'ere and wadch you cry." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the glass Cedric gave her for Christmas. "'Ere."

"What is this?" Alexis asked.

"Cedric gave id to me on Chrisma'," she explained. "Id shows da stars from anywhere."

"That's sweet of him," Alexis said. "It's really beautiful."

Aquila let her sit in silence for a while and watch the stars, hoping she could bring Alexis a moment of peace in the time of heartbreak and sorrow. The thought brought her back to Ethan, but she quickly pushed him away. She had no sympathy for Death Eaters (except for Nash).

Alexis broke the silence by saying, "You're going to be the most majestic eagle the world will ever see."

|*| hell yeah she is... unless she a penguin lol |*|