Star Girl | Cedric Diggory

|*| One Hundred |*|

The year was coming to a close in about a month, and strange things kept happening to Aquila. First, her mother sent her constant congratulations for her work on the Inquisitorial Squad, which always made her laugh. Umbridge praised her for lying straight to her face, and it was rewarding knowing she was convincing.

Another strange thing that constantly happened were unplanned diversions. Whenever Umbridge or Snape or Filch was about to see she doing something out of the rules, something would always divert their attention away from her. At first she thought it was Peeves, but the poltergeist claimed to have nothing to do with it, and when she questioned the ghosts, they gave the same answer.

So, she sought out to find the mysterious person helping her, but every time she thought she had it, she turned out to be wrong.

It wasn't Carlos or Alexis or Cedric. It wasn't anyone from the DA or from the Inquisitorial Squad. She even asked random students she'd never seen before, but everyone claimed to have no involvement.

She was pacing around in the Slytherin common room one night, thinking out loud to Carlos and Alexis. "I've tried everything!" she exclaimed. "I've asked everyone; I've scouted out as the Eagle; I've even set traps! What else can I do?"

"Maybe it's all a bunch of coincidences," Alexis suggested.

"No," the green haired girl said. "Once is a coincidence; twice is a huge coincidence; a gazillion times is definitely not a coincidence. Someone is watching over me."

"Just forget about it," Carlos said. "Just be thankful it's happening."

"I need to know who it is," she insisted. "Probably a Slytherin... probably someone in this room now!" She scanned her eyes over everyone in the room, but none of them seemed to like her. "Okay, not anyone here."

"I agree with Carlos," Alexis said. "Just let it be."

"For a moment, I thought you knew me," Aquila said. "I will not rest until I've found them!"

"Suit yourself," Carlos said. "I've gotta go study for the exams with Abby. I'll catch you later."

"Don't let her talk you in to murder," Alexis told him.

"I won't, Lexi," he promised. "And don't let this one talk you into going on a wild goose chase."

"I won't, Carlos," she promised him. "I'll keep her here."

Once Carlos was gone, Aquila immediately got back to forming a plan for catching her secret admirer, but Alexis found a way to slow her down. "Seventh year is almost over," she said. "What do you plan on doing after all this?"

Aquila sighed. "Sadly, I'm not sure it'll be my choice. I don't want this to end... ever. This school is my only safe place-my parents aren't here to control me. I'm free here. And I know it sounds strange, but even with all of Umbridge's bloody rules, I feel free here. And I know when I leave, the freedom will be gone again."

Alexis nodded. "But you'll be officially on your own... won't you?"

"I'll never be on my own," the green haired girl said. "My mother will always have a hold on me... I want to get away, but I can't. There's a part of me that loves her because, well, she's my mother; she raised me. And although most of what she taught me about how muggle borns are scum and how the only good people are from Slytherin was absolute hippogriff shit, I still love her. I still want to make her proud.

"Truth is, I've always wanted to make her proud. If I didn't, I'd have done what you did. I would've left my family and moved in with Cedric and Amos and... but it's out of the question because my mother is the one I'll always go back to. All I ever did was to impress her.

"I dyed my hair to prove to her I am different from Nash; I made sure I was sorted into Slytherin because I wanted her approval-and I don't regret that; I even joined the Inquisitorial Squad for her... I know she wants to see me doing things like that, acting against rebels and vigilantes.

"And I tell myself I'm doing it to rebel against my parents, but I'm only lying to myself. I don't want to be like her; I just want to be liked by her. I want her to know I care what she thinks of me. I always told people the only approval I need is my own, but it's really my mother's approval I want the most in the end."

"But, Aquila, she's a Death Eater," Alexis reminded her.

"But she's also my mother, and if I have to join the Death Eaters to get her approval, I'm going to do it."

"Do you even hear yourself?" Alexis asked. "You sound like Abby."

"Maybe I do," she said. "But it's the truth, Alexis. I'd go to the ends of the earth to prove myself to her."

"And what about Cedric?" the Greenwall twin asked. "You love him, don't you?"

"I do," Aquila said. "And I never want to do anything to hurt him."

"I take it you have a plan, then."

Aquila shook her head. "Not this time."

|*|*|*|

It was a moderately chilly day when Aquila was sitting with Cedric outside the school. They swapped scarves and sat closely together, talking about nothing of importance. While Cedric was going on about broom care, Aquila was distracted by a movement in the distance. She squinted her eyes and saw a group of students from the DA: Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Luna, and Ginny. They were chatting loudly about something they most certainly should've have been chatting so loudly about, and that peaked her interest. She snuck away from Cedric and headed toward the group without his knowledge.

"What's the situation?" she asked.

The group fell silent and all eyes landed on Harry to explain. "I have to get to the Department of Mysteries. Alone."

"Well, judging by the large amount of people standing around you, I highly doubt you'll be going alone," Aquila deduced. "So I'll be joining you as well."

"No," Harry said. "I can't allow anyone else to get hurt because of me."

"Well, luckily we won't get hurt," the Slytherin said. "How are we getting there."

"Umbridge has our brooms," Ron said, "so flying is out of the question."

"Thestrals," Luna suggested.

"Half of us can't even see them!" Ron exclaimed. "How will plan even work?"

Harry shrugged. "You don't have to come along-"

"I'm going along, mate!" the ginger told him.

"Great, then let's stop stalling and go!" Ginny said to them. "Come on!"