Star Girl | Cedric Diggory

|*| One Hundred Eight |*|

|*| This chapter is surprisingly fitting for Mother's Day |*|

Aquila couldn't sleep that night. She stayed up into the wee hours of the morning, pacing her room, screaming into her pillows, and punching whatever object was closest to her. The silencing charm on her room allowed Nash and his wife some peace that night while she had her breakdown; they didn't hear a thing.

Aquila couldn't count how many times she had destroyed and then repaired her room only to destroy it again. She ripped the sheets from the bed, tore the hideous curtains from the windows, and broke every lamp and glass object in the room.

The only thing that remained untouched was her mirror. She occasionally caught glimpses of her face of tear stained rage, and she didn't recognize herself. She didn't want to recognize herself.

She had lost everything-her best friend, her sanity, her will to move foreword. The only remnant of the Aquila Whitman from Hogwarts was her hair, which was still gleaming green against the black of the night.

Even her hair brought back memories. Memories of the first day she met Cedric on the Hogwarts Express. He was the one who brought up dying her hair. When she looked in the mirror, she only thought of him.

She remembered their first flying class when Carlos challenged Cedric. She remembered standing up for him, even though it got her some nasty bruises and traumatized her for life.

She remembered sixth year when he entered the Triwizard Tournament. The joyful look on his face when he got chosen stuck in her mind. She remembered Ethan making her realize how she truly felt about him, and she remembered how happy she felt after they told each other their feelings.

She remembered meeting his father for the first time-the anticipation and fear. She remembered doubting that he would like her-a green haired Slytherin. She also remembered instantly clicking with him and going to their house after the school year.

Everything she ever did, Cedric was there. She couldn't remember a moment in time when she didn't love him nor a moment in time when she wanted to be apart from him.

She remembered those nights in the Slytherin dorms when she felt alone, so she'd reach out for the gift he gave her. A mirror to the stars. She remembered loving him more and more whenever she used it.

And she remembered how heartbroken he looked in Diagon Alley when she told him she had to leave him. She never wanted to see him so hurt.

There was a hole in her heart where Cedric used to be, and the longer she looked in the mirror, the more she thought of him. She yelled and fought with herself, eventually punching the mirror in frantic rage. Make the memories stop! Make them go away!

The mirror shattered around her, and a few shards found their way into her skin. "MERLIN'S LEFT NOSTRIL THAT HURTS!" she exclaimed violently, waving her hand in an attempt to dull the pain she felt.

After carefully pulling each glass shard from her hand, she looked at the scattered glass where the mirror used to be. A few pieces remained in the frame, and she could still see the green hair in the corner of her eye.

She wanted the memories to stop; she wanted to forget Hogwarts and stop feeling everything and nothing at the same time. She ran her fingers through her hair, noticing just how long it really was. Just past her shoulder blades was where it fell like a green waterfall.

She grabbed a shard of glass from the mirror, and raised it to her hair, carefully positioning it on top of her shoulder. With a swipe of her hand, strands of green fell to the floor and shriveled.

Looking back to the mirror, she watched as the remaining hair on her head lost its green color-it faded from her roots to the tips until no color was left.

She ran her fingers through her hair now. It was as black as her insides felt. No longer did she look in the mirror and see that girl from Hogwarts-now she saw the monster she would undoubtedly become.

|*|*|*|

Aquila arrived at her mother's doorstep that night with the darkness surrounding her like a second skin. The hood of her cloak covered her face, and the light of her wand was just enough for navigation up the steep steps in the darkness.

She didn't have to knock before the door opened, revealing Vega Whitman-also dressed in black-standing in the doorway. "I knew you'd come," the woman said to her daughter.

Aquila didn't speak. She simply nodded to her mother and entered the house.

The Whitman Manor was the same as she'd left it. Dim candles and long corridors. The portraits of past family members watched her walk down the hallway, whispering to themselves.

Vega lead Aquila to the living area, and the girl sat down on a black leather couch and removed her hood.

Vega beamed with happiness. "I am overjoyed that you have chosen to come join your rightful family," the woman said. "You are a fine young woman."

"I saw the errors of my ways," Aquila told her mother. Although she didn't believe it, she knew it's what her mother wanted to hear. The young witch was still clinging onto some hope that her situation was temporary, but she didn't keep her hopes high.

She might never see her friends again, but there was still a slim chance she could run from the Death Eaters. There was a chance she could get away.

Vega smiled at her. "I'm glad," she said. "But the others won't be so welcoming. They don't trust your loyalty due to your interactions at Hogwarts. You spent time with Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors and the likes of mudbloods."

"It was a mistake," Aquila told her mother.

"It was indeed, and now, we are both paying for it," Vega said. "The others want to test your loyalty with truth potion."

"Truth potion?" Aquila asked. "That seems drastic."

"A war is coming, Aquila-we need to know you are on our side."

"I can't take the truth potion," Aquila told her mother sternly.

Vega crosses her arms. "And why is that? Are you a spy?"

"Merlin, no," she told her mother. "I'm devoted, I swear to you. However, I'm... I'm highly allergic to the potion. My tongue swells up, and I'm unable to talk. Using the truth potion would do no one any good."

"So we are supposed to trust you blindly?"

"Of course not; don't be ridiculous. I hav useful information on Potter and his friends that will prove helpful in killing him. Part of the reason I spent so much time with the Gryffindors was to gather information on Potter and his sort."

"That is splendid news, Aquila," Vega said. "I will write an owl to the others immediately with these developments. Tomorrow, you will join our ranks. You will finally live up to your expectations." Vega hugged her daughter. "Your father was right; you're not a waste of flesh after all."