Star Girl | Cedric Diggory

|*| One Hundred Nine |*|

Aquila had an image of what the Death Eater induction ceremony was like, but she never imagined it the way it truly was. When she was about six, she thought the process of getting a Dark Mark was like getting a Muggle temporary tattoo. When she was in her middle years of Hogwarts, she thought the Mark was given by touching the Dark Lord's hand. Now, she assumed it was an almost cult-like ritual with lamb's blood and ominous chanting.

However, it was worse than her wildest imaginations. She arrived with Vega, both woman cloaked in black, at the Malfoy Manor. Aquila felt sudden pain for Draco Malfoy seeing just how dark his world had been growing up. According to Vega, almost every Death Eater gathering occurred at Malfoy Manor; it was the only place that the Ministry hadn't yet compromised.

When she entered, Aquila was met with a line of cloaked figures-other Death Eaters. They stood still like statues, and once she passed them, they followed behind her in a single file line, stopping her from even thinking about turning back.

She was led into a large room lit by a hundred candles. The room was home to a long, black table with intricately made chairs lining each side. At the head of the table, an empty throne-like chair gave off a sinister vibe, and she assumed it was where the Dark Lord himself sat during these gatherings.

Aquila was instructed to stand at the end of the table and remain still. Her heart skipped a thousand beats, and for once in her life she couldn't keep her face calm. She shot a terrified glance at her mother, who offered no comfort to her. The woman removed Aquila's hood and turned away.

The Death Eaters took their seats, and one of them spoke after a long pause of silence. "It is time."

Each Death Eater placed their left arm on the table and placed their wand on their Dark Marks at the same time. The room was filled with a blinding flash of white light, and Aquila almost fell backwards at the sight of it. A slithery voice invaded her ears, calling to her in a language she did not understand.

In a gust of eerie black smoke, the Dark Lord appeared at the head of the table with his reptilian eyes fixated on her. She shuddered at his image-partly because he was the most feared wizard ever, but mostly because he lacked both a nose and eyebrows. Was he even human?

She felt her head itch, and she remembered what Nash told her the night before. He can read your mind; keep it clear of the past.

She brought her darkest thoughts to the front of her mind-the rage towards her Hogwarts bullies. She noticed no change in the dark wizard's demeanor, but she pushed the good thoughts away and brought every bad thing she ever felt foreword.

The itch in her head escalated into a feeling of being ripped open. The pain was bearable, but she couldn't stop from bringing her hands to her head and slamming her eyes shut. In a moment, the feeling was gone, and she opened her eyes.

Every head in the room was turned towards her, and the eyebrowless thing at the head of the table rose his hand in the air. "She is worthy," he rasped. The other Death Eaters removed their hoods and remained silent.

The Dark Lord spoke again. "Aquila Whitman, do you devote yourself to the New World Order and vow to remove the threat of muggles, mudbloods, half-breeds, and the likes of those who are unworthy to hold magical blood?"

"I would give my life for it," she vowed, keeping her voice strong and assuring. This was the end of everything.

In a millisecond, the infamous wizard was standing in front of her, and he grabbed her left arm, tracing a line where a Dark Mark would later appear. His fingers long and boney, and after all of this was said and done, she was going to give the man a manicure because those nails were atrocious.

"You have information," he whispered, his voice snake-like and venomous. "And you will give it all to me."

"There is nothing I wish to hide, my lord," she spoke, staring foreword to avoid eye contact. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, but she wouldn't allow her voice to falter.

"As it should be," he said. He placed his entire skeleton hand on her arm, and when he picked it up again, her skin was stained with the black markings of a skull and a snake. The Dark Mark.

The Dark Lord vanished and the silence fell heavy in her ears.

|*|*|*|

After a week of joining the most sinister group of people in the world, Aquila had told the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters about the battle at the Ministry of Magic. She had to alter the tale in order keep herself in the clear, but when she finished talking, You-Know-Who had a list of students who were conspiring with Harry Potter.

The guilt ate at her after she spoke each name, and even though she wasn't Harry's number one fan, she hated having to betray his trust. She didn't mention the Dumbledore's Army, and she only named the people who were at the Ministry. The Death Eaters already knew who they were anyway, so what did it matter if she confirmed it?

The thing that hurt her the worst was revealing her Animagus form to the Death Eaters. While an eagle was a little suspicious, especially considering their geography of their region, a winged creature was still a useful spy. Aquila found herself often perched around the Ministry, watching and listening.

She had given everything unique about herself up to the darkness, stripping the light from within her. All of her hope was lost.

And to top all of it off, she had to constantly be around Ethan and Cassie due to their joint status within the Death Eater club. Ethan constantly attempted to talk to her, and she constantly refused until she finally had enough of his pestering, and she let him talk.

"Say what you came to say," she told him reluctantly. "I'm all ears."

Ethan nodded before beginning. He told her the same things he'd told her before. He never meant to hurt her; he never meant to get tangled up in Cassie's mess; he never meant to be here-a Death Eater; and he never meant to lose Aquila. "You were my friend for the longest time. All I have left of you are memories."

"It's best to forget memories," Aquila told him. "Especially the happy ones. Thinking about them makes you realize how cold you've become after all this."

"You're still the same girl I was friends with at Hogwarts," he told her.

"You're wrong," she replied. "I'm nothing anymore. I'm just a spy for the Dark Lord-a snitch that isn't golden. Everyone I loved is gone... Cedric is gone."

It was the first time she said his name in months, and she couldn't help the tears the fell from her eyes. "He's gone," she whispered.

"This will all be over soon," Ethan said. "You'll see him again."

"What side are you on, Ethan?" Aquila asked. "You became a Death Eater while you were still in school, but you talk like this isn't the future. You act like this will all magically end. This-the Dark Lord-is our future, and there's nothing we can do to change that."

"I don't even remember how I ended up here," he said. "Cassie promised me it would be safest if I was on his side, but I didn't realize how lonely it would be. I lost you, Cedric... even myself. This was all a mistake. Joining him was a mistake."

"Don't let anyone hear you say that," she warned. "I won't tell, but I can't say the same for Carrow or the others."

"I'd rather die than live in a world where the Dark Lord wins," he said.

"Then you're fighting on the wrong side of history, Ethan."

"We all are."