Star Girl | Cedric Diggory

|*| One Hundred Eleven |*|

"Have you heard, Quil?" Nash asked, plopping the latest edition of The Daily Prophet on the table in front of her. "Harry Potter is on the lamb. Says here he's not attending Hogwarts, and he was sighted in a muggle café with that Weasley boy and the mudblood girl just yesterday."

"Can you really blame him for running?" Aquila asked, pushing the paper aside. "The Dark Lord has Hogwarts under his control now; showing up again this year would be suicide-even Potter is smart enough to see that."

"Where do you think he's gone?" Nash wondered.

"He could be anywhere," she said. "In all my years of knowing him and his friends, they never spoke about going to anyplace besides Hogwarts and their own homes-for all we know, they could be held up in the attic of the Weasley's house, waiting it out."

"They're not there," Ashely said, entering the kitchen. "The Dark Lord already sent a scout to their homes-nothing. He's gone."

There was a knock on the door, and Ashley went to see who was there. Nash and Aquila put their hoods over their eyes in case it was a member of the Order or the Ministry-although most of the wizarding world was under You-Know-Who's rule, there were still those working against him.

"Mrs. Lestrange," Nash's wife greeted. "What brings you here?"

"I'm here on request of the master," Bellatrix informed her. "I must bring Aquila to him immediately."

Ashley turned to call for Aquila, but she was already at the door. "What is this about?" Aquila asked.

"You'll find out when we arrive," Bellatrix said. "But it is a matter for the Dark Eagle."

Aquila nodded. "Then let's not waste any more time," she said. She grabbed Bellatrix's arm, and the two of them arrived outside Malfoy Manor.

"He's in the usual meeting room," Bellatrix told her. "You must not keep him waiting."

"Thank you," Aquila said before walking into the manor house and down the long corridor to where the Dark Lord would be.

When she entered the room, she was met with Amycus and Alecto Carrow along with the Dark Lord. The three of them were discussing matters at Hogwarts, and the conversation paused when Aquila entered.

"I was informed you requested to speak with me," Aquila spoke. "How may I be of service?"

"You have been assigned a task, Aquila," the skeletal wizard informed her. "At Hogwarts."

She nodded, knowing he would explain the details. She had made the mistake of asking too many questions once before, and she learned it was best to make every sentence spoken to the Dark Lord a statement.

"You'll be positioned at Hogwarts as the eagle," Amycus told her. "It hasn't been two days and a radical group known as Dumbledore's Army has begun searching for members."

"I have heard of this group," she said.

"Good," Alecto said. "You'll be just the person to find these blood traitors and send them to us."

Aquila nodded again, waiting for further instructions. The Dark Lord dismissed Amycus and Alecto, leaving Aquila alone with him. While she was used to spending her evenings in the presence of the man, when faced with one-on-one confrontation, she couldn't help but feel slightly frightened. He could kill her in an instant, and all she would have to do to warrant such a thing is look at him the wrong way.

"This Dumbledore's Army is a student-run group of radicals," he explained. "They threaten the order I have restored to Hogwarts since Dumbledore's death, and I will not have that order ruined by radicals. You must find them and turn them in to the Carrows."

"I understand," Aquila said.

And she did. She understood that she'd be searching for the very same people who offered her comfort while she was a student. People like Richard Wayne, whom she hadn't ever wished harm to. She knew the members of the DA, and she hated the idea of going after them and turning them in to the Dark Lord.

But she couldn't allow this information to be picked from her brain, so she let it all remain under layers of mindless thoughts of following orders.

"I believe," the dark wizard continued, "that at least one of these radical students knows the whereabouts of Harry Potter. That information is vital to my success."

"Please forgive my asking, but why not have me search for Potter from the sky?" Aquila asked.

"A fair point, Aquila, but until we know an approximate location on the boy, you would simply be wasting your energy... and I need you at Hogwarts."

"Understood, my lord," she said.

"Good," he said. "Now get to the school grounds-Cassiopeia will show you to your post."

With the wave of her wand, Aquila was back at the place where it all began and where it all ended-Hogwarts.

|*|*|*|

It wasn't just Aquila who was sent to Hogwarts as a spy. Both Abby Greenwall and Ethan were sent with her to infiltrate the DA as spies. Disguised as Bethany and Robert Smith, Gryffindor siblings who transferred from Drumstrang, they planned on finding the leader and taking down the operation from the inside.

"It's never going to work," Aquila told Abby at their weekly meeting. "They will see right through you. Someone might recognize you."

"That's what these are for," Abby informed her, putting a pair of studious glasses on her face. "Everyone trusts a girl with glasses."

"Wow, Abby, that's a brilliant disguise," Aquila said sarcastically. "Just add in a ponytail, and you're all set."

"Do you have any better ideas, Whitman?" the twin asked.

"Yeah, how about-I don't know-polyjuice potion?"

"Can you both please stop arguing?" Ethan asked. "Look, polyjuice is a great idea, but we won't ever have enough of it to last. We have to use old fashion disguises."

"You mean muggle disguises," Aquila corrected spitefully.

"I agree with Aquila... for once," Cassie said. "Using muggle tactics won't work as well as the potion would."

"It's our only option," Ethan persisted. "Polyjuice potion is too difficult for any of us to brew, and asking Slughorn for some of the stuff probably won't go over well."

"Fine," Aquila said. "Go with your stupid glasses then. How do you plan on getting in to the Dumbledore's Army? These students won't automatically trust you."

"We planned this out with my father already," Cassie said. "They're going to stick up for some kid in class, get a fake detention, and then they will have the people's trust."

"I know you all think this plan is going to go off without a hitch, but I know the people behind this so called 'army'," Aquila said. "Now that Death Eaters are here, they'll have some sort of initiation process-possibly truth potion to insure no snitches are in the group. If they find out your true identities, everything will be ruined."

"Who gives a shit if they find out our true identities?" Abby asked. "As long as we get the name of the leader, we'll be set, and the mission will be a success."

"I hope you're right," Ethan said.

"Having doubts?" Aquila asked.

"He is not having doubts," Cassie told her.

"He can speak for himself, Cassiopeia," Aquila countered. "So I'll ask again; are you having doubts?"

"It's only natural to worry a bit," he said. "I have faith in us-truly."

"Good," Abby said. "Then let's get started."