Chapter 2: Diagon Alley

Star stumbled onto the ground when they arrived, heaving as she tried to regain her breath.

"Are you alright?" Professor McGonagall asked. "Apparating can be very disconcerting on your first time."

Star looked at her, face drained of color. "I feel like I'm gonna puke... Can we do that again?"

Professor McGonagall helped her up, dusting the dirt off of the princess's clothes. "You have the letter, don't you?"

"The... Letter?"

Professor McGonagall frowned. "Don't tell me you've lost it already."

"No, no," Star muttered, rifling through her backpack. "It's in here... somewhere."

Professor McGonagall sighed, pushing her spectacles up her nose. "Nevermind, Cedric should be close by now."

"Cedric?" Star said, tilting her head. "Who's Cedric?

Not once had Star seen the old Professor smile on their way here, but the corners of her cheek seemed to rise the slightest bit when she talked about Cedric.

"Cedric Diggory is one of the finest students in your year," Professor McGonagall said. "I asked him to guide you in my stead while I attend to other matters."

"What?" Star said in dismay. "I don't need a babysitter, Professor. I'm thirteen years- Ooh, candy!"

Professor McGonagall pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed as Star pressed her face against the glass of Honeydukes, drool running down the side of her mouth.

"He isn't just there to guide you, Miss Star," Professor McGonagall said. "It would also be in your best interest to become acquainted with Mister Diggory if you want to pass your classes this semester. Heaven knows you're behind as it is."

"Fine." Star grumbled. "But on one condition!"

"And that would be?"

Star pointed inside the store. "I want one of those."

Cedric stared at his reflection in the store's glass display. He mussed his hair up again for what must've been nth time before slicking it back down. He usually wasn't the type to get nervous around girls, but this was different. This was the princess of Mewni! He'd never met royalty before!

Cedric supposed this must've been how muggles must feel when they were meeting their royalty. He didn't know exactly who it was, but he did hear they would eventually cover muggle politics in Professor Burbage's class.

It had been a tough choice between that and Care of Magical Creatures, but he'd eventually decided on the former since he didn't fancy getting his hand bitten off before he could even try out for the Quidditch team.

He wondered if he'd just know her when he saw her. Like If she'd have this royal vibe around her like some of the purebloods seemed to think they did. Cedric just hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid.

This was royalty after all. He had to be on his best behavior.

Suddenly, Cedric felt something brush against his foot. He looked down and saw a chocolate frog staring up at him, it's chest puffing in and out.

Cedric had a bemused grin. "Well, hello there little fellow."

The frog blinked.

He bent down to pick it up. "What're you doing around-"

"MINE!"

Cedric didn't see what hit him, but it stuck far harder than any bludger ever had before and he was bowled by the force.

"Aha!" he heard someone yell with glee. "Got you!"

His head throbbed with pain. He could already feel his head starting to swell.

"Hey, are you okay?" he heard a girl say. "I didn't mean to hit you."

Cedric opened his eyes and saw a blonde girl staning in front of him. She had one hand wrapped around the chocolate frog and the other stretched out towards him.

She peered down at him, tilting her head. "You know, you're really pretty for a guy."

"...Thanks?"

"Need any help?"

*Ribbit.*

She scowled. "Not you. I'm talking to him."

*Croak*

"What right to a fair trial? You're a chocolate frog. You don't have any rights!"

*Ribbit.*

"Well now, you're just being petty."

Cedric stared at the girl as she continued to argue with the chocolate frog. Perhaps he should be more worried about her than she was about him.

"Miss Butterfly!" someone cried out. "There you are!"

Cedric frowned. He knew that voice. It was-

"Professor McGonagall!" the girl exclaimed. "Good news, I caught the frog!"

Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared as she tok shuddering breaths. "It's a good thing you haven't been sorted yet, Miss Butterfly. Otherwise you would've lost enough points to set your house back before the term's even begun."

"Professor McGonagall," Cedric said, narrowing his eyes. "What're you doing here? I thought you were with the princess."

Professor McGonagall wiped the sweat from her brow with a handkerchief. "I am, Mister Diggory."

Cedric furrowed his brow. He didn't see any princesses anywhere. The only girl around here was-

"Mister Diggory," Professor McGonagall said in a reverent tone. "I would like to introduce you to Star Butterfly, princess of Mewni."

She smiled. "Heya!"

Cedric stared dumbly as she grabbed his hand to pull him up. "You're the princess?"

"Yep!"

She was... different from how he imagined. All the stories his mum told him about royalty was that they were all these grand, majestic people who would be cloaked in fine silks and jewelry.

Not rowdy girls who chased after chocolate frogs in the streets.

"Well, now that you've been acquainted, I'll be on my way," Professor McGonagall said. "I'll be back by five. Try not to buy anything too outlandish." She bent down to Cedric's ear and whispered, "Keep an eye on her, Mister Diggory. She can be rather... impulsive. And quick. Very very quick"

Cedric gulped. Maybe this wasn't worth the extra credit after all.

Star skipped through the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley, arms swinging as she tried to look at everything at once. A rather daunting task since there was so much to see in the Wizarding world, but Star wasn't one to back down from a challenge.

"So where first, Cedric?" Star asked. "Are we gonna go buy magic potions? Flying brooms? Or- OOH! Cedric! Look! They sell owls! I don't have an owl! I want an owl!"

"We can drop by later if you want, but our first stop is Madam Malkin's." Cedric said, pulling out the Hogwarts list from his pocket.

"Madam Malkin's?" Star said. "What do they sell there?"

"Robes."

"Magical Robes?"

"No," Cedric replied. "School robes."

"Magical School robes?"

"No, just robes"

"Awwww," Star moaned. "But that's boring. Can't we go somewhere cooler?"

"There is no greater treasure than robes made to measure," Cedric recited in a solemn tone. "Besides, I need to pick up my robes too."

"FIne," Star sighed. "Can I at least get one in pink?"

"Nope," Cedric replied. "School rule. All robes should be in black, other than the trim, which is decided by your house colors."

"House?' Star asked, tilting her head to the side. "What does that mean?"

"Well, there are four houses in Hogwarts," Cedric explained. "There's Gryffindor for the brave, Slytherin for the ambitious, Ravenclaw for the smart, and finally, Hufflepuff, my house," Cedric said with pride. "It's for the loyal and hardworking."

"How do they decide who gets put in who?" Star asked. "Is there a test or something?"

"Not really," Cedric said. "They just put this old hat on you, and it tells you what house you belong in."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," Cedric said. "You have money, right? We're going to need at least a few galleons to get everything."

"I have money," Star said, patting a pouch on her belt.

"How much?"

"Not sure." Star unclipped it and loosened the string. Galleons spilled out from the top, shimmering in the daylight. "Do you think this is enough?

"Enough?" Cedric said, amazed. "There's enough money in there to buy a Nimbus 2000!"

"Great!" Star replied before frowning. "What's a Nimbus 2000?"

"Only the fastest broom of all time!" Cedric gushed. "Well, until the new Nimbus model gets released, but I hear that Ellerby and Spudmore's been working on something big. Big enough to blow the competition out of the water!"

"And Spudmore is?"

"Spudmore? Ellerby and Spudmore? Creators of the Tinderblast and the Swiftstick?" Cedric looked for any sign of recognition, but Star only seemed to grow more lost. "Don't... Don't tell me you don't have Quidditch on Mewni?"

"Quidditch? What's Quidditch?"

Cedric gasped, clutching his chest. For him, there were no two words in the english language that could hurt more than What's Quidditch?

Every time he heard it from a muggleborn student, it was like getting stabbed in the heart. Every TIme.

"Oh, look," Star said. "We're here."

The golden cursive of Madam Malkin's sign shined above the shop, standing out over the black background. Behind the glass window were the mannequins, moving around to pose for the passersby.

"Cedric, look!" Star said, pressing her face against the window. "They're moving!"

"You can handle being by yourself for a little while, right Star?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm gonna go over to Flourish & Blotts to buy our school. You mind if I get the money from your purse?"

"Sure," Star said, handing it over to him. "Go ahead."

He counted it out a few coins before pocketing them. "Just wait for me inside, alright? Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone."

Star scoffed. "It's a clothes store, Cedric. How could I get in trouble at a clothes store?"

"Just making sure. I'll see you in a bit, alright?" He turned around and broke into a light jog.

"Bye!"

As soon as she entered the shop, Star was amazed once again by the Wizarding World. She could see rolls of measuring tape hovering in the air, wrapping themselves around wizards and witches while a matronly old woman dressed in mauve jotted down the measurements in a bright purple notebook.

The woman greeted her with a cheery smile. "Yes? How may I help you?"

"Are you Madam Malkin?"

"That would be me," she said, putting a hand on her chest. "Are you here for Hogwarts, or looking for something more fashionable? We just got our hands on a lovely new set of dress robes from Italy, designed by Cassio himself."

Madam Malkin drew her attention to a silky lavender gown. Star didn't know that much about fashion since her stylist usually picked out clothes for her, but it sure did look expensive.

"You're going to want to snatch these up before they're all gone," Madam Malkin said, letting her feel the fabric on her fingertips. "Lovely, isn't it?"

"It does look nice," Star said.

She heard someone scoff behind her.

"Hardly," a boy's voice said. "Everyone knows the craftsmanship of Cassio's dress robes have gone down lately ever since he started outsourcing to chinese house elves instead of proper wizarding tailors." He shook his head, making a tutting noise with his tongue. "Pitiful really, it's sad to see how low they've fallen."

The boy was shorter than her by a few inches, but from the way he looked at everyone, you'd think he towered over them. His blonde hair was slicked back with enough gel to survive a storm without a single strand out of place.

"I'm Draco," he said, stretching out his hand. "I can get you in touch with my tailor if you want. It'll cost you, but I guarantee that you'll stand out at any ball you attend."

"Oh, don't listen to him, dear," Madam Malkin said, shuffling her away from the boy. "I'll even get you a discount. I'll take ten galleons off the price. What do you say?"

Star gave her a sheepish smile. "Thanks, but I'm not really looking for dress robes right now. Just regular ones, thank you."

"Oh." Madam Malkin's face fell. "Just stand over there then, I'll have someone get you fitted up in a moment."

As Madam Malkin dawdled away to greet another customer, Star made her way over to the blonde boy smirking in the corner.

"You're welcome," he said in a smug tone.

"You could've been nicer about it, you know? I wasn't going to buy it anyway."

Draco just shrugged. "I make it a principle of mine to be honest."

Star sighed. "Well, thanks anyway. You here for Hogwarts too?"

Draco nodded. "Mmhm, it's my first year actually. How about you?"

Another witch soon arrived, slipping robes over Star's head. "Same, I'm gonna be a third year though. I'm transferring here from Mewni."

"Mewni?" He said, surprised. "I didn't know they had magic schools in Mewni. If they did, I'm sure father would have sent me there instead."

Star shook her head. "They don't. I was homeschooled."

"Oh," Draco lifted his arms to let the witch measure his waist. "Well, Hogwarts is one of the best. Even the Queen studied there, you know? Back when Dippet was still headmaster."

"She did?" This time it was Star's turn to be surprised. "I never knew that."

"Do you know her?" Draco said. "The Queen, I mean? I've heard some say that she's even stronger than Dumbledore when it comes to magic."

"Well, I'm not sure who Dumbledore is, but as long as she has the Royal Magic Wand, my mom won't lose to anybody!"

"Ow!" Draco yelped, glaring at the witch. "You pricked me! Be careful next time." Draco turned back to her. "Sorry, I didn't hear you. Can you say that again?"

Before Star could answer, she heard the shop's door open and in walked Cedric, carrying a large shopping bag with the words Flourish and Blott's emblazoned on the front. He smiled when he saw her.

"Cedric!" Star said. "You're here! What took you so long?"

"Sorry," Cedric said, setting the bag down on the floor. "The line was kind of long at the bookstore, but here." Cedric started rummaging through the bag, and pulled out a thin green leather bound book with players on broomsticks flying on the front, waving at her.

The witch finished fitting her robes, and slid the garment off her.

"Quidditch through the ages," Star read slowly, brushing her fingers against the hard cover. "You bought this for me?"

"Think of it as a 'Welcome to Hogwarts' present. I used your money to buy your school books, but this one's on-"

"Hugs!" Star wrapped her arms around the boy, and squeezed hard.

"Star?"

"Yeah?"

"I can't breathe," Cedric wheezed.

"Oh," Star said before letting go. "Sorry."

"A friend of yours, I assume?" Draco asked, his eyes looked like they were studying him. "Is he from Mewni too?"

"No, I just met Cedric a while ago, but he's super nice. He helped me buy my stuff for school."

Draco extended a pale hand through his dark robes, smiling. "I don't think we've ever met. I'm Draco Malfoy."

Cedric shook his hand like it was the sharp end of a knife. "Cedric Diggory."

Draco's eyes widened. "Diggory? Are you Amos Diggory's son then?"

"Yes," Cedric said. "Yes, I am."

"I met him at a ministry event once. Nice man," Draco said. "I didn't get to meet your mother though. I'm assuming she's one of our kind?"

Cedric narrowed his eyes. "I think we need to go, Star."

"It was just an innocent question," Draco said, smirking. "No need to get so worked up about it."

"Cedric, is something wrong?"

"I'm fine," Cedric said gruffly, storming out the door. "I just need some fresh air."

"What's his problem?" Draco scoffed.

"I don't know." Star bit her lip. "I'm gonna go outside, and see what's up." She sent one last look Draco's way. "I'll see you at Hogwarts, I guess."

As Star walked out the shop, a scrawny little boy with black hair and broken glasses entered Madam Malkin's.

She found Cedric brooding outside, leaning against the store window.

"Hey," Star greeted. "What's up?"

"It's nothing," Cedric said. "I'm fine."

Star sighed, kneading her forehead. She'd grown up with stubborn, testosterone-fueled guys, she knew that it was useless trying to pry it out of them. She did have one trick up her sleeve though.

"Want some ice-cream?"

Star ordered a big bowl of chocolate and strawberry ice cream with sprinkles and a cherry on top while Cedric just had a vanilla ice cream cone.

"Vanilla?" Star scoffed. "That's like the most boring flavor you can choose."

"So?" Cedric said, his face flushing. "I like vanilla. Don't judge me."

"Oh, well," Star said as she got a big scoop of ice cream and shoved it down her mouth. "Your loss."

As far as Star was concerned, there was nothing better for healing sorrow than lots and lots of sugar. She shoved another spoonful of sweet strawberry ice-cream down her throat, and shivered in delight.

Cedric, on the other hand, was just staring at his cone.

Star frowned. "This won't work unless you actually eat the ice-cream, you know?

Cedric gave her a dour look. "What's the point of all this?

"The point is since you won't talk about your problems, we're just gonna eat ice-cream until we forget about them."

Cedric raised an eyebrow. "And that works?"

Star shrugged. "Works for me."

Cedric looked hesitant for a moment before licking off the top.

"Huh," Cedric said, blinking. "I actually do feel better now."

"See?" Star said, licking her spoon clean. "Told you it would work. Now, do you wanna talk about it?"

Cedric sighed, setting his spoon down on the table. "I guess you were going to find out sooner or later," he said. "Do you know what a pureblood is?"

Star shook her head.

"A pureblood is basically someone from a long line of wizards or witches without ever mixing with muggle blood- folks who can't use magic."

"Huh," Star said. "I guess that makes me a pureblood then."

"Don't get me wrong, some purebloods are alright," Cedric said. "But the sort like Malfoy who think they're better than everybody else because of it are the worst."

"Is that why you got so mad when he asked about your mom?"

Cedric took a deep breath. "My mom's a muggleborn, a witch who came from two muggle parents.

"So how do you know Draco Malfoy?" Cedric asked.

"Well, Draco gave me some fashion advice, we talked about Hogwarts a little, and now we're friends."

"Didn't you just meet him ten minutes ago?"

"So?" Star asked. "I just met you an hour ago, and now we're best friends!"

Cedric gave her a bemused grin. "You make friends quickly, don't you?"

Star shrugged, smiling. "I think all strangers are just friends you haven't met."

"Well, I think Draco's one person that you better just leave a stranger."

Star frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The Malfoys are dangerous," Cedric said. "His father worked for You-Know-Who once."

"You-Know-Who?"

"You know, You-Know-Who!"

"No," Star shook her. "Who is that?"

"Oh right," Cedric said. "I keep forgetting you're from Mewni."

"Who's You-Know-Who?"

"He's a dark wizard. One of the worst to ever exist. He would've conquered the whole country if it wasn't for Harry Potter."

"... Who's Harry Potter again?"

Cedric sighed, running a hand through his wavy brown hair. "This might take a while.