Chapter One

. . .

The House of Ashcroft was not a major Pureblood family, nor was it liked, but it had achieved its respect due to its prejudice against muggles and muggleborns, much like the Black and Malfoy families. But the Ashcroft family held a curse, one greatly feared that had any woman, be it Pureblood or Half-blood afraid to marry into it and bear its children.

Any witch with Ashcroft blood or carrying a child with Ashcroft blood, always died in childbirth. Nothing could prevent it, not even the healers at St Mungos could counteract the curse. That was why any witch avoided marrying into the so called 'cursed family'.

. . .

A young woman lied on the bed, her thin, sharp face screwed up in pain. Her skeletal fingers gripped the bed sheets, the veins popping out and standing out drastically compared to the sickly pallor of her skin. Her name was Aquila Ashcroft née Black. She was a Black of the secondary line and had been engaged to the Head of the Ashcroft family since her early school years. When both she and her fiancé had married, they had immediately started trying for a baby.

Aquila by no means 'loved' Braxton Ashcroft, she had only been chosen for her beauty, a trophy wife to bear a Pureblooded heir. A perfect wife who would never question her husband's motives, a wife who would die in childbirth after bearing her first child. If it was a daughter, then it would be killed immediately. If it was a boy, then its birth would be celebrated for days.

Aquila hoped by the gods that it would be a boy, no offspring of hers would be killed. She also hoped that it would inherit the Ashcroft traits, platinum blond hair and piercing green eyes. Braxton would be severely disappointed if the child didn't, but it was highly unlikely, after all, Ashcroft traits were inbred and always came out.

Her husband was there as well, sitting on a chair near the front of the bed, but not comforting her as she whimpered and sobbed through the painful birth. As far as Aquila was concerned, Braxton cared for nothing but the child she was birthing. If it was a daughter, then it would be killed and he would simply marry another witch and try again, even if it killed that witch. Braxton simply didn't care, and his impassive nature and brutality shocked her.

Yet as she lay there, a sheen of sweat soaking her brow, her skin almost translucent from the strain, Aquila began to hope. She just wanted to survive, not die as every Mistress before her had. She wanted to witness her son growing up, wanted to hear his first laugh and witness his first steps, but she knew it was not to be.

And then the fiercest wave of anguish hit her yet and she screamed once before her voice cracked and became hoarse. She heard the wail of a newborn's cry and then Aquila Black knew no more.

. . .

If there was anything Braxton Ashcroft was more proud of, it was his son, Cepheus Ashcroft. He had been born healthy and unlike other Ashcroft children before him, he was perfect, more than perfect.

Although his mother had been a beautiful woman, Cepheus had not taken after her at all in looks or personality. He was the perfect heir, able to mold and shape to his will. And he would be attending Hogwarts the next morning, Braxton was proud to admit. He would also be sorted into hopefully Ravenclaw as so many others had before him.

. . .

Braxton Ashcroft sat behind his desk in his study, idly twirling his wand between his long, pale fingers. He straightened his form when he heard a knock at the door.

"Enter," he said in his smooth, blank voice.

The door swung open almost soundlessly and to his secret delight, his son Cepheus carefully stepped into the room, taking great care to close the door behind him. He was a gorgeous boy with a mop of platinum curls and a pair of piercing green eyes, much like Braxton.

Cepheus Ashcroft approached his father, an impassive, blank look etched onto his pale face.

"Father," he intoned respectively.

Braxton nodded. "Cepheus." He conjured a chair and indicated for his son to sit.

"I trust that you have packed?"

Cepheus inclined his head almost lazily. "I have."

"And have you made that insufferable sister of yours pack as well?"

Cepheus nodded, a lazy smirk lighting his lips. "She was more than happy to."

Though Braxton dared not admit it, he had sired a daughter, Cepheus' twin sister. Normally in the House of Ashcroft, a daughter was killed immediately, due to the dangers they posed to other Pureblood families. That was why other Purebloods were afraid to marry into the family because of the risks it posed.

"And has she followed my explicit instructions?"

Cepheus shook his head almost amusedly. "No father, all she did was cut her hair and declare that she was to be sorted into Gryffindor."

Braxton's lips curled with disgust, no member of the Ashcroft family had ever been sorted into Gryffindor, it was always Ravenclaw or at the very least, Slytherin.

"Keep an eye on her at Hogwarts then," he ordered.

"Of course father."

And with a sweep of his robes, Cepheus Ashcroft left the room.

. . .

Amaryllis Ashcroft was not having a good day, today would be her first day at Hogwarts but no matter what confidence she emanated, she was positively terrified. Her father would kill her in an instant if he found out what she was going to do when she arrived.

And her father wouldn't hesitate, she was her father's greatest shame but that didn't peturb her in the slightest. No, it only drove her to do more insane things and wonder when her father finally got fed up and disowned her. Amaryllis never understood why her father hadn't simply disowned her when she was an infant, but now that she was eleven, she didn't care in the slightest.

The previous night, Amaryllis had shown her first rebellion by cutting her hair the muggle way and then by announcing that she wanted to be sorted into Gryffindor, no matter how much the thought disgusted her. She much prefered Slytherin or Ravenclaw.

And now all she had to do was pack.

Amaryllis brushed the hair out of her eyes. It reached the nape of her neck and curled slightly at the ends but it wasn't curly like her brother, Cepheus' was. His hair was a mass of wild curls. Her hair was scruffy and tangled.

There was a loud rap on her bedroom door before it swung open. Her head turned slightly before her lip curled.

Cepheus.

Cepheus with his perfect green eyes, perfect curly hair, perfect poncy attitude. It irritated Ammerilis to no end, but she knew she couldn't say anything against him, her father would disown her in a instant if she did.

"Are you ready to go? Father told me to fetch you. We're apparating to King's Cross."

Amaryllis scowled. "Yes!" She snapped venomously.

Cepheus' lips curled ever so slightly. "You may want to hold your tongue," he warned.

Whatever she thought dismissively. Amaryllis sullenly followed after her brother where they met their father in the hall.

Braxton Ashcroft had always intimidated her. He was a tall, thin man with a mass of platinum blond curls and piercing green eyes, and when Cepheus stood next to him, they looked exactly alike as Cepheus was nearly as tall as him. Six feet tall at eleven.

Amaryllis of course, looked nothing like her father. Her facial features were, perhaps, a tad bit sharper than Cepheus' and her father's. And instead of platinum blond hair and bright green eyes, her hair was black and her eyes grey. From what she knew, she was a replica of her mother, Aquila Black.

And the next feeling Amaryllis experienced, was being pulled through a tube. And when she couldn't bear it anymore, the feeling abruptly stopped and she found herself standing on a platform in front of a majestic red train with the words: Hogwarts Express emblazed on the front.

Amaryllis gazed around the platform in awe. There were heaps of people, some dressed in wizarding robes, and some in muggle clothes looking quite lost and unsure of what to do. She saw a child dressed in muggle clothes bump into a man dressed in wizarding robes, it was a Pureblood. The man sneered. "Mudblood." Amaryllis looked away after that.

She let out a gasp of surprise when her shoulder was abruptly seized. She turned around to meet the emerald green eyes of her father.

She cringed away, expecting a reprimand for her actions the previous day, but she was surprised when none came.

Instead, her father hissed, "I expect you to be sorted into Ravenclaw, not Gryffindor. And I also expect you not to covert with mudbloods. As a Pureblood, you must uphold the noble House of Ashcroft."

Instantly, Amaryllis scowled. Stupid father and his stupid Pureblood customs! She thought furiously. Her father's eyes narrowed.

"You better not do anything to disrespect your brother or me, especially after everything I have done for you, girl."

"You didn't do anything!" Amaryllis raged.

"I kept you alive!" Her father hissed.

And then he shoved her so hard that she almost toppled into Cepheus. "Watch where you walk!" He hissed.

Amaryllis payed him no mind and, instead, pulled her trunk along and stepped onto the Hogwarts Express. She moodily shoved her way through the flood of students, eager to find an empty compartment and sulk.

She stiffened when she bumped into someone. She looked up when she heard a grunt, it was a boy that looked to be the same age as her.

"Sorry," she apologised.

He merely grunted in reply and that was when Amaryllis took the time to examine his appearance. His face was compromised of delicate features, much like Cepheus' and her father's. A thick mop of inky black hair fell into his vivid blue eyes. He was strangely beautiful in a fragile kind of way, almost as if he would shatter into pieces at the slightest touch.

Amaryllis turned to walk away, but stopped at the sound of his voice.

"What's your name?"

Amaryllis flushed slightly, her hair seemed to stick up when she did this and she hurriedly moved to smooth it down.

"Amaryllis Ashcroft," she answered hastily. "What's your name, and are you a Pureblood?" Amaryllis then shut her mouth in horror, she'd just been horribly rude and entirely forgotten her manners.

But to her relief, he smirked. "Kayden Blooming, and yes, I am a Pureblood." And then he said something else. "I was just looking for an empty compartment, would you care to join me?"

"Oh yes please!" Amaryllis said with elation, she didn't think she'd even make friends during her years at Hogwarts.

Amaryllis followed behind Kayden, it only took him about thirty seconds to find an empty compartment, and to her relief, they settled in almost immediately.

They sat in silence for almost ten minutes until Kayden finally broke it.

"I just wanted to ask..."

"Yes?" Amaryllis said warily.

"Are you a girl?"

"Of course I'm a girl!" she snapped, her cheeks stained blood red. "What made you think I wasn't?!"

"The hair was just a bit misleading," Kayden began, "I easily mistaked you for a boy when you ran into me."

"Oh, right," muttered Amaryllis. She gingerly felt the short hair on her head and winced when it stuck up under her palm.

"Hey, you want to get something to eat from the food trolley?" Amaryllis felt her stomach grumbling at the thought of food.

"Yes, but unfortunately, my dear brother is carrying around all my Galleons, Sickles and Knuts. I just have to go find him!"

Kayden stood up. "I'll go with you then," he offered. Amaryllis sighed and also stood up. "Thanks."

It only took the twosome a few seconds of wondering the train to find Cepheus' compartment, his golden hair was a dead giveaway.

Amaryllis casually slid the compartment door open and stepped inside, six heads instantly snapped up and stared in her direction, Cepheus included.

Her brother's emerald eyes narrowed, "and just what are you doing here, Amaryllis?"

"I came here to collect my money, Cepheus."

"Who is this, Ashcroft?" said a smooth, low voice.

Amaryllis snapped her head to side, her eyes widened in astonishment. The boy seemed to be as tall as Cepheus, with chin length platinum blond hair and strangest yet most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. His eyes weren't green, blue or even grey, they were purely silver.

The boy was extremely good looking, but not prettily beautiful like girls could be. He seemed to be the type that people would stare twice at, gobsmacked. Amaryllis even caught sight of a signet ring on his finger, much like Cepheus', only the boy's one had a sliver ornate 'M' carved onto it.

"This is my sister, Abraxas," Cepheus answered silkily.

The boy- Abraxas' eyes narrowed and he bit out in a low voice, "I wasn't aware that the House of Ashcroft kept their daughters alive."

"They don't," Cepheus answered quickly. "She's my twin sister, for what reasons she was kept alive for, I don't know."

Some of the boys in the compartment laughed and jeered at that comment, Amaryllis flushed angrily.

"Just give me my money!"

Cepheus levelled her with a cool glance, before sinking his hand into a robe pocket. When it came out, his hand clinked with coins.

Amaryllis accepted the coins and left the compartment, pausing only to shoot a glance back at her brother, her eyes widened a smidgeon when she saw Abraxas coolly appraising her with his silvery eyes and then they disappeared out of sight.

. . .

It was dark when the Hogwarts Express reached Hogsmeade Station; Amaryllis steadied her trunk as the train stopped. When it finally did stop, Amaryllis stood up and walked out of the compartment after Kayden, dragging her trunk behind her. She sighed in relief as they stepped off the train and onto the station.

One step closer! Even though she was terrified, Amaryllis was also excited, she had a new friend after all.

Amaryllis straightened her robes just as she heard a loud, booming voice calling over the excited chatter of the First Years.

"First Years! First Years!"

Kayden immediately walked in the direction of the voice, Amaryllis had to struggle to keep up.

. . .

"The four houses of Hogwarts are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin."

I already know what house I want to be in!

The sea of First years followed the groundskeeper into an enormous hall, Amaryllis stared in wonder at the ceiling, it showed the night sky.

When they finally stopped walking, Amaryllis stared at where a woman was, holding a frayed, dirty hat patched in many places.

"This is the Sorting Hat," she called in a clear, strong voice. "When I call your names, you will come up here so I can place the Sorting Hat on your head."

Here it comes!

Amaryllis gripped Kayden's hand tightly for support, he squeezed back.

"Ashcroft, Amaryllis."

Amaryllis sucked in a deep breath before making her way to the stool. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as the hat touched her black head.

Well, well, well said a voice in her ear. An Ashcroft, and a daughter at that! Now, what house shall I sort you into?

Put me into Gryffindor Amaryllis thought firmly.

Now, now, no need to be hast. Ah, I can see that your heart is set for Gryffindor, but that is not where you belong.

Put me into Hufflepuff then!

Hmm, you're not terribly loyal, you seem content to do things for yourself, you are also very smart, but Ravenclaw would not suit you.

You can't mean to put me into-

"SLYTHERIN!"

Amaryllis was gobsmacked when the hat was taken off her head and she walked to the Slytherin table.

"Ashcroft, Cepheus."

She saw her brother smirk when the instantly screamed out Ravenclaw.

"Blooming, Kayden."

The hat took a long while to decide, but Amaryllis breathed out a sigh of relief when the hat finally screamed Slytherin.

The names when on an on until one particular one made Amaryllis look up.

"Malfoy, Abraxas."

"SLYTHERIN!"

When the blond haired boy took his seat, Amaryllis groaned.

It was going to be a long seven years.