Chapter Six

. . .

Amaryllis nearly stumbled in her haste to reach her destination. She was on her way to the Quidditch Pitch as her brother had granted her permission to try out. Unfortunately, Malfoy would be there as well and Amaryllis had done her best to avoid him after the incident (as she privately called it) happened on the first of September.

But to her delight, Amaryllis discovered that Kayden wished to try out as well.

And it was now as they were nearly running to make the tryouts in time was when they striked up a conversation.

"So, Amaryllis, what position are you gonna try out for?" Kayden asked as he haphazardly avoided an incoming collision with a confused Gryffindor first year.

"I hope to secure the position of Chaser," Amaryllis grinned as she turned to face the raven haired boy. "What about you, Kayden?"

"The same as you, Chaser."

"Cool!"

Kayden smirked at the back of her head before saying, "I see you didn't brush your hair, Amaryllis. Not that you would need to anyway," he added with a soft snigger.

Just as he'd predicted, Amaryllis suddenly turned her head, grey eyes flashing from underneath the wild, tangled mess of her hair.

"Shut up!" She snarled.

That was all it took before Kayden lost it. He instantly burst out into boisterous laughter as Amaryllis glowered at him.

"Stop laughing at me!" She hissed.

"Blooming's right, Ashcroft. You really should comb your hair," a familiar drawling, lilting voice commented. Amaryllis looked sideways to see Abraxas Malfoy smirking at her.

"Oh, shut the hell up, Malfoy!" She snapped. At that comment, Kayden's bright blue eyes widened before his chuckling snapped into hysterical laughter all the while Amaryllis continued to glare at Abraxas.

Seeing that the raven haired boy was not going to stop laughing, Amaryllis brushed past him and Abraxas and walked on ahead.

. . .

Soon after that, Kayden stopped laughing enough to notice that his friend had disappeared.

"Where the hell did she go?!" He cursed.

"Wherever did you think she went, Lord Blooming?" A smooth voice mocked. Kayden instantly whirled around to face the smirking blond.

"Shut up!" He hissed, his bright blue eyes flashing. Malfoy for his part however, merely smirked at his angry face.

Kayden suddenly had the urge to wipe the smirk off his pretty face but he knew that he would get detention for physical violence, but that didn't mean that he couldn't mock Malfoy back.

"Does that mean you fancy my best friend, Malfoy?"

Malfoy smirked at first and it looked as if he were about to reward him with an insult before a sharp voice cut through their 'quarral'.

"Abraxas, whatever do you think you are doing with the Blood-Traitor?!" Kayden's eyes narrowed at the hissed insult. Anyone could mock him, but to call him a Blood-Traitor? Now that was going way to far.

Kayden was a Pureblood, the last living heir and Lord of the Noble House of Blooming and he was proud of it. He never spoke with mudbloods and he only occassionally spoke with half-bloods but that was all. He kept to himself and his only friend was a Pureblood so nobody had any right to call him a Blood-Traitor.

Kayden's lips curled into a silent snarl as he spotted the perpetrator. He was tall for a twelve year old and his skin was pale, but not deathly pale. His hair was compromised of wild curls that were of a platinum blond colour and his eyes were a piercing emerald. Kayden knew who this was at once as he could not be a mudblood or a halfblood. His features were far to soft and delicate for a mudblood and he knew that no other Pureblood families possessed those traits.

It had to be Cepheus Ashcroft, Amaryllis' older brother.

Kayden suddenly felt a silent loathing for the boy in front of him. He had mistreated and despised his best friend and they were supposed to be sibilings for Merlin's sake!

Kayden watched as Malfoy answered the other boy. "I may speak to whoever I please, Cepheus."

So they're on a first name basis are they? Kayden then remembered seeing them around Ashcroft Manor as Malfoy had been staying a week. But he didn't know how that week had went as he had had to leave nearly as soon as he'd arrived.

"Is that so?" There was a tiny edge to Ashcroft's lazy voice almost as if he was irritated. If Kayden hadn't been listening so hard, then he would have never heard it.

"Yes."

Kayden couldn't believe his ears, there was a tone in Malfoy's drawling voice that sounded almost like silent submission. But like Ashcroft's voice, it was gone as quickly as it had come.

Now, Ashcroft turned to him. "So you're Blooming eh?"

Kayden resisted the urge to shudder at the other's lazy voice but for Amaryllis' sake, he nodded.

"What, can't you speak?" Ashcroft mocked.

Kayden clenched his teeth before letting out a sharp breath as he looked up. Now that he was standing so close to Ashcroft, Kayden noticed that he and Amaryllis didn't at all look alike. While Amaryllis' hair was jet black and her eyes grey, Ashcroft's hair was platinum blond and his eyes a clear crystal green. Their facial structure was similar however, they both possessed the same eye and lip shape but that was where the similarities ended.

"I can speak!" Kaydne retorted as he looked up. Ashcroft looked taken aback for a moment but then his face smoothed out and cruel amusement flooded his emerald eyes.

"Look at this, Abraxas! Blooming can actually speak!" Kayden very well nearly lunged at Ashcroft, just to wipe the smirk off his pretty aristocratic face.

But he was held back by Malfoy, who besides his tall form was surprisingly strong.

Ashcroft's face now loomed in front of his, red lips curled into a smirk as he watched his scowling face.

"Now, I think it's time for your infatuation for my sister to end," Ashcroft unexpectedly crooned. "What do you think, Abraxas?"

Malfoy didn't answer but Kayden could already imagine the smirk already plastered to his face.

Suddenly, all the air was knocked out of him and Kayden struggled to breathe as he glared at the platinum haired boy.

"Why are you doing this?!" Kayden croaked but his weak voice soon gave a demanding edge as Ashcroft shrugged. "What do you care if I like Amaryllis?! You hate her! She told me herself!"

His eyes widened when Ashcroft unexpectedly smirked. "Oh but I do care," he drawled. "Why I can't have my pathetic sister cheating on my best friend, now can I?"

"W-what?" Kayden croaked.

Ashcroft smirked even wider at his confusion. "You don't know do you? What kind of friend is my sister if she doesn't even tell her best friend about the most important occasion of her life?" At the end, Ashcroft scoffed.

"What occasion?!" Kayden demanded. When his question wasn't answered, he growled. "Tell me!"

Ashcroft smirked widely as he waved a hand dismissively. "Why Amaryllis is engaged to none other than Abraxas Malfoy himself."

At those words, Kayden's entire world came crumbling down. First he had lost his father and now he had lost Amaryllis as well.

And then the pain came.

. . .

"Where is that prat?!" Amaryllis raged.

The Quidditch tryouts were already finished and loathe did her brother admit it, she had been made Chaser.

When she had arrived at the Quidditch Pitch, Amaryllis had expected Kayden to be following behind, but he wasn't and she became increasingly worried when she noticed that Abraxas Malfoy had failed to arrive as well. Just as she was beginning to suspect that Abraxas had done something terrible to her best friend, he had finally arrived with her dear brother in tow.

Both were sporting malicious smirks and Amaryllis knew right then and there, that they had done something to Kayden. But she couldn't leave as the tryouts were just starting. And in the end, she had been crowned Chaser, Abraxas, Seeker just as he'd wished and she had later discovered that Cepheus had also made the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team but not as Seeker as he'd wished, but Beater. Amaryllis thought that the position fitted his tall form rather well. But she didn't comment when he shot her an angry glare.

So in the end, Amaryllis decided to confront both her brother and Abraxas.

She knew exactly where they were heading of course, the Black Lake but she still followed them anyway.

It took them roughly ten minutes but when Cepheus and Abraxas stopped at the bank, Amaryllis chose then to speak.

"What the hell did you do to Kayden?!" She raged. Cepheus slowly turned around and Amaryllis was stunned to see an innocent expression plastered on his pretty face.

"Whatever do you mean, Amaryllis?"

"You know what I mean!" She snarled. "Now listen closely because I won't be repeating this again! Where. Is. KAYDEN!"

A malicious smirk suddenly distorted Cepheus' face. Amaryllis nearly screamed in fury as he answered.

"In the Hospital Wing."

"What is he in the Hospital Wing for?! What the bloody hell did you do to him?!"

"Blooming was, how should I say this... unco-oporative," Cepheus drawled. "So Abraxas and I taught him a little lesson."

Cepheus wasn't even able to finish his senence for Amaryllis had already dashed back to the castle.

. . .

"Please! Please let me see him!"

The matron sighed before waving her in. "Very well, Miss Ashcroft. But ten minutes and no longer."

Amaryllis nodded before dashing through the open door of the Hospital Wing and hurriedly making her way to a bed where a familiar figure was splayed out on.

"Kayden?" She whispered.

The raven haired boy blearily blinked before shakily pulling himself to a sitting position. His torso, Amaryllis noticed was wrapped tightly in bandages that were already bloodstained.

Those bastards! she thought angrily.

"Amaryllis?" Kayden croaked, his voice was raw and cracked.

"What the hell happened to you?!" Amaryllis hissed.

"Malfoy and Ashcroft caught me off guard is all," he supplied sarcastically before he groaned in pain.

Amaryllis looked at him worriedly. "What did they do to you?" She whispered.

"Well, for starters, Malfoy held me down while Ashcroft shot a whole bunch of really painful curses at me. It hurt." At the end of his explanation, Kayden shuddered. "And they were dark," he added.

"Why would Abraxas and Cepheus go after you?" Amaryllis asked cautiously.

"Maybe because you're betrothed to the arrogant ass himself?" Kayden uttered sarcastically.

Amaryllis winced before saying softly, "how did you know?"

"Ashcroft told me himself."

"I'm sorry Kayden, but believe me, I don't even want to marry him."

"It's okay," Kayden sighed.

"No, it's not okay-"

Amaryllis was suddenly cut off as Kayden closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against hers in a sweet kiss that spoke of everything he needed to say and more.