A/N: This is Amaranta's dream/remembering the past, so everything is italicised. This one is pretty long. But you never would've guessed that Dianthe was originally Hufflepuff?

Disclaimer: I own these characters, but not Harry Potter, that goes to J.K. Rowling.

WARNING: Blood and cussing

Sisters With Amaranta

It was the first day they had ever met. It was the 18th of September, 1885, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Amaranta, a young girl with long lashes, wide eyes, and straight, wispy, dirty-blonde hair had just been sorted into Hufflepuff. That may have been the first time the Sorting Hat had difficulty in choosing between Slytherin or Hufflepuff. Amaranta sat at the long dinner table, received by applause from all over the Great Hall.

She immediately set her head in her hands, and watched lazily as other kids her age sat timidly on the stool, with the patched up, pointed hat. It had been here since the creation of the school, and yet it didn't lose any vigor in calling out the name of the next house.

"Ravenclaw!"

"Slytherin!"

"Gryffindor!"

"Gryffindor!"

"Ravenclaw!"

Amaranta's stomach gave an audible growl. When was it going to end so she could eat? She glanced up anxiously at the Headmistress who made no move. Only watched calmly.

"Hufflepuff!"

The children around her roared with excitement. Amaranta gave a snort. What were these kids so happy about? It was just another gutless brat they'd have to deal with. Amaranta was happy she got into one of the smallest houses. She didn't really like dealing with people or crowded places.

"May I sit by you?"

Amaranta looked up, bored, but her mouth dropped slightly when she saw who had talked to her: someone she had never seen before in her life.

Amaranta couldn't quite place it, but she felt a sudden kinship towards this girl, as if she had just found her long-lost twin. The girl was rather tall, with wavy blonde hair and a cute button nose. Her flushed cheeks complemented her cherry red lips well, and her black robes only made her emerald green eyes shine brightly. Yes, those eyes…So similar to her own.

"Uh…did you not hear me?" the girl said, but not impolitely.

Amaranta didn't even realize she had been staring. "Oh, um, yeah, you can sit there."

"Thank you," the girl smiled cutely and sat in the wooden stool next to her. "I'm Dianthe Greene."

"My name is Amaranta," said girl answered, looking away, less she caught her bubbly mood. "Just Amaranta. I don't have a last name."

"Huh? Why not?"

"I'm adopted," Amaranta answered animatedly. "Since they're not my real parents, I don't feel like using their last name. They don't mind either. They value my independence." That was just a nice way to say that her parents didn't have a backbone, and were unable to force the young girl to use their name. They always smiled and told her that they would always love her no matter who she was. But Amaranta saw through their silly façade. They were afraid of her, and she knew it. Who could blame them; after all, she wasn't human.

"Well, then, since I have no choice but to use your first name," Dianthe reasoned, her eyes sparkling, "why don't you call me Dianthe as well?"

"Sure, whatever," Amaranta continued to avert her eyes. Nevermind, maybe this girl wasn't anything special after all. She just seemed like a ditz to her. Another air-headed idiot who wanted to tie her down. She had encountered girls like this before, who only acted nice to gain attention. Amaranta hated fakes.

"And now, let the feast begin!" the two girls heard the loud, melodical voice of the Headmistress, and then all sorts of foods appeared on all of the tables.

"Will you stop following me?" Amaranta grumbled.

"What? Why?" The taller blonde called to her, not needing to take big strides to catch up with Amaranta's small legs.

"Because, you're loud and annoying," Amaranta said bluntly. Picking up her pace. "Besides, you're class is the other way."

"But silence is so lonely, isn't it?" The blonde easily kept up with the shorter girl. "Besides, I don't really have very many friends, and I thought it'd be nice if we could be friends."

"What are you talking about?" Amaranta didn't turn to look at the other blonde. "A cute bubblehead like you who won't shut up? Aren't those usually the kind of people who are surrounded by friends? Stop chasing after me and go get some real friends." I don't want to ruin your school life.

"But I want to be friends with you," Dianthe protested. "I don't know what it is, by I feel like we could be sisters!"

Amaranta stopped and looked at her, before continuing on. Maybe this girl wasn't as dense as she first suspected. "Well, no matter how much you want to be my friend, I don't want to be yours. Now get to class."

The blond watched sadly as the stoic girl strode around the corner and out of sight. Crestfallen, she walked dejectedly back whence she came. Amaranta continued through the hallway and into the dungeons for her Potions lesson.

It was a mixed class, the majority Slytherin, with about six Ravenclaw, two Gryffindors, and one Hufflepuff, her. It didn't bother her that she was the only one of her House in that period. She liked how everyone ignored her. It felt nice to be left alone. It was here that she could resuscitate from the overload of smiles she had to face everyday.

"—my father one of the largest mandrake plantations in all of England," Olicia Golliver projected her voice across her Slytherin Admirers. It was people like her that reminded Amaranta why she was glad not to be in the Slytherin House.

No one noticed the small Hufflepuff as she walked into the class room. Upon long tables were rows of cauldrons, awaiting their magical ingredients. There was only one spot left, the front row, next to a black-haired Gryffindor, Jake Pele. Amaranta would've preferred the back, possibly next to one of the quiet Ravenclaws, but she supposed she had little choice in the manner, for arriving late to class. Luckily the teacher wasn't in yet.

"Hello, I don't think I've ever seen you in here, before, are you new?" Pele turned towards her, with a happy grin.

"I've attended this class since the beginning of the term like the rest of the pupils," Amaranta said testily, but tried to keep her voice even and her face indifferent.

"Oh, I never noticed you," Jake said bluntly. "You must have hidden in the back. You aren't very noticeable."

Amaranta suppressed her rising anger. She couldn't get caught up in his flow, so instead, she just shot him a cold look, and busied her self with unpacking her book bag. She hated guys like Jake Pele the most. He was captain of the Quidditch team, even though he was only in his second year, his hair was always windswept, though Amaranta caught him trying to comb it a few times. He came from a pureblood family with a distinguishable amount of wealth, and all of his 'friends' were in upper-class families as well. He believed that he was born for the sole purpose to be worshipped by all the inferior humans around him. He had tanned, yet creamy skin, and a confident smirk. His chiseled features framed his gorgeous blue eyes which sparkled with delight at everything. The type of guy any girl would fall for, and the type of guy Amaranta detested immensely.

"Oh, so you don't think I'm worth your breath?" Jake was leaning his head on his knuckles, staring interestedly at Amaranta, a truly delighted smirk on her face.

"I hate artificial things," Amaranta answered with a sneer, before returning to messing with her things, trying to look extremely busy.

"Well, I've been called many things, but never artificial," he laughed, his devilish tongue licking his lips before resting back in its cave. "Are you not simply charmed by me? I am unbelievably handsome, after all."

"Don't flatter yourself," Amaranta said flatly.

"Oh, I don't need to flatter myself," he didn't take his eyes off of her. "I was just stating a simple fact. I dislike lying."

"Oh, really?" Amaranta continued not to glare down at her books. "Are you saying that you never lied in your entire life, Mr. Pele?"

"Of course no!" He laughed, drawing attention to their conversation. "I was quite the deceiver when I was little. Not a single lick of truth ever left this mouth! But I dislike it now. I don't see the point in it. It always seems like a good idea at the time, but in the long run, karma will come back to get you."

"Karma?" Amaranta snorted. "If that's the case, I should be turning in my grave right now."

"Oh?" Jake raised an eyebrow. "Did you do something bad?"

"Yes, I killed a young wizard named Jake Pele because he wouldn't cease the nonsense that spewed from his mouth."

Jake laughed aloud again. "Oh, I think I'd be delighted if you were to kill me, Miss Amaranta."

For the first time in their conversation, Amaranta looked at him, although questioningly. She nearly blushed— nearly — when she found that he was still looking directly at her, smiling.

"As I thought, you have pretty eyes," he said softly. "They're very intimidating. A nice bold, green color. You know, Miss Amaranta —yes, I knew your name from the beginning, but it wasn't a lie that I never noticed you before, I just hazard a guess that you were the Amaranta I heard in roll call, but never actually saw—they say that the eyes are the windows to the soul."

"Well, it seems that your soul is very flashy," Amaranta looked away again.

"Thank you, I like to catch attention," he lifted his head off of his knuckles.

"Everyone, settle down!" the teacher, a thin, lanky man, walked into the dungeon. "Excuse my tardiness, I had a matter with Professor Ludwig to take care of. Now, if you would all please turn in your books to page 536, and we'll begin the lesson."

Amaranta did as instructed, thankful, yet slightly disappointed that the conversation was over. As she flipped through her book, one of the pages suddenly turned blank, curious, Amaranta stopped and looked at it. Slowly, words began to appear:

You're a very perceptive witch, Miss Amaranta, however I'm anything but artificial.

Amaranta glanced at the both standing next to her, grinning broadly, wand in his hand, under the table.

Dianthe sat on a stool in a ring of girls. The other girls in the class had been pestering her to buy them some Punching Peaches from Bosley's Candy Shoppe. The teacher had been called out of the class by another professor, so the class went up in total anarchy.

"But…I don't get allowance for another month, and my mother told me not to waste it on sweets," Dianthe objected timidly.

"But don't you want to be our friend?" A Ravenclaw girl said.

"Yeah, if you were our friend, you'd buy us something," another Ravenclaw girl added in.

"Are you going to selfishly reject us?" A Slytherin girl said.

"Well, no, but…"

Amaranta sat in her desk, reading a book. Dianthe kept throwing her anxious glances, but Amaranta never lifted a finger. She really didn't like situations like this. It always made her feel like she was the bad guy if she didn't help out. Not to mention she found Dianthe eating alone lately. No one really seemed to care for her.

"Come on, Dianthe!"

Dammit, I'm such a softie, Amaranta grumbled, before standing up. "Hey, would you girls mind keeping it down? It's hard to read a book, when you're snobby voices are penetrating the air."

"You just shut it, Huffypuff," one of the girls spat at her. "This is none of your business."

"Oh, but it is my business," Amaranta sighed. What was she getting herself into? "You see, that's my friend you're trying to press into buying treats for you, and I don't appreciate you trying to con money out of her. If you can't afford it yourself, then you'll just have to live without. Besides, you don't look like you need anymore sugar."

Dianthe's face simply lit up like instant morning. The girls around her however, looked none too pleased. They all took out their wands, pointing them dangerously at Amaranta.

"You want to lose an eye, limey?" the girl growled.

"You want to gain a tail, fatty?" Amaranta countered.

The girl moved the wand above her head to cast a spell, but Amaranta was quicker. "Vicissitudo!"

The girl who had drawn her wand against Amaranta suddenly grew a curly tail and a flat, snorting nose. She had turned into a pig.

"Sorry," Amaranta said sarcastically. "That was the only thing I could think of when I saw your face."

At that moment, the professor walked in to find a pig in robes, with Amaranta pointing her wand at it.

"Miss Amaranta! Detention after school, and 50 points from Hufflepuff!" she bellowed.

From that point onward, Dianthe and Amaranta became best friends. They were inseparable, with the exclusion of Divination and Potions. Jake Pele had also squeezed his way into Amaranta's close triangle of friends. Although his fan girls weren't to happy about this aspect.

However, things changed when the third weekend of winter came along. Despite the school rules, the trio had ventured into the Forbidden Forest. The massive forest looked more like a graveyard, full of dead, hibernating trees, barren of life, though the noises inside suggested otherwise.

"Come on, you two," Jake stopped to wait for the two girls. "You guys are so slow."

"Hey, Robinson Crusoe, we can't venture too far in, or we'll get into the centaurs territory," Amaranta warned.

"We're not even supposed to be here," Dianthe glanced over her shoulder worriedly. "Come on guys, we'll get in trouble."

"You're not scared, are you?" Jake teased. It was on his bet that they even ventured into the eerie forest.

"O-of course not!" Dianthe objected, a flush upon her cheeks. "I just don't want to spend detention over the Christmas holiday!"

Jake smirked, causing Dianthe to blush deeper.

Amaranta didn't pay attention to the conversation between the two teens, although she couldn't but note that Dianthe's red cheeks weren't from the cold. She was staring at the trees around her. They were shivering.

This isn't my doing, Amaranta thought. I'm completely calm, so these trees shouldn't be moving. Unless…

She glanced back at her trembling friend.

"Hey, Amaranta, where are you going?" Jake called after her.

"To a special spot I know of," Amaranta answered without turning her head. "Follow me."

"How do you know of this spot?" Dianthe asked, obediently following the purposeful stride of the smaller witch. "We're not supposed to be in here."

"I've broken more than one of the school's rules," Amaranta stated plainly, turning in her course a bit.

"Yes, you're the rowdiest Hufflepuff I've ever known," Jake laughed. "But that's why we love you."

Amaranta smiled and glanced back at her friends. Jake didn't lie.

Finally, Amaranta stopped, causing the other two to bump into her. It was so dark now that they were deep inside the forest.

"Lumos!" Jake's melodious voice rang through out the Forbidden Forest.

The tip of his wand glowed, revealing a humongous oak tree, whose peak was invisible. It was wrinkled and it's branches bent over with old age. Amaranta simply looked at it while the others gaped in awe.

"This is the biggest tree in the whole Forbidden Forest," Amaranta informed them. "The forest was created from this one tree. All these trees that surround you were once the seeds of this tree. This forest is her children. All the creatures that live here look to the Mother Tree for guidance."

"How do you know all of this?" Dianthe gaped at her friend too.

"Because she told me," Amaranta looked at them, completely serious. "Now, Dianthe, come over her, and place your hand on her trunk."

"Um…ok," Dianthe felt a bit nervous, but did as she was instructed. The bark was rough and grey.

"Now, close your eyes and think pleasing thoughts," Amaranta spoke softly. "Think of the one thing that makes you happiest, and concentrate on that thought."

Dianthe nodded and let the lids of her eyes fall shut. Her eyebrows knitted in concentration. Slowly, she began to relax and a big grin spread across her face. Just as Dianthe's smile grew wider, it seemed as if the giant oak tree sprang back to life, it's bark turning a light shade of brown, and thick, glossy leaves sprouting from it's branches.

"Bloody hell!" Jake breathed.

"What?" Dianthe opened her eyes, but as soon as she did, the tree quickly died again, losing all of its leaves the same way it gained them. But she caught a glimmer of the miracle she had just performed. She looked over at Amaranta, who, surprisingly, was grinning ear to ear.

"Oh, Dianthe!" she strangled the girl in a tight bear hug. "You don't know how happy this makes me! I finally found one of my own! Someone like me! Another Blommarian! I'm not alone!"

"What? Huh? Amaranta? You're not making sense!" Dianthe sweated nervously. "I don't understand what's going on."

"Me neither," Jake said, but today would not be the day that he lost his smirk. "But it was worth it to see Amaranta smile like that. I didn't know her mouth was that big."

"Oh, Dianthe! I'm so happy!" Amaranta was almost on the verge of tears. "Do you know what this means?"

"No, I don't," Dianthe cried. "So why don't you explain it to me!"

"Dianthe," Amaranta pulled her away. "I—no, we are not human! We're Blommarians, an extinct race of people with the power to manipulate the plants around them! Oh! For the longest time, I thought I was the only one left! But—oh, when I first saw you, I just knew, I just knew it!"

"Wait, what do you mean we're not human?" Dianthe looked a little disturbed.

"Well, we technically are human, just that we have the heart of a plant, the Heart Flower, if you will, which gives us the ability to manipulate the plants around us with our emotions! For instance, look around you."

The two looked around them selves, holding their glowing wands above their heads. The winter scenery had disappeared, replaced with lush, green grass, and blossoming trees, dancing merrily.

"Can't you tell how happy I am?" Amaranta positively beamed. "I'm trying to contain it, because I don't want to draw attention, but it's hard…oh, Dianthe, I'm so happy! We're like sisters!"

Slowly, it began to sink in. It was hard for Dianthe not to smile at her glowing friend. "If that's the case, then you should adopt my last name."

"Huh?"

"You shall be Amaranta Greene, from now on," Dianthe smiled brightly down at her. "We're sisters now!"

Amaranta hugged Dianthe tightly. "Thanks, sis!"

Their little secret only drew the three of them together. Now, they had their own little universe, and it was even more difficult for anyone to join them, like there was an invisible barrier around the three of them. Perhaps it was their closeness that destroyed them in the end.

It was their 6th year now in Hogwarts and February had come, and with it Valentine's Day. The castle was sprinkled with pink, red, white, and purple, and every girl was giggling as if they'd been hexed with a Tickling Hex. The three were no exception to this rule.

"So, are you going to give anyone a valentine, sis?" Dianthe asked dreamily. She was really into the whole love thing.

Amaranta didn't give a goblin about it. "No, I find this whole holiday stupid," she sighed. "I bet you it's all just a scam to profit the candy industry. Just a reason for everyone to buy useless stuff."

"Ah, don't be so heartless, Amaranta," Jake laughed. He was laughing a lot these days. "Although you may be right, it's also a way for people to confess their feelings easier. It's a time for love!"

"You just say that because you wake up in a mound of chocolate everyday," Amaranta scoffed.

"Don't tell me that after all these years, there isn't anyone that you admire?" Dianthe said.

"Not in the way you're thinking, no," Amaranta twirled her pasta with her fork. "You two are the only people I need."

"That's very sweet of you to say so," Jake grinned wider, "but every girl dreams of being confessed to. Even you are no exception, Amaranta."

"Yeah, I heard that that Johnny Hampleton was going to ask you out on Valentine's day," Dianthe raised her eyebrows in a hinting suggestion.

"I don't care who tries to court me, but I'll reject all of them," Amaranta took a bite of her dinner. "It's not like anyone would ask me out anyway."

"Don't be so sure of that," Jake murmured, looking away.

Dianthe thought he was looking towards one of the Ravenclaw boys, so she only giggled.

"Well, Dianthe needs me to help reject all the men who are going to try and woo her," Amaranta said. "I bet you she's going to hook over forty men this year!"

"Nah, more like fifty!" Jake smirked.

"Please guys," Dianthe blushed and tried to hide her head.

The signal for the end of dinner had announced itself so the children got up and walked to their respective dormitories. They bid their good nights to Jake and headed off to the Hufflepuff dorms.

"But really, sis, why don't you ever go out with anyone?" Amaranta spoke seriously when they were alone. "The whole time you've been here, you've rejected every man that's come up to you. Do you just have really high standards, or…?"

"No, actually…" Dianthe looked away, her face beet red. "There's someone I like. I've liked them since the first year."

"And he hasn't asked you out yet? This guy must be addled in the head!"

Dianthe giggled. "Maybe, but I plan to ask him out this year, since I'm running out of time."

"Who is it?"

"…Jake…"

Amaranta couldn't deny the painful twist she felt in her heart. Why did it hurt her so to know that her sister and best friend would become a couple? Surely Jake wouldn't reject someone as beautiful as Dianthe? Not to mention that it would make things awkward. Why did she feel depressed at the thought of the two of them getting together? "Wow, I never even knew…Shows what a sister I am! Well, I wish you luck."

"Thanks sis!" Dianthe hugged Amaranta tightly as they walked up the stares into their dormitories and readied for bed.

Amaranta had trouble sleeping that night. She couldn't get this latest discovery off her mind. Why? Why did she frown at the prospect of her two friends becoming a couple? She couldn't be jealous, could she? Who was she jealous of? Jake or Dianthe? The thought of some guy taking away Dianthe was vexing to her, but the thought of some girl taking away Jake made a beast she never knew existed within her growl with distaste. No, she just didn't want things to get awkward. If Dianthe and Jake became a couple, she would feel left out. That was it. She just didn't want to become the third wheel. It wasn't like she had feelings or anything for Jake, right?

The fateful day had finally come. If it wasn't for her expert stoicism, Amaranta would have feared that her two friends would've noticed her unease. The red and pink decorations felt even more disgusting than usual. Amaranta sat on a windowsill and stared at the winter scene beyond. The cold wasn't as intense as it had been in January, but there was still a frost over the earth. Amaranta gave a slight shiver, dreaming of summer where it would be nice and warm.

She flicked around when she felt a weight on her shoulders. Jake was standing there, smiling at her and his winter robe was on her shoulders. "Thanks," Amaranta murmured, and turned back to looking out the window so Jake wouldn't notice how truly happy she actually was.

"You don't really like winter, do you?" Jake said, standing a bit closer. "It's understandable since you're part plant."

"It's only my heart, remember?" Amaranta tried her best not to look at him, and was thankful that the window was too frosty to show her reflection. "And I don't really hate it, it's just an uncomfortable climate. And it's always so cloudy."

Jake chuckled. "Even now, you still exceed my expectations."

Amaranta turned around, her mouth open to question him, but stopped when she noticed his facial expression: he was frowning and looked quite serious. Amaranta tried to devoid herself of all emotion so he wouldn't notice her blush.

"Amaranta, I…love you," he had his arms on her shoulders now, steadily growing closer. "I can't deny it anymore. Ever since I first met you, you were always on my mind. You were the first girl who didn't try to flatter me. I was interested in you ever since then, and every day I'm with you is full of surprises! I've been meaning to tell you since too long ago, but I…I'm afraid that you'll reject me! But the thought of some guy like Hampleton trying to steal you away, I just can't contain myself anymore!" He pulled the girl towards him and smashed his lips onto hers.

At first, Amaranta was so shocked at Jake's ferocity that she didn't move, then she tried to struggle, and push him off, then she figured, what was the point in lying to herself? Jake purred with satisfaction when Amaranta returned the kiss, and he sought to deepen it.

Unbeknownst to them, Dianthe had been watching, a wrapped box crushed in her hand.

"Dianthe, what's wrong?" Amaranta tried to look into her sisters face, but she kept turning her head away. "Are you sick?"

Dianthe shook her head, and kept walking on, towards the lake. Jake was following them, his wary looks bouncing back and forth between the two girls. Maybe now wasn't a good time to tell Dianthe that he would be courting Amaranta from now on.

"Sis?" Amaranta desperately tried to coax an answer out of the silent witch, but she was only rewarded with silence.

Finally, Dianthe stopped at the edge of the lake, the cold, bitter air whistling around them. Suddenly, the grass all around them, brown from the cold, turned into an ashen black, and crumbled to the dirt. The weeping willow tree that lived on the lakeshore turned black and its weighed branches twisted into grotesque arms that shot out towards Jake, and wrapped around him, hoisting him into the air.

"Jake!" Amaranta called out to him, but knew it was useless. "Dianthe! What are you doing?! Stop this!"

"Shut up, you bitch!" Dianthe screamed, finally revealing her dark face. She looked positively sinister.

"Sis?"

"Don't call me with such a familiar name!" Dianthe spat at Amaranta. "You are no sister of mine! You're a traitor! You betrayed me!" She took out a single, rose from her chest pocket, and it slowly grew roots that wrapped around her arm. It's crimson petals withered to an ashen black and crumbled onto the dirt. With a wave of her arm, red tipped thorns lashed out at Amaranta who dodged lithely.

"Dianthe! Stop this now!" Amaranta couldn't help but look at the blonde with a look of disgust. She had never seen such an ugly flower, twisted by Dianthe's hate.

"No!" Dianthe punched her arm into the ground, and the thorns popped out of the ground and sliced through Amaranta's flesh. "You betrayed me! I told you that I liked Jake, and you stole him from me! You're a filthy whore! I hate you! I hate you!"

The thorns wrapped around Amaranta's already bleeding body and sunk into her skin. Amaranta let out a cry of pain as her red blood stained the earth. One of the thorns wrapped around Amaranta's wand and snapped it in half. There was a small burst of blue light as the magic was released, and then it fell limp, just a plain stick of wood.

"I hate you, Amaranta," Dianthe growled. "I'm going to kill you!"

"Stop this, Dianthe!" Amaranta pleaded, the thorns slowly turned into lush, green vines, and fell off of Amaranta. "You're not a murderer! This isn't you! Don't do this to yourself!"

"I'm not doing anything to myself!" Dianthe cried furiously, and the thorns returned and lodged themselves deep into Amaranta's side.

Tears streamed the young Blommarian's face as pain radiated throughout her body. Her mouth was open in a silent scream, and her blood gushed out at an alarming rate.

"Jake…confessed to me…" Amaranta did her best to speak, glancing at the immobile boy in the willow tree. "He loves me…and…I love him…I won't back down…because of you…there's no point in lying…to myself…or anyone…"

Dianthe grew furious she flung her arm in all directions screaming curses as Amaranta was sliced open in all directions. "Fine! If I can't have him," she turned her blood thirsty eyes on the scared Jake, "then no one will!" She pointed towards Jake, and the willow began to crush him within itself.

"No!" Amaranta cried, and fell to the ground. Her hands on the earth, three blades of grass shot like spikes out of the ground and pierced Dianthe, right through her chest. Blood gushed out her open mouth, and then Dianthe fell to the ground.

Amaranta crawled to the willow, that went still, a trail of blood behind her. She was going to die, she knew it. No amount of magic could save her now. But before she died, she had to save Jake. The willow had nearly crushed him. Not without pain, Amaranta put her hand on the grey, grotesque willow, and it slowly unfurled itself, the boy falling out of it. Amaranta reached towards the boy, he wasn't moving, and his arm was bending in the wring direction. Please don't be dead, please don't be dead! Please don't be dead!

Amaranta just about reached Jake's limp form, when something shot right through her leg. She turned around, to find a bloody mass, Dianthe, huffing next to the willow, which had returned to it's twisted form. "I hate you…hate…" Blood trickled down her chin.

An eerie green light enveloped Dianthe and the willow tree. The tree grew fists and punched and writhed. The blonde girl fell to the ground dead, yet the willow continued to move.

How's that…possible? Amaranta stared at the thrashing tree. If she's dead, she shouldn't be able to control it anymore….How?

Her vision blurred, a fuzzy black enveloping her. She was out of time. With her last breath, Amaranta reached to check if Jake was alive, but her hand fell short of his cold face.