The Cursed Ones

Chapter Seven: When Hell Comes

Phase One of Raising Hell: Let Darwin's girlfriend in on his little secret.

I find the Hufflepuff in one of the courtyards. She's coaxed a butterfly to perch atop her fingertip, and she is murmuring something to it with adoration filling her big blue eyes.

"Amaryllis, is it?" I call out as I make my way towards the strawberry blonde, squinting against the beating sun. She looks up at me, and her eyes widen a bit. She looks a bit afraid. I know my reputation. I don't blame her for suspecting me of being up to something.

She nods her head slowly as she examines my face for any sign of trouble. The butterfly traipses off and she pulls her hand down to clutch nervously at a navy blue journal she's holding.

I give her a soft smile, and I try to look sweet. I know I have an innocent face already, but at this point everyone knows not to be fooled by it, so I'm not sure how helpful my gesture of kindness is in comforting Amaryllis.

I sit down next to her on the long stone bench, but am careful to keep a decent amount of space between us. I don't want to invade her space. Stupid reputation, I think. Hasn't anyone noticed I only attack when it's deserved?

She's glaring at me now. I have to remind myself that I literally attacked her boyfriend twice in one week. She has every reason to hate me. I give her an apologetic look and decide to cut straight to the chase.

"Listen, Amaryllis. I know you're mad at me, and to be honest, you have every right to be. But I need you to know that I only went after Darwin for something he said."

She cocks her head at me. The layer of suspicion hasn't left her face. I press on urgently.

"Listen, Darwin was talking about Professor Malfoy after our first potions class. He called her an inbred and said she was hot all in the same breath. Please, Amaryllis, you need to understand why I did what I did. I know I have a reputation, but I always have a reason behind what I do. Unfortunately, that part never makes it through the grapevine."

I watch her face fall, and I'm honestly a little surprised she believed me so quickly. I'm grateful for it, though. I was dreading having to press the poor girl for longer than what could be necessary. I feel a bit of a pinch in my chest in sympathy for her. "I'm so sorry, Amaryllis. You don't deserve that." I take a deep breath, preparing to tell her the rest of the story. "Well, after I punched him after I overheard that, he got really mad." I purposely skip over the part where Pansy slipped him and his friends LSD. After all, that hadn't been my doing, and I never tell others' business. Snitching is one of the things I despise the most; not that I wouldn't protect my friend regardless. "He, um, he gave Professor Malfoy a love potion. It was so bad, she had to cut class short." I consider whether I should say any more, but since Amaryllis is a Hufflepuff, after all, I take the leap of faith, hoping she'll live up to her house's supposed empathy. "I had to hold her up while she went to her room. She got really ill, Amaryllis. It was really bad. And he humiliated her. It's disgusting."

The pinch in my chest returns when Amaryllis's eyes fill with tears. "No," she whispers. "No, he couldn't have."

"He did. And Amaryllis, I trust you won't tell anyone about Professor Malfoy and the love potion. I'm trusting you. Please don't tell anyone else. I just needed you to know the extent of your boyfriend's damage."

It startles me when Amaryllis flings herself against me for a hug, and suddenly she's sobbing into my shoulder with grief. I awkwardly wrap one arm around her and pat her back with my other hand. "I know," I say gently. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." I sigh. "You deserve so much better. That freak didn't deserve you. I hope you know that."

"Tha - Thank you," heaves Amaryllis. As I hold her, the garden around us soaked in the sunlight she had been enjoying before I gave her the news, I only feel more of a need to teach Darwin the ultimate lesson.