Kaya Bennett (lover of all things pink & musical) never thought she'd find a potential lover during the long, hot summer months - it almost seemed too cliché.
But being knocked off her feet by a specific ginger at the Quidditch World Cup might just...
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chapter forty four | the lion, the witch and the weasley
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KAYA WAS CONVINCED, as she trudged along to the Room of Requirement once more, that something was really, really wrong.
Actually, no, not just something. Multiple things. Like her head felt like scrambled eggs just thinking about it, on top of all the revision she was now cramming into her busy routine for her N.E.W.T exams.
Milo had mentioned beforehand how Alfie had seemed off in the common room, but he wasn't the first to notice that something wasn't quite right with the younger Bennett. His older sister had caught on immediately - but the thing was, every time she brought it up to ask what was going on, he insisted that he was fine. And Kaya knew perfectly well he wasn't - even without the unsure looks Jeremy would give her when she'd glance at him practically begging for an answer that told her why her little brother seemed so down or anxious all of a sudden.
Could it be Umbridge's influence? She wasn't sure.
But the thing was - Kaya was not around enough to see her little brother dodging a student a couple years older than them in fear. None of her friends were there in order to spot that when a certain name or voice was overheard Alfie was quick to vanish. These teenagers had their own busy lives, they had exams and decisions to make about when they leave school, they had to be alert on dodging Umbridge and they had to keep checking so that they wouldn't miss when the next D.A lesson would be. Kaya had her own life to be dealing with, she couldn't stick around her brother all day everyday. Siblings don't do that - especially ones with a five year age gap. And she knew perfectly well Alfie wouldn't want anything more than for her to leave him be. No little brother wanted his big sister stuck to him like glue - or at least, Alfie didn't.
But that was the problem - if you weren't around your brother every second of the day, how were you supposed to know when something was wrong? Especially when he refused to speak a word about it to you? You just wouldn't know. And Kaya didn't have a clue apart from the gut feeling telling her something was wrong with Alfie.
In fact, it was only Jeremy, of whom was stuck to his best friend's side twenty-four-seven, who did know what was happening - and he was in his own little dilemma, for Alfie had told him multiple times not to get anyone involved. He could handle himself. He didn't need his big sister or her friends to the rescue, they're not his saviours or anything, and he's older now. How would he learn to deal with anything (especially as humiliating as this) by himself if Kaya always sorted stuff out for him? He wouldn't.
He needed to deal with it all by himself.
And, well, if her little brother's secrets weren't enough trouble, what's more than Kaya's teacher disrespecting her dead friend most days of the week by disregarding it as barely anything? Like it was a tiny hiccup of a fantastic year? And what's more than keeping her mouth shut because she's supposed to be Head Girl? A lot of fucking effort, that's what.
