Sweat rolled down Lorenzo Berkshire's bare chest as he took a deep breath and finished his workout. He grabbed his shirt from where he tossed it onto the ground and used it to wipe the dripping liquid. Then, he smiled as he stretched, loving the feeling of the warm summer day's sunrise on his bare skin.
Enzo made his way upstairs to his bedroom, making a mental note to take down all of his Quidditch posters and pack them in his trunk. How did he seem to get more every single year? Well, right now, Quidditch was practically his whole life so he supposed it made sense. Every day was spent with an early morning weight lift and cardio session. Every afternoon was spent working on his flying. His mother took him to as many matches as she could this summer so he could study up on moves. Enzo supposed when you considered everything else, a room full of posters barely depicted how central the sport was to his life.
After a quick cold shower where he shuddered underneath the icy water and reminded himself that it was best for his muscles and immune system, Enzo wrung a towel through his hair and got ready for the rest of his day.
The smell of bacon and poached eggs permeated his nostrils as he glided down the stair railing. There was a spring in his step that few could match—partly because that was just how Enzo was and partly because this was a great day. Today was the day the owls would arrive with letters from Hogwarts, letters marking his younger sister, Aria's, first year at school with him.
For five years, Aria had gone to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France but something happened over the summer—something Enzo hadn't quite figured out and probably never would considering he was hopelessly clueless about pretty much everything but Quidditch. Now, Aria was starting her seventh year (which meant that she had a whole year to catch up on since Beauxbstons started later) at Hogwarts much to Enzo's happiness. He adored his younger sister and was looking forward to spending more time together with her—especially since Aria tended to spend most of her breaks in her bedroom.
"Good morning, my darling boy," his mother's voice said sweetly from the table. Her thick French accent came out even thicker every time she said a pet name to him. Sometimes, he wondered why she didn't just speak in French considering they all knew it but since English was what Hogwarts used, he didn't mind sticking to it.
"Morning, Maman," Enzo replied as he kissed her cheek. She smiled beautifully before picking up a magazine and reading it while she sipped her coffee.
It might sound weird but Enzo knew his mum was beautiful. She was half-veela, so, in their world, it would almost be weird if he didn't say she was beautiful. Knowing his mother, she would take full offense to it too. She prided herself on her heritage and insisted on reminding people of it often.
"Sorry, I'm not sure what zis 'Madam Malkin's' you speak of is. We Veelas 'ave ze best dressmaker in the world,"she would say. Enzo had just gotten used to it and make sure to pay his mother many compliments to keep her pacified. Enzo cared for his mother, of course, but he could admit that her arrogance and pride sometimes made her... hard to like. Still, family was family and Enzo was loyal to a fault.
Her silver-blonde hair was smoothed back into a ponytail. She pulled her cashmere cardigan tighter and smiled as he dug into his breakfast, prepared by a house elf because his mother would never cook and his father was far too busy to. It had been a few days since he'd seen his father but Enzo hoped that he would see him off before he left for Hogwarts.
"Oh, look! Our letters!" He exclaimed with a smile that showcased the two dimples he'd inherited from her. Enzo might not have been a Veela but perhaps a little bit of their good looks and charm passed down to him.
Two tawny owls sat dutifully at the windowsill with matching letters in their mouth, though one seemed to be weighing down the owl more than the other. Enzo grabbed them after a quick pet to the two birds and brought them to the table.
"Where's Aria? I thought we could open them together."
His mother's face tightened. "You know your sister. Never wants to be 'ith her family."
Enzo frowned because that didn't sound like Aria but he supposed she'd missed most breakfasts this summer so perhaps she didn't like breakfast or she was a late riser, unlike him, who was always up rather early, buzzing for the day ahead. He resolved to just bring it to her afterward.
"Open it!" His mother said with another smile. "I want to see what sorts of greatness they expect from you this year."
Enzo turned over the letters only to be surprised to find that the heavier one was for him. He'd assumed that the heavy one was Aria's since she was new to the school. "Odd," he muttered under his breath.
He opened the letter only to drop his jaw as he pulled it out.
Dear Mr. Berkshire,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected as the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Head Boy. Please find your badge enclosed and report to a meeting with the headmaster after the start of term feast.
In addition to this honor, you have been selected by your Head of House to be the Slytherin Team Quidditch Captain. You will need to schedule your trials when you are back.
Congratulations on both of these distinctions. We wish you well in your upcoming year.
Professor Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster
Enzo's hands shook as he beheld the letter. Head BoyandQuidditch Captain. Was that even possible? He wasn't even a prefect—that had always been Draco. And yet the badge was real and in his hands. Both of them were. Shining and gold andbrilliant.
His mother snatched the letter from his hands and began to read before exclaiming with a giant smile, "Head Boy! My son! Head boy! Zis is an honor, Lorenzo. I knew you were my perfect child."
She kissed the side of his head, careful to readjust her lipstick when she was done. "You will reflect greatly on our family."
Enzo smiled brightly. "Thanks, Maman. I'm going to go tell Aria."
And hesworeher smile dimmed at the sound of his sister's name but that was surely crazy. Aria was as much her daughter as Enzo was her son. Who wouldn't love Aria? Soft, sweet, kind Aria. No, he must have misread something. That was the only sane explanation.
Enzo grabbed the other letter and bounded up the stairs. "Aria!" He said as he knocked on her bedroom door. "Aria, our letters are here!"
He heard the click of a lock before she opened the door and stared at him with a confused look. Only Enzo was confused too because he originally thought that Aria didn't like breakfast or was never awake for it and yet she looked now as if she had already been up for a while. Had she eaten without him? It would have been hard to beat him out to the kitchen because he was always up at dawn and probably would have heard her when he was making his way to work out. Something seemed off... like he hadn't quite worked everything out.
Enzo was used to the feeling. Though he was smart and did well in classes, he didn't always catch on to stuff or figure out secrets like everyone else. People called him oblivious but he was just always thinking about Quidditch so he didn't notice the small things that everyone else did. Could you blame him? Quidditch was a bloody brilliant sport. Who wouldn't want to think about it all the time?
Still, it was... frustrating not always being in the loop. Feeling like he was two steps behind when, if he was on a broom, he would have been miles ahead.
"Enzo?" Aria asked in a quiet voice, breaking him from his stupor. Unlike her older brother, she'd always been rather quiet. Enzo was about as mysterious as a neon sign. He made friends everywhere he went and had little trouble fitting in. Aria, on the other hand, always preferred the wall. There was nothing wrong with that, Enzo supposed. As long as he could keep her company while she was there. "What letters?"
"Our letters from Hogwarts. Come on, open yours!"
Aria frowned. Enzo could see her trepidation but he didn't understand why. Was she not happy to go to school with him? Because he was bloody ecstatic about it. "It's just a letter with the same booklist you had last year. What's the big deal?"
"Well, it's the start of your year at Hogwarts!"
Aria's frown deepened even more. "Exactly."
Enzo sighed and just wrapped his sister in a tight hug. Perhaps he hadn't thought about how hard this was for her. Leaving her life in France for a new adventure at Hogwarts. Well, Enzo would have seen it as an adventure. But to someone like Aria, who loathed meeting new people and going new places, he guessed it might seem daunting. "Aria, I know this is all going to be a little scary for you but I promise you'll love it at Hogwarts. I mean, I'm there, so it's gotta be great."
"I know," she muttered into his chest, reluctantly returning his embrace. "It's just a lot."
"Well, right now, it's just a letter, which I think you can handle," he teased. He grabbed hers and opened it, still hugging her tightly as he read it aloud.
"Dear Miss Berkshire, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to—"
"You don't need to read it out loud! I have eyes!" She grumbled as she fought his embrace. But Enzo just tightened his grip with a smile and kept going.
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed—"
"Lorrie! Stop!" She giggled as she fought him.
"Nope! You're going to read this letter andlike it!"
"If I say I'll read the bloody letter, will you let go of me?"
"Yep!" He said, squeezing tighter.
"Fine, fine! I'll read the damned letter."
Enzo let go immediately and handed her the letter with a little boop on her nose. "There, that wasn't so hard. And don't curse. You're too young."
"I think you crushed my windpipe," she muttered as she dramatically rubbed her throat. "And hey! I'm only a year younger than you."
"Yes, but I'm Head Boy so I get special privileges."
Aria's teasing expression immediately into disbelief with a hint of pride. "Really? You're Head Boy?"
"Yup. And Quidditch Captain."
She launched at him with a tight hug, wrapping her arms as tightly around his neck as his was around hers. Enzo pretended to choke while she squealed, "Lorrie, that's great! I'm so proud of you! I knew you could do it. And Quidditch Captain too! All your hard work has paid off."
Enzo smiled and hugged her back. Even though their responses were mostly the same, Enzo couldn't help but feel happier while Aria congratulated him than when his mother did so at breakfast. Something about it made him feel lighter. Like it was less of a reflection on the family and more of a reflection on him—on the years he spent practicing and the late nights studying.
"How is it only August and this year is already the best one yet?"
He couldfeelher roll her eyes. "You say that every year."
He grinned and hugged his baby sister again.
"Yeah, but this year, I really mean it," he whispered, staring at the rising sun from her window. Its golden light basked the room in warmth. He took a few moments to soak it all in. He couldn't believe he and Aria were finally going to school together. Plus, he was given the two highest honors a Hogwarts student could get. And then there was something else, something he couldn't put his finger on that made him feel spectacularly about the year ahead. "This is going to be the best one yet."
I can already tell that everyone is going to adore Enzo. The things I have planned for this book will make you all very, very happy :)))
