She looked so fucking beautiful.

Enzo couldn't stop staring at Cass. She was the sun and he was the planet hopelessly orbiting her, his gaze constantly returning to the gravity of her beauty. She was so fucking beautiful—and miraculously, she was his.

Cass stood in front of the mirror in her dormitory, pinning up the last few pieces of stray hairs. Her blonde curls were mostly down but she'd take a few strands, twisting and pulling them to the back of her head. Her makeup was simple but so beautiful. Glowing cheeks, glossy lips that he wanted to beg to kiss, pale gold glitter on her eyelids. Enzo watched as she fiddled with her yellow dress. It was simple compared to the concoction of navy glitter that Enzo knew Astoria gave to Aria but Enzo liked simple. It showed off Cass's beauty instead. Long and satin with thin straps, the fabric had small yellow flowers on top of it, blending in with the rest of the dress until you were close enough to see them.

Yellow. What a perfect fucking color for her. Cass was yellow. Everything wonderful and lovely in this world was yellow. The color of laughter and happiness, the color of life. That was Cass—his reason for living and laughing. She shined for the world, bringing joy everywhere she went.

And the crazy part? Somehow, she chose him to shine beside.

Cass eyed Enzo's adoring stare through the mirror and smiled back at him. "Sorry," she said softly. "I'm almost done."

"Take your time. I'm in no hurry." He didn't care if they never made it to the ball. He didn't care if she asked him to apparate to Hogsmeade or London or even Thailand. He'd follow her to the ends of the Earth right now if she asked it of him.

Cass reached towards the dresser and slipped on a golden citrine necklace, the one he'd taken over the holidays. Enzo smiled as it sat prettily on her neck, matching the simple gold hoops and bracelet she wore.

Life had been wonderful ever since he returned from Berkshire House. Enzo thought it would be hectic, storming out of his former family's home. But surprisingly, it wasn't. He'd arrived back to Hogwarts shortly after Mattheo and Theo did. Apparently, they were tired of being around Tom and Evelyn, at least that was what Theo told him. Cass had spent the Christmas quietly in her room so after saying hello to his sister, he'd sprinted to the Hufflepuff dorm's, where she shrieked upon seeing him before pulling him into her dormitory and allowing him to ravage her the way he'd been dreaming of. Then, they'd gone back to Slytherin—the taste of her still on his tongue—and spent the rest of Christmas with his friends and sister. Enzo gave his sister her bracelet and gave Cass the necklace. Though he'd wanted to give Aria her inheritance, he also wanted to make sure she did well in school and didn't rely on it too much. Enzo had already opened a Gringott's account with her name on it, placing exactly half in it. The minute she graduated, the key and all its contents would be hers.

He hadn't told Cass about it because, to be honest, he didn't want her to think he was crazy for planning to use his half on their future. Enzo was committed to this girl through and through; scaring her off wouldn't be ideal.

"What are you staring at?" Cass asked with a slight giggle to her tone, still watching him through the mirror.

"You. You're so beautiful," he murmured with a soft smile that matched hers.

"You're only saying that because you have to," she teased.

"You mistake me, sunshine. I don't say it because I 'have' to. I say it because I mean it." Enzo strode over to her and cupped her cheek gently. "You are beautiful. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Only a fool would look at you right now and think otherwise."

He kissed her softly, careful not to mess up the makeup she'd worked so hard on. "I love you so much, Cass."

She smiled and kissed him again. "I love you too, Enz. Let's go."

Hand in hand, they made their way toward the Hogmanay Ball, a ball that happened only once every five years to celebrate the downfall of Voldemort. At first, Enzo had worried that his friend would take the celebration of his father's death terribly but Mattheo didn't view Voldemort as his father—that honor went to Tom—and he'd take any excuse to drink.

Enzo and Cass walked into the gorgeous Great Hall, which was adorned with candles and lights aglow. To be honest, Enzo didn't notice much of the decor. He was too busy staring at Cass. Why stare at anything else when she was there?

They found their friends and settled in for a night of dancing, drinking, and debauchery. Margot and Ernie had made up again in time for the ball. Cass and Enzo met them by the punch bowl and chatted with them for a while, Cass gushing over Margot's spiky bun and daring eyeliner. She was wearing a shimmering satin green dress, while Ernie wore a matching tie. Their conversation with Cass's friends was short, ending when Margot dragged Ernie by his tie back to their dormitory not even twenty minutes into the ball.

"Guess we have to have a sleepover at my place tonight," Enzo said, not even attempting to hide his grin. Cass just giggled in response before dragging them back to his group of friends.

"Have you had one of these brownies?" Enzo said with a mouthful of white chocolate and raspberry goodness.

"Mattheo's had like 15 of them," Draco said with his lip curled up in disgust.

"Bloody hell, Matt, really?" Enzo asked incredulously.

Nora snickered. "Yeah. As if his ass needs to get any fatter."

"Princess," Mattheo purred with eyes batted, "if you were jealous of my ass, you could have just said so. Fuck! Are you sharpening those damn elbows of yours?"

"I wouldn't give her any ideas," Draco snorted. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go dance with my date."

Draco and Astoria walked to the middle of the dance floor—a pairing Enzo might have put together in his head if Draco hadn't been engaged to her older sister. Enzo held out his hand for Cass. With another angelic giggle, she accepted his outstretched arm and let him lead her to the dance floor.

He pressed close to her, inhaling her sweet floral and honey scent. How did she always smell so marvelous? Enzo enjoyed the feeling of his girlfriend's curves pressed up against him, smiling once he remembered that he'd be feeling these same curves all night long. Who wouldn't be smiling at that?

After dancing a few songs together—some slower, like that one, where he got to hold her closely, some faster, where Cass giggled as Enzo spun her around and around—the two of them walked back to their friend group. Enzo frowned as he realized Theo was noticeably lacking. The tall boy was almost always found next to Mattheo. Where could he be?

And now that he was thinking about it, where was Aria? His sister had assured him she was coming with a date. Enzo had been looking forward to meeting the guy. Enzo asked Mattheo if Theo was coming and Mattheo just shrugged and reassured him that he was—only for Nora and him to bicker back and forth for a bit as they always did.

Then, Draco rejoined the group, accompanied by his usual swagger. Enzo noticed the way that Astoria and Draco stood closer together, making a mental note to figure out whatever was going on there after he found his sister and Theo. Enzo asked Astoria where her best friend was and she, too, reassured him that she was coming.

What is going on? Enzo wondered, feeling like everyone knew something he didn't. Enzo was used to being behind on certain things but he didn't like it when one of those things was his baby sister. What if her date was terrible? What if her date had kidnapped her? Or what if they were busy doing other things? Enzo wanted to be sick at the very idea of that. Aria couldn't date, not until she was at least forty-five. She was still his baby sister in his eyes.

Finally, after worrying himself sick over how terrible Aria's date might be, he heard Mattheo sigh. "Ahh, there's the lad with his stupid grin and all," at the same time Astoria went, "Oh, there's Aria!"

How fortuitous, Enzo thought. They showed up at the same time so we could all meet their dates together. He tried to look around and see who they'd both showed up with but he couldn't.

"Who's Aria's date?" Enzo called out. "And who's Theo's?"

"Umm, mate..." Mattheo trailed off at the same time as Draco said, "Oh, that's rich! Berkshire will get a rise out of this."

"What is it?" Enzo asked, shoving Draco out of the way and moving to the front of the group. But when he looked out on the scene, he felt both his jaw and his heart sink. It fell inside his chest and shattered into dozens of little shards that stabbed him with every breath.

There they were. Aria and Theo, Theo kissing Aria's hair as they walked into the Great Hall. Together.

Anger rose up in him like a tidal wave. It was the first emotion he could even think of. "What the fuck does Nott think he's doing?" Enzo growled out as he watched the two of them move across the dance floor.

Cass placed her hand on his back. "Enz..." she whispered comfortingly but it was drowned out by Mattheo teasingly saying, "Don't they make a cute couple?"

"The cutest," Astoria sighed.

"Wait," Enzo hissed, the gears inside of his head turning. "Did you two know?" He watched as the waves of guilt flew freely from Mattheo and Astoria. They knew. They definitely knew. And they didn't tell him.

"Draco knew too!" Astoria shouted with panic.

"Thanks, love," Draco murmured. "You always did know I liked being thrown under the bus."

The realization hit Enzo like a sucker punch to the gut, like a bludger barreling into him at full speed. His chest tightened and his breath quickened as the pieces clicked together in a puzzle Enzo hadn't even realized was unsolved. Their stolen smiles, unexplained absences, the way Theo held Aria after she'd had her breakdown. This had been going on for months. His little sister and his best friend. The two people Enzo trusted the most had been sneaking around behind his back.

Anger burned hot in Enzo's veins but it was the ache beneath it—the gnawing sting of betrayal—that made it hard to watch them glide across the dance floor. Did they not trust him enough to tell him? Was he the only one who was deemed unworthy to know?

The questions swirled in Enzo's head but the one that hurt the most whispered louder than the rest: When did I become an outside in my own life?

"Enz? Enz, are you okay?" Cass asked gently, wrapping her arm around his waist.

"No." Enzo's voice cracked as he fought to hold back tears of anger and betrayal. "No. I'm not."

The betrayal felt like a knife—a Cruciatus curse cast upon him—twisting as it sank deeper into him. It carved through every memory of the past year, leaving them hollow and warped, like a photograph burned at the edges. His best friend, the one he trusted with her more than anyone. And his sister, the girl his whole world revolved around them. Enzo knew he was clueless to a fault but to feel like this...

He wouldn't wish it on anyone.

It was as if the ground beneath him had cracked open, splitting the world Enzo thought he knew into fragments he couldn't piece together. He wanted to scream—to demand that they explain why they did this to him—but all he could do was stand there, drowning in the silence.

Perhaps he was being unreasonable. Theo was... well, he wasn't the best. He was a chainsmoker, avid drinker, occasional drug abuser, potential mafia-leader (though even Enzo wasn't dumb enough to believe Mattheo's rumor), and player. But he'd always been nice to Aria whenever he'd observed them together, and Enzo wanted someone nice for her more than anything.

It wasn't just the anger that did him in. He could get over anger. He could forgive just simple anger.

It was the betrayal too. The feeling that he wasn't good enough to be a main character in his own life. The feeling that everyone else around him had placed themselves behind a wall, away from him.

Everyone but one.

"Enz," Cass's voice came from behind him as she rubbed his arm comfortingly. But it sounded like she was in a tunnel. All he could focus on was Aria and Theo, who were still dancing without a care in the world. My best friend. My baby sister. My best friend. My baby sister. His mind kept repeating those words. "Is them being together so bad?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Of course it is! Theo's not good enough for her; no one's good enough for her. He's my best friend, Cassie, and he betrayed me."

She squeezed his hand lightly. Her hand was so warm in his. "But think about it: your sister is with someone you trust, someone who clearly cares for her. Theo comes from a good family. He has money to take care of her with, you yourself have admitted that he's performing better in school. He's smoking and drinking and partying less. So why is he so bad for her?"

Enzo frowned. How could he explain that it wasn't just that? That it wasn't only Theo's faults... but Enzo's too? The ones that they'd exposed with their deception.

"Enzo... your sister has made her choice. Don't make her pick between you and the man she loves. Choices like that only lead to resentment. She looks happy with him and he looks happy with her," Cass said softly. "Just think about it."

Oh, he thought about it all right. He thought about it as they glided onto the floor like they were flaunting their relationship. Was Theo even capable of loving someone? He had screwed over so many girls that Enzo wasn't even sure he knew the word—

Enzo suddenly remembered a day by the lake, where Theo described how much he was in love with this girl. He was talking about Aria.

"Don't lose your sister over this, Enzo," Cass whispered. "It's terrible living without them. I would know."

Enzo turned, only for his heart to shatter more at the tears in Cass's eyes. There was something more about Andie's death that bothered her, something he ached to get to the bottom of. But tonight wasn't the night. His heart already hurt enough. Enzo wouldn't make her go through the same emotions, not if he could help it.

Enzo took one look at Cass's gentle face, knowing that she would forgive them in a heartbeat if the roles were reversed. She was so kind and compassionate, the best the world could hope for.

She was the reason he did what he did next.

When Theo caught Enzo's eyes, Enzo nodded ever so slightly. It wasn't a smile. It wasn't full of happiness. But it was a start.

It was all he could manage while the knife still dug into him.

A grin broke out on Theo's face. Thank you, he mouthed before grabbing Aria by the waist and twirling her around. She giggled before catching Enzo's eyes too. He let a small smile slip out, which made hers widen even further. Aria wrapped her arms around Theo and squeezed him tightly.

"You made the right choice," Cass said, wrapping her arm around his waist . "I think they'll be good for each other."

"Yeah," he said, watching them begin another dance. Their body language was lighter, their movements a little happier. "They will be. It doesn't mean I won't kick his ass if he hurts her though."

Cass laughed and dragged him over to the dance floor. The touch of her was already making him forget some of his unhappiness. The rest was there, sure, but it could wait another day. "Don't worry. I know enough of your sister to know that she'd kick it for you if that happened. Plus... he'd have to reckon with Astoria, too."

Enzo snorted. "Merlin help anyone who tries to go against her."

Cass smiled and leaned her head against his chest, holding him closely. "I love you, Enz. I know you guys will all makeup."

Enzo hugged her back and sighed, wishing he could go back to the days when life was easy and things didn't hurt. He knew Theo would try to make it up to him, and Aria too. Their friendship would be fine. He just needed time to process it all, to dig that knife out himself. Enzo was so grateful that Cass—his beautiful girl full of yellowed happiness—was here. "I love you too, sunshine," he whispered back.

He'd never meant anything more.

There's no breakup but somehow this chapter broke my heart. Enzo is my little emotional baby so it hurts to see him hurt. The next chapter will also be heartbreaking so buckle up lol.

A lot of this chapter happens actually from Enzo's POV in Smoke & Stars so I didn't want to repeat some of that. If you're new here and you haven't read that story, I definitely recommend checking it out for a fuller picture but there are so many feelings I missed when writing that (because I didn't quite know Enzo yet and also because I knew I would explore them in that story) so it's here too!

Hope you all liked it :)))