Enzo knew immediately what day it was when he woke up a few days later on that cold, January morning. There were a lot of things that might have tipped him off: the frigid weather that was reminiscent of haunting memories, the deep pit in his stomach that told him something was deeply wrong, the sight of Cass's calendar with this one day marked out as if she couldn't stand the reminder. But the biggest sign of all was the sight of the empty bed next to him with a pillow wet from tears.

With heavy eyelids, Enzo blindly reached for Cass—desperate for her warmth on that cold day—only to jolt awake when he felt nothing except for that damp pillow. It was still dark in her room; Cass's clock read that it was just after four in the morning. His mind was instantly on high alert. Where could she be? Was she alright?

Of course she's not alright, he scolded himself. How could she be? Today was a glaring reminder that one year ago, Cass lost her best friend—her twin sister—in a terrible accident. Who would be alright in that scenario?

Enzo still didn't know much of what happened that terrible night, only that Cass was scarred physically and mentally. The idea of cars or icy nights sent her into a panic and he'd often held her through the night as she fought through a traumatic nightmare.

"Shh, you're alright, sunshine," Enzo would murmur against her hair as he held her while she sobbed. "I'm here. Everything's okay."

"Nothing's been okay since she left, Enz," Cass whimpered back. The sound of her broken voice tore him into shreds.

Enzo couldn't imagine what it was like to lose someone that close to her. His life had always been fairly happy, free of loss save for a few distant grandparents. The thought of losing Aria brought a sharp ache to his chest—and she was completely fine. Making out with his best friend much to Enzo's chagrin but whole. Healthy. Alive. Cass had gone through the real thing, not only losing her sister but her twin sister, the girl she'd been attached at the hip with since birth. Her strength amazed him sometimes.

Enzo quickly got up and got dressed. He had no idea where to look but he couldn't just sit in her room and worry about her, waiting for her to appear and tell him she was alright. No, he'd search the entire damn castle for her. Enzo put on his black coat, gray beanie, Slytherin house scarf, and a pair of gloves. Then, he wondered if Cass had thought to dress warmly too or if she was too stricken by grief to think of herself. He grabbed a large bag from her closet and stuffed in her coat, hat, gloves, and scarf—all stuff she left behind—along with some blankets, tissues, and her favorite chocolates. It wasn't much and he'd feel much better once she got inside and out of the cold weather but it would have to do for now.

He scoured everywhere he could think of. The Hufflepuff Common Room, the Slytherin Common Room, his bedroom, the kitchens, the Great Hall, the library, even the Room of Requirement that Draco had told him about when he asked for Enzo's help planning something for Valentine's Day. Cass wasn't anywhere. So then where could she be?

He knew she wasn't with Margot. Margot was at Ernie's tonight and no one—not even a grieving Cass—would risk Margot's wrath by either interrupting her sleep or... something else. Where are you, sunshine? Enzo wondered with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

The courtyard was freezing as Enzo stepped out into it, knowing she wouldn't be there but looking anyway. Cass wasn't there. But when he walked over to the edge of the courtyard, next to the annexes that looked out amongst the Hogwarts grounds, he froze.

There was someone sitting by the Black Lake.

Enzo sprinted down the hill, thankful that Quidditch always kept him in shape. He'd know that head of curls anywhere. He'd recognize that body even in death. "Cass! Cass!" he called out, wishing he could fucking apparate on Hogwarts grounds so he could be by her side.

Finally, he reached the bottom of the hill where she sat on the shore of the Black Lake. Cass was curled into a ball, resting her head on her knees with the saddest look in her eyes. She looked over at him with a broken expression. Dried tear tracks stained her cheeks. "Hi, Enz," Cass croaked before putting her head back on her knees and looking out at the still water. The Black Lake was calm that morning. The water was almost onyx in the dark, except for the sliver of crescent moon reflecting off it.

"Hi, baby." He reached into the bag and pulled the coat over her shoulders and zipped it up. Then, he slipped the beanie over her head, wrapped the scarf around her neck several times, and placed the gloves on her frigid fingers. Cass remained still through it all. It was as if she hadn't even registered the cold.

"Thanks," she said numbly after he finished and wrapped one of the blankets around their shoulders. Enzo's heart broke to hear her voice sound so vacant. It was as if the happiness his girl was normally filled with had fled. Like her sun had lost his shine.

Well, Enzo thought. I'll just have to help her reignite it then.

"Come on," he said, standing up quickly. Enzo took the blanket and put it back in the bag. Cass looked up at him with questioning eyes but didn't move. Enzo forced a little smile on his face—hoping some normalcy between them might keep her out of the dark place—and reached forward. One arm slipped under her knees while the other went under her back. Enzo cradled Cass's body to his chest, smiling again as he kissed her pink nose. "Come on, sunshine. We're getting out of here."

"Enzo, you have class, you shouldn't—" Cass began to plead. Enzo was just glad to hear a little bit of emotion in her voice again. He didn't care if she wanted to cry all day or curse the world or do anything at all, as long as she did something. As long as she didn't go to that dark place that insisted the world was full of pain and emotions were best left turned off rather than felt.

"I go where you go," Enzo said simply, quickly walking down the path. "And right now, we're going somewhere else."

Cass frowned but didn't say anything. After a long walk through the vast Hogwarts grounds, Enzo reached the edge of the school. The tall gate loomed over them. Enzo could already picture himself riding in the carriage pulled by invisible horses, completely unaware of just how much this year would change him.

One of those changes sat curled up in his arms. And he'd be damned if he let her go through this day alone.

As soon as he stepped off the Hogwarts grounds, Enzo apparated. The familiar tugging sensation threatened to make him hurl again but Enzo held it together for Cass. She placed her arms around his neck and held him tightly as their destination came into view. Tall cliffs with whitish rock stared at them, surrounded by serene blue waters that lapped at the shore below. A light, breeze blew through their hair as Enzo settled into a comfortable-looking spot on the grass where they could see the ocean, the cliffs, and the grasses behind them with ease. Though it was a little warmer here than back at Hogwarts, Enzo still cast a warming charm so Cass wouldn't be uncomfortable.

"Where are we?" Cass asked softly once they'd settled in. Overhead, a bird cawed, looking at them strangely before flying on.

"The south side of England."

She furrowed her brows. "Why are we here?"

"I had Quidditch camp on the mainland a few years ago. One day, while we were doing a snitch-seeking exercise, I stumbled across these cliffs. I thought they seemed like the perfect place for getting away, or thinking when my mind seemed too crowded." Enzo looked down at Cass and gave her a gentle smile. "I've always wanted to bring you here."

"Why now?"

"Because," Enzo said, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, "you needed a place where you could feel everything safely. And while you're carrying all those heavy emotions, I wanted you to remember that there's still a world waiting for you to return. I just didn't want you to lose yourself on the way back."

A twin pair of tears slowly fell down Cass's cheeks, like a waterfall carving its way through rock. Enzo was struck by a wave of helplessness, his heart aching at the sight of her trembling body. He wanted to fix this—wanted to say or do anything to make her feel better—but there was no fixing grief. No formula to take her pain away. Nothing that could bring Andie back.

So instead, he sat beside her, wrapping his arm around her while Cass let her tears fall. Quiet settled between them, steady and unwavering, like the waves below.

Cass's lip wobbled. "I miss her so much, Enz," she whispered, her voice hoarse and broken as if it hadn't been used all year. Enzo felt himself breaking right there with her.

"I know, sunshine," he said, stroking her hair. "Do you want to talk about her? I know it might hurt but it might make you feel better."

At first, Cass frowned at the idea but then her face smoothed. "You never knew her."

He shook his head. "Not really. Not outside Quidditch, I mean."

She smiled to herself. "She would have liked you."

"Everyone likes me, Cass," Enzo teased.

The sound of her giggle was like heaven. It wasn't whole—Enzo could still hear the sadness in it—but it was a start. "I know. But she really would have liked you. And trust me: Andie didn't like a single boy that I liked. She was worse than Margot. Just super loyal and protective over me because 'I was her baby sister.'" Cass chuckled humorlessly. "Only by eight minutes but I guess that meant something to her."

"It makes sense. I'm protective of you and I'm older than you," Enzo chuckled.

"By only a few months!" Cass rolled her eyes. "See, this is one of the reasons I know she would've liked you."

"One of them? What are the others?"

"Besides the obvious? Quidditch?" The corners of her lips turned upward. "You both hate Zacharias Smith. Even before you and I were dating, you would've bonded over that."

Enzo frowned at the mention of the Hufflepuff man. "Not because you two had a history or anything like that. I don't like how he talks to you. It's disrespectful. And he treats you like you owe him something simply because you have history." Enzo looked at his beautiful girlfriend. "You can talk to whoever you want, Cass. And if you decide you ever want someone else, I won't hold you back. I'll never keep you from being who you want to be and doing what you want to do, even if that unfortunately isn't me."

Cass snuggled into him deeper. "And that's one of the reasons I know I love you."

Enzo smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I love you too, sunshine. So tell me about her. Tell me about Andie."

Now, Cass was the one who was smiling. "She was a complete butthead sometimes. A total know-it-all and more stubborn than even Nora. Super loyal and protective over the ones she cared about, even if it meant turning into a human bulldozer. Sorry, that's a muggle thing that destroys buildings," Cass clarified upon seeing Enzo's confused look. "I was jealous of her a lot. Super tall and with hair that wasn't a total mess to take care of. Beautiful, funny, smart. Confident in herself, more than anything. I've never considered myself insecure but when you're a twin, it's hard not to notice all of the differences between you, even if they're only really small. Looking at her sometimes felt like looking in a mirror where one little thing was better. But I loved her. I loved her more than I loved myself. She was one half of my soul and ever since the accident, that half has been gone and I've been left behind."

The tears were back full force, this time more than ever. Enzo didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around Cass, pulling her close as if he could shelter her from her grief. She didn't fight him, pressing her face into her chest as her body shook with silent, gut-wrenching sobs.

"I don't know how to live without her," Cass choked out between ragged breaths. "It's like… like I'm only half a person now. Like I don't make sense anymore."

Enzo tightened his hold, his fingers threading through her hair as he whispered, "You're not half a person, Cass. I know this is incredibly difficult for you—I can't imagine how much—but you're still whole."

Cass let out a shaky breath, gripping the front of his coat like she was afraid he'd let go. He would be her anchor for as long as she needed. "She should be here."

"I know," Enzo murmured. "Andie should be here. And it's not fair that she's not. But you're here, Cass. And I'm not going anywhere."

She let out another sob, this one soaking his shirt. Enzo didn't care. She could ruin his entire closet and he wouldn't care. She needed to not hold herself back, which is why he wanted to bring her somewhere away from prying eyes where she could let it all out. "It's been a year, Enzo, and my heart still feels like it's breaking."

"My love, let it break. I'll help you put it back together again."

Cass shook her head vehemently. "No. You don't understand... I..."

"You what?" Enzo's voice was gentle, his arms tightening around her to remind her that he wasn't going anywhere. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. I told you: I'm not going anywhere."

"Enzo... I..." Cass's voice broke off, turning back into that jagged, grief-filled whisper that pained him so much. "I was the one driving the car."

Ahhhh, finally, the reveal that's been holding us back. This book has waves of drama, not necessarily the typical third act breakup if you haven't figured that out. We had Theo&Aria, now the crash, and then something else to shake things up! Next chapter will be have a little flashback :)