Aria walked with a spring in her step as she kissed Theo goodbye and apparated to Enzo's new home. He and Cass purchased the cutest little cottage in the south of England near the cliffs where they got married; they also got a townhome in London in case Cass was ever too tired to make the trip back to the cottage after a long night of healing, and a small house in America so they had somewhere to stay if they ever visited her family. The money Enzo stole from their parents was substantial, and his new job at the Ministry paid him well. He and Cass would be more than all right, thanks to him. Aria smiled because she'd always had faith that her big brother would do great things.
Aria reached the end of the gravel drive of the new Berkshire Cottage. Flowers dotted the rolling hills of the property, accompanied by bushes and bushes of more flowers that were clearly enchanted. Otherwise, they would have been dead in the cold November air. Aria remembered being in disbelief when Enzo said they were purchasing the run-down cottage, but now it looked straight out of a fairytale. Cass had done a good job fixing everything up.
The corner of her lips turned downward when she saw Enzo, Draco, Tom, and Theo standing at the window of the cottage, giggling like little schoolboys. Even Tom had a smirk on his face, which surprised Aria even more than seeing the boy she'd just kissed goodbye.
"What are you lot up to?" Aria asked as she approached the boys.
Theo turned to look at her with the brightest smile she'd ever seen. Aria's heart stuttered. Every time Theo looked at her, it was like the first time. Merlin. She was so in love with him.
"Hello, cara mia," he crooned as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. "Shouldn't you be inside?"
Yes. She should. It was Cass's baby shower, and Aria was supposed to be helping Astoria with any last-minute decorating. Not that Astoria needed help planning a party, but Aria wanted to at least try to act like she was helpful. Aria peeked into the window and saw a beautifully decorated cottage covered in pink flowers, balloons, streamers, and baby decor. Astoria was serving finger sandwiches made with the grossest ingredients—spicy crisps doused with vinegar and chocolate in honor of Cass's cravings. Nora and Margot were sitting by each other, eying the sandwiches like they were explosives. Evelyn sat daintily on the sofa with a gift in her hand an a nervous smile—the kind that Aria recognized as an introvert out of their comfort zone.
And next to all of them, with a baby pink party hat, holding a stuffed bear, and wearing a shit-eating grin, was Mattheo Riddle.
Aria suddenly understood why the boys were crowded around the window.
"Why is Mattheo at the baby shower?" Aria muttered with disbelief. Somehow, she wasn't surprised that Mattheo was there, but she didn't know why he was. Astoria had been very clear that this was a girl's day for the baby girl about to come.
"Because he's a fucking idiot," Tom said bluntly. Aria had to fight not to shrink back at his cold voice. No wonder her boyfriend was so terrified of him.
"Because Theo convinced him that it would be fun and that all of us were also coming," her brother explained. He was laughing at Mattheo, but unlike the others, his eyes were glued to Cass. Aria could see her wearing a flowing pink dress, her protruding baby bump clearly visible even with the loose dress. Every time Aria saw Cass, she was shocked. The woman seemed to be growing every day, the glow on her cheeks growing alongside with her. Cass was certainly the most beautiful pregnant woman Aria had ever seen.
"Do you have nothing better to do than play pranks on your friends?" Aria asked, turning to her smiling boyfriend.
His grey eyes pierced her with their intensity. Aria shivered, remembering their reunion last night. "No. Not while you're at Hogwarts and away from me."
Aria had only gotten permission to leave school for the weekend for the baby shower. No offense to her brother, but she planned on spending every possible second of that time outside of the shower with Theo.
She turned to her brother. "Enzo, you're really going to let Mattheo ruin your wife's baby shower?"
Enzo turned to Aria with a dark look. Aria just smiled. Her brother was always the happy-go-lucky sort—unlike Aria—but threaten his pregnant wife or her happiness, and he became the worst kind of thunderstorm. Aria liked seeing her big brother so protective over the woman he loved. It just meant that he had something worth protecting.
"No," Enzo grumbled. "And anyway, he's not ruining it. He's actually having a good time and participating."
"And when he freaks out after he realizes you guys tricked him?"
Enzo's bright blue eyes darkened. "Then I'll—"
"Please," Draco scoffed. "Astoria would beat him for interrupting her party before you could even make it in the door. Plus, it would mean Mattheo actually had to figure something out."
Draco found himself with a wand under his chin. "Don't talk about my brother like that," Tom growled. If it were anyone else, Aria might have thought they were joking. But Tom wasn't exactly the joking type.
Draco laughed nervously. Aria wondered if he might pee himself. "Oh, don't mind me. Silly Draco. Knows nothing."
Aria rolled her eyes and turned back to Theo. "You were just at the villa. How are you here already?"
Theo smirked. "I apparate faster than you, cara mia. As soon as Draco sent a note that Mattheo was at a baby shower, I came here."
"Are you guys seriously going to sit outside here the entire time?"
"You're a fool if you think Enzo is going to leave his pregnant wife, and you're an even bigger fool if you think Tom is going to leave Evelyn for any amount of time at all," Draco muttered.
"Don't call her a fool!" Theo snapped.
"He's right," Tom said, his eyes still zeroed in on where his wife was perched on the sofa. Aria watched his fingers twitch and wondered if he was fighting not to go to her now.
"And you? You're fine with leaving Astoria?"
"I pity the fool that messes with her when she's in party mode."
Aria turned to Theo. "And are you leaving?"
He grinned, his eyes traversing her body as if he were already picturing what they were going to do later that night. "Not a chance."
Aria rolled her eyes. "Alright then. You boys have fun spending as much time at a baby shower as the man you're making fun of."
Aria ignored the boys' gaping mouths as she made her way inside the cottage. "EEK! You're here!" Astoria squealed, pulling Aria into a hug. "And that dress is so cute. Blue is 100% your color."
Aria smiled at her best friend. Astoria acted like it'd been ages since they last saw each other when in reality, they were still roommates at Hogwarts and rode the train to London yesterday together. "And green is 100% yours."
Astoria twirled around in her emerald-green sundress, the dainty cap sleeves flowing off her shoulder as if she were a woodland fairy. "I know. Draco bought this just for today."
"Speaking of Draco, where is the son-of-a-bitch?" Mattheo asked, adjusting his party hat. Aria didn't know why he was wearing one when no one else was. "And where's Theo? I thought he'd come with you."
"Oh, he's nearby," Aria said under her breath. Nora snickered, and in that moment, Aria knew that Nora was just as into the prank as the rest of them. Aria resisted the urge to groan at the fact that she was surrounded by clowns. Poor Cass had no idea that her baby shower was host to a prank. At least Enzo was out there, ensuring that nothing too dramatic would happen. Cass was due next month, and no one wanted her going into early labor.
"How are you feeling?" Aria asked her sister as she sat down beside her. Aria made the mistake of calling Cass her sister-in-law only one time before Cass scolded her and called them sisters. She didn't want to make the pregnant woman angry—that seemed like a recipe for disaster—and anyway, Cass felt more like a sister than a sister-in-law. They wrote to each other almost every day. This summer, Aria felt like a child in split custody the way Cass and Theo seemed to monopolize her time. Whenever Theo was working, Aria was right next to Cass as Cass fixed up the cottage for her nesting. Whenever Cass was practically pouncing on her brother, Aria went home to do the same thing to Theo.
Cass smiled. "Ready to not be pregnant anymore. But I'm fine. The baby's finally stopped kicking me as much, so I've gotten to sleep a lot more. Plus, Enzo's been great."
"You haven't wanted to kill him yet?" Mattheo asked incredulously.
"Of course not! I love him!"
"I love Mattheo, but I still want to kill him most of the time," Nora responded dryly. Then, her face turned teasing. "But I doubt Cass wants to kill her baby daddy. Especially when it results in no more sex."
"Sex," Mattheo scoffed. "Like that's happening."
Cass's face turned red. "As a matter of fact, it's happening about a dozen times a day."
"Okay!" Aria exclaimed, putting her arm around Cass so she could calm down. She didn't need to work herself up over an idiot. "No more talking about sex with my big brother. Astoria?"
"Right!" Astoria beamed. "Let's play some games."
By the time they finished with all three baby-themed games that Astoria had planned, Mattheo still hadn't worked out that the other boys weren't coming. Actually, he seemed more into the baby shower than ever. He'd accumulated another hat—Aria didn't know from where—and he roared loudly every time Cass won a round of the games. You'd think he was at a Quidditch match, Aria mused as she watched him run a victory lap around the room.
Astoria side-eyed him. Aria could only picture what was running through her friend's mind. She was probably worried about Mattheo and his excitement but also happy that her party was going so well. One look at Cass's grinning face was enough to make Astoria's decision before her. The mother-to-be was having a great time, and that was all that really mattered.
"Let's do gifts," Nora said with a smile, watching her boyfriend run around the room with her eyes rolling.
"Gifts? Fuck yeah!" Mattheo whooped before running across the room and grabbing the largest box. "This one is from me."
Cass smiled. Her hand rested on her stomach as she made her way to the sofa. Evelyn stood and helped Cass sit down before returning to her spot on the loveseat. "Alright," Cass said with a bright-eyed look at Mattheo. She opened her gift and found...
"A dragon egg? Mattheo, you bloody idiot! You can't give a pregnant woman a dragon egg!" Astoria screeched. The loud sound made the egg rattle and snap. "Oh, Merlin! There's about to be a bloody dragon in the house!"
"Hey! The baby needs a friend!" Mattheo said. "What's better than a dragon?"
Just then, the door burst open, and Enzo came running in like the valiant knight that he was. Cass smiled at her husband just as he grabbed the now-shaking egg and apparated far away from his pregnant wife. Aria assumed he knew someone at the Ministry who could take care of the dangerous creature.
"Mattheo," Tom growled as his body shielded Evelyn. The dark look in his eyes suggested that Tom didn't think the dragon was the only dangerous thing Mattheo had brought. "What else did you 'gift' Cass?"
"Just the dragon," he said chipperly. Mattheo's jaw dropped when he watched Draco and Theo go to stand by Astoria and Aria. "Hey! How did you guys know I brought the egg?"
It took far too long for Mattheo to realize the truth, but when he did, it was obvious. His face fell, and his eyes darkened. "You fuckers! You've been watching the whole time, haven't you?"
Before Draco—who'd probably opened his mouth to make fun of Mattheo—could speak, they were interrupted by Enzo apparating back sans dragon egg. He ran his hands along Cass's body, taking great care to expect her baby bump. "You all right, sunshine?" he asked worriedly.
Cass smiled. "We're fine, Enz. Daddy came just in time."
Aria had missed Theo walking over to Draco and Mattheo, who was grumbling under his breath. "Well, the joke's on you fuckfaces because this has been an awesome baby shower and y ou missed the whole thing."
Astoria beamed. "Thank you, Mattheo."
Draco lost his snark when he saw how happy his fiancee was. Aria squeezed Theo's hand, hoping he understood the hidden message. Please don't ruin this party for her. Thankfully, Theo stayed quiet.
"Shall we open up the rest of the presents?" Nora asked, sensing the simmering tension in the room. None of them knew if Mattheo was going to explode anymore, but the dark look on Enzo's face must have stopped him.
"Yes!" Cass clapped her hands. "And then I'm ready for a nap."
"Whatever you want, baby," Enzo said, kissing the side of her head.
Mattheo gagged. "Gross. Maybe I don't want you guys here if you're going to act like this."
Enzo just smiled and cupped Cass's stomach. He kissed Cass's cheek, making Aria fight off her own gags. "Happy baby shower, girls."
And while they kissed, Mattheo somehow acquired another hat.
I thought this was a cute lil chapter and it was fun for me to do a little time jump and have another POV and show some of our other characters. It makes me sad to say it but we're drawing to a close you guys! We only have a couple more chapters on this one :(((