"We were
Just friends
That spoke like lovers
And that seemed to be enough for
Two teenagers who were scared to love one another"
- k.a.t.
~~~~~~
Lorenzo Berkshire x Cassandra Avery (OC)
A sort of slow burn, childhood best friends to lovers story...
TW- ptsd. This chapter is a flashback that takes place after that awful summer in fourth year. Please don't read this part if this is a trigger for you.
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"Because what's worse than knowing you want something, besides knowing you can never have it?" - James Patterson
~~~~~~
Lorenzo Berkshire
I had thought that being away from the manor and back at Hogwarts, back at our safe place, would make things easier. I was wrong. Even when we had been caught trying to steal whatever was in Professor Moody's flask to get our first day detention hadn't felt the same.
I lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling of my dorm. My room was silent, apart from the rhythmic snores of Theo, a soothing melody to absolutely nobody but that wasn't the only reason I couldn't relax. My mind was a whirlwind of worry, a constant loop of Cassie's pale face and haunted eyes. Ever since she got back to the manor, after that night, she'd been different. Not that she'd admit it, of course. Stubborn as always. She had been sneaking into my room every night back home because she couldn't sleep. Now, back at Hogwarts, that's not exactly an option.
I rolled over and buried my face into my pillow, trying to force myself to sleep, but it was no use. My brain was racing, and every shadow seemed to whisper something. What if she's awake right now, pacing the corridors, or worse, crying somewhere, and I'm here doing nothing?
Fuck it. I can't do this.
I threw the covers off and slipped out of bed as quietly as I could, tiptoeing past the others sleeping forms.
I hesitated for a moment as I reached her and Onyx's room. Was this too much? I couldn't just barge into their dorm, could I? I just wanted to check that she was okay. Just one quick glance so that I could settle my own thoughts.
I pushed the door open just a crack and peered inside. Her bed was empty. A familiar panic spiked through me. Where was she? Cassie wouldn't just wander off.
I rushed down to the common room, my heart pounding. The dimly lit space was mostly empty, apart from two figures huddled near the fireplace. My body relaxed as I realised it was her dark hair spilling over her shoulders. Cassie was sitting next to a small first-year boy, his face tear-streaked, his shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. She was speaking to him in that gentle, soothing voice of hers, the one she rarely let anyone else hear.
I couldn't help but smile. She's got a heart of gold, no matter how hard she tries to hide it.
"Hey, Cassie," I whispered softly.
She looked up at me, slightly startled. "Lorenzo? What are you doing here?".
"Couldn't sleep," I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Figured you couldn't either."
