THIRD PERSON's POV
It was quiet in her room that night, the flicker of a candlelight flame was all that presented itself. Y/n sat slumped against the wall, her legs splayed out in front of her like a rag doll; her skin still stained and puffy, glossy. She was like a mere shadow lurking in the corner of the room, unsure, easily hidden, haunting.
She skipped dinner that night, her appetite plummeted but hunger still kicked at her stomach. She wondered how many days she could stay in the before people came looking for her, two, three, maybe four days? How many times would this have to happen before she could leave? Before she could finally be free of him after graduation. Graduation, in a few years she could leave and never turn back, hightail it out of that house; but what held her with deaths grip was her mother, her sister.
She had plenty of joyful memories, only one of which included him, she was just six years old, it was one of her first. One filled with laughter as her mother held her with thin arms, they swayed in the breeze as her father flew above them on his dusty cupboard broom, he sprinkled flower petals over the mother and daughter; a chorus that seemed everlong. When they were happy, when she was enough for him; for all of them. The flame danced around her memory as it replayed on the shivering wall, it's light gradually descended until all that was left was an imprint of the past, a reminder of what was. But that didn't matter anymore, none of it could ever be the same again. She couldn't feel the tears roll, numbness had seized her nerves and taken her captive. Every sound dulled to a whisper like they were gossiping, watching her. That was until a louder sound pulled her attention, a crisp one from the outside of her pity party.
"Who is it." Her voice was hushed but hoarse, raw and dry from its over use; she was quite proficient with the muffilo charm.
"Lorenzo."
His voice was refreshing from the stale hang of the air that surrounded her, a breeze in the desert at midnight. Although no matter how relieved she felt deep down that someone has come for her, that didn't dismiss her resentment for others when she was in such a state. Her tears subsided as her focus was moved towards the doorway, she could imagine him shifting from foot to foot as he awaited her reply.
"What do you want?" Her tone shifted slightly, a question pushed forward with more intent but still grasping at straws of distain.
"I wanted to check up on you, haven't seen you in a bit." Silence followed as her throat vibrated, opening and closing as her eyes lifted, a hum escaping her retracted airways. He didn't seem finished as he spoke slowly after her acknowledgment,
"I'm worried about you," Her face fell, the small ghost of a responsive smile dropped as her eyes followed, staring at her folded palms. "You're my friend and I care about you."
A twinge of guilt hit her chest, had she just abandoned her friends for two days without saying a word and skipping out on meals to avoid anyone and everyone just like that? She could feel the exhausted water build back in her waterbeds and how her nose was pulsing from being so swollen, she could feel all of that rushing back to her head, she was brought back to earth.
"Come in."
It was small, but he had heard her. Without having to push very much, the door to her room opened as commanded; no one could enter the room unless she allowed it. She could see him, how his fluffy brown hair bounced with every careful step, although she couldn't see his face very well but neither could he. Her eyes even when adjusted, failed to make out his eyes or his nose or his chin, all she could see was the outline of his body from the incoming light. She had tucked her legs into her chest, holding them closer to block the incoming humidity of the outside air. The door momentarily allowed Lorenzo to view her in the light, the glow highlighted every inch of darkness that laid under her eyes that contrasted so harshly with the sickly pale skin.
He didn't say a word when he walked over and without being able to make out his face, she couldn't figure out what he was going to do, she wasn't one to be vulnerable in front of her friends. His footsteps were soft, slow and strangely sweet as he walked over to her side, like a child greeting their broken toy. As he sat down, she looked away, her eyes avoidant from his lingering ones. She was disheveled and disheartened, her face telling all that needed to be said, so he didn't ask. They sat in a spinning silence, the longer he didn't speak the quicker her anxiety rose.
"You don't have to tell me," Finally his voice filled the air, it wasn't loud but not quiet, it was like rolling in a winter duvet, warm. "I just want to help you feel better N/n."
Lorenzo plunged his hand into his jacket pocket and wrestled with a little brown paper bag that was damp in the centre, his hand steady as he held it out towards the girl. She peered over towards the bag, noticing how moist it was around whatever object that was in it.
"I wanted to give you space but when you didn't come to dinner this afternoon, I snuck one of the deserts from the table into this, the one you always have. It might be a little stale but I'm sure it's still in top shape." In her eyes the bag changed meanings, before it was an object of pity, now it was one of a thoughtful gift. The rims around her eyes repainted in a bloodshot red, she was emotional but not sad, not entirely. She flicked her eyes up to his, she could see them now, how they were full of life, understanding, care, patience, he was smiling. How can he look at me like that?
She cursed herself for having teared up again, she had spent so many hours waisting away in her own tears for the latest years of her life. It was frustrating, so very frustrating to have your learned response be the waterworks, how tiring it could be. Lorenzo took her hand in his and placed the bag inside her palm, then he wrapped his hands over the top of hers. She whispered a thank you, it was so quiet that he wasn't sure if he had imagined it or not, but even then he would had excepted the silence.
His hands slipped from hers, his head leant back and rested gently against the back wall. A sigh escaped his lips, one that released an anxiety he had lugged around ever since she walked away that night. The atmosphere shifted between them as he remembered classes that day, laugher bubbled in his chest before he opened his mouth to share.
"I had potions today, what was supposed to be a tonic blew up in my face, it was awful." His laugh echoed throughout her head, off the walls and leaving residue of his infectious joy on every surface it bounced off. "I really am rubbish at potions."
His head turned to Y/n who watched him as he recounted the potions class with Slughorn, she knew he was in the standard class and that he needed tutoring for it. She gazed at his face that still looked to be stained from what she assumed was the smoke that blew up in his face, a smile creeped onto the corner of her lips at his failure to remove it.
"Look, I even have the smudges still on my face from when I tried to rub it off!" He pointed to a spot on his forehead that was rather dark now that she focused, the smile widened as she raised her thumb to try and wipe it off.
"I can see that."
"Please help, it's scaring the ladies!" His voice whined softly at her attempts, a chuckle rose from her throat when he pleaded for her help. She wondered to herself how he could shift the mood so quickly with only a small story, the way it was so easy to catch his mood and sway her to momentarily forget her troubles. Lorenzo held her hand as she pulled away from his forehead, then he gave her a toothy smile that reminded her that of a small child before he lowered his voice and covered his mouth comically.
"So a little birdie told me that the kitchen made a few too many sweets then they needed for the feast, what's say we take that little burden off them hm?" He grinned, "They won't notice a few missing don't cha think?"
She thought maybe this could help her a bit, help her forget about everything for a night and just enjoy an afternoon with a friend. Her smile morphed into a small smirk, her voice still quieted but laced with mischief.
"I'm sure they wouldn't mind some help."
The two nodded their heads at each other and stood up, Lorenzo helped Y/n get some warmer clothes on and wash her face before they snuck out of the empty common room. He bounced on his heals as they snuck around, wondering what sweets they wanted to take and how many they wanted to 'take out of their hands'. The walk was quick and swift, Lorenzo knowing his way around to sneaking into the kitchen as he had been doing so for all of his time at Hogwarts. He would say it was the perks of charming Hufflepuff women.
The duo's venture was quick and swift, Childs play for a boy so experienced with the positions of the kitchen. Both took handfuls of pastries, Y/n even stuffing one into her mouth before they retreated back to the safety of their common room, narrowly having escaped the hallway Peeves was giggling in. Both jogged through the common room doors after Lorenzo mumbled the password, taking a moment to catch their breaths and Y/n dropped the pastry in her mouth into the pile in her arms.
Just as Lorenzo was about to walk back up the stairs, he had noticed that Y/n wasn't following him. He looked back to see her staring at the floor with parted and a soft expression, he walked closer to her and was about to speak before Y/n beat him to it.
"My dad doesn't like me very much." She blinked at him, she looked to be stating a matter of fact statement, one he understood. The concerned expression faded to a empathetic smile, tilting his head in acknowledgment.
"Y/n every kid deserves a parent even though not every parent deserves a kid," He paused as he gazed at the illuminated glass windows that displayed the depths through the guise of the moonlight, "But you know what?" He refocused on his friend, bumping her shoulder with his.
"Every kid needs a friend."
A/n: friendship goals, enzo for the win