A/N: YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME, DO YOU KNOW THAT? Thank you, truly thank you, for always taking a few minutes of your day to read my story. It means the whole world to me. 💚 Thank you for bringing Shadowed Sins to 7k+ reads!!! 💖 I still can't believe it!!! I hope you enjoy reading this chapter! ☺️

NOTE: I recommend listening to the songs once they're stated in the chapter to feel the vibe of the scenes.

Draco Malfoy could not recall the last time he'd wanted something and didn't get it. His life was easier than most, though it did come with a package of challenges of its own. Despite that, Draco got everything he ever desired, and this clean streak was certainly not going to stop now, nor any time soon. The moment his sharp vision landed on his childhood best friends, their hands intertwined, and their chemistry so potent, he completely forgot about his girlfriend stood beside him. It was a such a horrible thing for him to do to a girl he is supposedly committed to, but Draco was as immoral as they come. He knew nothing of the word 'shame', and he unapologetically indulged in immoral acts as he pleased. He was so envious, and by now, he would be as green as a serpent.

Gazing at Chloe Croft and Lorenzo Berkshire with the deepest desire to have what they have with each other was starting to become his newest shadowed sin, although, it was not exactly shadowed, when he publicly did it, blatantly in front of his girlfriend too. Daphne did not seem to notice, for she was far too occupied with inspecting her freshly broken acrylic nail.

His girlfriend was stunningly gorgeous, and sometimes Draco liked to admit that she was far more breathtaking than Chloe herself, but she was never on the same wavelength as he was. She never understood him, nor did she ever connect with him the way Chloe did. And that's why Chloe was more attractive to him than his own girlfriend, but he kept the dark haired girl at bay. She had her fair share of romantic messes and entanglements to work on detaching herself from, and she was never a committed person. Draco's possessive nature would never work with Chloe's laidback, flighty attitude.

Meanwhile, the dress Chloe wore was pushing all kinds of Theo's buttons, driving him insane with the way it accentuated all her curves, and exposing her legs for his greedy gaze to goggle, despite being covered in tights. Her makeup was simple, it almost felt like she wasn't wearing any, except the slight silver sparkle on her eyelids. She was grinning at the back of Enzo's head as he guided her towards their friend group, and Theo seethed in his spot, waiting for her to shift her attention onto him.

But she didn't. Instead of giving him her attention, Chloe shifted her sight across the room at Draco Malfoy.

Chloe couldn't deny the way the colour black contrasted strikingly with Draco's platinum hair so well. She couldn't deny the way his clenched jaw tugged on her hormones wildly, but she also really wanted to give him a piece of her mind and bite his head off with her angry wrath. She was still a bit upset with him for ruining things for her with Timothy, and his urge to make her choose just one person to be with. It was irritating, for the one person she truly wanted, didn't exactly want her exclusively.

Draco's arrogance at being right was a fuel to his attractive looks; he was achingly gorgeous, sculpted immaculately to trigger a wave of swooning girls, all ready to give themselves to him. But Chloe always rolled her eyes at how naive they all were. Draco was a cheater and a manipulator, and he relished in the effect he had on girls.

Tonight, Chloe had two scheming boys plotting against her. Draco, to push her towards Enzo, and Theo, to have her all to himself until he says otherwise.

Enzo's sly dig at him for trying to two time Chloe would not faze the blonde boy in the slightest. He was entirely misunderstanding the entire situation. In fact, he was actually trying to help him get the girl.

"Are we ready?" Enzo breathed, his arm finding its way so easily around Chloe's clothed waist, something so seemingly effortless, something Chloe welcomed without question, something that irked the envious Malfoy boy and jealous Nott beyond justification. How dare they want what Enzo had, when they had their own?

"Let's just get the fuck out of here." Draco decided in annoyance, shoving past his friends and dragging Daphne with him by the wrist. The long, blonde-haired girl obliged without hesitation, but not before throwing an excited grin to Lyra behind her.

Theo and Enzo shared dubious glances and shrugs, before gently ushering Pansy and Chloe with them forward, and Lyra sighed, walking next to Adrian.

"Something wrong, Ly?" Adrian's cold soulless voice droned next to her, causing the feminine Malfoy to resist rolling her eyes. He had no idea that he was her second choice, but perhaps if he knew, he would quit pestering her with his unnecessary questions. Ignoring him completely, she joined the others, Adrian following closely behind, out of the Slytherin common room's exit.

Draco led the way very quietly, taking into consideration that it was well after curfew, and the last thing they all needed was a damper on their mood - be it from Filch the squib, Umbridge the toad, or McGonagall the strict nun. As they approached the One-Eyed Witch Statue, Theo snorted childishly. When everyone turned to look at him expectantly, the boy with the dead eyes shrugged nonchalantly and admitted shamelessly, "I shagged Astoria behind this statue multiple times last year."

Just as Enzo snickered next to Chloe who, like Pansy, rolled her eyes at Theo's confession, Daphne gasped loudly and screeched, "MY SISTER?! NOTT, HOW DAR—"

Draco swiftly clamped his palm over her mouth, murderously hissing in her ear, "If you value your tongue, I suggest you shut the fuck up before we get caught. You can yell at him all you want after we're out of the castle."

Letting go of his girlfriend, Draco sassily rolled his eyes, and walked behind the statue, whispering a quiet incantation under his breath and tapping the wall with his wand. A second later, they watched the wall evaporate and replace itself with the entrance of a darkened tunnel into the unknown.

"What the fuck is that?" Theo muttered, and Enzo slapped Theo's back encouragingly, with a wild grin on his face.

"Awesome - an adventure!" Enzo whispered excitedly, before impatiently shoving Theo out of the way and pulling Chloe along with him.

Chloe eyed the dark passage worriedly, and she asked Enzo softly, "What if we're walking to our deaths?"

Enzo smirked, but Chloe could only see the back of his head as they all walked forward and were enveloped in complete darkness. Draco illuminated his wand to lead the way, and Enzo drawled, "Don't worry, Chlo. If something attacks us, we can throw Draco as bait and run back to safety."

Theo laughed loudly behind them, and Draco resisted the urge to turn around and smack Enzo's forehead. The group of Slytherins continued walking in silence, excluding Adrian's obnoxiously loud breathing, which everyone was growing irate with, but no one was simmering enough to a dangerous boil to say anything about it.

A few minutes later, Draco opened a door, shoving it forward and allowing room for light to seep into the tunnel they we were all huddled in, and Chloe squinted her eyes to adjust to the sudden light. Looking smug and absolutely pleased with himself, Draco proudly announced, "Welcome to Honeydukes' cellar."

Theo looked around, clearly impressed, before clapping Draco on the back and saying, "Not bad, Malfoy. How'd you go about figuring out this tunnel?"

"I saw that idiot glasses boy - Potter, sneaking through it once. He'd make a terrible spy, you know." Draco mused, and Pansy snorted.

"That makes all Gryffindors, Draco."

"They're so fucking loud for no reason." Theo added helpfully.

"Their existence is loud." Chloe chipped in.

"They breathe loud." Enzo suggested.

"With their mouths open." Lyra added.

Instantly smirking, Enzo saw an unmissable opportunity and went for it. "Hey, like your date's breathing!"

Adrian scowled, and defensively shot, "My nose is blocked!"

"Yes, we're aware." Theo rolled his eyes, grabbing Pansy by the waist as they exited Honeydukes. "Your gaping mouth sucking large heaps of air almost sucked us in with it."

Everyone laughed into the cold night air, and instinctively, Enzo snuggled closer to Chloe, holding her gently by the waist and overwhelming her with his intoxicatingly strong cologne. Chloe involuntarily snuggled her face against his sweater and inhaled deeply, causing him to laugh lightly and squeeze her waist affectionately.

"Alright then, Berkshire." Draco drawled, his fingers crawling up and down Daphne's bare side, who shivered because of what she was wearing, or lack thereof. "I got us out of Hogwarts. It's time for you to take us to your stupid secret destination."

Enzo smirked lazily at Draco, swooping down to chastely kiss the top of Chloe's head, a gesture he found himself doing on impulse, as always. They were always affectionate, and never did either of them feel as though there was any underlying motive behind their actions. But this time, Enzo felt a strange, unfamiliar tug in his chest. It was a foreign fleeting feeling, and he discarded it within a blink of an eye.

"Follow me, lads and ladies." Enzo winked when he made eye contact with Lyra, who furiously blushed, with Adrian completely unaware, gazing up at the sky blankly.

Lacing their fingers together while walking ahead, Enzo led Chloe and the others with him just behind the small town of Hogsmeade, and into the Forest of Erador. Enzo had a great grasp of direction and where they were going, and soon enough, he brought them face to face with the Great Lake of Erador, frozen solid all year round despite the summer sun's heat, courtesy of a curse cast on it an infinite number of moons ago by one of the High Priestesses of the Old Religion - Morgana Pendragon. The priestess aimed to freeze the once and future king, Arthur Pendragon, under the lake in an attempt to murder him, but the great warlock, Merlin, made sure that she was not successful in her sinful plot of murder against her half-brother.

Chloe gazed at the frozen lake in awe, feeling goosebumps tingle across her body. She felt as though she had stepped through time travel, and was transported back in history in the presence of the greatest Wizard of all time. Merlin's name was spoken by everyone — both witches and wizards, as well as muggles. Despite muggles believing that the tale of Merlin and Prince Arthur is merely myth and legend, the Wizarding World believed it to be true, and it was part of their history books. Chloe's vision focused on the twinkling stars reflected on the frozen water, before she glanced upwards and faced the moon, a wide grin on her face.

There was a deeper meaning behind Enzo's choosing of the location for their date. He picked this specific spot just for Chloe. It was a known fact that the Croft Family Tree originates from Merlin himself, and Chloe was therefore his descendant. He deliberately chose this place for her, and Chloe felt her heart flip dramatically at his gesture. Moving on from Theodore Nott is a very difficult ordeal for Chloe, but if Enzo kept this up, perhaps it wouldn't be as difficult as she originally thought it would be.

Squeezing Enzo's hand in her grip gently, she whispered, "It's so beautiful, Enzo."

Enzo smiled softly at her, parting his lips to reply, before he was interrupted by Draco's twin sister.

"You're joking, right?" Lyra's disappointed tone hugs the setting the moment they set foot near the lake. "Why would you tell us to dress fancy if you were taking us to a bloody lake, Enzo?"

"It is a bit strange to take us here given what we're wearing, mate." Theo's sheepish voice admitted, as though horribly ashamed of himself for agreeing with Lyra for the first time ever.

Enzo rolled his eyes at them. "So fucking impatient. Here -" Retracting his hand from Chloe's, he rolled up his sleeves and whipped out his wand. "I'll show you why we're here."

Whispering a spell, the trees surrounding them ignited in a lovely shade of gold, bright and illuminating their surroundings, and suddenly, Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper started blasting from Lord knows where, and Chloe couldn't help laughing delightfully and instantly grabbing onto Pansy, and pulling her to the lake. As soon as they stepped onto the ice, Enzo winked at them and shot a spell at them. Their high heels turned into skating boots, and the two girls laughed together.

The Slytherin boy did the same to the others, who laughed and clapped him on the back in approval, shaking their heads and skating onto the ice. Upon joining them, Chloe wrapped her arms around Enzo's neck and skate-danced with him, the brightest smile etched onto her face as his warm hands landed on her waist.

Theo could be seen clutching onto Pansy's hands and guiding her through, while her legs wobbled and she screamed nervously while laughing, terrified of falling over. Lyra and Adrian were calmly skating in sync, though they didn't hold hands nor spoke to each other. Draco of course, being the show off he is, was gracefully hoisting Daphne up in the air, and caught her elegantly.

Chloe couldn't help but snort childishly, before gazing up the beautiful boy dance-skating with her. "Of course he'd show off some stunts."

Enzo smirked, and twirled her effortlessly before holding onto her again. "Yeah, but so can we."

Chloe giggled, and as a comfortable silence lingered between them, with Curls in the Wind by Mark Ambor playing around them, Chloe was suddenly far too aware of the feeling of his hands on her waist. His touch was gentle, cautious, and Chloe couldn't deny the way she melted into it so willingly. His eyes were a different captivator entirely, pinning her gaze in place, telling her silently that it would only be him that she would look at, and no one else.

Theo and Draco both gazed at the two of them, each for their separate reasons. Draco was curious, observing his best friends to see if there was finally something serious between Chloe and Enzo, or if it was just another one of their childish, playful displays of affection. Meanwhile, Theo was silently praying for nothing to happen, for his best mate to back off from what was secretly his, to keep Chloe alone and lonely enough to just crave his touch and his touch alone.

It was different this time between Enzo and Chloe. There was more to it, and neither one of them could tell what it was. The only thing they knew was that they wanted to feel each other. It's not the first time their lips would touch, but it was definitely the first time either of them felt something more than playfulness. Enzo kissed her very softly at first, as though shyly asking for permission to add more depth and passion to their kiss. So when Chloe gripped his hair at the back of his neck, he took this as a sign to delve deeper, and kiss her so fiercely that it momentarily knocked the breath out of her.

They could faintly hear their friends whistling at them teasingly, causing the two of them to smile against each other's lips, their eyes still shut. As far as Chloe could admit to herself, this was probably the most magical night of her life. Contrasting her euphoric feeling, Theodore Nott glared at the two of them harshly, keeping Pansy close in his embrace, and boiling with envy, for it should have been him kissing Chloe, not Berkshire.

Draco laughed in disbelief, clapping once as he said, "Well, I'll be damned." Even Daphne was supportive of the couple, grinning at the two of them, while Lyra and Theo silently sizzled, they could practically melt the ice beneath them.

*~*~*

(Listen to Music To Watch Boys To by Lana Del Rey)

The Slytherin friends quietly snuck into Hogwarts Castle at the latest hours of the night, just an hour before dawn. They were impeccably silent, so silent that the girls all had their heels in their hands and walked barefoot across the cold stone floor. Of course, Enzo being the young gentleman that he was, lifted Chloe up in his arms so her feet wouldn't get cold. Blushing furiously, she hid her face in his clothed chest and snuggled up to him. At this, Theo rolled his eyes irritably, and Pansy smirked at her best friend knowingly.

They were so close to the Slytherin Common Room. If only they were thirty seconds later, perhaps they would have gone undetected. But the shrill clearing of a throat that all of them have grown uncomfortably familiar with caused them to freeze in their steps.

"I expected better from all of you." Her high pitched tone pierced through their ears painfully, and Chloe quickly wiggled in Enzo's arms with alarming urgency, so he gently placed her back onto the floor for her to stand. She hung her head low, her cheeks bright red with embarrassment for being caught by Umbridge while Enzo had her in his arms of all places.

"Professor! We were just about to come find you, actually!" Theo spoke brightly, a lie already being crafted in his brilliant brain, but one heated glare by the Wicked Toad of the West left him quiet and unable to utter his words.

"Right." She spoke sternly. "It seems one warning from me was not enough to have you lot behave. It saddens me to have to punish Slytherins — high class ones at that, but you leave me with no choice."

Chloe's eyes widened at the realisation of what was to come next, and her throat ran dry, her ears rung, and her vision blurred, and her heartbeat slowed down drastically.

"Detention for a week. You all start tomorrow night."

Lifting her head slowly, her vision landed on Draco, who was already looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face, but Chloe could read it as clearly as ever. He knew what a Blood Quill meant to Chloe. That's why he was gazing at her so intensely.

If only she stayed in her dorm tonight, she would have never had to relive her traumatic summer all over again.

But it was too late now.

A/N: Thank you guys so much for waiting!! This is a longer chapter than usual, but I had so much fun writing it. :)
I hope you enjoyed reading!! Please let me know what you think. 🧡
See you soon with a new chapter!
- lucidreamshade