𝘋𝘈𝘕𝘊𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘞𝘐𝘛𝘏 𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘏𝘈𝘕𝘋𝘚 𝘛𝘐𝘌𝘋/𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 (English version)

chapter 6

Sarah's POV

Today I was going to have my first meeting with Tom, even though he had tried to postpone it as much as possible. He had come up with so many last-minute excuses, and Hermione was always ready to fill that gap with one of her "lessons."
I admired Hermione more than anyone else; her ability to keep everyone's attention, the grace with which she explained every little detail, were exemplary to me. Over time, I was becoming more comfortable with what was now my group of friends, and I was finally adjusting to the magical world.

I left my room, walking briskly toward the library, holding the history of magic book that I would need for this lesson. I tried not to bump into anyone while I ran; I was late, and I knew this would not be a good start. Once I entered the library, I looked around, searching for the boy among the crowd of people there to study. I saw him, far from everyone. He had reserved an entire table for us, and no one dared disturb him.
I made my way to him as he looked through a book that was far too big.
"Here I am" I sighed, sitting next to him, trying to leave a decent amount of space between us.
"Sorry, Hermione had a problem, and I couldn't leave her alone."
But Tom didn't respond. He simply set the book he was holding aside and picked up the history of magic book.

It turned out to be a pleasant lesson. Tom was extremely precise in his explanations. I found myself watching how elegantly he flipped through the pages of the book to show me exactly what he was talking about. I admit I had asked around about him. In fact, I had asked about most of the Slytherins who had seemed to be appearing in front of me almost everywhere in the past few days. I must have made a good impression on some of them, and less so on others. And one of those people was now sitting beside me, not even bothering to look at me since I arrived.

After two hours, Tom closed the book, signaling the end of our study-review session.
Between private study, Hermione, and now Tom, I had caught up on most of the material quickly, and I felt like I was gaining more and more confidence with magic.
I stood up, moving the chair aside and placing my things in my bag. I saw Tom doing the same, now turning his back to me. I almost sighed at the gesture. Did he really dislike me that much? I started walking toward the exit, now annoyed. As soon as I stepped outside the library, I felt a hand stop me, almost pulling me toward him.

"You forgot this"
Tom said, holding out the small book with his free hand. I took it, our fingers brushing against each other.
"Tomorrow, same time, same place, and be on time this time. I don't have time to waste on you." He let go of my wrist, now showing a visible red mark.
"If I'm such a problem, I can ask Hermione. I'm sure she'd be happier to help someone else... unlike you, I imagine," I smiled, starting to get irritated by his challenging tone.
"It's not my choice, but my duty to do this. I think that's clear enough. If it bothers you, ask Dumbledore. I'm sure you'll find a way to resolve it without being my problem anymore." He turned and walked away quickly, leaving me alone at the entrance to the library.

The subsequent lessons with Tom were exactly like the first, but the situation started to become acceptable, even to me. I had a workload that became increasingly easier to manage as my knowledge of some of the things done in previous years grew. I was now at their level, and these little meetings would soon be over, so they wouldn't be a problem for either of us anymore.
It was now late October, and after the first divination lesson, there hadn't been any major changes—until today. The Great Hall was full of students eating their breakfast, sitting and chatting with each other. A series of owls flew over the tables, dropping letters or newspapers. I picked up the letter my parents had written, noticing the family seal on the back. I put it in my bag, smiling, planning to read it alone in peace.
I noticed my table visibly stir when Seamus read one of the latest news stories: "Sirius Black was spotted in Dufftown, not far from Hogwarts." The photo of a man being restrained by several hands was visible on the front page. His long, almost greasy hair fell over his shoulders, and his wide eyes were terrifying. Harry turned to look at me, Hermione, and Ron. "He could be anywhere."
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"Will he be here? Have you ever thought about that? What if he's hiding in the castle? I mean, he knows it, doesn't he?" Ron could talk about nothing else, trying to get answers to questions that were too complex or that simply had no answers.

The first lesson of the day was Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was a different subject from the others, perhaps because the professor was probably one of the best Hogwarts had had so far. Remus Lupin positioned the class, which today included both Gryffindors and Slytherins, in front of a large wardrobe that kept moving. I looked around and saw Pansy and her friends near the wall, observing the object with the same curiosity visible in all of us. Pansy noticed me and waved in greeting, drawing the attention of her group of friends.

"Do you know what's inside?" Lupin walked back and forth, hands in his pockets, waiting for an answer.
"That's definitely a boggart."
"Very good, Mr. Thomas. Now, can anyone tell me what a boggart looks like?" He stopped to the side, leaning against the desk behind him.
"No one knows." Hermione suddenly appeared to my right, scaring both me and Ron, who now looked at her, shocked. "It takes the shape of whatever a particular person fears most, and that's what makes it so..."
"Terrifying, yes, yes." Lupin looked at each of his students before stopping in front of the wardrobe. "Fortunately, there's a very simple spell to repel a boggart. Let's try it now." He immediately raised his hand to stop everyone who was already reaching for their wands. "Without wands, try saying Riddikulus!"
The entire class repeated the word, some enthusiastically, others with extreme discomfort.
"This class is ridiculous," Malfoy muttered, heard by only a few who chuckled slightly. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, annoyed by his words. That boy could be so irritating at times.
Among all the students, the first person called to try the spell was Neville, a boy so shy that on the first day, he spilled half the soup from the table while introducing himself. He walked hesitantly toward the professor, who encouraged him to keep moving.
"What scares you the most?"
"Professor Snape," Neville whispered, not loud enough for anyone to hear. Lupin had to repeat the same question before smirking at the response.
"He scares everyone. If I'm not mistaken, you live with your grandmother?" said the professor.
"Yes, but I don't want the boggart to turn into her!"
The class laughed at Neville's reply, and the professor joined him, now standing on his left.
"I want you to picture her clothes, just her clothes, vividly in your mind. You don't need to say it out loud, as long as you see them, we'll see them."
He moved closer to Neville, whispering something incomprehensible. I looked at Hermione, curious. "Lupin seems so good. If they were all like him, we'd have fewer problems."
Lupin took his wand and unlocked the wardrobe. From inside, a figure began to emerge, and it was immediately recognized by everyone—Severus Snape was walking confidently toward Neville. The boy instantly stiffened, and, encouraged by the professor, he managed to shout, "RIDDIKULUS!"
Old and fancy clothes appeared out of nowhere, and the class burst into laughter at the sight of their Potions professor. Everyone was soon eager to try the spell themselves. A long line quickly formed, and my friends and I were pushed forward. After Ron, who managed to transform a large spider in no time, it was my turn.
Professor Lupin looked at me for a second, his eyes clearly curious: What would my greatest fear be?

I approached hesitantly, having a vague idea of my fears, but at the moment, none seemed to prevail over the others. The boggart began to change shape rapidly, and soon I found myself facing a black animal. A large dog growled in my direction, its yellow eyes fixed on me. It was what I had seen in the cup, what I dreamed about every night now, running toward me: the Grim.
My wand slipped from my hands, and I stood there, motionless. Professor Lupin saw the animal start to move closer and closer to me, and he stepped in front of me, almost as if to protect me. The boggart changed form again, turning into a moon. He cast the spell, and a small balloon began to float around the classroom, which was now laughing.
I remained still, staring at the wardrobe as the boggart was once again locked inside. "That's all for today. Go get your books from the back of the classroom. Sorry, but you should never overdo it."

I stood still for a while before being almost awakened by a hand touching my shoulder. "A cup of tea? Actually... I think I have some chocolate in my office. That might be better."