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

chapter 8

Sarah had stayed at Hogwarts with Harry, she had a lot to catch up on, and with so much free time, she decided to seize the opportunity.
The rest of the school was in Hogsmeade, either browsing shops or drinking what Ron called a true masterpiece, butterbeer.

Sarah was walking through the school with a mountain of books in her hands, each one heavier than the last.
Harry was with Lupin at the moment, and the girl could dedicate herself to studying Potions in peace. While walking towards the library, she saw Crookshanks, Hermione's cat, running down the corridor. He passed by her and stopped, staring at Sarah without doing anything else. He shifted his eyes toward the garden outside, where tall trees covered the entrance to the Forbidden Forest.

"Hey, Crookshanks, is everything okay?"
Sarah placed the mountain of books on the first bench she found in front of her and walked towards the cat, who was now meowing. She picked him up, stroking his thick fur.
Sarah shifted her eyes to the exact spot where Crookshanks was looking.
It was just a moment, an instant, that Sarah had to put the cat down.
From the bushes, a black dog emerged, staring right at the spot where she was standing.
It was thin, too thin.
Sarah looked closer, its light eyes were fixed on her, and it was slowly advancing.
This time, the girl didn't feel afraid, despite it looking exactly like the boggart she had seen coming out of the wardrobe during the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson.
She was about to approach it when a hand was placed on her shoulder, making her jump.
Lupin was looking at her doubtfully, Harry by his side.
Sarah immediately shifted her gaze toward the forest, but the dog had disappeared.
She sighed and looked at the professor, smiling, "Crookshanks was scared of something, but I didn't quite understand what exactly" the girl said without letting the truth show on her face.
It was the Grim, for sure. Was she going to die? Probably, but she hadn't felt the same fear as when she was facing the boggart.
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That evening, Sarah stayed in the library longer than usual with Tom; their lessons took up much of the evening.
"We've finished with Potions, you're caught up with us. All that's left is Transfiguration, and then we're done," the boy said , setting his things aside.
Sarah nodded, satisfied, she was about to finish this agony.
The two began walking through the now-empty corridors; curfew was getting closer, but they would have time to reach their respective common rooms.
Sarah turned towards Tom; she was supposed to turn left, while he would go right.
"Well, I'll be going then, and thanks again for today's lesson" Tom nodded and began walking.
But Sarah stopped him immediately, "I don't know why I made a bad impression, and at this point, I feel it's useless to ask, because from what I understand, you don't like giving explanations for your behavior, but I hope that one day you'll be able to tolerate me a little, Riddle, just enough that during a conversation, I could call you Tom."
She waved her hand in a farewell gesture and walked off towards the Gryffindor tower.

Tom's POV
I remained standing, watching her walk away, then turn down a corridor.
Sarah Settimini had become a constant thought in my mind, and my companions talked of nothing else.
There was something interesting about her, something that made me want to know more about her life, her story.
Wherever I was, she was there too, probably with Granger, Potter, and Weasley.

I walked towards the Slytherin common room, trying to think of something else.
I found Theo, Draco, and my brother Mattheo on the couch in front of the fireplace; the rest of the group had already decided to head to their rooms.
Mattheo saw me and immediately spoke
"Done with your romantic escapade with Sarah?"
I raised an eyebrow, "Already with the names, brother? And avoid spouting nonsense, fortunately, the lessons are almost over, and that girl will no longer be my problem." I sat on the only chair left free.
"You can't say she's not nice and pretty, Tom," Draco looked at me with a half-smile.
"She's not my problem, Malfoy. I don't even know why you find her so likable; she's not a pureblood, and she goes against our families' ideals," I responded brusquely.
Draco shifted his gaze to the family ring on his finger, fidgeting nervously in his seat, which didn't go unnoticed by any of us.
"I simply think she's nice, and I have a good feeling about her. Give her time, and I assure you, you'll see her as I do."
He didn't give anyone time to respond, took his book, and went up the stairs to his room.

"He knows something," Theo simply said, shifting his gaze from me to Mattheo.
"What?" My brother asked, confused.
"Well, ever since he first saw her, he hasn't stopped talking about her. It almost seems like he cares about having her as a friend...or am I wrong?" Theo looked at me, waiting for my reaction.
I quickly got up from the chair and walked away to my room.
The truth was only one: Draco knew something, and that something involved Sarah Settimini.

Hey guys,I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Let me know what you think with a comment.

Lots of love ,
Ale