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

chapter 9

After returning to her room and chatting a bit with Hermione and Ginny, Sarah decided to go straight to sleep. The extra studying and catching up on subjects were really a heavy burden, and she knew this would only last for a little while longer.

It was the middle of the night when Sarah was awakened. She felt a presence beside her, and soon a hand gently touched her left cheek.
She was petrified, she couldn't move a single muscle despite trying with all her might. She felt someone's breath near her ear, it was warm and rapid, as if they had run for miles.
After just a few seconds, she heard a raspy voice whisper something:
"I'll return, I promise."
Sarah closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the shadow to her right was gone, leaving behind a note that repeated the same words whispered in her ear.
She jumped up, looking around. She was about to wake Hermione when someone knocked insistently on the door of the room. Sarah's roommates were startled awake, and a girl was warning them to go down to the common room; something had happened.

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The common room was filled with people looking around in fear. The three girls headed toward Harry and Ron, who was visibly trembling. Before they could speak, Professor McGonagall rushed into the room, looking around.

"Silence, everyone! What we feared has happened tonight; Sirius Black has broken into the school and this tower. Mr. Weasley said he saw him next to his bed."
Everyone in the room began talking, drowning out the professor's voice as she tried to regain their attention.
"Now, I ask you all to be extremely cautious."
But this didn't stop the loud chatter that was growing. She had to shout even louder to get everyone to quiet down.
"Sirius Black knew all the passwords. Did anyone accidentally write them down or leave them unattended?"
Neville, who was sleepily standing next to Sarah, suddenly lifted his head. He began walking toward McGonagall, terrified, knowing he had caused a serious problem.
"I wrote the passwords on a piece of paper, but I lost it days ago, Professor."
McGonagall looked at Neville furiously. She opened her mouth to say something but decided against scolding the boy for the moment. There were more pressing matters to address.
"I'll inform Professor Dumbledore of what has happened. Please stay here, all together."
Sarah walked over to Ron, but Hermione was the first to speak to him.
"What happened? Are you all right?" she asked, worried.
"He was standing right in front of me, Hermione, with a knife in his hand... It was terrifying. I screamed, and then he was gone," Ron trembled, still shaken by what had happened just moments before.
Meanwhile, Harry was staring out the common room window. The rain was pounding hard, and lightning lit up the night sky. Sarah approached, placing a hand on his shoulder. "First Mr. Weasley warns me about Black, and now this. What if he came in to kill me?"
Sarah immediately shook her head. "Harry, it didn't happen, and that's what matters, okay? Now we need to stay alert. A madman was in here, and Dumbledore will do everything to protect all of us, especially you."

And that's exactly what happened. They were all moved to the Great Hall, along with the other houses. They found themselves side by side in large sleeping bags, watched over by the professors who were pacing back and forth through the hall. Many of them had been sent to search the entire castle for the criminal, but no one was found. Dumbledore had decided to enhance security in the castle, and the entrance to Gryffindor Tower was now being monitored by the knights in the portraits.
Sarah was sitting on the floor, too agitated to sleep. The Slytherins had been evacuated from the dungeons and were sitting next to her.
"One thing I can say in his favor: he's skilled and fast. I mean, not getting caught even though everyone's out there searching for him is impressive," Theo was playing with a bracelet on his wrist, distractedly watching in front of him.
Sarah sighed, running a hand over her face.
"Skilled or not, it's unsettling. Imagine finding a shadow beside you in the dead of night," said Blaise, lying down and staring at the starry ceiling.
Sarah felt a weight in her stomach, thinking about the hand on her cheek and the voice she had heard close to her...
What if it had just been sleep paralysis? But then she remembered the note left beside her bed; it was undeniable proof that what she had experienced was real, not imagined.
Pansy noticed her friend's distraction and, shaking her arm, began to speak.
"That must have been awful, but now we're all here together, Sarah," she smiled, trying to comfort her.
It wasn't easy to lie down in the sleeping bags and drift off; Sarah kept tossing and turning.
A voice behind her made her stop. "Stop moving, Settimini," Tom, unfortunately, had ended up beside the Gryffindor. They weren't thrilled with the arrangement, but they didn't object because no one would have swapped places.
Sarah turned around, now looking him in the eyes. For the first time, she couldn't shut him down with a quip or simply attack him as he would probably have done with her. She sighed and sat up a little to be more comfortable.
"I don't know why I'm about to tell you this, but I need to tell someone. Please," her voice came out as a whisper, uncertain.
Tom was almost jolted awake by her words; she seemed too serious to be joking. He looked at her, encouraging her to continue.
Sarah checked if any professors were nearby, and after seeing that she was alone, she began to speak.
"I was woken up tonight. I was paralyzed in bed, and a hand touched my cheek. It also whispered in my ear, but when I opened my eyes again, it was gone."
Tom looked at her skeptically, laying his head back on the pillow, wanting to return to sleep.
"The professors won't believe you, Settimini. They'll say it was sleep paralysis or something else," but Sarah stopped him by showing him the note with the words "I'll return, I promise" written on it.
The boy took it in his hands, trying to study every detail. It was definitely an elegant, precise handwriting.
Tom wasn't shocked or scared—in fact, he was almost intrigued by what was happening. He looked at Sarah
"Since you arrived, only strange things have been happening," but his words weren't filled with bitterness, almost with amusement.
Tom Riddle had a small, amused smirk on his face, and Sarah couldn't help but notice it. She was so focused on the boy that she didn't see Dumbledore and Snape approaching.
Tom handed her back the note, pretending to sleep immediately. The girl quickly put it away, then moved back under the covers.
"Remarkable feat, don't you think? To enter Hogwarts Castle on one's own... completely undetected?" Snape said, standing beside the Headmaster.
"Indeed, very impressive."
"Any theories on how he managed it?"
"Many, each as unlikely as the next" Dumbledore was watching the students lying down.
Snape moved closer to the Headmaster to avoid being overheard, not knowing that Tom and Sarah were listening to them.
"You may recall, prior the start of the term, I expressed concerns regarding the appointment of Professor Lup—"
"Not a single professor inside this castle would help Sirius Black enter it. Now I'm quite convinced the castle is a safe, and I'm more than willing to send the students to their houses."
But Snape didn't stop, "And what about Settimini and Potter? Shouldn't they be warned?"
"Perhaps, but for now, let them sleep," the Headmaster smiled at the girl, "For in dreams, we enter a world that is entirely our own. Let them swim in the deepest oceans or glide over the highest clouds."
They soon left the hall, now filled with sleeping students.
Sarah opened her eyes and saw that Tom was already watching her.
Tom mouthed the words, "Tomorrow, we'll talk about it in the morning."
He turned to face the other way and fell asleep. Sarah was struck by Tom's strange kindness and smiled at the ceiling. The adrenaline had completely faded, and exhaustion took over, pulling her into a deep sleep.