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

chapter 11

Sarah was running alongside Hermione and other Gryffindors toward the infirmary where Harry had been taken. The Quidditch match had been a complete disaster. The images of the Dementors surrounding her friend were still fresh in her mind, along with the sight of his unconscious body falling toward the ground.
They entered the room, where the Weasley twins were holding Harry's broom. They placed it on an empty chair; it was completely destroyed. Everyone knew this would probably be the hardest news for Harry to digest. The boy woke up shortly after, his light eyes quickly scanning everyone who had come to visit him.

"How do you feel?" Hermione asked , sitting on the white bed.
"Oh, just great," the boy joked, slowly lifting his torso. "How did it go?"
No one answered; it was clear he was referring to the match. Sarah stepped forward, looking at him with a sad smile.
"Ehm... no one blames you, Harry. The Dementors shouldn't have been allowed into the school. Dumbledore was furious; right after saving you, he drove them out."
Ron stepped forward, taking the broom from the chair.
"There's something else you should know..."
Harry looked at what Ron was holding, it was wrapped in a brown and yellow blanket, making it hard to tell what it was.
"When you fell, your broom hit the Whomping Willow and, well... here it is."
Harry looked at the now shattered object without saying a word. Sarah couldn't tell if he was more upset about the broom, the match, or the Dementors.

Naturally, what had happened on the Quidditch field became the main topic of discussion in the Great Hall. Sarah entered alone, walking toward her house table with her head down. A voice called out to her from the right, from the Slytherin table.
"Settimini, you can sit with us if you want," Mattheo smiled kindly at her, making space between him and Theo.
She accepted the invitation without protest, Hermione and Ron weren't going to lunch that day. Sarah took a seat but didn't say much during the meal. The Dementors had attacked innocents far too often, and Dumbledore was furious, as were most of the professors.

"I've seen Dumbledore pacing back and forth from his office to the infirmary, he's visibly angry,"Pansy said, drinking juice from her glass.
"What's happening isn't normal, Pansy. First on the train, and now here. It's not a good feeling, I assure you" Sarah replied, still downcast.
"Is Potter okay?" Enzo asked, trying to hide his concern, though it was obvious.
"Yes, the broom isn't, but fortunately, he's fine...just shaken."
Tom was eating silently across from her, they hadn't spoken for days, and Sarah often wondered if he had any information from Draco. Shortly after, Sarah stood up.
"I still have two more topics in Transfiguration to review to catch up on, and since Hermione won't be coming, I'll go study in the library by myself" but Tom stopped her as he stood up at the same moment.

"I'm your tutor, you could've asked me, couldn't you?"
The Slytherins watched them curiously, that small interaction was extremely interesting. Secretly, they dreamed of seeing the two of them together more often.
"You've never seemed too interested in giving extra lessons," Sarah said, grabbing her bag, feeling the group's eyes on her.
"Fine, next time, learn to ask. Let's go and not waste any more time."
The two walked toward the library, leaving behind the group that was now cheering happily.

Sitting in the library chairs, Sarah began to read the day's topic while Tom flipped through a book he'd taken from the shelves. After about half an hour, the girl looked at him.
"Did you come here just to keep the chair warm, or...?"
But Tom didn't answer immediately, he was running his finger along the lines of a book. Sarah glanced at the title: "The Sacred 28."
She decided to ignore the Slytherin and continued her reading. Probably another thirty minutes passed when Tom suddenly closed the book and placed it on the table.
"Do you trust your family?"
Sarah looked at him, shocked. Was he mocking her? What kind of question was that? But Tom continued, "I mean, do you think you know everything about them?"
"They're my parents, Tom, of course, I know everything," she said, glancing at the big book the boy had read earlier.
"I really don't understand what you're trying to imply, Tom."
"I think you should talk to Dumbledore, about the paper found the night Black appeared in front of Weasley."
The boy quickly got up from the chair, he wanted to get out of that situation as soon as possible. It wasn't like Tom to run from problems, but this was one of those cases.
Sarah stood up just as quickly.
"What? But you weren't sure it was the right choice, you wanted to talk to Draco! I mean... you, you said it!
But Tom raised his hand, stopping her.
"I've simply reconsidered, Settimini. Dumbledore can help you and give you the answers you're looking for, right?"
In the end, that was it; she should have talked to Dumbledore from the beginning. She nodded, not entirely convinced, as she gathered her things. Tom paused to look at the girl's face, reading the uncertainty and even a bit of fear.
"I'd better go now, Riddle. Before I see Dumbledore, I want to stop by and say hi to Harry in the infirmary."

Tom looked at her without saying anything, a sense of guilt suddenly hit him, and he was trying in every way to hide it. He was lying to that girl, withholding answers to questions that kept her up at night.
"It's the right choice, you know that too. Investigating like two kids in the dark is stupid and useless,we'd waste precious time," Tom said, walking toward her.
Sarah nodded, she had to raise her head to look into Tom's eyes. He was tall, much taller than the girl. There was a moment of total silence; the two of them stared at each other for a while before being interrupted by a group of students entering the library. Tom took a step back, looking away, feeling ridiculous.
"Well, I'll go then," the girl said, embarrassed, not even waiting for Tom's response.

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Sarah quickly walked toward the infirmary and was surprised to see the headmaster next to Harry's bed. She walked across the small room, greeting Dumbledore first and then her friend.
"How are you?" Sarah said, smiling.
"I'll be out of here tonight, luckily nothing serious."
Dumbledore watched the two of them exchange a few words, laughing from time to time at a joke made by the girl. They were so similar to their fathers that the headmaster almost felt transported back years earlier, to when a young James Potter, lying on the infirmary bed, was being teased by Sirius Black.
Sarah glanced at Dumbledore, remembering the note she now held tightly in her uniform pocket.
"Professor, could I have a word with you?"
The girl was now nervously shifting in place, watching the wizard who now stood up, curious. They soon bid Harry farewell and walked out of the infirmary. They strolled through the castle in total silence, both completely absorbed in their thoughts. It was Sarah who spoke first, despite the strong anxiety that was eating her alive.
"The night Black entered the tower, I was woken up. I still can't explain the feeling, but it was as if someone had been there watching me for who knows how long. After a while, I was able to move, and on the nightstand, I found this note," she said, handing it to Dumbledore.
The headmaster took it in his hands, studying it with interest. He sighed, visibly troubled. For the first time in years, Dumbledore found himself in a highly uncomfortable position; he would have preferred to speak to the girl with transparency, to tell her the truth about her life. But that day, he didn't feel he could tell her everything; the name of Sirius was still on everyone's lips, and it would perhaps have been too great a blow for Sarah to digest.
He handed the note back to her, giving her a forced smile.
"A funny prank, Miss Settimini, nothing more. Someone must have wanted to play a joke on you, and Black's presence in the tower was likely a coincidence. You probably experienced sleep paralysis, and the voice, the feeling of someone being close, was caused by that. These have been complex months for you, you need rest."
It wasn't the answer Sarah had hoped for, she might have almost preferred to receive information as important as it was shocking to hear, but that wasn't the case. She nodded and left the headmaster alone in the now-empty corridor, not entirely certain of the version she had just been told.

Hello everyone! I hope you like this chapter, let me know with a comment
Lots of love,
Ale