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

Chapter 20

Summer 1993

Heat, humidity: SUMMER HAD BEGUN.

Sarah was struggling to push the large suitcase through her garden. The Settimini family was waiting inside, eager to see her after an entire year. The girl had returned to Naples, accompanied by the butler Henry, as her parents had been too busy with various work problems lately and hadn't been able to meet her in London.

"Miss, I can do it," Henry tried to take the suitcase from her hands, but to no avail. Sarah pushed it harder toward the door. 
"We're here, Henry, no need." 
The front door opened in front of her, revealing the tall figure of her mother. 
A cream-colored dress hugged her slender and perfect figure, her hair tied in an elegant bun gave her a professional air, likely just back from a day at work. 
The woman opened her arms, inviting her daughter to come closer. Sarah didn't think twice; she ran toward her mother, soaking in the warmth of that embrace. 

"My little princess, how are you? Oh, I'm sorry I couldn't make it to London to pick you up, but you know how it is,sometimes I just can't get away." 
She hugged her tightly, resting her chin on the girl's head. 
"Don't worry, Mom. Henry was already there waiting for me." 
The man nodded, adjusting the red uniform he was wearing. 
Miriam smiled at him kindly. 
"Always reliable for us. You can go, Henry; you have the rest of the day off." 
The man smiled and quickly walked away,it was rare to receive such privileges from the Settimini family. 
A loud noise made both women turn. Max and Alice were laughing as they ran toward them. 
Sarah hugged them both, savoring every moment of that instant. 
"Your father was called by a client, he's downstairs in the study. He'll come up when he's done, don't worry." 
Sarah nodded and brought the suitcase inside. 

The house was exactly the same, in cream tones, large, spacious, and luxurious—the Settimini family had always shown their wealth through things like that. 
Together with Max, the girl brought her belongings to her room upstairs and noticed that it was exactly as she had left it before leaving, no one had touched her things.

That evening, in particular, Miriam organized a dinner to celebrate Sarah's return.
She prepared everything perfectly, adding the girl's favorite dishes.
Gabriele, Sarah's father, managed to free up time just for dinner and warmly greeted his daughter as soon as he arrived. He sat her next to him, eager to know everything about her year at Hogwarts.

"Tell us everything, sweetheart. How was your first year?"
"Hogwarts is spectacular, the professors are amazing, and the subjects are interesting. It's been a... thrilling year," she said, taking a bite of the meat prepared by the chef.
Her parents noticed her tone change when she said the last word. They exchanged uncertain glances, confused by the girl's nervousness.
"Anything interesting? Did you make friends?" Miriam quickly tried to change the subject as tension began to rise in the room.
Sarah nodded. "Oh yes, many. Everyone is nice, and they welcomed me without making me feel out of place. Not just from my house, but from other houses too."
Miriam smiled happily and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Sarah, I'm so happy for you. We know how important it is for you to have friends, and knowing that you're not alone is reassuring when going through such a big change."
Gabriele nodded, sipping his red wine from the crystal glass.
Sarah looked at them, placed her cutlery on the table, and took a deep breath. She couldn't stay quiet much longer.

"You know, a lot of things happened this year..."
Miriam and Gabriele were immediately intrigued by her words, their eyes fixed on her, curious to know what had happened.
"A man escaped from Azkaban prison at the beginning of the year... Sirius Black, if I'm not mistaken."
A fork fell to the floor, producing a deafening sound. Miriam quickly picked it up, trying to appear as natural as possible.
"Oh dear, I hope nothing happened at school. Dumbledore had promised maximum security."
Sarah nodded
"Oh yes, maximum security. Except that he managed to break in one night."
Gabriele looked at his daughter with wide eyes.
"What? Sarah, you didn't mention any of this in the letters we exchanged. We knew about Black but not this!"
"Does it interest you that much? Are you worried for my safety... or are you afraid I might have met Sirius Black in person?"
A deafening silence fell over the room, leaving everyone speechless.
"Of course, we don't want you near Black, Sarah. He's a madman, a murderer. What do you expect from us?" Miriam said.
Sarah suddenly stood up from her chair. The whole family stared at her, unable to take their eyes off her.
"I would have expected the truth from the very beginning, from when Dumbledore came here to tell me I was a witch. How could you hide my real identity from me? My real family?"