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

Chapter 23

London station was as crowded as ever on the first of September. 

Sarah made her way through, dragging her trunks full of clothes and necessary items for her return to school. 
Black, the cat she had received from Sirius at the end of her third year, walked undisturbed among the people, following his owner from a distance. 
Sarah glanced back at him every now and then, while quickly following her friends who were ahead of her. 
They passed through the wall that would lead them to platform 9 ¾, finding in front of them the familiar scarlet train. 
Several parents were saying goodbye to their children; some cried because of the separation, while others waved them off more coldly. 
They quickly boarded the train, looking for an empty compartment where they could spend the journey in peace. 
They stored their things, and once the door was closed to avoid the noise of those still boarding, they sat down, waiting for departure. 
Eight hours on the train felt like a long time, but they would likely spend most of it sleeping. 
They felt a slight movement, indicating the start of the journey, and they settled in total silence. 

Harry was reading the Daily Prophet with Ron, while Hermione had a Potions book in her hands, flipping through it as if it were a novel. 
Sarah, on the other hand, took Black into her arms, looking out the window. 
The black cat curled up on her lap and quickly fell into a deep sleep. 
"Your cat sleeps every hour," said Ron, watching the animal with a small smile on his face. 
"He must take after his owner," Harry said absentmindedly, still flipping through the newspaper. 
Sarah laughed ironically at that remark, shifting her gaze to Black. 
"He hasn't been sleeping much either lately, at least now he'll catch up on some lost sleep." 
The three of them looked at her with sadness and nodded without saying anything else. 

Sarah was no longer the cheerful girl she once was; her eyes always seemed lost in thought, wandering off to who knew where. 
Her friends had accepted this new version of her, embracing all the changes. 
A couple of hours passed, and Sarah was now bored, staring at the clock impatiently. 
"Stop looking at it, the time won't magically change," Hermione said, laughing. 
"I'm bored, can't you tell? I need to walk around a bit," she said as she stood up, taking the cat into her arms. 
"Black and I are going for a walk, don't have too much fun without us," she smiled ironically as she opened the compartment door. 
She looked left and right; some students were in the corridor, chatting cheerfully. 
She smiled at Neville, Ginny, and Luna from afar, waving her hand in the air. 
The three of them waved back, and Neville gave her a thumbs up, silently asking how she was. 
The girl nodded slightly to reassure him. 
She moved on, opening various doors that led to other parts of the train. 
She felt everyone's eyes on her as she passed, something that annoyed her quite a bit. 
Sarah was well-known at school, but not just because of her story. She had great friends, excellent grades, and always seemed to be the perfect companion to spend time with. 
"Popular," Hermione had said one evening. 
But Black hated that term. She just wanted to be one of many, without any particular title.

She opened one of the last doors and saw several students sitting in their respective seats. 
She clearly recognized a few sixth-year Ravenclaws on her right, spotting Cho among them. 
But she had to stop abruptly as Black started wriggling in her arms. 
Sarah had no choice but to let him go. 
"What the h—" 
The cat ran ahead, jumping onto a small armchair where a few students were sitting with their backs turned to her. She didn't immediately recognize them. 
She hurried after him, feeling embarrassed. 
"Black, how many times have I told you not to bother people!" she said angrily, finally lifting her head to see who was in front of her. 
Her eyes widened, and her face turned bright red. 
Black was sitting on Pansy Parkinson's lap, who was gently petting him, while Enzo smiled at the cat beside her. Blaise sat across from them with Theo. 
Sarah didn't have the courage to look to her right, where Draco, Mattheo, and... Tom were seated. 
She began to feel cold sweat. She had never felt this way around them before, but for the first time, she felt uncomfortable in front of the Slytherins. She wanted to escape the situation as quickly as possible; her ears were burning with heat. 
Pansy's eyes widened when she noticed Sarah. She placed Black on Enzo's lap and stood up abruptly. 
The two girls exchanged a glance for a brief moment before Parkinson threw her arms around Sarah's neck. 
The latter was caught off guard and didn't immediately return the hug. 
She heard a small sob coming from her friend, and that was all it took to melt her resolve. 

"Sarah, oh God, how are you? Are you okay?" Pansy asked, pulling away to look at her with tears in her eyes. 
Sarah nodded slowly, unable to speak. 
"I was really hoping to see you on the train already. I was about to come looking for you." 
Black smiled at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. 
"And here I am... tada!" she said sarcastically, though it was clear she hadn't come there for them. 
Black approached the two girls, and Sarah bent down to pick him up again. 
"Next time, I'll leave you at the Burrow—actually, a trip to Grimmauld Place is guaranteed." 
The cat meowed, hiding his head from his owner's eyes. 
"Don't traumatize him," a voice made her turn her head toward the very side she had been trying to avoid with all her might. 
Mattheo was looking at her, smiling, with one hand resting under his chin. 
They had all grown over the summer; Sarah almost had to take a good look to recognize him. 
They were all incredibly attractive, sought after by many girls at school. 
"I'm not the one traumatizing him. He should learn when to stay put and when to move," she said, glaring at him. She didn't dare move her eyes even a centimeter to the left or right, where Tom and Draco sat. 
She turned back to Pansy with a softer smile than the one she had given her earlier. 
"We should probably talk," she said almost in a whisper, letting Black free to scurry away. 
"Yes, we sh—" Pansy's words were immediately interrupted by a warm, deep voice. 

"You could've done that by replying to the many letters sent to you." 
Tom wasn't looking at her; his eyes were fixed on a small book he held in his hands. 
Sarah felt a shiver down her spine. She turned to look at him, and that was a big mistake. 
Tom Riddle was stunning. 
Elegant, composed, impeccable—what more could be said? 
The girl cleared her throat before answering him; her throat had gone dry. 
"I don't think that's any of your business, given that letters from you... never arrived, did they? I suggest you keep your precious opinion out of my affairs." 
She didn't even realize what she had said. She had never spoken so harshly to the Slytherins. 
Everyone was looking at her in astonishment, even Tom was surprised by her response, so much so that he turned to face her. 
The boy held his breath. To his eyes, Sarah Black was still the most beautiful woman in the world. 
"What's the matter? Were you expecting a sweet, kind response? After years, I've come to understand that kindness gets you nowhere... or am I wrong?" 
She said the last words while turning her head toward Draco, who was staring at the ground. 
At that moment, Sarah hated Draco Malfoy. Perhaps the only people she hated more were Bellatrix and Voldemort. 
"Sarah, not here," said Pansy, looking around.
"We have all the time to sort things out." 
But Sarah stopped her. 
"I didn't reply, and I have every reason not to. Each reason is more obvious than the next. I just should've opened my eyes sooner, understood that sometimes, you can't change people." 
With bitterness, she said the last sentence while touching her Black family ring. 
Draco lifted his gaze, looking at her with a mix of anger and sadness. 
"Maybe the only one who's changed here is you. Look at yourself before spitting venom at us." 

What did they expect? That after Sirius's death, she would remain the same? The same girl as always? 
She had grown, experienced true pain, felt it in her flesh, and it had destroyed everything in a short amount of time. Now she found herself in complete isolation, even though everyone was trying to help her. 
She closed her eyes for a second to avoid snapping at the blond. She breathed slowly, counted to ten, and then responded to him. 
"Hearing that from you is laughable, Malfoy. At least I lost my father as a hero, not as a fool." 
She searched for her cat and found him on the floor, watching her with his bright eyes. She picked him up and stroked him. 
"Black, let's go. We're not welcome here anymore, and I certainly don't want to be." 
The cat seemed to turn toward the group, and, almost as if he understood, hissed at them, baring his white teeth. 
Sarah turned to Tom one last time. He was staring at her from top to bottom without taking his eyes off her. This new version of Black was interesting, but at the same time, it felt so wrong on her. 

She turned on her heel and returned to her friends, leaving the group behind, speechless.