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

Chapter 27

Important message:
TW: sexual assault
Before reading this chapter, I want to inform you that strong themes will be addressed, which may disturb those sensitive to such topics.
I care about you, Ale

Sarah avoided Tom for the following days before her outing with Cormac McLaggen; any word from him felt like a jab at her, ridiculing her in front of others.
Pansy was left speechless when her friend confessed that she was going out with the Gryffindor, immediately explaining why she had accepted.
At school, the rumor spread quickly as if it were news of enormous importance, but there was indeed something interesting: Sarah Black was not dating Tom Riddle, and that was the confirmation.
For years, everyone had thought that the two were together, even though they had always been clear about their relationship.
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Sarah looked around, waiting for Cormac to arrive outside the school walls.
Hermione had convinced her to wear something more elegant for the outing, even though she knew she didn't want anything with the boy.
The black skirt fell softly, reaching just above her knees, while the white top hugged her torso, accentuating her figure.
Sarah had added a leather jacket belonging to Sirius, paired with boots she had bought in Naples before leaving for the Burrow.
Simple but cute, she thought to herself before leaving her room.
The boy arrived shortly after, also dressed more elegantly than usual.
Cormac was objectively a good-looking guy; the problem remained his arrogant personality.

"Black, you're...beautiful."
Sarah blushed; compliments always embarrassed her because she didn't know how to react in front of the person giving them.
"Uh, thanks," she said, pulling the jacket tighter around her, which was a bit too big for her.
Sirius's scent reached her nose, and she slowly began to calm down.
The journey was silent; they didn't say much.
They arrived at the Three Broomsticks and sat at an empty table in the corner of the pub.
It was crowded, Sarah also noticed Ginny and Dean at a table on the opposite side, at least she had a friend nearby.
"Well, what do you want to order?" Cormac asked, looking at the menu.
"A butterbeer will do just fine," she said, taking off the jacket and placing it on the chair, immediately noticing Cormac's eyes on her body.
"I'll go get our orders then; wait for me here," he smiled and walked away toward the counter, leaving her alone.
Sarah looked around, observing everyone sitting in the pub. From a distance, she noticed not only Harry, Hermione, and Ron at a table, but also the Slytherins chatting among themselves.
"Thank God, thank you, thank you, thank you," the girl whispered,she had everyone on her side.
She saw Blaise laughing while giving her a thumbs-up, causing the little group to turn around.
Sarah responded with a middle finger, leaning back against the chair.
Pansy blew her a kiss, mouthing: you look amazing, have fun!
Sarah smiled and turned to see Cormac returning with a cake for both of them.
"I thought something to eat would be good, right?"
Sarah nodded,those cakes from Rosmerta were exceptional.
After taking the first bite, she noticed the boy staring at her without saying anything.
Sarah shifted nervously in her seat.
"What's wrong? Am I dirty?"
She brought the napkin to her mouth, trying to clean off anything that might be on her face.
Cormac shook his head, taking a sip of his drink.
"No, I was just looking at you. You're really beautiful, Sarah."
The girl quickly took a sip of her butterbeer, her cheeks reddening from the second compliment.
She smiled with her mouth full, silently thanking him.
"I don't know much about you," the boy tried to change the subject, cursing himself for perhaps being too direct.
"What do you want to know?"
"Whatever you think is important for me to know."
Sarah thought for a moment,she didn't really know what to tell him.
"Um, well, you know my story; everyone knows it... oh, well, I really love music, and... I play the piano."
"And what kind do you listen to?"
"Everything, you know... one day I prefer pop, other times rock. I have no limits; if I like something, I don't pay much attention to the genre."
Cormac nodded. "And do you like Quidditch?"
Sarah didn't want to talk about that topic, it was clear that the boy was still upset about losing his spot as Keeper.
"Absolutely, especially since Harry wants us all there during the matches, so... Plus, Professor McGonagall wants me as a speaker for the upcoming games! Not bad, right?"
"And have you ever played sports? I mean, even in the Muggle world?"
Sarah smiled at the memories of the past.
"Yeah, I danced for seven years. But then, due to various reasons and coming here, I stopped."
"Careful, little Black was a little ballerina."
Sarah nodded, bringing another bite of cake to her mouth.
"And you? Do you have anything to tell me?"
Cormac set his fork down on the table, leaning back in his chair and relaxing.
"I love to paint."
Sarah stopped completely to look at him, her Butterbeer still in hand. She brought a hand to her mouth and started to laugh.
Some nearby people looked at her strangely; even the Slytherins watching them didn't know what to say.
"Ex-excuse me. It's just... it's just that I can't picture you doing something like that."
The boy immediately understood what she was insinuating
"I know, I'm a man of a thousand secrets."
They both laughed, easing the tension that was still present.
They continued their conversation comfortably, and Sarah was surprised; Cormac was not at all what she had always thought he was.
Sure, he was arrogant, but at the same time, he was nice and knew how to listen to people.
After a while, they got up, ready to leave the place, putting their jackets on their shoulders because of the cold.
Sarah saw him go to pay, despite her attempts to contribute in every way, all unsuccessful.
She approached Pansy, who was also getting up from the table.
"What the hell did I just see?"
She said as soon as Sarah got close.
The girl laughed.
"Absolutely nothing, Pansy, he's just not as stupid as I thought he was."
"Impossible, impossible..." Enzo was now by his friend's side.
"I know, but that doesn't mean I want to make it work; I still don't want him around."
The boys almost sighed in relief, they would never want Cormac McLaggen by Sarah's side.
The girl looked at the group, and her eyes fell on the only person she didn't want to see that day.
Tom immediately shifted his gaze to the Butterbeer he was holding.
He had been nervous for days, ever since he found out about the date between the two. He was irritable, more sensitive than usual, and no one could control him lately.
Mattheo had tried to help him by talking, but all he managed to do was make him even more agitated.