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

Chapter 35

Cold, rain, and studying .

November was perhaps the worst month, a limbo waiting for the Christmas holidays.
Hogwarts was gray; the smell of rain lingered everywhere in the castle.
The Whomping Willow had lost all its leaves and now stood completely bare.
The students were forced to spend most of their time locked away in their common rooms, where the fireplace warmed the surroundings and helped them fight off the chill outside.
Everything would have been fine if only Lavender Brown hadn't spent the entire afternoon glued to Ron Weasley.

Sarah sat to Ron's left, her body constantly nudged by Lavender, who kept trying to kiss her boyfriend. The Black girl was unsuccessfully attempting to read a book, glancing occasionally at Hermione on the armchair, whose face bore an expression of utter disgust. Harry, meanwhile, sat in the other armchair, his head buried in the same Potions book as always.
Sarah's eyes met her friend's.
"I'm going to kill them," she mouthed, earning a nervous laugh from Hermione.
"Come on, Ron, just one more," Lavender said, trying to grab Ron's face between her hands.
The boy, clearly embarrassed, tried to push her away but had to give in to her demand just to be left alone.
After the Quidditch match, the two had become an official couple—or at least, they had been until Ron started coming back to his senses.
He was now avoiding Lavender more than usual, annoyed by the demands she was beginning to make.
"You wanted this," Hermione had told him one day, not even bothering to look him in the eye.
Their relationship had turned into a fragile thread, ready to snap at any moment, as if they were constantly at odds with one another.
But the truth was that Hermione was hurting, suffering in silence, supported by her two friends who had been trying for months to help her get over her crush.

Lavender finally left a little later, freeing the four of them at last.
Sarah raised her hands in the air in triumph.
"God, next time, I'll throw her off the Astronomy Tower."
Ron sighed, running his hands over his face, clearly exasperated.
"I can't make her understand that it's better to end the relationship! I can't—she always finds a way to make me feel guilty."
"Be stronger, then, right?" Harry said, still staring at his book.
Even he had a difficult relationship with Sarah lately. Her relationship with Tom had been a negative surprise, and he still hadn't been able to accept it. The girl had decided to leave him alone, unwilling to continue their arguments.
"As if it were that simple," Ron said, resting his head on the back of the couch.
They fell into silence, savoring the calm of the common room. The only sound was the crackling of the firewood in the hearth.

Sarah was finding it harder and harder not to think about Draco Malfoy.
The boy's face looked increasingly pale and gaunt. He was colder than usual and, above all, detached from everyone.
The reassurances Tom had given her earlier hadn't been of much help,she was certain of what she had seen that night.
Sarah looked at Harry. Could he know something more?

"Harry," she called, and the boy looked up at her.
"Yeah?"
Sarah hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do, but decided to tell her friend everything.
"Have you noticed... Draco being stranger than usual lately?"
Harry closed the book, suddenly interested in the conversation she had started.
"Malfoy hasn't been himself since the beginning of the year. I thought you had noticed by now."
Sarah nodded.
"Yeah, he's more than strange, actually. I... I think he's up to something," she admitted.
Hermione and Ron exchanged confused looks.
"You're not serious, are you? Sarah, I thought you'd at least agree with us about Draco," Hermione said.
"I know, it's just... I saw him wandering alone at night, on the seventh floor. I followed him, but I swear, he disappeared right in front of me, into a door."
Harry pulled the Marauder's Map out of his jeans pocket, unfolded it, and immediately began searching for the boy's name.
He found him with the other Slytherins.
"I'll keep an eye on him," Harry said, flashing a small smile at his friend.
Sarah nodded, stood up with her book in hand, and left the common room.
The walls had started to feel suffocating.
The wind was blowing fiercely through the corridors, dimly lit by the gray sky. Most of the school was in the library, catching up on their last assignments before December,a slightly quieter month.
Her footsteps echoed on the floor, and she clutched an old book she had read and re-read during her years at Hogwarts.
She approached the castle garden but stopped short when she noticed a group of boys sitting there. Cormac McLaggen was among them, laughing and joking as if he didn't have a care in the world.
His face had finally healed from the injuries inflicted by Tom.
Sarah now had two choices: turn back or keep walking and pretend she hadn't seen him.
Her feet moved almost as if they had a mind of their own, swiftly carrying her past the group.
They all turned their eyes toward her, tracking her every step.
Cormac's gaze followed her intently.
"Black!" he called out, his voice ringing clear in the empty corridor.
Sarah froze, her heart hammering in her chest. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
Slowly, she turned around to see the boy approaching her.
Cormac kept a cautious distance; perhaps memories of the kick still haunted him.
"Black, I'd like to talk to you."
Sarah shook her head, taking a step back.
"There's nothing to talk about, McLaggen."
"Yes, there is. I... I want to apologize to you. I've felt like an idiot for trying to touch you without your consent."
Sarah let out a bitter laugh. "Thanks. The fact that you recognize you were a scumbag is... delightful."
The boy glanced over his shoulder, noticing they were far from his friends. He took a few steps closer to the Gryffindor.
"You... you owe me, you know that, right?"
Sarah looked at him, shocked. "What do you mean?"
Cormac leaned closer to her ear, and a shiver ran down her spine.
"I haven't told anyone what your friends did to me, and I made my mates promise to stay quiet too. You know, they could be expelled if anyone found out they left me in that state."
Sarah held her breath. Cormac McLaggen wasn't stupid,he was cornering her.
"What do you want, Cormac?" Sarah asked, stepping back just enough to look him in the eye.
"Your friends need to be careful. One more misstep, and... I might talk."
Sarah hugged the book tighter against her chest. She was backed into a corner.
She simply nodded. A victorious smile spread across his face as he turned and casually walked back to his friends, as if nothing had happened.
Sarah walked away quickly, her heart still pounding.
She made her way to the library, certain she would find her boyfriend there.
Sure enough, Tom was sitting at a table with Draco and Mattheo.

She crossed the room until she reached them, slamming her book on the table with enough force to grab their attention.
The three boys looked up at her curiously.
"Baby Riddle, nervous?" Mattheo teased, putting down his quill.
Sarah sat beside him, as the seat next to Tom was already taken by the blond.
"We have a problem," she said, her heart still racing.
The three waited for her to calm down so she could speak.
"Cormac McLaggen stopped me in the corridor earlier—"
Tom shot up from his seat, ready to storm out, but luckily, Draco grabbed him and forced him back down.
"Let her talk, then we'll figure out if we need to break more of his bones," Mattheo said.
"He's doing you a favor by staying silent. He explicitly told me you need to be careful and keep your heads down. Otherwise, he might talk to Dumbledore, and you... you could get expelled."
The three of them fell silent, each processing the information.
"And you? What did you tell him?" Malfoy asked.
"What could I say? Thank you? He apologized for trying to touch me."
Tom clenched his fists, the thought of McLaggen getting close to Sarah filling him with rage.
"A true gentleman," he muttered sarcastically, loud enough for all three to hear.
"Please, I'm asking you to put your instincts aside and use your brains for once, okay?" Sarah pleaded.
Draco nodded immediately, and Mattheo followed reluctantly.
Tom, however, crossed his arms over his chest, and Sarah locked eyes with him.
"Please," she repeated.
The Slytherin rolled his eyes.
"Fine, fine," he said, not entirely happy, but knowing he didn't have much choice.
Sarah stood, satisfied, and pushed the chair back.
"When you use your brains, you're the best in the worrrrld."
She leaned down to kiss Tom's left cheek before walking away, far more at ease than before.

The boys watched her until she left the library. Then Mattheo turned to his brother with a smile on his face.
"Ahhh, love."
Draco rubbed a hand over his face.
"Too many problems lately. We can't handle all this."
Tom nodded, his face still flushed from Sarah's kiss.
"You messed up by starting this relationship," the blond said, closing the books in front of him.
Mattheo shook his head.
"That's not true at all. You know how much the two of them wanted this. Let them live their relationship in peace."
Draco stood up, his face now red with anger.
"We're not normal, remember that. We have missions to complete; we don't have time to waste. And you," he said, addressing Tom, "you made a mistake. If you really loved her, you wouldn't have dragged her into all of this."
Tom stood abruptly, stepping toward the blond threateningly, but Draco didn't back down.
"What I do with my life is none of your business, Malfoy."
"It is when it involves someone I care about too. Do you realize what she'll do when she finds out we've been lying to her?"
"Oh, sure. You care so much that you treat her like garbage when you know she's right. That night at the Ministry, your father was there."
The two glared at each other furiously.
Draco took a step back and grabbed his things.
"She'll hate you. She'll hate you, and there's nothing you can do to change her mind, Tom. We're doomed to this. At least let her live in the light for a little while longer."