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

Chapter 56

"Didn't think we'd see each other again so soon, did you?"

Draco Malfoy's voice hit her like an arrow. Cold. Sharp.

Sarah felt her heart stop for a moment.
She inhaled sharply, then turned slowly, almost afraid to find it was just an illusion.

But he was there. Draco Malfoy.

Just a few steps away from her, hands tucked into the pockets of his black cloak, his expression unreadable, his icy eyes watching her with an intensity that made her shiver. He looked so different, and yet exactly the same.
Sarah's breathing quickened.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, her voice steadier than she felt inside.

Draco raised an eyebrow, as if her question were pointless, even foolish.
"Isn't it obvious? We missed Hogwarts."
"Spare me the jokes," she growled, blood boiling with anger. "Did you come to finish what you couldn't last time? Or maybe Voldemort needs a few more stupid pawns on his chessboard?"
The name of the Dark Lord hung in the air like a shadow, echoing through the tower walls.

For a moment, Draco remained silent.
Then a half-smile touched his lips, but it held no warmth — it didn't reach his eyes.
"Maybe. Maybe not. That's not for you to know."
Sarah clenched her fists, ready to strike, ready to hurt him.

But a movement in the shadows stopped her.
Five figures emerged from the darkness.
Blaise. Mattheo. Enzo. Theo.

And Tom.

Sarah's heart skipped a beat.
The air seemed thinner. Everything around her blurred, as if time had stopped.

No... it can't be true, she thought.

And yet, there he was. Tom Riddle.
Silent. Always perfect.

His gaze was fixed on her. No words, no gestures, and yet just his stare was enough to make her knees tremble.
The face she once knew so well now looked carved from ice — distant, unreachable.
Sarah couldn't breathe. She had no words for him.
Only a void inside her, growing deeper and deeper.
"Why are you here?"
Her voice trembled slightly, but she forced herself to stay in control.
"What do you want? Haven't you already destroyed enough?"

Theo stepped forward, his face tense. "Please, let us explain."
Sarah backed away sharply, her heart pounding.
"Don't come any closer." Her voice was low, thick with tension. "I don't want anything to do with you."

It was Tom who finally spoke.
His voice was low, calm, but full of an authority Sarah remembered all too well. "It's not that simple."
"Oh, really?" she shot him a glance, trying to mask the trembling of her hands. "Then go on, Tom. Explain everything from the beginning, yeah! Tell me how you..." she hesitated for a moment, the pain tightening in her throat, "...how you all lied to me and betrayed me like this."

Tom was watching her, his face unreadable.
But in his eyes...
There was something. Something he was desperately trying to suppress.
Sarah saw it. Felt it.
And she knew he was struggling too.

It was Draco who broke the tension.
"You know, it's not exactly simple for us either." His voice was less arrogant than usual, more tired.
"But that doesn't matter, does it?"

Sarah looked at him, fists clenched. "Exactly." Her words were hard as stone. "I can't believe you have the nerve to come back to this school after everything you've done. After everything you've destroyed."
Draco let out a bitter laugh.
"They trained you well, huh? You really are Harry Potter's perfect little disciple, Sarah."

The girl took a step forward, fire in her eyes. She was a breath away from hitting him.
But Blaise stepped in, raising his hands in a pacifying gesture.
"We're not here to hurt anyone." His tone was sincere. "We promise."
Sarah stared at him, incredulous.
"Oh, really?" Sarcasm burst from her lips. "Well, isn't that lucky! So you're not here to make an already unbearable situation even worse? Because Hogwarts isn't falling apart enough already, right?"
The silence between them grew heavier.
Sarah felt the tension rise, her heart pounding in her chest. Anger. Confusion. Pain. She couldn't trust them.