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

Chapter 79

There had been too much silence in those days.
Not the reassuring kind you find in a safe place, but a tense silence, heavy with foreboding.
The magical world was holding its breath, and so were those who still had the strength to fight.
Sarah and Tom had spent a few nights at the Hog's Head.

It wasn't truly a safe haven, not really.
But it was all they had at the time.

A room upstairs, run-down and cold, but enough for two people who weren't looking for comfort, only a place to close their eyes without fear, at least for a few hours.

Aberforth hadn't said much when he brought them there.
He merely pointed at the door and muttered,
"Stay here. And try not to be seen."
And they were more than happy to stay,together.

Since their return to Hogwarts, they hadn't shown themselves openly in the corridors. The castle had become far too dangerous for them.
The Carrows patrolled every day, every hour, and Sarah's return, though a sign of hope for the Resistance, was seen as an outrage by the Death Eaters.

She was alive. And she shouldn't have been.

So they moved only when absolutely necessary, making use of the secret passages that still held out in the bowels of the castle.
The Room of Requirement welcomed them each time, as if it knew exactly when they needed it.
Every time someone fell, Sarah was ready.
Every time Neville faltered, Tom was there, silent, always one step behind, but watchful, present, dependable.

To the Death Eaters, they were fugitives, like Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Vanished, hunted, guilty of something no court could ever justly condemn.

And maybe, Sarah thought, that was fair.
They were guilty.
Guilty of never giving up.
And to her, there was no more beautiful crime than that.

Days passed, the waiting was agonizing.
No news had come from the three on their mission, and that silence made the tension all the more unbearable.
Sarah often found herself staring off into space, wondering where they were, if they were safe, if they would make it.
Deep down, she hoped to see them again.
To hold them again.
To see all of this come to an end.

That day, though, Aberforth's voice broke the usual silence,it was clear something urgent was happening.
Tom looked up from the book in his hands, an old text lent to him by one of the Resistance kids, and started to speak.

"What—" he began, but the old man's voice rose again, louder this time.
He wanted them downstairs. Now.

They quickly left the room, hurried down the stairs, and were immediately met by Aberforth's furious words.

"Bloody fools! What were you thinking? Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?"

Their eyes landed on the three figures standing near the portrait of Ariana.
Sarah froze for a moment, then her eyes widened. Without thinking, she rushed toward Hermione and threw her arms around her.

"Oh, I can't believe it! How did you get here?"

Hermione returned the hug with a warm smile.
"What about you? I thought you were at Shell Cottage!"

Tom stepped forward, his voice calm but firm.
"Staying there wasn't helping either of us. Coming back to Aberforth was the best choice."

"You know each other?" Ron asked, glancing questioningly between the old man and the two young people.

Sarah gave him a faint smile, then gently placed a hand on Aberforth's shoulder.
"If the rest of us managed to hold out this long at Hogwarts, it's mostly thanks to his help."

Aberforth made an effort to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"They did all the work. Hotheads, the lot of them, her included."

With a weary air, he moved toward a small kitchen and returned with three mugs of butterbeer and some bread, which he set on the table. Hermione and Ron dove into the food as if they hadn't eaten in days.