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

Chapter 80

C H A O S.

The Great Hall had plunged into chaos. Screams, hurried footsteps, and quiet sobs echoed from every direction.
Like a dam that had held for too long, Hogwarts had finally given in to the pressure, and now it burst into a wild, unstoppable tide.

Sarah struggled to push through the crowd, but every step was a collision, every attempt to find direction was swallowed by bodies running in all directions. Her eyes darted around frantically, and she shouted names above the noise: Ginny, Mattheo, Pansy, but got no reply. Just confused voices and the creeping fear threatening to take over.

She climbed the main staircase with difficulty, stumbling more than once. Blood was already trickling from her knee, the result of a fall caused by a crying first-year student.
She saw him screaming as he ran toward his common room. She wanted to stop him, but the words died in her throat.
She kept going until a strong hand grabbed her, pulling her away from the stream of fleeing students. She spun around, ready to defend herself, but found herself face to face with Neville's serious, breathless expression.

He placed his hands gently on her shoulders, trying to calm her.
"Hey! Breathe. It's going to be okay!"

"Are you insane?" she snapped, eyes glistening and voice tight. "What part of this looks okay to you?!"

Neville raised his hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay... maybe not the best choice of words," he admitted with a grimace, then rummaged through his pocket and pulled something out. "But I brought you this."

Sarah saw the object, and her breath caught in her throat.
Her wand.

Her hands trembled as she took it. The moment her fingers closed around the wood, a surge of energy rushed through her body like a warm, vital wave. A small shiver ran down her shoulders.
It felt like breathing again after being underwater for far too long.

"You can't possibly think of fighting without your wand," Neville said with a faint smile.

Sarah didn't answer right away.
She looked at the object as if seeing an old friend, a missing piece of herself suddenly returned. Only then did she realize just how broken she'd felt without it.
And now... now she was whole again.

She nodded, lips pressed tight to hold back the lump in her throat.
"Thank you, Neville. Really."

He gave a small nod, a silent look of understanding, then turned and disappeared into the crowd, swallowed by the uproar.

Sarah closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and began making her way back down the crowded stairs.
When she reached the Entrance Hall, someone approached her with quick steps, and she immediately recognized the tall, slightly stooped figure, the beard more unkempt than usual, and the tired eyes.

Remus.

"Sarah!" he called, and in an instant he was in front of her, cupping her face in his hands. His eyes scanned her with urgency, filled with a worry he could barely hide.
One of his fingers brushed lightly over her left arm, where once there had been a mark he knew well, even though it was now hidden under her sleeve.

"Are you alright? Tell me you're really alright," he said, his voice rough. His hands trembled slightly.

Sarah smiled, trying to ease the moment.
"I'm fine! See? I'm walking, talking, I could even run, if you want."

Remus let out a half-sigh, but didn't quite smile.
"When I heard about your kidnapping... I swear, it was one of the worst nights of my life. I couldn't breathe, I felt like a failure. Not just as a man, but—" he cleared his throat, already hoarse from shouting as he tried to move students "as your godfather."