Part 39

  Noah woke up in the late afternoon, his whole body was numb due to the fact that he fell asleep in a sitting position. Nevertheless, he slowly got up and, still missing his bearings, rubbed his eyes. He stared at the empty paintings of the keepers. He had neither the strength nor the desire to try to summon them again somehow. He just sighed and straightened his shirt and used Floo Powder to get to Cragcroft. This village was the southernmost magical settlement located on the coast. Noah liked the air and the view here. While he was still fighting with Ranrok, he visited this place more than once. He liked most of all to rest under a large oak tree in the middle of the village after a long flight on a broom. The residents treated him as a local hero after he had rid them of the terrorizing toperoes and cleared Klagmar Castle of peplambs and the infamous Sylvan Selvin. He learned from Professor Weasley that his mentor was buried here, in the local cemetery, next to his wife. It turns out that Miriam was originally from this place. Watching the sunset, Noah slowly walked toward the cemetery. It was not difficult to notice a new tombstone among the old ones, and Noah approached it slowly.

  "Professor, I'm sorry that I didn't visit earlier; I was a little busy," Noah knelt down in front of the tombstone, with his head down.

  "I know I'm not worthy to be here, but I wanted to apologize to you," he sobbed, shedding tears.

  "I'm very sorry about our last conversation. If I had known that everything would end like this, I would give anything to fix it! I will never forgive myself for this. I miss you very much. You were not just a mentor to me, but also a close friend. I don't deserve to be forgiven, but still, maybe if I fix it." He looked up and saw the inscription.

  "We remember you, we are proud of you. And in our memory you are always alive."

  Noah felt a stab in his heart and burst into tears like a little child. If he had acted differently, could Professor Fig still be alive? His heart was bursting with guilt.

  Meanwhile, Sebastian and Garrett flew to Cragcroft.

  "Go ask around if anyone has seen Noah; I'll check the cemetery!" Sebastian immediately said and ran.

  "If you find him, shout!" Garrett replied and began to look around. He had never been to these places before, and everything was new to him. The oak tree certainly made the biggest impression, but the place itself was no less fascinating. First of all, he approached a friendly woman who was sitting on a bench not far from him.

  "Good evening! Sorry to interrupt, can I ask you a question?" Garrett smiled and held out his hand to her.

  "A Hogwarts student? You've been visiting us a lot lately," she said, shaking his hand and introducing herself.

  "Hyacinth Olivier, nice to meet you." She seemed to be studying him from head to toe.

  "Garrett Weasley. Have you, by any chance, seen a guy my age here? A little taller, with slightly long hair? Friendly, with amber eyes," he began to describe Noah.

  "Of course, he literally arrived twenty minutes ago. In my opinion, he headed towards the cemetery," Olivier pointed in the direction Sebastian had run.

  Sebastian's heart was pounding with excitement. He just hoped they weren't mistaken, and Noah was actually here. He would see him right now. He ran as fast as he had ever run in his life, without feeling tired. All his thoughts were on Noah. If he's here, what should I tell him? How can I help him? How to protect him from all this? Would he listen to him? Sebastian wanted to immediately approach him, but he couldn't take a step in his direction. His throat was dry, his thoughts seemed to be racing through his head at the speed of light. He could only find the strength to hide behind a rock. He saw before him a friend who was mourning a loved one. He felt that he had no right to interfere in his affairs. After all, who was he to Noah? A school friend? Best friend? More like just a friend. It was very painful for him to see how a loved one suffers, and at the same time not be able to help him in any way. Sebastian bit his lips in helplessness and sat down on the ground, hugging his knees. Why is it that every time people close to him feel bad, he can't help them in any way?

  "What's wrong with me?" Sebastian ruffled his hair and looked at him again. Noah slowly got up, wiped his tears, and took out a bag of Floo Powder. Sebastian was taken aback, abruptly stood up, and accidentally kicked a pebble. Noah, hearing the commotion behind him, turned around and met Sebastian's gaze.