Part 6

Noah had nightmares all night and managed to fall asleep only in the morning. His roommate, Arthur, barely woke him up.

"Noah, wake up! Potions class is starting soon. You don't want to get a reprimand from Professor Sharp, do you?" Arthur said, already putting on his robe and rushing out of the room to catch breakfast.

"What time is it?" Noah asked before realizing he was alone. He dressed slowly in his school uniform and was about to wash up when he heard a knock behind him. Someone closed the windows to the room, which prevented the delivery owl from entering.

"Merlin's beard, wait a minute," Noah put his washing things in the nightstand and opened the shutter. His owl quickly flew in, placing the letter carefully and swiftly returning outside. Noah decided to keep the window open for ventilation, thinking it would be enough to keep letters for weeks. He grabbed the letter and was very surprised, to say the least. It was from Ominis. Without wasting a minute, he began reading, and with each line, his face stretched and his eyes widened.

"Hello Noah,

I've been contemplating whether to send you this letter for a while. However, after listening to your conversation with Sebastian yesterday, everything fell into place for me. You see, Anna's curse magically disappeared a month ago, and we didn't know what had happened. I've been closely monitoring Sebastian for the past month, and I realized he wasn't involved. But after learning from you that it was Rookwood who cursed her, not the goblin, everything makes sense. His death ended the curse. Anna asked me to withhold this news from Sebastian until she fully recovers. It's her idea. I believe she just doesn't want to see her brother. I will personally inform Sebastian about her healing.

And by the way, I sent an owl to Anna last night about what I learned from your conversation with Sebastian. Once she responds, I'll let you know.

'The curse is no more.'

Noah felt a tremendous sense of relief. His fight had made a difference. He had saved Anna! He folded the letter and pressed it to his chest. He wanted to scream, cry, and laugh all at once. He longed to tell Sebastian everything but restrained himself. Let Anna and Ominis decide when to reveal this secret to him. He knew it had to come from them, not him.

After finishing his morning routine and realizing he was late for both class and breakfast, Noah reluctantly accepted it. Oddly enough, there was a secret passage to the Hogwarts kitchen near the entrance of the Hufflepuff common room. Noah had discovered it at the beginning of the school year when he had just learned the spell "Revelio" and used it like a madman every five to ten meters. "Maybe I should use Obliviate on myself," he mused, waving his wand near his temple.

"You rarely come to us, Mr. Omill," a house-elf approached Noah.

"Can I use your kitchen?" Noah asked awkwardly.

"You don't have to ask every time. Besides, the other elves really appreciate it when you treat them to the food you've cooked," she replied, coming closer.

"When you disappeared for a whole month, we were very worried about you. Then we found out that Professor Fig is no longer with us. Please accept my condolences," she wiped away the tears that were welling up with her clothes, which resembled a simple pillowcase.

Noah weakly smiled in response and took her hand. Several more house-elves approached and offered their condolences. The conversation then turned to the latest news, although it was more like gossip. Noah loved cooking in a modest corner of the vast kitchen.

He made himself fried cheese sandwiches and used the augmentation charm to leave treats for the house-elves. He wrapped a few pieces for himself and headed towards the Room of Requirement. Fortunately, in the morning, there was no one in the Astronomy Tower, and Noah didn't want to encounter any teachers, considering the number of passes he had.

"It seems to me that your carnivorous plants have grown too much," the house-elf reported from the doorway.

"I completely forgot about them," Noah began to think about where to put them. He hadn't anticipated the number of plants he had planted, as the battles were now behind him, and he no longer needed them.

"Dick suggests taking them to Professor Garlick or alternatively selling them in Hogsmeade," the house-elf continued while sweeping the floor. Noah liked the idea. After sharing breakfast with Dick, he headed to Herbology class.

"I'm glad to see that the first-year students are paying close attention this year! Please don't forget to bring mallow seeds next week. We will be planting them in our garden," Professor Garlick concluded the lesson. Noah decided to wait outside until the students left the classroom.