Everything was clear now. I just had to find that fat boy. I saw him while I was standing there in between all those people and I rushed through the crowd. Some people tried to stop me but I couldn't wait. I felt my blood pulsating and I was afraid that I might lose him. I reassured my brain that I won't. Although he was fat but his speed was no less than mine. He ran so fast like a rat kicking out everybody who came in his way. But as we were on a boat and not on a road so, there had to be an end point. And there it was. The end of the boat has come and he had nowhere to go now. He stood there so frightened and his face looked so pale that it seemed like he might pass out. I grinned because I knew that he couldn't go anywhere else.
"He has my book." I spoke to the people standing near him so if he tried to escape there'd be people to stop him.
The people got aware and expressions got worse. The next thing that he did blew our minds away.
He vanished. He disappeared in front of our eyes and nobody could do anything. All we could do was watch him disappear. The coat which he wore shrunk until it fell on the ground and there was nobody around it, under it. Was he a wizard or something? I rushed to the end and stood at the same spot where he vanished. I picked up the coat and all I could see underneath was nothing. I searched all the pockets in the coat.
"Hey…look here." Somebody called out.
"There's something in the water!" A student spoke while gazing down at the river.
I looked down the boat and I could see some small animal or fish swimming in the water. I kept looking and fixing my eyes only at the swimming object trying to figure what it actually was.
All of that was really creepy.
What seemed even stranger to me was that when I turned around I saw a student picking up a book from the ground and when I looked a bit closely I knew it was mine.
Why on earth would somebody leave something that they've stolen? This seemed completely pointless to me. Was he crazy?
In no time, everybody else was there including Lily and the others.
"What's going on Severus?" Lily asked
"Nothing" I wasn't in a mood to explain the whole thing to them which was almost beyond my understanding.
"You can't lie again?" Lily seemed frustrated by now.
"Some freak on this boat stole my book and he left it here again. What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I was angry by now and a little bit rude also.
"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have talked to you like that." I spoke in a low voice trying to look into her eyes but she glanced down.
It felt as if she was avoiding my gaze.
"No…you don't have to apologize. I am sorry. I shouldn't have stressed you out so much. I mean...I was just worried why you fell unconscious over there. It was just all so baffling and I was so tensed." She spoke and by the end of the statement she finally looked at me.
I looked at her for a few seconds without speaking anything. I felt so surreal and this moment was so delicate to me that if anything moved a little bit or if I said something then she would look away and everything would break apart.
"Are you alright?" She spoke slowly without breaking the seamless contact between our eyes.
Then, I remembered something. I needed to go back to my place. I had to check up on my stuff.
"Yeah…I just need some space." I felt quite comfortable around her but the fact that I needed to check my other belongings and most of all I wanted to check this book. Each and every page was so important to me in this whole book.
I tried to turn away and the last glance that I got of her was a little bit tensed. She didn't look as if she was stressing out or feeling anxious but I felt this thin curtain of tension between us.
"Take care, Severus" She spoke and this made me turn around and glance at her lovely face again.
I smiled at her and turned around again and went on towards my stuff and belongings.
I was just about to reach my place and that was when I heard a loud screech of owls. Some students covered their ears with their hands.
I looked up and we were just on the brink of the river.
And all the students started screaming and cheering for HOGWARTS!
I smiled and felt so overwhelmed by the feeling of excitement. I ran towards my stuff, packed all of it inside my bag and hanged it on my shoulder because now we all were about to leave the boat.
One by one, every student came out and we were on the ground looking up at the castle.