In this story, Arnav, Khushi, Payal and Akash are students in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Disclaimer : I have tried to describe most things, with some data from the HP books, for the sake of non- HP fans. Some of paras describing Hogwarts and the magical life have been taken from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and websites like https://harrypotter.wikia.com
So here comes my first update, hope you all enjoy reading it😊
" Are you sure that this will work..?", Payal whispered into Susan's ears.
"Of course Payal, this is the most potent love potion on earth." Susan said.
Payal looked at her friend with awestruck eyes and clasped the bottle of the'Amortentia' potion, in her palm.
Susan continued,"...but you have to take care of one thing. You need to continue giving a dose of this potion daily.."
Payal thought hard and nodded her head with a happy smile, "Ok.."
They were having their dinner, sitting on the Ravenclaw house table in the Great hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her eyes searched for the object of her affection. He was sitting among the Slytherins, on their house table. With an intense longing in her eyes, Payal Mehra watched Akash Singhania, who was whispering something romantic into Catherine Flint's ears. When she watched Catherine blush, Payal wished that she was in her place, as Akash Singhania's current girl friend.
Meanwhile, Khushi Gupta was sitting at the Gryffindor table and was reading a copy of the "Witch Weekly", while having her dinner. Just then, Arnav Singh Raizada arrived at the Gryffindor Table with his friend, Nandkishore Mehta (N.K) , after their Quidditch game practice. Arnav's eyes fell on Khushi and he looked at her with an intense dislike.
Arnav and Akash were both 17 years old and they were in the Seventh year (the senior most class), where as Payal and Khushi both were Sixth year students and were 16 years old.
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The students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were divided into four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. (each bearing the last name of its founder: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. They were the founders of the Hogwarts school.)
The houses competed with each other throughout the school year, by earning and losing points for various activities. The house with the most points won the House Cup, when the academic year ended. The four houses were rather separate entities, each had its own common room and dormitory, its own table in the Great Hall, and students mostly shared lessons with classmates of their same house. There was no rule against students from different houses mingling, but in practice a good majority of social interactions occurred within the same house. Each house had one teacher who acted as its Head of House. The major rivalry was between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and as they say, the Gryffindor and Slytherin students loathed each other.
The students were selected to these houses on the basis of some qualities.
Gryffindor valued bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry. Its emblematic animal was the lion and its colours were scarlet and gold.
Hufflepuff valued hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play in its members. Its emblematic animal was the badger, and Yellow and Black were its colours.
Ravenclaw valued intelligence, knowledge, and wit. Its emblematic animal was the eagle, and its colours were blue and bronze.
Slytherin house values ambition, cunning and resourcefulness. Its emblematic animal was the serpent, and its colours were emerald green and silver.
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After having their dinner, the students, all of whom were wearing the Hogwarts school uniforms(long black robes, black cloaks with white shirts, house coloured tie, black slack pants/ knee length skirts inside) started filing out of the Great Hall.
Khushi closed the magazine and put it in her bag. She also made her way through the doors and climbed the marble staircase. Along with some fellow Gryffindors, she proceeded towards the Gryffindor House Tower in the Hogwarts castle, along the corridors and through the doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, and reached the final corridor. At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" she asked.
Arnav and N.K were at the front of the group of students.
"Fairy Lights," said Arnav, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall.
They all scrambled through it, and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, circular room full of squashy armchairs, tables, and a bulletin board where school notices, ads, lost posters, etc. could be posted. The common room was a room where the Gryffindor students could relax after a long day of studying. A large window looked out onto the grounds of the school, and a large fireplace dominated one side of the wall. The walls were decorated with scarlet tapestries that depicted witches and wizards, but also various animals.
Khushi went straight through the door which had the spiral staircase leading to the girls' dormitories.
Meanwhile, Arnav and N.K had reached the top of the spiral staircase leading to their dormitory which had a sign board which read, "SEVENTH YEARS". Inside the circular room, there were five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. They pulled on their pajamas and got into bed.
Arnav and Khushi were enemies since the day she had set foot in the castle, as a first year(11 years old). Arnav and N.K, who were second years then, was the official "pranksters duo" among the Gryffindors. Khushi was the studious type and she never liked such boys. This difference between them became the main reason for their initial clashes. Soon either of them began to hate the sight of each other and they never lost a chance to fight with each other in the school.
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Payal loved Akash ever since she had set his eyes on him. For the last three years, she had seen him going out with numerous girls and how she wished that she was one of them. But, now she could be his girlfriend too, she thought excitedly as she climbed up the spiral staircase along with her friend Susan Brooks , towards the Ravenclaw House tower. At last she reached a door. There was no handle and no keyhole, nothing but a plain expanse of aged wood, and a bronze knocker in the shape an eagle.
Payal reached out her hand, and knocked once, on the door. At once the beak of the eagle opened, and a musical voice issued from it, "What is always coming but never arrives?"
Susan was thinking for the answer, but then Payal answered, "Well, the answer is 'tomorrow'.."
"Well reasoned", said the voice, and the door swung open for them.
The Ravenclaw common room was a wide, circular room, airier than any other house common room, in the Hogwarts castle. Graceful arched windows punctuated the walls, which were hung with blue-and-bronze silks. By day, the Ravenclaws would have a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains. The ceiling was domed and painted with stars, which were echoed in the midnight-blue carpet. There were tables, chairs, and bookcases, and in a niche opposite the door stood the tall, white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of Ravenclaw house . She seemed to look at them with a quizzical half smile on her face, beautiful yet slightly intimidating. A delicate-looking circlet was on top of her head. There were tiny words etched into it -- "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."
The statue stood beside a door that led, to dormitories above. Through, the door, Payal and her friend went up to the Sixth year girls' dormitory. The Ravenclaw Girls' Dormitory is a dormitory located in the Ravenclaw Tower on the west side of Hogwarts Castle. The four-poster beds were covered in sky blue silk eiderdowns (featherbed). As usual, Payal found the sound of the wind whistling around the windows very relaxing.
She placed the potion bottle on her bed side table. Then she had a better idea. She didn't want anyone else to use the potion, so she labeled it as "Hair-raising potion". Then she changed into her night clothes and got into her bed. She couldn't wait for the next day, which would mark a new beginning with Akash. Next day, the school 'Quidditch' match was to be held between Slytherin and Gryffindor houses and she had a wonderful idea.
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Arnav went down to breakfast early morning with N.K and his other team mates in the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Just as they sat down at the Gryffindor table, a girl came towards N.K from the Ravenclaw table. Her name was Martina, and she was N.K's girlfriend.
"Hi N.K..I just came to wish you best of luck for today's match."
N.K smiled at her and said, "Thanks Marty..".
Then she lowered her voice and said again so that only Arnav and N.K could hear, "And boys..I have got something with me..".
She showed then the tiny bottle in her hand.
"What is that..?", Arnav asked curiously.
"I got this from Payal's table, it's called a hair raising potion..I took half of it from her bottle and refilled her bottle with some water", she finished with a chuckle.
"But why are you giving it to us..?", Arnav asked with a frown.
"Well..guys, do me a favour..You have got to mix this in ' Miss. know-it-all' , Khushi Gupta's drink...She always beats us Ravenclaws in academics and becomes the School topper, every year, I just hate the sight of her...I know that you also don't like her Arnav..It will be fun to watch her hairs sticking up like she just had an electric shock..", she said with a laugh.
"Don't worry..We will do it..", replied Arnav with a smirk and pocketed the bottle.
Soon, other students also began to gather inside the Great Hall for having their breakfast. Khushi came inside and sat down a little bit farther from Arnav and his team mates. Arnav and N.K finished their breakfast and approached Khushi. Khushi was surprised when they sat down on her either side. Martina was watching them with interest from the Ravenclaw table.
"Hello Khushi..How are you today..?", N.K's voice was extra sweet. Khushi looked at him with her eyes brows raised. "Oh..I think you are being some extra polite, today..What are you both up to..?", she glanced at Arnav, rather doubtfully. By that time, Arnav had dropped the entire contents inside the small bottle into her goblet filled with pumpkin juice.
"Nothing Khushi, we just thought of asking you whether you are supporting Gryffindor or Slytherin in this match..", Arnav said with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
"Of course, I will support my house, Gryffindor..Why should I support Slytherin..?", Khushi asked with a hurt voice and took the pumpkin juice goblet in her hand.
Arnav peered at the goblet with a careful look and then again looked at her and said, "No, you hate me and I am in the team this year..So you would not support any team which I am in.."
Khushi was drinking from the goblet now, and she finished the whole pumpkin juice in one go. Arnav and N.K were watching her intently, waiting for her long black hair to raise high.
But then, after placing the empty goblet back on the table, Khushi turned towards Arnav and gazed into his face with a strange unfocused look.
"Arnav..", she called his name and her whole face seemed to illuminate, as though hit by a ray of purest sunlight, her voice dripping with love.
Arnav was alarmed by her transformation and he sat there staring at her, dumbstruck.
"I don't hate you, Arnav..", she said with a hurt voice. "I love you..", she completed her sentence, breathlessly.
They stared at each other for almost a whole minute, before Arnav said, "This is a joke, right? You're joking..."
"No..I love you..", she repeated softly and gazed into his eyes with a sweet smile. Arnav felt as if his heart was going to melt at the sight of her. He stood up in a jiffy and stared at N.K, who was watching Arnav, with mouth wide open.
Arnav scrambled out of his seat quickly and managed to say, "I have to go for the match..", before walking away with N.K . Khushi watched him go with a forlorn look on her face.
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Naina😊
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