Couldn't get enough of your abhigya @ Hogwarts.. Here's some additional thoughts -
Tanu
Abhi was with Tanu for years - the whole school knew about the couple.. From day 1, Tanu knew it wasn't serious with Abhi and knew he is off limits in future but still for her and for Abhi it was jus harmless fun.. They didn't go beyond limits, technically Abhi didn't let it happen but still nothing happened between them.. For Tanu what mattered was to be with someone who was popular, handsome, rich, great personality and also had hots for her - Abhi fit in the card perfectly so Tanu dated Abhi.. It's not like she fell head on heels in love with Abhi for her to hesitate moving on with another person say nikhil.. Also it was her showing off abhi as a bf than anything else so she knew Abhi will always marry dadi's choice from the beginning -- so it wasn't even moving on in real terms for her - she always saw that coming.. And nikhil had everything she wanna in a bf too jus that Abhi bet him to it else she would have been with nikhil..
Chashmish POV on Abhi
For Pragya her world revolved around Abhi from the moment she was born - it was what everyone in her family talked about on various occasions and she knew they were betrothed since birth and they would get married eventually - so she never saw anyone else but Abhi as her future and the people she associated with also knew she was betrothed/taken!! So no one approached her on those grounds nor did she see anyone in that light.. So when Abhi suggested they hide the very fact of being betrothed to each other - it bothered chasmish a lot to hide the biggest truth of her life. Abhi asking her to hide it came as a shock for her, but he convinced her as always - she didn't have a choice but to give in when he insisted to keep their relationship a secret at school to have their "free time" although she didn't wanna any of that.. It was a mini heartbreak for chashmish.. Amidst this she did start spending more time with her friends and seeing abhi in the morning made her day - she always sought out to him - even if it was jus a glimpse and being a teenager his little winks and gestures was able to conceal her tender heart and made her to get through her day until she caught her fianc with Tanu in Madam Puddifoot's.. If hiding her relation with abhi caused her a mini heartbreak this shattered chasmish to see her fianc with tanu - she wanna be strong enough to handle the heartbreak on her own - and not let her frens share her pain - her confrontation with Abhi didn't exactly go down well and learning that Tanu was his girlfriend made her flip -- only she knew how not to throw a fit or a tantrum in front of Abhi as they would eventually be together but never the less that was the first actual heart break of chasmish..
She then kept her emotions in check and started to maintained her distance with Abhi while trying not to keep constant tabs of his life but still somewhere she felt amiss deep down in her heart - there was always a hollow, a part of her that still yearned/longed for abhi - however hard she tried to let that hollow disappear, she didn't exactly succeed! The distance was her way of coping up with the heartbreak or accepting Tanu as his girlfriend as long as they were at Hogwarts.. So she spent more time with her friends raghav, meethu, purab & became more involved with them than looking out for Abhi abhi and abhi.. In a way, it was her first experience of freedom, away from abhi and family..
However, Abhi's actions always brought reactions in chasmish like nothing else.. His presence, absence, his words, actions mattered to chasmish like nothing else - even when she was dancing with raqhav @ Yule ball her mind was occupied only with abhi's thoughts, after kissing raqhav on mistle toe chashmish was guilty of cheating abhi.. Abhi closeness @ photo session,revelation that he selected the lehenga, gifting traditional heirloom asking her to wear it henceforth telling her that it was for brides - all these made her ebb away the doubt of the conversation she overheard of TaAbhi jus hours before.. She was insecure yes, but she always also knew abhi was hers, wouldn't ever hurt her and she for the first time accepted the small time-off b/w them as betrothed couple for real only then! During the holidays she on numerous occasions wanna share her reln with raqhav to abhi but she was very hesitant to bring that topic to him, she was worried of his reaction or she didn't know how he would take it.. Tanu sending the gift made her sort of reached a consensus with herself that she is jus snogging and Abhi didn't exactly need to know that.. Her thoughts were occupied of abhi more than anything else, it was always abhi for her one way or another..
She evolved from accepting abhi's decisions at face value knowing it would have deeper meaning and it would be true (betrothal secret) - to confronting him on his gf to making herself strong enough and independent by distancing from abhi (after hogsmeade) - she became a proud prefect - experiencing some attraction to her best friend, daring to explore a bit and conscious enough to keep it to snogging with no romantic involvement, scolding abhi for the double standards, being guilty of cheating abhi to finally taking decisions on her own and deciding what she really wants - the slightest of confusion and small doubt washed away finally when she made the choice of being with abhi on her own - her answer to abhi's question of "now or never "is anything but a confirmation that chasmish wants abhi as much as he does and with all of her heart.. She took the decision from her heart knowing his flaws, yet accepting him and wanting him all the same.. She did not accept abhi because she was betrothed to him since birth, but because she loved him even before she knew what it is to love and even after his stunt with gf and her stunt with raghav - but it was abhi always - he was her life, is her present and her future...
Phataka-Raghav
Pragya status quo was -- Abhi was her future, Purab her brother but Raghav her best friend.. Raghav was her best friend she didn't have, so when she started spending almost the entire day with him as they became prefect she started noticing more about him than the usual best fren he was, in a way she became aware of his presence around her.. She was attracted to Raghav and his stares and gentle touches only made her like it more.. But neither of them dared to explore it until mistletoe - and it was the first for Pragya.. She hasn't been this close to Abhi for her to compare it too, Abhi always kissed her on her forehead or cheek.. But with raghav it was different, it was her first kiss and she was carried away with the attraction/infatuation, she was young and hormones/emotions took the better of her.. But that didn't last long did it? The very same night, she felt guilty of cheating on Abhi - although she tried really hard to convince herself that its similar to what abhi is doing with tanu but still she just couldn't exactly get Abhi off her head, it still bothered her to be so close to Raghav and Abhi not knowing.. Abhi was in her mind no matter what she is doing or whom she is with.. The girl was so guilty that for the first time she forgot the resolve of keeping it a secret of being betrothed to Abhi @ Hogwarts, confessed it to raghav and came clean " but for the first time she took that decision for herself not for Abhi or anyone else.. She knew that raghav wasn't her future, raghav knew that too.. so when they did be together after their holidays it was like Pragya was exploring something new but the feelings/emotional/romantic connection bonding wasn't there between them..Being in a true relationship wasn't at the forefront here - with raghav it came with ease, comfort of someone who she knew as a friend, she is being on waters she hadn't explored before, it was new for her and that gave her an unknown thrill/joy - even on those many occasions they smooched or hung out - it was mainly the attraction/chemistry/hormones/infatuation taking best of her and their chemistry was palpable.. She was a girl and raghav made her feel special in a way so that took her by surprise and she explored it..
Pragya, Raghav and Abhi
Raghav is a friend first so she cares for him and his feelings, appreciates his gestures and him being there for her and doesn't wanna him to be hurt so she is protective of her friend - but then it is not the same as Abhi.. Abhi is family, past, present & future, he is her world and he brings out the best/worst in her and somehow she feels she has an unsaid right on Abhi that she never felt with raghav.. It was jus a few weeks she was with raghav but Abhi never left her mind, he always existed deep down for her - her feelings for abhi has been supressed/ dormant waiting for a chance to escape from her heart and capture her with it -- even while she was with raghav.. So when the said person broke raghav's bone she was beyond furious and lashed out on him during their confronted of the double stands? But Abhi being Abhi made it clear that he was happy breaking raqhav's bones to ensure he keeps his hands off her- he also shocked pragya by calling it off with Tanu surprising her more as she never thought Abhi would come around to acknowledging them being betrothed, let alone call it off with Tanu while at Hogwarts.. So it wasn't exactly moving on for chasmish if was going back to where she always belonged (her Abhi).. With raghav it was casual, not romantic, jus infatuation but with Abhi it was magic - it was like breathing so neither she nor Abhi would have been able to turn away from what existed b/w them.. When has she ever refused Abhi? Not when he asked her to keep their betrothal a secret not when he asked to call it quits with raghav.. She got what she wanna from the beginning.. Also unlike Tanu being abhi's gf for years, it was jus a few weeks she was with raghav and not enough to get emotionally/romantically attached to him plus raqhav also knew she was abhi's! This sting with raghav also made her realize what is always there in her heart - she was able to finally see abhi for himself, her heart beat for him like no one else when they were close - and abhi was not as someone she was betrothed to, but as jus abhi - whom she had always known and always wanna!
Abhi POV on Chasmish
Abhi has always been honest in both his relationship - be it with chashmish when he requested her to keep their betrothal a secret, or tanu telling he will be getting married to the person of dadi's choice and what they had between them was casual and he maintained his limits with tanu at all times, or the time when he didn't hesitate to state tanu as his gf to chasmish after Hogsmeade, or when he proudly accepted he was responsible of her best friend's (raghav's) broken limbs.. He was always honest with chashmish..
It took some time for abhi to see chashmish in a different pov from the girl he grew up with - Abhi hadn't seen chasmish in that light, to him she was jus a kid he grew up with, someone whom he will get married to, someone he was betrothed to since birth, she was family - he was caring and protective towards her - but smtn changed in him @ Yule ball -- when he actually see her wearing his chosen ghagra in Yule ball, it made his heart aware of how much his chasmish has grown.. Truly, that was the first time Abhi acknowledged chasmish as his fiance - it hit him that she was not the same little girl he grew up with but totally a beautiful woman! So to actually see her dance with raghav boiled his nerves but he didn't react much as chasmish came back to him or he fetched her for the photo session either ways, he exhibited his feelings on chasmish for the first time in their photo session -- it was his way of saying to chasmish that she was his.. And making her wear the traditional heirloom - in many ways its his first gift to chasmish, again strangely personal and the one that holds a lot of significance and value added with the heirloom history of being worn by brides - with this he only stated without words and actions that chashmish was only his!! But the library fiasco blew his mind off and he got his revenge in the Quidditch match.. Abhi is possessive and jealous and would go to any length to keep chashmish to himself (in a good way).. Abhi didn't intentionally wanna hurt chashmish ever and when he came to know jus how he felt seeing raghav with her, he immediately apologized for making her go through the same pain of seeing him with tanu..He was guilty and quick to apologize to her..
Abhi always felt home with his chasmish - his recreation of their garden & bringing in home-made food for her jus highlights how much ever far away they are from home it doesn't matter - as long as they are together it means they are @ home for him!! So even though when chasmish told him her wish of going to Hogmeade Puddiefoot for a perfect @ Valentine's Day it didn't really appeal to him - he took tanu on a date to hogsmeade as it was impersonal and casual - but with pragya it wasn't really the same - to take her as it didn't feel personal to him and also he wanna something special for his chashmish, something that would be jus them so unlike being a typical bf and abiding to fulfill her wish Abhi tried to recreate their magic - their home that wouldn't come anywhere close to being in hogsmeade.. Hogsmeade is a fantasy, but the real dream come true for chasmish is being in the garden with him - the garden/home that was a witness to everything that the two had shared as they grew up! It holds so many of their memories and its defo a place that screams peace, happiness, safe haven and content - perfect for a new start somewhere they have always been, something so close yet so significant in their life.. And the garden will also be a testimony to their future children and many more - so he chose it to say that a new start to their relationship on familiar grounds yet in a way nothing would be same anymore -- as they are not jus betrothed and to be married soon but they genuinely want to be married to each other now.. Chasmish was his life, it was like breathing - it was not a choice, it was not a question, it was something very fundamental/basic - something he needed to survive!
Spellbound
Hats off to you for bringing Abhigya to Hogwarts - this will remain really close to me as I am big HP fan.. Loved your characterization of each character, Abhigya had their flaw yet they were perfect for each other, tanu too obssessed with herself, the sorting hat made the right choice in assigning everyone to their house, to Purab who was being fair to prags and also gelling with abhi, to nikhil who went all out in to express his love for tanu, raghav being the perfect best friend to phataka to meethu who is muggle born yet trying to gel with the group - loved her rean to pragya's lehenga, daadi's gift was cool - everyone had a role here and your narrative was really fabulous.. Spellbound, enchanted and captivated by the shear magic of this beautiful fic - really enjoyed reading it as much you had penning it down for us.. Take a bow, mina! Big hug to you🤗
Edited by frenzyy - 9 years ago
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