A Table Full of Family

The final bell echoed through Hogwarts, signalling the end of the day's lessons.

Almost instantly, the castle seemed to come alive.

Students poured out of classrooms in every direction, their conversations echoing through the endless corridors.

Some complained about homework.

Some excitedly discussed Quidditch trials.

Others hurried towards their common rooms before dinner.

Krittika adjusted the strap of her bag as she walked beside Aaratrika.

"My feet officially hate Hogwarts."

Tushita laughed.

"We've only had one day."

"I know."

"And somehow I've already climbed enough staircases to reach the moon."

Pranita looked around the corridor.

"I think the castle enjoys making first-years suffer."

"I'm convinced the staircases move just to annoy us."

"They do."

Lakshmi answered seriously.

Everyone stopped walking.

"They... actually do."

Silence.

Tushita sighed dramatically.

"I've never wanted to fight a staircase before."

Sharvari burst into laughter.

The seven girls slowly made their way towards the Great Hall.

The enchanted ceiling had already begun changing.

The bright afternoon sky faded into shades of orange and purple as the sun slowly disappeared beyond the mountains.

Hundreds of floating candles flickered gently above the long house tables.

The smell of fresh bread, roasted vegetables, warm soup and baked desserts filled the enormous hall.

Students were already finding their places.

As always...

The four house tables stood proudly beneath their banners.

Gryffindor.

Ravenclaw.

Hufflepuff.

Slytherin.

Although separated by houses...

No rule stopped students from speaking before sitting down.

The Entrance Hall was crowded with laughter.

"KRIT!"

A familiar voice echoed through the hall.

Krittika turned immediately.

Three familiar faces were walking towards her.

Reyansh.

Kiara.

And Vihaan.

Reyansh had one hand inside his robe pocket, looking as relaxed as ever.

Kiara walked beside him, carrying a stack of books nearly as tall as herself.

Vihaan simply smiled the moment he spotted Krittika.

"There you are."

Krittika smiled brightly.

"I was just coming."

"We noticed."

Kiara replied.

"You looked completely lost."

"I wasn't lost."

"You walked past the Great Hall."

"...That happened once."

"It happened twice."

"...Details."

The older three laughed.

"So..."

Reyansh looked towards the group standing beside Krittika.

"These are the famous friends?"

Krittika nodded happily.

"You've already met some of them."

"But properly..."

She pointed one by one.

"Tushita."

"Pranita."

"Sharvari."

"Nupur."

"Lakshmi."

"Aaratrika."

Each of them smiled politely.

Vihaan greeted everyone warmly.

"It's nice finally meeting the people I've heard so much about."

Tushita folded her arms proudly.

"Hopefully only good things."

Vihaan looked towards Krittika.

"I'll let her answer that."

Krittika immediately looked away.

"...Mostly."

The entire group laughed.

"So..."

Sharvari looked between the three older students.

"Who's the strictest?"

All three cousins immediately pointed at Kiara.

Kiara gasped dramatically.

"Excuse me?"

Reyansh nodded.

"You colour-code your notes."

"Because organisation exists."

"You made me rewrite my Potions essay because the margins weren't straight."

"They weren't."

Vihaan laughed.

"I once borrowed her History notes."

"They had a table of contents."

"And page numbers."

"They're called standards."

Everyone laughed.

Even Kiara couldn't stop herself from smiling.

Tushita looked towards Reyansh.

"What about you?"

"What kind of senior are you?"

Reyansh pretended to think.

"The cool one."

Vihaan immediately answered.

"The irresponsible one."

"I am not irresponsible."

"You convinced Peeves that Filch had adopted a dragon."

"...That was funny."

"It was."

Kiara admitted.

"Filch searched the dungeons for three hours."

The younger students stared.

"You actually did that?"

Reyansh smiled proudly.

"No regrets."

"Oh..."

Vihaan suddenly looked at Krittika with a mischievous grin.

"Speaking of funny things..."

"No."

Krittika answered instantly.

He blinked.

"I haven't even said anything."

"I know that look."

"It never ends well."

Reyansh smirked.

"I have one."

"So do I."

Kiara added.

Krittika closed her eyes.

"Oh no..."

Vihaan rested his elbows on the table.

"Remember when you were six..."

Krittika groaned loudly.

"No."

"...and you found Fufa's old wand?"

Tushita immediately leaned forward.

"What happened?"

Vihaan struggled not to laugh.

"She announced she was opening her own Hogwarts."

Sharvari giggled.

"That's adorable."

Vihaan continued.

"Then she made all of us stand in a line."

"And?"

"She Sorted us."

Nupur frowned.

"Using what?"

"A cooking pot."

The entire group burst into laughter.

Krittika covered her face with both hands.

"I was six!"

Vihaan nodded seriously.

"Apparently I was Ravenclaw."

"Reyansh was Slytherin."

"Kiara was..."

He couldn't finish.

Because he started laughing again.

Kiara sighed.

"Hufflepuff."

Everyone looked confused.

"But you're in Slytherin."

"I know."

"Six-year-old Krittika apparently decided I smiled too much."

The table exploded into laughter.

"I'm not done."

Reyansh grinned.

Krittika pointed at him.

"Don't."

"I absolutely will."

He leaned back comfortably.

"When Krit was eight..."

"She became angry because Mama wouldn't let her keep an owl."

Tushita was already laughing.

"So..."

"She spent two whole days pretending to be an owl."

Silence.

"...What?"

"She refused to answer normally."

Vihaan demonstrated perfectly.

"'Hoo.'"

"'Hoo hoo.'"

"'HOO.'"

Sharvari laughed so hard she nearly dropped her fork.

"No..."

"YES."

Kiara nodded.

"Mami finally gave up."

"She literally asked..."

Kiara cleared her throat dramatically.

"'Would Miss Owl like some dinner?'"

Krittika buried her face on the table.

"I'm leaving."

"No you're not."

Vihaan replied.

"You haven't even heard the best one."

"There are MORE?"

Pranita asked.

"Oh..."

Reyansh smiled innocently.

"There are many."

Krittika looked up helplessly.

"I hate all of you."

Vihaan smiled warmly.

"No..."

He reached over and gently messed up her hair.

"You love us."

She tried to look annoyed.

She failed.

"...Maybe a little."

"A lot."

Kiara corrected.

Reyansh nodded.

"You've always been the youngest."

"And unfortunately for you..."

"We remember everything."

The entire table erupted into laughter once again.

For the first time since arriving at Hogwarts...

The whispers didn't matter.

The prophecy didn't matter.

The curious stares didn't matter.

At that table—

Surrounded by cousins and friends—

Krittika wasn't "the girl from the prophecy."

She was simply...

Family.

**************************************

When Time Stood Still

The Great Hall was louder than ever.

Hundreds of conversations blended together beneath the enchanted ceiling.

Laughter echoed from every house table.

Forks clinked against plates.

Owls occasionally swooped through the high windows carrying late evening letters.

For the first time since arriving at Hogwarts...

Krittika felt normal.

Not the girl everyone whispered about.

Not the child from the prophecy.

Just...

Krittika.

Surrounded by friends.

Surrounded by family.

"...and then Reyansh fell straight into the pond."

Kiara couldn't finish her sentence before laughing again.

"I was seven!"

Reyansh protested.

"Exactly."

"You don't have to remind everyone."

Vihaan grinned.

"I still remember Mama laughing for nearly an hour."

"Mama laughed?"

Krittika asked in disbelief.

"The same Mama who always acts serious?"

"Oh, you should've seen him."

Vihaan chuckled.

"He laughed so hard that Mami had to remind him to breathe."

The entire table burst into laughter once again.

For a while...

Nothing else mattered.

They spoke about home.

About holidays.

About festivals spent together.

About old family traditions.

About summers that felt too short.

Krittika listened quietly, smiling.

She hadn't realised how much she missed everyone.

Then...

Without warning...

Everything became silent.

Not gradually.

Instantly.

The laughter disappeared.

The voices vanished.

The warmth of the Great Hall faded away.

Krittika blinked.

Her smile slowly disappeared.

The candlelight around her dimmed...

Until only darkness remained.

A cold breeze brushed past her.

She was no longer sitting at the Hufflepuff table.

She was standing...

Somewhere else.

A long stone corridor stretched endlessly before her.

Ancient walls towered on either side, covered in faded runes that shimmered with pale golden light.

The air felt heavy.

Older than time itself.

Her footsteps echoed despite the fact that she hadn't moved.

Far ahead...

A tall figure stood in complete silence.

Its face hidden beneath a dark hood.

It didn't move.

It simply...

Waited.

Krittika tried to call out.

No sound came.

The figure slowly raised its hand.

A whisper echoed through the corridor.

Soft.

Ancient.

Almost impossible to understand.

"The blood remembers..."

Another whisper followed.

"When the sky calls again..."

"Find what was forgotten..."

The runes along the walls suddenly began glowing brighter.

Cracks spread across the stone floor.

Golden light burst through them.

The corridor trembled violently.

The hooded figure disappeared.

Everything shattered.

Like glass.

"Krittika!"

A familiar voice cut through the darkness.

Then another.

"Krit!"

"Hey!"

"Can you hear us?"

Someone gently shook her shoulder.

Her eyes flew open.

The Great Hall rushed back into focus.

The floating candles.

The enchanted ceiling.

The sound of students talking.

The smell of warm food.

Everything returned at once.

She blinked rapidly.

Confused.

Disoriented.

Her breathing had become uneven.

Every face around the table was staring at her.

Tushita looked frightened.

Pranita's brows were furrowed with concern.

Aaratrika was holding Krittika's hand without even realising it.

Sharvari and Nupur had completely stopped talking.

Lakshmi watched her carefully, almost as though trying to understand what had just happened.

Across from her...

Vihaan.

Reyansh.

Kiara.

All three looked worried.

"Krit..."

Vihaan spoke softly.

"Are you alright?"

Krittika looked around.

"...What happened?"

Reyansh frowned.

"You tell us."

"You completely zoned out."

Kiara glanced at the enchanted ceiling before looking back at her.

"You didn't move."

"You didn't blink."

"You didn't even answer us."

Vihaan checked the clock hanging on the far wall.

"You were like that..."

"...for almost five minutes."

Silence.

Five minutes?

It had felt like only a few seconds.

Krittika looked down at her trembling hands.

She quickly closed them into fists beneath the table.

"I'm..."

She forced a small smile.

"I'm okay."

"You sure?"

Tushita asked immediately.

Krittika nodded.

"Yeah."

"I just..."

"Got lost in my thoughts."

Nobody looked convinced.

But no one pushed her either.

The conversation slowly returned.

Yet...

For the rest of dinner...

Krittika barely spoke.

Because somewhere deep inside...

The whispers from that corridor still echoed.

"The blood remembers..."

Not long afterwards, Professor McGonagall stood from the High Table.

Her voice carried clearly across the Great Hall.

"First-years, it is getting late."

"Please make your way back to your common rooms."

The students slowly began leaving.

Friends wished one another goodnight before heading towards their separate houses.

"See you tomorrow!"

Sharvari called as she headed towards Gryffindor Tower with Tushita and Nupur.

Pranita and Lakshmi waved before disappearing towards Ravenclaw Tower.

Vihaan smiled warmly.

"Sleep well, Krit."

"If anything happens..."

"You know where to find us."

Reyansh gently ruffled her hair.

"Goodnight, little owl."

"I am not an owl."

"You used to be."

"I was six!"

Kiara laughed.

"Goodnight."

The older three disappeared into the crowd.

Krittika watched them go before turning towards the Hufflepuff basement with Aaratrika.

The Hufflepuff common room was quieter than usual.

The warm glow from the fireplace filled the cosy room with golden light.

Some first-years were already half asleep in the armchairs.

Others quietly finished homework.

After wishing Aaratrika goodnight, Krittika climbed the spiral staircase leading to the girls' dormitory.

She opened the door to her room.

For a moment...

Everything felt peaceful.

Then...

Something caught her eye.

Resting neatly on her bed...

Was a cream-coloured envelope.

Her name was written across the front in familiar handwriting.

Krittika Rajvansh

A smile immediately appeared on her face.

She recognised it instantly.

Papa's handwriting.

Beside it rested another smaller envelope.

Covered in colourful crayons.

Tiny uneven letters read—

To Didi ❤️

Krittika laughed softly.

"Sanvi..."

She carefully opened Papa's letter first.

Inside was a neatly folded parchment.

Our dearest Krit,

We hope your first day at Hogwarts has been everything you dreamed it would be. The house already feels quieter without you.

Your mother has already asked three times whether you've eaten properly.

I think she's pretending not to worry.

We are both incredibly proud of you.

No matter which house the Sorting Hat chose...

Remember who you are.

With all our love,

Papa & Mumma

By the time she reached the end...

She was smiling through tears.

Then she opened the smaller envelope.

A tiny drawing fell onto her blanket.

It showed two stick figures holding hands beside a castle.

Above them...

In colourful crayons...

Sanvi had written—

I MISS YOU DIDI.

Another line sat underneath.

COME HOME FAST.

Krittika laughed despite herself.

"I miss you too, monkey."

She wiped the corner of her eyes before pulling out a fresh sheet of parchment.

Dipping her quill into ink, she began writing.

Dear Papa, Mumma and my little Sanvi,

My first day was wonderful.

The Sorting Hat placed me in Hufflepuff... and I think it already feels like home.

I've made some amazing friends.

Today I met Reyansh Bhaiya, Kiara Didi and Vibaan Bhaiya too. They embarrassed me in front of everyone by telling childhood stories—as usual.

Classes have been exciting. Professor Flitwick is wonderful, and Herbology might already be one of my favourite subjects.

Please tell Sanvi that I already miss her, and yes... I'll write to her every week.

I hope all of you are doing well.

Give everyone a hug from me.

With lots of love,

Krittika

She smiled as the ink dried.

Carefully folding the letter, she placed it inside a fresh envelope.

Tomorrow morning...

An owl would carry it home.

She blew out the candle beside her bed.

Outside the window, the stars shimmered over Hogwarts.

But before sleep claimed her...

One thought returned.

"The blood remembers..."

The words echoed quietly in her mind.

And somehow...

She knew this was only the beginning. 🌙

The letter rested on the wooden desk beside her bed.

The ink had barely dried.

Krittika smiled to herself before carefully folding it and placing it inside the cream-coloured envelope.

Tomorrow morning...

An owl would carry it home.

She gently ran her fingers over Sanvi's tiny drawing once more before slipping it safely between the pages of one of her notebooks.

"I'll keep it forever," she whispered.

Outside the dormitory window...

The wind had picked up.

The branches of the old trees surrounding Hogwarts swayed slowly beneath the moonlight.

Everything looked peaceful.

Almost too peaceful.

"Still awake?"

Aaratrika's sleepy voice came from the bed opposite hers.

Krittika looked up.

"Yeah..."

"Just thinking."

Aaratrika smiled softly.

"I think everyone's thinking tonight."

She pulled the blanket over herself.

"First day."

"New people."

"New home."

"It's strange."

Krittika nodded.

"It is."

A comfortable silence settled between them.

Within minutes...

The dormitory grew quiet.

One by one, the girls drifted to sleep.

Only the crackling fireplace downstairs and the distant howl of the wind disturbed the silence.

Krittika finally blew out the small candle beside her bed.

Darkness filled the room.

Only pale moonlight spilled through the round window.

She closed her eyes.

Sleep came quickly.

Too quickly.

Somewhere...

Deep beneath Hogwarts...

Something moved.

Not footsteps.

Not a person.

Something...

Older.

Ancient stone groaned as though awakening after centuries of silence.

Dust fell from forgotten ceilings.

Far below the castle...

Beyond classrooms...

Beyond hidden passages...

Beyond even the Chamber known only to legends...

A circular chamber lay untouched by time.

No student had ever entered it.

No professor knew it existed.

Twelve enormous pillars surrounded the room.

Each carved with symbols so ancient they no longer belonged to any known magical language.

In the very centre...

Rested a stone pedestal.

Empty.

Silent.

Waiting.

Then...

A faint thread of golden light appeared.

Only for a heartbeat.

It travelled across the floor...

Like veins awakening beneath stone.

One pillar glowed.

Then another.

Then all twelve.

The chamber trembled.

A whisper echoed through the darkness.

Not spoken by a voice.

But by magic itself.

"...She has arrived..."

Silence.

Another whisper answered.

"...The First Heir walks the castle once more..."

The light disappeared.

Everything became still again.

As though nothing had happened.

Miles away...

Inside the Rajvansh Estate...

Everyone slept peacefully.

Almost everyone.

Aditya Rajvansh suddenly opened his eyes.

His breathing became uneven.

He looked around the dark room.

Nothing.

No sound.

Yet...

His heart refused to slow.

Beside him, Anvika stirred in her sleep.

Almost unconsciously...

She whispered a single word.

"Krittika..."

Aditya gently held her hand.

A strange uneasiness settled inside him.

The same feeling...

The same unbearable feeling...

He had experienced on the night Krittika was born.

He stood and quietly walked towards the balcony.

The night sky stretched endlessly above him.

The moon hung peacefully over the estate.

Then...

Without warning...

A single golden ring shimmered around it.

So faint...

It could almost be imagined.

Aditya's face lost all colour.

"No..."

He whispered.

"Not again..."

Back at Hogwarts...

Krittika turned restlessly in her sleep.

Tiny beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Her breathing quickened.

In her dream...

She stood before the same endless corridor.

This time...

The hooded figure was gone.

Instead...

A door stood at the very end.

Massive.

Black.

Covered in intricate carvings of serpents, ravens, badgers, lions...

And in the centre...

A symbol she had never seen before.

The moment her fingers reached towards it—

The symbol began glowing.

Brilliant gold.

A voice echoed from behind the door.

Ancient.

Broken.

Filled with sorrow.

"Do not open it..."

Silence.

Then another voice.

Completely different.

Cold.

Patient.

Waiting.

"Find me..."

Krittika's heartbeat thundered inside her ears.

She took one step forward.

The door slowly creaked open—

Just an inch.

From the darkness beyond...

A pair of pale golden eyes opened.

Watching her.

Recognising her.

Waiting.

Krittika gasped—

And sat bolt upright in bed.

The dormitory was silent.

Everyone else was asleep.

Moonlight still filled the room.

She pressed a trembling hand against her chest.

"It was..."

"Just a dream..."

Wasn't it?

Then...

A soft tap... tap... tap...

Came from the window.

Krittika froze.

Another tap.

Slow.

Deliberate.

She looked towards the glass.

An owl sat outside.

Its feathers were completely white.

Around its leg...

There was no Hogwarts ribbon.

No family crest.

No Ministry seal.

Only a narrow strip of black cloth tied with a single silver thread.

The owl did not move.

It simply stared at Krittika.

As though...

It had been sent by someone who already knew her name.

****************************************

The Owl That Shouldn't Have Been There

The tapping came again.

Tap...

Tap...

Tap...

Krittika sat frozen in bed.

For a few seconds...

She wasn't even sure whether she was awake.

The dormitory remained completely silent.

Around her, the other first-year girls slept peacefully.

Aaratrika had curled beneath her blanket, one arm hanging over the side of the bed.

Everything looked...

Normal.

Except...

The owl.

Its white feathers glowed beneath the moonlight.

It never blinked.

It simply watched her.

Its pale golden eyes reflected the light of the moon.

Almost...

Like human eyes.

Krittika slowly climbed out of bed.

The wooden floor creaked beneath her feet.

She glanced behind her.

Nobody had woken up.

Slowly...

Very slowly...

She walked towards the window.

The owl didn't fly away.

Instead...

It tilted its head.

As though recognising her.

"Who are you...?"

She whispered.

The owl remained silent.

It lifted one foot.

There was no letter.

No parchment.

No Hogwarts seal.

Nothing.

Only a thin black ribbon tied around its leg.

The ribbon fluttered gently in the wind.

For reasons she couldn't explain...

Krittika felt strangely drawn towards it.

Almost...

As though the owl wanted her to untie it.

She stretched out her hand.

Only a few inches remained between them.

Then—

CAW!

A loud crow cried somewhere outside.

The owl instantly spread its enormous wings.

A gust of icy wind rushed through the window.

Before Krittika could react—

It disappeared into the darkness.

Gone.

Not flying towards the Forbidden Forest.

Not towards the Owlery.

Simply...

Gone.

As though it had dissolved into the night itself.

Krittika stared at the empty window.

"...What was that?"

No answer came.

Only the wind.

She closed the window carefully.

Something felt...

Wrong.

Not dangerous.

Just...

Unfinished.

Her eyes drifted back towards the bed.

Sleep no longer seemed possible.

She picked up her wand from the bedside table.

A strange thought entered her mind.

Maybe I imagined it.

She looked back towards the window once more.

Nothing.

Only the stars.

Trying to convince herself that it had been a dream...

She finally lay back down.

Eventually...

Sleep returned.

The next morning...

Sunlight poured through the circular windows of Hufflepuff Tower.

Warm.

Golden.

Comforting.

Birds sang somewhere outside.

Students were already hurrying downstairs.

Aaratrika stretched dramatically.

"I don't think I've ever slept this well."

Krittika forced a smile.

"I wish I could say the same."

"You didn't sleep?"

"I kept waking up."

Aaratrika frowned.

"Nervous?"

"...Maybe."

She didn't mention the owl.

Not yet.

After getting ready...

The two girls walked downstairs together.

The Hufflepuff common room was already bustling with activity.

Some students rushed towards breakfast.

Others searched desperately for missing books.

One first-year boy was trying to convince everyone that he'd seen the Fat Friar floating through a wall while singing.

Nobody believed him.

As Krittika stepped into the corridor...

She noticed something.

Students were whispering again.

Not loudly.

But enough.

"...That's her."

"...She fainted yesterday."

"...No..."

"...She just froze."

"...Five whole minutes..."

"...My cousin saw it."

"...McGonagall looked worried."

Krittika lowered her eyes.

So...

People had noticed.

Before she could think any further...

Someone called her name.

"Krit!"

She turned.

Vihaan was jogging towards her, slightly out of breath.

Behind him came Reyansh and Kiara.

"You left before we could check on you yesterday." Vihaan said.

"We wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm fine."

She answered automatically.

Reyansh folded his arms.

"No."

"You're saying you're fine."

"That's different."

Kiara nodded.

"You looked terrified."

Krittika hesitated.

Should she tell them?

About the corridor?

The whispers?

The owl?

No.

Not yet.

"I think..."

"I'm just tired."

The three older cousins exchanged a glance.

None of them believed her.

But none of them pushed either.

Just then

The castle bell rang.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Students immediately hurried towards their classrooms.

Professor McGonagall walked past them with her usual graceful stride.

But...

As she passed Krittika...

She paused.

Only for a second.

Her eyes met Krittika's.

There was concern in them.

And...

Recognition.

Very quietly...

So quietly that only Krittika heard—

McGonagall said,

"Miss Rajvansh..."

"If you experience... anything unusual again..."

"My office door is always open."

Then she continued walking.

As though nothing had happened.

Krittika stood rooted to the spot.

How...

did Professor McGonagall know?

She hadn't told anyone.

Yet somehow...

It felt as though Hogwarts itself already knew.

***************************************

The Morning After

The castle always looked different in the morning.

Golden sunlight poured through the stained-glass windows, filling the stone corridors with warm patches of colour. Portraits that had been asleep only hours earlier were now awake, chatting with one another as students hurried past.

The smell of fresh bread drifted through the corridors.

Somewhere nearby, Peeves zoomed across the ceiling, laughing as he dropped tiny paper frogs over a group of terrified first-years.

"PEEVES!"

A professor shouted from down the corridor.

The poltergeist only laughed louder before disappearing through a wall.

Krittika couldn't help smiling.

Maybe...

Just maybe...

Today would be normal.

By the time she entered the Great Hall, breakfast had already begun.

The enchanted ceiling reflected a clear blue sky.

Owls swooped gracefully above the four house tables, delivering newspapers and letters before disappearing towards the Owlery.

The Hufflepuff table was already crowded.

Aaratrika waved enthusiastically.

"Krit!"

"Over here!"

Krittika sat beside her.

Across the table, a second-year politely passed the toast basket.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Around her, conversations flowed naturally.

Students discussed homework.

Others argued about Quidditch.

Someone from Gryffindor loudly claimed they'd seen a ghost crying in the Astronomy Tower.

No one believed him.

A few minutes later—

"Move."

A familiar voice interrupted.

Vihaan placed his tray opposite Krittika before anyone could object.

Reyansh followed immediately behind him.

Kiara arrived carrying two mugs of hot chocolate.

"I stole one."

She whispered dramatically.

"For you."

"You stole hot chocolate?"

Krittika laughed.

"I borrowed it permanently."

Kiara corrected proudly.

Reyansh sighed.

"She's impossible."

"So I've been told."

Soon, Tushita, Pranita, Sharvari, Lakshmi and Nupur joined them as well.

For a brief moment...

The table felt less like Hogwarts...

And more like home.

"So..."

Sharvari grinned.

"First full day."

"Anyone already regret coming?"

"I regret waking up."

Tushita declared dramatically.

"The beds are too comfortable."

Pranita raised an eyebrow.

"You almost missed breakfast."

"I was appreciating sleep."

"No."

"You were snoring."

"I do not snore."

"You absolutely do."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Even Krittika laughed.

A real laugh.

The heaviness from last night seemed...

Smaller.

Not gone.

Just...

Further away.

Then...

Lakshmi quietly looked towards Krittika.

"You look tired."

Krittika instinctively touched the skin beneath her eyes.

"Do I?"

"A little."

"Couldn't sleep?"

Aaratrika answered before Krittika could.

"She kept waking up."

Vihaan frowned slightly.

"You sure you're alright?"

Krittika smiled.

"I'm fine."

This time...

She almost believed it herself.

Just then—

A loud flutter echoed through the Great Hall.

Dozens of owls flew overhead.

Students instinctively ducked.

Letters landed everywhere.

Packages dropped onto tables.

A small brown owl delivered a parcel directly into Tushita's porridge.

"Oh, come on!"

Everyone laughed.

But...

One owl didn't land.

It circled the Hall once.

Twice.

Three times.

Pure white.

Silver eyes.

Krittika's smile disappeared.

It was the same owl.

She was certain.

The owl flew silently above the Hufflepuff table.

For one brief second...

Its eyes met hers.

Then—

Without delivering a single letter—

It turned sharply and disappeared through the enchanted ceiling's open window.

No one else seemed to notice.

Except...

Professor McGonagall.

From the High Table, her gaze followed the owl until it vanished

She looked thoughtful.

Almost...

Concerned.

Krittika's heartbeat quickened.

It wasn't a dream.

The owl was real.

And somehow...

It had found her again.

The castle bell rang.

Students immediately stood, gathering books and bags.

"Come on!"

Tushita called.

"If we're late again, Professor Sprout will make us repot every Venomous Tentacula in the greenhouse."

"I don't even know what that is."

Nupur groaned.

"You'll find out."

Pranita smiled.

"And you'll probably scream."

"I will not scream."

"We'll see."

The group laughed as they stepped into the corridor together.

Behind them..

High above the castle...

The white owl circled Hogwarts one last time.

Then disappeared into the clouds.

Watching.

Waiting.

As though its true message had not yet arrived.

To be continued...

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How's the chapter cuties? And I am so sorry that is baar chapter late aaya hai. But do tell me in the comment section if you liked it? And do share it.