Amazing cover by Julia Kim, also known as @soulofstaars!
Ananya Adur is the daughter of a set of very prestigious muggle politicians who are not pleased to find out that she is different from what they expect of her: she is a witch.
In fact, they ar...
Hey guys! I just want to explain some stuff before you read this chapter. Firstly, Ananya is a half-white Muslim. Her mother's family is white, but use names from India to fit their religion. Her father's family is from Visakhapatnam. Also, I believe that Ananya would look more like her mother, and have lighter skin, hence Natalia Dyer.
Anyway, I am not Muslim, so any mistakes are made because I'm looking up all of these things online. Please feel free to correct me and help me out! Also, it may be the 1990s, but Islam was pretty widespread at that point in Ireland. They even had their first Muslim parliament member in 1992!
This is long enough. Enjoy!
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Ananya slumped back onto her new bed in the Hufflepuff girls' dorm. The feast had been long and tiring, but the food was amazing. She'd barely been able to make it to dessert, and she was usually one of the pickiest eaters you could find. The food was almost better than her family's cook, Fareeha. That wasn't what amazed Ananya the most about Hogwarts, though. It had been the sheer volume of the castle that had stood out once the group of first-years left the Great Hall. Penelope Clearwater had said something about 7 floors and towers on top of that. It was absolutely insane--she'd never seen anything so big, even when her parents had negotiated a deal with a king in the Middle East.
Back to the dorm, she scolded her thoughts. And what a dormitory it was, with dark green plants hung lush from the ceilings and walls; yellow banners and drapes covering everything; and thick carpet tickling their feet in every room. The walls were a dark wood, but the bright accessories made the room feel large and homey. Oh, and the beds! They were simply incredible, covered in plush bedclothes and laden with hand-sewn pillows that were filled with soft, downy feather. Penny was the one who found that out by accidentally ripping one with her hair pin when she'd laid down. It had been a right mess, and Ananya kind of wished that Hogwarts had servants on hand, but dismissed it. It was most likely seen as cruel and unusual to make others do the dirty work for you in the Wizarding World.
Ananya rolled over and unlocked her trunk, rummaging through it for a moment before pulling out a nightgown. She'd better get ready for bed, as it was getting late and Penelope told them to be up by 6:30 in order to go to breakfast. She thought about all of the food they would have in the morning as she showered swiftly, then got dressed and began the process of de-tangling, brushing, and plaiting her hair. It had taken her about an hour at home when she did it alone, so she went to sit on her bed in order for the others to have their go at the bathroom.
It went much faster at Hogwarts, to Ananya's relief, and she put the final hair band in only fifteen minutes after she'd began. Maybe her time here wouldn't be all too bad—at least she'd be away from her distant-but-involved parents and the gossipy maids from tbe third floor. She was glad about something, at least. However, she did feel quite guilty that she hadn't been able to do some of her prayers today. At least she'd done Fajr and Zuhr, and she would do Isha a little early tonight. Allah would not mind--as long as she was praying and believed in him, Ananya thought that it would be okay.
Quickly she unfolded her prayer rug and laid it on the ground, facing where Mecca would be. She had asked Professor McGonagall about it, and had been given a list of times for prayers and a specialized schedule that was carefully blocked around said prayer times. It was nice to feel like Hogwarts accepted her, religion and all. Although, it did seem a little weird that the staff had cut into their time just for her. Maybe there were others who prayed also?
After she had recited the supplications while standing, bowing, kneeling and prostrating, Ananya tucked the prayer rug under her bed and laid down, glad that the other first-year girls were in the common room. Tomorrow, she would have to get up before 4 in order to perform wudu and pray by 4:26, which was the listed time for Monday the 2nd's Fajr. Hopefully she wouldn't wake the others—that would be a weird conversation to have.
Then it would be breakfast at seven, where she hoped they would have something good to eat. With a great yawn, she rolled over and tucked her arm under the pillow, falling asleep as soon as her head met the soft down.
