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...
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Two weeks had passed since Ananya's first day at Hogwarts, and she'd settled into a routine. She hung out with her friends on weekends, and focused on her schoolwork just like she would at a muggle school. At mealtimes she sat with Gabriel's friends group and Penny, who showed her true colors after they had roped her into a conversation and learned just how much she could talk. Professor Snape still billowed around the castle and gave out detentions like candy on Hallowe'en, but was neutral toward Ananya and Penny, who'd proven themselves quite successful in Potions. Professor McGonagall's stern facade never faded, but she did put Harry on the Gryffindor Quidditch team after a flying lesson where he had supposedly impressed her. Ron had told them about that one, but Ananya was pretty sure he'd exaggerated about the part where Harry flew three laps around the North tower and caught a ball-thingy from ten feet away.
It was Sunday, which meant Harry and Ron were most likely in the library with Penny, doing their homework after putting it off for so long. Ananya had found Hermione reading a book about curses and charms, so she'd left her there and instead found herself in front of a large statue of some magical lion. It's eyes looked like they were following her as she walked around it. Was it just a random statue, or did it have some kind of secret passage in it? Maybe she could start naming off random things.
"Password, chocolate frog, staircase, bowl, silverware, lemon drop, gumdrop buttons, electricity, twizzle sticks," she paused for a breath, then choked on air as the lion started to move. "What the heck?" Ananya watched in awe as it revolved, revealing a magnificent spiral staircase. She hesitated, then stepped onto the first marble step. When nothing happened, she let out a sigh of relief and stepped onto the second step. It was then that she almost fell—the staircase had begun to move upwards. What in the world was going on? She grasped for something to hold on to, and ended up finding a thin rail attached to the outer edge of the stairs that also moved, which was crazy too. It was a magical school, yeah, but who the heck invented moving stairs?
It wasn't long before Ananya had arrived at the top, in front of a beautifully ornate door that looked like mahogany, because she knew that any expensive or nice-looking wood was mahogany. Sue her, she's rich. Ananya gave herself a moment to calm down, then pushed open the door and walked into the most cluttered office space she'd ever seen. Gosh, she kind of felt sorry for whoever worked here, because it was much too messy to even think. A glance to the left and she saw a smattering of portraits, mostly asleep. She'd found out about the Wizarding world's photographs early on, which, spoiler alert, was shocking. It was only noon, though, so they were probably just taking a nap or trying to spy on her. That happened a lot in Hogwarts, according to Penelope.
To the right was a soft oak desk with a throne-like chair behind it, which seemed rather odd, even in a magical castle. Honestly, the only person she could imagine sitting in a throne was...
Uh oh. Her eyes widened and she rushed backwards toward the door. Was she snooping in the Headmaster's office? That would surely earn her a detention, if not a suspension or expulsion. She was totally screwed. Groping behind her for the doorknob, she only felt air, so she turned around and—bloody hell.
Professor Dumbledore's twinkling eyes met hers, and Ananya barely repressed her groan. "Ananya Adur, how delightful to see you here. Won't you sit with me for a moment?" He led her over to his desk, silver hair trailing behind, and patted her shoulder comfortingly before he sat. "So, Miss Adur, how did you get in my office?" He didn't seem angry or annoyed, so she calmed herself a little.
"Well...I was exploring the castle alone because my friends are studying, when I found the stone lion, and I wondered if it was a secret passageway or something. So I started saying random things, and when I stopped to think, the lion just started moving! It was crazy. So I got on the steps and then they started moving too and now we're here." She folded her hands in her lap, prim like her mother taught her, and waited for the professor's response.
He slid his half-moon glasses down his slightly crooked nose and smiled at Ananya. She fidgeted. "Well, my dear, you won't be getting expelled or anything of the sort. I'm sure that the castle led you here for a reason...hmm, let's see. Where is that file?" His attention turned to a large chest of drawers behind him, which looked more suited for a bed chamber than an office, and began to rifle through them unhurriedly. Three drawers down and twelve minutes of sorting later, Dumbledore finally pulled out a thin folder with a label that read 'Ananya Adeline Adur.' Curse her parents for liking alliterative names...
"Is that mine?" She asked redundantly. It was obviously hers.
Blue eyes twinkled again, and the Headmaster of Hogwarts opened the file. "Ananya Adur, born on 17 May, 1980, to Shabda and Tarun Adur. Both parents were from families of pure-blood linage, however, they were born as squibs. An arranged marriage was held between the two families, and both were obliviated. Ananya is descended from the Fawley and Adur lines." He looked back up at her, and didn't look surprised at her shock.
"You can't be serious," she muttered, reaching out to touch the file and read it for herself. Dumbledore slid it over to her shaking hands, watching as she read it.
"I'm afraid that I am quite serious, Miss Adur. Am I right to assume that you would want more proof?"
She nodded, eyes glazed. The silver-haired man smiled knowingly and took out an official-looking envelope, which he also handed to her. Ananya opened it (the wax seal was easy to break) and began to read the parchment inside.
Author's Note:
This chapter has been re-uploaded with an extra 400 words, so please enjoy! <3
