" Are you sure that this will work..?", Bhavya whispered into Susan's ears.

"Of course Bhavya, this is the most potent love potion on earth." Susan said.

Bhavya 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.."

Bhavya 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, Bhavya Pratap Rathore watched Rudra Singhania, who was whispering something romantic into Catherine Flint's ears. When she watched Catherine blush, Bhavya wished she was in her place, as Rudra Singhania's current girl friend.

Meanwhile, Gauri Trivedi was sitting at the Gryffindor house table and was reading a copy of the "Witch Weekly", while having her dinner. Just then, Omkara Singh Oberoi arrived at the Gryffindor Table with his friend, Jamie Johnson , after their Quidditch game practice. Omkara's eyes fell on Gauri and he looked at her with an expression of intense dislike.

Omkara and Rudra were both 17 years old and they were in the Seventh year (the senior most class), where as Bhavya and Gauri both were Sixth year students and were 16 years old.

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

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.

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

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.

Gauri 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.

Omkara and Jamie were at the front of the group of students.

"Fairy Lights," said Omkara, 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.

Gauri went straight through the door which had the spiral staircase leading to the girls' dormitories.

Meanwhile, Omkara and Jamie 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.

Omkara and Gauri were enemies since the day she had set foot in the castle, as a first year(11 years old). Omkara and Jamie, who were second years then, was the official "pranksters duo" among the Gryffindors. Gauri 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.

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

Bhavya loved Rudra 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.

Bhavya 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 Bhavya 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, Bhavya 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, Bhavya 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 Rudra. Next day, the school 'Quidditch' match was to be held between Slytherin and Gryffindor houses and she had a wonderful idea.

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

Omkara went down to breakfast early morning with Jamie and his other team mates in the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Just as they sat down at the Gryffindor table, a girl came towards Jamie from the Ravenclaw table. Her name was Martina, and she was Jamie's girlfriend.

"Hi Jamie..I just came to wish you best of luck for today's match."

Jamie smiled at her and said, "Thanks Marty..".

Then she lowered her voice and said again so that only Omkara and Jamie could hear, "And boys..I have got something with me..".

She showed then the tiny bottle in her hand.

"What is that..?", Omkara asked curiously.

"I got this from Bhavya'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..?", Omkara asked with a frown.

"Well..guys, do me a favour..You have got to mix this in ' Miss. know-it-all' , Gauri Trivedi'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 Omkara..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 Omkara with a smirk and pocketed the bottle.

Soon, other students also began to gather inside the Great Hall for having their breakfast. Gauri came inside and sat down a little bit farther from Omkara and his team mates. Omkara and Jamie finished their breakfast and approached Gauri. Gauri was surprised when they sat down on her either side. Martina was watching them with interest from the Ravenclaw table.

"Hello Gauri..How are you today..?", Jamie's voice was extra sweet. Gauri 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 Omkara, rather doubtfully. By that time, Omkara had dropped the entire contents inside the small bottle into her goblet filled with pumpkin juice.

"Nothing Gauri, we just thought of asking you whether you are supporting Gryffindor or Slytherin in this match..", Omkara said with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Of course, I will support my house, Gryffindor..Why should I support Slytherin..?", Gauri asked with a hurt voice and took the pumpkin juice goblet in her hand.

Omkara 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.."

Gauri was drinking from the goblet now, and she finished the whole pumpkin juice in one go. Omkara and Jamie were watching her intently, waiting for her long black hair to rise high.

But then, after placing the empty goblet back on the table, Gauri turned towards Omkara and gazed into his face with a strange unfocused look.

"Omkara..", 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.

Omkara was alarmed by her transformation and he sat there staring at her, dumbstruck.

"I don't hate you, Omkara..", 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 Omkara 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. Omkara felt as if his heart was going to melt at the sight of her. He stood up in a jiffy and stared at Jamie, who was watching Omkara, with mouth wide open.

Omkara scrambled out of his seat quickly and managed to say, "I have to go for the match..", before walking away with Jamie . Gauri watched him go with a forlorn look on her face.

#####END OF PART 1#####

Please post your opinions and comments..and do vote if you enjoyed..

love,
Naina