Song- Spellbound by Siouxsie and the Banshees

Upon waking up, Kellah discovered a bag of snacks beside her and Hermione's foot in close proximity to her face. Layla was in the corner praying bowing east on a rug muttering in Arabic.The scent of incense and the flickering of a lamp beside her added to the peaceful aura surrounding Parvati as she prayed next to Layla. As Parvati sat with her legs crossed on the floor, her voice filled the room with the gentle hum of her Hindi devotions:

"Oṁ, Oṁ, Oṁ

Bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ

Tat savitur vareṇyaṃ

Bhargo devasya dhīmahi

Dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt-"

Despite recognizing their commitment to their traditions, Kellah decided to move away from it. Although she did not participate in prayer, she respectfully remained quiet.

As Kellah got dressed, she felt grateful she had chosen her accessories the night before, sparing her the stress of deciding what to wear in the morning. Lavender sprayed her signature lavender scent and walked through the mist, enveloping herself in the soothing aroma.

Kellah felt the cool droplets of Lavender's perfume on her skin. When she coughed, she realized the pungent smell of lavender had overwhelmed her own scent.

A perk of attending Hogwarts was the delicious meals served throughout the day, not just at dinner. Their meals were generally predictable, but from time to time they would surprise themselves with a diverse spread of food. Hogwarts' Indian food had a subtle spice to it, with a blend of exotic spices that created a complex flavor. The sushi was always in high demand, with its delicate presentation and fresh ingredients. The Chinese food was not your average takeout, but rather the genuine article, with succulent pork and tender bok choy. Savory flavors of the Peking duck and baozi always delighted her taste buds. Dim sum with tea was a breakfast favorite, especially on the mornings when she overslept from late-night conversations with her girlfriends. Kellah was slightly annoyed to find out magic was more than wand waving and excited to know how much she could learn. She wanted to study everything, and what she couldn't, she was sure Hermione would.

One class she took a liking to was Astronomy. Midnight on Wednesday found them gazing up at the night sky, marveling at its seasonal transformations with telescopes. Kellah's attention would frequently drift towards the moon, leaving her lost in its tranquil beauty. As if by fate, the meteor shower that had started the day before school concluded on September 5th allowed them to witness the spectacular event. That had everyone's attention. While the shadow period of Mercury's retrograde was still present, she was the only one who seemed to take notice. Even now, Venus remained in retrograde, casting its influence over everything. It was so cool to see it appear to move backward by slowing down and losing speed. The optical illusion in the sky was a mesmerizing sight.

Along with the other planetary movements, Uranus was also in retrograde, causing an astrological shift. What the hell was going on? Was this because of Harry Potter? Professor Aurora Sinistra's robes were an awkward match for her skin tone, as they were the same shade of brown. The Professor tapped her shoulder, signaling it was time to move on. She felt guilty for hogging BOSS (Balthazar Observatory Spatial Sorcery) for too long.

"Although you are very talented, you are testing my patience, baby. Look at the meteor shower through your own telescope," advised Professor Sinistra.

Without hesitation, Kellah made a beeline for Hermione. "The Professor kicked me off the telescope."

"She did it to me, too," Hermione said.

Professor Sinistra started running frantically, stomping her feet as if trying to scare away something. "Get your rat, Ron!" she yelled, trying to avoid the tiny creature's sharp claws.

Ron hurriedly reached for his rat. Draco sneered and made a sarcastic comment. "You can't even afford a real pet, Weasley. Just stick with your hand-me-down, rat," he jeered.

The students laughed among themselves. When Professor Sinistra snapped her finger, her students knew it was time to focus. They stopped laughing. "Draco, go to Slytherin Dungeons. You're getting on my nerves."

"My father will hear about this," he threatened.

"Mail him. I went to school with him."

Without a word, Draco gathered his things and quietly slipped out of the classroom, avoiding the teacher's gaze. Kellah looked at Hermione, her eyebrows raised in surprise. "As far as professors go, I believe she's the one I like the best."

The greenhouse was a regular destination for them, with three visits scheduled every week. She enjoyed this activity because it meant wearing different clothes, like overalls, sun hats, and aprons. Handling the dangerous plants required them to wear thick outdoor gloves, and they occasionally had to wear safety glasses. She cared little for herbology. She was a natural, but her passion was finding the rarest and most potent ingredients to create the most powerful potions. After struggling with spells, she concluded her strengths lay in potions and herbology. It could be because she was a first year, and this was more practical. Witnessing Hermione's success with spells left her feeling unsure of herself.

But today, Professor Sprout was teaming up with the Charms teacher, Professor Flitwick, teaching them about devil's snare.

The dark room enveloped them as they stepped inside, and they immediately noticed the black oozing tentacle writhing in the shadows. It recoiled from the light when they entered the room. With a flick of her wand, Professor Sprout demonstrated the spell, Incendio, and flames burst forth, illuminating the room. The plant uttered a piercing scream to warn off any potential threats. With a swift motion, Professor Sprout extinguished the fire, preserving the integrity of the plant. After giving instructions on practicing the spell, she promised to extinguish any mishaps. Seamus was the only one able to do it, but not without the cost of burning off his eyebrows. He wasn't good at much, but the fire was definitely his best ability. Dean, standing next to him, coughed violently as he waved away the thick smoke, prompting Professor Sprout rushed over to administer aid. This spell was notorious for causing burn injuries, and Seamus was always the likely victim. With skillful precision, Hermione conjured a tiny flame, and Kellah's attempt produced a spark. No one else came close.

Kellah found History of Magic fascinating, but the teacher, an uninteresting ghost named Mr. Binns, put the class into a deep slumber. She was bewildered by someone dying on the job and returning to work the next day - a demonstration of capitalism's lack of regard for human life. At least, that's what her mother would say about it. He was passionately sharing the details of the Gargoyle Strike of 1911. Any strike was good as far as she was concerned. Perhaps it would have kept Professor Binns from dying. Maybe Professor Binns' passion for teaching was so strong that even death couldn't stop him from doing what he loved. But was it love or indoctrination?

Perched atop a tower of books, Professor Flitwick demonstrated the power of the Incendio charm. Seamus completed the spell without accidents, much to the relief of the Professor, who cheered. As the class progressed, Hermione became increasingly irritated until she produced a fire as large as Seamus before it was over. Kellah still had her sparks. The class's emotions varied, with happiness for Seamus, annoyance with Hermione, and a lack of interest in Kellah.

Professor McGonagall's class was so strict that the scratching of quills on parchment was the only sound that could be heard. "The practice of transfiguration is fraught with danger. No messing about it, my class." She stopped at Kellah, staring at the butterfly clips in her hair. The students gasped as McGonagall flicked her wand, and the tiny, winged hair clips transformed into real butterflies. The fluttering incest danced around their heads before landing gracefully on McGonagall's outstretched hand. "This is not allowed."

"Actually, per the school handbook. Students are permitted to wear jewelry, scarves, and bandanas in certain classes, as outlined in the school handbook, as long as there are no loose pieces that could be a distraction. If it's a class such as Care for Magical Creatures, which I don't have, or Defense Against the Dark Arts, in which case, I can remove my hair clips."

The students let out an "ooh" that echoed off the walls of the classroom. Among them, she swore she heard Ron say Ooh shite. McGonagall clicked her tongue disapprovingly. The butterflies flew out of McGonagall's hand, their wings a blur of color, landing back into Kellah's hair. "That is indeed the policy. Let us hope you remember to remove your hair clips in Defense Against the Dark Arts. We'll know if you didn't by the patch of hair missing where a hair clip used to be." The class erupted in laughter, but their amusement quickly faded as they caught sight of McGonagall's glare. Kellah's defiance towards McGonagall was evident as she made a mental note to remove her hair clips before entering the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

They were given the challenge of turning a matchbox into a needle by their teacher. While Hermione had made strides, Kellah was determined to surpass her. In the end, she could transform it almost completely. Kellah's strong-willed nature seemed to have won over McGonagall, who smiled warmly at them.

Kellah sat down and removed her hair clips, letting her hair fall loose around her shoulders. The combination of the bad vibe and the putrid smell in Defense Against the Dark Arts class made Kellah feel sick. The pungent smell of garlic wafted from him, overpowering any other scent in the room. His head was adorned with a turban, and whenever asked about it, he would tell the story of how an African prince bestowed it upon him. A turban gifted by an African prince wouldn't be a simple purple piece of cloth but a magnificent display of colors and patterns. The wrapping job was so bad that even a child could have done a better job. Layla and her shared a knowing look. Even Dean was giving him a suspicious glance. The next time Kellah was scheduled for his class, she intended to wear a turban to show him how it was done.

They studied the properties of rare herbs that were effective in curing werewolf bites. She couldn't shake the feeling of unease, even though she hoped she would never need it. He had already mentioned zombies, how many magical creatures she had seen in movies were real, and how many more it did not mention. As the other students exited the classroom, Layla lingered to ask Professor Quirrell if he was a Sikh.

Walking into Potions class felt like entering a black hole of despair, with everyone dreading the next hour. A hush fell over the class, and students sat upright. The situation didn't bother Kellah. She had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of two blocks of potions. She had been studying all night, her eyes heavy with fatigue but her determination unwavering. As Snape spoke, his voice was so quiet that it was almost a whisper, but he kept talking. It was evident that he had a fondness for hearing himself speak. While Kellah was paying attention, Hermione was perched on the edge of her seat, eagerly awaiting what would happen next.

"Potter," he said at a normal volume, which was yelling for him. Writing consumed Harry's focus, and he couldn't hear anything else. Ron nudged Harry, who quickly set his quill down upon noticing Snape's piercing glare. "Our new celebrity, tell me what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to root of wormwood." Hermione and Kellah's hands shot up Ron, and Harry glared.

Kellah scribbled down notes as Harry responded. "I don't know, sir."

"Thought you wouldn't crack a book open before coming. Clearly, fame isn't everything."

He brushed past Hermoine and Kellah, refusing to acknowledge their outstretched hands. Kellah and Hermoine had different approaches; Kellah lowered hers, but Hermoine held her hand high. She was kneeling in her chair, waving her arm to get his attention.

Snape was mere inches from Harry's face, his voice low and menacing. "Where would you look if I told you to find a bezoar?"

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I'm not sure," he replied.

Hermione's arm trembled uncontrollably. Kellah attempted to lower Hermione's arm, but she was met with resistance. Her stubbornness was a hindrance, and she seemed unlikely to be willing to listen.

"Explain the distinctions between Mookshank and Wolfsbane?" Snape asked. Getting up from her chair, Hermione raised her hand.

"I don't know, but clearly, Hermione does."

Kellah stifled a laugh and received a stern glare from Snape. She found it refreshing that this Potter boy had a bit of a rebellious streak. So that was why all anyone could talk about on the way to classes was Harry Potter. It wasn't just his fame.

"Sit down, silly girl," he snapped at Hermione. "Potter, asphodel, and wormwood create a powerful sleeping potion. Few can make it. The potion is famously called the Draught of Living Death. Some things are more deserving of fame than others. You can protect yourself from most poisons by ingesting a bezoar, a stone taken from the stomach of a goat. Monkshank and wolfsbane are the same plants, which also go by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you copying this down?"

Kellah had already copied it down. The first question he asked seemed peculiar, even though she knew the answers. He asked about the effect of adding powdered root of asphodel to a wormwood infusion. Asphodel, known as a Lily in Victorian flower language, meaning my regret follows you to the grave. Wormwood means absence or bitter sorrow. I bitterly regret Lily's death. The name Lily sounded familiar to her, and she soon realized it was the same as Harry's mother's name, which made her uncomfortable, considering what she had read about him. The last bit was asphodel, which is known to have medicinal properties that can cure snake bites. As Kellah's body shook, she was overcome with a vision of Snape being bitten by a snake. The first vision of the future filled her with a sense of wonder and curiosity. Despite considering warning Snape, she knew from experience that he wouldn't pay heed to her words. Then she thought about telling Harry, but she knew he would brush it off. Frustrated, she crumpled up the paper.

Hermione mouthed the words are you okay? She thought about telling her, but Hermione was logical and wouldn't believe in visions. She whispered she had a cold chill.

"That's two points from Gryffindor. One for whispering and one for Potter's cheek, I didn't forget," Snape said as he scribbled some notes on the chalkboard with his wand.

"How do you know it was Gryffindor," Ron shouted, his face turning red as his hair.

With a flick of his wand, Snape froze the chalk in place. "That's three points now," he said with a satisfied grin.

That confirmed her not telling Snape what she saw.

They were paired up to work on a cure for boils during the double period, and the sound of bubbling potions filled the classroom. Everyone's potions annoyed him but Malfoy's until he reached Hermione's and Kellah's. The air was thick, with pink smoke emanating from it. It looked as though Snape was struggling to maintain his serious demeanor as if he was about to malfunction and smile. There was a glint of excitement in his eyes.

"A student has never done this on their first try. Three points to Gryffindor for the points Potter lost."

However, the moment was short-lived. Neville's clumsy hands caused the potions to spill with Harry, and the hissing sound of the bubbling brew filled the room. Seamus winced as the pungent smell of rubber wafted. He heard a series of small popping sounds, like miniature explosions. As the potion slowly approached their shoes, the sound of stools scraping against the floor echoed through the room. Neville's skin burned with searing pain as the scalding liquid spilled all over him, causing him to cry out. He was lucky to have Hermione and Kellah's potion, which prevented him from going to the nurse. Taking five points from Gryffindor, Snape's anger was palpable as he directed a furious tirade at Harry and Neville.