The Great Hall of Hogwarts hummed with the easy noise of another ordinary evening.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwE6jaPY6Q
Candles floated lazily in the enchanted ceiling, casting warm pools of light across laughing students and weary professors.
James Potter and Sirius Black were arguing over a game of Exploding Snap.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79ZpBC1SPW
Lily Evans, head bent over her textbook, pretended not to listen, though the faint curve of her smile betrayed her.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiT9rlNKXLo
At the staff table, Professor McGonagall scolded a third-year for attempting to charm a bread roll to walk.
No one noticed the owl at first.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVZiyQADvR
It wasn’t one of the usual school owls or even a student bird; it was sleek, silver-feathered, almost ghostly under the torchlight.
It circled once, twice, then dove straight toward the Head Table, dropping a thick parchment envelope squarely into the hands of Albus Dumbledore.
The Headmaster frowned.
The parchment was heavy, ancient, and sealed with an unfamiliar crest: a phoenix clutching an hourglass in its talons.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdgQJatLHe
The handwriting across the front was strong, deliberate:
To Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Students craned their necks, whispering.
Dumbledore ran a finger lightly along the seal.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtaxUTrIU0U
The wax broke with a soft sigh.
He unfolded the letter slowly, eyes sharpening as he read aloud in a calm, commanding voice that silenced the Hall.
Dear Headmaster,
In moments, a doorway between times will open within your walls.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UDgCWMMLa
We come not to disrupt, but to heal.
We are the children of your future and the keepers of your past.
We arrive bearing truths, families, and a chance to set things right that once went wrong.
Please greet us not with suspicion, but with hope.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvEXsk7IDt
We carry the names you know and the faces you haven't seen yet.
Await us at the Entrance Hall.
Signed,
Hailey Jasmine Krum (née Potter), Daughter of James and Lily58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHi2So8F4qO
Ronald Bilius Weasley, Youngest Son of Arthur and Molly58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7Mki9i9Ia
Hermione Jean Granger-Weasley, Daughter of Muggle-borns58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJWW9f3qh6
Draco Lucius Malfoy, Son of Lucius and Narcissa58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryDDcwyjzQ
Viktor Krum, Durmstrang Graduate, Husband to Hailey58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5IrkrfbJM
Teddy Remus Lupin, Son of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3gA5TlYpq
The Great Hall exploded into noise.
James Potter shot upright, knocking over his goblet.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpNCPyp3Ur
"Did he just say. Hailey. daughter. What?"
Lily stared at Dumbledore, her face pale.
Sirius barked a laugh and clapped James on the back.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wBLFM7DwJ
"Congrats, Prongs, seems you're a dad!"
McGonagall stood sharply, knocking over her chair.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUIUXnYtWC
Flitwick looked as though he might faint.
Dumbledore merely smiled that soft, knowing smile of his.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2N1L8V34BM
He tucked the letter into his robes and rose to his feet.
"Minerva, Filius, join me at the Entrance Hall," he said lightly. "It would be most rude to keep our guests waiting."
Cold air prickled the skin, though no doors had been opened.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9x9jMuywO
The stone floor beneath their feet seemed to hum, faint but rising.
Then, before their very eyes, the air tore itself open not a destructive rip, but a deliberate, careful fold like a hand pulling back a curtain.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFh4hcdb2P1
And through that seam stepped five adults and a gathering of children.
First came Hailey Jasmine Krum.
She was radiant, a warrior and a mother both, her dark hair braided back, one hand resting protectively on her rounded stomach.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhypPU0rVzR
In her arms, a tiny child slept.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNdvhL2TaJ
At her side, an eight-year-old boy with wild hair and flashing eyes grinned cheekily at the stunned professors.
"James Krum," he introduced himself with a boyish bow. "Named after my grandfather."
Viktor Krum, tall and solid as a mountain, kept a careful hand on the shoulder of another boy58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzck6ijX5x
"Sirius Krum, named after Mumma’s Uncle", the five-year-old said proudly, puffing his chest.
Hailey smiled gently.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLps6BIllUM
"And Lily Krum," she added, lifting the sleeping toddler for them to see.
Draco Malfoy approached next, with the regal bearing of a lord but the weariness of a man who had lived through too much.
"My name is Draco Malfoy," he said simply. "Formerly of Slytherin.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRwvj1iMyR
This is my son, Scorpius Malfoy."
The little boy peered at the watching crowd with a cautious curiosity, clutching his father’s robes.
Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger-Weasley came forward together, standing tall despite the heavy tension in the air.
"Ron Weasley," Ron said with a grin, "Gryffindor. Youngest son of Arthur and Molly."
"Hermione Granger-Weasley," Hermione added, her voice steady. "Gryffindor, Muggle-born."
Their children, Rose, four years old, hid shyly behind Hermione's legs and Hugo, aged just two, blinked sleepily from Ron's arms.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRLMMkGFGH
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And finally, a young man stepped forward, older than the other children, his hair a soft, ever-changing shade of blue that marked him unmistakably.
"Teddy Remus Lupin," he said proudly. "Son of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. Godson of Hailey and cousin of Draco. Hufflepuff. Seventh year. Almost finished."
His voice carried a gentle, unspoken promise: We are not here to harm you. We are here to help.
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