The Great Hall of Hogwarts hummed with the easy noise of another ordinary evening.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV7LsBSlOm0
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVE1KjNGdHB
Lily Evans, head bent over her textbook, pretended not to listen, though the faint curve of her smile betrayed her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCh564yFc0
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrw5g3hw7Q
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3MZQArUmEp
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtU0KMzIyM
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBmVnXmxZe
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAreKVJUZ0U
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 Lily46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZIY3Hrvjl
Ronald Bilius Weasley, Youngest Son of Arthur and Molly46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6wYJAi2sx
Hermione Jean Granger-Weasley, Daughter of Muggle-borns46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVOBAW3Cgu
Draco Lucius Malfoy, Son of Lucius and Narcissa46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EkedahcM5
Viktor Krum, Durmstrang Graduate, Husband to Hailey46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzD3YREYyX
Teddy Remus Lupin, Son of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks
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The Great Hall exploded into noise.
James Potter shot upright, knocking over his goblet.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TFnkyKxEF
"Did he just say. Hailey. daughter. What?"
Lily stared at Dumbledore, her face pale.
Sirius barked a laugh and clapped James on the back.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtSA5vfFpx
"Congrats, Prongs, seems you're a dad!"
McGonagall stood sharply, knocking over her chair.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMSzhbDQ9X
Flitwick looked as though he might faint.
Dumbledore merely smiled that soft, knowing smile of his.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqMt746E3e
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgv5ZDezgOa
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzP2omNje8
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXoOqj8hD8
In her arms, a tiny child slept.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhkTm3npev
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 boy46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqnMt777dp
"Sirius Krum, named after Mumma’s Uncle", the five-year-old said proudly, puffing his chest.
Hailey smiled gently.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRLMVEC6BV
"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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJkSyushbK
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLhL9fnz6R
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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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