firstly, oh my good lord KRIS @siegvat YOU DUCKING SPOIL ME WHAAAT THE FAWKKK (WHEN I CATCH U WHEN I CATCH U) 👹👹👹 thank you so much for gifting and commissioning not one, but TWO chibis of novaliya, I love seeing our babies tgt and it makes me so happy to know how loved and taken care of Liya is (considering her…lore). I have yapped your ear off alr, and you already know how much I love and appreciate you 💗 ( tho let me say this one again: thank you so much, ilysm)
Secondly, CAN WE JUST STOP. STOP AND TAKE A LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL CHIBI??? Them probably gossiping about what an idiot Seb is, and they look so beautiful and happy 🥺I think my favourite part has to defo be their hair bc it looks so fluffy omg! The details r insanely accurate too btw
Lastly, you just know I RUSHED to make it my lockscreen so whenever I open my phone, I’ll be reminded of them mwhahahahaha bc their ride or die friendship is something I’ve always hoped to find irl (the bg pic was a pic I took a few years ago in universal studios and it’s my fav Hogwarts pic till this day)
Novaliya: Every story must start from the beginning
Featuring: Nova Shen @cheonchi @siegvat 💗
One shot | Parallel universe | Word count: 1071 words (maybe more cos i edited it)
Authors note: A little thank you to Kris for always drawing Liya, and for always being so supportive to me 🫶 it’s the least I can do ~ (more novaliya one shots to come soon) I LOVE novaliya sooooo this is also a way for me to cope with this crippling obsession
- - -
Liya had never found a true friend till she met Nova.
All her life, she had stubbornly held on to the staunch belief that friendship, or any relationship for that matter, were transactional.
A give and take arrangement, sometimes even a zero sum game.
Liya vividly remembered the day they’d first met —
She had always been fascinated by the Taoist philosophy of the universe.
The philosophy of Tao signifies the fundamental or true nature of this world, it is the essential, unnamable process of the universe. Nothing in the Universe is fixed, static, or non-moving; per se everything is transforming all the time.
Liya once told Imelda about it, to which the latter had laughed it off as ‘theoretically impossible’.
“I’m being serious!” Liya had snapped, her brows knit in frustration. “There are so many different universes besides ours.”
Contrary to all the people who had thought she was clinically insane (she was a few owls away from someone sending her to an asylum), it made Liya even more determined to prove everyone wrong.
She had dug the depths of the restricted section nightly, consuming books and books of ‘forbidden’ rituals to open the multiverse.
In her mind, the word ‘forbidden’ was only loosely used to separate the cowards from the worthy few. A meaningless word meant to throw people off. But not her.
As Liya prepared to engage in the ritual one night, she pushed away the gnawing apprehension in her gut.
‘There was no going back’. The voice at the back of her head warned her.
A small smirk graced her lips.
Who said she wanted to back out?
This kind of determination coupled with her insatiable thirst for knowledge was a dangerous combination — consequences be damned.
Liya took a sharp intake of breath. Her wand armed with one hand, and a bag stuffed with the essentials slung over her shoulder — a hand mirror (for vanity’s sake), a few hair ribbons and enough chocolate frogs to feed a small army.
She whispered the incantation, “Multiversum.”
Slowly at first, the tip of her wand glowed a soft blue. Then brighter. Hotter. The handle burned to touch, but the ancient instructions had specifically stated not to let go — a critical step where many had failed.
Liya clutched her wand even tighter, her teeth gritted trying to ignore the searing heat that reverberated on her palms (it was sure to leave a scar).
Until finally, a flash of light engulfed her form and the last thing she saw was the ring of candles scattered around the floor.
***
Liya opened her eyes again.
Where was she? Judging by the familiar surroundings and the faint whiff of laundry detergent, it looked to be the Slytherin dorms. Had the spell failed?
A pang of disappointment came first before the pain.
Her wand clattered on the floor as she winced, assessing the damage on her palm — a red, angry burn mark stared back at her in accusation.
Never mind that, her hair must have been a mess.
Just as she reached into her bag for her mirror, an unmistakable gasp made her stop short in her tracks.
A petite brunette student sat on the bed behind her, her eyes wide. To her credit, she seemed remarkably nonchalant having just witnessed an incident most would lose their minds over.
“Well,” The girl said dryly, “ At least I wasn’t naked.”
Liya bit back a laugh. That was the last thing she’d expected her to say.
Waiting for her to reply, the girl stared back at her, slightly peeved. She was really pretty, Liya would give her that. With her sharp features and eyes an alluring and unique shade of silver, she had the looks that could rival any model.
Despite how gorgeous she was, it didn’t take away from the fact that Liya was caught in the act, looking utterly stupid and exposed with nothing to fall back on.
“他妈的 (f…).” Liya cursed under her breath. What should she do now? Should she use the memory charm on her or —
“I didn’t know you spoke Chinese too.” Whatever lingering suspicion she had quickly morphed into intrigue. She inched closer to the foot of the bed, propping her head up with interest.
“If didn't know how to, my ancestors would be rolling in their graves.” To her relief, the girl laughed.
She rummaged in her bedside drawer before handing Liya a wiggenweld potion. “For your hand.” She added after a beat of silence.
Though it was a small gesture, Liya was overwhelmed with gratitude. Here she was, suddenly thrust into a room with a complete stranger. And yet, she never judged nor ridiculed her. These acts of compassion were rare enough as it was, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
“Thank you,” Liya drank it in one, big gulp, cringing as the pain dulled to a manageable ache. Normally, she would have sipped it daintily but this time, agony triumphed decorum. Thankfully, the student didn’t seem to mind as she only watched her curiously.
A moment passed before she gingerly offered her hand. “Nova Shen.”
Not to be outdone, Liya shook her hand. “I’m Liya Chang, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
At that, Nova snorted. “Merlin, you sound just like my brother.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Liya replied absentmindedly, her attention drifting as she took in the room. From across the dorm, she could spot a haphazard bed with piles of quidditch magazines littered all around.
If that was Imelda’s bed then…
Liya turned back to Nova, only realising that the latter was sitting on her usual bed…except it wasn’t her decorations that lined the walls. The colours and textures were different. The space looked lived-in, and personably curated.
That could only mean one thing…
She had succeeded!
“Nova,” Liya began slowly, “Do you believe in the theory that there are many different universes?” She braced herself for the usual skepticism, or even the careful tone of humouring someone who threaded the line of possibility versus reality like a jump rope.
To her utter utter surprise, Nova did no such thing. She nodded without hesitation. “Of course.”
Liya blinked, momentarily rendered speechless. That question had always been a litmus test — one where she had failed repeatedly. Fig and Imelda had dismissed it as speculative nonsense. Even Sebastian, for all his indulgence, had treated it like one of her more…eccentric fixations.
But what if Nova was just humouring her? Liya decided to test the waters again, just to be safe. “You do?”
Nova shrugged, as though it was the simplest thing in the world. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Between her knowing gaze and soft smile, it was clear she had picked up on the contextual clues to figure out where Merlin's name Liya had come from.
A parallel universe.
And she needed no further explanation.
Standing there, in a room that was not quite hers, in front of a stranger who hadn’t even questioned her sanity once…Liya felt a surge of validation.
The feeling was like a breath of fresh air.
“You have no idea,” A faint, incredulous smile tugged at Liya’s lips. “The number of people that had shut down this theory.”
“They’re going to have to eat their words now.”
“I’m just glad I proved them all wrong.” There was an underlying lethalness to her tone, but Nova was either too unassuming or too polite to comment about it.
And that was a start to an unlikely, beautiful friendship. Forged by fate, and only strengthened over time, Liya couldn’t be more grateful to have found a best friend like Nova.
Call it what you will, a stroke of luck or a divine sign from the universe, Liya could finally thank the gods (instead of berating them) for gifting her a once in a lifetime bond — and a confirmation of what having a true, genuine friend meant.
