m&mwp. For mew, because she unknowingly convinced me to write Lorcan with Parvati. :3

& for Schermionie's 5, 10, 20, 50, 70, 100 Fandoms Challenge.

At Hogwarts, Padma was known the better twin for an extremely high number of reasons.

She was clever and bright, but not cocky. She was pretty and elegant, but not vain. She was charming and friendly, but not fake.

Padma would do well in life, everyone agreed.

She would graduate from Hogwarts with honours. She would succeed in whatever (probably very well paying) career that she chose. She would find a handsome wizard and everyone would turn up to see her dressed in white and walking down the aisle. Then, she would have however many children she pleased and each and every one of them would be attractive, clever and popular, just as she was.

Yes. Padma would have a good life.

Parvati was a different story.

She was...well, she was different. And while she loved her sister dearly, there wasn't a person she hated more. And so while Padma went off being all Padma, Parvati hung back a little bit. Then she lashed out and she made statements.

At home, she broke the living room window on five different occasions. She left her bed unmade. She never offered to help with the cooking or cleaning. And once, just once, she tricked her mother into taking a Puking Pastille.

At school, she refused to do homework. She snogged Draco Malfoy in a broom cupboard and let Blaise Zambini feel her up at the Yule Ball. She failed all her exams...well, she didn't fail all of her exams. But only passing one doesn't really count, does it?

After graduation, Parvati had assumed her life would be the same—being everything that Padma wasn't and doing everything she wouldn't.

As it turned out, life doesn't go quite as planned, and instead of being the absolute opposite of Padma (which would have been being unemployed and living on the street), Parvati ended up working for Hannah freaking Abott at the Leaky freaking Cauldron.

...which, in Parvati's opinion, was kind of worse than living on the street.

All in all, Padma was having a ball and Parvati's life sucked.

So she did the only thing she'd ever been able to do; she did something drastic. Only, she didn't have anything left to do that would considered drastic anymore. She'd done everything. At least, she'd thought had, until she saw a very fit (and very young), Lorcan Scamander reading in a secluded corner of the bar.

She'll tell you that she hadn't meant to approach him. She'll tell you that she hadn't meant to flirt. She'll tell you that she hadn't meant to undo one or two of her blouse buttons. She'll tell you that when she did do all of those ridiculous things, that it hadn't been her fault—that she might as well have been possessed.

She'll tell you that it hadn't been like her at all.

Except it had been just like her. Which is why now, two months, three weeks and five days later, Parvati is completely and utterly fucked, because really, she crossed the line this time.

Luna's confused. Rufus' furious. Lysander's disgusted.

And Padma...she's the judgmental bitch she's always been.

"I can't believe you," Padma all but screeches. "You've been screwing him? He could be your son."

"For Merlin's sake, it's not as if he isn't legal."

"For what? Legal for what?" her sister exclaims incredulously. "To have sex? Do you honestly think that's the problem here?"

Parvati rolls her eyes. "You're being dramat—"

"—shut up. Just shut up, for goodness sake. Is this 'Parvati's so dim' thing some sort of pathetic act? Or are you honestly as stupid as everyone says?" Padma closes her eyes, rubbing her temples. "Can't you remember sitting next to Luna in Charms class? That's her son you've screwed. You screwed your friend's son."

"You make it sound like I took advantage of him."

"You did!"

"I didn't. He asked me out. Not the other way 'round."

"You were meant to say no!" Padma clenches her fists, turning away from her sister. Then, with a resigned sigh, she says, "Parvati, you don't understand, do you? You don't understand what you've done."

And there it is. That condescending, superior attitude that belittles Parvati in a way that makes her want to shoot avada kedavras left, right and centre. What did Padma know, anyhow? As if Padma would know anything about her relationship, if you could even call it that, with Lorcan.

Lorcan and her...they're casual. She's the older woman that he screws because he wants to say that he has. He's the guy that she screws whenever she feels like rebelling. It's almost as if they're friends-with-benefits, minus the 'friends' part, of course.

"I don't have to listen to this," Parvati says decisively. "You're being ridiculous and quite frankly, sister dearest, you don't know crap."

She turns on her heel, determined to leave this all behind her. She'll stop seeing Lorcan; it's not as if she needs him to rebel. She'll find something else—someone else—just as easily. Anyway, she'll never see Lorcan again and then everyone around her will be able to shut up and mind their own business for once.

"Did you know he's in love with you?" Padma calls out, before Parvati's even managed to take two steps. "Did you know that Luna, Rolf and Lysander have all tried to talk to him and tell him how absolutely ridiculous the relationship between the two of you is? Did you know that he defends you with his every breath and says that it's not ridiculous, because the two of you are madly in love with each other?"

Parvati freezes.

She really did mess it up. How could she have misread things so badly? How could she mess up something as simple as no-strings-attached sex?

But that's not the worst thing. In fact, if she's being honest with herself, Parvati has to admit that Lorcan's feelings are the last thing on her mind.

The worst thing is that Padma has managed to one-up her again. Padma's still the better twin. Padma's still the one with sense. Padma's still the one that everyone loves. Padma's still never wrong. Padma's still number one.

With those thoughts fueling her mind, Parvati feels the unbearable need to rebel.

She Apparates to Lorcan's apartment. Not because she cares, mind you. She goes to him because she knows he'll never turn her down. She goes to him because she can't be bothered finding someone else. She goes to him because it's bound to drive Padma absolutely insane. She goes to him because there's no one else who would ignore Padma in favour of her. She goes to him because he loves her and she knows the he'll let her use him, abuse him, until her needs are fulfilled.

She goes to him because she wants to rebel.