Disclaimer: Don't own and never will.
AN: For the 'Girls of Harry Potter competition 3'
"Give it back!" Padma yelled at the two Gryffindor boys tossing a much-worn cuddly toy elephant back and forth between them. She closed her fists in frustration. "Give it back!"
"Oh the little cowardly nerd wants her wittle toy back." One of the boys jeered, a tall blond with gorilla arms.
"Why don't you try to get it?" the other boy jeered as his friend threw it to him. "Or are you just another cowardly blue?"
"It's not like we saw a lot of them fighting You-Know-Who." His friend added.
Padma cursed the fact that she had left her wand behind once more. Although the war was over, the simple fact was that it was still a fairly stupid idea to wander around with out a wand.
"This stupid paki doesn't even have the guts t-" the boy never got a chance to finish his sentence as a fist slammed into his jaw and sent him flying into the wall. As the other boy turned to face his friends attacker, he suddenly keeled over has Padma put her foot into his groin and grabbed her cuddly toy elephant back. But before she could thank her rescuer, he pinned the second boy against the wall and pressed his wand against his nose. It was only then that Padma recognised the boy as Justin Finch-Fetchley.
"Listen up you worthless scum." He hissed angrily. "This girl has more courage in her little finger than you have in your entire body."
"Hey, you can't mess with us! We're DA!" the boy protested. Justin and Padma both gave him contemptuous looks.
"No you're not." Justin hissed in an even angrier tone. "Because you and your friend wouldn't have the guts to join. And because Harry would have kicked you out for your attitude." Justin paused for a moment to take breath, before continuing. "But the main reason I know you aren't DA is because SHE is in the DA. And so am I. Now apologise!"
"Apologise? To a pa-" the boy was unable to finish his sentence because Justin slammed his fist into his jaw, firmly knocking the boy out.
"Thanks for helping me." Padma murmured. Justin smiled at her.
"That's ok. What is that anyway?" he asked, pointing to the elephant. Padma blushed hard, before holding cuddly toy up.
"This is Mr Potter." She said, blushing even harder. Justin smiled and his eyes lit up with amusement. Padma hit him with it playfully. "Don't laugh!"
"Okay, okay!" he protested, raising his hands in mock surrender. "So why Mr Potter?"
"Well when I was three, I heard the story of Harry Potter. My Aunt Shreena had just given me this elephant." Padma paused for a moment as she remembered her now dead aunt, a victim of Voldemort's Death Eaters. "Anyway, I was so inspired by it, I named him Mr Potter and my twin named hers Mrs Potter."
"I see." Justin said and Padma felt an urge to continue.
"Well I used to need Mr Potter to hold onto when I went to sleep when I was younger. I used to think that he would protect me from the nightmares and stop them from hurting me."
"Did it work?" Justin asked and Padma smiled.
"Mostly. It's more a psychological thing, but I'm less afraid of nightmares with him. Anyway, I left him behind when I came to Hogwart's. I'd outgrown him. But…" Padma paused and choked a little. She wasn't a brave Gryffindor like her twin sister. "But when the Carrows took over last year, I…started having nightmares about what was happening around us. The torture, the cruelty, the deaths." Padma paused and took a deep breath, shuddering as she did. "I brought Mr Potter in with me to hug to sleep."
"It's okay to have nightmares." Justin said softly. "Doesn't make you any less brave. We all did during that year."
"After a particularly vicious nightmare, I'd take a walk around the Ravenclaw common room with Mr Potter and well tonight, I wandered out here. I thought that now we've defeated Voldemort, the most I'd have to worry about is loosing a few house points at worst." Padma gave him a rueful smile. "After all the mess that was last year, when I carried my wand at all times, I decided not to carry it this time. It would be just another reminder of that horrible year, carrying around with me at night."
"And that's when you ran into those two idiots." Justin finished for her. "Do you want to talk about your nightmare?"
Padma gave him a watery look. "Another time perhaps. She replied. Another time."
"One more thing before you go." Justin cut in before she left. Padma raised a curious eyebrow. "I need to have a word with your elephant, Mr Potter."
Padma lifted Mr Potter the elephant up and Justin looked the cuddly toy in the eye.
"Now you listen to me, Mr Potter." Justin said in a mock serious tone. "This lady needs someone to protect her. I'm trusting in you to chase away any nightmares." Padma giggled.
She'd never admit to it, even under Verisitum, that the nightmare that had driven her out her was one where she had killed him as her body acted outside her free will.