Sam Fawcett passed her a pumpkin pasty. Padma smiled her thanks before taking a bite out of the tasty morsel. Unfortunately, though, the sweet was just that: too sweet for Padma's tastes. She made a face before setting it down on her plate. Maybe small bites at random intervals would curb the richness.
Padma turned a page in her Transfiguration book. She had a firm grasp on the nature of transfiguration, but her practical application seemed lacking. Maybe there was something she was missing when she converted the framework into action. Her brow furrowed as she trying to find the missing link.
A burst of laughter from her own table caught her attention. She lifted her face in the direction of the noise. There, she saw Cho, Marietta, Kevin, and Penelope laughing. She felt an unfamiliar kind of ache. Before Hogwarts, she'd never really needed many friends. She had her books and her father. She always had her father. Here she was, months and miles away from him, without a single friend. Sure, she was polite with Sam, but they didn't seem to have much in common except their studies. Lisa was a sweet girl, but even more quiet than Padma was.
In the center of the group was Roger Davies, smiling broadly. His dimples grew deeper as he laughed. Padma felt her lips curl up in a small smile. It appeared that he had made some kind of joke. He waved his hand to gain their attention. After a few moments, he gained their attention once more.
Padma watched with increasing interest. She remembered his words, "Hope to see you in Ravenclaw" on the train to Hogwarts, but he didn't seem to recall it or her. Not that she could blame him, she was an ickle first year who never talked. She hadn't the courage to go up to him, seeing as he was two years her senior. She was at the bottom of the totem pole. She certainly couldn't blame him for not talking to her. What would she say to him, even if she could form sentences around him?
Roger leaned over the table, talking in a manner that suggested he was talking about something more serious this time. His eyebrow rose. His hand movements were small, but she liked them. He would emphasize a point with a motion of his hand. Padma watched the other's reacting to him. Marietta was positively glowing as she watched Roger. Her eyes never let him. Padma thought that Marietta might have a crush on him, and why not? He was good looking, smart, funny, charming, polite, generous…
Breaking out of her reverie, she sighed, looking down at her plate again. Suddenly, she just wasn't hungry. She pushed her plate out in front of her. As she did so, the food on it disappeared. The charms placed on the castle seemed to know what she was thinking. She imagined that the plate knew how she felt. She stared down at the empty place, taking a deep breath, putting her fist under her chin. She started to daydream when -
"Troll – in the dungeons – thought you ought to know!"
Padma twisted around in her seat to see who had interrupted dinner. She looked up Professor Quirrell who was breathless and looking very much as thought he was going to faint. A bit of irritation showed on her face. For Merlin's Sake, you're the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and you can't seem to handle ANY of it!
Then he did faint. Professor Quirrell sank to the floor in a most unattractive manner. The Ravenclaw table was in the center of the Great Hall, and the professor had stopped right next to her. She winced as the words he'd spoken sank in. There's… a troll.. inside the castle?
Her eyes went wide. The rest of her classmates had apparently realized the repercussions of what the professor had just said as well. There was an uproar as everyone tossed silverware onto their plates before leaping to their feet. Many students began shoving other students in the race to get out of the Great Hall. Padma was no exception. She'd read about trolls, of course, but the thought of coming up against one was overwhelming. What on earth would she do if she encountered one? Her brow furrowed.
She'd only just swung her legs out from under the table when one of her own Housemates nearly pushed her over. Padma caught herself before she fell, though. She winced, realizing she'd bent her finger back in the scuttle. She put her finger to her lip, as if it would help any. Dumbledore's voice rang clearly in the Hall. She stopped instantly and looked to him.
"Prefects, lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately."
Padma didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed her books and parchments, leaving behind her inkwell. If she took the time to retrieve it, she'd waste too much time. She tried to walk as calmly as she could, but some of the students were still rushing, talking animatedly about what a troll could do to a wizard. She tried very hard not to think about that.
A hurried Gryffindor pushed her hard, though, sending her books flying out of her arms. She frowned deeply, fully intending to scold Seamus Finnegan for assaulting her, but as she opened her mouth, she noticed loads of other classmates stepping all over her books.
"Oh, NO! My books!" She cried. Her shoulders slumped. She bent over to pick them up. One of the pages ripped out of her Transfiguration book. She groaned loudly, but it was not heard over the din in the Hall. Every time she reached out to take a book, someone nearly stepped on her hand. Nearly crying with frustration, she ran her hand through her hair. There was a hand on her back. Startled, she jumped and turned to look at whoever touched her, ready to scream her head off.
But it was Roger.
Her anger ebbed away quickly, but it translated into poorly concealed fear. She was shaking, she realized. Stammering, she said, "M-m-my books. Seamus knocked them out of my hands."
Roger smiled sympathetically, bending over and grabbing them. He gave a dirty look as Harry Potter nearly ran into them both. He was talking to the youngest Weasley without any regard to anyone else around them. She only overheard them talking about that Granger girl crying in a bathroom.
Granger, she rolled her eyes. That girl has a serious Know It All complex. Every time she'd raised her hand in class, Padma wanted to smack it down. Most of the teachers seemed to like her, though, which made her dislike the girl even more. When test results came back, Padma was always one point lower than Granger. It was enough to make her seethe with anger. She was used to being the one dotted on and commended for her smarts. At Hogwarts, she always seemed to be overlooked for Granger.
Roger handed her books back to her, putting his hand on her back to lead her out of the Hall. Padma swallowed hard. His. Hand. Is. On. My. Back. If the situation hadn't been so ridiculous, Padma would not have believed it happened.
As soon as they started up the Grand Staircase, though, Roger's hand left her back. She felt a sudden chill where his hand had been. Why couldn't he have kept it there? He hadn't even said anything to her. Was she completely revolting? Why? Why? Why?
Up the staircases, they went. Roger was still walking beside her, but he hadn't seemed to notice that she was even there. It was the only thing worse than a troll being loose in the castle, she was sure. Well, troll and failing her end of term exams.
Maybe she should join the Quidditch team? Or play chess, as she'd seen him do with Kevin so many times? Maybe she should curl her hair like Marietta? Or giggle a lot like Cho? Or be more serious like Penelope? Or –
Or maybe you should stop obsessing about this, Padma! Really, you're as bad as Parvati! She scoffed. She was not like Parvati, not in the least. Parvati was obsessed with boys. Plural. Padma was infatuated with one boy. Singular.
Then the herd of students suddenly stopped. Quizzical, she looked around. People were whispering. The Boy Who Lived had apparently outsmarted a troll in his first year. Padma stomped her foot. Why couldn't she have done that? She could have saved the day, and then Roger was sure to notice her then!
Oh well, she thought to herself. At least I won't have to go back to the Great Hall and pretend to be festive. She trudged the rest of the way back to the Ravenclaw Tower, heading straight for her dormitory to figure out where she was going wrong in Transfiguration class. At least, she would get one thing right at Hogwarts.