AN: Well, this is the first story I post here. I was inspired to take another look at Hogwarts and the Harry Potter years through the eyes of some of the minor characters and in my pursuit I kinda/sorta/definitely fell in love with the idea of exploring it through Padma and Parvati's eyes, after suddenly getting heaps of inspiration to develop their background. I hope it's to anyone's interest and I hope it's alright. I'll be reading reviews if they're made and I really enjoy feedback.

Disclaimers: Most of the characters in this will belong to JKR. I've filled in gaps with some of my own characters, and likely some of them will play important roles, but the world itself and any canon characters are hers.

The Day Before

Parvati's dark brown eyes jolted open, the rays of light that penetrated the curtain making them bolt shut again with the same force and speed. She turned to her side, seeing through her lashes that the bed across from hers was already made and that the clock on the nightstand read 11:40. She cursed, knowing full well the rest of the family would already be awake. Padma would've woken up hours ago and, naturally, had forgotten to make sure the blackouts were closed behind the curtains, which now made her twin sister remarkably angry.

She sighed deeply as she pulled the sheets off her body, revealing her pink nightgown, stamped with little drawings of grey elephants. She used her arms to push herself up and sat with her legs dangling beside the bed, using her feet to reach for the fluffy slippers that were placed on the corner. Managing to drag them over, she put them on hastily before standing up, the wooden floor slightly creaking as she made her way to the bathroom the two of them shared. In fact, they shared most things. A room, a bathtub, a wardrobe… Her hand reached to the necklace she never took off. And the letter P. The two of them shared the letter P.

Using her fingers, Parvati cleaned the sleep from her eyes, grabbing a towel before she got into the warm shower. She lingered in there until her hands were wrinkled and she could not see her reflection from beyond the fogged up glass. She sighed as she turned off the water and wrapped her body in a towel, running her hand over her mirror so she could see herself once again.

The process did not take long. She combed and plaited her long, silky hair and headed back into her room. She settled on wearing something normal, a pair of jeans and a white blouse, before opening the door of their room without any care and heading downstairs, where she could already see her family gathered in the living room. Padma had her nose inside a book called India: Religion and Magic, clearly one of their father's possessions, the man himself sitting in the armchair beside her, drifting through the day's newspaper. Her mother, who had heard her coming downstairs, appeared from the kitchen door, wearing an apron over her clothes. On one hand, she held a ladle. On the other, her wand. Now that was something Parvati envied.

"Pati, finally, you're up!" she was frowning, her strong Indian accent having been traded for the famous Queen's English when she was only a young girl. "It's 12:15! Lunch is almost ready to be served."

"Sorry, Mama…" Parvati had not finished the apology and her mother was already hurrying back to the stove. She turned towards her father and sister and sat down on the sofa that faced them, staring intently at her nails. Padma looked up from her book and smiled. Parvati had no choice but to return it. For all their differences, she knew that she loved her sister and although some called it remarkable, the two had always gotten on well.

The Patils lived in a comfortable home in the outskirts of London, near Richmond, Surrey. Their two-story house was furnished appropriately, with the perfect setting for an upper-middle class family. The living room was set up with sofas and armchairs, as well as a circular dining table to one side. The walls, lined either with paintings that were passed down through generations or with bookshelves, reflected the interests of both Padma and her father, a muggle-born journalist for the BBC. On one corner, stood a small shrine to Saraswati and Ganesha, the Hindu goddess of intelligence and the god of wisdom, respectively. Both her parents were devotees of the two, and although Parvati was never really religious, Padma, even with her greater intellect, seemed fascinated by their history.

Growing up as half-bloods was an interesting experience, and even at 10, both twins acknowledged how important it had been for them. Although they faced the problems of both worlds, they also managed to extract the best of them: knowing Shakespeare and Scamander, Flemming and Flamel. They also got to taste both chocolate frogs and Mars bars, which wasn't such a bad deal if you really thought about it. Though their mother had initially wanted them to have a complete magical upbringing, even suggesting moving further away from the big city, where they could have proper magical experiences, she also ended up realising that maybe being able to handle themselves in the muggle world wasn't such a terrible thing. Therefore, Padma and Parvati grew up holding both pens and quills, having a dog and an owl as pets. And they loved it. It was sometimes hard to explain to the neighbours how Parvati's dresses remained clean even after she'd spent the day playing in the mud, or how Padma could recite a novel back to front at three years of age, but any special talent was attributed to how perfect the family was, and how their children mirrored the wonders of their parents.

They were, after all, wonders. Their father, Indra Patil, had immigrated to Britain as a young boy, his parents having followed a path to a better life. He had a rough childhood in Croydon, but his dedication got him accepted to LSE and there he stood out as the top of his class and went on to be a celebrated journalist. Their mother, Sima Naik Patil, though apparently a housewife, was a famed Ravenclaw that served as a senior member of the Department of Defence in the Ministry of Magic, before leaving her post and becoming an author with her bestseller, The Balancing of Magic and Muggle, putting in words the story of so many other wizards and witches who had fallen in love with muggle-borns. Of course, these footsteps would be intimidating enough for anyone to follow, although both Padma and Parvati seemed to take them in stride. They were proud of their origins, proud of both their families and they would have never traded places with anyone else.

Padma closed her book suddenly, standing up and heading directly at her sister, making Parvati lose any track of thought she was having. As they looked onto eyes that mirrored the other, Padma's softer voice was about to speak, to say something about what they were sure was to come. Her mother, however, interrupted before she could enunciate the words and the four of them piled onto the dinner table, digging into the curry-lathered chicken that their mother had so carefully prepared.

"This is delicious, honey." Their father spoke, chewing slowly and adjusting his glasses on his nose.

His skin was the darkest of the four and he had a rough look that contrasted greatly with eyes that overflowed with kindness. He had a coarse black stubble that he usually shaved, but for one reason or the other did not that morning. His hair, already receding at the top, was dotted with strands of grey that he made sure to ignore.

Their mother smiled tenderly, nodding a thank you and continuing to eat with her gentle, graceful movements. Her hair was also black, mirroring the softness that was attributed to their daughters'. She kept it right above her shoulder-line, giving her the look of an alpha-mother that did not only captivate with her charm, but could easily attack like a bear if anything threatened her cubs. Her skin was olive-toned and her eyes a bright hazel, ever watchful. If it wasn't almost blasphemous, she was sure to be compared to a goddess.

Although they made simple conversation, neither one of the twins could contain their excitement. Tomorrow was the day. No matter how much they tried to look away or disguise it, there was only one thing their eyes constantly landed on.

That wand…

Padma tried to control her thoughts, and she could see by the look on Parvati's eyes that her sister thought the same. The truth was, neither of them could bear to wait any longer for that day. The day when they would be allowed to follow in their mother's footsteps… If only it could come sooner. They were not eleven yet, but both of them knew why today they were haunted by these intrusive ideas, and why today they would continue indefinitely to be haunted by them. Today was the eve of March 18th. The eve of their 11th birthday.

Their parents exchanged a smile, knowing full well what the twins had their minds on. Their father, accepting with polish that there was a whole world beyond his that he could not and dared not try to understand, put down his fork and smiled.

"I've… I've already ordered the cake." he began in a deep, rich voice.

"And I know what you guys are expecting, and I'm sure it's bound to come, but we will be spending the day like we do every year." Their mother added, looking with stern eyes that were cancelled out by her kind smile.

"Kew Gardens, here we come…" Parvati rolled her eyes.

Beside her, Padma perked up, remembering something they both deemed of utmost importance.

"Will she be there?" she said, making sure to stress that whoever she was, she was not welcomed.

"No." her mother answered, although a look that resembled disappointment came over her face. "I said we'd be doing something just the four of us this year…"

Parvati and Padma exchanged a look that was a mixture of victory and satisfaction. They weren't going to let anyone ruin their day. Together, they silently congratulated each other delightedly on what was sure to be their best birthday yet.