Challenges and Prompts:

HPFC:

The All Things Tragic Challenge – Title Say Goodbye, Quote "When all is said and done…", Song: Battle Scars by Lupe Fiasco

Ultimate Random Pairing Challenge – Padma Patil/Michael Corner

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments):

Assignment #6: Muggle Cultures: Cherry Blossom Season, Task #2: Write about Padma Patil

He watched her from across the Ravenclaw common room. She was a stunner and would never give him the time of day. His friends asked him, why not go after her twin, Parvati, maybe she would be willing to go out with him. But Michael knew that Padma was the one for him. Granted, both girls were beautiful, but Padma was intelligent, caring and had a mysterious air to her, that intrigued the young Ravenclaw. Besides, he had dated a Gryffindor before, it did not end well.

As one of the few who returned in the seventh year, Michael and Padma rejoined Dumbledore's Army, led by Neville Longbottom. They knew that they would be fighting soon, that Voldemort would be coming, so they needed to be ready. This was mainly Padma's reasoning. Michael joined for Padma, and it was working. Each time, he protected a younger student from the Carrows or helped another from the DA with their practice, he could feel her ice thawing, and before long, she began to confide in him.

One morning the Ravenclaws sat in the Great Hall, eating in silence. It was no longer safe to talk freely when the Carrows were in earshot. Despite this, Michael kept an eye on Padma. She looked anxious, pushing the food round her plate. He watched as she tucked a stray strand of her dark hair behind her ear and sighed. When space was cleared next to her, he shuffled down the bench to sit next to her.

Lowering his head slightly, he enquired: "Is something wrong?"

She looked at him, and there he saw concern in her warm, dark eyes. "Not here." She rose after that and left the hall.

Frowning, he wondered what was knew that whatever it was, they could not talk about it where there was a risk of discovery. There was only one safe place left at Hogwarts. He rose himself after he finished his drink and started heading where he suspected she was going. Just before reaching the grand staircase, he felt his robe pocket get warm, taking a quick look round him and seeing that the coast was clear, he moved into an alcove to take a quick look at the gold coin in his pocket. On it said 'RR – PdP' before it reverted to normal. He quickly stuffed the coin in his pocket, took a look around again and headed off to meet her.

Padma stood alone in the Room of Requirement. Her mind was heavy with the events of the day and her inability to act on them. She struggled with the school's atmosphere that had changed so much since they came back for their seventh year. They had to watch their step and what they said in public and be cruel to those who step out of line. She hated it.

Subjected to punishing their fellow students and hearing barbaric opinions about their fellow students who were of muggle heritage was causing her to be more and more uneasy with each passing day and now the place she lived was more a prison than a school. Two things gave her joy in this foul time. The DA and her new friendship with Michael.

She heard the door open and stepped out of view, just in case. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him. "I am sorry to call you out here," She said softly, squeezing her index finger in her other hand. A nervous habit of hers.

"You never have to be sorry for wanting to talk to me," He said, pulling out his wand and conjuring a sofa in the corner of the room. The two moved over and sat down facing each other.

Padma flattened her skirt with her hands and then started fiddling with her hands again. "I was forced to crucio another student today," She said in a quiet voice, "I wanted to stop but… but…" her voice breaking with her hands coming up to cover her face.

Michael's heart broke to watch her cry. He placed a hand carefully on her shoulder as if she would break at the slightest touch. "I know," he said, "You would never hurt a person on purpose." He said gently.

"But, I didn't try to stop it," She responded, "Doesn't that make it as bad?"

"And risk getting punished yourself? No one blames you, you are not a Gryffindor. You were just being smart." He looked at her, watching her face change from sad to perturbed. Michael had been in the same class; he had watched helplessly as she was forced to torture another student. He had wanted to speak up, but he knew that it would just make things worse. Best case scenario: They are verbally reprimanded. Worst-case scenario: They are the new targets in Dark Arts.

"Just because we are not Gryffindors, it does not give us an excuse to be cowards!" She said, pushing his hand away. "Think about Neville, Ginny and Luna. Luna is Godric knows where Ginny never returned after Easter and Neville has been hurt for the umpteenth time this week!". She rose in a huff and left Michael speechless and alone.

He could have punched himself, or at least hexed himself. He never knew when to shut his mouth. Now Padma would never think of him in that way, he was just a coward. He sat alone for a while, thinking about the situation. He needed a way to get her to like him again. Michael needed to show her that he could be brave, to show her that he loved her.

He ran his fingers through his mess of dark brown hair and sighed. Like so many, he hoped that the war would soon be over. The trip to the Ravenclaw Common Room was filled with Michael's thoughts, and this meant at least that he did not have a chance to be lonely or to worry about what was otherwise going on round him.

He passed walls where there was Dumbledores Army Graffiti, encouraging students to join. It was charmed to mislead those who would cause the group harm, sending them on a wild goose chase all over the castle. This had been a joint effort from Padma and himself (and a little bit of Luna's craziness thrown in). Finally arriving at the Common Room, he quickly solved the riddle and went inside. He wasn't in the mood to talk and quickly evaded Terry's advances to play chess, he just wanted to go to bed.

Michael threw himself onto his bed and pressed his hand to his forehead. Why did he always have to put his foot in his mouth? He did it with Ginny and now with Padma. Was he a coward? He struggled to see why he should put himself a risk if there was a way out of it, was that wrong? Padma seemed to think so. Michael was torn, he was sure he loved her but could he convince her? Was she worth it?

A long and sleepless night turned into day. Michael groaned and heaved himself out of bed as if his pyjamas were made of stone. His hair was sticking up in every direction, and he had dark rings around his eyes. Stumbling into zombie-like into the bathroom and stepping into the shower, Michael turned on the water and sighed. This was where he realised that he had forgotten to get undressed first. Luckily the cold water freshened him up enough that he felt ready for the day, well for classes anyway. Facing Padma was another matter. He had wracked his brain all night, replaying the conversation in his head. His heart racing with both anxiety and his feelings for her. The solution to the problem eluded him and caused a grey cloud to hover over his head, casting a shadow on him.

The other seventh year boys looked at him with slight concern, Michael's mood was not an uncommon sight for them, for some reason, disagreements with his love interests happened more than they should. It was most likely due to Michael having a lousy filter and saying something he shouldn't have. Terry followed behind him and couldn't help but notice that he seemed to be worse off this time, did Michael really love Padma that much?

Breakfast was more than ever a quiet affair, as Padma was noticeably absent from the Ravenclaw table. A quick look round the hall revealed to Michael that she was sitting at the Gryffindor table with her sister Parvati. He noticed that she looked over at him from time to time and a look of infuriation graced her beautiful face. 'that answers that question,' he thought to himself after he had wondered whether she was still angry. A simple apology would not solve this situation. Grabbing a piece of toast, he excused himself from the table and headed over to her. He would at least try to apologise, maybe he was overthinking the whole situation?

The scene that greeted him was an angry twin sister. Padma had seen him coming and quickly excused herself. "She does not want to talk to you," Parvati stated in a manner-of-fact voice.

"Please Parvati, I was only trying to help!" He said, looking at the girl who looked so much like his love but at the same time not. "I didn't mean to insinuate that Padma was a coward, I know that she is not" His eyes shone with regret, the grey cloud became black and heavy, a storm cloud keeping him outside of the warm.

"Well you did," She said, crossing her arms. "Leave my sister alone, we are all suffering, we don't need to turn on each other as well." With that, Parvati turned her back on him and proceeded to ignore him. Whispering and looking over at him with the other Gryffindor girls.

That afternoon, they had the one class all other students than the Slytherins dreaded. Dark Arts. Amycus Carrow stood triumphant at the head of the class, his wand ready to show them just how powerful the Cruciatus curse was. Michael watched Padma; she stood hidden behind her sister, no doubt hoping that she would not be chosen again. How many times would he have to repeat this situation? How could he protect his love when they, again and again, were placed in these circumstances?

There came a gasp from the back of the room as the students who were to be punished were filed into the classroom. They were all young. Mostly third and second years but hidden amongst them was a young first-year Hufflepuff. A young girl, with blonde hair tied up in plaits, was visibly shaking, no doubt a combined fear of facing the eldest students in the school and the knowledge that she was about to be tortured.

"Who shall we practise on first?" Amycus sneered, he reached out and grabbed the young Hufflepuff by one of her plaits and pulled her to the group. "This foolish child tried to claim that muggles were intelligent," He said with a slight chuckle. Michael felt his hands clenching. He glanced over at Padma and saw that she had gone visibly pale. "Patil, Padma. Your performance yesterday was poor, you will try again today," Amycus called.

"No…not a first year" Michael heard the softest voice; she was trying to resist.

"Who said that?" Amycus questioned. His face turning sour. "You are all here to fulfil your potential as witches and wizards, and you must punish those who are not worthy," He stated, face turning red.

Padma looked like she was about to step forward and repeat herself. Michael could see where this was going. He reached out and pulled her back while pushing himself forward.

"We will not torture first years!" He said firmly, looking defiantly at the professor. "we are wasting our potential if we have to use a FORBIDDEN curse to punish a child for speaking their mind!" He yelled. Raising his wand at Amycus, his own safety be damned.

"Well if you put it that way, you will now take the girl's place" He looked over at the girl and said, "LEAVE." The girl glanced between Michael and the professor. Tears streaming down her cheeks as she tore out of the classroom as the word "CRUCIO" could be heard all the way out in the hallway.

Never before had he felt like this. Like all the bones in his body breaking, even the cells seemed to split at the seams, and he couldn't hold in the scream. He was hit again and again as his classmates watched on. Soon the professor called on Goyle and Crabbe to help and praised them as they drew blood and broke bones. All Michael could think about was Padma, at least she was safe, at least he was feeling this and not her.

Padma had not expected his bravery. He was not a coward after all. Sitting at his bedside, as she watched him try to breathe through broken ribs and his unconscious face grimace in his sleep. He had saved her; he had loved her. She placed a small hand over the misshapen hand that had once been so beautiful and elegant. The hand that she had watched as he helped her practice in the DA and worked on essays beside her in the Ravenclaw Common Room. How could one person withstand so much pain? She thought as she watched him.

She had known that he loved her for some time, but he seemed to be fickle in love, and therefore she had not encouraged more than a friendship. She was wrong. He had proved that today. The only problem was it was too late. He was dying before her eyes; Madam Pomfrey had done all she could, but Amycus had cursed his wounds, preventing them from healing and therefore he was getting weaker and weaker by the hour.

Hoping he could hear her, she spoke softly to him, placing her forehead on his. When all is said and done, you were brave Michael. I love you, and I am here."His breathing became laboured and then stillness rang through the air.

Tears staining her cheeks, she looked up at Madam Pomfrey who came over and placed her wand on his chest. The matron shook her head sadly and put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder, before leaving her to say goodbye.