DISCLAIMER: All of the places and characters in this story belong to the genius Ms. J.K. Rowling. No profit is being made from this story. It only serves to (hopefully) entertain.

Away We Go

The snow was coming down slowly and steadily, covering the buildings and paths of Hogsmeade in a fresh, white blanket. It was a Saturday afternoon, and the village looked as pretty as a picture from Padma's seat inside The Three Broomsticks. The fifteen-year-old witch was seated beside one of the windows with a nearly-empty mug of butterbeer and a book she'd purchased earlier at Tomes and Scrolls.

Padma glanced outside, then at the clock above the bar. It was eight minutes after one; Parvati was late, as usual. Padma chuckled at this, not surprised in the least. Originally, she and her sister were going to meet in the Great Hall at Hogwarts and come to Hogsmeade together, but Parvati liked to sleep in on weekends while Padma preferred an early start. So, they agreed to meet in the pub at one o'clock for lunch.

Padma had been in Hogsmeade since nine that morning, enjoying the tranquility the quiet little village had to offer. Despite it being the middle of January, the excitement surrounding the Triwizard Tournament hadn't simmered down – if anything, it had escalated – and Hogwarts was more chaotic and obnoxious than usual. Padma didn't mind, as she, too was very excited about the tournament, but she looked forward to these Hogsmeade weekends just to get away from it all for a little while.

But what Padma really looked forward to when visiting Hogsmeade was the time she got to spend with her sister. A little over three years prior, Padma had thought her life was over when she was sorted into Ravenclaw and Parvati was sorted into Gryffindor. Parvati was her twin, her best friend, and they had never been apart. Parvati had always been the more outgoing one and never had trouble making friends, and Padma worried that she would get left behind and be forgotten. But it turned out she didn't have to worry. For their first three years at school, Padma and Parvati remained close.

It was this year, their fourth at Hogwarts, that things had begun to change. Perhaps it was because of the influx of students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, but all Parvati wanted to talk about lately was boys, makeup, and looking pretty. None of these were ever Padma's priority, so it made sense that Parvati began spending more time with Lavender Brown rather than her sister. Padma wasn't envious of Lavender, and she understood why Parvati enjoyed her company so much, but she did feel a bit sad that she and Parvati were inevitably drifting apart. But today was a Hogsmeade day, a day for the two sisters to hang out and catch up, so Padma shook all of those thoughts from her mind.

Parvati finally stepped into the Three Broomsticks at quarter past one, stomping on the mat just inside the door to get the snow off of her shoes. Padma smiled and waved her over.

"There you are," Padma said happily as her sister approached. "I was beginning to think you were – wow! Look at you!"

It was when Parvati sat down at the table that Padma noticed how dolled up her sister was. Parvati had curled her long, black hair so it fell down in soft ringlets. Her lips were glossed pink, and she had put some makeup on her eyes to make them stand out.

Parvati grinned nervously. "Do you think it's too much?"

"No, not at all! Par, you look great!"

"Thanks. Lavender did it."

Padma laughed. "I'm not surprised. She's good at that sort of thing."

"Yeah, she is," Parvati agreed with a nod.

"So," Padma said, grabbing two of the menus that were laying on the table and handing one to her sister, "what should we get? I'm starved."

Parvati gingerly put her menu down. "Actually, I need to talk to you about something."

Padma lowered her menu, concerned. "Is everything okay? Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course, I'm fine," Parvati said quickly. "It's just...do remember Sebastien?"

"That Beauxbatons boy you danced with at the Yule Ball?"

Parvati nodded. "Yes, that's the one. Well, Lavender recently hit it off with his brother, Étienne, and they've kind of been seeing each other."

"I thought she was with Seamus?"

"No, they only went to the ball together as friends. She really likes Étienne."

Padma smiled. "Well, that's great for her, then."

"Yeah, she's really happy," Parvati said. "The two of them are having lunch at Madam Puddifoot's today. Lavender actually asked me to go with them."

"She wanted you to go on her date with her French boyfriend?"

"No, no, not with her. With Sebastien. Étienne talked to him, and he wants to see me. It would be like, you know, a double date."

Padma leaned back in her chair. "Oh..."

"Would you mind if I went?" Parvati asked. "I know we always spend Hogsmeade days together, but it would only be this one time, I promise. I really like him, Padma."

Padma reluctantly smiled. "Yeah, yeah...of course. If you like him, you should go."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to be mad..."

"I'm not mad, really. It's fine."

"You could come to, if you want. Lavender said Étienne is good friends with Pierre, and maybe the two of you-"

"Who's Pierre?"

"You don't remember Pierre? He's the one you danced with at the Yule Ball after Ron turned out to be such a lousy date."

"Oh, him. No, that's fine. Really, you go see Sebastien. Just fill me in on all the details later."

Parvati smiled. "Really? You're sure you don't mind?"

Padma nodded. "Go on. I'll be fine. I've got a lot of homework I should catch up on, anyway."

Parvati shrieked in delight and threw her arms around Padma.

"You're the best! Thank you! I'll make this up to you, I promise." With one last girly giggle, Parvati was out the door of the pub and skipping down the snowy path toward Madam Puddifoot's.

So much for sister time, she thought. She genuinely wasn't mad that Parvati wanted to spend the day with the boy she liked. If anything, she was mad at herself for not taking up her offer to go with her and get to know Pierre. All around her, the girls in her year seemed to focus on nothing but boys, and Padma felt like an outcast for not thinking in the same manner. She wouldn't have minded a date, but she didn't want it to be one set up by Lavender, and she certainly didn't want it to be in a tacky place like Madam Puddifoot's. Padma threw a couple of sickles on the table to pay her tab, grabbed her book, and headed out into the snow. If she made it back to Hogwarts quick enough, there might still be some lunch in the Great Hall.

Padma knew she and Parvati were two different people, and she knew it was always inevitable that they would grow apart. She just didn't think that time would come so soon. It hurt to know that Parvati was moving on without her, and that she was still stuck being the shy, quiet girl she always was. As she walked the familiar path that lead back to Hogwarts, she couldn't help but think she had brought this upon herself. Maybe this was all her fault. Maybe if she had been a little braver, a little more of an extrovert, she'd have ended up in Gryffindor with Parvati. Maybe if that had happened, she wouldn't have felt so lonely all the time. Maybe she'd have friends of her own. Sure, she was friendly with people in their year, but she had never really considered anyone but Parvati as a friend. Maybe she was just destined to be a loner.

"Hey, Padma! Is that you?" a boy's voice suddenly called.

Padma looked up, startled. Her Ravenclaw housemate, Anthony Goldstein, was heading down the path in her direction. He waved at her when she looked up.

"Heading back to school so soon?" he asked.

Padma shrugged, not bothering to slow down as they got closer to each other.

"Lots of work to catch up on. Can't be helped," she said, forcing a smile as she walked by him.

He wasn't fooled. Anthony gently grabbed her arm, halting her.

"Padma, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Anthony, thanks. Just trying to get back before lunch is over."

"You haven't had lunch yet? Come with me, then. A bunch of us are getting together at The Hog's Head."

Padma smiled. "Thanks, but I wouldn't want to intrude."

Anthony smiled. "Nonsense. You wouldn't be intruding. It's just lunch."

"I...erm..." Padma mumbled. She really didn't know what to say. No one had ever invited her anywhere. Then again, she had never put much effort into getting to know anyone.

"C'mon, we don't bite, I promise," Anthony said, smiling.

He resumed walking toward Hogsmeade, motioning for her to join him. Padma stood there for a moment, unsure of whether or not she should go. She didn't know who was going to be at The Hog's Head, but she was certain they were all friends. Where would she fit in?

You'll never find out unless you give them a chance, she thought.

Before she could change her mind, Padma jogged down the path to catch up with Anthony. When she caught up to him, he simply smiled.

"So, what do you think about that essay we have to write for Moody's class?" he asked.

And that was all it took. Before Padma knew it, she was having a lengthy conversation with someone other than Parvati, and while foreign and unexpected, it felt good. It was actually a lot easier than she thought it would be. Padma could practially feel her shell slowly beginning to crack, and it was liberating.

She barely noticed that they were passing Madam Puddifoot's on their route to the Hog's Head. Parvati was sitting by the window, and she was sharing a good laugh with Sebastien, Lavender, and Étienne, just as Padma burst out laughing at something Anthony said.

It was a complete coincidence that Padma looked up at the little café at the same moment Parvati happened to gaze out the window, but what each sister saw warmed their hearts. Parvati had never seen Padma so relaxed and happy, and Padma loved seeing Parvati so full of joy. They smiled at each other and waved. The exchange lasted no more than three seconds, but it was enough for each sister to understand that they'd be getting together at dinner that evening to discuss their day.

Padma knew that's how it would most likely be from now on, and that was okay. Things weren't always going to be how they were when she was the only friend Parvati had, and vice versa. She and Parvati were growing into their own lives, but that didn't change the fact that they were sisters.

And sisters are friends for life.

Author's Note: This was written for EssaTheTwerp's "Anything You Wanna Write About Competition," in which I was given Padma Patil for a character.

Forgive me if the relationship between sisters (more specifically, twins) is a bit choppy. I only have a brother, so I don't have a lot of first hand experience with sisterly love. Once I got Padma for a character, though, I knew I wanted to give it a shot. I hope I didn't butcher it too much. :p

Thanks for reading!