Written For TGS's Diwali Challenge

Write a story about Diwali being celebrated at Hogwarts, as put on by a house of your choice.

Extra Prompts: (word) sister, (colour) fuchsia, (word) bond, (dialogue) "You are like a brother to me."

Word Count: 1185

It had been a rough week.

Seamus had exploded during Muggle Studies when Crabbe had called Dean a "filthy Mudblood with a whore mother". He'd hit the Slytherin boy on the side of the head. Somehow he'd gotten out of the Cruciatus, but his neck was swollen and bruised from the beating.

Later Parvati had stepped between Neville and the Carrows, and Lavender had insisted on taking a beating for Luna. Terry and Padma had brewed them all Healing Draughts, but it wasn't enough.

It was never close to enough.

Ginny suppressed a sigh and slid into a spot across from Demelza. But as she buttered her toast, the other girl burst into tears. Trying to be comforting, Lavender rubbed her back, but she sobbed even harder.

"Come on, Dem." Seamus clapped her shoulder. "Don't let them get us down, huh? Come -"

But the girl ran out of the Great Hall, her possessions still scattered on the floor.

Squeezing Ginny's hand, Parvati gazed mournfully after her. "Honestly? I feel like that too."

Ginny squeezed back. Then she noticed something, and her breath caught. "Parvati," she whispered furiously. "What are you doing wearing jewelry? They'll take that from you." And indeed, Alecto Carrow's footsteps echoed behind them. Not waiting for permission, Ginny yanked the fuchsia ring from Parvati's fingers and stuffed it in her sock.

"Bag check!" Alecto grinned, revealing her yellow teeth. Someone - probably Seamus; she didn't think the others had mastered nonverbal Transfiguration - vanished Demelza's things. But the evil woman's eyes still rested on the empty seat between Seamus and Lavender. "And where would Miss Robins be?"

"Bathroom," Parvati replied. "I'll go check on her." She stood up, but Alecto shoved her down.

"Miss Parkinson will check on her." Leering, she dug through Parvati's bag. "Talk back again and it's a strip-search." Turning to Ginny, she continued, "And now you, pretty one."

"What were you thinking, Parvati?"

Reading on her bed, Parvati said nothing. She wasn't smiling, but she didn't look angry either. She just looked - resigned.

Lavender, who had been trying to cover her latest bruises with Witches WhizUp for the past thirty minutes, paused to glare at Ginny. "Her brother gave it to her. Years ago. For Diwali."

Unsure what that meant, Ginny scowled at Hermione's old bed. "If they find a halfblood with jewelry like that...you know what they did to Su Li."

Luna smiled dreamily beside her. She and Padma spent a lot of time in the seventh-year girls' Gryffindor dormitory these days. As did Ginny. "My mother loved Diwali."

"Oh?" Padma blinked in surprise.

Still lost in memory, Luna nodded. "We'd stand on the back porch and have the Flipplewidgets light up the grounds. It was very beautiful."

"So, what exactly is Diwali?" Ginny hoped she was pronouncing it correctly. The 'w' sounded somewhere between a 'w' and a 'v'.

"It's the festival of light." Parvati gave Luna a shadow of a smile. "There was an exiled King...well, it's about the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness. Today is the fifth day, dedicated to the love between siblings. I - I wanted…"

Her voice trailed off.

"I didn't realize you had a brother," Ginny thought of Harry, Ron and Hermione, off to Merlin-knows-where. She thought of George's lost ear and Percy, her lost brother.

Padma nodded. "We have two. Older. Them and Dad are Muggles." She laughed emptily. "I suppose they're lucky."

"We haven't heard from them in three months." A tear dripped down Parvati's cheek. Lavender discreetly slipped her a pack of tissues.

"I'd like to celebrate Diwali," Luna broke in. "It seems about right, just now."

"Bet the Carrows are racist, too." Parvati scoffed bitterly. "We'd be beaten, tortured, and expelled."

"Not if we all do it." Lavender hugged her friend. "You saw Demelza today. We all need a good, old-fashioned party." She glanced at her friend's twin. "Maybe just Gryffindor and Padma and Luna?"

Ginny thought of Hannah and Susan, who were so brave, and even Cho Chang. "What about Dumbledore's Army?"

"What about Dumbledore's Army?" Padma looked at her hands, covered in cane-marks. "We don't all need to be expelled."

But a smile was spreading across Parvati's face. "That's perfect, Ginny!"

Ginny gave her a confused look.

"We have a party in our Common Room. Then while the Carrows are screaming to Bloody Hell about that, we stage a Dumbledore's Army protest."

"I'm glad we did this." Neville joined Ginny at the foot of the stairs. The Common Room was, for the first time since the sorting, full of laughter.

A keg of Butterbeer was being levitated around. They had spiced it with cardamom and saffron, creating a drink so delicious that Ginny couldn't wait for Molly to try it.

If she ever saw her mother again.

The elves - led by Dobby - had made hundreds of types of sweet Mithai, and a steaming Indian buffet hovered near the fireplace. Ginny bit into her Gulab jamun, smiling as the warm syrup filled her mouth. "I'm glad too. You are like a brother to me, you know?"

Outside, faint screams could be heard. This only made the room laugh harder. The Carrows had been trying to get in all evening, but the entrance was blocked by a portable swamp.

Lavender came over, beaming. "Neville. Dance?"

Neville nodded. But then Ginny felt the galleon in her pocket warming.

"Time?" Lavender arched her eyebrow.

Neville nodded. "Ginny first. We'll catch a song."

Remembering the awkward boy who had stomped on her toes during the Yule Ball, Ginny beamed and snuck outside. Anthony levitated her over the swamp and quickly disillusioned her. "Head to the lake."

The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were already there. She could barely see them, disillusioned in the darkness, but Padma hugged her as she approached.

"I just wish we had Slytherins here too, you know?" She released Ginny. "A true inter-house Diwali."

"Shall we start?" Padma's sister had joined them. "Ginny, you have the candles?"

Ginny opened a bag of tiny rocks. "They'll light up on the water. Fred and George's invention." She handed it to Padma, who slipped the first one into the lake. As Ginny dropped her own stone in, the two girls held hands.

Then went Hannah, who took Ginny's other hand. Then Luna, who dropped hers in with a soft murmur of, "Mum".

Then everyone else, and finally Parvati, who kissed the stone before lowering it into the lake.

And then Dumbledore's Army made a line across the shore. Ginny closed her eyes, and heard music from the depths. And she knew that this bond would get them through the year.

For emblazoned on the water, written in light, were the words:

Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. Dumbledore's Army. Still recruiting.

Thanks a million for reading. Diwali is quite special to me, so if you have any questions or are just interested in learning more, do feel free to reach out. And any and all feedback is cherished.

This piece is dedicated to all the friends I've made and will make on TGS, and in fanfic in general. Happy belated Diwali! And a special thanks to rhead-a-holyc for beta'ing.