Disclaimer: I do not own the original canon nor am I making any profit from writing this piece. All works are accredited to their original authors, performers, and producers while this piece is mine. No copyright infringement is intended. I acknowledge that all views and opinions expressed herein are merely my interpretations of the characters and situations found within the original canon and may not reflect the views and opinions of the original author(s), producer(s), and/or other people.
Warnings: This story may contain material that is not suitable for all audiences and may offend some readers.
Song Recommendation(s): "Children Will Listen" by Barbara Streisand
Author's Note(s): This piece was written for a challenge in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments) on the FFN forum.
The Challenge Information:
House: Gryffindor
Subject [Task No.]: Psychology (Child Psychology) [A Child Demonstrating Learned Behavior from an Adult]
Prompt[s]: Model (word)
Word Count: 681
-= LP =-
Everyone Said So
-= LP =-
Careful the things you say
Children will listen
Careful the things you do
Children will see
And learn
Children may not obey
But children will listen
Children will look to you
For which way to turn
To learn what to be
– "Children Will Listen" from Into the Woods
-= LP =-
They knew who they were.
They were the twins.
They were Fred and George, never one or the other.
They were identical twins, the very same all the way down. Everyone said so. They were two halves of the same whole, interchangeable and indistinct. Their own mother couldn't tell them apart, though Merlin knows that she had tried.
Most of the time.
Occasionally.
Did it really matter?
They knew who they were.
They were Gred and Forge, two halves of the same whole.
They saw no reason to be any other way, not really. No one treated them like they were individuals, not like they did with their other siblings. To everyone, they were the twins. Where one went, there was the other. Every adult treated them as extensions of each other; why would they see things any differently? To be perfectly honest, they didn't mind that no one could tell them apart, because most of the time, even they weren't completely certain.
But it was fine! They knew who they were.
Discovering their magic almost broke them. For years they had been one person with two bodies. But now their tricks didn't match! So they learned to be sneaky until they taught the other their own trick. Over and over and over again, they practiced deep in the orchard, far from the house. They had to be the same—to match like extensions of each other.
If they weren't the twins, then who were they?
They practice bouncing sentences between them, until they can talk circles around anyone they wanted. They split the conversation between rapid-fire back-and-forth and finishing each other's sentences. It's not quite their own language, but it definitely works for excluding most people. They didn't need anyone else, anyway. They had each other—and everyone said how great it was that they were never alone since they were twins.
They knew who they were: they were the Weasley twins.
They were Fred and George, Gred and Forge.
They were two halves of the same whole, and they always would be.
Everyone said so.
-= LP =-
Padma and Parvati knew who they were.
They were Padma Patil and Parvati Patil, complete opposites from the day they were born.
They also happened to be twins, not that anyone could believe that beyond their identical appearance.
Padma was the smart one. She was the daughter who was quiet and demure. She never got angry, or at least very rarely. She was always careful to dress just so, and her manners were perfect. She never wore makeup and only a few pieces of jewelry. She had no interest in boys or sports or anything outside of her studies. She was the perfect role model for how a young woman should behave. She was strong enough to support her future husband and bring pride to her father's eye. No one offered her comfort when she was upset, but it was fine because Padma knew who she was and it was definitely not Parvati.
Parvati was the ditz. She was loud and brash. She was quick to temper and quicker to forgive. She dressed to impress as well, but not the kind of suitors one brought home to the family. She had to be in fashion—and her makeup was flirty. She didn't care about her studies, putting just enough effort into the coursework to ensure that she wasn't reprimanded for laziness. She obviously needed more protection than her brainy twin did. Parvati was never going to be the daughter Papa told stories about to his peers. No one was going to use her as a role model, which was fine, because Parvati knew who she was and it was definitely not Padma.
They may look alike, but it was obvious to everyone that they were as different from each other as night was from day. It was inevitable that they would be Sorted into different Houses once they reached Hogwarts.
They were complete opposites, part of a set only in that they were perfect complements to each other.
Everyone said so.