AN: I hope those who read it enjoyed the first chapter. I know there's not a lot going on right now, but I promise it gets better as we go along (Hogwarts!).

Birthday Wishes

For the first time since they had attended school, Parvati woke up at exactly 7:15. Normally, it would have been way too early for her to think; much less wake up, but today was different. Today was her 11th birthday, and although she knew perfectly well that in the muggle world being eleven meant nothing, it was different for them. Today was the day she was going to get her letter, and she was sure of it.

She heard a giggle coming from beneath the baby-blue sheets that covered the bed on the other side of the room, and turned to face it, returning the giggle as her sister sprouted from the other side, a smile etched onto her face.

"Happy birthday, Pati!" Padma laughed harder, running her fingers through her long hair.

Parvati yanked the pillow she kept between her legs and threw it at her sister, causing yet another laughing fit for the both of them.

"Happy birthday, Paddi!" she replied giddily, leaping from her bed onto her sister's, where the both of them shared a hug and continued to blissfully enjoy the fact that finally, after countless years of waiting, their day had arrived.

Their door opened with a creak and their parents filed in, holding a cake. They too mimicked their daughters' smiles, singing happy birthday as the air around them filled with joy. No matter what was going to happen, the two of them were ridiculously delighted, and they made sure their daughters knew it.

"Who knew Pati could get up this early?" their father teased as they both blew out the candles. Parvati rolled her eyes, as she often did, and the four of them shared a hug.

"Get ready and come downstairs!" their mother beamed, urging them out of bed. "We'll be waiting!"

It took the both of them exactly 20 minutes to get ready. They agreed that one would wait for the other so that they could enjoy this day the way they had enjoyed all the previous ones: together. They were not about to let each other go now, of all times.

Everything was done in a rush, of course, and their mother had to straighten Padma's plait and zip up Parvati's summer dress properly. Nonetheless, the atmosphere was wonderful. Downstairs, their parents had surprised them with a full birthday breakfast, and numerous gifts that they promised would not be all they'd get, since Diagon Alley still awaited them.

Padma's mind immediately fluttered to the place. They'd been there a few times, to run errands with their mother, and every time it was like entering paradise. Though there were a few corners they promised themselves they'd never enter, just the environment was filled with all the hopes and dreams they carried, and both of them could only wish for their time to try on those robes and pick their own wands, or, as Ollivander would say, for their wands to pick them.

Showered in gifts, Parvati made a mental note to never reveal just how spoiled they both were to anyone they met. Thankfully, their parents also taught them that success came with struggle, and that humbleness was necessary no matter how much you managed to achieve.

Padma, her wit shining as usual, had retorted that perfectly with a loaded question towards her mother. "Then how come you ever allow her to come over?"

Parvati, however, would not have it and quickly interrupted her sister. "Paddi, let's not talk about her today, please. We're already going to have to live with her for years and years and years and…"

"I got it."

Ignoring the exchange between her daughters, Sima Patil made her way towards the front door, noticing they had not yet received any signs of an owl. She checked her watch; the perfect muggle invention that she only wished her world would absorb and noted that it was still early. Her own owl, after all, had only arrived in the afternoon. She decided not to say anything to the twins, knowing that they would already be nervous, as she was, with the fear of not receiving anything. Instead, she made sure that everyone finished their breakfast quickly, so that by 9:00 the family was already piling out of the house, ready for their yearly outing to the botanical gardens.

Although Padma and Parvati would probably have killed to stay at home looking through the windows to catch the exact moment the bird would deliver their most-awaited gift, the two of them knew that distracting their minds was probably the best course of action, so they allowed themselves to enjoy what they did every year, as they always did. Routines weren't all bad.

Kew Gardens was an amazing place. They played in the open grass; climbed the trees around them, laughing when they'd fall down and their mother would look at them worried, only for them to brush themselves off and watch as scrapes were gently washed away; they fed the ducks using small pieces of bread and explored the largest Victorian greenhouse in the world whilst their parents stretched out a cliché red-and-white tablecloth as they rested in the sunlight, watching over their daughters.

Padma and Parvati were out of earshot of their parents and both pairs intensely discussed things the other was not meant to hear.

"We should prepare them, Indra. I know we have to think positive, but we must prepare them. I feel stupid for not having done so before and to have filled them with such hope, but what if…" Her husband lovingly put his finger on her lips.

"If the time comes that it should be discussed, we will do so, but not right now. You told me yourself, there's been no history of a Squib in your family and please, our girls have shown signs of magic since before they could crawl…" his face suddenly darkened with realisation. "And this is not about you. It's about me." His face fell and he looked disappointed as he turned to his wife for an explanation.

Sima felt embarrassed about what she'd even suggested, and thankfully succeeded in holding back tears. They would not have been her allies right then. "I'm sorry," she pleaded. "You know I will never hold it against you and that I love you. And I lost any of my prejudices a long time ago, the moment I set eyes on you. It's not what I meant. I would never blame you and I love you, and I'm ashamed that the thought even crosses my mind. I don't regret anything, Indra, believe me. I just…"

He kissed her, holding her face with the palms of his hands as his lips grazed hers, again and again until she gave up trying to apologise. Half because he wanted to and half because he knew that the fact he was a muggle-born was hard on her. He wished deeply that he could change it, knowing it was impossible. He knew how much she loved him and how difficult it was for her, to… What were the words of her grandfather? Ah… Destroy the family lineage, but still, he was surprised to hear the words from her.

Her parents had not easily acknowledged him, but he had managed after a while to find himself in their good graces. At least he's Indian… The generation above theirs, however, was a different story. And Indra knew. He knew that even though Sima was his and he was hers, that even though she fully accepted him, the ideals that plagued the seas of days gone by still poisoned the well of the present.

She managed to control herself and sighed, revolted that she had even suggested such a thing and attempting to say sorry once again, though he would not have it. Deep down, they both feared for their daughters. They both feared for their fates. But they were also filled with love and with pride and with compassion beyond measure, and they made sure that Padma and Parvati knew that no matter what the future had in store for them, they would always have a home within their parents' hearts.

Sima sunk into Indra's arms and remained there as he wrapped them tightly around her, carefully planting a kiss on her forehead as the two of them continued to observe their treasures, two little girls that were way too smart for their own good.

"They're talking about us." Parvati mentioned casually, looking above at where her sister was dangling from a large oak tree's branch. Padma dropped down beside her and looked at her sister knowingly.

"Course they're talking about us. It's our eleventh birthday… Everyone says that this day is always big in a wizard's life, but it's also scary. Daddy is muggle-born, after all… But it's all right. We're all frightened of the same thing anyway, they just want us to keep smiling and not realise that they're scared too."

"What'cha on about, Paddi? Us? Squibs? Please… We were witches from the day we were born! I'm not scared of that. It's… It's something else."

Padma stared at her sister quizzically; head slightly angled to the left, her brain trying to work out what exactly was running through her twin's mind. "What are you on about, Pati?"

Parvati tried to speak, to decide how exactly she was going to put into words all the emotion that exploded within her. Padma was not ready for the outburst. Tears started running down her cheeks as she grabbed her sister's hands and pulled her close, embracing her in a hug. "I'm scared for us, Paddi. I'm scared we're going to be split up and that I'll lose you to some stupid bloke you like and that we're going to have different mates and different classes and then we'll stop meeting during breaks and then we'll stop speaking and…"

"Stop!" Padma almost commanded in a voice much stronger than her usual soft tones. "Who the hell are you and what have you done to my sister? Pati, you know that would never happen… Even if we do split up, we'll find each other. We always do."

Parvati nodded and allowed her twin to wipe away the last few tears. She smiled genuinely, grabbing onto her necklace. Padma did the same, looking at Parvati with adoration in her eyes and they hugged once again, before the latter let go.

"Look at what you do to me, you minger, I swear if you weren't my sister…" she laughed, tripping slightly over her dress as she began to run back towards her parents. "And now I'm famished. And I'm calling this a race. Last one to Mama and Papa is a rotten egg."

Padma shook her head and rolled her eyes, taking on, for a split second, the role of Parvati. Then she began running like she had never ran before, laughing as the two of them stumbled over the other as they reached the spot where their parents were still embraced.

Padma knew her sister had won, but she would never, ever admit it. Parvarti had gotten a head start, after all. Their parents smiled endearingly as they settled down. The sun shone above with surprising strength for early spring, and the breeze was cool, but fresh. And the four of them did not touch the subject again, relying instead on each other's company, knowing that the future would be revealed later that night and that none of them actually needed, or wanted, to know before the time.

They got home just before sunset, with the air getting colder as the night settled in. Padma and Parvati went inside before their parents, who sighed in relief as they walked right past two green-wrapped presents at the door.

"I'll write her a thank you." Sima nodded to her husband, as he collected the two gifts and put them deep within his pocket. The two looked at each other with worried eyes as she leaned into him. They shared the same concern.

The moment was fleeting, however, as screams from within the house brought them to their feet, running inside. Sima whisked her wand from her bag, having it at the ready, a charm on the tip of her tongue.

What they found, however, was that aggression was not necessary. As they charged into their living room, not even aware of the mud they were bringing into the white carpet, they found their daughters crying and hugging each other, but smiles engraved deeply into their faces. Sima too began to cry as she hurried towards them and Indra ran forward and embraced his three girls. In each of their hands was a letter, a letter that they held on with all the force they could with the strength their short eleven years provided.

"We made it, Paddi! We made it!" Parvati exclaimed as she dodged her father's arms and ran towards the office, grabbing his silver letter-opener and tearing into the Hogwarts seal, ripping the envelope as she grabbed the letter and ran her eyes over it again and again, relishing in her results. Padma's reaction was less extreme, but still just as enthusiastic. She carefully removed the seal, careful not to damage a potential keepsake and cautiously unfolded the letter, smiling to herself as tears dropped from her eyes to the floor as her fingers traced the words that cemented her acceptance into the school her mother had gone to all those years ago.

Sima herself was in no normal state. She was ecstatic and she was jumping around with her daughters, waving her wand so that the stains disappeared from the floor. Avis, she whispered, and a flock of canaries shot from the end of her wand, the birds dancing around them, filling the house with a burst of happiness it had waited for and desired. Even Indra, who had never experienced such a thing, was feeling it in his own bones. His children, his darlings, witches! Witches! He gathered them up and showered them with kisses, dancing around them as if he understood, because deep down, they all knew he did.

Whilst the three kept celebrating, Sima began to analyse the list of required materials that was attached to each of their letters. She made a mental note to take them to Diagon Alley, where she was sure they'd be able to sort it all out. Padma was beaming with excitement as she traced the list of books over and over again, memorising their names as she imagined their contents from the titles. They were also allowed a pet: a rat, which was out of the question; an owl, which she wouldn't mind or a cat, which was what she really desired. She was sure Parvati would settle on the bird anyway, which meant she could always ask her sister if she needed anything sent home.

What both the twins most desperately desired on the list, however, were not books or pets or materials, but rather that one bullet point distinctly marked with Minerva McGonagall's calligraphy: 1 wand. A wand. That's all they really wanted. To be able to reflect their mother's movements and grace as she flicked her 10½-inch, rosewood with coral core wand and produced all the magic she held within her. Their father would sometimes sigh as his wife went around the house, suddenly putting everything in order. She was not only a stay-at-home mother, of course, having been a skilled dueller back in her day.

No Protego would hold back my Expelliarmus, no Incendio burn a greater fire…

Parvati remembered the words her mother had spoken to her of past days in Hogwarts, speaking not only of herself, but also of various classmates, some of who she'd met before, even if just on a street corner on a cloudy day. Padma had always enjoyed the stories, but she preferred the spells themselves. She yearned to know them all, to master them all. For any of that, however, she needed a wand. And now, finally, she would have it.

Needless to say, it took them many hours of celebration before the two of them fell asleep on the sofa, Padma leaning onto her father as Parvati slumped over her mother's lap. Sima hummed quietly as her fingers smoothly ran through her daughter's hair. She looked over at Indra, biting her bottom lip and closing her eyes to avoid yet another tear, before opening them again and mouthing an honest thank you. They had done it and they had done it together, as a couple, as a family.

They sat there in silence for a while, observing the twins' gentle sleep, tenderly taking in the moment. Indra was the first to move, scooping up Padma in his arms as Sima used her wand to carry Parvati up the stairs. The two of them tucked their daughters in, each receiving a loving kiss from their parents.

As they left the room and silently closed the door, Sima threw her arms around her husband, who leaned down, using his hands to bring her chin up and kissing her lips once again. This time, they did not stop until Indra picked up Sima with obvious ease and carried her into their own bedroom, shutting the door. The day had also been a celebration for them.