The second Lavender mentioned her sister, she could feel it. Now, as she raced up to the Horned Serpent dormitories, she mentally cursed herself. How had she not noticed the struggle and trouble coursing through her sister all this time?
But she had, she mentally corrected herself. She had felt it sparking, but she had been too preoccupied to notice. She felt the most ashamed she had ever been in her life: this was worse than dancing with Potter in her fourth year had been.
Don't let go, Padma, she prayed silently, urging her legs to move faster. Please, for my sake, keep holding on.
When she reached the dormitory, she was told that her sister was missing.
She searched the library, the dining hall, the grounds and wherever else she could think of.
On a sudden hunch, she ran to the highest tower, mentally cursing its many stairs.
Sure enough, Padma was there. As Parvati entered, she could see her sister looking at the window, placing one leg over the sill in an attempt to… jump out?!
Parvati surged forward and grabbed her sister by the arm. "Padma, what are you doing?"
Padma stopped and slowly turned to look at her, as if seeing her from a distance; Parvati gripped her shoulder tightly. As if fighting off a foreign influence, she convulsed, then relaxed, her eyes closed.
After the longest few minutes Parvati had ever known, Padma's eyes opened and focused on her sister, then she shuddered and broke down in a stream of sobbing.
Parvati could only hold her sister close until her sobbing ceased.
"Tell me what's been happening, Padma," she said gently. "What's been on your mind? I know there has to be a reason for this, and I trust you."
"I ….don't know," Padma said slowly. "It was like something was-controlling my mind, making me look for darker places to hide. Half of it was like an Imperius Curse…"
"How did it break?" Parvati wondered aloud.
"It wasn't that strong," Padma sniffled, wiping the still-falling tears on her sleeve. "It felt like someone was just testing it out."
"And the other half?" Parvati prompted gently.
Padma hesitated.
"It's fine if you don't want to tell me," Parvati prompted gently, although it hurt to say that. "But focus on me. You can tell me anything; you're safe here."
A distressing thought started taking shape in her head." Was it because you were lonely?"
The slightest of nods almost made Parvati cry too. "I'm sorry, sis-"
"Stop," Padma said. "It wasn't your fault, and you know it. I felt out of place, after knowing where I fit in at Hogwarts; I lost all my old friends, who labeled me a coward for leaving; the people in my dormitory tease me because we fled Britain. But going through hardship doesn't justify me not telling you. We've all made mistakes. I just, um, lost my way a bit."
"The next time that happens, tell me," Parvati said. She tried to stay composed for her sister's sake, but she couldn't prevent the two teardrops rolling down her cheeks. "It doesn't justify me not helping you, either. I'm sorry I didn't notice, and it sounds inadequate, but honestly, I'm really sorry."
Padma smiled weakly. "I know, I'm an idiot."
"We're safe together, remember?' Parvati whispered, cupping her sister into one final embrace. "If you lose your way, I'll help you find it. You don't need to tell me right now, but I need you to be brave. Hiding from me won't make it okay."
Padma wiped her face and, after a pat on the shoulder, left the room.
Parvati knew that she would have to inform her father about the curse; he would probably want to investigate it further. But right now, she needed to be there for Padma. If she had lost her way, Parvati would light the way back.
She would leave the light on.