Written for: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments).

Term 10 - Assignment #6 (Hogwarts)

Prompt: Muggle Cultures - Cherry Blossom Season - Task #2: Write about Padma Patil

Word Count: 537 (As of Microsoft doc)

A/N: Padma is furious and her best friend comes to the rescue.

Padma was fuming - she felt utterly humiliated and insulted. She had thought that Ron was a nice guy, a true gentleman. It seemed, however, that she'd been wrong in her assumption.

Blazing out of the Great Hall she didn't notice a figure observing her all night; how could she when her date had acted like a total jerk, and not even asked for one dance during the whole Ball? No, his eyes were solely locked on Granger's form dancing in Viktor's arms, and then he even denied that he was jealous.

Merlin help that guy!

She reached the end of the Black Lake, not knowing where else to go because the whole castle was filled with giggling couples hiding in alcoves and broom closets, and sat with an annoyed huff. It was only when no one was in sight, did she allow the tears to finally escape.

She shouldn't have listened to Parvati in the first place - her sister was a hopeless romantic, but Padma had always been the sensible one. She should have snuggled with her blanket in the warmth of her dorm, or perhaps read a book to keep her mind occupied. She felt so stupid - and what was with this horrid dress? Where had Parvati found it? Couldn't she have found a sensible saree?

"Any troubles?" A voice startled her, and she looked behind to find Blaise smirking at her. Oh god, she wasn't going to hear the end of it, was she?

"What are you doing here?" she asked in an annoyed tone. "Won't your date be disappointed that you left her alone?"

"Daphne sent me here in fact," Blaise said as he moved forward and took a seat beside her, "Said that you would be needing my company. I think she just wanted to get rid of me; apparently, the heels were killing her feet, so I escorted her back to the Common Room." This made Padma giggle. Daphne had always been too kind to her.

"Smart girl," she muttered as she laid her head on Blaise's shoulder - the craziness of the whole day finally catching up with her exhausted body. This was good - here sitting in the moonlight with her best friend, without anything to disturb them.

Blaise took out something off his pocket, unshrunk it and gave it to her - it was a small lunch box, she found. Looking at him confusingly, she took it from his hands and gaped when the delicious smell of 'gajar halwa' hit her nose. She greedily opened the box, moaning when the sweet and heavenly flavours of carrot and nuts, finally hit her taste buds.

"Geez woman, get a room," Blaise looked at her weirdly. Padma only grinned in response.

"How did you know?"

"You are my best friend, of course, I know everything about you," Blaise huffed as it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Not the recipe though, so took that from your sister and asked the house-elves to make some."

"You are the best, do you know that?!"

"Yeah, yeah!" He smiled cheekily at her - one that was very rare to witness. Yeah, her night had turned out to be perfect thanks to Ron Weasley.