Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter Universe that honour goes to J.K. Rowling. Anything you recognise as canon is not mine, I only own a few OCs and plots.

NOTE: This will run parallel will canon, so I will reference a lot that actually happens in the books. I won't be changing things, so anything that you know should happen in canon (for example Michael Corner dating Ginny Weasley for a short period and some of the Ravenclaw's joining the DA in fifth year) will actually happen. This will continue at Hogwarts until the end of the wizarding war, so the characters will be present at the school when it is overrun with deatheaters. Of course, though, this will be from Ravenclaw's perspective, so I've added some interesting things to the house to twist it up a bit. I hope you guys enjoy.

Also, just a quick note, I do aim for my chapters to be quite long. The next chapter is just under 5000 words (though I aim for higher) but this chapter is surprisingly short. It should pick up a little in the later chapters and I'm trying to elongate this chapter currently. This chapter is mainly just to introduce the spin I've put on Padma Patil's character.

CHAPTER ONE

"Mistress Patil" The house elf, Bard, squeaked as he appeared in front of Padma with a snap. "Lord, Lady and Mistress Patil are waiting for you downstairs" Bard was an unusually blunt house elf and didn't wait for a reply. The air in front of her sizzled and cracked as the house elf apparated away.

Padma Patil was twelve minutes younger than her twin sister. A fact of which she was reminded constantly. Parvati Patil got the larger bedroom with an ensuite bathroom. When she was seven, Parvati had decided she was going to tame a garden gnome for a pet, and their parents went along with it. Though they did take Padma to St Mungo's when Herble the Gnome bit off two of her fingers. Luckily they were easily regrown by the medics there and the doctors suggested that they get rid of the gnome.

When she was eight, Parvati wanted a pet snake – Curly, his name was – she had wanted the biggest snake there was so she could curl up around it. Again, their parents got her the biggest snake they could find with the venom glands removed. A couple of weeks after they had started sharing the house with a twelve foot long scaled animal Parvati showed her first bit of accidental magic. The snake doubled and then tripled in size, towering over Padma as she shook. It was terrifying but their parents only had words of delight and joy for their oldest daughter. Padma still had nightmares and although her parents didn't know she had shown any accidental magic, she was sure it was her own fault that the snake kept on growing overnight and eventually exploded, showering Parvati with scales and slime. Parvati had been so distraught afterwards that the doctors at St Mungo's put a block on her memory so she didn't have to live with the recollection of the incident.

Padma flung on her travelling robe and hurried downstairs. Parvati smiled at her warmly by the fireplace as her parents scowled at her tardiness. Of course, they should have known she had been waiting for them to signal that they were ready to leave by sending Bard straight away rather than waiting. Her parents would never understand that she was always the last ready because she expected the rest of them to be late and rushing around trying to find the Floo powder or their wand.

"Parvati, you go first" Their father, Pratik, said and compliant, Parvati grabbed a handful of bright green Floo powder in one hand.

"Diagon Alley" She declared with a hint of a smile and the green flames flared up to fill the whole fireplace. When they subsided, Parvati had been transported away. Pratik went next, followed by his wife. When Padma was left alone in their living room, she had an option. The first was to scoop out a handful of green Floo powder and join her parents at Diagon Alley. The second was too take the purple international Floo powder from the vase next to it and travel somewhere else – her most recent fantasy had her setting up a new life in Atlantis. Although, she knew from lengthy thought into her disappearance that a wandless eleven year old wouldn't fit in easily.

"Diagon Alley" Padma sighed, watching while the flames stretched up towards her and then squeezing her eyes shut so no soot went into them while she was travelling. When she arrived at one of the Floo ports in Diagon Alley her elbows were pushed against her waist in what she had read to be the optimum position for Floo travel as it avoided banging yourself along the way.

"Padma!" Parvati called and waved her over to where her family were clustered several steps away from the Floo ports. "We're first going to Ollivander's" Parvati told her and she turned away to roll her eyes. Of course they would be going to Ollivander's first. What was the point of buying a wand holster or a pocketed robe if you didn't know what size wand would be needing to fit into it.

Padma trailed behind her parents and sister as they made their way to the other side of the alley to where the worn wand shop stood proudly. She looked both ways up and down the alley, which seemed to end on one side at a mysterious brick wall and the other at a shop which she knew branched off into the lower alleys – the most notorious being Knockturn Alley.

A quiet bell rang as the Patils pushed open the door and a greying man whose hair stuck up startlingly appeared in front of them with a pop. "Family Patil" His deep bow was aimed at Pratik. "Mr Patil" He added formally, "How is your new Walnut wand suiting you?"

"Well" Pratik answered curtly, he was never one for small talk.

"I thought so. Your former wand was one of Gregorovitch's if I remember correctly. They're always rather temperamental, don't you agree, Mrs Patil. But of course, it is expected for a Durmstrang student to obtain a Gregorovitch Wand. I am pleased that your daughters won't be attending the same school you did, Mr Patil. Am I correct in assuming they will be attending Hogwarts next year?"

"Yes" Mrs Patil positively beamed, "I was decisive that they must be sent to Hogwarts. It's a fine school for any young lady. I feel Durmstrang is a little stricter, especially regarding women. And as I attended Hogwarts…"

"I quite understand, Mrs Patil" Mr Ollivander smiled. "Now, let me see about wands for these two girls. Who first?" Parvati automatically stepped forward and Ollivander squinted at her, circling her once and then rummaging in the back of the shop.

He presented her with Hawthorn wand which had a unicorn core. She grinned and looked back at her parents in triumph when a soft breeze drifted through the room and blew a few strands of hair out of her face after she had swished the wand around in front of her.

Ollivander scurried around Padma for a few seconds and then rushed to the back of the shop to pick out a black wand box. "This is a rowan wand, pheonix feather core, 11 ½ inches and inflexible" He relayed.

Padma scooped it out of the box. The wand seemed to have engraved lines in a loose spider web along it, and when she grasped it in her hand, the lines lit up with a fiery glow from the pheonix core. It really was beautiful.

"Perfection" Ollivander smiled down at the two wands he had just matched, "Fourteen galleons" Pratik carefully handed over the gold coins to the still smiling wand maker, before leading his family from the shop.

Once outside again, Padma admired the views down to either end of the alley. She wanted to explore what was known as the 'Lower Alleys' – of course, not telling her respectable father where she was going – but she knew she would have to wait a few years until she had the independence to disappear down the alley for a few hours without anyone missing her.

Parvati was leading the small group down towards the book shop, which Padma wasn't going to complain about. She couldn't wait to get her hands on the school books for the year. Unfortunately, they didn't make it to the bookstore before they were stopped by a family to have a conversation.

"Mr Patil" A man with strawberry blond hair greeted Pratik somewhat cheerfully.

"Mr Macmillan" Patil replied, slightly dipping his head in respect for the man, but keeping a cold air about him. "This is my wife, Uma, and my daughters Pavarti and Padma Patil" Patil introduced politely.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet your family. This is my son, Ernest Macmillan" Mr Macmillan smiled, and placed his hand on the shoulder of the boy standing next to him. "He will be starting at Hogwarts in September" Macmillan paused, "Mr Patil, are you attending the International Wizarding Meeting at the beginning of the new term?"

"I am"

The conversation continued about work and politics while Mrs Patil joined in with the occasional phrase while the three children stood around awkwardly, really just wanting to continue with their preparations for Hogwarts.

It was the boy Macmillan who broke the uncomfortable silence between the children, "Father, may we have some money to buy the rest of our school supplies while you discuss your business?" Padma grinned, the boy had mingled boredom, politeness and a slight hint of an imperative into his tone – perfect for getting any individual to do what you want, especially a parent. Padma hadn't actually used it on her parents, for fear that Pratik would see straight through her, but she had used it to convince rather reluctant house elves to do some things for her without telling her parents – such as eavesdropping on business conversations. It never hurt to know how the family businesses were doing even if she wasn't going to be the one to inherit them when she came of age.

"Of course, why don't you three go and finish getting your books and supplies" Mr Macmillan beamed and handed his son a bag of galleons. Pratik glared at the other man, before grudgingly handing over his own galleon bag to Parvati.

"I swear" Ernest growled as soon as they were out of earshot from their parents, "We've been here two hours already and I haven't done anything except buy my wand and school robes, because my father just wants to talk to all his fellow businessmen. I mean, he can suck up to them on his own time, but we're supposed to be home for tea"

Padma grinned softly. This was someone who understand how annoying it was when your father had more important things to do than spend time with you.

"Of course, I should probably get used to it. I mean, someday that's going to be me right. I'm the heir to the Macmillan House, I'm going to be at Wizengamot and everything. Father always says I'll have to make a name for myself within the other prominent wizarding families" As Ernest continued, Padma inwardly groaned. Of course, this was yet another person who was to be a Lord. That was all Padma knew. Uma and Pratik were like Mr Macmillan in wanting their heir to make connections with other important families in the wizarding community, so they had spent most of their childhood visiting fellow heirs. It was like the worst thing ever for Padma. None of the other children wanted to talk or play with her because she wasn't going to become Lady Patil so what was the point. The best she could do was marry a Lord to gain a little credibility. "By the way, you lot should probably call me Ernie, I'm sick of every adult I know calling me Ernest and expecting me to bow down and kiss the hem of their robes, and I think I might actually throw up if one more person calls me 'Ernest' or 'Master Macmillan' except for the house elves of course. They'd flush themselves down the drain at a thought of disrespecting me by using a nickname in reference to me"

Despite their differences, Padma couldn't bring herself to not like the Macmillan heir. He was completely and abnormally rude to the Lordships and his own parents. He had a sense of humour and was completely eccentric and unconventional and she could see hints of his rebellious nature through the politeness that his parents had naturally ploughed into him throughout his childhood.

"I wish there was a nickname for Padma" She said with a snort, "Then I could annoy my parents by refusing to go by the name they gave to me"

"I take it you're the one called Padma then, which would make you Parvati" At the look both the twins sent him he raised his hands in mock surrender, "Sorry, I wasn't sure. I just wanted to check"

Parvati stuck her nose in the air slightly, "We met a couple of years ago at the Blair Yule Gala" She sniffed.

"Did we?" Padma and Ernie said at the same time, looked at each other and then laughed.

"No, Padma, you weren't there, you were running a fever" Parvati replied and Padma looked away. She remembered that actually. She hadn't been ill at all but had wanted to sneak into the library to look up how to kill a garden gnome. Not one of her finest moments, as firstly, the thought of killing another being was unacceptable, secondly, she couldn't find anything about garden pest extermination, and thirdly looking back on it, she had chosen to spend a couple of hours searching the top shelves of books when she could have been messing around at the Yule Gala.

"Ah, sorry, we were probably like seven at the time" Ernie shrugged, "It was one of my first social gatherings so I'd probably been hit by a barrage of names and faces. It's not surprising that I could remember you. Not that you're not unforgettable or anything" Ernie frowned and his overuse of negatives. Finally he shrugged again and pushed open the door to the bookshop. "Flourish and Blotts. The finest bookshop in the entirety of Diagon Alley" He said with a flourish of his arms before striding towards a bookshelf nearby. "Made even better by their organisation. Putting the school books for Hogwarts all next to each other by subject at the beginning of the shop. Pure genius!"

Ernie grabbed at a couple of books from each shelf, passing two copies of each book to Padma and Parvati.

"You know, practically all Hogwarts students shop here. They must make so much money every August!" Ernie said thoughtfully as he joined the long queue for the counter with an armful of books.

NOTE: There we go, probably the shortest chapter I'm going to write in this story. I really just want to move onto Hogwarts years.

Just an apology in advance that I am writing several fanfictions currently (I think the total is actually four although only this one and one other is posted – this is just because I like planning a lot and I will keep swapping between which fanfiction I am updating).

The next chapter will be better than this one, so I hope you keep reading for it. They're going out at a similar time. I would also appreciate any reviews, I would quite like feedback as I'm still at the start of my writing career.

UPDATED: To add almost the entire section with Ernie Macmillan (who for the record, is not going to be a major character in this story). This update has actually doubled the length of the chapter to over 2500 words, which is still too short in my eyes.