A/N: I wanted to write Luna for this round, but I've been listening to a lot of BMTH's new stuff and her character doesn't really fit with the bitter and slightly vengeful tone, so this is what you guys are stuck with.

ALSO, bullying means coercing somebody (i.e. 'being bullied into doing something'), as well as hurting somebody physically or mentally, so I went with this interpretation.

ALSO ALSO, there is a Bonus Scene I wrote to this story that might get published as a standalone (in fact, I have been encouraged to write an MC and I might as well just do it because I accidentally created a new headcanon ship with this story lmao).

As always, virtual cookies and huggles to Rayana, Ninja, Sabine and Jenny for betaing and giving me advice on this story! You guys are the best 3

IWSC Round 4 - School: Mahoutokoro, Year: 1, Theme: The Whomping Willow, Main Prompt: (emotion) betrayal, Additional Prompts: (dialogue) "That cat looks suspicious." / "You say that about every cat you come across.", (action) searching

Word count: 2086


"I don't think I'm coming," Padma said, leaning back on the sofa. The room felt foreign, even after all these years; Lavender and Parvati always managed to convince the Fat Lady to let her into the Gryffindor common room, but she had always felt like a fish out of water. All that red and gold, it was too bright, too personal, too intimate. Nothing like the Ravenclaw Tower. Even as she sat there, her fingers caressing the plushy maroon fabric of her sofa, Padma wondered why that was.

She spent most of her time with Lavender and Parvati; the three of them had become inseparable almost instantly in first year, and it had been like that ever since. Yet, Padma sometimes felt like her twin had become rash with her actions, sometimes too rash, especially since the beginning of the year. Her and Lavender had become bold, even more so than before. Padma didn't like that. In their current situation, she thought it would have been wiser to stay put.

And tonight, it was no different. Lavender and Parvati had invited her to a party of sorts that they were planning with a few other members of the DA. In the Room of Requirement. Padma didn't like it. With Umbridge's omnipresent rules and decrees and detentions looming over the school, she was wholly uncomfortable with the idea. True, she had not always been like this, but with everything that had happened the previous year—especially the Yule Ball; it had been so terrible, she would subconsciously cringe every time she had thought about it—she had become entirely disillusioned by the idea of parties.

"It will be so much fun, though!" Lavender exclaimed, grabbing Padma's wrist. "Don't you think we need a break from all this stress?"

"Yeah!" Parvati echoed. "Umbridge is such a bitch. We need to show her that we don't care about her ridiculous new regulations."

"Wait." Padma stopped Parvati in her tracks. "Wasn't the idea that Umbridge will never know about it, because it's in the Room of Requirement?"

"Oh, no, she's not gonna know about it." Lavender shook her head. "That's the whole point."

Padma diverted her eyes to the floor, her hands fumbling. She searched for something to occupy them with but, other than messing with the hem of her robe, there was nothing.

"I don't want to go," she muttered, not daring to look at her sister and best friend.

"Oh, come on." Lavender rolled her eyes. "You're always so stuck up, you're almost like Hermione."

"It'll be fun, Padma," Parvati added.

"I…" Padma struggled for words. "I just don't think it's a good idea."

"Oh, don't be such a killjoy," Lavender pushed. "Tell you what, I'll even help you with your hair." Parvati didn't say anything, she just stared at Padma. The Ravenclaw girl could feel the expectation in her gaze, the silent judgement. If she said no, she would disappoint her twin, and she would disappoint Lavender as well. She could feel the silent betrayal oozing from both of them. If she didn't say yes, she would risk the fragile friendship the three of them had.

Padma searched for any excuse that would be acceptable. A deadline that's coming up? No, Parvati would know that's not true; besides, the holidays were coming up soon. Menstrual cramps? No, that wouldn't work either. They had extensively researched period-related spells and potions back in second year, so it was too easy to get rid of. She kept raking through her brain, but nothing came up. No excuses, other than the fact that she did not want to go to this party.

Not wanting to go, though, was no excuse to Lavender and Parvati.

"I…" she began. "Fine. I'll go."

"Excellent!" Lavender jumped up, clapping her hands together. "Let's hurry, then. We need to find you a dress, and get your hair and makeup ready! So much to do, so little time," she rambled as she grabbed Padma's wrist and dragged her up the stairs to the dorm.


"That cat looks suspicious," Padma pointed at one of the paintings on the corridor, the hairs on her neck bristling as she felt the painted feline's eyes follow her every move. It really didn't help that she felt way too exposed in the dress Lavender had oh-so-graciously given her, nor did it help that she felt extremely nervous, even without the dress, just by being out.

"You say that about every cat you come across." Padma could almost hear Lavender roll her eyes. "I swear, you've been complaining so much lately. Cats, rocks, even the Gryffindor sofas." The brunette shot Padma a raised eyebrow. "Oh, but tell you what?" She turned back, raising one of her index fingers in a eureka-moment of sorts. "This party is gonna be the perfect opportunity for you to let that go. You know, enjoy yourself, not complain about stuff, be normal."

Padma's hand searched for the hem of her robe again in nervousness, but they found nothing but the edge of her dress that hung uncomfortably above her knees. She didn't dare tell them just how little help this party would be, especially because she could feel Parvati's gaze on her. It was the same gaze as in the common room, that silent threat of betrayal, the pressure that if she didn't comply, she would risk something precious.

And so, she kept walking, her hands gripping the edges of her dress as she tried to swallow her uncomfortableness.


"Spin the bottle!" Lavender screeched over the music, making sure everyone heard her instructions. She even held up her bottle of butterbeer to get the point across.

Padma, who had been content to hang back in a quieter corner for the duration of the party, sighed. She had not enjoyed herself, but at least neither Lavender nor Parvati had commented on her behaviour since they had entered the Room of Requirement. The room itself was a little bit different from what it looked like during the usual DA sessions. It was somewhat smaller, and the lighting was warmer, more colorful, but most importantly, dimmer. There were also a couple of comfortable-looking sofas and tables, where small groups of students would chat over the music while sipping on butterbeer, and some stronger alcohol in a few cases, although Padma couldn't quite make out what. There were at least 30 people in the room, although Padma didn't know all of them.

"Padma!" Parvati called, drawing the Ravenclaw's attention back to the circle that was beginning to form in the middle of the room. "Come over here!"

Padma's hands began searching for the hem of her dress again as she felt her nerves skyrocket. Not everyone had joined the game, and she had thought she'd be able to pass as well.

She… She had never kissed anyone, as weird as that fact might have been to some people, and she didn't really want it to happen like this. Not to mention… Not to mention he was there. She glanced at the blond Ravenclaw who was already sitting cross-legged in the circle. Since she and Anthony had been selected as prefects, she had developed a massive crush on him, there was no denying it. What if he was paired with somebody else? Worse even, what if Padma herself was paired with somebody else? She gripped the bottom of her dress even tighter.

"Padma!" Parvati shouted, glancing at her with raised eyebrows. It was there, that glance, again. Padma, with her gaze attentively following the floor in front of her, made her way over and sat. She tried to find a position that was at least somewhat comfortable in her darned dress, in the end settling for sitting on her heels pressing her thighs together.

"Amazing!" Lavender clapped her hands together, almost bouncing in excitement. "You all should know the rules, but here we go anyway: we spin the bottle, and first spin kisses second spin. No pecks on the cheek allowed," she added, a coy smile playing on her lips as she briefly glanced at Padma.

Padma's world spun. If she had felt nervous before, she now felt betrayed. Was this just some stupid plot to make her kiss somebody? Were Lavender and Parvati setting her up? They had bullied her into coming to this party, and they had bullied her into participating in this stupid game as well, were they going to bully her into kissing somebody she didn't want too?

Padma felt tears prickling her eyes. She didn't want to do this. Yet, she swallowed back the lump in her throat and tried her damnedest to not look at Lavender or Parvati.

"First spin!" she heard Lavender shout. The bottle spun, spun, and as it slowed down, it took painstakingly long for Padma to realise it had landed on her. Of course it did. It was just her luck.

"Oooh," Lavender cooed, and she shared a knowing look with Parvati. Padma tried to fix her gaze on the bottle, but it just wasn't working. The world was spinning around her, much like the bottle had been moments before, and she felt the nerves mix with the betrayal she felt. Her eyes darted around, looking for a way to escape. There was only one door, where they had entered. Besides, if she ran, Lavender and Parvati would judge her.

"Second spin!" Lavender continued, flicking her wand at the bottle. It spun, and spun, and spun, until… Until it didn't. It had stopped. Padma dared a glance, and when she saw Anthony's blue eyes staring back at her from across the circle, where the bottle had stopped spinning, her heart stopped beating for a moment.

Nothing. And then, everything. Her pulse skyrocketed, a massive lump formed in her throat, and she couldn't help her hands gripping the edge of her dress, almost ripping off a piece. She watched as Anthony got to his feet and made his way to her, holding a hand out so that she could stand. As she climbed to her feet, Anthony furrowed his eyebrows, looking at her with concern.

"Are you okay?" he mouthed, making sure no one but Padma could hear it. She gave him a small nod. She could feel the gaze of Lavender and Parvati on her, that same gaze they had been giving her, that pressure, as though they were testing her. It was just as bad a feeling as though they had told her just how much they judged her for not being quite the same. She understood so much better what Hermione must have felt every time Lavender made a remark about her.

Her attention was drawn away when Anthony touched his hand against her cheek. Before she could protest, or do anything else, really, he closed the distance and pressed his lips against hers. It was so quick, Padma didn't even have the time to close her eyes, and even process what had happened before it was over. Anthony stepped away, retreating step by step to his place, while Padma stared ahead, her mind drawing a blank.

Then, the panic crept back up. Her eyes darted around, and when she spotted the door, she ran for it. She heard as Lavender shouted at her to wait, but she didn't process it. She flung towards the door, and ran down the hall, ducking into the nearest tapestry hole she knew.

She heaved, her hands twitching as the panic took over. Her mind spun as glimpses of the last few minutes tormented her. She felt betrayed, like she had been the main act in a twisted plot. Somebody to make fun of, somebody that could be coerced into anything, somebody that would be coerced into anything because she had nothing else.

Tears rolled down Padma's eyes as she recalled the events again. She was struggling to make sense of it. Lavender and Parvati had been her best friends for such a long time; why did she feel like it was all slipping away? Why was she feeling like they were manipulating her. Were they laughing behind her back, and were they just satisfied that she had conformed to their wishes? Since when had her twin sister become so ambivalent towards her?

Padma couldn't take it anymore. She curled up in a ball against the cold wall behind the tapestry, and she buried her head in her arms, crying.

And through it all, one thing kept echoing in her mind: how her friends had betrayed her.