Padma's Quest Chapter 10
A/N: Sorry for the delay between chapters, been on vacation. As always, please review. It makes my day!
Madam Pomfrey insisted that Parvati spend another night in the hospital wing, although she didn't allow Padma to stay with her. Professor Dumbledore had spoken to Professor McGonagall about their switch and points were taken from Ravenclaw as well. Dean and Padma, however, were the only ones with detention, as the professors decided that Parvati's scare was enough of a punishment. It seemed that Padma and Dean's late night meeting was common knowledge, and Padma heard many twitters and giggles directed her way as she walked through the halls. Oddly enough, the assumption that she and Dean were a couple did not bother Padma in the slightest. It seemed much better than having people know she had made a fool of herself over Ron Weasley. The only problem was that Padma had not spoken to Dean since that night.
On Monday morning, Padma rushed to the hospital wing to look in on Parvati before breakfast. Secretly, she also hoped that arriving late to breakfast would allow her to avoid Ron a bit longer. Padma had no idea what she'd say to him if they came face to face. Unfortunately, this also meant she didn't get to see Dean either.
Padma walked into the hospital wing, heading for Parvati's bed, but stopped short as she caught sight of Hermione Granger sitting on a stool and snuffling loudly. Hermione was holding her hands up in front of her. They looked grotesquely distorted, swollen and lumpy.
"Hermione," said Padma in alarm, "what happened to your hands?"
Hermione answered through gritted teeth, tears trickling down her miserable face. "Bubotubber pus. Somebody sent me a letter full of it in retaliation for that Rita Skeeter article. You know the one that made me out to be some kind of scarlet woman. Madam Pomfrey's mixing up a salve right now, but it really hurts."
"Oh Hermione, I'm so sorry," said Padma with sympathy.
Hermione nodded gratefully, trying to wipe at the tears that were trickling down her collar.
"Here, let me help you." Padma grabbed a tissue from a nearby box and dabbed at Hermione's face. Hermione looked embarrassed, but appreciative. She smiled bravely at Padma.
"Thanks Padma. Are you looking for your sister? Madam Pomfrey released her right before I came in. I saw her heading out."
"Thank you," said Padma, stepping aside as Madam Pomfrey approached Hermione with a jar of salve and a roll of bandages. "I hope you feel better soon."
Padma left the hospital wing shouldering her heavy bag. She realized she was too late for breakfast so she headed for the Charms classroom. She reached the corridor and queued up for class along with the rest of the Ravenclaw fourth years. Padma's roommates, Mandy and Lisa, had been acting a little cool towards her since it was discovered that she had switched places with Parvati. Apparently, Parvati's trance had really frightened them. Now, however, Lisa turned gleefully to Padma.
"Why weren't you at breakfast?" asked Lisa with a grin. "You missed it."
"Missed what?" asked Padma. She noticed that Mandy was also smiling, although it seemed forced, a note of concern evident in her eyes.
Lisa lowered her voice, looking around them before hissing at Padma, "We taught that Muggle-born slut a lesson."
Padma looked sharply from Lisa to Mandy, who, she noticed, was no longer smiling. "What do you mean?"
"Let's just say she's going to think twice before cheating on Harry and Viktor Krum again," said Lisa with satisfaction.
Padma felt a hot flush creep over her face. "You sent her that envelope full of Bubotubber pus?" she asked in a deadly quiet voice. "I saw her in the hospital wing right now. She was really hurt."
"So what?" whispered Lisa hotly. "Serves her right for cheating on those boys like that. I mean, who does she think she is? She's always sucking up to the professors, top of the class in everything. The way she walks around with Harry and Ron, like they're in their own little world. And she's nothing but a Muggle!" Lisa spat the word 'Muggle' as though it were a mouthful of dung.
"She's a witch, just like you and me," said Padma, struggling to keep her voice low. "She's smart and she works hard…"
"Oh that's right," interrupted Lisa. "Of course you would defend her, seeing as how you have no wizarding pride whatsoever. I mean, getting caught sneaking out with Dean Thomas, who's just another Mud-b…" Lisa shut her mouth quickly as Professor Flitwick opened the door of the Charms classroom and the class started filing in.
Padma fought to control the trembling fury coursing through her as she stepped towards the classroom. Mandy finally spoke. "Padma, was Hermione okay?" she asked tentatively.
Padma glared angrily at Mandy. "No, she's not. She was in horrible pain. She'll probably spend the rest of the day in the hospital wing. Are you happy now?"
Mandy quelled under Padma's glare, her eyes flooding with tears. "I'm really sorry. I tried to convince her not to, but she really hates Hermione. You see, Lisa's always had her heart set on being Head Girl someday, but Hermione's record makes that just about impossible. And as if that weren't enough, Lisa asked Viktor to the Yule Ball as well and he turned her down."
Padma barely had time to digest this information as she took her seat in Charms. Her muddled thoughts distracted her all during class. It didn't help that they were practicing Banishing Charms and Lisa kept sending her cushion at Padma's face.
Padma headed for Transfiguration early, having sped through lunch so as not to have to talk to anyone. When she arrived she found that Professor McGonagall was already there, setting up for the lesson.
"Ms. Patil, good of you to come in early. I've been meaning to speak to you regarding your detention. It seems that Hagrid is in need of some assistance down at the Quidditch pitch. He needs help with some pruning, however, it won't be necessary for another couple of weeks. Hagrid will let you know when the time is right. Mr. Thomas will be serving his detention there as well." She paused, looking at Padma sternly over her severe glasses. "Meanwhile, I've written to your parents about your little switch."
"You did?" asked Padma in horror.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. Breaching castle security is a serious offense, and your parents had to be notified."
"Yes, Ma'am," mumbled Padma miserably. She had turned to walk towards her desk when Professor McGonagall spoke again. There was a gentleness in her voice that Padma had never heard her use before.
"I'm sorry about all of this as well Ms. Patil. You're an excellent student, however, it seems that a certain young man has affected your better judgment lately." She smiled at Padma kindly. "You're not the first I daresay."
Padma tried not to gape at Professor McGonagall. She couldn't imagine Professor McGonagall ever losing her better judgment over a boy, but the way she had spoken…Padma shook herself mentally. The thought of Professor McGonagall actually having a private life was almost too ridiculous to ponder. Professor McGonagall's voice broke through Padma's tumultuous thoughts.
"He's an excellent artist, Ms. Patil."
Padma blushed, realizing that Professor McGonagall was referring to Dean and not Ron. She was right about one thing though—Padma's judgment had been affected.
Padma was late for breakfast the next day. She was walking through the entrance hall with her head down when Parvati stopped her. "Here," she said shakily, handing Padma a smoking, red envelope. "It's for both of us from Mum and Dad."
Padma handled the envelope at arm's length, steeling herself for the verbal assault to come. Just as it exploded, Hermione ran into the entrance hall with her own red envelope. Both Howlers exploded at the same time, shaking the floor. Hermione's hurled a barrage of insults at her, telling her she was a no-good, elf-loving Muggle tart who should go back to where she came from. Padma and Parvati's mum berated them for their poor conduct and warned them that their behavior had better improve or there would be no trip during the summer holiday.
The Patils and Hermione looked at each other sheepishly as the noise died down."I suppose I should be grateful it wasn't another envelope full of Bubotubber pus," sighed Hermione.
Parvati smiled at her sympathetically. "At least they drowned each other out a bit."
Padma said nothing, as she had just caught site of Harry, Ron and Dean getting up from the Gryffindor table and heading towards the entrance hall. Parvati saw her panicked look. "Talk to him Padma," she pleaded quietly.
Padma looked quickly at Hermione who was looking curiously back and forth between Padma and the approaching boys. "I can't," Padma whispered and ran all the way back to the Ravenclaw common room.
It was a thoroughly miserable two weeks that followed, in which Padma seemed to be avoiding a great many people. She was still trying to avoid Ron, which strangely enough, wasn't that difficult, as Ron seemed to be avoiding Padma as well. Padma wasn't sure if this annoyed her more than it relieved her. Unfortunately, avoiding Ron also meant she avoided Dean, not to mention many meals. Parvati constantly pleaded with her to talk to Dean. But every time Padma tried, she pictured Dean watching her kiss Ron, and she lost her nerve. Padma knew she had no right to expect it, but she couldn't help but wish that Dean would approach her.
The atmosphere in the Ravenclaw's fourth year girls' dorm was very tense as Padma and Mandy were still on the outs with Lisa. The girls avoided each other as much as possible, speaking only when strictly necessary.
Penny was also acting a bit stiff with Padma for having 'compromised Ravenclaw security'. Padma had apologized profusely, but Penny remained slightly distant. Added to this was the fact that Cho was much more heavily involved with Cedric Diggory and didn't have much time to spend with anyone else.
On a cool, dusky night, two weeks into April, Padma approached the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch for her detention. The clouds looked pearl-colored against the deepening twilight, having been threatening rain all day. She shivered slightly, tightening her cloak about her. Hagrid had asked her to meet him at the pitch after dinner for her detention during Care of Magical Creatures. Padma had seen Dean slip out of the Great Hall shortly before her, so she assumed he would already be there.
Padma marveled at the sight that met her eyes as she came up on the Quidditch pitch. Two weeks ago when she had walked this way with Ron, the pitch had been a mess of turned up earth. Now, it was covered by enormous rows of hedges that formed swirls of complicated paths, almost like a maze, Padma thought. She caught sight of Hagrid standing at the edge of the pitch chatting with Dean. Hagrid was holding three sets of pruning shears in his enormous hands. Parvati almost smiled despite her nervousness at the way Hagrid towered over Dean who was one of the tallest boys in school.
"Good, y're here," said Hagrid good-naturedly. "Got our work cut out fer us tonight, so we may as well get started. He handed a set of pruning shears to each of them. "This 'eres a maze for the last task o' the Triwizard Tournament. Can't tells you no more than that, so don't ask. Our job is to make sure these hedges are growing nice and neat. Should be a mite taller by the time the third task comes around. I'll start on the far side. You two stay on this side. Padma, you start on this end and Dean you take the other." Hagrid grumbled, "You'd think there'd be a spell to keep these growing straight, but there yeh are. We'll stop at nine er so, so just do your best."
Padma saw that Dean kept trying to catch her eye, but she avoided his gaze and stepped towards her designated side of the maze. She stepped into the row and began cutting randomly at the hedges, hoping she was doing it correctly. She couldn't believe that the hedges were going to grow any taller as they were currently about two inches over her head. She wondered if Dean could still see over them. No doubt they were only up to the middle of Hagrid's chest.
After half an hour, Padma lit her wand and stuck it behind her ear, as it was getting awfully dark in the depths of the maze. She cut and cut at the endless rows of hedges, her arms getting wearier by the minute, going deeper into the maze. Despite the chill she had felt earlier, sweat began to trickle down her face and spine. She continued to cut at the hedges, wishing time would speed up. She knew that Dean was probably just a few rows over, but the thick hedges blocked out any kind of sound.
It had now been a full two weeks since she kissed Ron and declared her love for him. Every time Padma thought about that day, she flushed a deep red and berated her stupidity. What had she been thinking? Ron had never given any indication that he might fancy her. In truth, Padma did not need Parvati's revelation about Ron and Hermione star charts being aligned to know that they had feelings for each other. Anyone with eyes could see that. More than Ron's indifference, Padma regretted the way she had tried to use Dean to make Ron jealous. Especially after Dean had revealed his feelings for her. Padma put her pruning shears down and pulled a piece of parchment out of her pocket. It was the Dean's sketch of Padma. She had cast a Reparo Charm on it after crumpling it in her pocket when she threw herself at Ron. Then she cast an Unwrinkable Charm on it so that she could carry it in her pocket again. For some reason, it gave her a great sense of comfort to look at it. She cast her wand light over it, marveling at the detail of Dean's work. Padma could still hear Dean's voice in her mind.
"Just promise me you'll remember this, while you're out there, working so hard to make Ron notice you, I've already noticed you, and I think you're the prettiest girl in the world."
Did Dean still feel this way, even after having seen her kiss Ron? Suddenly she felt a burning need to know if this were still true. She tucked the portrait into her pocket and looked about. Padma noticed that she was deep into the maze, having been pruning and walking along the hedges for the past hour and a half. Padma recalled having taken many twists and turns, but surely, she couldn't get lost. She tried to recall her path; left, left, right, left, right, right, right. Padma retraced her steps, thoroughly expecting to come out where she started. To her horror, she did not find herself at the edge of the maze, but rather deeper than where she had started. She strained her ears to catch some sound of Dean or Hagrid, but heard nothing. Padma raised her wand in the air and stood on her tiptoes, straining to peer over the hedges. She swayed, slightly off balance, and scratched her face on the sharp hedges, but still she didn't see anything but endless, rows and rows of dark hedges. She suppressed a panicked gasp, and attempted to retrace her steps yet again, this time running. She had only taken a few steps when she stumbled over a pile of freshly cut shrubbery. Padma wondered briefly if it was Dean or Hagrid who had piled it neatly like that. Padma started to get up when she realized that she had lost hold of her wand when she tripped. She looked around the darkness in vain, realizing that it must have sailed over the hedges when she fell, although she couldn't see any sign of it's light. Padma cried out, "Hagrid! Dean! Anybody! I'm lost! Help me!" Nobody answered her. Padma knew that Hagrid most likely couldn't hear her as he was on the other end of the pitch, but surely Dean could. She called Dean's name again, then listened quietly for him to answer. Again, nothing but echoing silence and the loud thumping of her own heart. Padma knew she couldn't sit there on the damp ground any longer, so she pulled herself up on the hedges, keeping a hand on them as she ran along the maze, hoping against hope that she could find an exit. The sharp twigs cut into her hand, but Padma hardly noticed in her growing fright.
After several minutes of walking without finding anything, Padma sank to the ground in despair, no longer able to hold back her tears. She covered her eyes with her scratched, bloody hands and sobbed like a little girl.
"Padma! Padma! Where are you? Answer me! Please!"
Padma uncovered her eyes and scrambled to her feet. "Dean! Over here! I lost my wand and I can't find my way out!"
"Don't move! I'll be right there!"
Dean's voice sounded close but muffled, as thought he was a couple of rows away. Padma leaned against the scratchy hedges, wringing her hands anxiously. Suddenly, a burst of light hit the hedges in front of her, blasting a hole through the shrubbery. Seconds later, Dean scrambled through the hole, scratching his face and tearing his robes in the process.
Padma cried out in relief and launched herself at Dean, throwing her arms around his neck. For several minutes, Padma clung on to him, sobbing into his chest. "You found me! You found me!"
Dean patted her on the head, murmuring to her in a soothing voice. "It's all right. It's all right. Gave me a scare though. I heard you cry out, then your wand came sailing through the air. You're all right now, though."
Padma struggled to control herself, her breath coming in great, shuddering sobs. She pushed herself away from Dean, and self-consciously wiped at her tear-stained face.
Dean's eyes widened in concern. "Padma, you're hurt." He tore a strip of cloth from the hem of his robes and pressed it gently to Padma's torn, bleeding hands.
Padma watched Dean tend to her hands, staring at the back of his neck as he bent over them. His tight, curly hair was cropped short in soft black waves. When he finally looked up, Padma saw that Dean had a long gash from his cheekbone to his jaw where he had scraped his face on the hedges. "Oh Dean! You're hurt too." Padma reached up and ran her thumb gently down the side of his face. They were so close that she could feel Dean's breath falling softly on her face. Padma found herself leaning closer and closer to Dean until their lips met in a warm, gentle kiss that made her forget all the earlier terror of the maze. Dean's arms slipped around her waist, pressing her close, while Padma clung tightly to his neck.
After several seconds, Dean tried to push her away. "Padma," he panted, "don't. We can't…I can't do this with you."
Padma goggled him, unable to make sense of his words. "Dean, I don't understand."
"I won't," Dean closed his eyes tightly, "be second to Ron."
Padma's mouth fell open in shock. "What do you mean?" She continued to hold on to him tightly.
Dean swallowed loudly. "You kissed Ron. I saw you. But I've also noticed that you're avoiding each other like the plague. I'm not sure what happened, but I don't want you to be with me because you couldn't have him."
There were many things that Padma wanted to tell Dean, but at that moment, Hagrid suddenly appeared, peering over the hedge down at them. He cleared his throat loudly. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this why you lot got detention in the first place?" His beetle-black eyes crinkled in an irrepressible smile.
Padma and Dean quickly stepped away from each other, straightening robes and smoothing down their hair. Dean spoke first. "She got hurt Hagrid, she lost her way in the maze and I blasted through there to find her." Dean pointed to the gaping hole in the hedge below Hagrid.
"No 'arm done I guess. But you lot better get back to the castle. I'll walk you up there."
They followed Hagrid's directions from their side of the maze. Padma felt very relieved to be out in the open again. Although she would've felt even better if Hagrid had let them walk up to the castle on their own.
In the entrance hall, they separated, heading for their respective common rooms. Padma glanced back and found Dean staring at her from the top of the marble staircase. "Good night Padma," he called softly.
Padma smiled all the way to the Ravenclaw common room.