If you don't like A/Ns, well just jump this one.
Anyway.
A/N.: here is the long awaited second chapter of Switched. I don't know if it is long awaited…but well, this is where the story "starts" so if you want to read and review it, you're welcome to…
I don't have much time these days to update much or anything, well I mean type much, but whatever, same thing, but I will only post the third chapter when this one will be properly reviewed J. I already have the idea in my head, though.
So voilà. Thank you for putting up with my stupid A/Ns.
Oh yeah I forgot to say:
Thanks to all my reviewers, and Erin: I pester you with all my heart ;)
EXPLICATION THAT EVERYONE WITHOUT EXCEPTION HAS TO READ IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THIS CHAPTER:
Now, the twins are in the 6th year, along with Harry and co. IF YOU ARE EXPECTION A J.K. ROWLING-ish PLOT, YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A LOVE STORY BETWEEN PADMA PATIL AND DEAN THOMAS.
Ok, so when the twins, who are VERY, VERY, VERY CLOSE, were in the first year, their long-lost uncle sent them special diaries for their birthday, which is Christmas Eve (this is not mentioned in the book). It wasn't really a diary, but a blank book. They were sold in pairs: anything that was written in one book magically appeared in the other book. The pages never ran out and the cover could never get stained, bent or torn.
In the beginning of this chapter, and every time the twins are communicating (it will be in italics anyway), it will be through the books. It's important to know that the emotion of the person "emanates" through the book. This way, Padma and Parvati are always connected. On top of all that, it doesn't need to be locked because nobody but the author can read it.
Queer thing: Parvati, who is a Gryffindor, has a blue book. Padma, who is a Ravenclaw, has a red book.
Switched by Me or Genevieve or Tornada or whatever
Disclaimer: see prologue. I TOTALLY OWN THE DIARIES.
It was Saturday afternoon. Parvati was sitting in the common room in front of the warm fire. Even though it was only September, she felt cold and lost. This year was probably going to be worse than the five previous ones. Living without Padma was becoming unbearable, especially in the Gryffindor environment. She was toying with the pages of the favourite, precious book. Well, her diary. There wasn't one moment that she didn't leave it.
It ate with her on her lap and slept with her under pillow. It was, after all, the reason she breathed because in that diary was Padma's every step, breath, emotion and heart-beat. She was reading what they had written so long ago, it seemed.
-Parvati, I'm scared-, had written 11-year-old Padma. It had been during the time Harry had been in the dungeons battling You-Know-Who and that headmaster Dumbledore was absent.
-Padma, you have nothing to be scared of. The teachers put powerful spells around our common rooms and dormitories. You-Know-Who doesn't care about us, anyway, she had replied, unsure herself about the situation.
-What about Harry- Had asked Padma anxiously.
Parvati still recalled Padma's fear in every fibre of her being.
She was going to read the answer she had given that she remembered all too well when a new emotion flooded her body.
Padma was writing her a message. She was sad, angry and frustrated all at the same time. She almost sounded desperate.
-Parv, I can't take it anymore…all the blue, and all the desperately smart people…please, Parv, do something…-
Parvati too three big breaths and steadied her hands before replying.
-I'm sorry, Pad, fate decided where we really belong. I…don't think we can do anything about our current situation, even though it doesn't satisfy us.
Fate decided that you would be in the brainy, blue house, where you think you don't belong.
Fate decided that I should be among the strong and courageous, where I don't think I belong.
But I believe it's our destiny, the path we are destined to walk.
I'm sure that somewhere in our hearts, we have those qualities…and one day we will exploit them. I hope we will…-
-I know I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but I swear I'd rather be in those Muggle American high schools…-
-Padma…- Parvati hastily wrote back.
-I'm serious-
Parvati shivered. She agreed with Padma: she felt that she belonged in a Muggle high school, but somehow, she felt attracted to Hogwarts. She felt as if she absolutely belonged there. Even if it wasn't in Gryffindor or sorted into a house.
-I know you are. And I can't help but agree with you.
I will think about it, I promise.-
As soon as the dot of ink from Parvati's fountain pen touched the page, Padma closed her diary.
Startled by Padma's unusual coldness, Parvati closed her own diary. She yawned before putting her diary in her empty book-bag, and headed to dinner.
She yawned again and put on a fake smile.
She didn't want Lavender to think that something was wrong with her at the very beginning of the school year.
Sixth year was, after all, the year where all the new things would be taught for the upcoming N.E.W.T.s at the end of seventh year. Parvati couldn't let her hatred toward the Gryffindor House get in her way.
"The Granger twins in the first-year actually stole Professor Flitwick's stack of charm books, you know the ones he uses to stand on? They were telling Razzy this morning. I wonder what else they're going to do to poor prof. Flitwick. Probably they'll use the Wingardium Leviosa charm they recently learned on him…I would like to see that! Don't you think the Granger twins are like Fred and George Weasley? So unlike smart Hermione…Parvati? Parvati! You're not even listening to me!" said Lavender.
Lavender's sister Rasberry had been sorted into Gryffindor at the beginning of the year along with Hermione's twin siblings, Hazel and Evan, who were as mischievous, if not more, as the Weasley twins. Hogwarts, lacking pranksters since the Weasley twins and their side-kick, Lee Jordan had left the school the previous year, had been blessed with a whole new generation of them: Hazel Granger, Evan Granger and Rasberry Brown. Lavender was so caught up in their whereabouts that she un-intentionally ignored Parvati. Which was perfect for her because it gave her more time to think about her and Padma's problematic situation.
"No, I'm only pretending, but please do continue. I'm sure Seamus and Dean are delighted to hear that someone has followed in their role models' footsteps," she replied, grinning.
Lavender rolled her eyes and continued chattering with Dean and Seamus. It was perfect for Parvati, who was trying to remember the early years of her life, when Padma and her were, surprisingly, incredibly talented pranksters.
Flashback
One day when they were 5 years old, a friend of Parvati and Padma's mother had invited them all over to tea. Parvati and Padma had dressed the same: Parvati wore a blue dress, and Padma the same thing in red. Their mother, being a Muggle, had Muggle friends, so obviously, their mother's children were Muggles as well.
This kid in particular was spoiled rotten: he never wanted to share anyting with the twins anytime they came over. He had a goldfish in a round tank and an electric train. He had tin soldiers, and blocks, and all the Muggle toys Parvati and Padma were fascinated by when they read Enyd Blyton's bedtime stories.
The twin's father, being a wizard, had gotten them toy brooms to play with.
When they went to the friend's house with their mother, they brought their little brooms along with them. Parvati remembered that they had made the kid sweep the floor with the magic brooms and suddenly find himself hanging a foot in the air. The twins had laughed so hard, and the kid had hollered so loud that the mothers had arrived and saw the bizarre scene.
Quickly, the twins' mother had retrieved the poor boy from the broom, snapped it in two, and scolded the two girls on the way home.
End of Flashback
Parvati smiled inwardly as she slowly remembered all the pranks that followed.
All the times they had put salt in the sugar bowl, the time they had put a baby frog in a cup with their grandmother's denture…all those moments were the most cherished ones by the twins.
She remembered how, in Muggle grade school, she always performed better that Padma, even though they sat next to each other and Padma always copied from her sheet.
She clearly remembered the day they had received their Hogwarts letters, which had been in the same envelope. How they had fought over it, and how their father had snatched the letter out of their hands and opened it himself.
It had been the first and last time they had ever fought.
Parvati snapped out of her trance and realized that everybody had left the Great Hall except for Lavender, Dean and Seamus who were still talking about pranks. She wondered if they ever thought about anything else…
Several house-elves were cleaning up the tables.
"Are you finished, Miss Gryffindor?" asked one of them.
Parvati cringed at the name, and looked at her untouched plate. Her stomach gave a weird lurch.
"Yes, I'm finished, thank you," she replied.
The elf took her full plate and another elf put a clean one for the morning.
Then, it struck her.
She knew exactly what she had to do.
She grabbed her book bag and hurriedly walked away from the Great Hall, away from her great Gryffindor friends who were calling after her.
She was going to turn a page on her life and start a new, and hopefully better, chapter of it.
Parvati pulled her blue curtains around her bed. It would be one of the last times she would ever have to put a charm on her curtains for them to be that colour.
That is, if her plan worked.
And if Padma accepted to do it with her.
She took out her wand and a fountain she had received for night homework. It was cleaner than a bottle of ink and a quill, especially if she wanted to work in bed, or write in her diary, which she always did in her bed.
"Lumos," she whispered.
Light flooded her page as Padma wrote.
-Did you come up with anything-
-I certainly did.- Parvati wrote, smiling.
She felt Padma sigh of relief.
Parvati quickly scribbled her answer.
-I did a lot of thinking today.
I remember that we always used to dress the same, but Mum always dressed YOU in red and me in blue. In Muggle elementary school, I always used to get higher marks than you, and you were the only who always stood up for us.
Red is your fav. colour.
Blue is mine.
I'm brainy, you're courageous…-
Padma cut her.
-Oh Parv, please quit the fancy words and phrases, and get to the point-
-I thought you'd guess by now, but it doesn't matter
Padma, we are identical twins. All we have to do is switch-
Parvati could easily imagine the thud of Padma's book as it fell on the floor and closed.
She smiled, and closed her own.
"Nox," she whispered.
Obscurity filled her blue haven, and she fell asleep as soon as her head touched her pillow.
She dreamt of how promising her new life would be.
A/N: Excluding the A/N and the explication, 4 pages is my longest.
I'm currently thinking about the second chapter, but school and swimming is taking up a lot of my time, so please forgive me if it doesn't come soon. Anyway, I'm only posting it when this gets properly reviewed.
So voila. Please review if you read, even though you don't like it.
Hasta la vista a todos y todas!
Tornada xxx