A/N: The usual disclaimers still apply; as always, I don't own the Potterverse. The idea of being able to focus memories into something you can use is lovingly borrowed from the great story Searching for the Power by GinnyMyLove, which you can find elsewhere on this site. Enjoy!
kowhekowheko - (v.) (of a fire) to die out and then blaze up again; to burst into flames when seemingly not burning [Maori]
Normally, the fiery-tempered folks found their way to Gryffindor. "Gryffindors charge forward," after all, was their motto for a reason, and it wasn't entirely because they were said to be the bravest of all those at Hogwarts. So one would be forgiven for thinking that if a pair of twins were Sorted and split up, the one with the fiery temper would probably find themselves in red and gold. For most twins, this would probably be true. The Patil twins were not most twins.
Padma found herself sorted into Ravenclaw, which seemed to fit right in with her desires to know as much as possible about the world. However, she learned very quickly that many in her house, despite possessing a similar thirst for knowledge, oftentimes couldn't care less about how the world around them felt. In turn, those same people learned very quickly that when Padma Patil got mad, she made volcanoes look chilled by comparison.
Terry Boot was the first of her new housemates to discover the ferocity of Padma's temper firsthand. What had started as a simple disagreement over the best way to learn mathematics (since clearly Hogwarts had no interest in the Muggle discipline beyond the few parts that could apply to their core classes) turned rather ugly when Terry implied that "Indian math" wasn't nearly as good as "English math."
"EXCUSE ME?" shouted Padma. "WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL MAKES YOU THINK THAT, TERRY? OR HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT INDIA USED TO BE AN ENGLISH TERRITORY, SO ANY PROBLEMS WITH OUR MATH IS YOUR ANCESTORS' FAULT, YOU INSENSITIVE JERK!" She then slapped him round the face until he finally relented. His bruises persisted into the next day, however.
For a period of two full months after that, Padma did not speak to Terry unless required to in class. Every time he tried to make conversation, a fiery glare was directed his way, and he quickly shut up. Eventually, Padma dropped a highly regarded book on math in his lap, and sat down to discuss it with him. They had no further problems after that.
Two years later, Michael Corner found himself on the wrong end of Padma's temper while on their first (and last) date in Hogsmeade. An older Ravenclaw had advised Michael that Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop was an excellent location for a date. The fact that said Ravenclaw had not looked up from his book when offering the tip, nor had he even bothered to put any real inflection in his voice, completely went past Michael.
So it was that the pair entered the tea shop that Saturday at 11am. Michael led Padma to a table, while she gave the interior a once over. It wasn't too bad, actually, though she'd heard disturbing things about what the place looked like around Valentine's Day. They talked, some food was ordered, served, and eaten, and everything seemed to be going just fine. Right up until the bill arrived.
"Don't worry, Pad, I'll get it." Looking down at his money pouch, Michael failed to notice that his date was giving him a rather strange look.
"It's fine, Michael, I can pay for myself." He was still fiddling with his bag, blissfully unaware that Padma's mildly disgruntled expression was growing more furious by the second.
"Nah, really, my treat. What kind of poor date would I be if I made you pay?" The couple at the booth behind Padma, who had formerly been cuddling contently, took notice of the slowly rising magical glow from the obviously angry girl next to them and carefully moved to the other side of their booth, getting as far away as they could without attracting undue attention.
"MICHAEL. I can PAY for myself." As with many other things, the emphasis in that statement was completely lost on Michael. Having finally found the proper coinage for their full bill, Michael placed it on the table and reached back for his cloak. Doing so probably spared him a visit to Madam Pomfrey, as a boil hex aimed for his head narrowly missed.
"DID YOU LISTEN TO A SINGLE WORD I SAID, YOU POMPOUS ASS?" Parma screamed, her wand pointed squarely at the space Michael's head had just vacated. "NO, YOU DIDN'T, BECAUSE IN YOUR HASTE TO BE THE 'PERFECT GENTLEMAN', YOU COMPLETELY IGNORED THE LADY YOU BROUGHT WITH YOU! GOOD BYE, MICHAEL!" Padma tossed a pair of Galleons on the table as she stormed off, determined to enjoy the rest of her Hogsmeade trip without Michael Corner. That particular argument would be the catalyst for a pair of common room shouting matches (neither one surpassing .25 on the Granger-Weasley Scale, but reaching volumes rarely heard in the Ravenclaw tower nonetheless), multiple handprints on Michael's face over the next month, and one very awkward encounter for Michael the next time he was in Hogsmeade and found Padma strolling the main street hand in hand with Terry Boot. Though she said she was completely over the incident a couple of months later, there were still times that Michael looked up and saw daggers being stared at him for two years following.
It wasn't until Padma found herself growing closer to Harry Potter that she finally found someone capable of quelling her temper. And the most impressive part was that he could often halt her in her tracks with just a single look. While teaching himself Occlumency to make up for the "instruction" he'd received from Professor Snape, Harry discovered how to use his memories and emotions to channel his thoughts into his eyes. While the technique was meant to be more of a training tool, Harry discovered it had some practical uses in quieting his girlfriend as well. Whenever it looked like Mount Padma was getting ready to erupt, Harry brought up memories of a particularly pleasant encounter the two of them had shared, and focused them directly into Padma's thoughts. If it didn't completely derail her anger (while also igniting another emotion entirely), it was usually good enough to calm her down some and allow the matter to be discussed.
That technique served Harry Potter very well over the rest of his life. Padma Potter found that she didn't mind the technique much, either. It just gave her a different way to channel her passion, and the pair became quite satisfied with the benefits from it as a result.