Title: just... differently
Summary: Padma and Parvati are twins. Sure. But that doesn't mean that they are the same person, and Padma wishes more people could see it.
Genre: family/friendship
Characters: Padma P., Parvati Patil., Lavender B.
Word count: 2,177
Triggers/warnings: none
FOR HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
House: Ravenclaw
Task/subject: Zoology Task #2 Write about a character expressing one of the following emotions - Frustrated
FOR ILVERMORNY SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
House: Wampus
Class/Task number: Runology Task #3 Ehwaz and Eihwaz: write abut two people who look similar and are very different
Prompts: none
Let's just say that all their life, it had been Padma and Parvati Patil. Always. Wherever they went, it was always: "Oh, there go Padma and Parvati Patil". But for once, just for once, Padma wished it could be something more along the lines of: "Oh, there go Padma Patil and Parvati Patil." Okay, she could understand it was a bit of a mouthful, and the three 'p's in a row sounded better for the alliteration but nevertheless. She was so used to hearing "Padma and Parvati Patil" that now "Padma Patil" sounded empty to her. It was like they were conjoined by the name.
But that just seemed to be the curse of being identical twins. Same coloured skin, same waist length black hair, same opaline eyes, same slightly small nose and same slightly pointed chin. And it didn't help that their mother always bought them the exact same clothes, much to Padma's frustration, which she hid behind a girly giggle, and a smile at her sister, no matter how much she wished she could train the flimsy, pink skirt for a pair of jeans.
And it always seemed to Padma that Parvati didn't mind this conjoined name of theirs. Truly, her only problem was probably that it was "Padma and Parvati" and not "Parvati and "Padma" (but being born first still had its advantages after all). She didn't sigh and stuff down an angry thought every time someone bought them the exact same present for their birthday, as it had happened for the past 11 years of their existence.
Don't get her wrong, Padma loved her sister to bits and pieces, it's just that sometimes, Parvati seemed so aloof and so comfortable in being only half of a whole it annoyed her. She seemed to adore being constantly attached to her sister, wanting to live with her at all times, and it drove Padma absolutely crazy. Parvati couldn't even tell how irritated her sister was whenever she dragged Padma to some endless social occasion or another, while Padma wanted to stay indoors. Padma strived for independence, to prove to be more than just a twin, a half, to exist independently from this sister that had been forced upon her from day 1 (or slightly later, perhaps, Padma knew her basic biology) in the womb.
So when the letter from Hogwarts came that day in July, as it had done for her family for the past four generations, Padma saw it as an opening. While her sister prattled on about how much fun it would be to share a dorm (which Padma failed to see how it was different from sharing a room) with her, to hang out in the common room with her, to go to Quidditch matches with her, Padma made other plans.
Everyone expected the girls to be sorted in the same house, just which one seemed to make them wonder. Their father had been an avid Gryffindor at the time, and their mother had been homeschooled but always told them how she had wished she had gone to Hogwarts and been a Slytherin. So that was just the question: Gryffindor or Slytherin? But already the hatred around the name Slytherin was growing, and neither of the girls truly wanted to go there.
It never occurred to them that they could be different. Instead, they meshed Parvati's personality onto Padma's; confusing the former's aloofness and stupid bravery with the later's imagination and logical reasoning much to Padma's frustration.
Actually, if anyone had ever taken the time to see "Padma Patil and Parvati Patil", they would've seen two girls, who apart from looks and DNA, had nothing in common. So while her sister spent hours deciding how she was going to decorate her dorm in the Gryffindor tower, Padma read through her school books twice, carefully taking notes on chapters she didn't quite understand so she would be able to ask questions, organising and labelling binders, counting her quills, and reading through an endless supply of books for the summer. Parvati giggled through the entire summer with 'their' friend: Lavender Brown. Padma complied and participated in the must-dos of their sleepovers, painting their nails, braiding their hair, discussing what school would be like. Lavender gossiped with both sisters equally but Padma doubted if she even knew which was which, at times.
And it still didn't get better. Padma hoped to find her independence, prove herself to be different from her sister, and show the world that they were identical in body but not in mind. But the annual trip to Diagon Alley didn't prove any better. Their mother insisted on buying them the exact same thing, while Padma discretely rolled her eyes. Okay, sure, it was only school supplies and you couldn't really be different in a uniform, it kind of beat its purpose, but she still wished her mother hadn't insisted on buying them both cats. The same black cats. Padma had been wishing for an owl, but when she asked her mother, she had refused.
"Come on now, Padma. Can't you see how much Parvati wants the cat. And you need to have the same animal or it won't work."
Padma sighed as she watched her sister squeal and the kitten and name it 'Cutie kitty'. Padma, on the other hand, held the creature at arms length and petted it gingerly, for it wasn't the cat's fault it was yet another symbol of being identical, a symbol of her frustration.
She still had a little hope when they went to buy their wands. Every witch and wizard dreamed of the day they would get their wand. Parvati and she had spent countless hours in the garden with wooden sticks pretending that they had the real powerful magic object between their hands. Maybe, just maybe, the wands would be so different her parents would be forced to see how she was 'Padma' and not just 'Padma and'.
But it didn't go quite as well as planned. Her mother had insisted upon the fact that Padma and Parvati needed matching wands, sister wands so that they could continue being twins. Thankfully, Mr Ollivander had reminded her that the wand chooses the witch and not the other way round.
But it was hopeless. The wands weren't identical, but they could've been. Both measuring a little over 11 inches, both with a dragon heart string and both with a smoothly carved ball at the end. The only difference was that Parvati had laurel wood and Padma, hazel. And even then, they were such similar shades of wood, they looked the same. Their mother was delighted. Padma sagged and suppressed the urge to groan.
When they walked out of the shop, Mr Ollivander stopped her. "Do you not like your wand, child?" he asked her kindly.
"No, no. I do." She brushed him off, but she wasn't lying. The surge of power and magic coursing through her veins when the wand had chosen her had left her breathless for a couple of moments, but there was a slight bitterness to the wand, so similar.
He paused, "You know, though some wands look the exact same, of are made from the exact same materials, or are so close that we wandmakers go even so far as to call them sister wands, they can be used in such different ways, bring the owner different kinds of power, push them towards the sky in different ways. They can save the world or destroy it," he placed a hand in her shoulder, "the wand is, after all, only the tool." He let her go.
Padma stared into his sincere eyes for a moment and then ran after her mother and sister. She hadn't quite understood everything, but something told her that it would make sense very soon. The bitterness at the back of her throats mellowed slightly.
And then they were off to Hogwarts. Same clothes, same cases, same cats. Their mother beamed with pride as she carefully finished off Parvati's braid, the exact same hairdo she had given Padma a couple of minutes ago.
"My two little girls," their mother sniffed, "all ready to go off to Hogwarts. How I wished I could be like you today. Now, Padma and Parvati, don't forget to make friends and don't always stay together. You must go see other people. You'll always have one another but not letting anyone in is a bad idea," she paused, "maybe you shouldn't have beds next to one another in your dorm. And don't always sit next to one another, promise?"
"Of course, mummy!" Parvati chirped while flicking her hair behind her ear. "I love you! Bye!" Padma watched her twins run after Lavender who was waving at them. Oh, if only their mother knew how frustrated Padma was at always being with her sister, those instructions would be followed, for sure, and hopefully, even more so.
"Padma? Are you okay?" their mother asked. "Why don't you go with Lavender?"
She snapped out of it. "Oh, yes. Goodbye, mother, father." She hugged them and hurried after her sister, planning to sit in a carriage and thoroughly ignore their chittering with a thick book.
And finally, they were in the Great Hall, the long tables of the houses in their bright colours, chattering and battering about whatever school children talk about. Parvati and Lavender watched anxiously as the ceremony went through, clutching hands. Padma held her sister's hand slightly more feebly.
Lavender was called off, placed the hat on and promptly sent to Gryffindor. On her way to the rowdy red table she gave a little wav to the sisters and mouthed something among the lines of: "see you soon".
The wait till the 'p's seemed interminable. Padma watched the bewildered children walk off to tables who either cheered them on or clapped them politely, slapped them on the back or presented them with a handshake. And then all of a sudden it was her turn to sit on that stool and have her head engulfed by a talking hat.
Parvati gave her a sure smile. Padma felt a twinge of regret. No doubt about it, Parvati was Gryffindor through and through. The personality people tended to give her was all Gryffindor, and all Parvati. She, on the other hand…
Hmmmm what do we have here?
Padma jumped with surprise when she heard the voice in her head, speaking to her like a little insect in the crook of her ear, whispering words of wisdom.
A twin I see… well I sure have met my fair share of twins in my lifetime. What type are you? Are you closer than can be or more different than the sun and moon? Closer than close, apparently. Oh, but you disagree?
Padma felt like finally someone was understanding her. She felt as though the hat was slowly peeling away layers of frustration, and anger to get to her soul, so that he would be able to understand her better.
So, I guess it is more different than the sun and moon. And your sister is the sun, hmmm? And I should sort her in Gryffindor, you tell me?
Padma was surprised, the hat seemed to be able to read her thoughts.
Well, I'll just have to see what happens when I get to her. But what about you then? You consider yourself the moon? Slytherin maybe?
She shuddered. She had seen who had gone to Slytherin, brute boys and snide girls with that look that most girls know, the one that said 'I will destroy you.'
Fine, fine. Not Slytherin. Maybe it's for the better. That bitterness would've been honed into a knife, a powerful one, but perhaps double sided. A pause. So, no Hufflepuff, that much seems clear to me.
Ravenclaw, thought Padma, please, Ravenclaw.
Ravenclaw? The hat seemed surprised by the offer. Hmmm, yes, I see it now. Quite clearly. Why didn't it occur to me before? Yes. But are you sure?
Please, begged Padma.
Not Gryffindor? You could be great there. So great, there is so much potential there.
No!
Fine. Well, off you go then!
"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted, and the crowd from the blue table began to clap politely, not particularly enthusiastic, not like this should be of any surprise.
But for Padma, it was finally freedom. Finally, finally she was different, she was just "Padma and", she was "Padma Patil", proud, free, clever Ravenclaw. She felt so much lighter, like a huge weight had just been lifted off her shoulders.
Parvati was quickly placed in Gryffindor, but the sad and sorry look from her sister was not returned. Padma was beaming, she was shining. For the first time she had proved herself to be more than just a twin. Here, no one would be able to confuse them anymore. A Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw were so different. Finally. All the pent up frustration flew away, and Padma's heart felt much freer, with a lot more space to love her sister. But just… differently.