Chapter 1: Sparks Fly
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the related characters. The Harry Potter series is created by J.K. Rowling and owned by Warner Bros. Pictures. All rights of Harry Potter belong to Warner Bros. Pictures. This entire story is a work of fanfiction and is meant for entertainment purposes only. I am not making a profit from this story.
Notes: This chapter is inspired by the song "Sparks Fly" by Taylor Swift.
Flashback begins in this chapter! We're going to delve into how Dev and Padma met and what exactly happened between them so we can see why they aren't really on speaking terms in the present day.
"To understand the future, we have to go back in time!" - Pitbull
*I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll just see myself out now*
Six years earlier - Summer 1996
"Merlin's beard! Of course YOU would. I love it."
The tone of my twin sister's voice transitioned from astonishment to understanding to admiration after each remark she made, before she burst into peals of laughter. I immediately fished a handkerchief from my clutch purse to carefully dab away a few stray tears that had escaped from her eyes before they smudged the charcoal eyeliner I had just finished carefully applying to her eyelids.
After tucking it back into my purse, I turned my attention to Vijay, our older cousin, who bore a devious smirk and was casually leaning against the doorframe of the loo on the second floor of my uncle's house.
"Sarika will have a heart attack, rise from the dead, become a ghost and haunt you for the rest of your life if she sees you wearing those," I advised and pointed at the crimson trousers Vijay was sporting beneath the tailored black dress robes that his younger sister, Sarika, had purchased for him. Despite his deliberate fashion faux pas, Vijay admittedly looked quite debonair in his outfit, which fit his tall, burly persona very well. His black hair was swept into its usual man bun, but it seemed to be held in place by a fair amount of Wizarding Sculpting Gel. Even his dress shoes and the lenses of his dark rimmed glasses appeared to be polished.
"Fuck that bitch. She can tell our mom and dad what to do, but not me," Vijay quipped, uncrossing his arms to jerk a large thumb into his broad chest. He then strode into the room to stoop in front of a mirror mounted on the wall beside Parvati. Quickly running a small comb through his hair and beard before slipping it into the front pocket of his white shirt, he stretched back to his full height and stepped away to survey himself once more before turning towards us.
Vijay and Sarika may have been siblings like Parvati and myself, but they didn't get along and likely never would. Although they were both sorted into Gryffindor and only one year apart in age, Sarika's overbearing and judgemental personality frequently clashed with her older brother Vijay's lax demeanour and penchant for causing trouble. I could vividly remember him griping about the numerous howlers his father would send to him during the school year when he returned from Hogwarts each summer. The magical letters publicly admonished him for misdemeanours, which ranged from skipping Professor Binns' History of Magic classes to releasing a cage of bowtruckles during one of Professor Kettleburn's Care of Magical Creatures lessons.
Having him as a student must have been a nightmare, but being his cousin was a blast. Vijay was the life of the party and his wild Gryffindor antics during my summer and winter breaks helped ease the stress of belonging to the most academically motivated house in Hogwarts. Even though he graduated two years before Parvati and I enrolled, Vijay retained the reckless nature he possessed as a teenager - much to our family's chagrin. However, he was still doing pretty well for himself. Vijay was the top saleswizard at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, confirmed by its co-owners, Fred and George Weasley, themselves.
"You girls look great by the way. Are those the same robes you wore to that school dance?" Vijay asked.
"Indeed they are," Parvati confirmed and we each did a twirl while he nodded in approval. I tried to suppress the pleased little smile that crept upon my face as I regarded myself in the mirror that Vijay moved away from. My curves had come in late, offsetting my slender waist, so the outfit I'd originally worn when I accompanied Ron Weasley to the Yule Ball about a year ago fit better now.
Since our Yule Ball outfits were quite expensive, Parvati and I had informed Mama and Papa of our joint decision to re-use them for Sarika's engagement party. My salwar kameez-style dress robes were bright turquoise in colour. The sleeveless tunic reached my shins with white, silver and teal beads curling into intricate designs around the neckline. The bottom of the tunic had a thick bronze border with teardrop shaped beadwork running above its circumference. My shoulder-length straight black hair was pulled into a simple half updo and secured with a sparkly barrette. Beneath my tunic, I wore fitted matching turquoise trousers and completed my look with silver kitten heeled sandals and dangling earrings.
Parvati had opted for a more sophisticated outfit than mine at the time because she was attending the Yule Ball with Harry Potter, one of the Hogwarts Triwizard Tournament Champions. She still looked stunning in her shocking pink dress robes that consisted of a short-sleeved choli blouse and a long flared lehenga skirt, both of which were covered in intricate golden embroidery. My sister's waist-length hair was pulled back into her usual plait, but she had woven gold ribbon into the thick braid. Her matching dupatta shawl was neatly pleated and carefully draped over her left shoulder.
"Oi Dev! Why the bloody hell are you hiding outside? Come on in motherfucker," Vijay shouted over his shoulder.
Parvati and I turned towards the door, noticing that Vijay's best friend and former classmate, Dev Kapoor, had been loitering just beyond the doorway during our conversation. He donned black dress robes and shoes paired with a cobalt blue shirt. I wasn't surprised that Sarika had invited him and his family to her engagement party since their folks were next-door neighbours. Parvati and I encountered Dev at many celebrations and outings with Vijay while we were growing up. He had even dropped by some of our birthday parties. Dev was like a brother to Vijay. But I hadn't seen much of him since my second year, after he completed his curse-breaker training and began freelance work that required a lot of travel.
Unlike Vijay, Dev had a quieter and more studious disposition. According to my cousin, he spent most of his time at Hogwarts going to the library, tutoring younger students and playing wizard's chess. However, he still possessed that daring streak within him, a trademark of the Gryffindor house. His mother always used to complain about him attempting dangerous stunts during flying class.
Parvati greeted him and I was about to do the same, until I noticed the odd entranced expression on his face as he regarded me. He hadn't even moved from the spot where he was currently situated in the corridor. His countenance reminded me of Ron Weasley and (surprisingly) Draco Malfoy when they were gazing speechlessly at Hermione Granger as she entered the Great Hall with Viktor Krum at the start of the Yule Ball.
"What the fuck's wrong with you mate? You look constipated," Vijay scoffed.
Blinking from his reverie, Dev flushed with embarrassment. "Just a bit tired. I had a late night," he shrugged.
"Well, don't fall asleep during the party or else Sarika will have a fit," Parvati chuckled.
Our mother appeared in the hallway and poked her head inside the loo. "Oh my goodness! Vijay, you look so nice when you dress up! And Dev, you have always been such a handsome boy!" she exclaimed. "How is your shoulder doing? I heard you injured it."
"It's much better now, thanks," Dev responded, smiling brightly.
"Is your knapsack too heavy?" Mama asked with concern. I winced and Vijay snorted.
"Um no, it was a workplace injury. Comes with the job. Curse-breaking can get a little messy," Dev quickly replied with a hint of embarrassment.
"Oh right! You and Vijay are the same age. I forget sometimes because you look so young," Mama said, before tilting her head towards me and Parvati. "Girls, you both look lovely as always. Now, can you please come help me and your Auntie adjust Sarika's lehenga?" she asked with a pleading look in her eyes.
"We're on our way Mama," Parvati laughed knowingly. As we exited the room, I waved goodbye to Vijay and addressed Dev for the first time since he arrived.
"Hey Dev, it's really good to see you again," I chirped nervously, unsure of why I suddenly felt so shy in front of him.
"Same here Padma, I'll see you around," Dev replied softly with a gentle smile.
*/*/*
"Higher!" I overheard a shrill voice bark as I opened my cousin's bedroom door. It was spacious with dark wooden furniture and decor in shades of grey, illustrating her preference for posh over personal.
Sarika was standing in the middle of the room pointing a French manicured finger at the bottom of her skirt. She looked gorgeous in embroidered lehenga-style dress robes that complemented her petite, curvy figure. Her long wavy hair was swept over one shoulder, which showcased her pretty blonde highlights. My aunt was using the Levitation charm to lift the bottom of her skirt up. She looked very tired, even though it was early evening and the party hadn't begun yet. My sister and I exchanged a look of confusion before entering the room with Mama.
"Ugh finally! I need your help to adjust my dress robes. They're too long," Sarika huffed in annoyance.
"It's nice to see you too cuz," Parvati said sarcastically.
"It looks like your dress robes are hanging just above the ground, which is long enough for you to walk without tripping," I noted.
"No, I want them to be a few millimetres higher so everyone will be able to see the tips of my peep-toe designer high heels when I make my grand entrance with Shahid," she whined, pulling up her skirt to reveal the sparkly shoes in question. Merlin's beard. I wondered how her fiancé was able to put up with her on a regular basis. Being a former Hufflepuff, his temperament was vastly different from hers.
"Alright then, how can we be of assistance?" I offered.
"I need one of you to levitate my skirt while our mothers adjust the length of it," Sarika instructed, clapping her hands with an air of finality.
"We're not allowed to use magic outside of school," Parvati deadpanned with a shrug.
"Well, on your knees then! My party starts in ten minutes," Sarika fired back, tapping her foot impatiently. I grabbed Parvati's elbow and pulled her down with me before either of us turned our cousin's engagement party into a funeral wake. Five agonising minutes later, the work was complete.
"Are you two planning on changing your clothes? Those dress robes are so last season," Sarika remarked, wrinkling her nose in distaste while spritzing herself with a strong perfume that caused us to burst into coughing fits.
"We've only worn these once. It was last year for the Yule Ball, a dance at our school," I wheezed.
"Yes, I know that. Who do you think picked those outfits for you? Your mum was going to buy some ghastly pink and orange robes in inverted colours for you to semi-match each other. You should thank your lucky stars I nipped that fashion disaster in the bud," Sarika sighed. Mama looked hurt, but I secretly felt a bit relieved that my cousin had convinced her to change her mind. The robes didn't sound very appealing.
"Well, we really like these dress robes so we decided to wear them again," I explained.
"Alright then, I'm glad you appreciate my good taste!" she smirked and with a dramatic swish of her robes she exited her bedroom.
A few seconds later, we all heard screaming and saw flashes of light illuminate the hallway.
"VIJAY PATIL, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WEARING?!"
"Ease up, sis. I'm just showing a little Gryffindor house pride."
"YOU GRADUATED SEVEN YEARS AGO ASSHOLE!"
The four of us burst into laughter before sneaking past the arguing siblings to join the other guests downstairs.
Notes: I prefer the literary version of Parvati and Padma's dress robes, so I went with that and used my creativity to add other details to their designs ;) I also have this headcanon that although the twins are identical, they had different hairstyles at Hogwarts to reflect their individuality so people could easily tell them apart even when they weren't in uniform :)