Chapter 2: Two Hearts Set on Fire

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 "Two Hearts Set on Fire" by Shawn Hook.

Summer 1996 (Continued)

I was sitting in the corner eating a bhajia I had snatched from the table of appetisers when a shadow fell over my plate. I looked up and saw Dev standing in front of me with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a plate of mini samosas.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked, nodding towards the empty chair next to me. I shook my head and he sat down. A pleasant aroma of sandalwood and ocean air wafted over me.

"Where's your sister?" he continued, glancing around the area.

"She took the floo to Shahid's place to bring him here sooner. Sarika is still giving Vijay a hard time and Shahid is the only person who can quickly calm her down with sweet nothings before they make their grand entrance tonight," I explained.

"Their grand entrance from the second floor into the living room, which is on the ground floor?" Dev asked with a baffled expression on face. I nodded and rolled my eyes. It made me wonder how she would behave on the actual wedding day.

Choosing to piss her off today wasn't Vijay's brightest idea. Sarika was already in a foul mood because a bunch of Death Eaters had torched the hall she was originally supposed to have her engagement party in. Given the short notice, her only other option was to have the event at my uncle's house. Naturally, she wasn't too happy about that.

"Did you know that Vijay was going to wear those trousers?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nope. Sometimes he comes up with these pranks on the fly," Dev grinned, taking a bite out of his samosa.

"Well, at least you're dressed appropriately," I sighed, glancing shyly at his profile. Mama was right, he really was handsome. I guess I hadn't noticed it before. It had been a while since I last saw him and I was much younger then. But now…

"Are you sure about that?" he asked mischievously. I frowned in confusion, prompting him to lift one of the legs of his trousers to reveal an emerald green sock with a tiny golden snitch pattern. I giggled and he winked at me.

"That's still fairly tame. Why weren't you sorted into Ravenclaw? You're definitely smart enough to get in," I remarked.

Dev fixated his eyes on the ceiling for a bit, before looking around surreptitiously and leaning close to me. I felt my heart rate increase as I met him halfway until we were only a few inches apart.

"The Sorting Hat bases its decisions on an incoming student's personality traits as well as where the student in question actually wants to be placed. I was initially considering Ravenclaw. But after hitting it off with Vijay on the train, I thought I'd be much happier in Gryffindor. When my younger brother, Kirin, joined me in Gryffindor a couple of years later, I knew I had made the right decision. He already thinks I'm a swot and getting sorted into Ravenclaw would've made it worse. Belonging to the same house brought us closer for sure," Dev whispered.

Kirin and Dev had an ongoing rivalry that predated their time at Hogwarts. Unlike Dev who was introverted and studious, Kirin was a loudmouthed, attention-seeker who could be downright obnoxious sometimes. It was fairly obvious that he was jealous of Dev's brilliance. I guess it was difficult living in his older brother's shadow. Dev had Kirin beat in almost everything with the exception of height, as Kirin was taller than him. These days they seemed to get along much better, especially since Kirin was recently hired as a Quidditch commentator, placing them on even ground in respectable professions. But Kirin still had his spiteful moments every now then.

"Is this a secret or something?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

"Do you know how many people I've told about that?" he asked me seriously. I shook my head. He lifted his index finger for a second and then pointed at me.

One. You.

My breath caught in my throat and I swallowed hard.

"Well, I wouldn't want to stroke Vijay's ego. I also don't want Kirin to know how much I care about him. He'll think I'm just trying to score brownie points with mum and dad by attempting to be a good big brother," he tightly admitted with a grimace.

"You are a good big brother Dev and a great guy," I said earnestly, rubbing his knuckle with my fingertip. He looked at me with an uncharacteristically vulnerable expression on his face.

"You're always like that Padma. Kind and calm," Dev murmured. "It's been a while, I look forward to catching up."

I smiled back at him, feeling excited about the evening's festivities for the first time that night.

*/*/*

"Let me get this straight, you have the patience to bake? You barely waited two days into flying class before you were already attempting stunts. Poor Madam Hooch!" I laughed in disbelief.

"I can be a patient man, Padma. I'll even bring my chocolate chip cookies for you to try this year at your uncle's holiday party," Dev promised.

My stomach growled in agreement and I quickly shovelled another spoonful of food into my mouth. I was so caught up in our conversation that I was forgetting to eat. After Sarika and Shahid made their "grand" entrance, dinner was served. Instead of mingling, Dev and I returned to our corner and continued talking.

"But at least you're a good flyer. Madam Hooch gave me an 'Acceptable' in that class and my parents were not happy about it. Papa wants me to take adult flying lessons after I graduate. He doesn't have faith in my abilities," I sighed morosely.

"Flying is fun. Are you afraid of heights?" Dev probed.

"No, I'm afraid of falling," I sniffed and he snickered at my denial.

"It's perfectly normal to be nervous about flying in the beginning, Padma. If you keep practising, you'll eventually get used to it and it won't be as frightening as it seems. Let me know if you ever want a lesson," he said encouragingly. I gave him a grateful look and shuffled the food around my plate a little.

"So, what exactly makes your chocolate chip cookies so special?" I curiously asked, changing the subject.

"It's a secret. You'll have to try one and see for yourself!" he winked. "Do you need a refill on that?"

"Um, sure. Masala chai, please," I agreed, handing him my empty teacup.

"Have you ever tried apple cinnamon? It's actually my favourite," he recommended, taking his half empty mug and offering it to me for a sip. My heart stuttered at the fleeting thought of sharing an indirect kiss with him. Sensing my hesitance, he immediately placed it back down.

"No worries, I'll just brew you your own cup if you're worried about getting my cooties," he laughed. I averted my gaze in embarrassment and he affectionately stroked my hair, taking care not to muss it, before heading towards the kitchen.

'Way to act like a big baby!' I mentally chastised myself, taking a few deep breaths.

Dev soon returned with my teacup and sat back down next to me. The sweet, spicy aroma of the tea smelled heavenly. I carefully blew on the hot beverage and tentatively took a small sip.

"Wow, it's delicious!" I gushed. Dev grinned triumphantly and wound an arm around the back of my chair.

"I knew you'd like it. We're quite alike," he said.

"Yes, we are," I agreed. I honestly hadn't felt so connected to someone since I met Sue during our first year of Hogwarts. But this somehow felt different than that…

Maintaining eye contact with him, I took another sip of tea. His eyes immediately fell to my lips and he appeared entranced once again, as he had when he saw me in my dress robes upstairs earlier in the evening. Then he tenderly covered my hand with his own before speaking.

"Hey, have you ever wanted to escape all this for a while," he cryptically asked.

It took a moment to sink in, and then I suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe.

Memories of my life so far started flashing in my mind. I was always being told what to do. By my parents. By my teachers. Occasionally by my sister. Even by the rest of my family. I felt so pressured to get stellar grades and conduct myself appropriately in school as a prefect that it overtook my social life. Not that Mama and Papa cared. I always had to be the perfect daughter, sister and friend. Dating was out of the question until graduation and I'm sure they would be picky about who I chose. Of course that was entirely dependent on whether or not I survived the inevitable second wizarding war.

Dev could obviously relate to this. His parents had the same expectations of him. It was probably worse since he was the older sibling. Due to his age, there was likely the added complexity of settling down too.

"Yes, actually I have," I tearfully confessed, feeling emboldened by his gentle gaze and the warmth of his palm. His eyes flashed and he opened his mouth to continue.

"Oi Dev! Padma! We were wondering where you've been all night. The bitch wants a group picture. You in?" a voice interrupted, startling us both. We turned around to find Vijay, Kirin and Parvati staring at us in surprise.

"Sure, we'll be right there," Dev responded, standing up and kindly offering me his hand. I quickly wiped my eyes and graciously took it.

"Pfft! I just realised there's someone shorter than you," Kirin immaturely guffawed at Dev.

Parvati elbowed Kirin on our behalf as Vijay slung an arm around Dev's shoulder and led him to the other side of the room where some of Shahid's cousins were setting up a row of chairs.

"Pads, is everything alright?" my sister asked curiously. "I couldn't find you so I ate with Vijay and Kirin. Vijay was telling us some funny stories from the joke shop."

"Oh I'm fine. I was just catching up with Dev. We talked about some random curse-breaking stuff. Anyways, we'd better go for the picture, otherwise you-know-who will start throwing another tantrum," I quickly said, hoping it wasn't too obvious that I had been on the verge of tears a moment ago. "By the way, how did fetching Shahid go?"

"Merlin's beard, he had just come out of the shower! Thank goodness I was there to tell him to hurry up and get dressed for the party. I swear he is a little too easy-going sometimes. I guess in a way he and Sarika balance each other out," Parvati explained, thankfully getting distracted by my question.

After the photo was taken, Kirin and Vijay whisked Dev away to talk and I didn't get a chance to continue our conversation.

I wondered what he was going to tell me?

Notes: I recently heard that Shawn Hook who is the artist behind this chapter's song inspiration has been diagnosed with throat cancer and has to undergo chemotherapy. Sending love and prayers his way!