Chapter 8: Wonderwall

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 "Wonderwall" by Oasis.

Winter 1997

"The white one," Parvati told me when I held up a red and white sweater in each hand. They both looked festive so I had trouble deciding which one to wear. I pulled it over my head and did a quick spin for her. She gave me a thumbs up before rolling over on her mattress to continue reading her Witch Weekly magazine.

I suppose it didn't really matter what I wore to my uncle's holiday party this year. Anjali would outshine me anyways with her long eyelashes and bubbly persona when she arrived there donning the latest in winter wizarding fashion. Ugh.

I heard a sharp tapping on our window and walked over to investigate. Parvati put down her magazine and followed me. A cold draft chilled our toasty bedroom when I opened the window to invite an adorable grey barn owl inside. He ruffled his feathers to brush off the snow and cocked his head in my direction.

I untied and opened the message that was attached to his claw before the owl hooted and flew back outside. Parvati closed the window behind him. It was a letter from the Ministry. My application to intern as a page at their library had been accepted! They imposed a one-year probationary period before I would be given the opportunity to apply to full-time reference librarian positions. There was more information about my start date, the dress code and some forms I had to fill out and send back to them with my owl, Athena. I squealed and pulled my confused sister into a bear hug.

"The Ministry sent me a conditional offer of employment. I'll start working there as a full-time page next July," I grinned. She shrieked and hugged me back.

The door slowly opened and Mama quietly entered wearing a troubled expression on her face. Oh dear. Perhaps we were being too loud.

"Girls, I just heard some troubling news," Mama began.

"I didn't do it," Parvati interrupted, blinking innocently at our mother. I chuckled and Mama frowned at us before continuing.

"Vijay's best friend, Dev, ended his relationship with that girl he brought to Sarika's wedding. Apparently it was due to infidelity on her part. Can you believe it? Such a shame, she seemed so nice and friendly. And she was also tall and pretty," Mama lamented, shaking her head.

"Pfft she was a bit of an airhead if you ask me. It didn't seem like they had much in common either. It was totally obvious that she was wearing a pair of Everlasting Eyelashes from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes too. No one's eyelashes are that long," Parvati snorted.

Dev was single again. I felt ashamed of my relief at hearing that.

But it was only because that twat, Anjali, had cheated on him. The poor guy must feel so embarrassed right now. Merlin's beard, he had already introduced her to everyone at the wedding! That was a big step. I don't think I've ever met his previous girlfriends - if he had any. He should have just waited to get to know her better. What made him rush things?

An image of her lush figure and pouty lips popped into my mind. I clenched my fist. Ugh, I think I already knew the answer to that question. He must have been thinking with his other head. I suppose all men are the same…

"Anyways, I wanted to tell you both about this because Dev's mum warned everyone not to mention her name at the party. Not even as a joke. Apparently Vijay tried to and Dev smacked him. Vijay and Dev are renting a flat together now. Both of them wanted more independence. I would hate it if you girls tried to live on your own like that," Mama sighed.

"Did he seriously like her that much?" Parvati asked in surprise, ignoring my mother's last remark.

"That's what I wondered, but Dev's mum told me that she believes his pride was just hurt. He's very handsome and accomplished. But as you can see, he's pretty short for a boy. Although, I guess he's still taller than you girls…" Mama sighed and trailed off. Parvati rolled her eyes.

"Well, if Anjali had an issue with his height from the start, then she shouldn't have wasted his time," I sniffed. Mama nodded in agreement and Parvati regarded me curiously.

"Now, if you're both ready we can head over to your Uncle's house," Mama said.

"Wait, Mama…I just wanted to let you know that the Ministry of Magic library accepted my application to become a page. I'll have a job after I graduate from Hogwarts!" I said cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh beta, that's wonderful to hear! I'm so proud of you. It is a respectable and safe profession, not like aurors and magizoologists who go running to their deaths," she said, pulling me into a hug and rubbing my back. I sighed.

"Parvati, have you been thinking about what you want to do after you finish school? I hope it's nothing dangerous," Mama asked with concern lacing her voice.

"I'm still deciding," Parvati said evasively. We were supposed to know what we wanted to do by the end of fifth year. I'm sure Parvati shared her answer with McGonagall and Umbridge, but she never told me or our parents. I wondered if she was considering a potentially dangerous job and didn't know how to break the news. I bitterly mulled over whether she had told Lavender and not us.

"Well, you have six months of school left so you should make up your mind soon," Mama advised.

"Are you ready ladies? I was just about to floo over to the party," Papa said, opening our bedroom door. The three of us nodded and followed him to the fireplace.

*/*/*

Dev and Kirin were playing wizard's chess on the floor of my uncle's living room. Vijay, Parvati, Sarika and Shahid were sitting near them on a plush yellow sofa, heatedly discussing something that was beyond earshot. I was seated at a desk in the far corner of the room, writing a letter to Sue. I couldn't wait to tell her about my job offer!

Sending her this letter would be good practice for the future because we didn't want to lose touch with each other after graduation. Sue wanted to work as a reference librarian for the Ministry as well. Since her boyfriend lived in Paris, she had applied to the French Ministry of Magic library. As much as I would miss her if she left the country for work, I wished for her happiness and she and Normande did make a lovely couple. They had been in a long-distance relationship for almost three years now and they really deserved to be together.

Tapping the feather of my quill pensively against my chin as I debated adding a postscript at the end of the letter, I was startled from my thoughts when Vijay boomed, "Oi Padma, who's better looking - Dev or Kirin?"

I dropped my quill and spun around to shoot him an incredulous look. Sarika looked equally displeased.

"Merlin's beard! Why would you ask me something like that?" I sputtered.

"Well, Kirin's deciding who's more popular among the ladies - him or Dev. In terms of romantic partners, both of them have broken even at fifteen - don't tattle to their mum. Length of the relationship is irrelevant here. Just focusing on the number of girls they've gone out on a date with. Since it's a draw, Kirin suggested asking the people in this room who's more attractive. Sarika and Shahid voted for Kirin, but Parvati and I are on my buddy's side, so you're the tiebreaker," Vijay explained.

"Both of them are way too old for our baby cousins, but if she had to pick then Kirin would obviously be the better choice because he's younger than Dev," Sarika sniffed in disapproval. Parvati and I ignored her.

"Yeah Padma, vote for me. I'm obviously the better looking one - Dev 2.0! All my exes were at least satisfied being in my company and didn't run off with anyone else," Kirin snickered. I gaped at him, afraid to see Dev's reaction to his underhanded barb.

"Are you sure about that? I may have been in my first year when you were in your graduating year at Hogwarts, but I distinctly remember you and some girl having a giant row in the middle of the Great Hall during dinner once, when she announced she was leaving you for any bloke who would treat her better," Parvati snickered.

"That was just a one off," Kirin grumbled in embarrassment.

Kirin was such an obnoxious arse, picking on Dev when he was most vulnerable. He knew exactly which strings to pull without crossing any established lines. I noticed that he was careful not to explicitly say Anjali's name in any of the taunts he directed at his older brother. It wasn't too shocking to me though, given their turbulent history.

What was surprising was Dev's dating record! I guess I really was just a blip on his radar. Suddenly, all the heartache I felt on the night of Sarika's wedding reception came flooding back.

"Kirin," I finally responded out of a mixture of pride and spite. Kirin victoriously whooped and Sarika nodded in satisfaction. Dev silently reached forward to move one of his chess pieces.

"Checkmate," he deadpanned, as his bishop sliced through his brother's king.

"What?!" Kirin roared. Amid the chorus of laughter, Dev jerked away from the game to briefly cast a doubtful look at me. I began to nervously sweatdrop. I somehow had a feeling he would make me regret my choice.

"I guess you both win in a way. By the way Padma, who're you writing to? You got a boyfriend or something?" Vijay announced before switching gears to question me. He, Kirin and Parvati promptly burst into laughter.

"What?!" Dev exclaimed. Everyone spun around to look at him in surprise.

"Is he from your class?" Sarika asked, sending a suspicious glance in Dev's direction.

"I'm just writing a letter to Sue. It would be good practice since she might be going to work in France after we finish school," I said dismissively.

"That's cool. So, what are you planning on doing after graduation?" Vijay asked curiously.

"Pads just accepted an employment offer from the Ministry to work as a page at their library. It's a one year contract," Parvati beamed.

"Congrats cuz! And what about you?" Vijay turned his attention to my sister.

"I haven't decided yet…," Parvati trailed off.

"No worries, it took me a while to figure things out too," Vijay said reassuringly.

"So, you'll be stationed here in London?" Dev casually interjected. I nodded and he appeared to be relieved by my decision.

"Food is ready!" I heard Auntie shout. I pushed aside my quill and unfinished letter to join the others who were racing over to eat.

Today's mood was sombre in contrast to previous years. Professor Dumbledore was murdered by Snape right before summer vacation began. He had always been an eccentric old wizard. I never knew exactly what he was thinking about. But, I could tell he loved Hogwarts and its students dearly. I respected and missed him very much.

It was devastating when my parents pulled me and Parvati out of school right before we could attend his funeral. I felt like I hadn't received proper closure as a result of that. Again and again, I allowed them to control what I did in my life. The memory of that day still caused bile to rise in my throat.

"Family and friends. Thank you for joining us for our annual holiday party this year. We're so happy you could all make it here tonight. There have been several troubling events that threatened the wellbeing of the wizarding community as of late, so each moment spent together is precious. Earlier this year, our beloved Hogwarts headmaster lost his life, but he left behind a great legacy that will be remembered for generations to come. Many of us were once students during his time there. Professor Dumbledore will not be forgotten and will remain in our hearts forever. Never take anything for granted and live with no regrets. You don't know what tomorrow will bring, so here's to the present," Uncle said, raising his glass of firewhiskey in a toast.

His words deeply touched my heart and I swallowed hard as tears streamed down my face. I felt Parvati squeeze my hand in an effort to comfort me, and I gratefully squeezed hers back, brushing away my tears.

"We're pregnant!" Sarika loudly interjected from across the room, taking a step forward with Shahid.

The serious atmosphere dissolved into awkward silence as people digested her abrupt announcement. Sarika waited for a few seconds before theatrically placing her hands on her hips and glaring at everyone expectantly. Shahid rubbed his hand on the small of her back in an attempt to placate her.

Auntie was the first to pull Sarika into a tight embrace and Uncle followed suit. Then one by one, everybody began extending their congratulations to the expectant parents. Parvati turned to me and rolled her eyes in disbelief. I guess Sarika was too excited to read the room. But I wondered how I would react when my future husband and I found out we were going to have a baby.

As we joined the line to congratulate them, I saw Dev tenderly gazing at me from the other end of the dining table, which made my heart flutter. With graduation fast approaching and a new baby joining our extended family, a lot of things were changing.

"Shahid, you should've used a Contraception charm!" Vijay shouted, slapping his brother-in-law on the back. Shahid chuckled and Sarika started screaming.

But some things never will.

Notes: Shahid is a gem. He and Vijay get along well and Sarika is lucky to have him! Fun fact: he's named after one of my Man Crush Mondays, Shahid Kapoor ;)

Being a lowkey fan of Greek mythology, I also named Padma's owl, Athena, after the Greek goddess of wisdom herself :)