Gift for Narcissaunicorn from Bluemermaid
To: narcissaunicorn
From: bluemermaid
Title: Damsel in Distress
Summary: The twins have their own secret way of cheering one another.
Characters/Pairings: Parvati and Padma Patil
Genre: Gen
Rating/Warnings: PG
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 1,954
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: No
If yes, your Tumblr username: N/A
Author's Notes: I really hope you enjoy this, Lauren! I was quite pleased to be able to write for you and explore the relationship between these girls a little bit. :)
The paperback was worn through already along the spine, with long white creases from where the book had been opened and pressed down upon tables and desks and bedspreads. The pages were not quite yellow, the sort of off-white in-between stage of new and old, with a smell like a comfy old armchair. Parvati slipped the book out of her bag and handed it over to Lavender Brown, with a whisper in her ear. "Pass it to Paddy."
Wednesday nights for Gryffindors were Astronomy nights with the Ravenclaws. Each week they would make the trek up the long staircase to the highest tower, set up their telescopes and make sketches of the night sky while Professor Sinistra droned on about magnitude and alignment and parallax shifting. For Parvati, it not only provided an interesting overlap with Divination's astrology, but it was an opportunity to connect with her sister.
Several telescopes down, Padma appeared to be struggling. Her eraser flew across her diagram, the tip of her tongue poking out slightly from between her pursed lips. She flipped her long braid over her shoulder and took a deep breath, leaning into her telescope sight again to correct her chart. And then the book passed over to her.
Parvati watched with a conspiratorial grin as her sister took the book from fellow Ravenclaw Megan Jones, who merely shrugged at the questioning look on Padma's face. Padma looked down at the book and her forehead crinkles smoothed out immediately; she looked up, met Parvati's gaze, and gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes, smirking with the knowledge of her twin's intention.
Padma shoved the book into her bag and shook her head in Parvati's direction, giving her a look of mixed exasperation and defiance. "We are too old for this," her expression said.
Still, Parvati noticed that her sister seemed much calmer after receiving the book, marking her star positions down with renewed confidence.
"If you're not going to read it, I'd like it back, please," she said as they departed for the night, an hour later, skipping down the stairs with all the excitement typical of a class released for the evening.
"Parvati, please do not tell me you still read this," Padma replied, laughing. She held the book out for her sister.
Parvati did not take it. "Refresh yourself, sister," she said lightly, patting Padma's shoulder as she passed. They went their separate ways then, each to her own personal tower, each to her own inner sanctum.
"I have got to read that book when she's finished," Lavender said, as they bounced into bed up in the Gryffindor dormitories. "It looks fantastic."
"It truly is," Parvati replied, smirking, and picturing her sister lying in a nearly identical bed somewhere simultaneously oh-so-close and far-too-far. She laughed to herself; Padma was probably flipping through those well-worn pages at that very same moment.
**
The book was called Damsel in Distress. Its cover featured a young woman wearing far too little clothing, held tightly in the arms of a man wearing even less. The back cover claimed it was "Every Muggle woman's favourite summertime read!" and "The perfect way to blend in at the beach!" Celestina Warbeck had proclaimed it a "grand smash," and Samantha Weatherbee (best-selling author of Wonder Witch: Twenty-five Ways to Become Your Very Most Magical Self) said, "If you think our lives are magical, take a look at this."
Padma and Parvati had stolen the novel from their mother's closet many years ago, and it had passed between them ever since. Padma recalled feverish nights lying side by side in their childhood bed, pouring over the lurid descriptions of romance whilst giggling madly, hiding beneath the covers to avoid detection from their parents. Whenever one of the twins was feeling sad, or frightened, the other would simply pass the book, and a quick flip through their favourite passages would be enough to brighten the moment. It had evolved into a private joke, a laugh to be had between twin sisters.
But so much time had passed now, and the book had faded in Padma's memory. She had found herself slipping deep into Ravenclaw Tower, into riddles and wit, books about facts instead of books about romance. Damsel in Distress held no more entertainment for her.
She sat up in bed with the curtains drawn, holding the book open in her lap, turning pages idly and wondering what had ever been so funny about poorly-written tripe. Why should they ever be interested in a Muggle woman's fling with a magical pirate, overloaded with so many incorrect fables about magic that it made Padma's eyes nearly roll out of her head?
Parvati had long ago drawn little pink hearts around the most lurid passages. Padma looked over one briefly and stifled a sudden burst of laughter. Her sister could be so inappropriate at times.
Still, it brought back a flood of happy memories, secret moments with her sibling. Padma tucked the book under her pillow and went to sleep, dreaming of adventure on a flying pirate ship with Parvati beside her, the two of them laughing and blushing under the gaze of handsome young wizards.
**
She gave it back a week later, slipping the novel into Parvati's bookbag as they passed one another in the halls one Friday afternoon. "Good luck in Potions," Padma said with a wink, affectionately reaching out to tousle her sister's hair.
Parvati gasped and ran her fingers through her locks. "Paddy, you know I hate when you ruin my hair."
"Yes, I do," Padma replied, grinning. She blew her sister a kiss before sauntering away.
The book went undiscovered until after dinner, when Parvati was settling down to write an overdue History of Magic essay by candlelight. She pulled at the odiously heavy tome of history and the romance novel tumbled out with it, landing on its back on the common room floor.
Lavender caught sight of it first and squealed, diving to retrieve the fallen item. "Ooh, Parvati, it's that book you gave your sister! Can I read it, pretty please? You know I've been dying to."
Parvati looked at the book and then up at her best friend. Somehow, she felt strange letting Lavender have the book. It was her and her sister's, their own private treasure, holding so much more meaning than anything Lavender might take from its pages. It was the constant reminder of the connection between twins, something stronger than a sorting hat could divide.
But it was just a book, after all. Parvati wasn't going to lose her sibling by letting Lavender read it. Besides, Lavender was her closest friend these days, the person she shared all of her recent secrets with. The book...the book was just a book.
"Go right ahead," Parvati said, hefting her History of Magic book onto the table. Its pages seemed even more boring than usual, as Lavender extolled the virtues of Muggle romance beside her.
**
Life grew more complicated and the book became forgotten, lost to the bottom of Parvati's trunk as the days turned into weeks and years. You-Know-Who returned and the world became fraught with his followers, danger blooming in the corners and exploding into the light several times a year. Padma and Parvati spent their summers reading the Daily Prophet and worrying about their friends and family. Their parents' apothecary shop was forced to close down, bright wooden boards nailed across the glass, a sign proclaiming that the Patil family had left the county.
In truth they hadn't, had simply gone into hiding, and yet they still sent their daughters off to Hogwarts, believing steadfastly that it was safer there than anywhere else. And then Dumbledore died, and the fear really hit.
Parvati insisted on returning to school the next year. "It's easier there," she said, arguing with her parents, a bright spark of courage in her gaze. "And we can help people."
Padma didn't want to go, yet found herself boarding the train that first of September, each compartment so much darker seeming than it had ever been. She clutched Parvati's hand until they disembarked, chewing on her lower lip, wondering how much darker it could get.
**
They slept beside one another for the first time in months, each rolled up into a cushioned sleeping bag on the floor. All around them lay others, some whimpering into their pillows in hopes their fellow students would not hear. It was strange to be beside Parvati, her sister with her familiar scent of jasmine and the comforting feel of her fingers touching Padma's, the contact evocative of their childhood, where they had rarely ever been seen not holding hands. It was strange to think that they were in Hogwarts still, squirreled away in their secret alcove, the Room providing an extensive hiding spot to those on the run from Snape and the Carrows.
It was strange to think about Ravenclaw tower now, under the constant watch of Amycus Carrow and now only home to those pure of blood and dark of soul, or else those too frightened to attempt escape. Padma felt for them so badly, her eagles, and yet here she was beside her sister, amongst the brave. It was only thanks to Parvati that she'd managed it.
They kept saying Harry Potter would come, but what Padma knew of Harry extended only to rumour and the foggy memory of her sister parading him around a ballroom as though he were a trained pony. What hope could she gain from that image? Months had passed and he still had not come.
"'Vati," Padma whispered across the empty space, treading into unknown waters. She had always tried to be the quieter twin, the more steadfast, the less emotional. She hadn't called her sister 'Vati in nearly a decade. "I'm scared."
Parvati let out a quiet sigh and squeezed her sister's hand more tightly. "Me too," she said.
And when was Parvati ever scared? Parvati had led her sister over rickety bridges in the forest, had encouraged her to ask Terry Boot out for a Hogsmeade date, had in fact led her twin right into this very room with her head held high. Parvati was the brave one, the ferocious one. Padma may have been the one who always knew what to say, but Parvati always knew what to do. And if she was frightened....
A small hard rectangle suddenly poked her in the ribs. Padma reached down to touch the object without looking and nearly burst into tears. And yet they were not tears of sorrow, but some strange combination of shock and disbelief. It was the book.
The Damsel looked as silly as ever, and her pirate lover ever more so, and yet the sight of the novel gave Padma a hot rush of something like joy. She hadn't seen the book in several years, had nearly forgotten it had ever existed. But Parvati had not. Or at least not when it counted.
Padma looked at her sister and Parvati gave her a shaky grin, her eyes alight. "Refresh yourself, Paddy," she said softly, with just the right amount of teasing and comfort.
They were frightened and uncertain of their future. But they were scared together, and that was what counted, truly.
And so they moved their sleeping bags even closer together and whispered in the dark, reading their favourite passages of Damsel in Distress to one another and stifling their giggles into their shirtsleeves. And Padma felt a bit better again, for the night at least. Sharing the book with her twin had always helped, even when she'd wanted to ridicule it. That was, in fact, part of its charm.
Crystal//Hufflepuff//65 Points
From: bluemermaid
Title: Damsel in Distress
Summary: The twins have their own secret way of cheering one another.
Characters/Pairings: Parvati and Padma Patil
Genre: Gen
Rating/Warnings: PG
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 1,954
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: No
If yes, your Tumblr username: N/A
Author's Notes: I really hope you enjoy this, Lauren! I was quite pleased to be able to write for you and explore the relationship between these girls a little bit. :)
The paperback was worn through already along the spine, with long white creases from where the book had been opened and pressed down upon tables and desks and bedspreads. The pages were not quite yellow, the sort of off-white in-between stage of new and old, with a smell like a comfy old armchair. Parvati slipped the book out of her bag and handed it over to Lavender Brown, with a whisper in her ear. "Pass it to Paddy."
Wednesday nights for Gryffindors were Astronomy nights with the Ravenclaws. Each week they would make the trek up the long staircase to the highest tower, set up their telescopes and make sketches of the night sky while Professor Sinistra droned on about magnitude and alignment and parallax shifting. For Parvati, it not only provided an interesting overlap with Divination's astrology, but it was an opportunity to connect with her sister.
Several telescopes down, Padma appeared to be struggling. Her eraser flew across her diagram, the tip of her tongue poking out slightly from between her pursed lips. She flipped her long braid over her shoulder and took a deep breath, leaning into her telescope sight again to correct her chart. And then the book passed over to her.
Parvati watched with a conspiratorial grin as her sister took the book from fellow Ravenclaw Megan Jones, who merely shrugged at the questioning look on Padma's face. Padma looked down at the book and her forehead crinkles smoothed out immediately; she looked up, met Parvati's gaze, and gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes, smirking with the knowledge of her twin's intention.
Padma shoved the book into her bag and shook her head in Parvati's direction, giving her a look of mixed exasperation and defiance. "We are too old for this," her expression said.
Still, Parvati noticed that her sister seemed much calmer after receiving the book, marking her star positions down with renewed confidence.
"If you're not going to read it, I'd like it back, please," she said as they departed for the night, an hour later, skipping down the stairs with all the excitement typical of a class released for the evening.
"Parvati, please do not tell me you still read this," Padma replied, laughing. She held the book out for her sister.
Parvati did not take it. "Refresh yourself, sister," she said lightly, patting Padma's shoulder as she passed. They went their separate ways then, each to her own personal tower, each to her own inner sanctum.
"I have got to read that book when she's finished," Lavender said, as they bounced into bed up in the Gryffindor dormitories. "It looks fantastic."
"It truly is," Parvati replied, smirking, and picturing her sister lying in a nearly identical bed somewhere simultaneously oh-so-close and far-too-far. She laughed to herself; Padma was probably flipping through those well-worn pages at that very same moment.
**
The book was called Damsel in Distress. Its cover featured a young woman wearing far too little clothing, held tightly in the arms of a man wearing even less. The back cover claimed it was "Every Muggle woman's favourite summertime read!" and "The perfect way to blend in at the beach!" Celestina Warbeck had proclaimed it a "grand smash," and Samantha Weatherbee (best-selling author of Wonder Witch: Twenty-five Ways to Become Your Very Most Magical Self) said, "If you think our lives are magical, take a look at this."
Padma and Parvati had stolen the novel from their mother's closet many years ago, and it had passed between them ever since. Padma recalled feverish nights lying side by side in their childhood bed, pouring over the lurid descriptions of romance whilst giggling madly, hiding beneath the covers to avoid detection from their parents. Whenever one of the twins was feeling sad, or frightened, the other would simply pass the book, and a quick flip through their favourite passages would be enough to brighten the moment. It had evolved into a private joke, a laugh to be had between twin sisters.
But so much time had passed now, and the book had faded in Padma's memory. She had found herself slipping deep into Ravenclaw Tower, into riddles and wit, books about facts instead of books about romance. Damsel in Distress held no more entertainment for her.
She sat up in bed with the curtains drawn, holding the book open in her lap, turning pages idly and wondering what had ever been so funny about poorly-written tripe. Why should they ever be interested in a Muggle woman's fling with a magical pirate, overloaded with so many incorrect fables about magic that it made Padma's eyes nearly roll out of her head?
Parvati had long ago drawn little pink hearts around the most lurid passages. Padma looked over one briefly and stifled a sudden burst of laughter. Her sister could be so inappropriate at times.
Still, it brought back a flood of happy memories, secret moments with her sibling. Padma tucked the book under her pillow and went to sleep, dreaming of adventure on a flying pirate ship with Parvati beside her, the two of them laughing and blushing under the gaze of handsome young wizards.
**
She gave it back a week later, slipping the novel into Parvati's bookbag as they passed one another in the halls one Friday afternoon. "Good luck in Potions," Padma said with a wink, affectionately reaching out to tousle her sister's hair.
Parvati gasped and ran her fingers through her locks. "Paddy, you know I hate when you ruin my hair."
"Yes, I do," Padma replied, grinning. She blew her sister a kiss before sauntering away.
The book went undiscovered until after dinner, when Parvati was settling down to write an overdue History of Magic essay by candlelight. She pulled at the odiously heavy tome of history and the romance novel tumbled out with it, landing on its back on the common room floor.
Lavender caught sight of it first and squealed, diving to retrieve the fallen item. "Ooh, Parvati, it's that book you gave your sister! Can I read it, pretty please? You know I've been dying to."
Parvati looked at the book and then up at her best friend. Somehow, she felt strange letting Lavender have the book. It was her and her sister's, their own private treasure, holding so much more meaning than anything Lavender might take from its pages. It was the constant reminder of the connection between twins, something stronger than a sorting hat could divide.
But it was just a book, after all. Parvati wasn't going to lose her sibling by letting Lavender read it. Besides, Lavender was her closest friend these days, the person she shared all of her recent secrets with. The book...the book was just a book.
"Go right ahead," Parvati said, hefting her History of Magic book onto the table. Its pages seemed even more boring than usual, as Lavender extolled the virtues of Muggle romance beside her.
**
Life grew more complicated and the book became forgotten, lost to the bottom of Parvati's trunk as the days turned into weeks and years. You-Know-Who returned and the world became fraught with his followers, danger blooming in the corners and exploding into the light several times a year. Padma and Parvati spent their summers reading the Daily Prophet and worrying about their friends and family. Their parents' apothecary shop was forced to close down, bright wooden boards nailed across the glass, a sign proclaiming that the Patil family had left the county.
In truth they hadn't, had simply gone into hiding, and yet they still sent their daughters off to Hogwarts, believing steadfastly that it was safer there than anywhere else. And then Dumbledore died, and the fear really hit.
Parvati insisted on returning to school the next year. "It's easier there," she said, arguing with her parents, a bright spark of courage in her gaze. "And we can help people."
Padma didn't want to go, yet found herself boarding the train that first of September, each compartment so much darker seeming than it had ever been. She clutched Parvati's hand until they disembarked, chewing on her lower lip, wondering how much darker it could get.
**
They slept beside one another for the first time in months, each rolled up into a cushioned sleeping bag on the floor. All around them lay others, some whimpering into their pillows in hopes their fellow students would not hear. It was strange to be beside Parvati, her sister with her familiar scent of jasmine and the comforting feel of her fingers touching Padma's, the contact evocative of their childhood, where they had rarely ever been seen not holding hands. It was strange to think that they were in Hogwarts still, squirreled away in their secret alcove, the Room providing an extensive hiding spot to those on the run from Snape and the Carrows.
It was strange to think about Ravenclaw tower now, under the constant watch of Amycus Carrow and now only home to those pure of blood and dark of soul, or else those too frightened to attempt escape. Padma felt for them so badly, her eagles, and yet here she was beside her sister, amongst the brave. It was only thanks to Parvati that she'd managed it.
They kept saying Harry Potter would come, but what Padma knew of Harry extended only to rumour and the foggy memory of her sister parading him around a ballroom as though he were a trained pony. What hope could she gain from that image? Months had passed and he still had not come.
"'Vati," Padma whispered across the empty space, treading into unknown waters. She had always tried to be the quieter twin, the more steadfast, the less emotional. She hadn't called her sister 'Vati in nearly a decade. "I'm scared."
Parvati let out a quiet sigh and squeezed her sister's hand more tightly. "Me too," she said.
And when was Parvati ever scared? Parvati had led her sister over rickety bridges in the forest, had encouraged her to ask Terry Boot out for a Hogsmeade date, had in fact led her twin right into this very room with her head held high. Parvati was the brave one, the ferocious one. Padma may have been the one who always knew what to say, but Parvati always knew what to do. And if she was frightened....
A small hard rectangle suddenly poked her in the ribs. Padma reached down to touch the object without looking and nearly burst into tears. And yet they were not tears of sorrow, but some strange combination of shock and disbelief. It was the book.
The Damsel looked as silly as ever, and her pirate lover ever more so, and yet the sight of the novel gave Padma a hot rush of something like joy. She hadn't seen the book in several years, had nearly forgotten it had ever existed. But Parvati had not. Or at least not when it counted.
Padma looked at her sister and Parvati gave her a shaky grin, her eyes alight. "Refresh yourself, Paddy," she said softly, with just the right amount of teasing and comfort.
They were frightened and uncertain of their future. But they were scared together, and that was what counted, truly.
And so they moved their sleeping bags even closer together and whispered in the dark, reading their favourite passages of Damsel in Distress to one another and stifling their giggles into their shirtsleeves. And Padma felt a bit better again, for the night at least. Sharing the book with her twin had always helped, even when she'd wanted to ridicule it. That was, in fact, part of its charm.
Crystal//Hufflepuff//65 Points