Padma woke with a start. A brown screech owl was circling her bed, a letter tied to its leg. Curiously, Padma reached up her arm for the owl to rest on and quickly tore off the letter. It read:
Padma, it’s me, Parvati. I don’t have time to explain why I’m writing to you at this time of night, but meet me in the Owlery NOW. It’s urgent and it can’t wait!
Parvati
Padma reread the letter, unsure of what to do.
I could just ignore the letter and go back to sleep, she thought, but shook this idea out of her head immediately. She was not at all tired and her curiosity about her sister was getting the better of her. Slowly, Padma got up and pulled her cloak around her. It was a cold night and she needed the warmth if it. Quickly tying up her shoes, Padma went down to her common room. Pushing open the door concealed in the wall, she exited the Ravenclaw common room.
Padma walked stealthily down the long corridor, hiding in the shadows. It seemed all was well until she heard shuffling footsteps walking quickly in her direction. A quick glance around the corner told Padma it was Filch, the school caretaker, on the prowl for rule-breaking students. Panicking, Padma looked wildly around for a means of escape. Unable to think of a safe place to run to, Padma was forced to jump into a disused classroom beside her to avoid Filch. Holding her breath, she eased the door shut so as not to draw to Filch’s attention her presence in the room.
“See anything, my sweet?” whispered Filch to his cat, Mrs. Norris, who was pawing the door of the classroom Padma had just jumped into.
Rats! though Padma, and she jumped under the teacher’s desk just as Filch pushed the door of the classroom open.
“I know you’re here; come out, come out wherever you are…” sang Filch, slowly walking around the room. Padma’s heart was racing as she heard Filch getting ever closer. She knew that she had nowhere to run to. But before Filch got to her, a loud crash sounded somewhere on the floor below Padma, causing Filch to stop suddenly and whip around.
“PEEVES!” he roared, racing down the hallway and stumbling down the stairs. Padma couldn’t believe her luck, but still waited silently until Filch’s footsteps died away into silence. Slowly, Padma got up from under the desk and walked cautiously to the door, checking that both Filch and Mrs. Norris were out of sight.
Running as fast and as silently as she could, Padma raced up the stairs to the Owlery, stopping just outside it to catch her breath. After a minute or so, Padma pushed open the Owlery door warily. She was immediately grabbed around the neck and forced to the ground.
“Parvati?” said Padma, choking.
“Shhh! Someone’s just below us!” And sure enough, the sisters heard footsteps echoing below them. They both sat as still as possible, hardly daring to breathe. Once the footsteps had died away, Padma immediately turned on her sister.
“What do you mean by dragging me out of bed in the middle of the night?” she snapped
“Well, I hardly dragged you-”
“Oh, you know what I mean!” she said angrily. “It’s about three in the morning and I get this scrawled letter sent to me ordering me to come straight to the Owlery!”
“Well, you could have stayed where you were,” said Parvati loftily.
“You know I’m extremely curious and would come as soon as you wrote that letter!”
“Why, of course! What’s a twin for?”
“Hitting with a stick,” retorted Padma. She was feeling calmer and was becoming steadily more curious about what Parvati called her here for.
“So what did you want to tell me so urgently?” Padma asked.
“I’ve got an idea” said Parvati excitedly.
“… AND?!”
“Oh! Well, I just thought you’d like to know I still have an imagination.”
“Parvati…”
“Yes?”
“GET TO THE POINT!”
“Don’t get your knickers in a twist!” Parvati whispered.
“If you don’t hurry up-” Padma threatened.
“Ok, ok! Well, I have this idea…”
“Don’t start this again.”
“What again?” Parvati asked in mock confusion.
“Parvati!” Padma was now intensely annoyed and Parvati was smirking at her, knowing she was incensing her. The ability to wind up Padma was what Parvati called her “gift”, while Padma said Parvati just liked getting duffed up.
“I think we should both switch places,” Parvati gushed out, grinning wickedly.
“You think what?”
“We should switch places!”
“No way, José.”
“Oh, come on, Padma! It would be a practical joke that would go down in Hogwarts history forever! Don’t you want to become the next Fred and George Weasley?”
“No,” said Padma flatly. Ever since the incident in Dover, when Parvati and Padma pretended to be the same person and dated the same guy for a week before telling him they were twins and earning a month long grounding, Padma hated the words “practical”, “joke”, and “Padma” being used in the same sentence.
“Padma! Please! Would you not do it for me?” Parvati whined, giving Padma her best puppy dog look. Padma merely glared at her sister. Padma was the only person able to stick to her convictions when Parvati gave that look; it came with living with her for seventeen years.
“No, I like my house and I don’t want to sacrifice the time I’m spending with Andrew just for a practical joke,” said Padma, her tone final.
“I think you’ll change your mind when I tell you this,” said Parvati knowingly, giving Padma a significant look. For the first time since she stepped foot in the Owlery, Padma’s certainty was ebbing. Parvati could be very persuasive when she wanted to be, and it seemed like this was going to be one of those times.
“If you help me snag Dean by pretending to be me, I’ll help you pass your Potions N.E.W.T.,” Parvati said while grinning. This deal seemed very much in Padma’s favour as she was falling behind in Potions and needed top grades to become a Healer. She was well known for unconsciously making boys fall head over heels in love with her, and even though Parvati was her identical twin sister, she had never mastered the ability to do that. The deal was good…too good.
“What if Dean doesn’t fall for me?” said Padma slowly, trying to hide the fact she was now very interested in the deal Parvati was laying in front of her.
“You and I BOTH know that no man can resist your charm, Padma,” said Parvati sweetly, nudging her sister in the ribs.
“Thanks for the compliment, but don’t think I don’t realise that you’re just buttering me up so I’ll agree.”
“You’ll agree? That’s great!” said Parvati, grabbing her sister’s hand and shaking it vigorously.
“I didn’t say tha-” started Padma, but she stopped when she saw Parvati’s face beaming with delight.
Well, it can’t hurt for just one week, thought Padma, trying to reassure herself. After dusting themselves off, the two sisters descended the Owlery stairs, linking arms and chatting without a thought to how much noise they were making.
That was until they walked headfirst into Professor McGonagall. They both gasped in terror and stared fearfully into her narrowed eyes.
“Follow me,” she said sharply, and then turned and walked quickly towards the staircase. The twins exchanged fearful glances with each other and then, staring at the ground, ran to catch up with McGonagall, unsure of what was to happen to them next.
Switching the Witch by nickynackyneevy38
Chapter Notes: please R and R! all comments are appreciated and replyed to :)