Written for:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Auction
Character: Padma Patil

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Muggle History
Task 11: Write about a pretentious person

Everyone's Below

xXx

Padma lifted her nose at Lavender Brown. She didn't realize why her sister liked the blonde so much. Lavender was loud, obnoxious, and airheaded. She wasn't good enough to be seen with any Patil.

Parvati had always been stubborn, though. And she refused to see the logic in Padma's argument about why the friendship shouldn't be allowed to continue.

Lavender sighed. "I'm your sister's best friend. We should be able to get along."

Padma's aloof expression transformed into a glare. "Let's get one thing straight. Parvati might be your best friend, but you're not hers. I'm her best friend, and she's mine. You're only someone to keep her company in the Gryffindor Tower."

"If you keep trying to dictate Parvati's life, you're going to push her away."

Parma pushed her hair over her shoulder. "I know best and sooner or later, Parvati will see that."

Lavender shook her head. "There's just no getting through to you."

X

"Padma, this has got to stop. There's no reason to isolate ourselves. Your attitude isn't healthy."

"Brown is beneath us," Padma fiercely argued.

Parvati's expression stood firm. "You sound like Malfoy and his cronies."

Padma put her hands on her hips. "It has nothing to do with blood, and you know it. She isn't poised or graceful. She's too fanciful and doesn't have a set path to follow. She changes her mind like girls change shoes. It's unbecoming of a woman!"

Parvati looked at something in the distance. "Padma, in your mind, who is at our level? Who deserves our company?"

Padma simply stared. She couldn't answer because, in her mind, no one was deserving of a Patil. And certainly, no one was deserving of Padma Patil.

Parvati nodded as if Padma's silence was the answer she expected. "You're always alone at Hogwarts. During meal times, you sit by yourself. In the library, you sit by yourself. I can guess you sit by yourself in your common room as well. The only reason you don't sit by yourself during classes is that there's never an extra seat. You have no friends because no one ever lives up to your expectations. You're going to grow to be a bitter old lady who no one even thinks about because you've never made yourself available. Your only friends will be kneazles at the rate you're going."

Padma balled her hands in anger. "I don't care if I'm alone. I know I'm too good for them."

"I," Parvati continued as if Padma hadn't spoken, "have friends. I have people, other than family, that care about me. I have people that would notice if I was missing. I have people that would miss me if I died. In your mind, I'm lowering myself. In my mind, I'm opening my heart to love and being happy. I prefer my method."

Padma turned around, her long dark hair whipping with the motion, and stomped away. Sooner or later, Parvati would see reason. No one deserved the company of Patils. Sooner or later, Parvati would understand.

xXx

(word count: 505)