Written for the December themes at livejournal community 30 Hath.

Together

1. all is change

They were in the same compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Their mother told them to stick together, after all, and even if they hadn't been twins they would've. Neither of them had been on a train before, but there was another girl in their compartment who had. She spent a good half of the trip telling them all about how trains worked, and where they could take you, until finally the trolley came and they bought some Cauldron Cakes to share.

They were going to share a trunk, too, because they reasoned they'd be in the same House anyway - how could they not be? They were twins, after all, and had always been together - but their father had talked to some friends at the Ministry who told him that every child had to have their own trunks, just in case, and so they didn't. The others in the compartment thought that incredibly odd. "Of course you two'll be together," said the girl with the funny name. "Who could separate you?" They could tell that she was being sarcastic, but it was only expected after they'd spent ages conferring quietly before asking if she was named after a plant or a crayon. In any case, not sharing a trunk did make it easier to find their school robes, though, because the one with longer sleeves was in a separate trunk from the one with the torn hem.

They were in the same boat on the way to the castle, and clutched each other's hand during the brief voyage. They were both nervous, and it showed in their sweaty palms, and they both jumped when they first saw the ghosts go by in the Great Hall. "No need to be so nervous," said a boy with an awfully turned-up nose. "Sorry," they whispered, together.

When the Sorting Hat started to Sort the other first-years into their Houses, they shared a smile, because they knew they'd be together. "See you soon," they told each other, when the Sorting Hat called the younger, and they were split up for the first time.

But then Padma went to Ravenclaw by herself, and Parvati went to Gryffindor with Lavender Brown, and everything changed.