Parvati stood in front of her mirror, agonizing over how she looked. It needed to be perfect -- hair, makeup, jewellry. All of it; not too much, not too little, but just right. Because she was supposed to meet Michael Corner in the library in fifteen minutes and looking good was more important than running a tad bit late.
It felt like forever since the two of them had one of their study sessions. Well, technically it probably hadn't been that long and officially it was tutoring. She was being dramatic, as usual, and she didn't actually need that much help with Potions...if any at all. But she liked spending time with Michael. It was appropriate, then, that they rarely got to studying.
When it began, Parvati didn't fancy him -- just had a couple of last-minute questions on a few assignments back in like, third year. He was a smart guy willing to help her out every now and then. Then, last year they'd both been in the DA and became sort-of-friends who studied together, and Michael dated Ginny Weasley anyway. This year, though, something felt different. Friends, yeah, but one she wouldn't mind snogging. To be honest, the feelings she had weren't particularly serious. It was kind of like a game; look pretty as possible, undo one or two buttons on her top, smile, flirt. Then, notice how he reacted (or how he didn't), and try harder next time. Something must have been working, because they saw each other a lot.
Putting on a last few touches, she cocked her head to the side, awaiting affirmation from the mirror. Dearie, it said, you could turn a man to stone! Or melt him. The comment put a grin on her face, and she hurried off to the library. Michael was already there, of course, at their usual table.
"Heya," Parvati said brightly, and slid into the seat next to him before tucked her hair behind her ear and shooting him a smile. "I see you're ready to get down to business."
Her tone was somewhat teasing as she gestured towards the stack of books laying out on the table. Did they ever manage to "get down to business" as far as productive studying went? Not for a while. Occasionally they got around to it in various capacities, but most of the time they sat and chatted, with Parvati trying to be as quiet as she could to keep several particularly uptight Ravenclaws from glaring and Madam Pince from watching them like a hawk.
"Having a good Monday? If there is such a thing," she joked, twisting sideways in her chair to face him better, casually brushing her knee lightly against his in the process.
There was no magic on Mondays, she believed, except dark magic, because they were by far the worst day of the week simply by being. Like there was something inherently bad about them no matter the circumstances...but hopefully hers was about to get a lot less dark.
Savannah threw an overshirt over her tank top and grabbed her purse after talking to Jay. Her apartment was slowly being packed into boxes while she looked for somewhere else to live because her landlord was an extreme creep and after he let herself into her apartment a week ago while she was in nothing but a towel, she knew it was time to move. On the way to the Lasser house, Savannah reminded herself to pick up his drink and mentally hit herself for not wearing a scarf or something to cover her neck from the eyes of the man at the checkout stand. Savannah hadn't thought anything about it when leaving because Jay had made them, so what if he saw, but she hadn't remembered that she would have to make a stop along the way. She quickly drover over to the house and knocked three times before leaning against the house, waiting for Jay to open up the door.
Parvati wasn't really sure why she'd never gotten to know Mandy Brocklehurst better. Actually scratch that, yes she did. The friendly Ravenclaw girl was friends with her twin sister. Now, it wasn't as though she had a personal policy of never being nice to Padma's friends or anything -- hardly. In fact, she knew a lot of such friends and had no problem joining in. But hanging out with those people without her sister was, well, separate business entirely. Michael Corner, the boy she "studied" with in the library (aka flirted with and occasionally snogged) didn't count because the two of them were friends in an, ahem, different way. So perhaps the unspoken policy was less overlapping social circles and more of one...not to encroach on each other's territories?
After all, Parvati didn't want to share her close friends with Padma, either. If her sister and, say, Lavender started spending quality time together without her, that would just be weird. It probably wouldn't ever happen, so there wasn't anything to worry about there, but it was the principle of it all rather than the practice.
And yet...
There she was, heading down to the kitchens with Mandy, talking about things. And not hating it, not even really feeling guilty. Alright, maybe a little guilty, but that had more to do with her "incident" involving one of the other girl's friends. That aside, it was just nice, you know, to be able to do normal stuff like sneaking down to the kitchens for her favourite food, especially times being like they were. Clones and everything, running about and no one knowing who was who. It messed with a person's head, and understandably so. Being paranoid and touchy was an expected response, wasn't it?
But not her -- Parvati didn't want to be paranoid. She didn't want to wonder if her sister or her best friend or the people she shared a dorm with were really waiting to turn into creepy-ass snakes. So she tried her damned hardest to pretend none of it was happening, except it was a feat that got harder and harder every day. The more difficult it became, the harder she tried. And Mandy had called her tough for it, something Parvati hadn't expected to hear, ever.
The two girls chattered absently as they made their way down to the dungeons, where Parvati eventually reached up to tickle the pear in the painting which led to the kitchens. The sight of excited house-elves made her feel happy --even if it was only house-elves, you know, at least some in the castle weren't losing their damned minds.
"Chin naan is amazing, I swear," she gushed, sitting down on one of the handful of chairs off in the corner. It would be a little while before there was anything to eat. Well worth the wait, in her opinion.
"My mum thinks it's a bastardisation of our culture or something but even she likes it," Parvati continued, laughing. "I'm glad you wanted to tag along, by the way. I don't think we've ever really talked outside of class or without Padma."
The sixth year girls' dormitory in Gryffindor Tower wasn't known as a bastion of privacy or silence, but that was mostly due to Lavender and Parvati. Well, that and no dormitory could ever be considered a private place. Understandably, then, Parvati was incredibly careful with her diary. She'd always had one -- well maybe not always, but for a long time -- and for just as long it's been a complete secret. Not even her twin sister got to see it (though she probably knew it existed...) because it was nice to have something completely, totally, and one hundred percent hers.
Which was why the latest assignment about a diary entry made Parvati squirm. She supposed she could write one separately but that didn't make sense to her, considering she already had one. Sitting in her bed with the curtains drawn, she stared down at the purple bound leather book on her lap with hesitation. After a few moments of reluctance and nervous lip-biting, she opened it to the last used page, where a matching coloured string rested to guide her.
Dear Diary:
Things have gotten way weird this week. This clone business keeps getting more and more bizarre and no one's telling us anything (cough the Aurors cough). Lavender told me Daphne Greengrass was talking about all these clones being turned into snakes and Nott was one of them or something. I honestly don't know what to believe anymore and it's only gotten worse! It was easier to think everyone was like, confunded, or brainwashed or just victims of mass hysteria...except now it isn't because I saw something too.
Padma wanted to go to the library and conned me into going with her (not that she has to try very hard to convince me to do things), which was boring but productive, and said goodbye to her for the night at the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. I hate that stupid bird who asks questions -- if I were a Ravenclaw I'd just never go in. But that's not the point here. I was on my way back, thinking about something I don't even remember in specific, and someone I thought was Anthony Goldstein was coughing and looking like he was going to vom. And then, diary, you won't believe what happened! I hardly believe it. There was this crazy bright light and when it was gone he'd turned into a snake. They're not my biggest fear, I actually think snakes are kinda cool, but only in a controlled setting! I was totally freaked out and confused and afraid it was going to bite me.
Long story short, I think I killed it. I mean, I definitely decapitated it but it might have been dead before that. It wasn't until after the beheading part that I had enough time to remember the snake bit was what I'd heard people say about clones. So not only are there really other clones out there but they are actually snakes in disguise?
Are clones just popping up everywhere all of a sudden? Do I have a clone? What if I've been hanging out with clones when I really thought they were my friends? Merlin's balls, what if the last time I talked to Padma it wasn't really her?!? What if she turns into a snake and someone decapitates her? Will that even really count because it wouldn't technically be my sister?
Everyone's confused, understandably. I liked it more when I thought everyone wasjust off with the fairies...and not literal fairies. Like the loony bin kind. I hope the aurors know more than they're letting on. This is clearly dark magic and Hogwarts is supposed to be safer than that, isn't it? I guess it's a good thing I learned how to do a killer Reductor curse in the DA last year. I guess I never really thought I'd have to use it outside of my OWLS practical. I'm trying really hard not to think about how serious things might get, because it will just make me stressed and worried -- I'll lose sleep or have nightmares and Merlin knows my dreams are already bizarre enough as it is.
3 Situations that would be better than this clone stuff being reality
1. I'm alseep. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and this will all have been one crazy dream -- that would be nice. I'll wake up eventually.
2. Even waking up in St. Mungo's would be better than this all being actually real. If I've gone mad then there's always a chance I'll get better.
3. It's an elaborate prank. Not a very funny one, but if one of the aurors jumped out from behind a suit of armour and shouted "JUST KIDDING!" I wouldn't complain at this point.
BUT if it's reality then the world's properly gone to hell. Look on the brightside, I guess...if this is hell, it's surprisingly temperate. As always, I'll probably just take it day by day and deal with it -- whatever it is -- when it comes.
xoxo Parvati
Really, she thought the assignment was so stupid! Parvati already had a diary, didn't she? And now Professor Flitwick had given her this new one and she was supposed to put things in it. Even thinking about using it felt like...cheating or something. She was very attached to her diary, you see, and switching to put personal things in one she'd been handed by a professor just didn't feel right. Chewing on her lip, she looked over at said "fake" diary in suspicion. No, she wasn't going to put anything of substance in there. But it was technically coursework, so...
Dear Not Diary:
All of this clone business depresses me. We can't even really go outside and I'm starting to think we won't be home for the hols, even if they want us to think that, which is definitely not okay. It's also making everyone absolutely paranoid and weird and all around crazy. Is it too much to ask that I don't feel like a prisoner in, like, a psychiatric ward? I just want things to go back to how they were before. I don't want to have to worry about dark magic and clones and everyone around me losing their heads. I just want to be a normal sixteen year-old witch.
-Parvati
Feeling satisfied with the short but still accurate paragraph now written in her "not-diary," Parvati dropped in on the floor and pushed it under the bed with her foot. Like she was ever going to look at that thing again unless she had to. There was only one diary out there in the world for her, and no professor could make her be unfaithful to it in spirit. True to her word, an hour later, all thoughts of the diary and the assignment to write in it were entirely forgotten. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for clones...
There were a million things Parvati Patil should have been doing. There was an ominous and very haphazard pile of coursework laying out on the foot of her bed, for one. Clone situation or no, there seemed always revision to be done and essays to be written. Speaking of the “clone situation,” that was something she really ought to be concerned over. Nearly everyone else around her was! Everyone was worrying about all the alleged dead and alive ones they claimed were roaming about. At every turn, there was some new story or some Slytherin jumping down her throat (cough Tracey Davis cough) for not being upset enough.
The problem wasn’t necessarily that the Gryffindor girl thought they were all lying or trying to pull one over on anyone. They sounded really convicted, like they absolutely believed it. Of course, there was the chance they could just be excellent liars…but Parvati prided herself on being able to see through that sort of thing fairly well. Being on top of the latest gossip required a body to weed out the convincing bits from the not-so-believable bits, after all. Six years of it and her skill was well-honed, and in the instance at hand, she felt certain her classmates weren’t pulling their stories out of thin air.
What then, could explain it? Parvati didn’t know and to be completely honest, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know. Negative feelings and pessimism made her stressed out, and frankly, made her feel sick to her stomach. The confusing world she found herself in didn’t sit well with her personality. If it were up to Parvati, nobody would ever talk about such things out loud. Maybe it was her upbringing or something, it was difficult to say, but she just didn’t like dealing with that stuff. Her reputation might have been as the “less serious” Patil Twin, the ditzy and shallow one of the pair, and while that observation was a bit naive and not entirely accurate, her reactions at a time like this made that reputation understandable. So, naturally, instead of doing things like revision or whatever it was her classmates thought she should be doing, there was only one thing on her mind: girl’s night in with her best mate and soul sister.
Parvati had managed to clear the clutter off her bed and was digging through her trunk for the best of her old Witch Weekly issues when the door to the Gryffindor sixth year girls’ dormitory opened. Turning ‘round to look at whoever it was, the an excited smile blossomed at the sight of one Lavender Brown waltzing through the door. If there was anyone, besides her twin sister Padma, who understood the nuances of her personality, it was Lav. She never talked to her like she was a five year-old or any of the other ways other people talked to Parvati.
"Heya!" She greeted her friend brightly, pulling her head out from her trunk, armed with a stack of magazines. “I am so glad you suggested this tonight; we are going to have so much fun."
Ever since Lavender had started dating fellow sixth year Ron Weasley, the two girlfriends hadn’t seen as much of each other as they used to. It kind of bothered Parvati, but at the same time, she thought getting upset about it would be pointless. It would just make a big deal out of nothing and cause a fight, two things she didn’t need in her life currently. Besides, it wasn’t as if Lav was just going to forget about her! It wasn’t, after all, the first time one of the two had gotten a boyfriend and changed their friendship dynamics. Though she’d never say it aloud, Parvati knew things would go back to their usual routine when Lavender and Ron were over. It was the way of things.
"I thought we could start with these and then open up the scrapbook?" Parvati suggested, gesturing towards the stack she’d just thrown onto the bed.
Haze. Everything was a dark and blurry haze as Edgar's mind swam back into consciousness. With the steady thumping in his head, his initial assumption was that he was being woken up by an early hangover. However, just as he was going to wipe what he thought to be sweat from his brow, he felt a tug against his wrists. Something was holding him in place and he couldn't yet tell what.
Groaning softly, he moved his head from where it had been leaning against his shoulder. It was after he had done that, that he realized he wasn't even in his home as he had planned to be. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, trying to remember what had happened to him after he had left Esther and Blaze to talk.
Breathing deeply, he tried to muddle through his memories but all he could manage was his drive to his apartment and stepping out of his car before going around to its trunk to pull out some cases of paperwork. Unfortunately, that was all.
Grunting, he attempted to use his magic to release himself but for reasons beyond his knowledge, he couldn't manage it. Moaning softly in both pain and desperation, he searched the room again and that was the moment a door slammed shut from behind him.
Stilling, he tried to pretend he hadn't awoken yet as the heavy steps resounded behind him. The cheery, deep voice that called out not even a minute later let him know he had done a poor job of it.
"Hey there, buddy! Didn't think you'd be awake so early. Guess I'm going to get to calling the girlfriend sooner than expected," the voice spoke out as it moved closer, leaning in towards Edgar from over his shoulder, coming into view with a wide smile.
"You're disgusting you know that? Dating a sweet, human girl like that just so you can corrupt her body with your filth." The way he spoke made the trash he was spilling from his lips sound so casual but they cut. They cut Edgar where the hunter needed it to. Pulling away, he pressed the buttons on Edgar's phone screen and set it on speaker phone, letting it ring out in the abandoned, rotted cabin deep in the woods as he waited for Blaze to pick up.
As it rang, the hunter ruffled his hand playfully through Edgar's hair - impatiently waiting to begin teaching his lesson.
A collaberation. The words were still ringing through PJ's head, a collab with some recent upcoming artist her own manager thought would be an interesting interaction. "She looks just like you, PJ! The fans would love it!" She remembered her manager telling her, but all PJ could wonder was why she was doing it. PJ hated that aspect about the music life, there never seemed to be a moment where she herself could make her own deciscion. It was irritating.
"PJ?" A young woman's voice called through the doorway, most likely her manager's assistant. "Yeah?" She yelled through, swivling around in the chair to face the doorway and a mirror image of herself. "Ivy Rose is here, the girl you'll be doing your collabaration with."
Edgar finished up getting ready by slipping on his dark dress shoes. Since he could remember, he had always been the kind to dress as if he were going to an important interview. Really, he blamed that trait on his mother before her death. Always putting him in the "cutest" outfits. In fact, he looked professional even in his babies photos. Ridiculous, really but Edgar didn't mind it so much since it had helped his style of today. Throwing on his grey blazer over a white v-necked shirt, he grabbed his keys and wallet and headed out to pick up Blaze for their date.
While driving over, he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to the music playing through his stereo since he felt the bubbling excitement of the upcoming date building in the pit of his stomach. With a smile stuck onto his face, he pulled up to Blaze's house and quickly stepped out of the car. When he reached her door, he knocked three times. While he waited, he couldn't help checking to make sure his breath wasn't reeking something terrible and after making sure that it didn't. He returned to an easy smile while he waited for Blaze to answer him.
