Parvati Patil

"She says I've got all the makings of a true Seer. I saw loads of stuff […]"

- Parvati on Professor Trelawney

Parvati Patil (b. 1979/1980), was the daughter of Mr and Mrs Patil, and the identical twin sister of Padma. She was sorted into Gryffindor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but her sister Padma was sorted into Ravenclaw. Parvati became best friends with Lavender Brown, with whom she shared many interests, such as a love for Divination. Parvati attended the Yule Ball with Harry Potter in 1994, and a year later she joined Dumbledore's Army, an organisation taught and led by Harry Potter.

During her seventh year in 1998, she continued her studies at Hogwarts, when it was under the control of Lord Voldemort and the same year Parvati fought at the Battle of Hogwarts against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. It is unknown if she survived the battle.

Early life
Parvati was born to Mr Patil and his wife as one of their twin daughters; the other being Padma. She was apparently familiar with Pansy Parkinson prior to her enrolment at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as during their first year Pansy once made a remark that implied that she had known Parvati for some time.

Early years


Parvati began attending Hogwarts in 1991 and was sorted into Gryffindor house, while her identical twin sister Padma was sorted into Ravenclaw. Parvati shared her dormitory with Hermione Granger, her best friend, Lavender Brown and other two girls.

During her first flying lesson, Parvati came to the defence of housemate Neville Longbottom when Draco Malfoy threw away his Remembrall. Slytherin student Pansy Parkinson made fun of her for this. Hermione also gave her a hug after Harry won a game of Quidditch against the Hufflepuff team. Parvati also told Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom after Ronald Weasley made fun of her during a Charms class.

Third year


In her third year, Parvati began taking Divination, which soon became her favourite subject. She and Lavender grew close to Professor Trelawney, who believed that Parvati could be a Seer one day. During their very first lesson she alarmed Parvati by telling her to beware a red-haired man, making Parvati suspicious of Ron Weasley.

That year, when Professor Lupin taught his Defence Against the Dark Arts class about Boggarts, Parvati's greatest fear was revealed to be mummies, although this could be translated as a fear of death or a fear of being buried alive. In the film adaption, her boggart was a giant snake.

Fourth year


Parvati attended the Yule Ball with Harry Potter in 1994. She wore bright pink dress robes and gold bracelets. She seemed to enjoy the attention she received for being the date of a famous wizard and was eager to dance. The dance she had with Harry went poorly. After being ignored by Harry, who was romantically interested in Cho Chang at the time, Parvati was asked to dance by another and spent most of the evening with a boy from Beauxbatons, whom she dated for a time afterwards. It's unknown what his name is and how long they dated for, if it lasted through the summer.



Parvati also enjoyed Care of Magical Creatures classes when they were taught by Professor Grubbly-Plank rather than Rubeus Hagrid, as she felt the former was a better qualified teacher. She enjoyed the lesson on unicorns, as did the rest of the girls in class. After the Yule Ball, both Parvati and Padma acted "very cool" towards their dates, Harry and Ron, who had basically ignored them in favour of staring at Cho and Hermione and refused to dance.

Fifth year


The twins joined Dumbledore's Army in their fifth year, and it seemed their attitudes towards Harry and Ron had somewhat mellowed. During one meeting, Parvati produced such a good Reductor Curse that she reduced a table to dust. She and Lavender were quite upset that year by Dolores Umbridge's treatment of Professor Trelawney, whom Umbridge dismissed, but Headmaster Dumbledore managed to persuade to stay living in the castle. Parvati and Lavender were both enamoured of the new Divination professor, Firenze, despite the fact that he was half-horse.



During her fifth year also Parvati's rebellious side had really started to show, after becoming a member of Dumbledore's Army, Parvati had also, with the help of her sister Padma and Harry Potter, started to destroy the speakers that Umbridge had placed around the castle in an attempt to silence her.

Her experience in the D.A. likely contributed to Parvati achieving an O.W.L. in Defence Against the Dark Arts; she is also known to have achieved O.W.L.s in Divination and Transfiguration.

Sixth year
In her sixth year, Parvati had to convince her parents not to take her and her twin sister out of Hogwarts. She was disappointed not to be invited to the Slug Club by new Potions professor Horace Slughorn; in particular, to the party he hosted at Christmas, which she discussed with Hermione Granger.

That year, Parvati also became slightly dismayed by her best friend Lavender Brown's romance with Ron Weasley. Although Parvati initially was supportive of her friend's feelings for Ron, as the two seemed to whisper and giggle about him before they began going out, Parvati was put off, and also very embarrassed, by the almost obsessive degree to which Lavender threw herself into the relationship, often snogging him in public, getting possessive when he was with another girl, pestering Harry with questions about his feelings for her, and giving him a necklace that read "my sweetheart". The two remained close, though.



Parvati was not among the DA members who fought when Death Eaters stormed the school on 30 June. As she did not make a habit of caring her Dumbledore's Army coin with her. Parvati was among the other students in the courtyard that raised their wands in tribute to their fallen Headmaster, after he met his death at the hands of Severus Snape. Parvati and Padma returned home with their parents the morning after Albus Dumbledore's death at the end of the school year.

Seventh year and Battle of Hogwarts
In 1998 Hogwarts was under the control of Lord Voldemort and his followers, students where brutally punished and taught different subjects, like how to use dark magic instead of defending against it. Sensing the need for rebellion yet again, like there had been when Hogwarts was under the control of Dolores Umbridge, Parvati and her sister Padma both joined the reconstituted Dumbledore's Army, standing up against Death Eater control of Hogwarts. Unlike before when trouble brewed Parvati's parents had not attempted to withdraw her and her sister from school as it had now become compulsory attendance for pure-blood students, which the Patil sisters are likely to be.

In May, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger returned to Hogwarts after taking the year off to destroy Horcruxes. With Harry's return, Dumbledore's Army was stronger than it had ever been. But with this return, Voldemort and his Death Eaters came looking for Harry. Hogwarts staff and students refused to simply hand Harry over without a fight, and in return a fight is what they got. Parvati participated in the Battle of Hogwarts, fighting alongside her sister and Dean Thomas.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Parvati duelled with Travers, but helped Dean Thomas by shooting a Full Body-Bind Curse at Antonin Dolohov to prevent him from retaliating against Dean for stunning another Death Eater. It is unknown if she survived the battle.

Physical appearance


"I still can't work out how you two got the two best-looking girls in the year."

- Dean Thomas

Parvati and her sister, Padma, both had long black hair and olive-toned skin, though Parvati usually wore her hair in a plait. Both sisters were usually seen wearing silver necklaces with the letter "P" hanging from the chains around their necks and over their ties during their Hogwarts years.

It seemed to be a confirmed fact that they had matured nicely, for they were once described by Dean Thomas to be the two "best-looking girls in the year". When Harry met up with Parvati at the Yule Ball, he also observed that she was truly a very pretty girl, being dressed in robes of shocking pink, with her long dark plait braided with gold, and gold bracelets glimmered at her wrists.

Personality and traits
Parvati can be seen as the less serious of the Patil twins; like her friend Lavender Brown, she enjoys gossip and fashion, and the two were often seen whispering and giggling together. They also share a great interest in Divination and are relatively close to Professor Trelawney.

Both girls could also be insensitive to others at times, a Gryffindor trait according to Ravenclaw prefect Robert Hilliard. This was exemplified when they pointed and laughed at Luna Lovegood's radish earrings. Still, Parvati was loyal to those she considered her friends. She stood up to those who treated her friends poorly, such as when she defended Neville Longbottom against Draco Malfoy's taunts and comforted Professor Trelawney after Dolores Umbridge fired her. Parvati is also brave, as her Sorting into Gryffindor house and her participation in the final battle proves.

Magical abilities and skills

 * Divination: Parvati's favourite subject at Hogwarts was Divination, at which she was very talented, according to Professor Trelawney. She achieved a high mark on her O.W.L. exam and advanced to N.E.W.T.-level.
 * Defence Against the Dark Arts: Parvati also seemed to be talented with Defensive spells. The spells she could successfully cast include Riddikulus, the Reductor Curse, and the Full Body-Bind Curse. She earned a high O.W.L. score in this subject and advanced to N.E.W.T.-level.
 * Charms: In 1996, Parvati along with Lavender, was able to cast the Locomotion Charm in preparation for their upcoming O.W.L. exam.
 * Transfiguration: Parvati achieved a high mark on her O.W.L. exam in Transfiguration, one of the most difficult types of magic according to Professor McGonagall. She advanced to N.E.W.T.-level in the subject.
 * Potions: In 1996, Parvati and Padma brewed a Babbling Beverage to disturb Dolores Umbridge. However, unlike Padma, Parvati did not continue the subject on NEWT level.
 * Duelling: Parvati was a good duellist, proven when she duelled Dolohov, Travers and a Masked Death Eater with the help of Dean Thomas. They probably won the duel because they defeated Dolohov and the Death Eater so since Travers was the only Death Eater left she and Dean probably defeated him as well.

Padma Patil
"Parvati Patil's twin's in Ravenclaw, and they're identical. You'd think they'd be together, wouldn't you?"

- Hermione Granger regarding the Patil twins Padma Patil is Parvati's twin sister. The girls were separated once they began attending Hogwarts, as Parvati was sorted into Gryffindor and Padma into Ravenclaw, which indicates differences in their character as Parvati appears to be less serious than her studious sister.

Lavender Brown
"Harry was unsurprised to see that the two best friends were whispering together, looking distressed."

- Harry Potter remarking upon Parvati and Lavender



Lavender Brown was one of Parvati's roommates at Hogwarts and soon became her best friend. The two girls share many interests, including: Divination, gossip, fashion, and they were both close to Professor Trelawney. They were also emotional and slightly girly, putting much stock in their physical appearances.

They were often seen around school together, giggling and whispering. Parvati initially supported Lavender in her infatuation with Ron Weasley in their sixth year, but eventually became slightly dismayed with how intensely Lavender threw herself into the relationship. Parvati was described as being bored and embarrassed by her friend's behaviour, however the two remained close. Sadly, Lavender was killed after being savaged by Fenrir Greyback in the Battle of Hogwarts. It is unknown how Parvati took the news, but it can be assumed she was devastated by the loss of her best friend.

Hermione Granger



Parvati and Lavender were not as close to their other roommate, Hermione Granger, as they were to each other. Hermione did not share the girls' interests, such as Divination and gossip, which occasionally led to conflict. For example, Parvati and Lavender were both offended on Professor Trelawney's behalf when Hermione made her disdain for the class clear in their third year.

The girls do not seem to have disliked each other. In 1996, when Hermione was jealous of Lavender dating Ron Weasley, Parvati was noted to feel guilty over having laughed at Ron's cruel teasing of Hermione in Transfiguration, and the two girls discussed Hermione's attendance of the Slug Club Christmas party with Cormac McLaggen. Since Parvati looked "positively agog" at Hermione sharing this news with her, it can be assumed that Hermione seldom confided in her roommates.

Harry Potter
"Come on! We're supposed to dance!"

- Parvati talking to Harry Potter



Parvati was not particularly close to Harry Potter, a Gryffindor in her year, but the two attended the 1994 Yule Ball together. Parvati was initially pleased with Harry as a date, since his fame gained her a lot of attention. However, Harry neglected to ask Parvati to dance and spent most of the ball staring at Cho Chang, which upset Parvati and led to her leaving his side for a boy from Beauxbatons, something that didn't upset Harry in the slightest.

Afterwards, Parvati treated Harry coolly, but this did not impact her decision to join Dumbledore's Army the following year. In their sixth year, Parvati and Harry both found themselves rather annoyed by their friends' exhibitionist romance. Both of these events may have also indicated her attitude towards Harry had mellowed back to a level of friendship, as she was also talking to him regularly during their O.W.L's and helped him along with her sister to destroy the speakers Dolores Umbridge set up around school. Parvati also proves her loyalty to Dumbledore's Army and Harry himself by fighting alongside him during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Sybill Trelawney
"She says I've got all the makings of a true Seer. I saw loads of stuff…"

- Parvati regarding Professor Trelawney



Parvati seemed to have a reasonably close relationship with Divination professor Sybill Trelawney; she had an unwavering faith in the reliability of Trelawney's predictions and was often seen comforting or supporting her when she was experiencing difficult times. She and Lavender became offended on the professor's behalf when Hermione made her disdain for Trelawney and the subject she taught clear in 1993. When she was temporarily sacked by Dolores Umbridge, Lavender and Parvati brought Trelawney some nice daffodils. Furthermore, Trelawney had told Parvati that she had the makings of a true seer.

Dumbledore's Army


Parvati became a member of Dumbledore's Army in her fifth year. It was an organisation founded by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, and led by Harry, in order to teach students Defence Against the Dark Arts, something that the new professor, Dolores Umbridge, did not, as she believed that the students would use their magic to oppose the Ministry of Magic.

She was a friend of fellow members Ron Weasley, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnigan. Dean and Seamus seemed to believe that Parvati and her sister, Padma, were the best-looking girls of their year. Furthermore, the romance between Ron and Lavender made both Parvati and Harry feel uncomfortable in 1996. She was also a friend of Neville Longbottom and defended him during their first year, when Pansy Parkinson insulted him.

Other members of the Dumbledore's Army were Fred and George Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Lee Jordan, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Hannah Abbott, Ernie Macmillan, Susan Bones, Terry Boot, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein, Cho Chang, Michael Corner, Zacharias Smith, and Marietta Edgecombe. Their relationship with Parvati is unknown.

Etymology

 * Parvati is the name of a Hindu goddess of strength, consort of Shiva and daughter of the Himalayas. She was renowned for her beauty. Parvati translates into "she of the mountains" in Sanskrit. It may entirely be possible Parvati Patil's name, and her sister's, have been somewhat inspired by the model Padma Parvati Lakshmi. Padma and Parvati are also characters in Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie, the latter known mostly as Parvati-the-Witch. Rowling has never stated if she has read Midnight's Children or not, and these are common female names in India, so it is unclear whether or not these characters are intended as an homage to Rushdie.
 * Patil is a common Marathi surname in the state of Maharashtra, India.

Behind the scenes

 * In the film adaptations of the series, Parvati and Padma are portrayed as fraternal, rather than identical, twins. They are also shown to both be in Gryffindor, whereas in the books, Padma is in Ravenclaw.
 * In PS undefined, the way Pansy Parkinson addresses Parvati suggests that the two were already familiar with one another, but this is never explored.
 * In, Professor Binns calls Parvati "Miss Pennyfeather".
 * In the films, Parvati is first seen portrayed by actress Sitara Shah in Prisoner of Azkaban. In Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, and Half-Blood Prince she has been portrayed by Welsh actress Shefali Chowdhury..
 * In, Parvati's Boggart is shown to be a cobra, rather than a mummy.
 * Also in the film adaptation of Prisoner of Azkaban, Parvati was portrayed as left-handed, but shown to be right-handed in . This was because of the change of actors.
 * In, Parvati is shown to spend a lot of time with her twin, Padma. However, in the books, she is seldom seen without her best friend, Lavender Brown.
 * In the film version of the Yule Ball, Parvati wears an Indian orange blouse and a pink skirt known in India as a "Lehnga", gold bangles (known in India as Chudiyan), and had gold braided into her hair (known in India as a Parandah Braid). She also seems to be closer to Hermione Granger than she seems to be in the books, and dances with the aide of Igor Karkaroff rather than a boy from Beauxbatons.
 * Parvati Patil does not appear in the final film adaptation, but her twin sister Padma does. In, she appears in Year 7.
 * In, the early names for Parvati and Padma are given with: Madhari Patel and Mati Patel.

Appearances

 * PS undefined
 * PS F

Notes and references
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