Padma Patil

Padma Patil is the identical twin sister of Parvati Patil, one of Harry's fellow Gryffindor classmates. Padma, however, was sorted into Ravenclaw.

Padma attended the Yule Ball with Ron Weasley, at the urging of Parvati (Harry's date) when Harry begged her to find a date for Ron. Padma, however, was less than enthusiastic at having Ron for a partner, since he refused to dance with her and instead spent the evening stewing in jealousy over Hermione's date with Viktor Krum. Padma and Parvati both eventually abandoned their disinterested dates and danced with some Durmstrang boys.

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Padma became a prefect for Ravenclaw. She also joined Dumbledore's Army along with her sister. She is mentioned a few times in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, mainly at the end when it is told that both she and her twin sister were taken home by their parents after Dumbledore's death. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows both sisters participate in the Second Battle of Hogwarts; they are not listed among the fallen, so they have most likely survived.



Name
The Patils' names and appearance in the films imply that the characters are of Indian descent. Patil is a common Marathi surname in the state of Maharashtra, India. In Sanskrit, Padma means "lotus," which symbolises divinity and purity, because of its nature and birth in dirty mud water. Rowling initially intended her and her sister to bear forenames beginning with Ma. Their surname on Rowling's classlist is also spelt as Patel.

In the film versions of Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix, Padma instead is in Gryffindor along with Parvati. The Patils are not portrayed as identical twins in the films, but rather fraternal twins.