Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Padma Patil

Overview
Padma Patil is a member of Ravenclaw house in Harry's year, and twin sister to Parvati Patil.

Philosopher's Stone
We hear Padma's name called at the Sorting, followed immediately by Parvati's.

Goblet of Fire
Colin Creevey excitedly tells Harry that his brother Dennis will be entering Hogwarts this year, and hopes that Dennis will be Sorted into Gryffindor. Harry asks Hermione if brothers and sisters generally end up in the same House. Hermione points out that Padma and Parvati Patil are twins, yet while Parvati ended up in Gryffindor, Padma is a Ravenclaw.

Harry must find a dance partner to attend the Yule Ball with, as he has been told that he will be leading off the dancing. When Cho Chang regretfully turns him down, Harry, in some desperation, sees Parvati and Lavender entering the common room, and asks Parvati if she will go to the Ball with him. She accepts. Harry, knowing Ron is also dateless, asks Lavender on Ron's behalf, but she has been invited by Seamus. Parvati mentions that her sister Padma does not yet have a date, and Harry asks if she'd be willing to go with Ron. Parvati says she will ask.

Padma evidently is willing, because she is waiting for Ron when he reaches the entrance hall. (Fred and George in passing ask Harry how he and Ron had managed to hook up with the most beautiful girls in the school.) Padma is rather upset by Ron's threadbare formal robes, despite his attempts to make them less horrible by removing the lace trim. She is further upset during the course of the ball that Ron does not seem to be paying her any attention, instead focusing on Hermione and Viktor Krum, her date. When Ron flatly tells Padma that he doesn't intend to dance, she leaves, finding a Beauxbatons boy to dance with instead.

After the Second Trask in the Triwizard Tournament, Padma acts more friendly and keener towards Ron, due to him having been Harry's hostage, who he had to rescue from the Black Lake.

Order of the Phoenix
On the Hogwarts Express, Ron, returning to Harry's compartment, tells Harry that the new Prefects from Ravenclaw are Padma Patil and Anthony Goldstein.

Padma Patil is present at the first meeting of Dumbledore's Army in the Hog's Head. While she doesn't say much there, she does seem interested in what Harry has to say, and also shows up for subsequent meetings in the Room of Requirement. In one of the meetings of Dumbledore's Army, we see her paired with her sister Pavati, trading jinxes.

Half-Blood Prince
While Padma doesn't appear much, her sister Parvati mentions several times that they're parents want them out of Hogwarts for their safety. After Dumbledore's death, they're both pulled out of school the following morning, making them unable to attend the funeral.

Deathly Hallows
When Harry, Ron and Hermione reach Hogwarts, they find Padma Patil, among others, in hiding in the Room of Requirement. As Neville had been using this room as a way to stay at Hogwarts as the leader of the revived Dumbledore's Army, it is likely that Padma had similarly found living openly in Hogwarts too dangerous and had retreated to the Room of Requirement so that she could continue the work of Dumbledore's Army in safety. Padma joins in the Battle of Hogwarts, but we don't directly see what she is doing.

Strengths
Smart, sensible, and considered the most responsible of the two twins after becoming a Ravenclaw prefect.

Analysis
While the films are not canon, for reasons outlined in the Project Standards, we will note here that Padma is placed alongside Parvati in Gryffindor House in the films. We do not pretend to be able to understand why this was done; perhaps the producers of the films felt that explanation would be required if identical twins were Sorted into different Houses. We note that the author believed no such explanation was necessary.