Content warning: Alcohol use, annoying misunderstandings, and intense scenes.

Thumping music echoed down the halls of the dormitory block. Music that leaked from beneath the door to Amanda's dorm room and pierced the late night silence.

Inside, lights flashed and a large number of witches were all chatting, drinking, and generally having a good time. The dorm had been cleaned up a little bit to facilitate the head count, though just barely. Some discarded clothes and food packages still made their homes in corners and on tables, but nobody seemed to mind.

Akko and her friends stood to one side, enjoying the atmosphere.

"C'mon, Sucy!" Akko called over the music. "I wanna see your dance moves!"

"I think I'd rather drop dead," Sucy replied dryly, sipping some kind of fermented mushroom beverage from a metal flask. Next to them, Lotte sat apprehensively, eyeing the crowd.

"Guys, we shouldn't be here. We're going to get in trouble."

"Eh, you worry too much," Akko stated. "Just cut loose and enjoy yourself! They can't punish all of us."

"Hey, Akko!"

The three of them turned and spotted Amanda heading towards them, followed by Jasminka.

"Amanda! Great party you've got here!" Akko exclaimed.

"Why, thanks for noticing," Amanda said. "Check it out, even Molly showed up!"

She motioned her head behind her, where the blue-haired witch was indeed present, nodding her head to the music and drinking something from a solo cup with Elsa and Amelia.

"Molly? Wasn't she suspended?" Lotte queried.

"What are they gonna do, suspend her again?" Akko quipped. "She can't come to classes, but she still lives here."

"Where's Consey?" Sucy asked. Jasminka pointed to a DJ setup by the television, where Constanze was controlling the music next to a huge speaker. Upon receiving a compliment in regards to the song currently playing, Constanze gave the witch in question a thumbs up.

"We should really throw parties more often," Jasminka mused, eating from a full plate of food. "I hope we aren't disturbing anyone, though."

"Whatever," Amanda said dismissively. "If they don't like the noise, they can magically block it out."

To their surprise, they heard a firm knock on the door right around then. Amanda rolled her eyes and lazily strode over to answer it.

"Oh, look. Who's surprised that Diana showed up?"

Diana stood with her arms folded, giving Amanda an unamused glare. Behind her stood Gaëlle, who also looked rather peeved.

"Miss O'Neill, I have to inform you that this party violates Luna Academy's curfew," Diana stated with her traditional calm demeanour. "Several complaints have been lodged in one night."

"What the hell? I thought we were buds now." Amanda planted a hand on her hip and stood impatiently.

"Keep your personal business out of it," Gaëlle deadpanned. "Some of us have things to do in the morning."

"It's the truth, Amanda. I'm all for you having your fun, but please be mindful of others. I have to ask that this party ceases immediately."

Amanda played with her hands and gazed at the floor facetiously.

"Gee Diana, I never saw it that way. I guess we'll just pack it up and… HIT IT, CONS!"

She raised her arms towards Constanze, who cranked the volume up even higher. Before Diana could even get another word in, Amanda slammed the door in her face and laughed about what had just transpired.

Akko slinked over to the front door and opened it to see if Diana was still there, but she had vanished.

"Oh, God…"

Amanda sat upright on the floor, her head throbbing. She always hated the morning after a rager. Looking all around, the dorm was in worse condition than it had ever been. Jasminka and Constanze were both out cold, and there was somebody else asleep on their couch.

Wait, what?

"Get outta here!"

Amanda shook Hilda awake and shooed her out of the dorm. Once she was gone, Amanda dropped onto the couch and sighed deeply, followed by her roommates once they had finally awoken.

"That was fun, huh?" Amanda said, clutching her head.

"I'm one sentence away from throwing up," Jasminka groaned. "But it was fun."

Constanze whimpered softly, a hand over her eyes. Somehow, even Stanbot looked hungover.

The three of them remained on the couch for a while, attempting to recover. Jasminka found her plate of leftovers and continued eating from it.

Another knock on the door roused them from their alcohol-induced stasis. Frustrated that nobody else was going to do it, Amanda shakily ascended from the couch and carefully made her way over to the door. Once again, Diana stood behind it.

"Good morning, Miss O'Neill." Her expression was neutral, but her voice was cold.

"Whaddya want?" Amanda slurred, struggling to stay upright.

"I'm here on behalf of the vice-chancellor. For directly going against campus policy and hosting a disruptive party, you three have all been issued week-long suspensions."

"We've… huh?!"

Diana handed Amanda three envelopes, each addressed to someone in that dorm. Amanda tore open the one addressed to her and saw that indeed, her studies had been suspended.

"Diana, I did my walk of shame, what's with the targeted harassment?!" Amanda demanded, the shock from the news temporarily sobering her up. "I thought we were cool again!"

"This wasn't my choice, I'm just the messenger. Besides, it was a simple request to not carouse at such a late night hour."

A hot wash of anger passed through Amanda. Feelings of betrayal began to present themselves as someone she considered a friend began to exert overwhelming authority over her.

"I apologise, Amanda. I really do," Diana said softly. "I just wish you'd be a little more considerate."

"Oh, bite me."

Amanda slammed the door on Diana and threw her suspension letter in the trash.

"What happened?" Jasminka mumbled, approaching her cautiously.

"She hasn't changed at all, that's what!" Amanda growled. "These are for you two."

She tossed the remaining two letters like frisbees onto the floor, and Jasminka and Constanze had to retrieve them.

"Who the hell does she think she is?!" Amanda continued to rant. "Who made her the boss of me?"

Her ravings were interrupted by the loud and sudden vibrations of her wand. She picked it up and glanced at it.

"Shit… it's my parents."

Amanda headed to their bedroom and shut the door for some privacy. Once she was seated on her bed, she answered the call.

"H-Hi, guys! What's up?"

"Amanda," said a stern voice from the other side of the call. "What's this about a suspension?"

Amanda laughed nervously. "Oh, that? Just a misunderstanding! I'll get it sorted."

"We're paying very good money for you to attend university," a second voice stated firmly. "Get it sorted or there will be consequences."

Before Amanda could say anything further, her parents hung up.

She groaned in frustration, knowing exactly what her parents meant by 'consequences'. She was sick of this. Not only did she not even want to go to university, but she couldn't even get her parents off of her case, despite her best efforts.

This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Diana.

Amanda forcefully sheathed her wand and stormed out of the bedroom.

"Everything okay?" Jasminka asked sweetly.

"Diana is dead meat," Amanda growled. With nothing further to say, she grabbed her jacket and left the dorm, slamming the door shut on the way out. Jasminka and Constanze stared ahead, confused.

Around the side of the university building, Amanda leaned against the brick wall and took a drag from a cigarette.

All sorts of thoughts were racing through her mind. What did it matter to her if she was suspended? It wasn't like she cared about the classes or finished assignments on time. But it mattered a lot to her parents, who weren't at all concerned with their daughter's happiness or place in the world. As long as she inherited their business and continued their work, they were satisfied.

For the time being, there was nothing she could do. 'Getting it sorted' was out of the question, since she and her friends were suspended for valid reasons. There was no point arguing about it. She did feel bad for Jasminka and Constanze, as well, but she also recognised their willing participation in planning and executing the party. They were by no means innocent bystanders. Still, this would leave a permanent stain on all of their records, and Jasminka and Constanze actually had goals and aspirations.

Amanda took another drag and sighed.

And what about Diana? Where did she get off policing their activities like this? She's a student like the rest of them, so who gave her the authority to hand out punishments on behalf of the higher-ups? When Amanda apologised to her a few weeks ago, she thought she would back off a little and stop keeping such a close eye on them. It was supposed to be an unspoken agreement. She failed to do this, and Amanda felt betrayed.

The only way to get even was to show Diana what betrayal feels like.

But that already happened. Hannah and Barbara tried to do that before, and it didn't work.

In a weird way, Amanda began to sympathise with Hannah. She ultimately didn't hate Diana like Hannah did, but she couldn't lie and say she was pleased with Diana's obsession with following the rules, either.

Surely a little prank on Diana, a successful one this time, might get her to see some sense and to loosen up a little bit. Amanda decided that she might need Hannah's help to get this happening.

Hannah was already here, sitting on the ground by the fence surrounding the campus, reading a magazine. After stomping out her cigarette, Amanda casually made her way over and stood near her.

"Psst. Hannah."

Hannah continued reading, not even looking at Amanda.

"Ew, I think it's talking to me," she said to nobody in particular.

Amanda ignored the comment and continued. "You're still trying to get back at Diana, right?"

This caught Hannah's attention, and she finally lifted her head to meet Amanda's gaze.

"What's it to you?" she asked suspiciously.

"Look, you were right. She got me suspended, and I'm pissed off. I just wanna humble her a little, y'know?"

A sly smile made its way onto Hannah's face.

"Finally, someone sees some sense!" she remarked. "I thought I was alone."

Amanda wondered if this was the right move, but after mulling over the previous night's events again, as well as other times where Diana had stifled the actions of her and her friends, the following hot wash of anger convinced her to press on.

"So what can we do?" Amanda wondered aloud. "Everyone loves her, so we can't do what you and Barbara tried."

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked that!" Hannah exclaimed. "Check this out."

She put aside her magazine and slipped something out of her pocket. It appeared to be a clean white cloth with a lacy blue trim. Amanda crouched down to get a better look at it.

"That's… what, exactly?"

"Diana's handkerchief!" Hannah said, holding it out as if it were on the clothesline. "To utilise metamorphosis magic, you need something carried around by the target!"

"And do you always have her crusty old hankie on you?" Amanda asked incredulously, squinting at the cloth, which was not at all crusty.

"Ew, no! I saw it on her desk this morning, so I swiped it for a chance like this!"

"That's awfully convenient," Amanda muttered, raising an eyebrow. "But I'll accept it. Metamorphosis magic can be devastating."

"Exactly, it's weird that we're taught it so early. So here's what I'm thinking…"

Hannah explained the finer points of what she planned to do. Listening intently, Amanda shook her head and shot down the idea.

"Nobody's gonna believe that it's her. We need to do something more discreet."

"And what would that be, master trickster?" Hannah quipped, a little bothered by the immediate refusal.

Amanda thought for a moment, before a lightbulb seemingly went off in her head. She elaborated, and Hannah's eyes began to widen.

"Oh, Akko! You made it."

Akko approached the fountain in the courtyard, where 'Diana' was seated on its edge.

"What's up, Diana?"

"I need to talk to you." 'Diana' looked somber, and Akko slowly stepped closer, a little confused.

"Ahh, is this about the book I borrowed from you? Sucy said she'll give it back, I promise!"

"Don't be silly, that's nothing," 'Diana' said. "But I am concerned about your lack of empathy towards me lately."

"W-What?" Akko scratched her head. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Well, you know how I came to your aid the other day? I'm just having a little trouble believing you allowed yourself to wallow in misery while the rest of us shouldered our own burdens. That spirit affected all of us, you know."

'Diana''s cold gaze pierced Akko, and Akko could tell that she was serious. She began to nervously fidget with the hem of her shirt.

"U-Um, I'm sorry about that… I thought you said it was okay."

"Of course I did, you were quite the mess. It would have been rude to confront you about it then," 'Diana' explained.

"It w-won't happen again…" Akko took a shaky breath, wondering where this was going. Diana had never had a problem with anything she did before.

"It's a bit too late for that. I've started to grow irritated with your lack of consideration, and I've reached a conclusion."

Akko's hands quivered as she stood there.

"I'm breaking up with you, Akko."

Both of them were silent as the water from the fountain trickled softly. 'Diana''s words lodged themselves inside Akko's brain for a moment before she began to laugh nervously.

"Y-You're joking, right?" she asked. "Where did this come from?"

"I'm not joking. Look, I've even found solace in a mutual friend of ours."

'Diana' snapped her fingers, and Amanda emerged from behind the fountain.

"O-Oh, it's a prank! Very funny, but don't scare me like that…" Akko mumbled. Amanda took a seat next to 'Diana' and held her hand as a cold flush flowed through Akko.

"Sorry, Akko, but things are changing," Amanda said sharply.

"It's true," 'Diana' added. "Amanda has shown me a sense of understanding and sympathy that I never felt with you."

"Oh, Diana, this isn't real…" Akko's voice began to break as she struggled to make sense of any of this.

"How can I prove it to you?" 'Diana' wondered. "Have we ever kissed before, Akko?"

With her arms folded tightly, Akko shook her head, avoiding 'Diana''s gaze. In response, 'Diana' pulled Amanda forward and the two locked lips.

Akko's heart shattered into a million pieces.

Wordlessly, she put a hand to her mouth and she stormed off, shaking with fury and despair, and with the visual of Diana and Amanda kissing burned into her brain. Once she was out of earshot, Amanda pulled herself off of 'Diana'.

"Dude, what the hell?!" Amanda hissed. "That wasn't part of the plan."

"I was desperate, she wasn't buying it!"

'Diana' waved her wand, and in a burst of sparkles, the disguise was shed. Amanda found herself sitting next to Hannah again.

"How'd you know Diana was off caring for Akko?" Amanda asked.

Hannah chuckled. "You know Diana. If she's absent for a day, everyone in her classes knows why. She loves to make herself clear."

Amanda shrugged in response.

"I still think my plan would've been funnier, by the way." Hannah started to fix her hair, ensuring the transformation hadn't left any residual effects.

"A good prank needs time to cook. You set it up and wait for the payoff. Immediate results won't mess with their minds the same way."

The two of them continued to sit by the fountain, wondering where this was going to go.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Umm, this isn't really a good time, can you come back later-?" Lotte began, before realising that it was Diana at the door. From the couch, Akko and Sucy looked up at her, and the former began to sob even more forcefully, while the latter slinked over to the door.

"You've got a lot of nerve showing your face here," Sucy hissed through gritted teeth, closing in on Diana and looming over her.

"What's going on?!" Diana asked incredulously, trying to look past Sucy. "Is Akko okay?"

"We trusted you, Diana…" Lotte said pensively. "We thought you cared about her."

"What are you talking about? I'm here to ask about the book I lent her-"

"LIAR!" Akko screamed. She ascended from the couch and stormed towards Diana as Lotte and Sucy made way for her.

"Why don't you go back to Amanda, huh?! She'll give you understanding and sympathy!"

"Akko, what are you on about?!" Diana's stomach filled with butterflies as she tried to read the situation.

"Oh, and you can keep THIS, too!"

Akko stuffed something into Diana's hands and stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door. Diana realised that she was now holding the very same rare Chariot card she had given Akko a few years ago.

Lotte gazed at Diana and shook her head sadly, following after Akko. Sucy cracked her neck and held something up to Diana's face.

"This is a modified Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. You might know it as the zombie-ant fungus. If you don't start running, I'll make you its new host."

Sucy's face lacked any sign of humour, so Diana complied, backing off and heading the way she came. The sound of Sucy slamming the front door echoed behind her.

Diana clutched the Chariot card to her chest, staring blankly down the hall as the weight of what had just happened began to hit her.

Diana gently unlocked the door to her dorm and slowly closed it behind her. Still staring blankly ahead, she sank into the couch and focused on controlling her breathing.

Hearing her return, Barbara emerged from her bedroom and slowly approached her.

"Diana? Everything okay?"

"Of course, Barbara. I'm fine…"

Diana's voice broke mid-sentence, and she began openly sobbing. Barbara had never seen Diana express herself before, so she was a little unsure of what to do. She settled on retrieving a glass of water for her, as well as some tissues, since she couldn't find her handkerchief.

"T-Thank you," Diana stammered, trying to wipe her eyes.

"What's going on?" Barbara sat next to her and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. Diana was a little unsure of whether she wanted to tell Barbara anything, but at this point, she was out of options.

"A-Akko… I d-don't know what happened… she called me a l-liar and said s-something about Amanda…"

Barbara said nothing, but kept listening.

"S-She gave me this, too…"

Diana held out the Chariot card, and Barbara took a look at it. She wasn't aware of the significance, but knowing how much Akko loved Chariot, she knew it was serious.

"She said something about Amanda?" Barbara asked softly, and Diana nodded. "That's funny, I saw Amanda and Hannah sitting by the fountain earlier."

Diana took a sip of water and sighed shakily. Any attempts to regain her composure were thwarted by the clouds of confusion swirling around in her head. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see and hear was Akko in hysterics.

"Stay here," Barbara said. "I'm going to go see if they know anything about this."

With another shaky breath, Diana nodded and remained on the couch, trying her hardest to clear her head. Things couldn't be over for her and Akko. There was just no way.

Down by the fountain, Barbara was mildly annoyed to see that Hannah and Amanda were no longer there.

"Ugh," she uttered to herself. "I'll try Amanda's room."

She turned to head back into the building when something caught her eye. Something sitting on the fountain's edge, clumped together and forgotten.

A white handkerchief.

Barbara was going to leave it, but she suddenly remembered giving Diana tissues. She picked the handkerchief up and observed it, and its lacy blue trim confirmed its owner.

Something clicked in Barbara's head.

She called Diana through her wand and reported her findings.

"Diana," she said. "I saw Hannah and Amanda down here. Akko said something about Amanda. Now I've found your handkerchief here."

Through her clouded brain, a beacon of realisation shone through. Suddenly feeling really hot, Diana put her wand away and set off, still clutching the Chariot card for good luck.

Hannah never thought she'd be comfortable in Amanda's dorm. But here she was, drinking with all three of them.

"Good thing you showed up," Amanda said. "We needed to get rid of all this extra booze."

"Eh, I don't really like this stuff, but I'll drink it," Hannah replied. Constanze nodded in agreement, choosing to mix her drink with soda to sweeten it.

Jasminka was apprehensive about the whole situation, not knowing what Amanda did, but she didn't feel like pressing her for information. She settled on eyeing Hannah suspiciously, hoping she took the hint.

A pounding on the door startled all three of them. Constanze answered it, and Diana stood there sweetly.

"Good afternoon!" she chirped, just managing to hold it together. "May I see you and Miss Antonenko outside for a moment?"

Shrugging, Constanze complied and beckoned Jasminka over, and the two of them headed into the hallway to meet Diana. They waited for whatever she had to say, but it never came.

Diana ran into their dorm and slammed the door, completely blindsiding them.

"Diana!" Amanda exclaimed. "Fancy meeting you here-"

With a flick of Diana's wand, Amanda and Hannah went up in flames.

Diana's face glowed orange as she watched the two of them shriek and try to put themselves out. The flames burned like the absolute fury brewing in the pit of her soul. Her eyes were red and puffy and her hair was a mess, but she didn't care.

As the flames died down, Amanda and Hannah found themselves completely unscathed. They sat up and looked each other over to confirm this. Diana stood with her back hunched over, pointing her wand at the two of them.

"Start talking," Diana growled, her voice slow and controlled, "or there's going to be real fire."

"It was a prank!" Hannah cried, sweating profusely.

"Hannah morphed into you and pretended to break up with Akko!" Amanda explained frantically. "It was just a joke!"

Every word tore at Diana's soul, piece by piece. Everything finally made sense. That's what Akko was talking about.

Diana felt like such an idiot for not figuring it out sooner.

"And you decided to do this because I shut down your party?" she pressed them, wand still outstretched.

"Well, y-yeah, and you got me suspended!"

Hannah checked her arm for burns. "We thought a prank would get you to laugh at yourself a little! We're still friends, right?"

Diana took a shaky breath to try and steady herself.

"We're NEVER going to be friends."

"Works for me!" Hannah spat. "You're an asshole, anyway!"

Amanda watched on, a little bit speechless. She didn't think Diana's reaction would be so extreme.

"Y-You want a drink?" she asked, offering Diana a can. In response, Diana lifted her and Hannah into the air using control magic.

"You're going to explain the situation to Akko, because guess what? Do whatever you want to me. I don't care. But I will never, EVER tolerate anyone messing with Akko."

She flung them through the doorway and began dragging them down the hall, leaving Jasminka and Constanze very perplexed.

"I thought I told you to piss off," Sucy grunted, having answered the door.

"Oh, you're going to love this," Diana replied, flicking her wand. Sucy jumped aside and watched as Hannah and Amanda barreled into their dorm, slamming into the back of the couch. Upon hearing the ruckus, Lotte and Akko emerged from their bedroom, the latter still softly crying.

"Go ahead. Tell them," Diana commanded, standing over the two troublemakers. They sat upright and rubbed their heads.

Amanda explained everything. Hannah couldn't help but laugh to herself as she watched Akko's eyes widen because of the story.

"...what?" Akko mumbled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think it'd be this serious."

"W-Wait… you two kissed?"

"SERIOUSLY?!" Hannah exclaimed. "THAT'S your concern?!"

"Oh, my gosh, Diana…"

Akko almost fell to her knees as she dove into Diana to give her a huge hug. Diana returned it, feeling a warmth she felt like she hadn't experienced in ages.

"Akko, I would never speak to you that way."

"I never should've believed them…"

"Oh, and this belongs to you," Diana said, holding Akko's shoulders. From her pocket, she produced the rare Chariot card, and Akko sheepishly accepted it.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Diana said sweetly. "Those two monsters are to blame."

"Amanda… why?" Lotte asked. "Why involve Akko?"

"It was the only thing that would actually get to her. We had to be discreet, otherwise the entire cohort would jump to Diana's defense."

A little humiliated about having been caught, Amanda helped Hannah stand up.

"So… are we cool?" Amanda asked, turning to Akko and Diana.

"I dunno." Akko tilted her head and turned to Diana, who was nowhere near as forgiving. Hannah was busy looking around the dorm with her nose turned up.

"This place reeks of failure," she commented, folding her arms. "I'm outta here."

"I guess I'll go, too," Amanda muttered, shrugging. "Sorry again."

Before they headed out the door, however, Sucy grabbed their arms and leaned into their ears.

"Sleep with one fucking eye open," she hissed. The venom dripping from her voice made them shudder.

AN: This is probably as far as I want to mess with Akko and Diana's relationship. Even having them argue as the result of a prank made me feel bad (especially when the last chapter was so fluffy). However, I thought it would be an interesting thing to explore.
Also, I'm not shipping Amanda and Hannah here. I'm not opposed to it, but I'm just portraying them as acquaintances for this specific instance. Maybe I'll have them interact more later down the line, though.