A/N: Well... This chapter wound up taking a stranger turn than I was initially going for. XD Outside of the fact I spent a lot of time rewriting certain scenes out, I ended up getting a sudden surge of inspiration after responding to a comment on AO3 and then doing some research into how Diana obtained her dorm room at Luna Nova. Originally, I'd only planned to keep the scene in the dormitory brief and then include the opening ceremony here, but instead it turned into lengthy and feelsy dialogue between Diana and Delila, so... oops? XD Fear not, though! The opening ceremony will be appearing in Chapter 4, which is just as well because Delila will be meeting Hannah and Barbara for the first time and I wanted to make sure that was written out properly, so... yeah. I am aiming to try to complete the first episode at Chapter 4, but for those of you already familiar with me and my writing style and technique... they know not to hold me to that. XD
Either way, thank you to everyone who has been favouriting, following, reviewing and reading this fanfic (even though I still cannot see the stats!). Your continued support is greatly appreciated. I will be explaining my creative decisions in more detail at the bottom of the chapter, for those who are interested. But until then... I hope you enjoy the mess that sprouted from my head because of some minor research. XD
Chapter 3: Special Treatment
Circling back to the cafeteria from the botanical garden, Diana guided Delila to the second floor of the school building via the vestibule, walking up the cafeteria's left-sided set of stairs and then emerging into the second floor's north corridor through the doors situated above the cafeteria's first floor entrance. Just like the corridors on the floor below, the floors were lined with red carpeting and windowless, pristine walls, with the north corridor having a descending staircase at both its top and bottom ends that Delila suspected led to the first-floor north corridor.
Upon entering the second-floor corridor, Diana didn't stop walking. She headed straight down the west corridor, continuing to talk to Delila following along on her left side as she gestured her empty palm to a set of tall, wooden doors opposite the doors to the cafeteria vestibule.
"This is the student counselling office, usually occupied by Professor Finnelan," the older Cavendish explained without a break in her stride or her gaze from where she was currently going. "She is the faculty member in charge of student guidance here at Luna Nova, alongside the teaching of various magical subjects."
"And the professor whom I would need to speak to should I have any concerns about student life at Luna Nova?"
"Correct."
"Huh…" Delila muttered, her eyes drifting to her chest with the furrowing of her brows at the realisation slowly dawning upon her. "Would she also be the professor I should consult if I have any problems with my illness?"
"That would depend on the situation." Diana furrowed her brows and tapped a finger to her chin as she and Delila rounded the corner into the west corridor, the sunlight streaming in from the line of windows from the interior wall bathing the carpeted floor in a warm and inviting glow. "Professor Lukić is the faculty member in charge of pharmacology, so she handles the medical needs of any students or staff."
"But let's say I was to have a medical emergency in the dormitories during the evening. What would I do then?"
"In that case, Professor Finnelan is the one you'd need to speak to. Otherwise, it would be whichever professor is close by. Either way, you would end up under the care of Professor Lukić for any medical problems or enquiries."
"Including the restocking of my elixirs?"
"Yes."
"Does that mean all of the teachers have been made aware of my illness?"
"I made sure that Headmistress Holbrooke, Professor Finnelan and Professor Lukić were aware so the necessary arrangements could be made upon your arrival. But the responsibility of informing the other faculty members was left with the headmistress. I assume they'll be told in due course."
"Good to know," Delila said with a nod of understanding, a palm subconsciously going to her chest.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Delila thought she saw Diana eyeing her movements with a slight squint, yet she didn't bother to bring attention to it. Instead, she chose to keep following her sister to the end of the west corridor in silence, assuming she was subtly checking to make sure she was okay.
Arriving to the third floor of the school made Delila concede that Diana's words back in the botanical garden were certainly accurate; the tour had, indeed, gone by 'fairly fast'.
Her older sister pointed out where the auditorium was located in the south corridor before they'd ascended the set of stairs to their right at the bottom end of the west corridor (which Delila came to realise was the case with every east and west corridor on the floors she'd seen so far). According to Diana, as they were going to be returning to the second floor for the opening ceremony anyways, she felt it was unnecessary to go into detail about the auditorium for now, a sentiment Delila gladly agreed with.
Upon reaching the west corridor of the third floor, Diana turned left and headed for the opposite end to the north corridor, guiding Delila along on her right side this time.
"The headmistress' office is in the corridor up ahead," Diana elaborated. "It isn't difficult to find, but I'm taking the liberty of showing it to you so you're certain of where it is in future—"
Diana interrupted herself at seeing Delila's pace slow down a bit when they neared the halfway point of the west corridor, her blue eyes drawn to a narrow and open doorway to their left. A long corridor with single wooden doors lining both walls and a wooden floor lay beyond it, mostly shrouded in shadow. There was no sign of any windows down there, so what little light there was streamed in from the west corridor. The plainness of the interior's design didn't give Delila a reason to be suspicious or afraid, and yet she couldn't shake the ominous feeling fluttering in her gut at seeing two rows of doors partially hiding in the dark. It was like she'd stumbled upon a forbidden area of the school… if it wasn't in plain sight and easily accessible, of course.
"What's down the creepy looking corridor?" Delila bluntly asked as they passed it by.
"The west dormitories," Diana replied just as bluntly, causing Delila to whip her head to the older Cavendish with a wide blink. "Which brings us neatly to the final destination on our list."
"Wait, what?" Delila's head moved back and forth between her sister and the corridor at least three times, her gaze lingering a few seconds on each before she switched. Had she heard that right? "Those are the dormitories?" she enquired upon allowing her gaze to finally stop on Diana.
"The west dormitories," Diana corrected as they turned into the north corridor and started walking to the other end, witnessing Delila's eyes become briefly drawn to a set of wooden double doors to their left in the middle of the corridor—the headmistress' office, Delila guessed. "There is an entrance leading to another set of dormitories in the east corridor as well."
"Really?" When Diana nodded, Delila lazily flicked her wrist in the direction of the high ceiling. "I was under the impression they'd be on the top floor."
"They are." Diana saw Delila give her a puzzled squint, prompting the older Cavendish to sigh heavily and lower her head a little with the closing of her eyes for a few seconds. "Did you assume the dormitories were located in the main building?"
Her sister's query only caused Delila to narrow her eyes further, her confusion very apparent at this point. "What are you talking about?"
"When we arrived at Luna Nova, did you see the two extensions to the west and east of the school's building?" Diana purposely paused to let Delila answer, to which the younger Cavendish immediately nodded. "Those are the dormitories."
Several seconds of silence followed before the realisation hit Delila in the face like a fireball cast from a witch's wand, resulting in a muttered 'Oh…' from the younger teen after the short delay.
"Luna Nova's main building is solely classrooms, offices and additional rooms related to the educational or living needs of the students, faculty and non-teaching staff," Diana continued. "In the past, Luna Nova have received a large number of student enrolments, which the main building doesn't have the space to accommodate—"
"—thus the dormitories are housed in the west and east extensions because they have the necessary space," Delila finished.
"Exactly, hence why the dormitories can be found on the second, third and fourth floors of each building extension."
As the two Cavendish twins walked into the east corridor and approached the corridor for the east dormitories to their left, Delila frowned upon remembering that she hadn't seen a doorway to a dormitory corridor on the second floor that matched the one she'd seen on the third floor, a finger tapping at her chin.
"Then how come there wasn't an entrance to the west dormitories on the second floor?"
"Because access to the dormitories is only from the third floor."
Delila's eyes widened with the sharp turn of her head as she and Diana stopped in front of the east dormitory entranceway, the younger Cavendish staring at her older sister like she'd grown a second head. "But then how…?"
Delila trailed off at Diana gesturing her empty hand to the left side of the east dormitory corridor, where Delila spied a set of descending and ascending stairs just inside of the entranceway. "Students assigned to the second and fourth floor dormitories use these stairs."
"So, they'd have to come up to the third floor just to get to their rooms on either the fourth floor or second floor?"
"Yes."
Delila gazed at the stairs with a furrowed brow and a crinkled nose. "Who's the genius that came up with that ludicrous layout?"
"I don't have the answer to that, I'm afraid," Diana answered calmly with the brief closing of her eyes, resuming her walk towards said stairs. "Still, it's nothing to worry about."
"Doesn't make it any less ludicrous," Delila muttered under her breath, relaxing her expression and returning her voice to normal volume as she moved after her sister down the stairs. "I'm assuming your dormitory is in the east building, then?"
"Yes, at the far-end of the second floor. Although, speaking of which…" Diana trailed off and partially peeked at Delila from over her left shoulder as the two Cavendish sisters entered the second-floor corridor and made their way to the other end, the pair's path illuminated by dim blue lighting from the diamond shaped bulbs hanging from the arched ceiling. "Before we head inside, I must ask that you brace yourself."
Delila raised a brow at how serious Diana sounded, admittedly not helped by the poor lighting and their echoing footsteps against the wood being the only other sound filling in the silence between them outside of their own voices. Who knew a narrow corridor without natural light leading to a set of currently empty bedrooms could give off such a hair-raising atmosphere, she thought.
"Let me guess: one of Aunt Daryl's snake familiars snuck into your luggage three years ago and it's hiding somewhere in your room," she deadpanned. Diana responded with an exasperated sigh, resting her forehead against her empty palm after giving it a small shake. "Is your silence an indication it is still at large—?"
Delila finally stopped the moment Diana's posture slouched and her eyes drooped, her subtle message to please quit messing around while she was trying to have a serious discussion with her becoming loud and clear. The teenage witch cleared her throat.
"Sorry," Delila apologised, which her sister acknowledged with a curt nod. "But seriously, why would I need to brace myself?"
Diana hesitated to answer at first, her sharp and grave gaze lighting up under the blue light trail above them, making it appear for a moment that they were glowing. When they got closer to the far end of the corridor, though, the older teenage witch broke away with a deflated sigh.
"Because I don't want you to get your hopes up," she mumbled upon halting in front of the door, with Delila frowning and leaning a little to the left to observe her sister reaching out for the stick-like door handle.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Diana gripped the handle loosely between her fingers, purposely delaying opening the door to answer her in a solemn tone. "You're about to see."
Without giving Delila the chance to press the matter further, Diana swiftly yanked the door to the room open in one go, startling her younger sister and forcing her backwards a couple of steps and averting her gaze away from the bright sunlight flooding into the corridor. Diana didn't spare Delila a single glance as she headed inside first, leaving Delila to slowly move after her sister once she'd adjusted her eyes to the lighting again with a couple of blinks. The moment the younger Cavendish crossed over the threshold into the room, however, she came to a gentle halt, her blue eyes instinctively wandering round while Diana went on ahead.
Diana's dormitory was a large and wide room dressed in red carpet and plain blue walls, containing two tall, wooden framed, square windows with arched tops across the back wall complimented on either side with large red curtains neatly tied back. A quick skim of the room's right side from her current vantage point revealed a closed door just beside the entrance, along with a tall, long and rectangular wooden dresser with a wide, oval shaped mirror framed in dark brown stretching across it on the door's opposite side, where two matching armless chairs were pushed in to the dresser's table.
Delila released a low and impressed-sounding whistle upon returning her attention to Diana, who'd approached a green armchair in the centre of the room opposite the dresser to remove her broom from her shoulder and rest it against its back.
"Wow," was all Delila could muster at first, oblivious to Diana closing her eyes and lowering her head to remove her hat while keeping her back to the younger Cavendish.
As Diana placed her hat upon the armchair's cushion, Delila shuffled her way in and headed to where a square wooden table with curved legs and a green sofa shaped like a 'r' to its left were placed with the armchair, continuing to scan the room as she made her way over. She noticed the two 'windows' each had two sets of door handles on them, and that looking beyond the glass, she could see a semi-circled balcony outside with two white chairs and a circular table.
"And here I thought our shared bedroom back at the manor was spacious," Delila mused aloud. "No wonder you didn't want to come back home during the holidays."
Diana gave no reaction to Delila's jesting, not sparing her a word or a look of acknowledgement, yet Delila paid it little heed for now; Diana was probably getting sick of her jokes, she assumed.
As the younger Cavendish slipped her rucksack off her back and placed it upon the first seat of the sofa for now, she resumed getting her bearings and switched her attention to the room's left side. A wooden wardrobe with four doors and two sets of drawers underneath them could be seen stood against the room's front wall, while two single beds with red quilting and pillows was situated along the left wall, each with a wooden bedside table on their outer sides. It was the two beds that caused a sudden thought to strike the younger Cavendish.
"Diana," Delila addressed her sister as she turned to face her once more. Diana never turned around, yet it didn't deter the younger Cavendish from voicing her question anyway. "You mentioned during our previous letter exchanges that students have to room in groups of three, correct?"
"Correct," Diana answered instantly, but she still didn't make eye contact.
"So, where's the third bed?"
"Behind the dresser."
"Behind the dresser?" Delila repeated slowly and narrowed her eyes, prompting the older Cavendish to stroll to the back of the room with her hands clasped behind her.
"Yes, behind here."
Diana approached a wide square-shaped gap between the dresser and the back wall on the room's right side, a sight that caused Delila's brows to raise with a surprised blink. How did she never notice that when she first walked in, she wondered. Delila strode briskly to join Diana in front of where a third window was past the gap between the dresser and the wall, leading her to behold a long, rectangular area partially cornered off from the rest of the room. It was situated between the actual left wall and the back of the dresser up to the wall connected to the room behind the door that Delila initially saw upon entry (she presumed it was the bathroom, seeing as it was the only thing she had yet to see in here). A wooden bookcase filled with books ran the length of the dresser up to where the gap was, with a small wooden desk stacked with books pressed against another similar length book and scroll filled bookcase lining the left wall close to where the two sisters were standing. A single bed was also placed vertically at the far end, fit snuggly between the far wall, the left wall and the bookcase, with the headboard before another window on the left wall.
"Oooooh," Delila said after getting her bearings, daring to take a step or two further in as her blue eyes glossed over the assortment of colourful book spines lining the bookcase shelves; she counted five shelves in total. "So, this is where your bed was hiding."
Diana's brows raised at the comment. "What makes you assume this is mine?"
Delila peeked back at her older sister with a creased brow and twisted lips. "A personal reading and studying area separated from the rest of the room? This has you written all of it."
Delila strolled to the bed and dragged a fingertip along the spines of the books close to her eye level, missing Diana's eyes drooping at her comments.
"We have a dresser in our bedroom back at home," she stated matter-of-factly.
"True, but it's tiny and was only used to prepare for formal events or brushing hair. So, who else was I going to assume occupied this bed knowing that?"
Diana didn't respond to Delila's rhetorical question, but it did prompt the older Cavendish to knit her brows together once Delila paused beside the bed and then fully turned to face the bookcase.
"Though while we are on the subject of our shared bedroom," Diana started, grabbing her sister's attention and pulling her away from her admiration of the book's spine her fingertip rested upon. "How are you feeling about moving into the school dormitories?"
Delila raised a brow at the question, her nose crinkling a bit. "It's a little late to be asking me that, isn't it?"
"What do you mean?"
"This feels like a question you should have asked when we were at the Leyline Terminal."
"I disagree." Diana lifted her head and rolled her shoulders to straighten her posture a bit. "You were already nervous about leaving our home as is. I didn't want to worsen your distress before we'd even arrived at our destination."
"Worsen my distress?" Delila scoffed, lazily waving Diana's comments off with a hand. "What did you think I was going to do if you breached the topic there and then? Run back down the hill?" Delila was joking, obviously, but the moment she saw Diana lift a sceptic brow and crossed her arms, the younger Cavendish's eyes widened out of disbelief. "I was joking."
"Were you?" Diana countered.
Delila instinctively opened her mouth to refute Diana with her index finger raised accusingly; however, when the reminder of how she'd reacted before they entered the leyline flooded back into her head, her shoulders and finger drooped like they were a pair of slowly deflating balloons.
"… Okay, that's fair," Delila relented through a small huff, running her fingers through her hair as she adjusted her posture. "But you need not worry, sister. My feelings on the situation have vastly improved since our last written correspondence on the matter."
Diana frowned out of suspicion and narrowed her eyes, closely scrutinising Delila's movements with a quick look from head to toe. "Have they now?"
"Indeed," Delila answered seriously, which she noticed momentarily broke her sister's stoic mask with a shocked blink. "As we originally discussed the room arrangements three years ago, I've had more than enough time to think it through thoroughly, and while I'm still uneasy, I know there are compromises for my situation." Delila's gaze wandered to Diana's bed at this, a hand subconsciously stroking at her chin. "For one, I now know where you sleep, so I am reassured you are not far away if I need you for anything. And for another, I'm not required to stick by my roommates all day outside of the dormitories. I have access to other areas of the school for quiet study and privacy should I require it."
"And you are content with those compromises despite not seeing the other rooms for yourself?"
Delila lifted her eyes to her sister's once more with a puzzled frown. "Why would I need to see the other bedrooms? Don't they all look the same?" Diana lowered her eyes to the floor and turned her head towards the wall with knitted brows, her troubled expression answering the younger Cavendish's query without need for a verbal one. "They don't all look the same, do they?"
"No, they don't," Diana answered through a soft sigh. She turned towards the centre of the room and began to walk around the bookcase to the seating area, expecting Delila to follow suit. "The rest of the dormitories in both the west and east wings of the school are much smaller and cramped, lacking a bit in privacy and personal space. Apart from this room, they are all identical in furniture layout and design."
"So, this room is the only exception in both dormitories in terms of space, privacy and design?" Delila pressed with a deepened frown and her head tilted to the side out of confusion, following her sister back into the main part of the room once she'd disappeared beyond the gap.
"It is."
"Why?"
Diana delayed saying anything at first, heading straight for the back of the armchair and placing her hands against it. It wasn't until Delila moved to stand behind the sofa that she attempted to explain, her tone solemn as she kept her gaze focused on the floor and not on her sister's face.
"I don't know. I was merely fortunate enough to have been offered this room when I first enrolled."
"Offered?" Delila repeated with a suspicious squint. "I thought the faculty were the ones in charge of choosing the rooms and teams of three."
"They are." Diana closed her eyes and hunched her shoulders a little at the next thing she prepared to say, the words spoken lowly and with a hint of shame. "But they considered me an exception regarding room choice."
Had Diana been discussing this matter with anyone else, her simple yet vague response probably wouldn't have been enough for them to instantly understand what she was getting at. The same, however, couldn't be said for Delila, even despite their three-year rift. Her older sister had barely uttered the words before the realisation smacked the teenage witch in the face like she'd been hit with a brick; Diana's earlier warning suddenly made sense.
"Because you're a Cavendish," Delila said calmly, though her lips curled with disgust at the bitter taste left on her tongue from vocalising those very words. And to no one's surprise, Diana gave a stiff nod without opening her eyes, prompting Delila to inhale and exhale a sharp breath through her nose and grumble under her breath. "You have got to be kidding me…"
Delila knew she should have seen this coming. She and Diana were descendants of one of the Nine Olde Witches, the group who founded the very school they were currently standing in! Their family name was already revered by many within the magical community, but for Luna Nova to have a descendant of one of their founders enrolled was a big deal in and of itself. The younger Cavendish didn't even want to try to imagine the reactions of the faculty and students upon Diana's initial enrolment at the school, especially in light of the reputation she'd garnered over the years as the rightful heir to the House of Cavendish. Just thinking about it was making her stomach churn.
"Have the teachers been giving you preferential treatment—?"
"Absolutely not," Diana interrupted Delila sternly, opening her eyes and lifting her gaze to her younger sister again with a frown and a palm held out. "The faculty have held me to the same standards and rules as everybody else. Any personal respect they have for myself was rightfully earnt through my good work ethic."
"So, they won't give me special treatment for being your sister?"
"I wouldn't have invited you to enrol here if I knew that was going to happen," Diana reassured, relaxing her expression when Delila allowed her body to slump with a heavy sigh of relief and placing both of her palms to her chest. "Our circumstances may have changed us, but if there is one thing I am certain has remained a commonality between us, it's our dislike for being hailed on pedestals without proper merit."
"Of which I can confirm that you are, indeed, correct about," Delila remarked in jest.
Although, deep down, Delila was glad that Diana had taken that into consideration when it came down to her, despite having naturally expected her to do so for herself.
"But returning to my original enquiry," Diana resumed talking upon standing up from the back of the armchair and folding her arms behind her back. "Have your feelings towards the dormitories changed with this new information?"
Delila didn't need to think about her answer. The young Cavendish immediately shook her head and folded her arms across her chest.
"I'll admit it is a shame that I cannot have a bedroom quite like this one, though I believe it is still too early to pass judgement." Delila lightly dragged her fingertips across her chest. "It's possible that my illness could, perhaps, force the faculty to be more accommodating to myself. Yet either way, I'll just have to wait until after the opening ceremony to see, won't I?"
Delila saw Diana's brows and lips form into a thin line, her sharp blue eyes looking her sister's appearance up and down a couple of times, as though she wasn't convinced that she was being completely honest with her answer. "And that is all you have to say on the matter?"
Delila nodded affirmatively and without hesitation. "Yes."
"There is nothing else you wish to question?"
"There is nothing else I wish to question."
"Not even why I accepted the offer to—?"
"Diana," Delila interrupted calmly and held up her palm to dissuade her from saying anything further, causing the older Cavendish to fall silent with a forced blink. Whether she was surprised by Delila interrupting her or the fact the younger Cavendish wasn't cracking jokes and being serious for once, Delila didn't know, but it didn't deter her from attempting to offer her reassurances. "It's honestly okay."
Yet Delila could see Diana wouldn't accept it. The older Cavendish's composure broke with the deepening of her frown, her hands loosely balling into fists and dropping to her sides as she took a step forward and prepared to protest. "But—"
"You and I haven't seen each other in three years," Delila silenced Diana again in an even tone, prompting the older Cavendish's eyes to widen slightly. "Aside from the promise we made as girls, the main reason we stayed in touch was so I could report anything Anna informed me about our aunt's activities. Any other communication outside of that was purely out of politeness." Folding her arms behind her back, Delila steadily approached from around the sofa and the armchair, resuming talking once she was standing in front of her shellshocked sister. "Right now, we are still getting to know each other again, so you have no obligation to explain yourself to me about anything pertaining to your decisions during our time apart. That's a topic for further into the school year, don't you think?"
Diana lowered her eyes to her shoes for a moment and relaxed her hands, her brows lifting a little in contemplation. A short round of silence passed between the two sisters then, with Delila granting Diana the time she needed to let what she'd said sink in. Eventually, the older Cavendish broke it with a defeated sigh and the closing of her eyes, her shoulders dropping.
"… You're right," Diana replied in a composed tone, her stoic demeanour returning when she raised her gaze to Delila's and held her chin high. "It would seem I got ahead of myself. I apologise."
Delila waved Diana's apology off with a hand. "Apologies aren't necessary. When it comes down to it, the choices we've made were done to cope with our circumstances. And while we may not understand each other's choices now, maybe we will come to later." She paused when a faint and cheeky smile slipped onto the younger Cavendish's lips. "Besides, what right have I to judge you for seeking comfort in a familiarly designed bedroom when I've been isolated in our old bedroom for five years?"
And, as Delila predicted would happen, Diana twisted her lips, crinkled her nose and released an exasperated huff at her attempted humour, not at all impressed by the reply. "You couldn't help yourself, could you?"
Delila shrugged nonchalantly, her momentary display of happiness quickly fading from her face. "Couldn't help myself with what?" she deadpanned, prompting Diana's eyes to droop as she shook her head.
"Never mind." Diana peeked behind Delila at the windows to the room, which she took as her cue to collect her hat from the armchair into one hand and her broom in her other one after several seconds of looking. "With our tour of Luna Nova concluded, we should get ready for the opening ceremony." The older Cavendish jerked her head in the direction of the door beside the dresser, the remaining area of the dormitory that Delila had yet to know the function of. "Your uniform is already waiting for you in the bathroom to change into."
"What about your roommates?" Delila asked as she gave the two single beds opposite them a brief glance, her mind flitting to her sister's unknown roommates. Diana hadn't mentioned anything about them in their letter correspondences leading up to Delila's enrolment, though Delila expected they'd stop by their dormitory to drop off their belongings before the opening ceremony. "I don't want to impose."
"It's not an imposition. By the time they arrive, we should be at the auditorium, so take as long as you need to."
Delila nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Delila expected Diana to end their conversation there, but instead, she spotted the older Cavendish once again taking a short glance at her chest for a couple of seconds, her brows knitting together upon lifting her sharp eyes to her younger sister's. "And you're sure you're fine?"
Delila placed a hand to her hip and raised a brow out of disbelief. "Diana, I assure you, I am."
And thankfully, the older Cavendish didn't question her sister's answer, giving her a satisfied nod a few seconds after. "I'm glad to hear it." Delila caught Diana raising her hand holding her hat to her closest shoulder, as if she was about to pat it. However, the older witch quickly caught herself and retracted it to her side with twitching fingers, moving around Delila and heading behind the dresser. "I'll be changing back here if you need me for anything."
"Understood."
As she watched Diana leave, Delila felt the invisible wall between them flicker out of existence for the briefest of seconds, her eyes glued to her sister's retreating back. But the moment the older Cavendish rounded the corner of the wall and disappeared from her sight, Delila's chest tightened, acting as a reminder that her escape from her loneliness was constantly fleeting, and was likely going to remain that way for a while.
The bathroom of her sister's dormitory had a plainer interior design than Delila initially expected. Having anticipated vibrant and tiled flooring and walls upon entry to the small, rectangular space like she was used to seeing back home, the second oldest Cavendish sister instead beheld bricked walls and flooring, giving off a primeval and simplistic aura that completely contrasted the grand and elegant one given off from the bedroom. And it didn't just extend to the walls and floor either. While the small white sink to Delila's left and the white and oval shaped bath placed along the back wall matched the mental image Delila had in mind, the bath's drawn-back and plain green shower curtain did not, and neither did the two metal taps protruding from a wooden box from the middle of the wall, alongside the round stand in the room's top left corner with its accumulation of soap and other plain coloured bottles for shampoo and conditioner. Being frank, Delila found the contradicting design choices just as ludicrous as the layout for the dormitory stairs. Sure, it was just a bathroom, and as long as everything was hygienic and functional when it came to serving its purpose, the youngest Cavendish had no complaints. But she still couldn't help curling her lip in disgust at how tacky it looked. Delila blamed her family pride for that, as the descendants of the Cavendish line had always let their actions, words, behaviour and even household décor reflect how proud they were of their magical heritage and the good their ancestor had done for the magical world. Perhaps her expectations for Luna Nova had been too high and unrealistic in comparison, Delila mused. Either way, it acted as a nice little distraction from the tightness in her chest, which had yet to ease or disappear since entering the bathroom.
Upon properly getting her bearings, it didn't take long for Delila to spy her school uniform neatly folded atop the toilet situated in the middle of the right wall of the bathroom, which consisted of a buttoned dark blue vest, a long white-sleeved shirt, cross-over tie, a blue knee-length skirt and a pair of blue socks on top of the toilet's closed wooden seat and then a pair of brown shoes next to the toilet on the floor. There was nothing amongst the garments that resembled a cape coat or the tunic, boots and witch's hat Delila had seen Diana wearing; although Delila presumed Diana was still in possession of those and would hand them to her soon. After changing out of her old clothes and carefully folding them up on top of the toilet's tank, Delila stood before the silver-framed and oval shaped mirror hanging above the bath's top end, staring intently at her reflection. Admittedly, she almost didn't recognise herself at first, causing the blue eyes of her reflection to widen with a slight gape at the possibility that she was definitely dreaming. That thought soon dispersed once she started to check her uniform over, her expression falling stoic while fiddling with the cuffs of her shirt, adjusting her tie back and forth and smoothening out any creases against the front of her vest and skirt with her palms. Being Diana's twin, the two shared the same body types and sizes, so the uniform she'd been given was naturally a snug fit. That didn't stop her from giving her wrist a gentle pinch and wincing at the slight pain that came with it, providing the proof that she was, indeed, awake.
Back at the Cavendish Manor, Delila had lost count of how many times she'd stood in front of the dresser mirror in her bedroom and tried to imagine herself bearing the uniform of the magical academy she and Diana once desired to attend together. Back then, it had seemed such an impossible feat, not helped by the countless taunts and teasing she'd endured at the hands of her aunt and cousins. But now, the weight of what she'd done was properly dawning upon her—she'd left the Cavendish Manor, she'd journeyed down to Glastonbury by train, she'd flown with Diana on a broom through a leyline terminal, and now she was standing in a dormitory of Luna Nova Academy, wearing their uniform and preparing to attend the opening ceremony that would cement her as an official student. Three years ago, such a feat would have been unthinkable! Yet here she was, one step closer to upholding her childhood promise to Diana and proving her hateful relatives wrong! She should be proud!
... So, why wasn't she?
Delila immediately blamed her aunt the moment she heard her grating laugh inside of her head, the same one she'd given in response to Delila's announcement of her enrolment at Luna Nova.
"You enrolled at Luna Nova Academy?" the recollected British-accented voice of Daryl mocked in a honeyed tone, making Delila clutch at her chest with a hand as the lingering tightness increased. "Are you sure that's wise, Delila? After all, a witch who cannot use her powers, regardless of the reason, is still but a child. Diana has already embarrassed the Cavendish name with that in the past. The last thing this family needs is her sickly spare doing the same."
Three muffled raps on the bathroom door suddenly roused Delila from her nightmarish recollection with a startled flinch, the concerned voice of Diana swiftly following from the other side.
"Delila?" The addressed witch sucked in a shaky breath through her nose and quickly exhaled after several seconds, finally ridding her chest of her discomfort. "Is everything all right? You've been in there a while."
"Just a moment, Diana!" Delila called back in an even tone, purposely pretending everything was fine while giving herself the necessary time to pull herself together again. Delila knew if she risked prolonging the silence any further, Diana would not hesitate to come inside; she was a health and safety risk, after all.
Upon glancing over her uniform to ensure nothing was out of place and quickly stroking her fingers through her hair and fringe to tidy it up, Delila collected her casual clothes and leather shoes from the toilet tank and approached the bathroom door with hurried strides, placing her folded clothes over her left arm while opening the door with her right hand. Before Delila could even begin to utter her apologies, her eyes crossed with the matching ones of her older sister standing directly in front of the doorway, making the younger Cavendish freeze in her tracks and the twins' eyes widen simultaneously, both for differing reasons.
For Delila, it was the sight of her sister in her changed clothes. Diana was, of course, wearing the same uniform as Delila currently was, coupled with the same witch's hat she'd worn at their first meeting. But instead of the tunic and boots formerly covering the uniform from view, Diana had swapped them out for the same brown shoes Delila now wore, along with a dark blue, sleeveless, six-buttoned and hooded cape coat outlined in red around the bottom, the hood and the right side of the buttons, with two short and vertical red lines on the bottom left and right of the coat's front. Delila also spotted a blue sash tied around her sister's waist peeking out from under the coat, replacing the blue belt on the tunic. On the other hand, however, Diana was speechlessly looking her younger sister up and down multiple times and forcing blinks, suggesting to Delila that the older Cavendish hadn't been prepared to see her bearing the same uniform she was. Not that Delila could blame her; she hadn't believed it, either. Although just like her, Delila would not have been surprised if it was only just dawning on Diana that her younger sister was finally enrolling at the same school she was, based on the awed and watery glisten Delila swore she could see in her sister's eyes.
For a solid minute, the Cavendish sisters stood in stunned silence, as though they'd both accidentally encountered one of their aunt's snake familiars lurking where they weren't supposed to be. But as expected of her older sister, Diana was the first to regain her composure with the subtle clearing of her throat and brief closing of her eyes, the sight of the older Cavendish's eyes returning to their normal and sharp outlook in turn prompting Delila to straighten up like nothing had happened.
"What took you so long?"
"My reflection started talking to me," Delila immediately answered with a straight face. "I think someone's jinxed your bathroom mirror."
But of course, Delila could see Diana wasn't buying her excuse for one second, proven by the brow she sceptically raised in reply. "Is that your roundabout way of admitting you're nervous?" Delila casually shrugged her shoulders, prompting Diana to sigh heavily and drop her shoulders in an almost weary manner. "I shall take that as a 'yes'." Delila suppressed the urge to roll her eyes as Diana stepped closer to her and extended both of her arms, revealing the folded cape coat over her right arm and the plain witch's hat clutched in her left hand. "Here is your cape coat and hat."
"Thank you." Delila collected the coat and hat from Diana's hands using her right one, only to pause at spotting her older sister remove her casual clothes and leather shoes from her possession. "Oh, I was just about to put those in my rucksack—"
"Then allow me," Diana interjected, leaving Delila blinking a couple of times with a slight gape.
"No, it's okay. It'll only take me a second—"
"It's honestly no trouble." Delila's body visibly deflated as she watched Diana turn around and carry her clothes off in the direction of her bed. "I've moved your rucksack to my side of the room for safekeeping, so it'll be quicker if I do it."
"Diana, I appreciate the gesture, but it's really not necessary," Delila protested while moving after her sister with long strides, proceeding to plop the witch's hat on top of her head, open out the cape coat and slip it on and button it up as she did so. "Besides, I still have to retrieve my—"
Slight movement from the left side of her coat brought Delila to a halt just as she'd closed the last button up, with Diana disappearing behind the dresser without so much as a glance of acknowledgement. The younger Cavendish looked down and pulled her coat over to the right to examine the bottom left of the garment, soon spying a small, thin and long lump bulging from underneath a short and vertical red line decorated on the clothes; didn't that shape look familiar? Frowning out of suspicion, Delila slipped her left fingers behind the red line, exposing a tiny opening of a pocket; how convenient, she thought, and here she'd assumed she was going to have to slip her elixir vials into her socks to take them into the auditorium. Yet it wasn't until her fingertips touched ice cold glass that Delila's suspicions were confirmed without the need to look.
It was one of her elixir vials, she realised. But how did it get in there? It was in her rucksack until a short time ago and she wasn't even in possession of her cape coat until now. In fact, the only person who had touched her rucksack since she'd gone into the bathroom and had kept hold of her cape coat until she'd emerged was—
"Are you ready to go, Delila?"
Diana's enquiry sliced through Delila's train of thought with an involuntary flinch, the younger Cavendish's head snapping up to see her sister standing beside the dresser with her arms crossed, her clothes no longer in her hands and looking as poised as ever.
At first, Delila didn't answer, staring at the older Cavendish in a daze while attempting to process the déjà vu that washed over her like a violent wave crashing into a group of rocks. But once she saw Diana tilt her head at her and furrow her brows at her silence, Delila swallowed thickly to regain her composure and let her pocket go, pointing a finger at it.
"Did you take one of my elixirs from my rucksack and put it into my cape coat pocket?"
And much to Delila's surprise, Diana answered with a single and stiff nod, no ounce of hesitation present even when she gave a verbal response. "You are required to carry your medication on you in case of an emergency. I simply thought ahead to alleviate you of any unnecessary worries."
So, why didn't you say anything until I brought it up, Delila wanted to ask, yet she did the wise thing in pressing her lips together to stop that question from being vocalised. Because in truth, Delila knew the answer. After all, it wasn't the first time Diana had snuck her medication into her clothes without her knowing. This was why she did and said nothing as Diana unfolded her arms and strolled straight past her, her older sister's composed gaze focused solely on where she was going.
"Come along then. The opening ceremony will be starting soon."
And Delila followed Diana without a word, sticking closely behind her sister as the pair exited the dorm room. Though while keeping her eyes locked on the back of Diana's head, the younger Cavendish allowed a quivering smile to appear for a few seconds, with one palm briefly covering the pocket her elixir vial was in and the other placed against the comforting warmth swelling in her chest.
A/N:
Diana's dorm room: So, according to a reddit thread I found, Diana was offered the dorm room by the faculty because she was a Cavendish. Why she accepted this bedroom, however? It's not confirmed, though I have two suspicions: one being the privacy it gives her, as Diana doesn't seem like a 'people person' and tends to keep to herself, even with her teammates. But the other one was likely because it probably reminded her of Cavendish Manor and she got some comfort out of it. These two reasons I tried to play with here during Diana's and Delila's conversation, because in a way, they can be linked to grief. Diana is shown throughout the anime as someone who doesn't rub her heritage in people's faces. Yes, she's proud of her lineage, but for the right reasons. And while she does come across as a bit of a show-off and condescending sometimes, it's not necessarily out of ill-intent. It has been shown time and again in the anime that Diana keeps up a public façade, and that in the brief moments we've gotten a glimpse of her real self, she does not like being put on a pedestal unless she feels she's earnt it, which is where she and Delila once again are similar. Diana being troubled by how Delila would react to finding out why she had this dorm room and why she chose to accept it was not only my way of showcasing Diana's own nerves surrounding having Delila back in her life, but also her worry over her own sister judging her because of how she's chosen to cope with her grief. The twins have coped with their grief differently, and as stated by Delila, this is what has partly contributed to their rift. Delila has similar anxieties which have already been revealed across the last two chapters, but I thought it made sense for them to have this conversation because of the dorm room, not only because it seemed in character for Diana to make sure Delila was aware of the truth to avoid misunderstandings and further complications in their relationship, but also to show Diana's struggles with having Delila back in her life and how it is affecting her, along with once again giving you a glimpse into hers and Delila's characters.
I also saw it as an opportunity to clarify some confusion from a commenter on AO3, who pointed out that it seemed weird that Diana solely trusted Delila with keeping an eye on Daryl (as stated in the letter from Chapter 1) when there were servants whom she could have used instead. While the actual circumstances surrounding what Delila was doing during the three-year rift won't be revealed for a while yet, I at least decided that I could hint at how Delila actually handled what was going on and emphasise that while Delila was given the responsibility by Diana, she was merely 'taking charge' while Anna acted as the actual snooper on her behalf. But for those wondering why Diana trusted Delila and Anna and no one else, it's because 1) Delila and Diana, despite their differences, want what's best for the household and 2) Daryl has her snakes everywhere, so the less people involved, the better. XD
Not sure if that covers anything, but if there are any further questions, feel free to leave them in the reviews.