Delirium

Chapter 22 - The Attic

~*~

Hestia and Flora were here. At Hogwarts.

"What are you..." Jolie breathed, eyes wide on her two younger sisters. "Salazar, what are you two doing here—?"

Hestia threw her head back and let out a peal of laughter. Flora clapped her hands together, making Tea Kettle, who had been laying on her chest, skitter beneath Jolie's bed.

Her own sisters were here. And Jolie hadn't even noticed their arrival.

To be fair, they had grown considerably in the last few months.

As if right on cue, promptly after their thirteenth birthday in August, the girls had both had their first period, just one day apart.

To their grandparents' dismay, the twins had celebrated their newfound 'womanhood' by dispensing several drops of dark red dye into every liquid in the manor—juice, milk, white wine. They had even filled all of the bathtubs and dyed the water too. It had stained most of the porcelain.

Now, months later, Jolie realised that they looked older; their features sharpening and limbs lengthening. She was honestly a bit taken aback by their beauty. At only thirteen, they deserved at least a few blemishes to suppress their already massive egos, Jolie thought.

"Hold on, you know them—?" Madeline began to ask, looking over at her with wide eyes.

Hestia sucked in a deep, faux offended gasp. "Jolie! You didn't tell your own roommate about us?"

Flora raised her chin at Madeline. "We're her sisters. She probably kept us a secret because she doesn't like when someone is prettier than her—"

That snapped Jolie out of it.

"Alright, that is absolutely not—"

Hestia held up a creased sheet of parchment, hiding her face from Jolie as she whispered loudly to Madeline, "She's still in denial, you see. Sisterly envy can be such a tedious thing—"

Jolie scoffed. "If you want someone to envy you so badly, you can go try to find Charlotte—"

"I'd like to hear you say that in front of Dad," Flora muttered.

"He'd have her head," Hestia laughed.

"I don't give a shit what Dad thinks," Jolie hissed. "Now tell me what the hell you two are doing here."

Flora shrugged. "Your dorm might be protected by a password, but the wards are ridiculously weak."

"Yeah, we barely had to do anything. Got in with only a few charms—"

"No, no, not here," Jolie cut them off. "What are you doing here at Hogwarts? You two aren't old enough to enter the tournament."

The twins both stared at her, their icy blue eyes blinking slowly. Then, those eyes filled with glee as they both began howling with laughter.

Jolie glanced back at her roommate and winced. Madeline still stood by the door, staring at them with wide eyes.

"Oh my gods, she didn't know!" Flora finally managed to squeal at her twin. "Oh, this is brilliant—"

"Look at her face!" Hestia cackled, then turned to look at Jolie again and began laughing even harder. "Can't believe Dad didn't tell you—"

Flora wheezed another laugh.

Jolie stared at them, her sisters absolutely giddy with delight at her reaction.