Open Long Way to Happy

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah had never really considered joining the arts club. When she was younger she would have considered it a waste of time and she knew that her parent's would have had something to say about it. Instead she had focused or clubs that were supposed to make her a well rounded adult or give her connections she could use when she was finally done with this place. It all seemed so silly now. What was the point of putting that kind of pressure on a child? But she had taken all of it on without a second thought, not that it did much good for her.

Things were different for her now and Delilah wanted to play the piano and there was only one place she knew where to find one. Thankfully the room was open to all students but she had tried to come at an hour she hoped it would be fairly empty. It had been longer than she'd like to admit since she had played and she knew she was a little rusty. She took a deep breath and played a tentative chord to get a sense of the keys.

 

[Ana Sofia Burleigh]

Being in her seventh year meant Ana Sofia wanted to make the absolute most of the limited time she had left at Hogwarts. Which meant using the art room even more times than she could ever imagine. She had spend a big part of her time at the school in the room and felt like it would be a shame not to make use of the limitless supply of art products just for a little longer. Especially since in a few months she wouldn't ever be able to use the room's facilities again. She'd then have to get everything on her own, start building her own collection of supplies. Which was something that excited her, yet disappointed her as well. Specifically because she knew it would take a long time and plenty of money. And then she wouldn't even know if she'd have the time, because there would also be the point of having to earn money in one way or another.

Either way, Ana had shaken off those thoughts and decided to live in the moment for the day as she made her way over to the arts room. After having startled someone by happily barging in to the room on multiple occassions she made sure to carefully open the door before stepping in. At least this way she hoped she wouldn't disrupt anyone's creative progress. Ana stopped in her tracks when she noticed Delilah in the room and it took her a moment to adjust to the sight. She didn't think she had ever seen her classmate in here but the thought of her being sat by the piano intrigued her. "Hi.." Ana smiled softly, still halfway stood in the door opening. "Do you mind if I sit?" She asked, nodding towards one of the tables. "I just came to do some painting so I promise I won't make a sound. But I can also leave, if you want to practice in peace. Were you? Practicing?"

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah sucked in a surprised breath when she heard someone greet her. Half in surprise and half because she knew the voice. She could feel her cheeks warm when she turned and confirmed that it was Ana Sophia who had joined her. For a moment she was stunned and felt like she had been caught doing something she shouldn't have even though she knew she wasn't breaking any rules. "No I don't mind." she said quickly. It was a knee jerk response. The last thing she would ever want to be was 'in the way'. But if she was being honest, she did mind. At least a little bit. The whole point had been to practice without an audience but if she had to have one Ana wasn't the worst option. She just hoped she wasn't as rusty as she feared. "Yes, I was practicing. Or was just about to." she explained. "It's been a while since I've played." The words felt loaded even though they sounded normal enough. "So you can't laugh, alright?" Delilah said before laughing herself. But she set her hands on the keys again and glanced at the beginner book of songs she found under a pile of paper in a closet. The room really did have everything and she was grateful for that as she started to play one of the shorter songs.

 

[Ana Sofia Burleigh]

Ana Sofia leaned against the doorframe as she waited for Delilah to respond, not wanting to intrude on the girl if she was indeed practicing. Even if there was no way to have a private claim on the room she felt like it was a decent thing to do. "Cool, thanks." She responded with a small smile as she walked further into the room, making her way to one of the supply closets to grab some art supplies. She turned back to face Delilah when the other girl explained what she had been doing though, not wanting to seem rude by continuing to grab her things. "I would never." Ana replied honestly with a small shake of her head before bringing the paint and canvas she had grabbed to one of the tables and gently putting it all down. "I think it's nice that you're trying again though." She added with a small smile. She wondered why Delilah hadn't played in a while but at the same time it felt pushy to ask. Perhaps she could do so later.

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah smiled sheepishly as Ana Sophia said she would never laugh and she believed her. But the confirmation helped and she was glad to have an excuse to look away. It took her a moment to get used to the filling of this piano and the right amount of pressure needed for the keys to move. It all came back rather quickly and she was pleased she didn't sound horrible. On the inside it felt less controlled and her heart did a little flip every time her finger slipped. But in the end she sighed contently and let the last note ring pleasantly before she let herself relax again. She flipped idly through the pages of the book looking for something else to try when she glanced over to Ana. "So what are you painting?" Delilah asked when she noticed Ana working on a canvas. She tried to keep her tone light and conversational. She thought about their conversation on their way to school in the beginning of the year and how Ivy's intrusion had thrown her off. Not that she really knew what she was doing but she just hoped it could stay just them for a little longer this time.

 

[Ana Sofia Burleigh]

Ana Sofia glanced at the blank canvas in front of her while Delilah started playing, not wanting to make her feel pressured by having someone watch her practice. She wasn't entirely sure what she had planned on painting and admittedly it was difficult for her to think with the piano sounding in the background. Instead, she just kept focussing on her own things while making sure to listen to the music. When Delilah was finished she couldn't help a soft little applause. For someone who hadn't played in a while it had certainly sounded good. "Oh, I'm not sure yet." She replied with a small shrug when Delilah asked her about her painting. "I love doing flowers or sunsets so I might just go with that. I know it doesn't sound too exciting but painting those has almost become like a second nature so at least I can just relax and won't have to think about what I'm doing so much."

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah felt her face flush a little when Ana Sophia applauded her rusty performance. She knew it was probably just to be polite but she wiped her hands on her skirt before she placed her hands on the keys again. She didn't play right away and instead listened as the Hufflepuff talked about her painting. "I don't think there's anything wrong painting things you feel comfortable with." she said genuinely. "That's how you get good at things. Doing them over and over." She felt like she was close to making stuff up and she didn't know much about art if she was being honest. But she was fairly certain there were famous artists with hundreds of paintings of the same flowers. "Do you have a favorite flower?" Delilah asked, in part to make conversation and partly to tuck the information away for future reference.