InsaneJournal

Who: Marcelia & Delilah Selwyn
What: An unexpected visit
Where: Delilah’s new flat in New Diagon Alley
When: July 4th
Rating: Mild
Status: Log. Complete.



Delilah was loving having her own flat. It had barely been a few days since she’d been all moved in, but it was the most freeing and gratifying feeling she’d ever had. There were no housemates to bother you - ickle first years to be noisy or cry a lot. No seventh years having freak outs, not that many did in Slytherin, no one snoring. Nothing. It was quiet, all quiet. And best of all - there were no parents. There was no crushing and absolute neglect coming from her mother, who pretended so hard that Delilah simply did not exist when she was at home. There was nothing from her father, who went from being almost still loving to physically abusive in a blink of an eye.

There was just, nothing.

Just Delilah. Just her things, a few books, a few pictures, and absolute silence. She enjoyed it far more than she thought she could enjoy life and it felt almost like she would really make it into adulthood without having to run away. It was great, it was fantastic. It was beyond belief. And even better, Kevin had moved in just a flat over. Just next door, and she could pop over and visit him any time she wanted and he could do the same. No one would even see, because no one aside from her parents knew the address just yet and they weren’t likely to visit ever, if at all. And that’s what was extra nice about today - Kevin had been over, and the two of them had been able to sit on a couch that wasn’t broken (cuddling, just a little) and talk. And read. And eat a meal together. It had been a blissfully perfect day, and even though he was just leaving to do a few things, she was still sad to see him leave.

He’d just barely left the flat when there appeared to be another knock on the door, and Delilah walked up and opened it, half starting to say Did you forget something? when she saw her mother standing there. She sort of went silent for a moment before forcing out a spectacular sort of grin. “Hello, mother. I didn’t expect you. Come in, come in.” She opened the door wide for her mom, hoping she couldn’t hear the sound of Delilah’s heart beating so rapidly. “What brings you over?”

For a brief moment as the door was open, Delilah would've seen Marcelia looking away, over to the door across the hall. Kevin's door.

Then as if she'd seen nothing, Marcelia turned back towards her daughter with a smile, kind and motherly like it always was at events or public moments, and kissed Delilah's cheeks in greeting. "I thought I'd surprise you and see the new place, darling," she said as she stepped inside and glanced around, waiting for the door to close behind them for more privacy.

What she said was true in this case, she had come to see what Delilah's flat looked like. Delilah not living in the Manor was preferable for her, having the girl there every day was always a trial and there was young Hal to think about. She certainly didn't plan on visiting often, in fact this may be the only time she would, but it just wouldn't do not to have seen the flat her daughter was living in (what if someone asked?) and they'd helped pay for it anyway.

“That’s very sweet of you.” She replied, pretending like the little kiss to her cheek and her mother’s warm greeting actually meant something. It was easier to fool herself lately, it was easier to pretend like she was normal with a normal mother who didn’t hate her, a normal father who didn’t abuse her. Not living under their roof, or with the constant worry of her secret coming out at Hogwarts, made everything just a little bit easier. And then of course, Kevin was her rock. He made everything easier for her.

“Well, this is it. Quite lovely, I think. Thank you so much for helping me get it while I start working.” She said, sort of waving a hand at the flat. It was actually nice - her parents didn’t let her live in squalor, even if they didn’t particularly like her. She had appearances and everything to keep up even in her own room - with her cousins or friends she invited over during holidays. So most of what she owned was nice, and the flat was no different. Well organized, clean, and rather delicate in a lot of ways.

“Sit down, sit down.” She ushered her mother to the couch, trying to play hostess. It was weird, but she sort of liked it. “Can I make you some tea or something?”


"Of course, darling," Marcelia responded as she looked around while going deeper into the flat. They'd certainly made sure that the flat and budget for furniture had been enough to befit something a pureblooded girl of a well off family should have, and it was good to see where exactly their money had gone to. The right place clearly.

Despite the niceness of the flat, a woman like Marcelia Selwyn still looked out of place in it. But she took a seat anyway, though in her own time and not to be rushed or ushered. "A pot of tea for us both will do, thank you." While Delilah went off to do that and play hostess, at least the girl seemed to be able to do that, Marcelia spoke up just slightly so she could still be heard. "And how is the new flat for you? Suitable I hope?"


“It’s brilliant.” She called from the kitchen, though not too loudy. They weren’t in a shouting match and her behavior was always the most proper when she was around her mother. She knew well enough the sort of household spells one needed to make living on your own easier, and she lifted her wand and said the incantations for a few to make the tea, get the cups and everything without causing a lot of noise or commotion. Tea was one of those things that was capable of being made quickly, and as it brewed she got the sugar and cream on a tray to bring out.

“I love it, it’s a beautiful flat. Quiet, too, which is nice after seven years of sharing a room with other girls. Not that they were a loud or rowdy bunch as you can imagine, but the privacy is quite nice.” The last bit was said even quieter as she entered the room, the tray of tea and a few biscuits floating effortlessly beside her. It set on the table quietly, and she sat down on the chair across from her mother, readying the tea the way she knew Marcelia liked it before handing the cup over.

“The last two weeks have been truly surreal, but absolutely incredible as well.”

Marcelia thanked her daughter, manners after all, as she accepted the tea cup. "Yes, privacy is quite nice, we all like to have our secrets." She sipped the tea and opted to let the small talk continue for a bit, which was unusual for her, but given that Delilah was no longer in Hogwarts they needed to get used to talking slightly more regularly. As difficult as that was for Marcelia. "Ah yes, your travels. I've heard little of them, how were they?" She said it as if it had been Delilah who hadn't shared rather than Marcelia who hadn't asked or inquired before just now.


She wanted to rebuttal that it wasn’t about secrets, the need for privacy. Delilah just liked changing without someone watching, she liked the quiet of sleeping and not hearing anyone snore. She liked that she could be emotional or excited without people looking at her. But she didn’t explain any of this to her mother, she just kept her lips pursed and fixed her own tea, sipping it slightly after a moment. She smiled again after that, calming herself. “They were quite nice of course. I went to Italy and France, which were absolutely beautiful. It was nice to spend time taking in all that beauty.” Of course, most of her trip had been spent with Kevin in London, at his parent’s home, learning about muggle things. But she wasn’t lying at all when she said it was nice to take in the beauty of France and Italy, as it had certainly been the (second) highlight of her whole holiday.

"It is quite different, travelling on your own, rather than with others," Marcelia offered with a small smile, she was rusty with talking to her daughter in private like this but to her credit never let the uncertainty show on her usually unflappable exterior. "Some time away is often good for a bit of perspective." She herself had spent her first few years out of Hogwarts working abroad, which had been convenient later on when it came to making up the tale about how Delilah was the biological daughter of the Selwyns.

"And now that you're back dear, are your commitments and plans still the same?"

Delilah nodded her head in agreement with her mother. She hadn’t been alone, but she would have to agree anyway because that was the story. And it was best, regardless, to not disagree with either of her parents. Even if her own thoughts and feelings coincide with theirs, she wouldn’t be one to disagree with either of them out loud. At least, not more than once.

“Yes of course. With my NEWTS in order and everything all sent off to Gringotts, I’m quite ready to start working in Asset Protection.” She also wanted to show her worth as a Witch and a hard worker, to prove that it wasn’t only because of her mother that she got the job.

After a sip of tea, Delilah eyed her mother warily. “Is that all still fine, then? I mean, do I need to be considering other options or is the plan we discussed still alright?”

Good, that was the attitude she'd been hoping for. Dedication to the job and something to prove rather than sitting back and not taking things seriously. It wouldn't look good on Marcelia if her own daughter didn't show the work ethic and skill expected and required of her. At Delilah's question though, she raised an eyebrow slightly. "I've heard of no reason that would have the plan changed. Have you?"

“No, I haven’t either.” Not while she was on holiday, anyway, and she was hoping she wouldn’t hear anything negative in the future either. Delilah had fully planned to make this whole endeavor perfect and pain free. She wanted everything to go as smoothly as possible, without any sort of hiccup. She didn’t need there to be any other issues, particularly now that she was no longer in school and could ‘disappear’ a bit more easily than when she had been a student. “I’m quite excited for the whole thing to start.”

"Good. I'm glad to hear it, you didn't seem to have any...concrete plans for the future." There was a measured analytically look levelled at her daughter now, the unsaid question being 'what were you planning before?'. She had of course thought that when the girl admitted to Hallam that she'd thought to work at Twilfitts, that Delilah would actually take up the offer to do an internship alongside the Montgomery girl. She hadn't, odd in Marcelia's view since Hallam had always been the one to deal with Delilah and lately he'd been softer with her. That unfortunately left Gringotts as the best second option.

Delilah very well would have taken the internship if she could have done it with Gwen, but her father had said there was only one spot. It meant far more to Gwendolyn than it did to her, and she didn’t want to rob her cousin of an internship just because Delilah knew the ins and outs of Twilfitt and Tattings better than she knew near anything else. Besides, Delilah’s heart wasn’t in fashion. It was in magic, and anything that she could channel her magic into she was happy with. Even Asset Protection. “I didn’t originally, no. I honestly didn’t know if… there would be a place for me, here.”

A slight nod, one, in response was all she got for that before Marcelia seemed to be examining the room thoughftully as she sipped her tea again. No she wasn't going to say whether there would have been a place for Delilah because...she hadn't been sure herself. When it came to Delilah it was hard to make practical emotionless decisions just because there were too many feelings of hurt, betrayal and regret when it came to her. Yes there were things that would've been more practical, like straight up telling her daughter to go to the WICCA cocktail party, but it was hard for Marcelia to do those things still simply because it meant seeing the girl and being reminded of her failings and the feeling of betrayal when she realized all her love once had been towards a mudblood. Too many 'if only's.

After a short, though vaguely awkward, silence, Marcelia put down her tea cup and looked back at Delilah. "We'll work at making you a place in the bank, a beneficial one, and see how it goes. As I mentioned before, there will of course need to be some preparation for the interview, though it's a formality and they wouldn't turn you away. Still, it's their first impression of you and we need it on point." A pause now, because Marcelia always found it awkward to say this since Hallam was the one she let owl the girl usually, "I will owl you for when I have an evening free for you to come by the Manor so we can go over these things."

The silence, though actually quite brief, seemed agonizingly long. Like it would never end. Marcelia didn't really need to speak for Delilah to understand. The love that she had had for her daughter was gone, Delilah knew that. In its place was a lot of things, but what she always felt the most was regret. Delilah was positive that her parents, her mother most, regretted adopting her. She was also quite sure there was a lot of disgust in there, too.

So she wasn't surprised at all that Marcelia really hadn't thought Delilah would have a place either. If still surprised her, but she was staying for Kevin. It was the only reason she hadn't run off and disappeared from London forever, from everyone and everything she had ever known. Sitting here like this, though, made her question her decision to stay.

"Of course." Finally, with the awkward silence over, the nearly equally as awkward conversation continued. Delilah wasn't worried at all about failing even an interview that didn't matter - she was extremely good with adults. She had been groomed very well for this sort of thing. "I hope to start straight away, and of course I'll be free all week as well, so just let me know."

It was hard to say how she felt about Delilah. The truth was that even if she tried, Marcelia wouldn't have been honest with herself. The girl was living proof of something she would forever regret, and she couldn't love a mudblood, at least not like she loved her son. Yet she'd prevented Hallam from doing the practical thing years ago, of dealing with this problem. And she'd prevented it for the years after, all these opportunities to be done with the girl and have that regret gone. Play the part of the mourning mother for a time and act pained whenever the topic came up, but it'd be a short term thing and not something over her head every day. Deep down she knew that was she really as emotionless as the image she tried to give to Delilah, she'd have allowed Hallam to do the most practical thing. She was usually such a practical woman after all.

Marcelia nodded at Delilah's reponse, knowing it was a well-groomed one rather than a necessarily genuine one. But she didn't expect genuine out of her daughter, she expected the proper practiced responses they constantly silently demanded of her. "Good, I will see you later in the week. Thank you for the tea, dear." Marcelia put her cup down and got to her feet, neither of them wanted this to last longer than it needed to.

Though at the door she paused, looking over to the door across the hall that was Kevin's door. "And darling," they were in public technically since the door was open, "do say if the neighbours are bothering you. We wouldn't want to subject you to a nuisance or to have it distract you."