Chapter Text
It was the end of their third year, right after 'Dean' Sophie had taken over, when Dot had noticed the looks Anadil had kept shooting Hester when the tattooed witch wasn't looking.
The looks were awkward and confused, almost as if Anadil was trying to figure out something.
But that didn't really make sense.
Anadil and Hester were close, closer than they were to Dot, and the two knew practically everything about each other.
So why would Anadil look at Hester like she was a puzzle that needed to be solved?
~
It was late one night when Dot finally started to understand what was happening.
Dot was reading a book (a book that was definitely not a sappy romance novel hidden inside her textbook) when she heard a quiet snore.
Her eyes shot up and she saw Hester slumped over on her bed, her Advanced Henchman Training textbook tumbling from her hands.
Hester looked oddly at peace, as if she had actually stopped stressing for the first time in her life.
There was silence in the room, apart from Hester's surprisingly gentle snores, as both Dot and Anadil looked at the slumbering witch.
Dot looked over at Anadil and saw that the albino was...
Well she was just staring at Hester.
Anadil was, in fact, transfixed by Hester.
She looked so gentle, so calm as she laid there.
Anadil couldn't take her eyes from the tattooed witch.
After about a minute, Anadil shook her head.
Dot felt the need to ask Anadil if she was feeling alright, but she cut herself off as she saw the albino's cheeks fill with a bright pink color. Dot hadn't thought it possible for Anadil's pale cheeks to turn such a dark color.
Anadil looked at her and Dot hurriedly pretended to go back to reading.
Anadil watched her with her beady little red eyes for a long moment before she stood and quietly made her way over to Hester's bed.
Anadil took the textbook out of her lap, which caused Hester to let out a little groan that made Anadil's cheeks color even more, and set it in her friend's bag.
Hester made an unintelligible sound as Anadil gently moved her to the side, pulling up her covers.
It took more than a minute of coaxing, but Anadil was able to maneuver the sleeping Hester under her covers, finally.
Anadil would never admit it, but I'm that moment, when Hester had been most vulnerable and open (and adorable), she had fallen in love.
Dot watched this whole gentle scene unfold and felt understanding slowly dawn over her.
As Anadil blew out the candles with a glowing green fingertip, something that Dot would usually moan about considering she had literally just been reading, Dot felt her jaw drop.
She finally got it.
What was making Anadil act all weird was... a crush. A normal human thing, yet for Anadil it seemed so foreign.
That pinkness to her cheeks had been... a blush.
That expression Dot had recognized but couldn't put a name to had been a look she had seen many a time.
It was the same look that Agatha and Tedros gave each other.
Anadil liked Hester.
And, judging by how Anadil had just cared for Hester so thoroughly, she liked her a lot.
Like a lot.
Dot fumbled in the darkness to put her books up.
But she didn't go to sleep.
No, that night she plotted and schemed to the best of her abilities.
And by the morning, she had a plan of attack...
And by 'plan of by attack', she meant 'get Hester to fall for Anadil without either realizing she was doing anything'.
~
That original plan seems practically impossible considering Dot had no idea how to get anyone to fall for anyone.
Perhaps she would need a bit help.
Her first thought is of Agatha, but she's already on the way to Camelot.
She didn't know who else to ask...
If Anadil learned that she had told anyone that she had a crush (let alone on Hester), then Dot wasn't likely to last through the week.
But Dot knew Anadil needed help...
(And if last night weren't enough evidence, then the way Anadil totally zoned out during Advanced Henchman Training this morning while stared at Hester was more than enough reason to try and get the poor lovesick albino some help... especially after their teacher had asked her a question and, for the first time in her school career, she had had no idea what to say. Hester had scribbled the answer down for Anadil to say, something that made Anadil blush more).
And that's how Dot found herself breaking into the School for Good that afternoon with the intent to find a book she had heard referenced more than once over her time at the school.
Winning Your Prince.
Dot was almost out of the School when someone caught her.
Kiko.
"Dot? What are you doing?" Kiko asked.
She didn't sound accusatory, only confused.
Dot tried to shove the book into her bag, but Kiko saw it.
Her eyes widened.
"Dot, do you have a crush?!"
Dot laughed at the question.
Kiko frowned in confusion.
"No, I don't. This is for a friend," Dot said before scurrying out.
Kiko followed after her.
"Who's it for?" she asked excitedly, always up for some romantic gossip or news.
Dot shook her head frantically.
"She'll kill me if I tell you."
"It must be a Never if you're taking it to them because everyone in this school has access to it. Who is it? Is it Mona?"
"No it's not Mona!" Dot snapped before hurried back across the clearing back to the School for Evil.
Kiko followed her.
"Is it Arachne?"
"No!"
"Oh my gosh! Is it Hester?!" Kiko looked positively ecstatic at the idea of Hester having a crush.
"No!"
"Is it Anadil?"
Dot paused too long before responding with the same 'no!'
Kiko gasped.
"Who's the guy?!"
Dot crossed into Evil and scampered away from Kiko.
Kiko watched her go with keen eyes, already trying to comprehend what the Never had told her.
~
Dot set the book down and intently started reading it.
It seemed there were three steps to win a prince... well, in this case a witch.
1) Flaunt your strengths
2) Speak through actions, not words
3) Parade competing suitors
And it said that 'if you follow these three rules, you've have your true love in the palm of your hand in no time'.
So that's all Dot had to have Anadil do.
So... by strengths it meant, like, talent, right?
Dot thought so, but she wasn't quite certain.
What else could it mean?
Just then, the door opened.
Dot jumped and looked over to see Anadil coming in.
She was surprised to see Hester not following after her.
Anadil didn't even give Dot a glance, let alone notice the book she had been reading, and practically fell onto her bed.
Anadil looked frustrated and defeated.
"Where's Hester?" Dot asked, slipping the book under her mattress subtly.
Anadil looked up with a bit of surprise, seemingly not having noticed that she was there.
"She's in the library," Anadil said curtly in her monotone voice.
Dot nodded slowly before mulling the steps over again in her head.
~
Lunch came and Dot found herself accosted by three different Ever girls.
Beatrix and Reena flanked her right and left sides while Kiko stood in front of her.
"What's going on, Kiko?" Beatrix asked, sounding frustrated.
"Who is it?" Kiko asked.
Dot glanced over Kiko's shoulder and saw Hester and Anadil eating at their normal table.
Anadil seemed to be acting normal, mostly, but occasionally Hester's hand or arm would brush against her own and she would kind of jump at the contact.
"Who is what?" Dot asked, hoping that playing dumb would at least buy her some time.
"The boy Anadil likes."
Reena and Beatrix gasped.
Dot finally figured out what to say.
Step three guided her words.
"She won't tell me."
The three girls stared at her.
"Don't let Anadil or Hester know that you know!"
Dot knew that by the end of the day everyone in the School for Good would know.
It would take at least two days to reach the School for Evil fully and she could map out the rest of her plan by then. She might even have three days before Anadil or Hester found out considering they were so far removed from society.
Dot made her way across the clearing and sat down beside Anadil, taking up as much room on the bench as she could and squishing Hester and Anadil together.
"She's too fat," Hester muttered.
"And yet you complained when she was skinny," Anadil said.
The albino spoke normally, no signs of her feelings shown in the words, but a small redness coated her cheeks... not to mention she was side eyeing wherever Hester and herself bumped into each other.
Kiko, Beatrix, and Reena watch the Coven of Malice room 66 for the rest of lunch.
Dot pretended she didn't hear Anadil's cackling laughter at Hester's insults.
Dot also pretended she didn't see Hester side eye Anadil as she laughed at one point.
Perhaps this wouldn't be quite as hard as she had originally anticipated...
~
Dot hadn't thought the news would spread to Evil until at least tomorrow, but she had underestimated Sophie.
The dean slammed the room's door open and Dot was glad that Hester and Anadil were in the library studying.
Dot was pretty sure that Hester had been going to study and Anadil had just followed after her.
"Anadil has a crush?!" Sophie hissed.
Dot slammed the door closed behind Sophie and shook her head.
"Of course not! What makes you ask that?"
"I heard it from Hort," she said.
Dot should have known Hort would somehow be plugged into the gossip system for Sophie's benefit.
Should have seen this one coming.
"And you just believe what that weasel says?" Dot asked, trying to throw off Sophie.
But the dean would not be distracted.
"Who is it?!"
Dot sighed.
"You'll just tell everyone."
"No I won't! I promise!"
"Sophie, your promises are useless when you always break them."
Sophie pouted.
"Can you at least answer a question?" asked Dot, feeling desperate.
Sophie looked up, eyes flashing at the chance to hear some more information.
Dot pulled the book out.
"I got this to help Anadil, but I don't know what 'flaunt your strengths' means. I mean... Anadil shows off her rats everyday but that doesn't seem to get her any attention."
Dot was careful to not say any gender pronoun or name.
She wasn't going to mess this up.
She was going to be brilliant and helpful and was going to get Anadil and Hester together because they were the perfect match.
How had she not seen this before?!
Sophie was giving Dot a blank look, a look that seemed to show just exactly how smart Sophie thought Dot was. It was not flattering.
"That means some other strengths."
Dot frowned.
"This will be my toughest project yet! A total makeover-"
"No! That won't work! It has to be subtle, like Anadil isn't doing anything new! They'll notice otherwise."
"An even harder challenge... I accept."
Dot let out a sigh.
Now all she really had to do...
Was get Anadil on board with this.
That wouldn't be too hard, would it?
Sophie strode out, already mumbling to herself about the best shampoo and makeup.
Dot shook her head.
Maybe including Sophie in this wasn't the best idea...
But it was the only one she had and she was feeling desperate
If Anadil didn't get some help she would probably live in denial for the rest of her life...
Yeah, having Sophie help was better than that at least...
Dot was going to do her best... even if perhaps that wasn't going to be enough.
She shook her head. She had to be an optimist considering Anadil was certainly going to be the pessimist.
~
Dot waited in the room for the two other witches to arrive... or more specifically Anadil. She needed to talk to the albino in private.
She tried to recall any compliment Hester might have given Anadil for her appearance, that might give her a hint on what they should focus on for the 'makeover'.
She couldn't remember a single thing.
The door opened and Dot's two roommates walked in.
Anadil and Hester were clearly insulting someone, and from what she overheard it was most likely Sophie, and both of them were smirking.
Anadil let out a cackle and Hester glanced over at her.
Dot raised an eyebrow, noticing how Hester stared at her for the moment before looking away.
While the two talked, Dot wrote a quick note and slips it into Anadil's pillow.
I need to talk to you. You need some help with this one. Talk to me after Hester's asleep.
Anadil looked up and locked eyes with Dot before subtly slipped the paper into her dress pocket while Hester put her textbooks away.