#headmage crowley

Dire Crowley

Crowley was... tough to pin down, to put it lightly. You weren't used to someone so up beat, so eccentric. You'd hardly met the man and he had already committed your name to memory. You didn't see him that often, but when he did, he always made small talk. How your classes were going, praising you about your grades, what you thought of the cafeteria food, what he thought of the cafeteria food. And as quickly as he was there, he was gone again, leaving your head spinning with how informal it always was. You never knew what to make of him. But your overall opinion tended to lean towards him just being... odd. Not good, not bad, just odd. It was usually a nice change of pace to talk with him, however. You were fairly sure he was fae with the few encounters that you did have with him, and he didn't actively make it a point to demonstrate how much he despised you. You weren't sure if he hated you at all, actually. The only thing you knew about Crowley is that you never knew when he was going to show up.

Crowley knew. He knew about what you were going through, even without knowing the details. There were so many other students to keep track of, he couldn't keep too close an eye on you. He could trust that task to the rest of the staff, but he couldn't help popping in every now and then to see how things were going, getting out before you could grow suspicious of his line of questioning. He only stayed just long enough to ensure there wasn't anything he needed to look in on, he trusted the others to take care of the rest.

Divus Crewel

As strict as Crewel was on his students, they were still his students. He had no tolerance for any of them being mistreated, and that now included you. The first time he patted your head-- your test results had been exemplary-- you flinched away hard, and he knew. He knew there was someone to detest, he didn't exactly know who it was, but he wasn't afraid to hate indiscriminately. But Crewel of all people knew how to treat a pup that had been so poorly mistreated. He showered you with praise when applicable, and when you failed or slipped up, he didn't react past walking you through how to do it correctly for next time. He did his best not to raise his voice around you, or at least never at you and there was never a sudden movement made too close to you.

When you caught on to what he was doing, you just looked so confused. You always expected the worst from everyone, always kept your guard up to keep the hurt at bay. You weren't used to... this. You let it go for a few more weeks before you finally confronted him after class.

"Why?" You'd asked simply as he graded papers.

"Why what, pup?" He asked back, not looking up from what he was doing.

"Why are you so nice to me?"

When he finally looked up, you almost wished he hadn't. There was a look in his eyes that you rarely ever saw directed at you. Sympathy.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

You floundered for a moment at the question, scoffing like it was obvious. But he knew what he had done in the months you'd been in his classes. It would take a lot more time to fully deprogram the self loathing someone had instilled in you from birth, but he was willing to take the time. You were already questioning if the answer was obvious.

Mozus Trein

Trein had been doing this job long enough to recognize when a student didn't have the best home life. It was usually a fleeting look in the eyes when a holiday was brought up, or a radiating dread the closer it got to the end of the school year. There was usually one every few rounds of freshmen, he knew how exactly to keep an eye out. He knew almost the exact moment he saw you in his class, every little sign he'd known to look for he saw in you. He'd heard stories like yours before, humans and the fae creating children that were rarely ever wanted for reasons he never quite understood, he couldn't imagine treating a child like that. He wasn't obvious about his care, he never was, he made it a point to treat all his students the same. So if one student needed extra encouragement at times, they would all get extra encouragement when needed.

You never caught on that he altered his methods for you, you just assumed Trein was a compassionate teacher to all his students when they were doing well in his class. You doubted that he was being genuine, however, your head screaming at you that he was treating all his students like this so he could never single you out despite every bone in your body knowing he was being sincere. It took a long time to believe he was just kind, not tricking you, didn't secretly hate you. It took a long time to stop taking his quiet praise on your assignments or test results with a grain of salt. And when it came time to go home at the end of the year, you didn't think twice about it when he quietly reassured you that you would be back before you knew it. That there would always be a gentler place waiting for you to return.

Ashton Vargas

Vargas never discriminates against any of his students, regardless on what it's about. He may be egotistical, but he isn't a bigot. He never thought about your distrust, maybe didn't even notice it, he just encouraged you like he did the rest of his students. If you slowed down, he was right there, cheering you on, if you tripped, he was ready to help you up with that huge and sincere grin.

You found it unsettling. More than Trein, you were sure Vargas was playing you for a fool. You were constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop with him. But no matter how long you waited, no matter how hard you glared at him, he never changed his tune. He tried to speak one on one with his students every day, and when he spoke to you, he often had good things to say. You had good form and a fire in your heart that he said he could see (and if that fire in your heart was anything other than a burning passion for physical fitness, he was none the wiser) and he often told you that he was proud of you for doing your very best! Even on days when you knew you weren't putting in as much as previous days, he would tell you that your best fluctuates from day to day, and that as long as you were doing your best every day, that's all he could ask. He would clap you on the shoulder and send you on your way with that big Vargas smile. Eventually, you figured him out on your own. He wasn't someone who cared about where you came from, what you did with it was what mattered to him. You never talked to him about it, you never had to, it was something he instilled in every one of his students through his teaching style. And eventually, you started to believe it too.

Sam

Sam had eyes everywhere. Most of the time he just held on to the information to inform how he stocked his shelves. But he knew. He didn't bring it up, just slipped a little extra into your bag when you weren't paying attention or forgot to mention a little discount he put on your tab. Nothing he'd miss for helping. He'd conveniently be out of the shop, or at least hiding somewhere among the winding shelves, by the time you noticed and came back to say something. Anything you left behind on the counter was snuck back into your bag during the next trip. It started to almost feel like a game, and he was thrilled that he was winning.

You caught on to what he was doing after the second time you tried to return an item you hadn't purchased and it mysteriously ended up back in your haul the next go round. It was infuriating trying to catch him actually doing it, he once managed to slip an entire roll of paper towels into your bag without your notice while you were looking at it. When you finally managed to confront him about it, you sort of wished you hadn't.

"I don't need this." You grumbled at him, shoving the bar of soap you'd tried to leave behind three separate times into his hands.

"What do you need?" He asked with a mischievous grin.

You'd just rolled your eyes at him at the time, but his game got more... specific. Whenever you managed to forget to pick something up, it was there in your bag, whenever you worried about not having enough to get the more expensive version of something and opted for the cheaper brand instead, the one you'd wanted was what went back to the dorm with you. After a while, you conceded, figuring you weren't about to win a game like this against a man with friends in the shadows. With the way it bothered you, it took a long time after getting used to it to realize he'd started doing it because he'd been looking after you.

I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION TO USE MY WORK TO TRAIN AI

You remember it like it was yesterday, you were excited because everyone on your team had recovered from the weird injuries that happened and would be able to play.

There were rumors among the students that the culprit of the recent "accidents" was Savanaclaw's vice-leader and that he followed his Housewarden's rules in doing so (you later discovered that Ruggie was not the vice-leader and that in fact, Savanaclaw there was no deputy leader).

Unfortunately, before the game started it was cancelled. You and everyone you knew were outraged by the idea.It didn't take long for you to discover that the leader of the King of Beasts' dormitory, the second prince of Sunset Savana, Leona Kingscholar had died.

And with all the companies that would share NRC's long-awaited dorm games all but talking about the death of Savanaclaw's housewarden, it didn't take long for Director Crowley to ask for his help again.

If there's anything you regret putting on your student resume, it was your unique magic, "Seven, give me one more chance!"

Your unique magic allowed you to go back in time a week, and be able to redo something that had happened.

At the beginning of the school year, Crowley asked you to save the housewarden Riddle Rosehearts from the same fate that Leona had suffered, you were rewarded for that and this time it would be no different.

So that Crowley could remember what he had promised, he engraved on a memory stone the promise of his reward and told him to engrave his failures on the stone every time he failed in his mission.

It wasn't because you could go back in time that you could get everything you wanted on the first try, when you saved Riddle, you had to use your unique magic twice before you managed to save him.

Riddle never knew you helped him, because for him. He had never even come close to overblotting.

Crowley promised you that every time you needed to use your unique magic he would pay you 10,000 madols.

Now, in the present you regretted making that deal. You approached Leona countless times until she literally learned exactly how to act around him, you became attached, you created bonds you thought you would never create.

Just to watch him die, over and over again. Attempt after attempt. And in each attempt, you see that he didn't remember anything you experienced.

You didn't care about the money anymore, all you wanted was for Leona to live or just turn into sand and die next to her.

No...You couldn't die, because when you died, Leona would no longer have any chance of living.

When did you start to care about him so much?You just wanted this all to end as you cried over Leona's dead body. Almost powerlessly, you took out the memory stone that Crowley had given you a long time ago.

And headmage who had arrived to see what the mess was about saw you holding her in tears.

"Fa...il 58"

Crowley approached, and saw that the memory stone was black when normally they are transparent.

Memory stones take on the color of the feelings of the memories they carry, and usually the colors are so faint that you need to look at them closely to see them.

It may not seem like it, but Crowley is a smart guy. He knows about his unique magic, he knows that he has already asked you to do several services for him, he knows that memory stones are difficult to get and he knows how many times he has given them to you for you to show him later.

Knowing this, it doesn't take much to connect the dots.

You were in a cycle of endless repetitions to do something he ordered, but from the color of the stone, he understood that you were suffering from it.

As much as he knew that several consequences would fall on him, Crowley knew when to give up, even though he had just discovered that he was on a mission to avoid this disaster.

"Let's stop here!" He spoke, placing a hand on your shoulder, only for you to look incredulous as you understood the meaning of his words.

"No…it's not over yet! I can continue…le..leave it to me!!" You said, your voice breaking and looking at him as if asking for permission, you would do it anyway.

If there's something you learned from your time with Leona that only you can choose when to give up, no one can do it for you, ever!

So you asked Crowley for a power-enhancing potion.

If it was his last attempt, you would throw all your cards on the table! You'd cancel inter-dorm games before they even started.

LEONA FORGIVE YOU, BUT HE'S NOT DYING AGAIN ON HIS TURN!!

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The first thing you feel when you wake up is your bed, it doesn't take you even 5 seconds to get out of bed, soon being struck by dizziness.

You take out your cell phone and look at the date and time, apparently you managed to go back long enough to prevent future events.

And just in case you fail, you may have had time to rest and try again.

After getting ready, you run to the building where Crowley's office is, you can't help but feel a wave of hope over your chest.

You barely knock on the door and go in (read that as opening the door with so much force that it makes a tremendous bang).

"Headmage, I bring news!!" You say smiling, then you stop and notice that Crowley was in the middle of a meeting with the housewardens.

Silence

...

..

.

"Kalim, you should have more control over the students in your dorm!" Vil says it as advice you find too oppressive.

"Uh...well!?" Kalim ends up having no reaction.

Riddle stares at you, "If you allow me, I can give you a proper punishment!"

Kalim looked embarrassed, it wasn't his intention to do this to his housewarden. And that ruins his good mood.

"Maybe before you scold the students in other people's dorms, you should take care of your own!" You say, taking a few steps forward to be able to communicate better.

It's not that you don't want to get out of there as quickly as possible and hide your head under the ground like an ostrich. You just don't like being told off by your dorm leader.

Kalim may not be the best, but unlike all the other housewardens, he has empathy and this makes him the best when it comes to helping the students in his dorm.

"Pomefiore students don't barge into important meetings without being invited and I dare say those from Heartsbyul are on a similar level!" Vil narrows his eyes at you.

"If a similar level you mean by blowing up the science lab almost every week and burning statues around. Of course!! You guys are amazing! Believe what you want, as long as you don't bother me or my housewarden!" You can see Vil sending you an extremely nasty look which you gladly send back, though Kalim flinches slightly in surprise.

Everyone knows that Rook is always doing new experiments in the science club and almost every week there is a new mess in the laboratory, not to mention that the fact that the statue of the Queen of Hearts was burned at the beginning of the year by students from Heartstabyul and Ramshackle will be remembered for ever.

"If I may" Azul gets everyone's attention dispelling the discussion "As much as I don't agree with this student's actions, don't you think you're missing something?"

"Something?" Crowley tries to remember, but was cut off by Idia's voice on her tablet.

"The student said he had news!" Idia said in a tired, slurred voice.

"The right!" Crowley remembered your entrance! "So tell me young man, what trouble do you bring me this time?" The headmage asked

The 'This time' didn't go unnoticed by the people in the room.

You looked at the housewardens, your gaze stopping a little longer than it should on Leona, he would hate you for that. Then you fixate on the one crow you started to hate with all your might and smile.

"We have to cancel the inter-dorm tournament!" You say in a tone that is way too serious for someone Kalim remembers that the day before he was super excited about making the official dorm team and that scares him.

Apparently he wasn't the only one shocked by the information, you can see Azul's glasses fall a little, Vil's eyebrows twitch, Riddle and Idia's gasp. And the slight twitching of Leona's ears.

Leona gets stressed and gets up from her seat, with her eyebrows furrowed and her tail flicking to one side and then the other. "You seem like quite an audacious herbivore, to just assume you can come in and say whatever you want, as if everyone will accept what you say with their heads bowed!"

You know that expression, and as much as he's a hunter threatening his prey, you can only manage a sly smile.

"And who said I need you or anyone to accept anything, your highness? You can have your say, but Crowley has the final say!" You say sarcastically looking at him.

You know you shouldn't irritate him more than he already is, but something in you knows you can handle it.

If Leona is going to hate him, you want to do it in the same way you did when he still "tolerated" you, as he used to say.

Leona didn't seem happy with her answer. Of course, who in their right mind would be?

"ENOUGH!!" Crowley screams and this makes Leona lower her ears a little at Crowley's scream for a moment.

"Young man, I want you to know that I can't just cancel the games for any reason!" Crowley approaches.

"Apparently the final decision really came from Crowley!" Vil speaks with a smile.

"Therefore!" Headmage walks over and puts a hand on his shoulder, "Give me the stone and I'll be canceling everything related to the games this year!"

"What's/Ah?" Everyone in the room (except you and the director) is shocked by the news.

Crowley knows about your unique magic and knows that you wouldn't suggest this crazy idea without his permission in some future timeline.

"Wait headmage!" Riddle stands up from his seat, "You can't cancel just because an unruly student suggested it!"

"Exactly!" It was Blue's turn to stand up, "We would incur a huge loss due to several breaches of contracts, I would appreciate it if you thought a little more about the matter!"

"I disagree! Overthinking will only make us fail again and we don't have that option!" You tell the director.

"Fail again?" The lion beastman next to you whispers as if trying to record this information.

Crowley on the other hand stares at you for a few seconds before speaking:

"Won't we get another chance?... How much of your magic did you use to accomplish your last task?!" The director looks scared, he finally pays enough attention to notice you don't have your pen.

You furrow your eyebrows, the amount of magic you used to save the second prince of Sunset Savannah almost made you go into overblot and the negative feelings building up weren't helping at all.

You simply keep your pen in a compartment inside your uniform, because you don't like looking in the mirror and seeing that pen with a stone that is practically black and obscured by the stain, with a hint of bright red (Before you start storing it) There you tried to convince yourself that this little red piece was your hope for a better future).

You look at him for a moment and put your hand in your pocket, taking out a small cloth bag inside which there were two memory stones, one black, where you kept your failures and the other yellow, where you kept the good moments of your past. and coming in time.

As the last few times Crowley looks at the black stone in amazement, you also know that the other housewardens who managed to see the stone know that it doesn't bring back good memories.

"If I really need to show this to someone to explain the reason for canceling the games, make sure it's someone who won't bother me later!" You give the stone to the director.

The director becomes serious, as far as he remembered, you were someone quite soft and lively. He understands that he must have asked for something difficult, so he just agrees.

"Wait, wait! So we're really canceling the games?" Reality finally sinks in for Kalim, he looks at you "You were so excited about this yesterday..."

You look at your housewarden, he was always a great mayor for Scarabia and always cheered you up when you were down, you know how excited he was for the games, but he also understands that he has to make a choice.

The games or LeonaAnd you know you would always choose Leona!

"Sorry Kalim-Senpai! That choice was the best we could find!" You bowed your head slightly in a sign of respect. "If you'll excuse me, class will start soon!" You bow towards the housewardens and Crowley as if you had never offended them and leave.

The room is silent for a while, everyone with their own thoughts.

Leona returned to her seat irritated and the meeting continued a little later."Headmage..." Azul called out to Crowley who focused on the housewarden. "That student gave you a memory stone as an explanation for canceling the games, right?"

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During class, you didn't care about staying focused, because besides already knowing next month's material practically by heart, you couldn't get two faces out of your mind.

The first was that of his housewarden, Kalim Al-Asim. If you knew anyone who was excited for the games it was him.

Of course he may have forgotten about the games when Jamil, his deputy housewarden was injured just before the games started.

He had looked at you as if you had betrayed him. You kind of understand, since you remember that before all the mess started, you were one of the most excited people in Scarabia for the tournament.

And the second face was Leona's, his look was one of disgust, you had pulled the rug out from under her and all of Savanaclaw in less than five minutes.

Taking all your effort and planning down the drain You know you're going to get some angry looks over the next few months, and you know your mood is about to collapse.

You don't think isolating yourself is the best option, as it will make you anxious. But facing the stress of school and having multiple students on your tail would also be horrible.

Perhaps the best option is to go to Crewel-sensei and ask for help with your stain, he will probably give you a certificate and send you to the infirmary, which is a safe place to a certain extent.

I probably won't continue, but feel free to imagine what will happen.

Notes: Yes, this image was inspired by this beautiful Crowley drawing

It took a while and a lot of effort to make this drawing but I really liked the result

Crowley and Mira father and son dynamic fr