Chapter 28
“I think I'll have some squid ink pasta for lunch today. Ah, but I do need my vegetables as well. An all-carb meal would be quite nutritionally lopsided......and more to the point, it would go straight to my thighs.” Azul mumbled to himself
Roxana raised an eyebrow at that as she ate her food.
“Seems like Azul's a perfect honors student in every way.” Jack said.
“Did you two spy on him all morning ?” Roxana asked.
“Yes” Jack and Grim answered.
“Azul sure didn't waste any time working' us to the bone. If I wasn't dead on my feet before, I sure am now.” Ace complained. “Cleaning Octavinelle Dorm, waiting tables at the lounge, going on grocery runs... He's been running me ragged.”
“I got called in at 6 a.m. this morning.” Deuce groaned.
“I gotta go back to help out at the Mostro Lounge after this.”
“Housewarden Rosehearts was all like, "You made a contract with Azul? Off with your head!" He made me write lines as punishment...” Deuce said.
Both of them sighed.
Jack snorted. “Pah. You reap what you sow.”
“I had zero expectation for you two and somehow I was still let down” Roxana said.
“T-That hurt more than being insulted…” Deuce can feel the disappointment throw their way like ways.
“Ask me why I am angry” Roxana said.
Ace looked at her. “Why—"
“Because you morons ! I was willing to help you to get good grades without a price, I was going to give you my notes to study, but you threw my kindness back in my face and asked a stranger for help, the stranger who by the way scammed you” Roxana said with a smile, but the black aura around her promised murder. “So please, excuse me while I laugh at your misery for a while”
Both boys cried.
“Why the long faces, boys?” Jade asked with a smile appearing behind Ace and Deuce along with Floyd.
Floyd laughed. “Aha ha, look! It's a sea anemone garden.”
Grim jumped in fright. “Myah! It's the lookalike brothers from last time !”
“Is it just my imagination, or is someone looking a bit dour today?” Jade smiled.
“Oh, y'know, we're just coming to terms with being ordered around by a trio of tyrants.” Ace said annoyed.
“Aha ha! Isn't that cute? The sea anemone that breached its contract is talking!” Floyd did a 180 personality and glared at Ace. “You guys know you're in no position to complain. So shut your traps.”
Grim hid behind Roxana. “Eeep ! Scary !”
Jade smiled. “Allow me to clarify I wasn't talking to the sea anemones. I was specifically addressing you...Roxana, prefect of the Slytherin Dorm.”
Roxana glared. “I will give you five minutes before I decide that your lives don’t matter”
“Yeesh, calm down Erebuhebi ! We just want to talk, let us say a word or two before you strike” Floyd pouted.
“You may know who we are already” Jade said but got interrupted by Roxana.
“Actually I don’t, I don’t associate with prey” Roxana said.
Floyd looked a bit annoyed. “Eeeh ? Aren’t Kani-chan and Saba-chan prey ?”
“I find myself enjoying the taste of eels more than crabs and mackerel” Roxana fired back as quick as a bullet.
She’s starting to piss me off. Floyd though.
Roxana smirked. Good the angrier you get the easier it will be for me to read you.
She’s targeting Floyd on purpose… Jade though.
“I am Jade Leech, and this is my twin brother Floyd.” Jade said with a faker smile than usual. “Now, where was I? Ah, yes...Allow me to infer what troubles you, Roxana. Could your anxiety perhaps stem from these three anemone stooges?”
“"Perhaps"? Listen to you, acting all coy.” Jack responded in her place.
“What's your problem? You're as prickly as a sea urchin.” Floyd told him.
Jack was embarrassed by that. “Wh—I'm a WOLF, not a sea urchin!”
Jade smiled. “If the source of your troubles does in fact lie with these sea anemones... ...I believe you would be well-served discussing the matter with Azul in person, Roxana”
Jack looked at him. “Wait, what?”
“You will find Azul to be as benevolent as the Sea Witch, one of the Great Seven.” Jade smiled again. “I have no doubt he would treat your misgivings with all due gravity.”
“Yeah! Azul's a real problem-solver. For example...” Floyd smiled. “He could set these sea anemones free if you asked him to.”
“Really?!” Ace and Deuce asked.
“Absolutely. Just remember, you can't get something for nothing.” Jade said.
Jack glared. “Tch. So that's your angle. You wanna rope Roxana into one of his contracts.”
At least he’s not all muscles and no brain. Roxana thought.
Jade gave him a sorry look it was clear that it was fake. “Please, there's no need to bare your fangs at me. Goodness, you land mammals are so belligerent.”
“We're just passing' on a hot tip outta the goodness of our hearts. Ain't that right, Jade?” Floyd said while smirking.
Jade smiled. “Exactly, Floyd. We wouldn't dream of leaving a poor, unfortunate soul by the wayside.”
The two eels laughed.
“If your interest is piqued, feel free to visit the Mostro Lounge sometime after nine tonight. We'll have some piquant tea ready for you upon your arrival.” Jade said.
“We'll be waiting, Erebuhebi !” Floyd said before they walked away.
Deuce looked at Roxana. “Wait, so, uh...”
“If Roxana makes a contract with Azul and meets his conditions, whatever they are...we could be freed from this?!” Ace said.
Ace and Deuce looked at Roxana. “Everyone Please, Prefect! You gotta beat him for us!”
Jack stood in front of Roxana. “You guys are shameless, you know that?”
“Keep Roxana out of this !” Grim screamed.
“Maybe you shoulda thought of that before trying to coast through a test.” Jack said.
“Look, I've already learned my lesson, okay?!” Ace cried.
Deuce nodded. “Yeah, I'll never do this again for sure. I'll take my results like a man, even if that means failing.”
Jack turned to look at Roxana. “You're supposed to say you'll work hard to ensure you stop failing' altogether. Well? What's your call, Roxana ? You gonna take them up on their invitation?....Roxana ?”
“You”
Ace and Deuce flinched.
“You miserable little cockroaches DARE to ask me for help NOW ??” Roxana glared at them. “Where was this dedication when I told you to study ? If I knew this was going to happen, I would have left you to die in the hands of that blot monster”
With that being said, she walked out of the cafeteria.
“You know…I feel like we returned to square one in our friendship” Ace said.
***
Roxana was not angry, really she was not.
She did not just destroy nearly half of the forest with fire.
She did not throw poison at random trees killing them.
And she was not in her not so human form where she had horns on her head and her lower half was that of 7 meets snake tail.
And no Malleus certainly did not find her like this.
The dragon fae did not approach her until she let all her anger out on the surrounding area, he stood beside her in silent for a while before he broke it.
“Are you alright ?” Malleus asked.
“……I feel betrayed, I should have never given them my trust, asking me to get them out of that contract” Roxana said. “I got used being around amazing people…to the point where I decided to forget the cruelty of some humans”
Like I am one to talk, but at least I will never use them to get me out of a situation that I put myself into, anything else but never that. Roxana thought.
“Why do you keep those humans besides you” Malleus asked.
“Because I find their stupidity mildly amusing” She responded.
“…Is that really your answer, or is it what you’re trying to convince yourself ?”
Roxana gave a slight chuckle. “I forgot that you can tell a lie from the truth……" She looked down as the floor before she sighed. "I guess, I am trying to atone for my sins somehow”
Malleus didn’t say anything, but he continued to listen.
“When I was younger I met a two boys at school, a pair twins, Fred and George, we always pulled the most ridicule pranks we could, we always had prank wars and sometimes the professors had to stop us, and then I met another boy his name was Harry, he was marked to do great things but at a great cost, I knew what was going to happen…so I did everything in my power to stop that war from even happening, I succeeded in time, sometimes later I found out that I couldn’t die, stuck to be young forever, I stopped being human”
Malleus glanced at her. “You were human ?”
Roxana nodded. “I was, the witches and wizards of my world take a potion that let them tap into their inner animals they are called animagus, it’s a long process you see, takes a month and if you fail well you have to repeat, some took years to become animagus, thankfully it only took me a month to do so, when you take that potion you transform into your inner animal, some are horses, wolves, lions, my professor was a cat, my inner animal on the other hands was not a normal animal, some people can take the form of magical animals sure but most of them are aways the mortal kind, there was never a Phoenix animagus and me ? Well... I am an Ouroboros, and that's how I became immortal”
“Head of a dragon body of a snake, the snake that bites it own tail, life, death, rebirth an endless cycle…similar to the phoenix but symbolize chaos and disaster instead of health and happiness like the phoenix” Malleus said.
“Right, I became like this because I was too ambitious because power was the only thing where I could escape, I learned everything I could just so I will never rely on someone in my life, I did not allow any weakness…well…when I wanted to end my journey…I found out I couldn’t, so I returned to my home land, I set my self I goal and promised Harry that I would protect his descendants…and I failed to protect the last one”
Malleus wiped the tear that run down Roxana’s face.
“I failed…I failed and let a child die because of a stupid argument between us, I can’t even remember what it was anymore, but his death was my fault” Roxana sobbed. “Ace and Deuce reminds me so painfully of him if hurts, I don’t want to be by their side but at the same times I can’t push them away”
Her sobs were so painful, Malleus hesitated a bit before he hugged her tightly.
“It was not your fault; you couldn’t have known”
“But it is ! If we didn’t argue ! He would still be alive, it’s my fault that the Potter line is dead, and I am sorry, but I can’t forgive myself”
“I am sure that he’s not blaming you”
She sobbed harder. “I am sorry, I am so sorry !”
The guild been eating her for centuries, she can’t even summon his ghost to face him and beg for forgiveness.
She could never forgive herself not even till the end time.