Chapter Text
Jamil was used to cooking. It was a skill he got good at in years of service. He stood in the cafeteria kitchen, giving instructions to the other Scarabia students. He felt like the head chef in a five star restaurant. Not that he enjoyed cooking enough to want to become a professional chef.
Winter Break had started. The other students from the other dorms had gone home, except Scarabia. Kalim had ordered the students to stay for a ‘voluntary’ training camp.
Or rather, he was ordered to do so.
Kalim was a useless idiot! He did everything that came to mind and when it all went wrong, it was Jamil who always had to clean up his messes! When Jamil was accepted into Night Raven College, he thought he could finally be free! He thought he could finally be number one at something, maybe even be Housewarden, but the damned Headmage! He pulled strings so that Kalim could attend and receive funding from the Asim family!
What’s worse, Kalim was chosen to be Housewarden! That meant Jamil had to clean up the messes for the entire dorm. And Kalim didn’t care. He just assumed everything would work out so he did whatever struck his fancy, with that stupid smile on his face. Not even bothering to consider how it affected Jamil!
Jamil couldn’t take it anymore. That’s why he used his signature spell to hypnotize Kalim. The usual carefree idiot Housewarden was going to act like an angry tyrant. He’d force the students to study and train in difficult conditions. The students would lose faith in Kalim and demand he’d be expelled and instill Jamil as Housewarden.
It would be a hellish two weeks, but Jamil was used to being run ragged. He just needed to pull the strings and watch his puppets dance.
It was perfect. No one knew how capable Jamil was. He kept his grades average on purpose, and no one knew his signature spell, except for Kalim. Kalim wouldn’t tell anyone, he promised Jamil and he was too honest to break a promise.
“Something smells great!”
“Grim, you shouldn’t run off without me!”
Voices from the kitchen entrance caught Jamil’s attention, “Hm?” Jamil looked behind him.
Grim, the cat like dire beast that nearly burned down orientation and set Kalim’s butt on fire, was standing in the kitchen. Behind him was someone wearing a black hooded coat. It wasn’t like the ceremonial robes the students wore for formal events. The leather coat was pure black and reached down to the wearers ankles. A silver zipper had closed the coat completely; it also made it easier for the face to be hidden in the hood. Silver beads hung across the lower neck, with two silver pull cords.
Jamil had never seen a coat like that before. It didn’t look like a trench coat, maybe it was a winter coat? It had snowed the previous night?
From the build of person, Jamil could deduce who it was easily.
“We’re sorry to bother you,” hands reached up to pull down the zipper a few inches, and to take off the hood to prove Jamil’s hunch right, “It’s nice to see you again.”
(Y/N), the only female student at NRC. Everyone in NRC knew who she was. A magicless girl from a magicless world. By some mistake, the Dark Mirror summoned her from another world. Apparently, she proved she was capable of controlling Grim and solving problems for the Headmage, so she and the direbeast were enrolled as one student.
Jamil had spoken to her only twice before. The first time, she asked him about his injury right before the Spelldrive tournament. The second time was during Azul’s overblot. She ran out of the Octavinelle’s mirror calling for help. Jamil was the one who approached her and went to get the headmage.
Jamil went over what he knew and observed. During orientation (Y/N) just appeared. She was nervous when all the boys looked at her and when the mirror couldn’t sort her, she immediately requested to return home. Somehow she became a student, basically solving problems in other dorms on the Headmage’s behalf. But from what Jamil heard, she only managed to solve those problems because she got other students to help her.
As far as Jamil knew, she was just an ordinary girl. Her existence in Night Raven College was a mistake, like a street rat being inside a palace. One time Jamil was going to the bathroom, he heard an explosion coming from the potionology lab. He took a few minutes to peak inside, apparently (Y/N), Grim, Ace, and Deuce had caused an accident, receiving an undesirable scolding from Professor Crewel.
Apparently, along with being magicless and needed her friends to protect her, she was also a ditz.
But she was harmless, quiet, and polite. Jamil didn’t see a problem talking to her.
“You know him?” Grim asked.
She sighed, “Grim we talked to him during the Spelldrive incident,” she reminded.
“Indeed, I’m Jamil Viper, Vice-Housewarden of Scarabia,” Jamil reintroduced.
She gave a friendly smile, “Thank you again for helping during Azul’s overblot. I don’t want to know what would have happened if you didn’t get Crowley.”
Jamil gave a humble friendly smile of his own, “I live to serve.”
He looked over what (Y/N) was wearing. Being the only girl on campus, (Y/N) was hard to miss. Her uniform usually had a pink vest and a pleated skirt. It fitted her more than this leather coat.
Jamil wouldn’t say it out loud, but (Y/N) was kind of pretty. She didn’t wear makeup like most girls her age or some of the boys at school. She seemed to be one of the few girls who looked good naturally. He actually overheard some boys talking about how cute she was. Not that Jamil was thinking about asking her out or anything like that. He had too much on his plate, and cute or not a ditz was a ditz.
“And you’re the Prefect of Ramshackle (Y/N) and Grim,” Jamil recalled.
“Oh,” (Y/N) seemed mildly surprised, “We haven’t talked that much, I didn’t think you’d remember our names.”
“I make it a point to memorize the names and faces of everyone I meet,” Jamil explained, “And it’s hard pressed to find a student here who hasn’t heard of you two.”
Grim cackled, “You hear that (Y/N)? We’re famous?”
“More like we’re the freaks of the school Grim,” she mumbled. Jamil internally smirked, at least she was aware.
Jamil was curious however, “What are you two doing here over Winter Break?”
Grim grinned, “We’re here doing an important assignment entrusted to us by the Headmage himself.”
(Y/N) sighed again, “Grim it’s not that big a deal.”
“Trusted by the Headmage?” Jamil’s mind sprung into action. Even if she was just an errand girl, Crowley must have trusted (Y/N). Jamil’s plan was to have Kalim make the Scarabia students suffer over Winter Break and demand Crowley to remove him. If (Y/N) and Grim were also there, he’d have more reason to believe Kalim was unwell and needed to leave school. Jamil internally smirked, how lucky for him to have someone close to the Headmage to fall into his lap.
“Again,” (Y/N) picked up Grim, “Sorry to have bothered you. Have a nice day,” she was about to leave.
“Wait,” Jamil said causing (Y/N) to stop. He put on his kindest façade, “Perhaps you two are hungry,” Jamil gave a kind smile, “If you’d like, we could share some of our food with you.”
“Really?” Grim asked excited.
“Yes, we could eat at the dorm,” Jamil explained. It was snowing at Sage’s Island and Jamil knew Ramshackle was… ramshackle, “Our dorm has summer like climate year round. It would be a welcome break from the snow and cold.”
Grim the little glutton was drooling. He was easy to convince. (Y/N) on the other hand. She had a guarded look. Her foot was still pointed towards the door, like she was waiting for an excuse to turn around and run away.
“I’m sold, let’s go,” Grim tried to get out of (Y/N)’s grip, but she didn’t let go of the wriggling monster.
“Grim, stop,” she struggled to hold him, “You know everything at this school has a catch!”
So, (Y/N) was a bit smarter than he thought. Jamil wasn’t worried, he just needed to convince her to come to Scarabia. That wasn’t a problem for him.
He carefully approached her, not letting his mask slip, “(Y/N), I won’t force you, but…” she looked up at him, straight into his eyes. Perfect! Jamil activated his signature spell, he wouldn’t take total control, he just needed her to obey for a few seconds, “… the Housewarden loves having guests, won’t you please come?” He managed to send a simple command through his eyes.
Agree to come with me!
(Y/N) winced in slight pain. She was somehow fighting back, but in a matter of seconds her expression changed into a smile, “I’d be happy to come!”
Jamil couldn’t help but smirk.
That’s right, help like the good little puppet you are. When the break is over, I will be Housewarden!
%%%%%
One week later
It was dark, Jamil could barely see or hear anything. Things were happening, but his mind was full of so much darkness.
He was able to make something out. (Y/N) standing in front of him. She looked defiant as she glared at him. She raised a hand above her head.
“Jamil,” he heard her speak, “What makes you think you’re the only one who’s been hiding his power?”
Then, there was a blinding light