Work Text:
When Elias got back to Night Raven College, something felt wrong. Students were walking through the halls as per normal, chatting with each other like there were no classes to get to.
There were many new faces he'd have to remember — hopefully that meant more visitors for his library. He greeted Sam the second he'd stepped through the gate, the latter telling him about how his shop is doing wonderfully after a wave of new students. After muttering something about tuna to himself, Sam left him to make his way to the main building.
Still, as he walked through the school, Elias couldn't help himself but feel as though there was something he was missing.
Not being able to put a finger on it, Elias was still deeply in thought as he went around the corner, just to feel something bump into his leg with a surprising amount of strength, making him stumble.
A yelp sounded out, and then, "Oi, watch where you're going." Elias blinked down. There was a cat. A talking cat with blue flames and a magic crystal on their chest-
"Grim!" A person hissed at him, already turning towards Elias, apology on their lips. Elias simply stared at their dull grey vest. No matter how much he tried, he found no signs of magic in them. "Oh no, did you get in trouble again, Yuu?" Another voice sounded out, and looking up, Elias found two boys from Heartslabyul accompanying the strange duo.
Yuu turned to the boy with a heart on his face, frowning before opening their mouth to respond when the cat butted in again, "Who're you anyway? Walking through here like it belongs to you. You're not even wearing a school uniform-"
"You're gonna be late for class, if you just stand here, guys!" Someone chimed in and this time it was a voice Elias recognised. Cater skidded to a stop next to the other Heartslabyul students as he looked the situation over.
"Ah, Hallow-sensei! Welcome back!" Elias willed the confusion away as he smiled warmly at the third year. "Hello, Cater. Everything's been alright, I hope?" There was a flash of something in the ginger's eyes, uncertainity and his smile turning tense and Elias needed to have a serious conversation with Crowley right now.
There were some sputters as the heart boy burst out laughing as he pointed at the animal. "You ran into a teacher!" The black haired student, who stared at everything silently, went pale as a sheet right when the creature looked like it was going to run.
"It's alright, nothing serious happened," Elias quickly said, mixing with Yuu's "Grim!" as they jumped into his way. What an interesting duo. "You are new students here, I presume?" Yuu nodded fervently. Honestly, Elias felt a little bad — they looked as though he was going to throw them out just because their little friend slightly bumped into him.
"Well, I shouldn't keep you from classes. Run along now, come to the library if you need anything," Elias smiled at the group before swiftly continuing in his walk towards the headmaster's office — after all, it seemed he and Crowley had a lot to talk about.
Elias didn't want to bother with knocking, knowing he'd enter either way, but it seemed rude, so he quickly rapped on the door before walking in.
The man in front of him looked up from his papers, surprise evident on his face despite the mask. That quickly morphed into the ever-happy smile he always wore.
"Hallow-sensei! What a pleasant surprise! Ah, I hope your trip was successful? What about-" Elias walked up to his desk, leaning on his arms there, a smile plastered on his lips.
"Crowley," he began, feeling only slightly delighted when the headmaster's smile thinned and his posture straightened, "Why is there a beast in our school? And, pray tell, what is a magicless human doing here? And oh, please do enlighten me about any possible important events that had to do with Heartslabyul."
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"You put them where," Elias interrupted Crowley for the nth time. He felt a headache coming on. Crowley had the decency to at least look sheepish as he replied, "The Ramshackle dorm hasn't been in use for years, so I thought nobody would mind if they were to stay in there-"
Night Raven College was going to need to find a new headmaster because Elias was going to strangle Crowley with his own bare hands.
"The Ramshackle dorm hasn't been in use for years," Elias repeated with fake calmness, "and you thought it was a good idea to send a student to live there? A magicless one, nonetheless! That building has been rotting for decades, it's barely standing and the rooms are hardly usable and you sent a child in there-"
Crowley sputtered, an excuse on the tip of his tongue. "I don't wanna hear it," Elias sighed as he rested his head in his hands. "Please tell me you at least looked if there were any possible information about traveling through worlds."
"Of course I did! Because I'm so-" Crowley began, his voice gaining the chipper tone back. "And what did you find?" Elias narrowed his eyes at the headmaster, whose shoulders drooped and he let out a quiet sigh.
Nothing it was, then.
"And the beast?" Elias has long given up on any of this making sense. Not to mention his respect and hopes for Crowley have been buried since before he started working there.
"Grim wished to enrol in Night Raven College, seeing as we're a very prestigious magic school and-" Noticing the very unimpressed stare he was receiving, Crowley coughed into his hand to cut it short, "He and the Prefect were enrolled in as one student for the time being. The Prefect also sometimes helps me with some work, as a mean of exchange for letting them stay her-"
Elias promptly reached for the headmaster's hat, threw it on the ground and whacked him on the head with a couple of books that were laying on his desk.
"The child is now under my care," he spoke firmly, leaving no place for argument, "As is their little beast friend. You're providing money for the Ramshackle dorm to be fixed. I'll speak with the others too."
With that, Elias left the office and headed to the library to see if his dear building was still standing, if all the books were intact and on their places — after all, it seemed he had much work to do.