Italics = Past events

"What were you doing in the forest alone with him Flo?!" the emerald eyed wizard asked angrily. The young witch was trying to explain herself but she kept getting interrupted by the wizard.

"Patrick!" she exclaimed "Will you let me talk...please!"

The wizard sighed and folded his arms over his chest waiting for her explanation. She took a deep breath, calming herself down.

"You know I was struggling with finding ingredients for the living dead potion right. So he offered to help me go look for them –"

"Alone...in the dark," Patrick said calmly but she could tell he was anything but calm from within.

"What are you trying to imply Patrick?!" she shot back "you are not seriously implying that...that I was cheating on you!"

Patrick took a deep breath, the emerald in his eyes twinkling with rage. He took a few moments to respond, all the while looking away from the blue eyes that demanded answers.

He finally shook his head, "Of course I wasn't Flo, have you gone mad? But... I-I know my brother very well, he is not the most loyal out of all. I trust you Flo, completely, but I don't trust him...ESPECIALLY if you are alone with him."

Florina shook her head in disbelief. "If you truly trust me, you would trust my ability to defend myself. Do you think I would just let him?"

Patrick scoffed, "He is a devil Flo! If he wanted to do anything to you, do you think he will give you time to defend yourself. He—"

"Patrick!" Florina yelled standing up "This is your brother you are talking about. I was with him the entire night and nothing of that sort happened. We are just friends..."

She stopped herself abruptly searching the emerald eyes, scanning the person in front of her intently until it dawned on her. Florina raised a hand to her mouth and whispered, "Ar-Are you jealous?"

"What?" he blurted out in defense, his heart racing.

"Oh my Godric, Pat...I-I cannot believe you are actually jealous of your own brother! You are now putting me in a position where I have to explain you are the one I love and –"

"Florina, please don't treat this matter sarcastically," Patrick glared at her for the first time.

She glared back, "You made me Patrick. You know very well that David and I are just friends. Honestly, that childish fight between you two HAS to stop. It is getting out of hand. Isn't it bad enough you fought in front of Professor Snape?"

"So you want to bring that up huh?" he stood too "Who was it that put extra flubber worms in my potion to make it explode, ON PURPOSE?!"

"He did it on accident Patrick. I was there too you know and –"

"Well of course you would defend him but I am not that naïve or blind Florina." Patrick sighed sitting back down "I knew him longer than you. Can you just take time to think for once? Why would he do that – and no not on accident- there is another reason."

Florina shook her head clueless. Patrick nodded, "He was trying to impress you, dare I say even... he fancies you –"

"What?! Do you hear yourself Patrick, that's insane?!"

"Just consider it for once instead of denying everything Florina. What happened after the potion fiasco, do you remember?"

The emerald eyed wizard waited patiently for the witch to answer and after a long while, she shook her head clueless. "He turned me in to Snape, even told him he will make sure a new potion is made. He wanted to play the hero and in front of whom, you!"

Florina laughed not believing what she heard from the wizard making him frown in anger.

"What is so funny Florina?"

"Oh Godric, so you are implying that your OWN brother is trying to steal me away from you, as if I was your own property."

"You know damn well I don't mean that! I know this will sound strange but once you know my brother...really know him...everything will make sense."

************

The fairy's visit to the ghost was deemed unsuccessful. Davies felt helpless and there was nothing else he could do except for watch the witch Florina slowly transition to the dark side. Rosaline refused to give up however but she too was clueless for what to do.

What will my next move be? She thought to herself, I cannot go back to Stella, frankly, I don't want her to know anything of Florina's transition.

"There is no choice now but to go back to Florina and talk to her myself. Tomorrow my subconscious – Rose – will be back. Maybe with her help, I can get Flo to talk. I need to know what happens in that ritual, this will be the start."

The fairy nodded to herself in determination and flew back to David's house. It took her a few hours to reach the wizard's house. While she was flying, she couldn't stop thinking of the cursing ritual possibilities.

What happens in that vial ritual that turns anyone to the dark side? Rosaline wondered in silence.

"No," she whispered "Florina didn't turn. She...she simply cannot, that is not in her nature. She was immediately repulsed by the idea of murdering her own child to free herself. But after the ritual, she turned into a blood thirsty beast. How? I am absolutely positive this is not my true carrier. Florina would never think of that, she is just too innocent."

In front of David's house, the fairy fluttered her wings softly feeling her heart racing in her chest cavity. She was hesitant to walk inside and face her carrier after the things she have been through.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door with her fairy wand and quickly shut it behind her. What she saw next petrified her in place. Her carrier, her best friend, was shackled in a glass cage looking incredibly weak and lethargic. She barely moved and was slouched down on the ground in an uncomfortable position.

One of the wizards was sitting in front of her on the sofa watching her intently while the other was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is David?" Rose wondered.

"Oh! Miss Rose, you made it!" a squeaky voice came out of a small creature that made Rose jump.

She looked down to find a pig tailed house elf giving her a toothy grin like always, her happiness intoxicating the room within. Rose raised a brow, "Bubbles? What are you doing here? I thought I told you to leave after you are done giving your orders."

Bubbles nodded her blue eyes twinkling, "Oh Bubbles did leave. But Mister David ask Dumbledore to borrow Bubbles and headmaster agree. So here I am!"

"You are awfully cheery Bubbles," Rose said her brow still raised "Any reason why?"

The pig tailed house elf shrugged. "Bubbles get to see my Miss Flora again. And Bubbles help in Mister David house. So Bubbles become happy."

Rose nodded at her inwardly cringing at her bad grammar. Why do all elves speak in that strange spider tongue? Their king Caesar speaks relatively normal. Shouldn't they be more like him?

The fairy took a deep breath after the house elf left her to wash the dishes. Rose took a few steps forward towards Severus – who sat in front of the glass room – and raised her fairy wand to his head. She began to chant,

Oh merciful lord, oh he who keep,

We call upon you, lock the soul in deep,

With this enchantment, drowsiness that brings,

This soul to a descendant sleep,

Rose watched the potions master's head fall back in his chair as his eyes closed. She then levitated a pillow and landed it softly behind his head to support its weight.

The fairy sighed turning to the glass room. Her carrier was still sitting in an uncomfortable position, her whole head in her chest, too tired to lift it up. With a few hand motions, the fairy successfully entered while at the same time securing the glass door from the outside.

"Florina," Rose whispered once she cautiously got closer to her carrier.

The witch didn't move a muscle. Maybe she is too lethargic to do so. The fairy sat beside her best friend instead, closing the distance between them. Rose still believed her carrier can be saved from the effects of the ritual but at the same time kept her wand in her hand at all times. She slowly smoothed Florina's long locks that were deeply tangled and frizzy from not showering.

Florina felt the fairy's hand and turned to her slightly. Her fairy smiled but the witch didn't. When neither of them spoke, the fairy began "I wish I could tell you how sorry I am for leaving you deal with all of this by yourself."

The witch scoffed but remained silent. Rose sighed, "Florina... I-I had no idea Lucifer will do the ritual the same time I was summoned by Nixie. I was as shocked as you are. I didn't even get the chance to tell you what Nixie's decision is or—"

"She plans to kill me. I know," Florina spoke in an extremely thick and raspy voice, too raspy that the fairy didn't catch most of it.

"Davies told you, didn't he?" Rose asked but the witch didn't respond. They stayed in an uncomfortable silence for a long time until Florina chose to speak.

"You promised me," her head was hanging low once more "you promised me I won't be effected by the curse, by the ritual, by...by Luc-my Overlord."

Rose gasped turning sharply to her, "He is not YOUR Overlord Florina!"

"Yes he is, you imbecile creature!" Florina growled back only her voice was too gone that it sounded like an angry whisper instead.

The fairy was taken aback when she saw the blood red in her carrier's eyes and couldn't help but shed silent tears, feeling guilty. Florina hanged her head low once more refusing to meet Rose's eyes.

Rose scotched closer to her, "This...this is not who you are Florina. Remember our conversation in Fantasia Port. Remember what you told me when I asked you if you could kill your daughter to free yourself from the curse? Do you remember what you said my dear?"

Florina noticeably fidgeted. She seemed to not want to hear the rest of that exchange only her hands were tied, restricting her from putting her fingers in her ears.

That is it! I am finally hitting a nerve, Rose thought victoriously.

She went on, "I refuse to believe this is your final form, you hear me. I will tell you what you said. You said 'Of course not!' No... you didn't say it, you screamed it Florina! This is not who you are –"

"No, it is Rosaline!" Florina turned to her sharply "Stop acting naïve and blindly trusting your instincts. Blindly trusting me! You made me believe I am a Savior. The chosen one, the one who will save them all. The one who is too innocent to be effected by any evil. But in reality, I am no different than all the other Evilingston females before me. I am no different than Stella!"

The fairy froze in place, more tears running down her cheeks. While Florina ranted in a raspy voice, her eye colour kept alternating between devilish blood red and shimmering ocean blue, until...it settled on deep purple.

That was then that Rose knew, her carrier wasn't purely evil or purely innocent. She was a mix of both. She wasn't the angel she fashioned her to be in her mind. She was a human, a human who has their strength and weaknesses. A human who can be effected by circumstances greater than them. A human who can make mistakes.

Rose slowly nodded as silence fell upon them once more. Florina breathing was hoarse and jumbled. She tried her best to calm herself down but always failed to do so once she began ranting.

After a while of long silence, Rose whispered "You are right."

Florina turned to her, the blood red in her eyes returning slowly but that didn't scare her fairy. Rather, it made her more determined to rescue her best friend, her carrier, from the fate that befell her.

"I was acting Naïve and ignorant. I guess I hoped you would be the exception to Evilingston's curse. I hoped that...that you wouldn't be like the mother that birthed you. The mother that got rid of you to save herself from the curse. But I was wrong. I have put all my hopes and dreams on you without even educating you for what's to come and for that I am deeply sorry."

The witch didn't move a muscle but she was listening intently. "But I am not sorry for still believing in you Flora. It is not too late for me to save you from Lucifer. I know you are not strong enough to prevent Lucifer's manipulations but I know you are strong enough to resist them. That is the strength I believed in."

The fairy sat in front of Florina and lifted her face with her thumb and forefinger. She smiled when she saw the brilliant shimmer in her ocean blue eyes returning to their full glory.

Florina's blue eyes began watering making Rose's grin widen "That...that is the Florina Woods I know."

Rose cautiously hugged her best friend. She wasn't surprised when Florina didn't hug her back but she didn't refuse the embrace either.

"Florina," Rose whispered in a husky voice "Please let me help you. Trust me darling, I am capable of helping you. I can help you destroy whatever he did to you."

The witch sobbed silently in her best friend's arms, at some points slightly gasping for air from her uneven breathing. Rose didn't intervene, not wishing to ruin the calm moment between them.

After a while, Florina pulled away from her friend, the purple glow returning once more. "It is too late. You can't do anything anymore for me fairy," she said in a thick whisper.

Rose's brows furrowed in confusion, "Why not?"

The witch faced her fairy, her eyes full of tears as the blood red dominated the purple, "Because he threatens me every day. He says if I don't do his bidding, he will kill every single one I have left. He will kill you all before my eyes."