Dazai didn 't leave his inn room for the following two days.

It was mostly practical: the innkeeper didn 't want to see him, and Dazai didn 't want any trouble. Moreover, they weren 't the only few occupants anymore. The occasional sound of footsteps down the hall continued over the next couple days. Dazai had no interest in testing just how welcome he was here.

This also meant, of course, that Dazai didn 't have any food. He didn 't particularly mind. Often, he was too deep in thought to even notice the pangs from his stomach.

Featherbrain didn 't suffer the same fate. Dazai couldn 't stand her raucous hooting, and after only a few hours in the Leaky Cauldron, he 'd pried open the window.

'Go hunt around London, for all I care, ' he 'd bit out. 'A place like this is sure to have rats. '

Three hours later, Featherbrain had returned with a dead mouse hanging from her beak. She dropped it at his feet.

Dazai 's nose had scrunched up.

Then Featherbrain had butted her head against the mouse, pushing it into his shoes.

'I 'm not eating a creature that scurries around subways and digs through trash. ' A bolt of realization had suddenly occurred to him. '...Actually, go deliver that to Mori. '

Featherbrain didn 't run away to Mori, but she didn 't let up, either. By the end of his third day at the Leaky Cauldron, a pile of at least a dozen dead rats and mice had formed at the foot of Dazai 's bed. Dazai hoped Tom wouldn 't mind. He really

was

trying to stay on his best behavior.

Although maybe if he didn't, Tom actually would kill him...

Now that was a thought. Dazai relished in it for a bit, but in the end only quietly stayed in his room, trouble-free.

On the third day, Dazai drew a coat around his shoulders, steeled his expression, and unlocked the door. Freshly showered and bandaged, Dazai looked nothing at all like he 'd spent the last few days locked in a small room, barely moving. He twisted the key in the lock before pocketing it.

Lucius Malfoy would be kept waiting for him if he dawdled any longer.

The common room of the Leaky Cauldron looked just as it had a few days prior. Unlike last time, however, the pub was no longer empty. A group of older-looking wizards had taken over a table by the door. At the bar, a couple people with large, pointed hats were chatting over what must have been their breakfast. Dazai ignored them, hoping to sneak into Diagon Alley without someone recognizing him as Hogwarts' so-called 'Demon Student.'

Pointing his feet at the back wall, Dazai headed straight towards the Diagon Alley entrance.

'Ahem... '

Damn.

So close, yet so, so far!

Dazai froze, then quickly made his expression one of unobtrusive question.

'Hm? '

He turned. The owner was watching him from behind the bar. 'Good morning, Tom. I 'm only heading out to buy my supplies for this year. '

The customers sitting at the bar briefly glanced up at him, but evidently deemed him unimportant. Dazai was just another student to them, for now. They looked away after a second to continue their conversation over a breakfast of sausage and eggs.

Dazai really was lucky Skeeter hadn 't gotten his photo in the paper.

Tom, meanwhile, was still watching him. There was a cautiousness in his gaze, but Dazai noted the man didn 't look nearly as frantic as he had the other day. The stiffness in his shoulders was beguiled by the worried press of his lips and brows.

'Er... '

Tom frowned. It took a moment before he seemed to decide on what to say. 'Are you going to have breakfast? '

Dazai tilted his head. 'I 'm running late. '

He wasn 't. The Port Mafia didn 't tolerate tardiness.

Tom swallowed hard. 'It 's just, you haven 't come out for food since you got here ' '

'Aw,

lighten up, Tom! ' A customer cut-in. Despite the early time, a serving of ale was already in front of them. They reeked of booze strong enough that Dazai knew this wasn 't their first drink of the day, either. 'Kid 's clearly on his way to meet with a friend! '

Upon seeing Tom 's wide-eyed expression, Dazai had mercy on the man. 'That 's right, ' he said. Lucius Malfoy was a friend-to-be of the Port Mafia, he supposed. 'I should be going. ' Wouldn 't want to make a bad first impression."

Tom hadn 't dropped his bewildered stare, but he didn 't seem like he was going to share Dazai 's identity with the other patrons. Dazai was briefly grateful when Tom coughed into his fist and brushed aside whatever questions he was currently choking on, '

Er

'Enjoy yourself. '

'Thanks! ' Dazai beamed. '

Ah,

Tom. Could you open the door for me? I 'm so bad with magic, I 'd probably mess it up. '

The customer burst out in drunken laughter.

Beside them, Tom looked stupefied. He shook it off at Dazai 's continued silence. 'Yeah, okay. Here ' '

Tom drew a wand from his back pocket. He stepped out from behind the bar and tapped it against the brick wall in a seemingly random pattern. Then, with a humming swell of magic, the brick began to fold away. It buzzed noisily in Dazai 's skull for another few seconds. But once the magic had settled, an open doorway stood in its place. Tom returned his wand to his side with a nod.

'Thanks! '

Dazai skipped through the doorway with a wave goodbye.

Behind his back, Dazai heard the customer comment,

'nice kid, '

followed by Tom 's more suffocated,

'urgh 'y-yeah, he is... '

Then the brick wall threaded shut.

With a bark of dull magic, the door closed completely, leaving only a blank slate in its wake. Dazai forced himself not to collapse back into it, even though the thought of a brief reprieve was promising. But if he were to accidentally nullify the doorway, it wouldn 't just be Dazai trapped in Diagon Alley.

Tucking his fingers into his slacks pockets, Dazai was careful to keep his hands to himself.

Diagon Alley stretched out before him a long row of buildings and robed wizards. Unlike last time, Dazai was now able to recognize some of the shops. Flourish and Blotts 'a bookstore 'immediately caught Dazai 's attention. Unfortunately, he hadn 't the time to explore at the moment. Though perhaps that was for the best. An unusually sizable crowd was formed around the shop now, and Dazai generally made an effort to avoid large groupings.

Madamn Malkin 's Robes for All Occasions was another shop Dazai recognized. He also spotted Olivander 's wand shop a little way off. Quietly, Dazai was relieved he wouldn 't have to return there. Not only did Olivander have a watchful eye, there was a slight chance he might recognize Dazai on sight.

Recognize the

Demon Student

on site.

Nothing but trouble, that.

At the end of the long alley stood the ever-impressive Gringott 's Bank. Tall enough a jump would kill him. Shame Dazai didn't have the time for that.

Destination set, Dazai stuck to the fringes as he walked to the bank. He was careful not to butt into too many passersbys. Mercifully, the other wizards mostly kept to themselves. Dazai wasn 't outright recognizable despite the stories circulating about him. It helped that he was slight of frame 'easily sneaking around groups of people or ducking under raised arms.

When Dazai reached Gringott 's, he stopped and looked around. As expected, no one called out to him. Dazai had intentionally arrived to the meeting early. Not only would it give him time to exchange some muggle funds at the bank, it also let him scope out the area. Looking for escape routes should the need arise, observing Lucius from the shadows, practicing the charming smile on his face...

Preparation was an important tool for all mafioso on a deep cover mission.

Dazai straightened a grin on his lips. No one paid the young mafioso a second glance as he let himself into Gringott 's.

Gringott 's looked exactly as he remembered it. The bank was all ornate marble and pillars, but otherwise lacked the magical flashiness Dazai had come to associate with other places, like Hogwarts. Dazai glanced around, walking towards the desk when he spotted an open teller.

A goblin stared down at him. Their lip immediately curled back in disgust.

Dazai fiddled around his coat for a moment before unceremoniously dropping a banded stack of cash on the desk. When the goblin didn 't immediately reach out, Dazai smiled. 'I 'm aware you can 't touch me, ' he said plainly. No Longer Human was no secret between magical creatures, as he 'd come to realize the year prior. 'But I really do need this in wizarding currency. The quicker you exchange it, the quicker I 'm out of your way. '

By this point, quite a few pairs of goblin eyes had flashed in Dazai 's direction. Just as soon as they did, however, they all turned away and went back to their work.

The teller eyed him for a moment before letting out a gravelly sigh. 'Very well... ' they trailed off. Slowly, so as to watch Dazai 's every move, they snatched the money off the desk. Then, with practiced ease, they counted the stack. Not a minute later a freshly tied sack of knuts, sickles, and galleons slid across the desk.

Dazai caught it before it could spill over the table 's edge and across the floor.

'Watch your hands... ' they cautioned, voice slight.

'I 'll be careful, ' Dazai said with a nod. To prove his point, he shoved his hands deep into his pockets. Though the teller didn 't look at all contented, they didn 't press him any further, either. 'Thank you. '

'Hrm... '

Dazai smiled. He was about to step away from the goblin, when he thought to ask, 'Do you have the time? '

They stiffly gestured to the wall. A large clock hung there, fingers indicating it was five minutes to nine. Not long until his meeting, now. When Dazai turned back to the goblin to respond, they cut him off with a quick, 'get out. '

'Ah...

will do! Thanks again. '

Cheerfully, Dazai backed away from the desk. He was careful to keep his hands pocketed, knowing that there were other goblins about the bank. As always seemed to be the case with No Longer Human, carelessly reaching around was liable to have catastrophic consequences. Dazai didn 't want a dead goblin on his hands. Not today, at least. Certainly not in front of more than a dozen other bank-goers.

Luckily, no one else seemed to have noticed Dazai 's odd interaction with the goblin. He had been careful to keep his voice low, but one could never truly be sure.

Speaking of eavesdropping...

Dazai exited the bank and made a quick turn to lean up against the building 's exterior wall. He rested up against it with a huff. From this position, Dazai had a clear view of the entire clearing. People milled about shop fronts and chatted business in the streets. From his vantage point, Dazai was also able to scope out the area for the white hair of the Malfoy clan. Dazai looked down on the pedestrians with a blank expression.

Lucius Malfoy must be amongst them, somewhere. Dazai had never met the man before, but wasn 't especially concerned. No one in magical society was particularly a threat to him, for starters. For another, Dazai was intimately familiar with the man 's type.

Manipulative, slimy, and powerful. Like the magical version of Mori, Dazai supposed.

With someone like that, Dazai wanted to maintain his upper hand. He knew, personally, just how quickly a conversation with someone like that could get out of hand.

He would keep their conversation brief 'the meet-and-greet it was meant to be, and not a full-scale information exchange like Lucius probably wanted.

Thinking this, Dazai scanned the crowds below.

He reached into his pocket to withdraw a sickle, flipping it over his fingers while he watched. With a flick, it spun up into the air. A flash of silver light caught on its rim before twirling back into Dazai 's open palm. It landed heads-up. Dazai sniffed, then tossed it again. Heads.

A different silver shine suddenly caught Dazai 's attention.

He stood up straighter, eyes immediately seeking out one person in the crowd below.

A long swath of silver hair flooded out from the man 's head. He had a deep scowl on his face 'one that spoke more on condescension than disinterest. The robes he wore were black and decorated with a fine white embroidery. The man walked with a thin cane, though it seemed to be more for appearances sake than for functional reasons. He held it aloft rather than leaning into it.

Lucius Malfoy,

Dazai 's mind supplied without prompting. This man certainly fit the mental image Dazai had constructed for Draco 's father. Pompous and expensive. His general appearance practically screamed

rich and powerful socialite.

Lucius glanced around for a second when his scowl deepened.

Looking for me?

Dazai wondered, vaguely amused.

Although he wanted nothing more than to keep the man waiting as a 'screw-you' to Mori, it was best not to make enemies of people like the Malfoys. Dazai was just considering making his entrance when something else caught his eye. He jumped.

Lucius wasn 't alone.

Dazai 's eyes widened as he recognized the man 's much younger companion.

Draco!

Dazai immediately picked out the figure of his friend walking to Lucius ' side. Draco looked a little taller, but otherwise identical to when Dazai had last seem him. He watched the silver-blonde boy cross his arms and pinch his brow. Self-importance oozed off of him.

Something warm bit at Dazai 's chest. He coughed to clear it.

Just a step behind Draco was an older-looking woman. Her hair was an odd mix of Malfoy-silver and chestnut brown. Her bright pink lipstick instantly reminded Dazai of Rita Skeeter, but that was where the similarities stopped. He didn 't recognize her, but judging by present company? This must have been Miss Malfoy. Dazai couldn 't recall ever having heard her name.

Dazai flipped his coin. He decided it would land tails, and a second later it did.

Draco 's biting voice carried across the clearing, ringing in Dazai 's ears where he 'd been listening for it.

'Where is this ambassador? Anyone who leaves a Malfoy waiting isn 't worth our time, Father. '

Dazai nearly dropped his sickle. He stared down at where Draco and his family were gathered. Had Lucius not mentioned to his son who they were meeting?

Just 'ambassador.' Dazai tasted the word on his tongue.

Mutely, he wondered just how filled in the young Malfoy was. Or, moreover, how much explaining Dazai would have to do later. When he and Draco could talk in private. Or maybe he 'd never explain himself at all, and they would just have this little ambassadorial secret unspoken between them.

Knowing Draco, though...

Well. There was no getting out of it, now.

'If there were only a way to avoid interacting with the rabble, ' Miss Malfoy breathed. Her expression was one of deep disdain as she glared at the passerbys. Seemingly worried about those reprehensible pedestrians, she took a protective step into Draco 's side. 'I would suggest we simply cut ties with this... group. They aren 't even pureblooded. '

'The Port Mafia, ' Lucius corrected. Dazai noted that he didn 't disagree with his wife 's lack of enthusiasm, nor her purist views. His shoulders were held stiffly. 'Although it appears outwardly to be an irrelevant organization, it is anything but. We must put up with its less-than commendable purity for the time being. '

'I suppose. ' Draco stood perfectly straight.

'They could do with a lesson in tardiness, at the very least. '

To anyone further away, the Malfoys looked the picture of regal. For Dazai, who was close enough to listen in, the Malfoys reeked of condescension and ill-intent.

'I don 't see why we have to be meeting this Port Mafia, anyway, ' Draco said after a moment, sounding annoyed. 'Since when has the Malfoy family ever needed to pledge loyalty to some puffed-up organization? With a name like 'Port Mafia, ' no less. How haughty ' '

'Nonsense. ' Lucius Mafloy snapped. His voice was like ice. At once, Draco and Miss Malfoy went silent. Something sharpened in the man 's posture. In Miss Malfoy 's, too. Something unspoken and unkind passed between them.

Dazai saw Draco duck his head and grind his teeth.

Alright,

Dazai thought,

now is a good time to make an appearance.

With a final toss of his sickle, Dazai pushed off the wall and jumped two steps at a time. 'Mr. Malfoy, Sir, ' he greeted, a pleasing smile automatically falling across his lips. 'It 's a pleasure to meet you. '

Three pairs of eyes snapped straight to him. Draco 's mouth fell open.

'Dazai?! What are you doing here?! '

'Meeting with your father, of course, ' Dazai tutted. 'Good morning, Sir. Ma 'am. Draco. '

Lucius didn 't look at all surprised at Dazai 's boyish appearance, as expected. Beside him, Miss Malfoy briefly frowned. She recovered almost immediately, however. It was only Draco who seemed to be struggling to keep his expression in check.

Kept in the dark, then. Dazai could relate.

'You 're late, ' Lucius ground out. His voice was very matter-of-fact.

'I 'm just on time, actually. '

Judging by Lucius ' unimpressed stare, the other man didn 't particularly care for details. Dazai got the sense that Lucius was the type to always assume he was right and disregard anything saying otherwise.

'This is just an informal meeting, anyway, ' Dazai said with a smile. He waved off Lucius ' upset with a bandaged hand. 'Don 't look so tense, Sir. '

Lucius ' frown deepened. He didn 't seem to appreciate Dazai 's lighthearted cheer. However, politics won out over his own dislike. 'Dazai Osamu, I understand? '

'That 's right, ' Dazai tipped his head. 'And you 're Lucius Malfoy, eloquent head to the Malfoy family. Of course, I know your son Draco. ' He glanced to Lucius ' wife, thought about shaking her hand, but quickly decided otherwise. Instead, he dipped into a slight bow. 'I 'm not familiar with your lovely wife, however. Your name, Miss...? '

'Narcissa Malfoy, ' she responded, sounding surprised, but pleased.

'It 's a pleasure, Narcissa, ' Dazai said.

Narcissa tittered behind a gloved hand. It was lacey and black and entirely without function.

'Why is your Port Mafia suddenly butting its head into magic affairs? '

Dazai blinked away from Narcissa to face her husband. The man 's tone was stern, but not entirely without reason. Dazai lifted his chin. 'Nothing too strenuous, ' he assured. 'The Port Mafia is hoping to integrate further with the magical community. Why not start with the most wealthy and powerful family? '

Dazai kept the details light. Mori himself was playing his cards very close to his chest. No doubt, the Malfoys were just another pawn to the man.

He tossed his sickle into the air. It spun for a second before landing on the back of his palm.

'But that 's not what you really wanted to ask, is it? '

Lucius tracked the coin with obvious suspicion. The sickle landed tails. Lucius glared down at it as if it had offended him.

'I would have preferred to meet the boss of your organization, ' Lucius said, 'though I suppose it cannot be helped. '

Dazai felt himself frowning unintentionally. The boss of the Port Mafia was unstable 'that was common knowledge. Mori, however...

'If you play nice with the Port Mafia, I 'm sure I could arrange something. '

At the wording, Lucius abruptly looked as though he had smelled something rank and awful.

Dazai spared Draco a fast glance.

The other boy was watching him with narrowed, thoughtful eyes. His lips were pressed into a thin line and his brows were pulled together. Dazai couldn 't read the emotion there. Suspicion? Distrust? Something curdled in Dazai 's stomach.

The sickle landed again with a click. Dazai dropped his hand down onto it. 'What do you think, Sir? Heads or tails? '

Lucius scoffed. 'I will not be playing childish games with you. '

Dazai hummed. 'It 's not a game, Lucius. Just simple probability. '

Lucius stared down at him, entirely nonplussed. There was an annoyed-looking press to his brow that said the man was trying to figure Dazai out.

With a sigh, Dazai peeked below his hand. 'Tails, ' he said. 'You would have gotten it wrong. '

His eyes narrowed minutely. 'I am not playing. '

'No, but you seemed like you were thinking it was heads. ' Lucius didn 't react, but Dazai knew he was right. Dazai eyed the eldest Malfoy as he gave the coin another toss. The sickle spun in the air before landing again on the back of Dazai 's hand. A griffin 's head stared back at him. 'Heads. You would have won this time, had you decided to play. '

He tossed the coin again.

'Heads," Draco said.

Dazai startled, but didn 't fumble the catch.

The sickle landed on his palm, head-side up.

Draco stared at him. 'I win, ' the snake said, voice perfectly even.

Dazai blinked a few times before shaking off the expression. Then, he plastered a toothy grin across his face. 'That you do! '

'As the winner, I should get a reward. ' Draco lifted his chin, so as to look down on Dazai. 'Buy me something nice. '

'Draco ' ' Lucius barked.

'No, no, he 's right. ' Dazai reassured, effortlessly flipping the coin once more before pocketing it. He kept his hand fisted behind the cloth. 'It 's only logical: the winner of any game should get a prize. '

Lucius ' sneer briefly flickered. The man seemed genuinely surprised by his easy-going acceptance. Dazai understood why 'the Port Mafia wasn 't exactly known for being passive about having things demanded of it. Still, Dazai merely smiled.

'Our involvement with the Port Mafia ' '

'You can speak with Mori about the details. I wasn 't under the impression we were here to talk business, Lucius. Just a meeting. Unless you want me to ring the boss up right now, tell him Lucius is demanding things of us already? '

Lucius bit his tongue. 'Very well, ' he ground out.

Dazai nodded. He was about to suggest something to Draco when '

'You are right, my apologies. Mori is not giving you any control over this ordeal. Is he, boy? ' Lucius asked with an air of thoughtfulness. The words seemed to drip from his mouth. A lie 'or just slimy in the way all bosses were. 'To him, you are just another player in his game. '

Speak for yourself,

Dazai quipped silently.

'Perhaps, together, we could find you a better suited position. '

Dazai eyed Lucius with a flat face.

It wasn 't hard to see Lucius was trying to manipulate him. Dazai forced his expression to remain blank, a look that silently spoke,

'whatever you think you want from me, I couldn 't care less. '

When he didn 't immediately respond, Lucius tapped his cane on the ground. Dazai 's eyes snapped to it, then back to Lucius. 'Pawn to some forgotten organization is no fitting thing for the next Dark Lord to be, after all. '

Dazai 's hand stilled in his pocket, hovering over a silver coin.

He smothered any emotion immediately. 'It was lovely meeting you, ' he said instead of answering, voice dull.

Lucius paused, then blinked in surprise at the response. He spoke slowly, as if sizing Dazai up. '...That it was. '

Lucius seemed still to be considering him.

Dazai felt himself doing the same.

Draco looked between them. Because Dazai didn 't turn to watch the other boy, he could only guess at what expression was written there.

Contempt, maybe.

After a too-long moment, Narcissa cleared her throat.

Lucius held his gaze for a second longer. Dazai was the first to look away, feigning disinterest.

'Perhaps, ' Narcissa spoke, 'we might postpone this conversation for another time. Draco, dear, we need to do your shopping for the school year. '

Dazai rolled back on his heels, preparing to step away to do his own school shopping. He had met with Lucius and completed Mori 's first assignment 'a success. With the meeting finished, Dazai would be on his way.

Bridges successful built, roads officially paved. Mori could manage the rest himself.

Deserved to,

for throwing him into the brink like this.

Then, to Dazai 's utter surprise, Draco cleared his throat.

'Dazai, will you be tagging along? '

Lucius balked at his son 's question.

Dazai, having thought their meeting was concluded, reacted much the same.

'Huh? '

Draco was undeterred. He puffed out his chest. 'Father, Mother. I know Dazai 'he 's bound to get lost if he 's alone. I 'd like to keep an eye on him. '

"Well... I was planning to spend my afternoon climbing up Gringott's and taking a swan-dive into the street below, but... I do need to buy you that prize, don't I? ' Dazai chuckled, bouncing back quickly with a casual smile as he recovered himself. He faced Narcissa. She seemed the more pleasant of the duo. 'If you 'll have me. '

Narcissa 's surprise warmed over almost instantaneously.

'Oh!

You 're a friend of my Draco? '

Dazai smiled, even as Lucius looked to be deeply regretting bringing his family along. 'He didn 't say? '

Narcissa didn 't look in the slightest upset that her son was friends with a mafioso. She also didn 't seem surprised that Draco hadn 't told her about their friendship. Dazai got the distinct impression that the Malfoy 's weren 't a particularly close family. Not that Dazai had any room to speak 'the cuts on his face spoke well enough of his relationship with Father.

'He certainly did not. ' The airiness in Lucius ' tone spoke of his noble lifestyle. Despite that, Dazai could easily read the growl under his words.

Draco must have heard it as well. The other boy 's expression fell, but he covered the slip not a second later. Dazai was almost impressed.

Looking between Draco and his father, Dazai tasted something bitter on his tongue. It wasn 't that he was

worried

for Draco, per se. But...

'Draco is a good friend, ' Dazai explained. Although he was smiling Narcissa 's way, the words were only partially for her ears. 'I owe him a lot, for some stuff he helped me with last year. ' Thinking fast, he explained, 'I asked him to watch over my pet for me when I left. '

Draco nodded.

Beside him, Narcissa and Lucius ' eyes lit up with sudden realization. No doubt, the image of a young, Norwegian Ridgeback dragon had just flashed across both of their minds. Draco must have done a good job convincing them to let him keep Egg, Dazai thought. There was

definitely

a story there. Dazai had nearly forgotten about that whole ordeal, with everything else going on, but the Malfoys certainly hadn 't.

Narcissa beamed, seeming pleased, somehow.

She was the weakest link here, Dazai decided. He smiled at her because of it.

Lucius ' frown shifted almost minutely. Replacing the cold anger that was there seconds before, his gaze turned thoughtful. Appraising.

Draco shot Dazai a surprised glance. However, their staring contest didn 't last more than a second, as Draco turned his focus back to watch Lucius ' expression within the second. The boy seemed to melt as his father 's pressuring gaze suddenly turned easy.

'I suppose, then, that 's good. ' Lucius hummed. His fingers danced over the head of his cane. Looking closer, Dazai saw that the cane was topped with a metal snake design. Its maw was gaping open and sharp, as though trying to devour anyone who dared look its way. The cane shone just as bright and silver as Dazai 's coin. 'It seems the Malfoys and the Port Mafia are already well on their way to an alliance. Good, Draco. '

Draco nearly jumped, pride shimmering on his face. 'Of course, Father. '

Lucius looked between Dazai and his son, the expression behind his eyes hard to read. They waited a moment in silence before, slowly, Lucius nodded his assent.

Draco let out a barely-there sigh.

Then, taking charge, he announced, 'Let 's get our books. ' His eyes flicked to Lucius, who gave no indication of further disagreement. Seeing this, Draco barged onwards, 'Have you seen the list, Dazai? It 's almost entirely full of Gilderoy Lockhart 's books. '

It seemed that was that, then.

Dazai kept Lucius and Narcissa at the edges of his attention, but otherwise let himself turn his focus to Draco. Narcissa, at the very least, seemed pleased with the idea of them being school friends. Perhaps Dazai could get her on his side if he played nice right now.

Course set, Dazai smiled pleasantly.

'I saw... Should I recognize that name? ' He mumbled.

The intricacies of magical society still escaped him a year later. Was the man famous, or something? Celebrity gossip hadn 't been one of Dazai 's research topics in the past. Thinking this, Dazai reached into his coat. He felt around for a second before pulling out a slip of yellowed paper.

Draco peeked over his shoulder.

'He 's an author. He 's going to be our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year... Wait a second! ' Draco said, snatching the letter.

Dazai let him, flinching at the unexpected grab. He covered up the unconscious reaction by crossing his arms over his chest.

'I don 't recognize some of these books! ' Draco scanned the page. His brows furrowed as he continued to read. 'Your required reading list is different from mine. '

Dazai frowned. 'It is? '

He looked inquiringly at Draco. After a moment, the other boy relented. 'Mother, could you hand me my letter? '

Narcissa retrieved a slip of paper from her robe and gave it to Draco. Over her shoulder, Dazai saw Lucius watching with blank, assessing eyes. He held the man 's gaze.

'A History of Magic, Magical Drafts and Potions... '

Draco read aloud. He looked between the two papers, comparing their contents. Dazai let his eyes drift away from Lucius only when Draco let out a loud, 'Here!

The Biology of Magic.

I don 't have that one. '

Dazai hummed. 'What else is different? ' he asked, swiping the paper back. He suppressed a chuckle at Draco 's returning glare. 'Do you have this one?

Magical Theory, a Continuation. '

'I don 't, ' Draco said. He folded up his letter with a frown. 'What 's going on? Why do you have more books than me? '

Dazai inspected his list for another few seconds before doing the same. He was about to make some joking remark when the answer suddenly occurred to him. 'The professors must have worked out my new curriculum by now. '

Thinking about the books on his list again, that must have been it. Controlling and understanding magic would be very important to a student that was hurt by spell-casting. Curious, Dazai wondered just how his lessons would pan out this year compared to the last. And unlike last year, Dazai thought ruefully, there was no illusion of going unnoticed by his professors. After Quirrell,

everyone

would have their eyes on him.

Draco 's frown fell into an 'O.'

Someone cleared their throat. Dazai and Draco both looked up to where Lucius was watching them with a scowl. Draco answered the unspoken question there before Dazai could get any words out.

'Dazai has a weakness to magic 'it makes him ill, ' Draco explained, voice steady. 'Last year, the professors were working on an alternate curriculum that would be safe for him while also keeping him on track with his year. '

Lucius raised a single brow, but didn 't comment.

'I 've never heard of such a thing, ' Narcissa said. She peered down at Dazai, as if expecting to see the ailment on his person. Evidently finding nothing of worth, her lips twitched downward in unmistakable disgust.

Dazai offered a guileless smile, trying for the image of

hopeless muggleborn fool.

Draco shot him an unimpressed look before turning to his mother. 'If I hadn 't seen it myself, I would call him a liar as well. Regardless, ' he waved the folded-up letter, 'I would like to buy my books sometime before Diagon Alley becomes overly crowded. '

'I agree, ' Lucius said, snapping back into the conversation.

Diagon Alley was basically one, long road 'even Dazai would have a hard time getting lost here. Despite this, Dazai easily stepped back, allowing Draco to take the lead. Draco took on the position with the sort of casual leadership wealthy folk often did. Narcissa hovered over her son 's shoulder, whereas Lucius fell into the back of their group. Dazai felt the older man 's shadow over him. Ignoring the cold feeling in his chest, Dazai joined Draco at the front.

As they walked, the people of Diagon Alley gave them a wide berth. People stared at them as they passed, watching the Malfoys with something like reverence. Dazai tried to ignore the eyes on them. Walking boldly at the front of the Malfoy family was drawing a lot of attention. Although it made Dazai uncomfortable, nothing could be done about it now. Not without revealing his discomfort to the Malfoy patriarch.

Hoping to distract himself, Dazai saddled up closer to Draco 's side. The other boy raised a brow.

'It 's no fair, making me spend more on books than everyone else, ' Dazai commented abruptly, kicking his feet out with each step. "I'll just die instead."

Draco looked amused. 'You shouldn 't be complaining about money now 'not when you still owe me a reward. ' He still didn 't comment on their sudden closeness. 'Save it for after. '

'It 's not about money. ' The Port Mafia was funding this job, after all. Dazai couldn 't be short on funds if he tried. 'It 's the principle of the thing. Anyway, I don 't know what you expect me to buy you. A rich family like the Malfoys already has everything they could ever dream of, right? '

Draco hummed, agreeing without argument. 'Buy me ice cream, then. '

Dazai considered the idea. Turning his head back and forth, he searched around Diagon Alley. Seeing this, Draco explained, 'Florean Fortescue 's Ice Cream Parlor, ' he pointed.

Dazai followed his finger to a rather sunny-looking shop just to their left. Peeking through the window, Dazai saw an impressive display of iced treats ranging from normal colors to more outlandish, surprising ones. A neon-red flavor caught his interest in particular. Dazai mutely wondered what magical flavors must be inside. The table outside 'topped with a rainbow umbrella 'was empty.

Before Dazai could respond, Narcissa interrupted. 'After we finish our shopping, ' she said. Then, with a certain unexplained bite to her tone, she added, 'Perhaps. '

Draco looked like he wanted to argue, but held his tongue at the last moment. Amused by the unusually childish interaction, Dazai teased, 'I didn 't know you had a sweet-tooth, Draco."

Draco bristled. He leveled Dazai with a pointed glare.

Dazai laughed.

As they approached the bookstore, Diagon Alley became suddenly more-and-more busy. There were people milling about the street and store-fronts. Dazai frowned. Even just half-an-hour earlier when Dazai first passed through, there weren 't nearly this many people.

His eyes widened when the bookstore 's large wooden door came into view.

'We may be too late to avoid crowds, Draco, ' Dazai commented, tilting his chin to gesture towards the bookstore, Flourish and Blotts.

Outside the shop, a long, long line of patrons stood. There were young and old; robed and suited; male, female, and otherwise 'all lined up and eagerly clutching colorful sets of books to their chests. They were bouncing on their heels and excitedly chatting about something. Dazai 's nose turned up at the bustle. Beside him, Draco did the same.

As Dazai scanned the crowd, his eyes snapped to a folded, wooden sign beside the door.

'Gilderoy Lockhart Book Signing Today! '

It was decorated garishly with stars, hearts, and the not-so charming visage of a blonde-headed man. Lockhart, Dazai presumed.

'Well, we aren 't just going to slip in and out of

that

, ' Dazai grumbled, already imagining all the people he was going to have to push against just to get inside. 'This Lockhart person better be really special. '

'The man is a loon, ' Lucius said without prompting.

Dazai blinked, surprised at the uncharacteristic and unexpected jab. Unwittingly, a smile teased the corners of his lips.

Catching the mafioso 's amused expression, Lucius sneered down at him before turning away.

'I don 't suppose the crowd will be lessening anytime soon, ' Draco said mournfully.

Dazai shook his head. With a curled lip, he watched a group of tweens press up against the window, then squeal. Already dreading having to navigate the crowd, Dazai considered just coming back the next day.

Lucius spoke before Dazai could voice his hesitancies aloud. 'Enough dawdling. '

Without another word, the senior Malfoy strode to the front of their group and straight towards Flourish and Blotts. Narcissa was the first to jolt, following behind her husband not a second later. Draco and Dazai shared a brief glance before joining as well.

Even with a blockade of fans surrounding the door, Lucius didn 't slow his step. Dazai realized, with some respect, that he didn 't

need

to. Annoyed arguments died on their tongues the second they saw just who it was that was approaching. Without a second thought, the crowd parted aside. Lucius, never once having to ask, passed straight through the blocked entrance. Narcissa and Draco followed, proud smirks painted across their faces. Dazai followed a step behind.

Behind them, the crowd was silent for a moment.

A second later and the line had filled back up around the door, excited chattering resuming.

So that was the unspoken power of the Malfoy name...

If Dazai had hoped inside Flourish and Blotts would be any more peaceful, he would have been sorely mistaken. The shop was jammed full of over-eager fans, clustered and lined up around the front of the shop. Dazai pressed himself as close to Draco 's side as he could without touching. A cover of bodies and robes filled his vision.

Seemingly used to his antics by now, Draco simply rolled his eyes. He hooked a finger around Dazai 's coat sleeve and summarily dragged the mafioso further into the shop where the crowd was less dense.

'It 's awfully noisy, ' Draco said, once it was no longer too loud to hear each other speak. 'Let 's find our books and get out of here. '

Dazai nodded. He was equally (if not more so) eager to leave the bustle. Not only did he dislike the pressure of large crowds, but Dazai was also dealing with the stress of No Longer Human potentially revealing itself amongst the shoving. If even one of these people noticed their spell suddenly cutting out, or their magical artifact suddenly shattering...

Well, it was best to just avoid the situation as a whole.

'Come on. If I recall correctly, the history books are over here, ' Draco said, snatching Dazai 's attention back.

Dazai followed with a short word of agreement. When Draco suddenly halted in his tracks to snatch a book from the shelf, Dazai did the same. He scanned the cover and leafed through some of the pages.

Suddenly, it occurred to him '

'Hey, where did Lucius and Narcissa go? '

Draco blinked out of his own quiet musings. Frowning, he looked around.

'We must have lost them at the front. I don 't see them either, ' he commented, a pinch between his brows. Then he snapped his focus back to Dazai with a scowl. 'And don 't call my parents by their first names. It sounds weird coming out of your mouth. '

'They may be

your

parents, but they 're

my

business partners. '

That drew a surprised look from Draco, who quickly covered the expression with something tight. Whatever he was thinking, Draco shook it away with a literal shake of his head. 'Right. And don 't think we won 't be talking about that once we 're somewhere more private. What in the

stars

is going on,

Mr. Port Mafia?!

'

Dazai laughed airily. 'I thought as much. If it means anything, I didn 't think you would be coming to this meeting, Draco. '

'That doesn 't make anything better. It just means you were planning to lie to me about it later, ' he grumbled.

Dazai shrugged, seeing no reason to deny the accusation.

Seeming to take the lack of answer for what it was, Draco huffed. 'Speaking of things we definitely need to talk about, ' Draco said, starting to walk down the aisle once again. He gestured for Dazai to follow. 'What happened to your face? It 's all banged up. '

Dazai brought a hand to his cheek, feeling the gauze there. 'We haven 't seen each other in months, and you jump straight to the interrogations... What ever happened to emotional reunions between friends,

hm? '

'I seem to recall that you hate emotions, ' Draco responded, entirely nonplussed. At Dazai 's blank look, he added, 'Blaise said. '

'Ah. '

Draco plucked a book from the shelf, handed it to Dazai, then grabbed another copy for himself. 'So? '

'Accidental magic, ' Dazai said, remembering what Tom had guessed just the other day.

Unlike Tom, however, Draco looked completely unconvinced. He raised a brow.

'You?

Accidental magic? I 'll believe it when I see it. Without my guidance, you couldn 't even manage a spark of magic. I shudder to think how little you can manage on your own. Well... except for that one time. '

When No Longer Human killed the mountain troll during Halloween, Dazai remembered. Having nothing to say on the matter, however, he simply shrugged.

'You owe it to me, to say. ' Draco was unshaken.

My father knocked me around during one of his episodes.

No, no.

Dazai couldn 't say that. It would only cause his friends to fuss 'because

Merlin

knew they loved to fuss over trivial things like that. Violence was natural in the mafia. Draco wouldn 't understand that. But, even then... acid burned in his stomach at just the thought of admitting to the truth. It stayed his tongue.

Dazai replaced the ambiguous feeling with a joking, 'I thought I owed you ice cream? '

'That, too. '

'You 're awfully conniving these days. ' Dazai sniffed.

'Dazai, you 're hurt. What 's ' '

'Dazai! '

"Hey, Dazai!"

The two snakes jumped at the sudden declaration, jolting at their private conversation to see where the shout had come from.

The twin, beaming faces of Fred and George stared back at them.

At his side, Draco suddenly went still. Dazai shot him a glance, before turning a grinning face to the twins. Something giddy burst to life in his chest.

'Fred and George, ' he greeted with a smile. 'Fancy meeting you here again. '

The two red-heads were nearly a head taller than the last time Dazai had seem them, obviously having gone through quite the growth spurt. They wore casual clothes and matching grins. Then, without fanfare, they both leaned in and squeezed Dazai into a hug.

'Um '! '

Dazai squeaked.

Fred and George relented, pulling back but still grabbing Dazai 's shoulders with warm hands. Their eyes were swimming with joy.

'It 's been too long, Dazai! '

'We missed you! How 've you been? '

'What are those bandages on your face? '

'You 're hanging with Draco? '

'Is that a new haircut? '

"Not buying any weird books again this year, are ya'?"

Question after question spilled from their lips as the Weasley twins excitedly tried to play catch-up. Dazai 's head spun with the sudden demand, but found that he was more amused than overwhelmed. A giggle bubbled out from his chest.

'Well ' '

'Dazai, '

a whispered grunt said suddenly.

Both Dazai and the twins turned to face Draco, who was looking around the aisle with a steely expression. At some point, he had taken a step back. Dazai raised a brow.

'What 's up, Draco? ' Fred asked, though his tone was clearly hesitating.

'Did you want us to give you a warm welcome, too? '

Dazai was about to add in his own askance when he abruptly realized what had caught Draco 's notice.

Or, rather, what

hadn 't.

The bookstore was very suddenly

deathly

silent.

Dazai 's back straightened instinctively, on edge. Distracted by the twins, Dazai hadn 't noticed it before. He looked around, following Draco 's line of sight to where the patrons of Flourish and Blotts were staring at them, wide eyed. It must have been every single person in the shop was staring right at them.

Fear

seemed to radiate off the crowd.

Fear

, Dazai realized with a jolt,

directed only at him.

Dazai balked as he remembered the twins ' greeting:

Dazai.

They had called his name.

A name that was pasted across every newspaper in the streets, but had, before now, lacked an associated face.

Whispers had broken out among the other patrons.

'Dazai? '

'Isn 't that the Demon Student 's name? '

'He 's here?! '

'What 's that monster doing here!? '

The lighthearted air around his group suddenly vanished. Dazai felt his expression shutter closed. He unconsciously took a step back. Dazai bumped into one of the twin 's chests, but instead of pushing him away, a hand held him steady in place.

Shit.

Maybe Mori was right 'he

was

getting careless around his friends.

'Fear not, my dears! '

An unfamiliar voice suddenly cut through the bleak air. It was flowery and light, but seemed to spear the crowd apart nonetheless. People moved aside, making room for the speaker. A blonde-headed man pushed through, wearing a grin bright enough to blind. Dazai grimaced. This stranger had hardly spoken a word, and Dazai already hated him. 'Gilderoy Lockhart will take care of things! Now, what appears to be the problem? '

A flash of cameras illuminated the famed author 's arrival.

Dazai heard Draco scoff, but smothered his own reactions for now 'very conscious of how some of the crowd let out relieved sighs at Lockhart 's arrival. He didn 't need to go making a bad impression here. Although that bridge may be already too burnt to salvage.

Lockhart 's robes were vivid, flashy colors as he swung them about with each step. He came to a stop at the front of the crowd. A photographer snapped the moment.

'Th-that 's the Demon Student! '

Someone squeaked.

'He killed a professor in cold blood! '

'He 'll come for us next! '

Lockhart 's eyes widened, and he did a double-take over Dazai 's slight form. 'He doesn 't look all that impressive to me, ' he said, cocky.

'It 's true! ' A young woman confirmed with a frantic nod. 'I read that he just snapped and killed his professor right there! '

'I read that he 's possessed, o-or a follower of You-Know-Who! '

Lockhart raised a hand, cutting off the crowd before they could spiral into shouting again. Hysteria seemed to buzz around him, but Lockhart shared in none of it. He looked, Dazai thought, singularly pleased with himself.

'After all my adventures 'you can read about them in my books ', one measly boy is the least threat to me, ' Lockhart gloated. 'Worry not. '

Dazai stepped forward to meet Lockhart 's eyes head-on. He ignored how the hand on his shoulder seemed to be trying to pull him back. But the hand fell away as Dazai moved just out of reach. 'I don 't believe we 've had the pleasure of meeting, ' Dazai said serenely. He smiled, small, hoping to look unobtrusive even with his identity hanging open in the air. It wasn 't to late to fix this... right? 'I 'm only here to buy books, Sir. The rumors surrounding me are a bit exaggerated. '

The crowd seemed to hold its breath.

If Lockhart was surprised by the calm introduction, he didn 't let on. There was a strange emotion swirling about in the man 's eyes that Dazai couldn 't place. As a camera snapped, capturing their stare-down, Lockhart spoke with a booming voice, 'Attempting to divert the blame for your crimes? Certainly,

this

many people cannot be mistaken about your true intentions. ' His arms spread out wide, gesturing to the dozens of people hiding behind him.

The crowd roared with cheers.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dazai saw a flash of familiar silver hair. Lucius and Narcissa were watching the exchange from nearby. They didn 't seem keen on interjecting anytime soon. Unease washed over Dazai as he realized what sort of impression this whole altercation would be making to Lucius.

His job had been to

impress

Lucius, not get

berated

in front of the man.

With a further sense of unwelcome, Dazai realized that Draco had, at some point, snuck away to re-join his family. Draco had an apologetic look on his face, but also remained resolute in staying out of the way.

Beside them, Dazai also saw a group of people with a very distinctive set of red hair. Ron was among them and standing beside a shorter girl with a similarly red head. The rest of the Weasley family, Dazai assumed. He distantly recognized some of them from a year earlier. Ron was looking between Lockhart and Dazai with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

Expecting a fight, no doubt.

Lockhart 's voice tore his attention back to the main problem at hand. 'You understand, Demon Boy, that I am a champion of the people. '

'Is that in your books? I haven 't read any of them, ' Dazai said.

At his back, Fred and George made a choking sound.

Lockhart didn 't look perturbed in the slightest. If anything, he seemed to find the banter encouraging. 'You really

must

be some kind of monster. Only a monster would refuse to read my books! Don 't you all agree? '

Again, Lockhart 's fans cheered their agreement. The walls seemed to shake with enthusiasm.

'The people have spoken, ' Lockhart preened. 'I 'm a savior to the people. And you 'well, I hear you 're an evil unmatched, boy. '

Dazai bristled.

He just wanted to buy his books and leave. Was that too much to ask?

Evidently

, he thought, eyeing the swarm of photographers surrounding him now,

it is.

By tomorrow morning, his face would be in every major magical newspaper, front and center.

What a fantastic way to start his second year at Hogwarts. Dazai was already having to say goodbye to the potential of an easy-going, undercover school year and classes hadn 't even

started

yet. So much for laying low.

He definitely should have just jumped from Gringott's instead of getting involved with all this nonsense.

'As a champion of the people, I have no choice but to save them. ' He paused, giving his fans a second to applaud, before continuing, 'I swear on my diamond-bright teeth! ' Lockhart swung his arm out in an overdramatic declaration, singling out his prey with one grand point. Every single eye in Flourish and Blotts followed Lockhart 's finger to Dazai 's unimpressed glare. 'By the end of the school year, I will have defeated the Demon Student of Hogwarts! '

He winked to his fans. 'You can read about it in my next book for only two galleons, okay? '