Severus Snape started every year with a precise lesson plan written out and a no-nonsense attitude. He did not make accommodations for struggling students and he did not fall behind in his lessons. Problem students quickly learned that he would neither be accepting late assignments nor would he be giving extra credit. If you didn 't do the work, you failed. Simple as that.

Until this year, that was.

Because this year, Severus would be teaching an extra class all for just one student. One student, who Severus knew had never done his homework and rarely, if ever, participated in class. If it were any other student, Severus would have scoffed in their face and told them, 'at this point, it would be more prudent for you to just drop out. '

And yet...

There was just

something

about Dazai Osamu.

Severus couldn 't put his finger on just what that

something

was. There were any number of things that made the boy stand out. For starters, Dazai was awfully blas ' about failing all of his classes. He openly attempted to flunk out, seeming not to care for the stakes whatsoever. Outside of academics, the boy had pulled together the most unusual friend group Severus had ever seen in Hogwarts ' history. But was that enough to twist Severus ' morals into a knot?

There was more to Dazai. A

lot

more. Most of it, Severus was in the dark about. But that didn 't mean he hadn 't clocked

something

going on with that boy. The way he wrapped himself up in bandages, for one. Or how he dodged eating a full meal. Or tensed up under the eyes of an adult.

And then there was the

rest

of it.

The Quirrell situation. The Daily Prophet. Albus ' blatant disregard for the boy 's safety.

Dazai 's

disregard for his

own

safety.

And there was a burnt letter sitting in Severus ' office desk. He 'd read it at least a hundred times over, but gleaned nothing from it save for an overwhelming sense of unease. No leads on Dazai 's home life, except for that Snape was fairly sure it wasn 't a

good

one.

Moreover, Dazai Osamu could not do magic. Enrolled in a magical school, yet violently ill whenever he attempted to spell cast. He

could

cast, Severus knew. But at what cost?

Yes, Severus thought, Dazai Osamu was a student who seemed to fall short of normal at every turn. And thus, against his better judgement, Severus made accommodations. He wrote up a new lesson plan, set aside time to teach one-on-one, and looked closer than he ever had before.

And still, guilt boiled in his gut.

Severus took a long sip of his coffee, drowning out the bitter pit in his stomach with something even more bitter. Disgust spitting across his face, Severus leaned across the table to reach for the sugar cubes. He grabbed four. They fell into his mug with a splash.

'Is the coffee not to your liking, Severus? '

The potion 's professor took a sip before glancing up. Sweetness warmed his tongue. 'It is now, ' he grumbled.

Albus Dumbledore looked down at him, amused, before taking a seat. He floated a cup of tea into his hand. Although Severus normally enjoyed the more mellow tang of tea in the morning, he could already feel exhaustion nipping at his veins. Severus was blind as to how Albus could start the year off without something stronger to jumpstart him.

Around them, the Great Hall was silent. It would be several minutes still before the early risers stumbled out of their common rooms. The students weren 't even awake yet, and Severus was ready to call it a day. He took another long draw of his coffee, willing it to give him energy.

'I have a good feeling about this year, ' Albus said suddenly.

Severus turned up a brow. 'You can 't be serious. '

Albus hummed, evidently humored by Severus ' weariness.

'A good year? You hired

Gilderoy Lockhart, '

Severus spat the name. 'That man is a fraud. What qualifications does he have to be teaching our students? Aside from the repulsive charm of his fame. '

Albus shot him a side-long glance. Then, as though he were imparting nothing more important than the weather, he commented, 'No one else would accept the job. ' Severus ' jaw snapped shut. Albus continued, 'You know as well as I that Hogwarts is considered a less than safe place to work at the moment. '

'Nonsense, ' Severus growled.

Minerva McGonagall entered the Great Hall with a sweeping flash of robe. She took one look at the glare on Severus ' face and wisely chose to sit at the far end of the staff table.

'You read the paper. Gilderoy only accepted this job to harass a student, ' Severus levelled the headmaster with a harsh glare. It was true 'there was no denying it. When the Daily Prophet article first landed on his desk, Severus had practically torn out his hair. Gilderoy had openly threatened Dazai. Moreover, the news had

gleefully

reported on it. As if bodily threats to a child were a

good

thing. 'The man should be fired. His behavior towards my student is unacceptable. '

Needless to say, he'd had to physically hold himself back from stomping across campus and giving Gilderoy a piece of his mind.

'The publicity

is

worrisome, ' Albus admitted. 'But, as you so eloquently put it, Gilderoy is a fraud. I doubt he is capable of truly harming Mr. Dazai. '

'He already has, ' Severus ground out. He bit his tongue to keep from shouting. Judging from the glance Minerva sent their way, he hadn 't been entirely successful. 'You saw how the students reacted to him yesterday. Gilderoy 's flashy behavior is in no small part responsible. '

Albus took a drink instead of responding outright. Severus did the same. The warm brew forced him to pause, drawing the anger from him in a wash of sugary coffee. Severus took a deep breath.

As he did, the overlarge doors to the Great Hall swung open. They creaked ajar slowly and pushed aside to reveal Hogwarts' first early riser of the year.

In keeping with his schedule the previous year, Dazai Osamu was an early bird. He yawned as he entered the Great Hall. Dazai looked haggard, as if he hadn 't gotten more than a few minutes sleep last night. His hair was mussed up and uneven.

Evidently, the boy was so tired that he barely even registered the professors present. Only as an afterthought did he blink up in their direction. At Severus ' side, Albus raised a hand in greeting. Dazai sluggishly bowed his head. When the boy took his seat, he did so gingerly. Severus noted he picked the seat at the very edge of the Slytherin table. It was an unobtrusive spot, out of the way.

Dazai sat there yesterday, as well. Severus had watched then as Dazai 's peers antagonized and isolated him. It had something sharp biting at Severus ' gut to have to watch. He had debated stepping in himself when another of his snakes, Blaise Zabini, offered Dazai a seat. Severus wouldn 't admit it aloud, but he was glad at least one person was still on Dazai 's side.

Tearing his eyes off of Dazai, who had summarily collapsed into the table and begun napping, Severus looked to Albus. He was careful to keep his voice low when he spoke. 'At the very least, explain to the students what really happened last year with Quirrell. '

Albus sipped his tea. His own twinkling eyes landed on Dazai 's hunched over form. He sighed 'this was a well-worn argument of theirs. 'We do not know what truly transpired. '

'You know the boy isn 't some sadistic monster, as the media is making him out to be. Tell the students. Tell the

Daily Prophet.

For Merlin 's sake, Albus. '

Albus tilted his head, still inspecting Dazai from his seat. The Slytherin boy in question had yet to even twitch.

'Where did Skeeter even get her information from? ' Severus asked more forcefully, not letting up until Albus finally looked back at him. 'I encountered her only once before the story broke. I was less than forthcoming with information. '

'Moreover, her stories appear to be little more than fiction, ' Dumbledore agreed. 'Another mystery to investigate, I suppose. Although, I do have my suspicions. ' He hummed, sounding unconcerned. 'Speaking of investigations. Severus? '

His eyes flashed once again to Dazai 's resting form. Curiously, Severus noted with a frown, breakfast had yet to manifest around the boy. The tables were charmed to provide food for students that arrived at certain times of the day. He would need to check the spellwork later. Make sure everything was still in working order.

But that was a problem for another time. Severus sneered as he turned his focus back to the headmaster. 'I 've looked into everything I could find about Dazai Osamu since last year ended. '

'Your report? '

'Nothing. '

Albus raised a brow. 'Nothing? ' He asked, turning back to his tea as though it were the more interesting thing happening.

'Dazai Osamu, son of Mori Ougai. Homeschooled from ages four to ten. Attended Hogwarts at age eleven. Lives in Yokohama, Japan. '

Albus paused, silently absorbing Severus ' listed information. With a wave of his hand, Albus levitated a knife. It floated freely for a second before spreading raspberry jam over a slice of toast. 'And? What else have you uncovered? '

Severus scowled. 'Muggle documents are tiresome to slog through. I could find no evidence of a family name

Dazai

anywhere. My best assumption is that he was adopted elsewhere and chose to keep the last name. ' He paused. 'His father graduated medical school and now works private practice. '

'Muggle documents may be tedious, but they are often extensive. Surely, you could find more information on Mr. Dazai. I 'm surprised you gave up so easily. Was it not you, rather than I, who was concerned for him? '

Severus nodded, conceding the point. But ' 'Most of the time. '

Albus paused mid-swipe of the knife.

'Most of the time, muggle records are extensive, ' Severus said. 'When I attempted to gain access to Mori Ougai and Dazai Osamu 's records, I was turned away. '

'Turned away? ' Albus asked, suddenly looking much more interested than he had been moments before.

'I went through the usual channels, ' Severus said. The usual channels being their global magical connections. Hogwarts, and the other magical schools, had certain privileges. One of which being the ability to run background checks on all their students 'magical and otherwise. But when Severus reached out to the Yokohama government... 'higher clearance was requested. '

Albus had entirely paused, now. The knife slowly lowered back to the jar of jam, where it remained. He gestured for Severus to continue.

'Even after expressing concern for the boy 's well-being, I was turned away. ' Severus had specifically used the word 'abuse ' when forming his requests for information. Despite that, the respondents had seemed unimpressed with his urgency. 'I inquired specifically after Mori Ougai, and was turned away almost immediately thereafter. '

Albus nodded, urging Severus to expand on his story.

Unfortunately, there was nothing more to share. Severus had sent letters by owl, had attempted to navigate a muggle cell phone, had even visited in person once. And every single time, without fail, he had been given a single response to the effect of:

Yokohama minds its own business, and so should you.

The nonchalant dismissal had reminded Severus strongly of Albus ' unwillingness to look past his big picture.

'Interesting, ' Albus commented, a certain gleam in his eye.

Severus frowned. He didn 't like that look at all. 'I 'll keep investigating, but the legal landscape in Yokohama is difficult to navigate. '

And

confusing

to navigate. Never before had Severus had so much trouble digging up student info. Was it because Dazai lived in Japan and not Europe, as was customary for Hogwarts students? That tidbit, in and of itself, was just another mystery surrounding the bandaged boy. Severus took a slow sip from his coffee.

'Do that, please, ' Albus said. 'I 'll admit, you 've got me a bit curious now. Although I doubt the boy and his father are in any way significant, their government 's behavior is interesting. If there is a reason for their lack of collaboration, I would like to know. Good work, Severus. '

Severus sighed, feeling that his work had been anything but.

'As for your other topic of investigation..? '

'About Special Abili ' '

'You 're talking about me, aren 't you? ' A grating voice suddenly chipped in. 'Is it difficult, being around someone famous? I 'm afraid I can 't stoop to your level, Severus! '

Merlin 's Beard, no! It 's too early to deal with him!

A weary grumble slipped out of Severus ' throat before he could catch it. Even this early in the morning, Gilderoy 's hair was perfectly combed and his inanely colored robes were ironed to perfection. When he smiled, his teeth sparkled.

'Did you brush your teeth with

glitter? '

Severus spat. From across the table, he heard Minerva choke on a laugh.

Gilderoy faltered for only a second, before flashing his immaculate teeth into an even wider and more obnoxious smile. 'And damage my beautiful teeth? No, no! My smile is naturally this charming. '

Full of unearned confidence and charm, Gilderoy sat down in the seat directly beside Albus. Severus, on Albus ' other side, glowered. 'Can you not see, ' the words were thick with distaste, 'that we are in the middle of an important conversation? '

Gilderoy didn 't pay him any mind, choosing instead to take Albus ' half-jammed toast for himself. 'Do enlighten me, ' he said. Severus ' brow twitched. 'As a fellow Hogwarts professor, I should be included, no? '

Albus smiled, pleasant.

'Ah,

I 'm afraid this is a matter for Severus and I alone. Unless your travels have provided any insight into dealing with particularly tight-lipped governments. '

'I 've been too busy being lauded by such governments as a hero. '

Severus didn 't believe a word that came out of that white and shiny mouth.

'I expected as much, ' Albus said.

Below them, the Great Hall doors pushed open again. A throng of a dozen-or-so students sleepily ambled to their tables. Severus watched as they grouped together with their friends. Although it was still quite early, the students seemed to buzz with an invisible energy. First day hype. Severus didn 't share in it at all. Glancing to the Slytherin table, he supposed Dazai didn 't much care for it, either. The boy had yet to sit up from his impromptu nap.

It wouldn 't be long now before the other students finally roused. Thinking this, Severus withdrew the stack of schedules from his robe. He tapped them against the table to neaten them. Nearby, Minerva was doing the same.

'The trials and tribulations of youth, ' Gilderoy said suddenly. Severus turned an eye on him, only to see the flashy professor was watching the students as well. 'I hope my prestige doesn 't distract them from their studies. '

More students flooded into the hall. Severus idly watched them.

'Of course, I won 't be the only thing distracting students this year, ' Gilderoy said sagely. Severus nearly laughed '

did this idiot have any idea what he was saying?

A group of Slytherin students (Theodore Nott, Millicient Bullstrode, and Tracey Davis, Severus recognized) stilled upon realizing who was already sitting there. They shared a look before making a careful effort to walk around Dazai. They hastened their steps, only slowing down once they were well away from Dazai 's little corner of the Slytherin table. A few seconds later, another group of Slytherins did the exact same.

'See? That Demon Boy seems to be distracting them well enough, don 't you think? Perhaps we should simply expel him. '

Severus ' head whipped over to Gilderoy immediately. The Defense professor didn 't look sheepish in the slightest for suggesting such an asinine thing. 'He is a student as much as any other. '

Gilderoy scoffed. 'He 's a killer. Moreover, did you read about what happened at Flourish and Blotts? Of course you did, I was in it. ' He nodded, emphatic. 'He attacked me.

Me! '

'If I recall correctly, you threatened him first, ' Severus said.

'I merely suggested to my fans that a hero such as myself would be perfect to defeat Hogwarts ' demon. ' He grinned. 'Don 't you think so? Consider it a small favor. I get to write my next bestselling book, and Hogwarts is free from its current... plight. ' He said

plight

like it was a souring meat on his tongue. Distaste rippled across his expression for only a second.

'You cannot attack students, ' Severus ground out.

Seriously 'did he actually need to explain that?!

'A professor attacking a student is

precisely

what led to last year's incident in the first place. '

Gilderoy paused. For a second, Severus thought the man might actually realize how absurd his proclamations were. 'Don 't be daft, Severus. You 've seen what the papers have to say about that boy. '

Pointedly, Severus shot Albus a glare. The force of his silent

I told you we need to address this

went entirely ignored. Fed up, Severus slammed his hands down on the table and rocketed to his feet. Gilderoy flinched. Beside him, Albus raised a brow in question.

Without a word, Severus grabbed his schedules from the table and summarily stormed towards the Slytherin tables.

Gilderoy made a snotty sound and commented, 'Some people never change, right, Albus? '

Severus left before he could hear any further.

He was scowling 'Severus knew that. But the expression on his face must have been especially horrifying, because Nott practically screamed when Severus slapped a class schedule down in front of the boy.

Nott 's friends abruptly went dead silent. They accepted their schedules with a quivering, 'thank you, Sir. '

Severus handed out schedules to whichever students he passed, making his way down the table. With most of the students still somewhere between their bedroom and the Great Hall, it didn 't take long for him to reach Dazai. As if sensing his presence, Dazai sluggishly lifted his head from his arms. When he yawned, his jaw cracked.

'Good morning, Professor, ' Severus ' problem child greeted tiredly.

'Did you get any sleep last night? ' Severus asked before he could stop himself. Closer now, he could see the deep, black bags underneath Dazai 's eyes. 'I won 't accept sleeplessness as a reason for failing to participate in class, Mr. Dazai. '

Dazai snorted, evidently finding amusement in something he 'd said. Severus raised a brow.

'You look scary with an expression like that, ' Dazai explained, smile crooked. He leaned forward into a gloved palm. 'But everything you 've said to me so far just sounds concerned. Are you worried about me? '

You know I am,

Severus bit back internally. Using their close proximity to give Dazai a once-over, he searched for any sign of injury or illness in the boy 's form. Aside from a few scrapes and cuts, however, there was nothing. Even the few marks Severus did spot could be excused as evidence of a child 's roughhousing, and were clearly healed over. He temporarily shelved that particular investigation.

Sneering, he dropped the boy 's schedule in front of him. Dazai blinked in surprise before leaning forward to read the paper. Severus let him. Instead of moving on immediately to the next student, as Severus had been doing, he paused and waited for Dazai to read the schedule. It wasn 't a minute before Dazai looked up, a question written on his face.

'What 's this class on Saturday?

Remedial Magics, '

He read, pouting. 'I thought the weekend was free time. '

'Due to your condition, the staff and I are in agreement that you would benefit from a more one-on-one learning style, ' Severus explained. He took some pleasure in the way Dazai 's face scrunched up at the thought of extra lessons. 'Your first remedial class will be held in the infirmary. Do not be late. '

Dazai 's eyes lit up in obvious question, but Severus cut him off with a raised hand.

'There will be time for questions later. Eat your breakfast. ' At some point between Dazai 's waking and Severus ' walking to him, the table had filled over with foods. These spells definitely needed some tweaking. 'And behave yourself, boy. I hope I do not need to remind you that tomfoolery will not be tolerated. '

A tired grin split across Dazai 's face. He, too, was clearly recalling all of the explosive potions he made the year previous. If there was only one thing Severus hoped Dazai would learn from the whole Quirrell fiasco, it would be to calm his meddlesome antics. Judging by Dazai 's quirked lips, however, that was hardly the case. 'I 'm always on my best behavior, Sir. '

'That 's horrifying to hear, ' Severus deadpanned.

Dazai shrugged. His hand hovered over the schedule, but his eyes remained locked on Severus. Then, abruptly, he turned away. Severus blinked in confusion at the sudden change.

'Good morning, Professor. Dazai, ' Blaise greeted with a yawn.

Oh.

Dazai 's friend was here. That explained why Dazai 's shoulders had at once gone limp with ease. Severus hadn 't even noticed how tense his student was before, but the difference now was stark.

Without ceremony, Blaise sat down directly at Dazai 's side. He turned an eye in Severus ' direction before reaching across the table to serve himself breakfast. A bright crimson batch of strawberries found their way onto his plate.

'Mr. Zabini, your schedule. '

Blaise took the offered paper. 'Thank you, ' he said, giving it a cursory once-over. Dazai peeked over his shoulder to skim the contents as well.

'It 's no fair that Blaise doesn 't have extra lessons, too, ' he whined before slumping dramatically back into the table. "I'm dying of jealousy." He paused, blinked, and whispered into Blaise's ear just loud enough for Severus to strain to hear,

"is that a valid method of suicide? Jelousy-induced death?"

Blaise patted his friend on the back, solemn. Then, without a word, he began to prepare an extra plate of food. He slid a plain piece of toast and an apple in front of Dazai. 'Eat. It will make you feel better. '

'It won 't cure my jealousy at all, Blaise! '

Despite his pouting words, Severus watched as Dazai tore off a strip of toast and bit down on it. Impressed with Blaise 's mother-henning, Severus left them to it. He wasn 't about to get involved with this.

More and more students were awake now. Maybe he could call it early 'let the kids figure out their schedules for themselves instead of forcing him to hand them out one-by-one. Severus could already feel a headache coming on. Returning to his breakfast would probably help...

A quick glance to the staff table saw Gilderoy explaining something to the other professors with a sparkling flourish. Beside him, Minerva looked ready to throw her coffee in his face.

For the first time in his grouchy, tiresome tenure as a Hogwarts professor, Severus found himself preferring the company of students.

-

Dazai decided he preferred nights at the Leaky Cauldron.

There was a lock on his door, on over-sized quilt to wrap up in, and a kindly old man who brought him breakfast in bed. Dazai spent his nights reading until it got too dark. At which point, he would tuck himself up against the plush pillows and sleep until morning.

The bedrooms in Hogwarts were shared, the beds topped with a single blanket, and they were distressingly far from the Great Hall.

It wasn't terrible. Last year, Dazai had acclimated rather quickly to the sudden change in housing style. Returning to Hogwarts now felt a bit like shaking hands with an old friend, and he was already falling back into familiar routines: steal the Slytherin bathroom to brush his teeth and change, tightly wrap the curtains around his bed, and sleep until just before dawn. It was a routine that first-year Dazai had grown quite fond of.

And Dazai nearly enjoyed it again his second-year.

Nearly.

Every creak in the night had him shooting awake. Every cough from another bed, every excited whisper,

everything

had Dazai 's brain screaming,

'you are surrounded by enemies! Stay on guard! '

Some brat yawned in the night, and Dazai too quickly convinced himself it was a dog's panting breath.

Needless to say, Dazai did not get a full night 's rest. He barely managed an hour, squeezed between the tossing and turning of his housemates in the night. It was with great displeasure that Dazai finally forced himself out of bed and trudged his way to the Great Hall.

Whereupon he had promptly folded his arms into a pillow and fallen back asleep right on the table.

'I 'm sure if you tell the professors you aren 't feeling well, they 'll let you nap, ' Blaise told him.

Dazai yawned into his sleeve. He shook his head.

Blaise brought up a valid point, actually. With his new curriculum set in place, Dazai noticed that the professors were being extra careful with him in class.

During their first lesson, McGonagall had instructed the class to perform one transfiguration spell they learned in first-year. However, she asked Dazai to write a short paragraph merely

describing

one such spell. He did so only begrudgingly. An hour later in charms, the class was given a revisionary lesson on the levitation spell. Being a spell that Dazai was decently familiar with, he had pulled his wand out to practice. Professor Flitwick had immediately gone deathly pale and told him, in a teetering voice, to simply read the text instead.

'I don 't want to be coddled, ' Dazai said with a huff, then corrected hastily, 'Well, I wouldn 't mind taking a nap, but it 's not any fun if I don 't have to bully the professors into it. '

Blaise shot him an exasperated look.

Dazai shrugged him off. 'Either way, I doubt our next professor will give me a break. '

'Next is... ' Blaise trailed off, plucking the schedule from his cloak as they walked. Upon seeing what was written there, he nodded in hasty agreement. 'Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Lockhart. ' He glanced to Dazai, whose face had scrunched up in displeasure. 'I see. '

Dazai hummed, slumping somewhat. Blaise guided them up a spiral staircase.

'Ah,

Blaise read The Daily Prophet article, too? '

'Draco told me about it," he said. "Professor Lockhart really has it out for you."

'Maybe I just won 't show up to class... ' Dazai grumbled, self-indulgent. He already knew that wouldn 't be the case. Between the students ' attention on him and the Malfoy 's ever-watching eye, Dazai had to be careful when showing weakness. And avoiding Lockhart would definitely show weakness.

Blaise shot him a glance, then wisely didn 't comment. Instead, they continued to walk side-by-side down one corridor then the next. The other students were keeping their distance, shooting glares Dazai 's way but not stepping in to start something. They thought he was a serial-killer in the making. It was obvious that, behind all the angry glares and harsh words, the other students were petrified of him.

Blaise grabbed Dazai 's sleeve and tugged him to the left when he started to turn down the wrong hall.

'You alright? '

Dazai frowned. 'I 'm fine. ' It wasn 't like the other students had

done

anything. Just stared at him and flinched when he got too close. Though the air in the Slytherin common rooms was positively hostile, even Pansy hadn 't done anything too forward last night. But that didn 't mean Dazai wasn 't constantly on edge from the alienation.

That was how these things started:

small.

And then it would blow up in his face. Street gangs worked in the same way, right before they imploded in on themselves, or the Port Mafia crushed them under their boot.

'Are you sure? '

Dazai tilted his head. Blaise was watching him with an oddly serious expression that Dazai didn 't trust for a second.

'Sure. The classroom is just up here, isn 't it? ' He redirected.

Blaise hummed, sounding more thoughtful than impressed. 'You 're finally learning how to navigate the school? '

'It 's the classroom next to Quirrell 's, ' Dazai answered instead. 'I remember where that one is. '

'Oh,

good. If you learned how to navigate, you wouldn 't need me anymore. '

Dazai shot him a playfully aghast look. He leaned forward, pressing well into Blaise 's chest. 'That 's not true, Blaise! You 're my confidant! My second in command! Don 't sell yourself short! '

Blaise let out a breathy laugh, then shook his head.

They came around a final corner, then walked straight into the DADA room through the open door. Quite a few students were already there. Their eyes shot up, widened when they saw who entered, then snapped back to their desks in less than a second. It looked like this class was shared between Gryffindors and Slytherins, Dazai noted. He spotted a few familiar faces at the front of the class. Neville, Ron, and an over-eager Hermione sat in the very front row.

Hermione waved a kind hello, but was at once stopped by a frantic-looking Neville.

Draco and Pansy were seated together near the middle. Draco 's gaze didn 't even raise to meet his. Dazai filed that away for a later conversation. Pansy sneered, then turned her focus back to her conversation with Draco.

Dazai rolled his eyes and chose a seat in the far back corner. Blaise trailed after him.

As Blaise started to cover his desk in Lockhart 's books, Dazai leaned into his desk for a brief respite. He yawned into the wood.

'You didn 't bring your books, ' Blaise noted blankly.

Dazai shook his head. 'Those things are worthless. '

Blaise raised a brow. 'If you say so. ' He pulled out another book and set it atop an ever-growing pile. By the time he was finished, the stack of books towered over his head.

Dazai snorted and contemplated knocking the stack over, but held back. Such a loud noise would only turn heads, and Dazai didn 't want the attention. He rubbed the tiredness out of his eyes and sat up just in time for Professor Lockhart to come strolling into the classroom.

Lockhart 's hair seemed to shine as he walked. His cloak flashed around his heels. He came to a stop at the front of the room, swiped a copy of

Travels with Trolls

off of Neville 's desk, then charmed the class with a wink. Held up beside him, a photo of Lockhart on the book 's cover winked back.

'Gilderoy Lockhart, ' he introduced, fatuous charm oozing off of his every word, 'Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly 's Most-Charming-Smile Award 'but I don 't talk about that. I didn 't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her! ' He laughed, sounding excessively pleased with himself.

Just as the introduction drew a scowl across Dazai 's face, most of the class could offer only a weak smile in return. However, a few students 'those ordered near the very front, mostly 'beamed ear-to-ear. Dazai noted with some interest that it was mostly Gryffindor students who were hanging onto Lockhart 's every word. Slytherins, on the other hand, merely watched with frowns on their faces. 'Dazai recalled Lucius had regarded the author similarly.

Annoyingly, Dazai noticed that Hermione was among the enamored students.

'I see you all have bought a complete set of my books, ' Lockhart said, gaze sweeping around the room. His eyes passed around the room, skipping from one student to the next without any hint of recognition. Dazai sunk low in his desk, hoping to avoid Lockhart 's searching eyes.

Lost cause,

Dazai thought bitterly.

Time seemed to freeze as Lockhart and Dazai locked eyes.

It was silent for a second. Lockhart 's ever-present grin seemed to falter somewhat. Then, it came back with ten-times the intensity. Dazai raised a brow.

'Ah!

Not

everyone

brought their books, it seems, ' Lockhart said in that annoyingly chipper voice of his.

Every eye in the room followed his gaze to where Dazai was attempting to hide behind his desk. Realizing that ducking lower would be useless now, Dazai sighed and sat up straight.

'I should have known. Can a demon like yourself even read? ' Lockhart laughed. This time, quite a few titters also rose up among the students. Now that they had a common enemy, it seemed Lockhart 's stock was rising. Dazai could pinpoint the exact second the professor realized this as well. 'Only, I

know

that I signed each and every one of your books this year 'a secret fan, are we? Where are your books, Demon? '

Dazai rapped his fingers against the table. 'I didn 't bring them, Sir. '

Lockhart 's smile froze in place, then sharpened. 'No? Do you think yourself better than your classmates? Above reading and doing homework? I 'd expect nothing less from someone 'no,

something

like yourself. '

'It 's true that Dazai never did his homework last year, either... '

someone whispered.

'And he still passed first year? '

'I think the professors were just scared they 'd be next if they flunked him! '

'Don 't worry, children, your favorite and most handsome professor ' ' he paused, as if waiting for a round of applause that never came, ' 'yours truly, will protect you from this demon. No need to fear. Even a monster like this is no match for a wizard of my caliber. '

Whispers echoed around the classroom. Dazai didn 't bother tracing them to their source. Lockhart 's too-bright smile had Dazai 's shoulders raising defensively. Just like last time, the author had a knack for rallying people around him. Annoyance and unease rising in him, Dazai 's hands stilled on the table.

'I already read the books, is all, ' Dazai cut in before the professor could really get going. Lockhart 's eyes snapped to him. The professor blinked rapidly, looking a mix of dumbfounded and slightly worried at Dazai 's light tone. 'Well, I skimmed them, ' he amended.

'There 's no need to try and save face, ' Lockhart scolded, grinning when Pansy and a few others giggled. 'Perhaps you not having your books is a sign! I 'm sure everyone here agrees: things would be better off if you hadn 't even come to Hogwarts this year. It just isn 't safe. '

Dazai frowned. His expression only darkened further when he heard numerous Gryffindors and Slytherins agreeing. 'I don 't want trouble, ' he tried to soothe.

'The

demon

doesn 't want trouble? Absurd! If you didn 't want trouble, you shouldn 't have harassed me at Flourish and Blotts. Declared war and everything ' '

'

You

declared war on

me

, ' Dazai said. His voice went unheard under Lockhart 's spiel.

' 'it was really quite rude. No class at all. But! ' Lockhart placed a protective hand on the nearest student 's shoulder, which just-so-happened to be Hermione 's. Hermione flushed bright red and looked as though she might faint. 'If you must insist on your devilish games, then I will remain here to protect the other students from you. Isn 't that right, dear? '

Hermione nodded frantically, an awed grin on her face. Dazai wondered if she even knew what she was agreeing too, starstruck like that.

'There are no games, ' Dazai raised his hands placatingly. He was growing a little irritated, now. Everything he said, Lockhart ignored, responding instead with some his hero-complex nonsense. 'I didn 't bring your books because I didn't feel they had any value. Consider it an act of great restraint that I didn 't just throw them away on the spot. You 'll have to write a better book, if you want me to lug it around everywhere I go. ' Then, with a cheery smile, he added, 'Can we get on with class now, Mr. Lockhart, Sir? '

A hush ran across the class as everyone turned back to Lockhart for his response.

Lockhart 's brow twitched.

'Clearly, you didn 't actually read any of my novels, otherwise you would understand that my triumphs are very informative. In fact ' ' he grabbed something from his desk, then began to sweep around the room distributing something. Seeing as Dazai was in the very back, he arrived at that table last. A thick packet of paper landed in front of him. ' 'I thought we 'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about! Just to check how well you 've read my books and how much you 've taken in. '

Dazai blinked at Lockhart slowly, then turned down to the papers.

What is Gilderoy Lockhart 's favorite color?

the first question read.

'You have 30 minutes, ' Lockhart told the class.

Are you an idiot?

Dazai answered.

Then, pressing his finger to his chin in thought, he added, 'everyone may consult their books. Unless you didn 't bring them, of course. Then, I suppose, you 'll simply fail. Perhaps I 'll even give out detention to everyone who fails. I 'd take away house points, but the other Slytherins already suffer enough, given the situation with their housemate. I 'm very generous like that, you know. '

At the front of the classroom, Hermione 's quill met paper and immediately began to scrawl answer after answer down. She didn 't consult the book once. Seeming to realize that Dazai and Lockhart 's back-and-forth was over (ended with both parties smiling threateningly at one another), the rest of the students pried open their books and began answering.

Blaise grabbed the first book off the stack and started sliding it closer to Dazai, when Lockhart cleared his throat. 'No sharing books! '

With an apologetic look, Blaise turned to his own test instead.

Dazai looked back to Lockhart. The professor was smiling at him smugly, a single brow raised as if to say,

'what now, Demon?'

Dazai 's first thought was,

I 'm not taking this test.

Immediately following that thought was,

that 's as much permission to nap as I 'm going to get from Lockhart.

With a loud and intentional yawn, Dazai lowered himself into the table. He crossed his arms under him like a pillow and shut his eyes. He didn 't bother to lift his head even when Lockhart choked on his spit. The man 's insulted face was probably quite amusing, but he had a point to prove.

When the thirty minutes were up, Dazai stretched back with a yawn.

He let out a sigh as the tension in his back slipped away. Around him, Dazai noticed several students shooting him a mixture of looks. They ranged from angry, to insulted, to confused. A few faces 'Ron's among them 'looked almost amused.

Lockhart looked anything but.

He collected up all of the papers, then returned to the front of the room to read over them quickly. When he reached Dazai 's paper, he let out a long breath. 'Now, now. Some of you didn 't even try! ' He took out Dazai 's perfectly blank page, and waved it so the whole class could see. 'Or perhaps demons really can 't read, after all! '

Again, a few members of the class chuckled.

Dazai purposefully ignored them. Everyone in the class of any value knew that Dazai spent nearly as much time as Hermione in the library, anyway. Still, the students ' reactions prickled self-consciously at the back of his neck.

'Hardly any of you remembered my favorite color is lilac, ' Lockhart tutted, swiftly moving on, 'I say so in

Year with the Yeti!

And a few of you need to read

Wanderings with Werewolves

more carefully. I clearly say in chapter 12 that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic people 'though I wouldn 't say no to a large bottle of Ogden 's old fire whiskey. '

Dazai blinked, honestly a little surprised at Lockhart 's lack of magical prejudice. Although, that did explain why the other Slytherin students didn 't seem as interested in Lockhart 's jokes and charm. Well 'unless they were poking fun of Dazai, that was.

'But Miss Hermione, ' Lockhart continued, unknowing of Dazai 's silent realization, 'knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of haircare potions. Good girl! ' He continued to flip through her paper, then proceeded to loudly congratulate her on full marks and award Gryffindor ten points.

He continued to talk for quite a while after, telling the class who did the best (Hermione practically trembled with pride), who did the worst (Dazai 's quill was still in his bag, unused), and which questions were actually trick questions ( 'Most of you were correct in saying that my first published work was this one here, ' he held up a book in example, 'but actually, I won a published poetry contest when I was just ten-years old! ').

Dazai started to sink back into his seat, the attention finally slipping off him, when suddenly Lockhart announced for the whole class to hear:

'Now, as for our resident Demon... '

Dazai bit his lip. He couldn 't believe he was actually going to respond to that title. 'Yes, Professor? '

'Detention this Saturday at three, ' he said, grin somewhere between perfectly charming and sadistically amused, 'for failure to answer even a single question and for being incredibly rude to your betters. '

Dazai blinked.

'I 'm busy on Saturday, ' he said. It wasn 't a lie 'Lockhart had managed to pick possibly the only time on Saturday that he already had plans: Remedial Magics with Professor Snape. 'I have class at that time. '

Lockhart 's laugh was booming and his expression one oozing condescension. 'Trying to weasel your way out of detention? Someone thinks highly of themselves. ' He winked to the class. 'For that, I 'll extend your detention by another hour. Arrive here at two. '

'He 's telling the truth, Sir, ' Blaise piped up. Lockhart 's eyes snapped to him.

'Hm?

There 's no need to defend the demon, my boy. I won 't let him hurt you. '

Blaise sat with perfect posture and a watchful gaze, but his expression was blank, almost bored. 'Dazai has an extra class on Saturdays. You can check his schedule yourself, if you don 't believe us. '

Dazai nodded. He nearly reached into his bag to bring said schedule out, but stopped when he heard Lockhart click his tongue.

'How sad, that one student can manipulate another so easily. Truly awful. ' He shook his head, morose. 'But don 't worry, students. I don 't play favorites. Dazai Osamu won 't be slipping out of his punishment so easily. '

Dazai heard Pansy chortle. A few others made sounds of vague agreement, though many students said nothing at all.

'Just ask Professor Snape ' ' Dazai began to protest.

'Moving on, ' Lockhart interrupted, a pleased smile on his face when Dazai 's mouth instinctively snapped shut.

He reached behind his desk and withdrew a large, cloth-covered cage. Immediately, Dazai could feel a buzz of magical energy coming from within the cage. He squinted at it, but was unable to recognize the magical signature. 'Now be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizard kind. You may find yourself facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here 'be that from magical creatures or a particularly evil classmate. ' Here, we winked conspiratorially in Dazai 's direction. 'All I ask is that you remain calm. '

Dazai had yet to take his eyes off of the cage. He leaned forward slightly, hoping to parse out what sort of charmed artifact or creature was locked there. Unfortunately, no amount of peering or tilting could make sense of the violently jittery magic behind the cloth. The tight jumble of unfamiliar magical signature felt almost manic.

It turned his stomach more than Lockhart 's saccharine smile did.

'I must ask you not to scream, as it may provoke them, ' Lockhart instructed.

Some kind of magical creature, then, Dazai reasoned. And not a happy one, if the magical signature was anything to go by. He fell back into the seat at once. Blaise shot him a curious glance.

Around them, the whole class seemed to be holding its breath 'be that in anticipation or worry. Neville held a book in front of his as if it were a shield.

Looking pleased with their reactions, Lockhart gripped the cloth and tore it off in one swift motion.

'Freshly caught Cornish Pixies! ' Lockhart announced.

A Gryffindor Dazai didn 't recognize laughed.

'They don 't look dangerous, do they? Don 't be so sure, ' Lockhart condescended.

Certainly, the pixies didn 't appear to be very menacing 'surely not as awful as Lockhart had described. There were about a dozen or so small, blue creatures locked in the cage. The blue was so iridescent and shining that Dazai had to wonder if they were poisonous just to

look at.

The pixies were mostly humanoid in appearance, ignoring their massive ears, antennae, and too-long limbs. Each pixie couldn 't have been larger than perhaps eight inches.

While the class seemed to have written off Lockhart 's earlier description as an overexaggerating, Dazai wasn 't so sure. Looking at the Cornish Pixies showed a small-boned fairy-like creature. But Dazai was still hung up on their magical signature 'like a rapidly beating heart, frantic and shaking. It didn 't feel dangerous, per say. Just... unpredictable. No one else seemed able to sense the magic 's violent nature, however.

'Hhhhh!! '

'Screeee!! '

Suddenly, the pixies started

screaming.

Blue hands grabbed at the cage 's bars and shook. The whole thing wobbled dangerously.

Their shrieks were so high-pitched, it was nearly metallic, the sound banging around Dazai 's skull.

'Let 's see what you make of them! '

Dazai, who had yet to fully take his eyes off the pixies, suddenly snapped back to Lockhart.

...what? He couldn 't seriously '

Without even a moment 's hesitation, Lockhart unlatched the cage and swung the door open.

Dazai 's eyes widened.

For just a split second, everyone in the class went dead still.

Then:

chaos.

The pixies shot out of the cage as impossibly fast blue blurs. Dazai was barely able to keep his eye on one fairy as it bolted around the room.

It bashed into a window, shattering glass over their heads and across the floor. They tore books from the shelves, threw ink bottles at walls, and ripped up papers. The pixies pulled at students ' ears and tugged at their clothes. Poor Neville was being lifted by his ears a foot off the ground.

'Round them up quickly! ' Lockhart shouted over their screams. 'They 're only pixies! '

Pixies swirled around the air, messing up the room as if a tornado. Papers flew overhead.

Someone 's wand was thrown out the window, and Lockhart had to dive under his desk to avoid a stack of his own books tossed his way.

It was pure chaos!

Dazai slumped in his chair, watching the proceedings with wide, blinking eyes. Most of the students had not escaped the pixies ' torment, but those who had were now taking shelter under the tables. He considered joining them for safety.

A pixie shot around the room, manic laughter on its lips. It seemed to spot Dazai and Blaise, and a huge, pointed grin split across its face.

It flew at them, a bolt out of a nail gun. Small hands reaching. A blue, nipping torpedo straight at them!

They flinched and prepared for the worst.

But at the last second, it let out a horrified shrill and zipped away to pester a different group of students instead.

Blaise and Dazai shared a glance.

It had run away from them. Terrified of even touching '

Oh. Touching him.

Dazai realized what happened at once: the Cornish Pixies could sense No Longer Human. They were smart enough to keep their distance lest they be nullified. The mountain troll last year may have been too dumb to turn-tail, but clearly the pixies had some self-preservation rattling around in those tiny heads of theirs.

Blaise must have reached a similar conclusion, because he not-so-subtly pushed himself into Dazai 's side.

A massive chandelier suddenly crashed onto the floor. Metal splintered off and skidded across the tile. Dazai flinched at the incredible sound. Students screamed all around him as the pixies continued to wreak violent havoc on anyone unfortunate enough to not have made it to shelter.

'Bet everyone is wishing they were friends with you now, ' Blaise commented 'no need to speak quietly under his breath with all the screaming and screeching. Sitting with Dazai, he had also avoided any injury to his person or damage to his belongings. Between the two of them, there was a miniature oasis in the corner of Lockhart 's classroom that no pixie dared breach.

'Someone catch them! '

Lockhart begged from under his desk.

Dazai 's laugh tinkled along with shattering glass.