Lost In Magic

Platform 9 and 3/4. Hogwarts Express. The only way Dazai knew how to get to Hogwarts. "Dazai?" Dazai whirled around in surprise to see Blaise. "Blaise!" Blaise smiled softly.

"Hey. Ready for another year as the Demon Student?" Blaise couldn't help but ask as a joke.

"Yep!" Dazai said, although his tone was cheerful, typically, Blaise would be able to tell when Dazai was faking it. As such, it came as a slight surprise to Blaise, to not be able to see any underlying meaning to Dazai's short response.

Blaise couldn't help but wonder if Dazai truly was ready for another year of being avoided like the plauge.

Blaise thought about it as they boarded the train, he realized that Dazai might actually like people avoiding him. It would cause people to be less interested in him, allowing him to do more mischief. But, it was also a double edged sword in a sense. People might avoid him, but that would also bring a lot of attention towards him. Blaise decided to just stop thinking about it.

"Any spell you want to learn this year?" Blaise asked. Dazai pondered the question for a minute before responding.

"A spell to automatically bring me crab so that I don't have to make the trip to the Great Hall."

"But what about school announcements?" Blaise couldn't help but ask. 

I don't want go be there when Professor McGonagall announces that Dumbledore is dead.

"You'll tell me everything I need to know." Blaise smiled. They both knew it was true.

"If I could learn any spell this year, it would be a spell to go through people's memories." Dazai was confused at that, on what the use of such a spell would be, especially since Blaise had no reason to know a spell like that.

"But why?" Blaise smiled.

"So that I can help gather information for you when you decide to explore a mystery."

"Wow! You're such a loyal subordinate!" Dazai said with a cheerful expression.

"I am second in command after all. Of course I'm loyal." Blaise looked strangely proud at his words.

Dazai suddenly felt a cluster of magic near the edge of the door to Blaise's left, closer to the front of the train.

"What is- Blaise?"

Blaise looked pale, as though his worst fear was coming to life in front of his eyes. Dazai went to his side. He touched Blaise's hand. It was cold for just a few moments, before Blaise started warming up.

Blaise looked at him with a smile. However, Dazai noticed that Blaise started tightly holding his hand. "What was that?" Dazai asked.

"Probably.." Blaise started to say.

"Dementors." Draco said, entering the compartment from the right door. He took a seat on the opposite side of the two.

"Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban. So, Dementors, which guard Azkaban have been assigned to guard Hogwarts in case Sirius shows up there." Draco looked at Blaise, who nodded.

"Our guess is that the dementors are also here in case you.. well, kill somebody again." 

Would that be 5? No, 6, if you count the basilisk. Blaise thought, not yet knowing that Dazai had also killed Dumbledore.

"Why would Sirius come to Hogwarts?" Blaise and Draco shared a look.

"Well..." Draco started.

"You know how Quirell was a Death Eater?"

"Yep."

"So is Sirius. He's a Death Eater. A pretty important one too. In terms of our gang, Sirius would be someone like Draco. Aware of everything, but having no part in it. He would likely target you for revenge."

"Revenge? He must be bad at revenge then, especially choosing me of all people." 

"Just because-" Draco stopped when the door he came through opened.

"Sorry for intruding. Because of the dementors on the train, we are giving out free chocolate."

"Chocolate?" Dazai whispered.

"It's to recover from dementors. It helps for some reason." Blaise whispered back.

Indistinctly, somewhere in his mind, Dazai thought about studying why chocolate is a cure to dementors. 

The lady left after handing out some chocolate to all of them. Dazai gave his chocolate to Blaise, who ate it gratefully. Blaise made a mental note to make sure Dazai ate later. Blaise knew that Dazai had noticed that he had been shaking because of the dementors earlier.

The topic of discussion quickly turned lighter.

"Dazai, you remember the Daily Prophet, right?" Blaise asked, his grip on Dazai's hand loosening.

"Yeah. That newspaper says all kinds of bad things about me!"

"Aren't most of them true?" Draco asked.

"Not the point!" Dazai retorted. Blaise chuckled slightly, before speaking up again.

"That's not why I brought it up." Suddenly, Dazai became interested.

"Then why did you bring it up?" Dazai questioned.

"Well.." Blaise hesitated. "It was part of the reason, but I gathered every single newspaper since the end of the year to show you."

Dazai lit up. "Oh! You shouldn't have!" Blaise smiled.

"This one is from a few weeks ago." Blaise let go of Dazai's hand, and Dazai felt a bit saddened from the loss of warmth, but didn't show it visually.

Blaise pulled out the top newspaper from his bag, of which he had put on the floor to his left.

"Gloves." Draco said just as Dazai was about to take the paper.

"Oh right! Good thing I have little Sirius Malfoy to remind me!" Dazai said, taking a jab at Draco, using one of Blaise's earlier references.

"You are unbearable."

"You are Sirius-ly proving my point!" Dazai loved dark humor, and more recently, puns. Combining the two was fun, especially to annoy Draco. Maybe he could do something like that to Pansy. That would be hilarious.

"Here Dazai." Blaise found his gloves, which he had dropped onto the floor (during his slight panic when Blaise looked strange).

"Thanks Blaise! What would I do without you?" Dazai put his gloves on and then took the newspaper from Blaise.

"I'm not here?" Dazai asked, noticing the lack of 'Demon Student' headlines.

"Second page. The 3rd is about the DOE. Just read it." Draco said.

"Weasley family wins the Daily Prophet's annual lottery and TOOK A TRIP TO EGYPT?! Egypt?! Of all places they could have gone to, they decide to go fo the most boring one? I sure hope Fred and George come back with a story of trying to leave someone in a tomb or something."

The rest of the trip was spent with them bickering back and forth between each other. With Blaise silently watching the interaction with a smile.

"Now arriving at Hogwarts. Please gather all your belongings and don't forget any pets aboard!"

Dazai picked up his suitcase, Featherbrain's cage, and a few books that didn't fit in his suitcase.

"Let me take those for you." Blaise said, taking the three books from Dazai.

"I'll take the suitcase." Draco said, taking the suitcase without another word.

"But what about your stuff?" 

"My stuff is already there. My father always has them there a few days early." Draco said.

"All I brought was this bag. It had everything I need." Blaise told Dazai. There was a large black bag hanging in Blaise's shoulder. It seemed heavy and Dazai was tempted to ask. However, he decided against it.

"I knew my subordinates were the best! And so loyal too!" He said as they stepped off the train. Dazai got a weird sense of Deja Vu. He shrugged it off as the trio talked among themselves.

They reached the carriage area, when Blaise's breath hitched. Dazai looked over at him. Blaise's eyes were wide with shock. Dazai smiled.

"Aren't they magnificent? Like beings of death and darkness?" Like me. He refrained from saying.

"Y-yeah. You're right. always..."  He strangely hesitated to say. Blaise muttered the last part. As if trying to justify what he had done because of Dazai.

Thestrals have always been beings of prestige and fright. They are mighty beings that strike fear into those that gaze upon them. However they never had much effect on Dazai.

Dazai glanced to the side, and say Luna Love good smiling at the Thestrals. Luna glanced at him and smiled. She waved to him, and Dazai waved back.

"Hurry up you two, or I'll let others in." Blaise got knocked out of his stupor at that.

"Ah! Right! Come on Dazai." Blaise said. Dazai looked away from Luna, and smiled at Blaise.

"I'm coming I'm coming. Featherbrain is so lazy. Can't even bother flying to Hogwarts herself." Dazai complained. He took a seat in the carriage.

"Dazai, you locked her in the cage." Draco pointed out the obvious.

"And even if she did fly here, you would still have to carry her cage because it would be too heavy for her to carry while flying so far." Blaise told him with an almost amused tone.

"No fair! You got smart all of a sudden!"

"I've always been smart Dazai. I just carefully managed myself."

Hogwarts seemed more somber than it had the last two years that Dazai had attended. Absentmindedly, he thought that maybe they found out Dumbledore was dead, considering his house was set on fire...

"Surprisingly, I think more students are here this year than there were last year." Draco commented.

People must have faith in the DOE. Too bad they don't actually care about wizards at all. Maybe I should tell Blaise about the DOE? ...Not yet.

"How ironic..." Dazai mumbled, which earned him a kick in the leg.

Blaise looked at him mildly concerned.

"Don't be so insensitive. Even since you got here, people have been dying, every year. If I didn't know much better, it would be completely your fault." Pansy said.

"Don't joke like that." Blaise said, strangely aggressive.

"You can't tell me that he's not connected to it in some way. We were investigating the basilisk and-"

"Pansy." Blaise stopped her with a firm voice.

"Fine. I'll stop."

They watched the sorting with no particular interest in it. Pansy kept making comments about Dazai's involvement (*ahem* I meant possible involvement) in the two previous years tragedies, of which always end in some sort of death, of people Dazai had associated with, a.k.a Quirell and Pomfrey.

Dazai paid her no mind, while Blaise looked quite conflicted with her words, but he stayed quiet.

Soon enough, the Sorting ceremony was completed.

"Everyone, try to enjoy the feast. First years, don't go anywhere without your prefects. There have been a few tragic incidents these past two years, and we can't be too careful. On that note, no student is allowed to wander around the school. You are to go to classes, then immediately head back to your dorms."

"Tsk.. How boring." Dazai muttered, but the three heard him.

"Even if there wasn't this rule, I doubt you would follow it." Pansy said.

Dazai gave her a cheeky smile.

In fact, it was because of Pansy that he avoided the Slytherin dorm in the first place. He didn't quite feel safe there.

Dazai was pretty sure he would be fine now, to stay in the Slytherin dorm, but...well, he just didn't want to. 

The gang room was so comfortable and convenient, especially since every member of the gang knew about it.

Though, the twins stalking him might turn into a bit of a problem, but he'll deal with that another time.

Dazai ate very little during that feast.

Munching on crab here and there whenever Blaise looked at him.

At some point, perhaps a quarter way done of the whole feast, Dazai decided that he had enough food.

Dazai stood up, gathering attention to himself on accident.

"I'm going to head to my room."

Gemma frowned. "Dazai, you can't go by yourself-" 

"That rule only applies to first years." Dazai interrupted her.

Pretty sure that applies to you too, Dazai. Considering you have no sense of direction. Thought Loyalty Club.

"To be fair, did you really expect him to follow that rule?" Pansy asked, no faith in Dazai ad per usual.

"Well no, but-" Gemma started before pausing. "If I let him go by himself, he'll only cause trouble. Or get lost. And I can't let that happen."

"I'll go with him." Blaise suddenly piped up.

"Blaise won't let him do anything bad." Tracey, a Slytherin second year (who had been apart of Dazai Hate Club) told Gemma. 

"Yep! Blaise is trustworthy. We all trust him to not let the De- er let Dazai do anything bad." Millicent, also a second year, said.

Dazai remembered those two used to be terrified of him.

"..Fine. but if anything happens, and I mean anything, I'm blaming Blaise. I am trusting you, of all people, to keep Dazai out of trouble on his first day back. (Merlin, this is a terrible idea.) Go on ahead. Don't do anything stupid and go straight to the dorm. I have to stay here for the first years. The password is-"

"Snakes, right?" Dazai interrupted.

"Eh?" Dazai smiled.

"At the beginning of every year, that has been the password. No point changing it now. Let's get going Blaise."

Dazai rolled a 19 in deception.

Blaise rolled a nat 20 on sleight of hand to take some food with no one noticing. Blaise felt his robe become a bit heavier, but he paid it no mind.

Dazai walked off with Blaise close behind him.

"I assume that you aren't actually going to the dorm?" 

Dazai turned towards Blaise, walking backwards. "Yep! I'm going to stay in the gang room."

"Again?"

"The Slytherin dorm is far too cold!" Dazai complained. Blaise couldn't help but smile at that.

"Well, you are going the wrong way."

"Huh?"

"This way." Blaise motioned to the left of him. "We have to go this way then the next turn leads us to the stairs."

"Whatever would I do without you?" Dazai asked in a playful tone.

"If anything, what would I do without you?" Blaise seemed serious as he asked this question. Dazai paused, not expecting Blaise to ask such a thing.

Dazai thought about it for a moment, before answering.

"Well, we have each other right? So it doesn't matter about 'what ifs?' Don't you agree?"

"You're right. Come on. If we get caught just standing around, we'll get in trouble."

"Bleh." Dazai stuck out his tongue. "Getting in trouble is so tedious."

"Tedious isn't the word I would use, but annoying nonetheless. Come on, let's go." Blaise said again, but he held out his hand to Dazai.

Dazai looked at Blaise's hand in confusion, then at Blaise.

"I can't let you just wander around aimlessly, so I can't lose you." Blaise said as if it was the easiest simplest thing in the world to say.

Dazai didn't understand the sentiment, yet... He took Blaise's hand and let him lead him.

Dazai settled into the room.

"I should go now. I, at least, have to be at the dorm in order to convince Gemma that you are there."

"See you tomorrow Blaise."

Blaise stood by the door. 

"See you tomorrow." Blaise said with a smile before leaving. 

A few hours later, someone came to the room.

There was a knock on the door.

Dazai didn't expect anyone to come see him, so he hesitated to open the door. 

"Who is it?" Dazai asked. He almost opened the door, but then, he remembered that he didn't have his gloves on.

He took a few steps back, to pick up his gloves that he left on the couch. 

When he looked away, the door opened. 

"Dazai." 

Dazai paused then turned around.

"Pansy?" Dazai asked. "What are you doing here? It's after curfew."

"I know. But- I still don't trust you. I will be keeping an eye on you. If Draco or Blaise get hurt, again, because of you, I will never forgive you."

"Yeah yeah. I know. You don't have to keep reminding me." Dazai said with a smile. Pansy was wearing the necklace that Dazai had given her. 

Suddenly, Dazai felt a wave of magic rushing towards them, making Dazai feel faint just from the sheer amount of magic. 

"Dazai?"

Dazai grabbed her bare hand just as the magic reached them. Dazai fell over, taking Pansy with him.

"Ugh..." Dazai felt terrible after being hit by the wave of magic. 

"Dazai! Your nose!"

My nose?

Dazai moved his free hand to his nose. 

Blood? Ah. I must have over-exerted myself... Dazai couldn't help but think.

Pansy shook Dazai's hand off and stood up, only to immediately almost fall herself.

Her hand went to her head as she steadied herself. 

"Dazai,  I don't think we are in our world anymore."