Lead the way
Dazai followed Snape through multiple corridors and down a flight of moving stairs. Paying extra effort to keep his hands to himself as they walked, feeling the magic of the castle call for his ability, like a beacon.
They ended up in a poorly lit office, one that was near what Dazai could only assume was the dungeons. Surely the head of House’s office would be somewhere close to his charge’s dorms. It wouldn’t surprise him if the Slytherin dorm rooms were near these dungeons.
Snape’s office was at the same time, exactly as he expected it to be and not at all what he was waiting for. The room was bare of any vibrant colors, the most prominent hues were dark shades of grey, silver, green, and black. He would have thought that given the man’s rigid attitude, that his working space would be similarly bare of any personal touches. However, he was proven wrong once more when he actually took a moment to look at the space.
Books and parchment were scattered in a mess of organized chaos around the space, well-worn and visibly well-cared for. Rows and rows of different herbs and ingredients lined the shelves framing the walls, creating a prominent smell of greenery and spice, the smell one would get upon entering an inviting kitchen.
The fireplace in the corner seemed to be there only to dispel any remaining reservations about his first impression of Snape. Perhaps there was some deeper depth to the man.
All in all, his office looked professional, yet warmly inviting.
Dazai nearly cringed at the thought, only just managing to control his reaction.
“Have a seat, Mr. Dazai.” The teacher gestured to a desk chair positioned just to the left of the man’s bureau, across his own seat. Dazai did so quietly, wanting to get this over with as fast as possible. “Your placement test will consist of a series of theoretical evaluations, followed by some practical demonstrations. I believe that further explanation won’t be needed?” The man drawled, hands reaching for a thick pile of papers on his desk and dropping them in front of Dazai with little ceremony. It seemed that Dazai wasn’t the only one with no patience.
“Isn’t the headmaster supposed to deal with new students?” He asked, enjoying the poorly veiled annoyance flashing across the man’s face.
“As your head of house, the burden unfortunately falls upon me.” The teacher answered with a pointed glare. “Not that I know what on earth that blasted hat was thinking.” He muttered lowly, probably not for Dazai’s sharp ears.
Holding his gaze the man continued. “You will have an hour to complete each test, they will range through different topics of the curriculum and contain many courses you will be required to take during the year.” He handed Dazai a feather quill, looking unbothered. As if it was perfectly natural to use the ancient item. Dazai figured that to these people, living without electricity and technology, it might very well have been. The quill thrummed with energy as he held it in his gloved hands, and he figured that some kind of spell must have been embedded into it. Maybe some ink replenisher?
With unpracticed movements, he began looking through the papers he’d been presented with. His first test was on magical theory. He found the questions fairly easy to answer as he went through the pages. All of it was based on some of the books he’d gathered. Moving onto charms, transfiguration, and potions. With every test he completed, he felt more confident with the work he’d put in before coming here. It seemed that the endlessly boring hours he’d spent reading through the books in his procession had served their purpose. Defense against the Dark Arts had been a particularly interesting read. Although he did enjoy magical history, for all the new information he’d gotten his hands on.
His hand was starting to cramp by the time he finished answering the last of the questions he’d been given. He took the time to roll his wrist as he dropped the quill onto the wooden desk and looked up. The large, swinging clock on the opposite wall read that it had been only an hour since he’d launched himself into this task and he couldn’t help but feel a little irritated that it had taken him that long to finish it.
“I’m done, professor.” He called lazily, slumping against his seat and looking around once more. The more he stared at the room the more details he took in, quickly adding to the list of information he was compiling on the potion’s master. Mori did always nag him about the power of knowledge, after all.
“Well, get to the next one, child.” The teacher answered carelessly, irritation tinging his voice at the interruption, eyes never leaving the papers he was apparently organizing at his desk.
“No, sir.” He enunciated, feeling as though he was talking to a child himself. “What I meant was that I finished all of them.”
That, to Dazai's satisfaction, got the wizard to finally look at him. “All of them?” Surprise and suspicion bloomed across the older man’s face as he got up and leaned across the table, snatching the pile of tests rather rudely, knocking Dazai’s quill to the ground in the process.
He watched quietly as the man leafed through them, first with visible skepticism and then more frantically as he flipped from test to test. Dazai could barely contain his smirk as he fiddled with the edge of the bandages wrapped around his wrist.
Eventually, after having gone through the tests twice, as if to check again for some kind of trick, the man leaned back into his seat, eying the teen with new interest and no small amount of distrust.
“Correct me if I’m somehow wrong, however, we were led to believe that you had no prior wizarding education.” His voice held a hidden edge at the seams.
“That would be right, sir.” He answered calmly.
“And so, how would you explain getting all these answers right, and in such a short amount of time no less?”
“I like to read.” He said simply, disinterested.
“You… like to read.”
When the silence persisted, the teacher continued. “Out with it, boy. How did you cheat?” He seemed to grow agitated as he picked up Dazai’s discarded quill, looking it over closely. “This has an anti-cheating charm on it, so you couldn’t have done it easily.”
“Oh, so that’s what it was…” He muttered, eyes narrowing at the quill. “I didn’t cheat, Professor, you were sitting there the entire time, you know I couldn’t have even if I wanted to.” Not that he needed to, his mind was a fortress of information, and anything he read, understood, or saw was permanently locked away in there, sometimes to his great annoyance and despondency.
He hated justifying himself to people, let alone old bats such as the one before him.
“Tell me then, what does the ‘Crinus Muto’ incantation do?”
“It changes someone’s hair color.” He answered promptly.
“And which convention is the Medieval Assembly of European Wizards related to?” Snape wasn’t leaning back anymore.
“The International Warlock Convention.” He huffed out lazily, looking resolutely at the clock ticking away. He wished he could take out his knives, having the blades in his grasp always helped to calm him down.
Snape’s eyes were somewhat wide with shock as he seemed to take a moment to wrack his brain for difficult questions. “What does the Imperturbable Charm block?”
“What I’d like it to block right now…” Dazai muttered, openly glaring at the man.
“Mr. Dazai.” The teacher warned, tone serious.
“Sounds.” As if he had cast the spell himself, silence washed over them. Snape regarded him with a strange look in his gaze.
“Very well, it seems that you were telling the truth.” The teacher spoke after a few minutes. “If your practical exam goes similarly then you will have no problem keeping up with your fellow fifth years.”
“Yey.” He deadpanned, sighing out the word.
“Take out your wand.” The man pushed on, unbothered by his lack of enthusiasm. Dazai did so with great reluctance, already feeling trepidation at the next task. “Since you’ve never actively practiced magic before, we will start with simple spells.” He continued, nudging the quill Dazai’s way. “Make the quill float using the levitation spell. I believe you already know the incantation.”
Settling his breathing, he aimed his wand at the quill, the wood feeling strange in his unpracticed grip. “Wingardium Leviosa.” He whispered, feeling no longer human sizzle beneath his skin as he went through the motion’s he’d read about. Swish and flick, easy, first-year spell.
Predictably, nothing happened.
“Again, Mr. Dazai.”
“Wingardium Leviosa.” He repeated louder, voice firmer than before. A headache was starting to form at the back of his eyes, making him want to rub his forehead. He held back, eyes intent on the quill in front of him. “Wingardium Leviosa.” He repeated again, feeling the pressure building up inside of him as if his magic was somehow battling for dominance with his ability. “Wingardium Leviosa.” The windows creaked behind him, unheard to both of the room’s occupants. However, he did notice the floating candles flickering as he pronounced again, and again the incantation. The pain in his head was starting to spread to his chest and it was only then that something finally happened. With a loud crack, the quill shattered completely, the wood careening up and embedding many splinters into the ceiling.
“Oops.” He uttered without intonation when Snape directed his narrowed gaze at him, his lips thinning.
“It seems, Mr. Dazai, that reading doesn’t solve all your problems.” The teacher drawled lowly, his gaze cold as he regarded the residue the quill had left behind in its destruction.
“Obviously.” He answered just as snidely, feeling his patience thin with the ever-growing headache he was sporting.
Something dripped down onto his robes and he was suddenly aware of the slight stinging of his wrist. It seemed that one of the splinters had pierced his bandages, drawing a little blood. Nothing substantial, and Dazai would have readily dismissed it if Snape’s gaze hadn’t caught onto it just as he had.
“You’re injured.” The man’s demeanor changed into something more serious as leaned closer to him, too close for comfort. Dazai had the sudden urge to get out of his chair and step back. He remained in place as the Potion’s master tried to get a better look at his arm.
“I’m fine.” He reassured, waving his hand and disrupting the man’s intense stare. “Just a little splinter.” To prove his point, he promptly pulled the offending object out of his skin, throwing it carelessly to the ground, the thin piece of wood dropped soundlessly, already forgotten.
“Stop this nonsense and let me have a look at it.”
“I’m good, thanks.” He got up then, feeling like the man would try and use his magic on him if he let this go on any longer. “Don’t you have any other spells I can try?”
Taking his stubbornness in with a heavy sigh, the man spoke softly. “I think it would be better to leave the practical demonstration for a later time. I’ll have to discuss your results with the headmaster.” He explained. “For now, I think you’ll do well in your year as long as you don’t take on any spell casting until instructed otherwise, for yours” He eyed Dazai’s bandaged wrist, “-and everyone’s safety.”
Dazai nodded absentmindedly, having already figured it would be like that, not that he had any intention of not practicing on his own, now that he could. “Does this usually happen when someone tries magic for the first time?” He already knew the answer but some confirmation wouldn’t hurt.
“Not many have been in your situation before, I’d expect that after years of holding back your magic, things like this were bound to happen.”
Dazai hummed in response, mind going through all the instances where he’d felt like something within him was trying to claw its way out, tearing him apart in the process. He shuddered and shook his head, dispelling the thought.
“It is late, I believe it is high time you acquaint yourself with your dorms.” A clear dismissal if there was any. “And Mr. Dazai.” Snape called just as Dazai was making his way out of the room. “Do practice caution when dealing with your new housemates.”
Well, that wasn’t ominous at all. “Goodnight, Sensei.”
His words seemed to get a reaction out of the man, one that Dazai wasn’t familiar enough with yet to identify. He took his leave before the man could do or say anything else. He had a dorm to find, after all.
________________________
It was only as he stood in the hallway outside of Snape’s office, that he remembered that he had never actually asked where the Slytherin dorms were situated.
Unwilling to go back, he trudged down the corridor, intent on seeing if his earlier theory had been right.
Paintings framed the walls as he walked, and on a closer look, he noticed that all of them were moving. Something he hadn’t cared to notice on his way here.
He stopped for a moment, intent on investigating the bizarre phenomenon. His eyes widened as he looked at the sleeping old man rocking in his chair in the painting he had chosen. Idly, he wondered what would happen to the man if he were to take off his glove and touch the tapestry.
Would the being in the picture stop moving, or would he simply cease to exist? He’d have to experiment later. For now, he had better things to think about.
Finally, after a few minutes of walking aimlessly, a large doorway appeared before him. It was nestled within an archway that was made out of the body of a marble snake. They were very adamant about staying on brand, it seemed.
“Took you long enough.” A soft voice called out, almost startling him, as he had not sensed their presence. A dark-skinned boy stepped out from behind a pillar, black slanted eyes regarded Dazai calmly. He was tall, surpassing him by a few inches, with handsome features that looked at him with a concentration that spoke of an active mind.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware I’d made any plans, do we know each other?” He spoke monotonously, step not faltering.
He tried the handle, but the door wouldn't budge. Suddenly, he remembered a passage he’d read in Hogwarts: A History, about the dorms.
“We do not, but unless you were planning on sleeping out here tonight, you are going to need me to get inside.” Had the boy been waiting for him all this time for him?
“The password, right.” He sighed for what felt like the hundredth time today. Up until now, Slytherin house seemed to have a constant recurring theme of snakes and bigotry. Surely the password would reflect such values… “Let me guess, is it mudblood?” The slur rolled harmlessly off his tongue.
“Close, but no.” The boy replied, unaffected by Dazai’s snark. “It’s actually ‘Pureblood’.” The doorway opened the moment the word had left the teen’s mouth, creaking lightly as it opened the way for them to enter.
“Of course it is.” He muttered, pushing past the teen and into what he could only assume was the common room. It was, for the lack of a better word, grand. Gloomy, but grand nonetheless.
Expensive, comfortable-looking furniture filled the dungeon, ranging in various colors of green and silver. The walls were lined with statues and portraits. However, what really caught his attention was the glass window that seemed to encase the entire side of the room. It filled the space with the toxic green glow of the lake beyond the castle. If Dazai squinted, he could spot various creatures lurking within the depths of the waters.
Hogwarts really was full of surprises.
“I guess one forgets how strange it is the first time.” The boy spoke up from behind him, interrupting his momentary distraction. He was almost embarrassed to be caught gawking so obviously. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
“Why did you wait for me?” He inquired, suspicion clear in his tone.
“It’s usually the Prefect’s job to introduce the new students to the dorms, but we both know that this year’s Prefect isn’t exactly fond of you at the moment.”
Right… He was talking about that Malfoy kid. “That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Let's just say that I don’t particularly care for prejudice, I like to make my own assessment of the people I cross paths with.”
“Oh, and what would that be, then? Do I pass inspection, officer?” He jested, leaning closer to the boy, trying to get a rise out of him. To his rising intrigue and slight frustration, the teen’s demeanor didn’t change. He spoke calmly, unperturbed in the least.
“I am unsure as of yet, I suppose only time will tell.” Maybe his mission wasn’t so doomed after all, if one of his housemates was already extending an olive branch. “For now, let’s get you settled in, thankfully Draco is already asleep so you won’t have to deal with him just yet.”
“Maa, fine, lead the way.” Stuffing both of his hands down his pockets, fiddling with the knives he’d hidden there, he followed behind the taller boy.
They walked past many doorways, moving further into the corridors leading to the dorms. If Dazai remembered correctly, each year had its own set of rooms that they shared.
“Students don’t usually join after the first year.” The teen, who Dazai realized had yet to introduce himself, was saying, pushing a door open and entering what appeared to be a relatively large dorm room. Four bedposts were occupying different corners of the wide space, two of them had their curtains drawn, indicating the state of slumber of their occupants. The amount of green and silver shouldn’t have surprised him at this point. He should get used to it, he supposed.
Even his robes, without him noticing, had taken on the referenced colors.
He spotted his luggage instantly and moved toward the designated bed. “I guess this means that we're roommates.”
“It seems so.” The boy replied simply.
Dazai was already dreading the year ahead of him. Having to share a room with three unknowns, secluded to the bed right next to the window, furthest away from the door. His horrible sleeping habits were bound to only get worse. Mori wasn’t going to be happy at all.
“You already know my name, don’t you?” They had called it loudly enough for the entire school to have heard it during the sorting. “Wouldn’t it be fair to tell me yours?” He eyed the boy as he seemingly got himself ready for bed, collecting what looked to be sleepwear in his arms from a drawer next to his bed. Coincidently, the one closest to Dazai.
“Forgive my manners, it completely slipped my mind.” Dazai seriously doubted that was the case. Maybe the teen simply didn’t care for introductions. “My name is Blaise Zabini, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He said so formally that Dazai no longer had any doubts about the teen’s social status in his world.
Feeling a bit put off, Dazai only grunted, turning to open his suitcase, and quickly pulling out some more comfortable clothes before locking it back up. He wouldn’t let his guard down in this place, in fact, he doubted he would be getting any sleep at all tonight.
“The bathroom is over there if you would like to change.” The teen, Blaise, offered helpfully, gesturing to a door attached to their dorm.
Nodding his head, he waited for the boy to shut himself inside the curtains of his bedpost before moving. The bathroom was unreasonably large and extravagant, Dazai noted, as he quickly changed out of his school robes. White, unblemished marble tiles supported large ornate mirrors and even bigger shower stalls, each too wide for one person. Four sinks and a giant bath only made for a rich, luxurious picture. One that Dazai was entirely unused to, given that his usual resting place consisted of a shipping container. The bandages were at least a constant comfort as he went through the motions of his nightly routine.
The room, when he stepped back into it, was quiet, too quiet for it to be natural. Dazai quickly realized that the boys sharing the space with him, must have cast some kind of silencing spells around their curtains. The notion quickly became the first thing on his to-do list as he climbed onto his own bed. Closing the curtains and laying back into the soft pillows. The mattress under him was too mellow, too comfortable. So much so, that he suddenly had the urge to get up and sleep on the floor instead.
Shaking off the absurd thought, he settled his breathing, intent on at least meditating if he was going to spend the night without a wink of sleep.
Maybe he could get his plans in order. Tomorrow would be the actual start of his mission, and it would not do to be unprepared.
Sighing softly, one hand clutching at the handle of his knife, he tried to get comfortable. He would have a long night ahead of him.
Chapter 7 and 8 are already up, link in my insta bio