Troublesome teachers
Chuuya would have been well-rested if it wasn’t for the fact that he was only able to go to bed at 4AM- Two hours previously- had a dragon on him, cramping half his muscles in his body, and had to deal with Dazai’s bullshit at 6 in the morning. He was in an especially good mood after the success of his transfiguration last night.
Chuuya had read all the books in the room about dragons, but there was nothing that could explain Egg’s strange attachment to him. The only positive in this situation, despite reading his timetable again and figuring out he had the worst classes today, was the fact that Arahabaki was quiet. No yelling, no screeching, no... uh, other strange noises in the context of thinking about Dazai, nothing. But being squished between a stinky mackerel and a stinky dragon when he first woke up was... strangely relaxing in this quietness.
He sat there silently for a few moments before he felt Dazai beginning to stir, shuffling around and trying to cling onto his sleep. Chuuya reached out, running his hands through the other’s hair. Dazai yawned, blinking an eye open to look at him.
“Good morning.”
Dazai, unsurprisingly, took very little time to wake up completely. He was whining, clinging onto his arm tightly and digging his fingers into Chuuya’s upper arm within five minutes. It was hard to get a dragon off of someone when you only have one arm available. It was loud, but rather welcoming compared to the emptiness of the house in France.
Eventually, they managed to settle down. Dazai sat on one end of the couch, mumbling to himself on how his ribs hurt (Chuuya had accidentally elbowed him while trying to wrangle egg off his other side) and would bruise, Egg sat on the other side’s armrest, tilting her head curiously at the duo and Chuuya himself was sitting on the ground, stretching his aching muscles.
“Dazai?”
Dazai cut out of his whining to stare back at him, blank faced.
“Yes, Chibi?”
“...I- Umm, this is a lot more awkward than I thought it would be. Am I... Doing alright with this mission so far?”
Dazai laughed. It was loud, typical of when someone says something very stupid. Meant to harass whoever would say stuff like this. Chuuya felt something inside of him sink. He'd only been on the receiving end of these laughs a few times, and they only ever ended in either an argument or Chuuya feeling like shit for the next few days.
The way Dazai can make even the most self-confident of people tremble and doubt their entire existence with just a laugh make him unnerved. He's seen it before. Enemies, or even his own men. Dazai is the type of person to know exactly how to manipulate someone into doing what he needed. Whether it was to sabotage themselves, or do less than legal things... He somehow always has the right information.
“That’s a stupid question,” He started, as always, peering at Chuuya with a look that could kill, “seeing as I can’t gauge how well you’ve been doing within a day. However, yes, I believe you’re doing well. Don’t go asking stupid questions like that again, else I’d think you’re as mindless as you seem.”
“...So-”
He cut himself off. That would probably be a stupid question.
“...On the topic of the mission... I have a plan. A very long, complex plan. Which requires you to do most the work.”
“Of course. A typical Dazai mission. What have you got planned?”
“Well... You know the whole ‘Demon Student’ shit? I want you to slander me as much as possible. Do anything you want; just make yourself look good. And make me look bad. Make everyone loathe me more than they already do. Pretend- no, you don’t need to pretend- that you hate me. Oh, and make connections with a whole bunch of other people. Like the guys you were with earlier. Maybe even get yourself a girlfriend?”
“...A girlfriend? You have to be fucking kidding me. I mean, everything else checks out... But...”
Dazai smiled at him.
“Executive’s orders, sweetie. Now then, you should head up to the Gryffindor tower before someone realises that you’re not there.”
Chuuya sighed, already used to his antics. He sure did like flaunting his title. Yet, ignoring him, Chuuya scratched egg’s chin and grabbed a few of his belongings. He had changed earlier, so all he needed to do was pack his bag. Dazai pouted from his spot on the couch, and egg huffed, retreating to the corner of the room.
“Please excuse me, all mighty executive, but I must get going now. I have no time to pay any attention to you. Are we to meet up again tonight at curfew?”
“Yes, we are, Chibi. For today... Stay low but make a few connections. Keep an eye out for the professors. Tell me if anything happens. You know how. Impress some kids, you know. Oh, and... I have something special for you.”
(Timeskip lol)
Chuuya shut the door behind him. Their conversation had delayed him by quite a lot, so it would be best if he went up as soon as possible. Maybe he’d run into some member of the gang. The sun had barely risen, but it wasn’t hard to see. Especially when you happened to have a magical eye. But the man following him wasn’t very subtle.
If Dazai had bothered to glance over at the professors at all during mealtime, perhaps he would have commented on Mad Eye Moody’s eye. Maybe he did. Oh, Arahabaki, he could already hear it; ‘Wow, that’s so cool! Ooh, Blaisey, should I get one? This boring glass eye of mine is so much worse. Especially because Mori- ew- gave me it.’
He took a left instead of a right to gauge if he was being followed. Sure enough, Moody trailed along. There was nowhere in particular where he knew he’d be safe if Moody decided to attack. He couldn’t even hide. Not with the eye. Which means there was no misleading the professor.
...They walked until Chuuya paused in front of Professor McGonagall’s office. He knocked on the door. He felt Moody brush past him, which meant he was off the hook. For now. This certainly wasn’t what he intended. He needed some sort of excuse for McGonagall, now, and he would probably be late to the Gryffindor common rooms.
So much for not making Dazai upset.
What would he say?
‘Chuuya, didn’t I tell you to lay low? What happened to that, hmm?’
...Or something along those lines. He wouldn’t put it past Dazai to exaggerate it more, or even be a little sterner. Sometimes, when it came to him, there was no chance at predicting what could happen next. Either way, Chuuya knows it’s a farce- a disguise placed over the silent, almost empty him. The true him. Dazai claims that it isn’t like that with Chuuya, but who’s to say?
It’s probably just another one of Dazai’s mind games.
But what would his other friends think? If he could even consider them friends, of course. He’d have to come up with an excuse for them, too, to explain why he wasn’t there. Would they know if he was lying, or would they avoid him at all cost?
“Mr. Chuuya? Why, in merlin’s name, are you at my door at... six forty in the morning?”
His mind shot him back to reality. That's right. McGonagall was here. He glanced to his right- Moody was nowhere to be seen, luckily, although he might be spying around a corner, waiting to see if he was here for a reason or not.
“Oh, uh... I came to see you about...Umm...”
“Have you forgotten?”
“...Give me a minute. It's at the top of my head.”
Chuuya was so, so, utterly fucked. What to say, what to say...
His hands twitched at his sides. The bag which had been slung over his shoulder almost dropped to the floor.
“Ah.”
“Yes, Mr. Chuuya?”
“It’s um... Kind of a stupid question, but... I heard some other people talking about something called ‘Quidditch’? What is that meant to be?”
“Surely you would have thought of asking them yourself?”
“...Ah, but... No, I haven’t really had the chance to ask.”
Her eyes narrowed. She must be thinking on the same wavelength as him. It wasn’t exactly wrong, either. Eventually, after a minute of staring at each other awkwardly, McGonagall sighed loudly.
“Just... Come in, I suppose. It shouldn’t take too long.”
“Thank you. Sorry for the trouble.”
The door shut behind them. Fucking hell, he was in for shit. She didn’t even need to gesture to her desk- he was already well on his way, while his eyes darted across the room. It was just as organised as the first time he was here. Not to mention, with her inevitable scolding about yesterday... He felt like the organised room was a lion’s den, and he was a gazelle.
“I don’t suppose you were really in here for quidditch?”
...And here starts the interrogations. He knows telling the truth could get him in trouble, but... she’d probably tell if he was lying, anyway. He felt slightly out of place in this building. He would prefer to be fighting for his life for some goddamn jewels than be here, despite the fact that Dazai is here. Magic, as he knows it, is something completely new to him.
“No, although I do want to know.”
“Ask someone later. Is something troubling you? I will do whatever I can to resolve an issue before it starts.”
“It’s... Professor Moody. He was following me.”
Yet, he feels he can trust her.
“I understand how that may feel strange, especially when it’s someone you don’t know, but perhaps he just wished to become acquainted with you?”
He certainly didn’t feel that way when they met for the first time. No one at the table yesterday warned him about the professor, and they had been learning from him for about two months. They only said that he was a bit paranoid due to his past as an Auror.
“...Ok, sorry for disturbing then.”
“If you’re so worried about it, I’ll speak to him, alright? It’s my duty as head teacher of Gryffindor to make sure everyone is safe and welcome.”
“Thank you.”
He got up, ready to leave, when McGonagall cleared her throat. Loudly. He turned back to her.
“Please try to avoid making such a scene as you did yesterday. We'll have guests in the school soon.”
“Oh. Ok, sorry.”
He felt the Arahabaki equivalent of laughing in his head for a second before quickly getting a headache. She let him out after that, so he made his way down to the hall. Moody was there, alongside the other teachers including Snape (which just reminded him of his detention) but what surprised him the most was how Draco ducked down the table as he passed. He was meant to be one of the first people in the grand hall, but he was in fact now coming in when the main rush was.
Dazai was nowhere to be seen. Definitely scheming, in one way or another.
...Chuuya hoped he wasn’t involved in too many of his schemes from now on. Arahabaki, he hoped not. Yet no matter how much he hoped, he knew he’d be wrong.