word slip
“So, Mr. Dazai, do you have any family that would have immediate custody of you?” Snape asked
“Nope!” Dazai said enthusiastically
“You sound so excited about that… Anyways. That will make the legal adoption process much easier. Since there is no one with custody of you there is no need for a transfer of custody, all I would need to do is complete some welfare checks and sign the adoption papers.” Snape thought out loud, sorting some homework from previous weeks.
“Yippee! Anyways, i'm bored. Do you have any work for me to do?” Dazai asked, spinning around in the chair across from Snape’s desk
“Hm, I don't have any work for you, Ms. Rei already finished filing all the tests.” Snape began. Dazai visibly deflated at this news, his face settling into a pout. Snape continued. “But I do have something to keep you entertained.” Dazai perked back up “Here is a grid of all the potions ingredients I have and some of their effects. Make a polyglot potion. I have never taught you how to make this in class, and you are to use no resources but your prior knowledge. Go do that and stop bugging me. It’s the weekend. Why are you even in my classroom?... I don't care anymore, just go entertain yourself.”
Dazai snatched the paper from Snape’s outstretched hand and ran over to his and Blaise’s cauldron. Polyglot, that was the word for someone who spoke more than three languages. It should work like a regular translation spell but on a larger scale, right? Dazai filled his cauldron with water to start, then began adding ingredients. Boggart tongue, weeping willow sap, and fracture hobb blood to make the regular translation potion. Faye grass was known for making potions last longer but that wasn’t what he needed. Maybe faye grass and something else would produce the effect he needed. Looking over at the grid for the first time he looked at what faye grass would do when combined with other ingredients. Not dementor cloth…not pixie skin… not bed teeth…not grotto mold…not stair slug membrane… Mirror Nymph Shards! Faye grass and mirror nymph shards combined should make the effects of any potion stronger and more intense. He added both of those ingredients and got to work stirring
Snape finished up sorting his papers and looked up to see his problem child working intently. Ever since the undrinkable potions of first year, he had switched all of his regular cauldrons for glass ones so that he could keep an eye on Dazai, making sure that he was making his potion properly. Looking at Dazai’s current work, it was perfect. It was the exact shade of green it needed to be. Once Dazai truly started trying in his classes, (except for Lockharts, Snape couldn’t blame the boy, Gilderoy truly was a terrible teacher) he shot to the top of the school. Rising above even most 7th years. He was very intelligent and good at following instructions, well, when he wanted to at least. If Albus would listen, Dazai could easily be moved up a few grades. He may not find doing his work so boring if he was actually being challenged.
“Professor! Professor! Did I do it right?” Dazai asked, waving his arms above his head, trying to catch Snape’s attention.
Snape walked over to where Dazai’s cauldron was and tested the potion. He stirred it to test the texture. Perfect. Color? Perfect. It was all perfect. “Yes. you did it perfectly. What ingredients did you use?”
“Oh, I just made a regular translation potion then added Faye grass and Mirror nymph shards to make the effects more intense. Was that wrong?” Dazai asked
“Well, yes. But it still turned out perfect. A regular polyglot potion uses phoenix bone, rainbow essence, and metal ink.”
“But you don’t have any of those in your classroom?”
“I know. I told you to do this potion specifically because I thought it would keep you entertained forever. But instead you thought of a new idea on how to make it. Write down exactly what you did. This will be in my curriculum next year. Thank you for that. Now, please, go bother someone else.” Snape said, walking back to his desk and pulling out more work to grade
“Not the first time Dazai has made a giant breakthrough when it came to new ways to do magic.” Blaise said from the door that neither of them had noticed had been opened moments earlier “Hey Dazai, i just wanted to make sure you weren’t lost”
“Mr. Zabini, what do you mean by that?” Snape asked, startled by his student’s sudden presence
Blaise looked over at Dazai, asking permission. Dazai nodded and Blaise began speaking “Well last year with the Fire-Bat-Salamander we realized that it would not attack anyone if there was an open flame. So we began casting incindio but the thing that incindio got cast on would eventually burn up. So Dazai found a way to cast incindio but never have it leave his wand.”
“And how did you do that Mr.Dazai?” Snape asked, annoyed
“Concentration.” Dazai said bluntly
“Hm, I did want to ask you. There is no such thing as a fire-bat-salamander, so what was in the slytherin dorms that day-” Snape was cut of by Dazai grabbing his things and running to the door
“-Oh man, look at that it’s time for dinner! Bye Dad-! Snape!” Dazai said, rushing out the door
“But it’s only 2pm?” Snape said confused
Blaise smiled, shook his head and followed behind Dazai.
“You called Snape dad.” Blaise said, stating the obvious
“Shut up, I panicked.” Dazai pouted
“You still said it.”
“I hate you”
“I love you too”
The two of them walked back to the gang room, once they got there Dazai flopped onto the couch and started reading. Their silence was interrupted by the door being opened by Hermione and Ginny
“What happened? We saw you two rushing out of Professor Snape’s room and when I went in to ask him for help on one of my assignments he was smiling? And he actually help me without making a snarky comment” Hermione asked, setting down her books on the desk
“Nothing happened,” Dazai said awkwardly.
When it was clear that neither Hermione or Ginny believed him, Blaise cut in “He accidentally called Snape ‘Dad’ and is very embarrassed about it”
“Ohhhhhhhh” Ginny and Hermione said, practically in sync