Magic and Mystery Coil by Allegory_for_Hatred

Suspicions

"Dare I ask why you're undermining me, Severus?"

Severus jumped, head snapping up from the books he was huddled over. "When did you come in?" He growled. "Knock."

Gildeory Lockhart waved him off, striding across the room until he was just on the other side of Severus' desk. He walked with swaying, casual steps—as though he had any right to be here. "Knock? But we're dear friends, Severus! Old classmates! I'll admit, you're a bit out of my typical realm of friends, but everyone needs to befriend an outcast once or twice. It's part of my benevolent charm."

Severus glanced to the door, finding it wide open. He hadn't heard the man enter, and he certainly hadn't been expecting his grating presence today. Hence why the door was meant to be securely shut and why his desk was covered in various books and papers. Research regarding a certain bandage-wearing, hyper-magically sensitive second year student.

Research that Gilderoy was not a part of.

"Why are you here?" With a scowl, he slammed his book shut. He threw a stack of student essays over top it, covering the title from view.

Gilderoy raised a brow, a phony-looking pout on his lips. "Why, Severus! I merely stopped by to chat with an old friend—"

"We aren't friends. We were never friends. We will never be friends," Severus deadpanned. "What do you want."

Gilderoy laughed. "Always a buzzkill, aren't you?" He reached out to grab something on the desk.

Severus smacked his hand away. "I am not attempting to undermine you any more than you already do that to yourself," he said, suddenly remembering the nonsense Gilderoy had said upon entering.

Gilderoy tutted, but thankfully kept his hands to himself without needing another reminder. "Not so! Just last week, I gave one of your students a detention, only he never showed up! You need to keep your students in line, Severus!"

"Who?"

"Hm?"

"Who skipped their detention?" Severus repeated. He could already feel a headache coming on. "If one of my snakes is skipping detention, then I'll have a talk with them." The sooner you tell me, the sooner you'll leave me alone.

Gilderoy puffed. "That demon boy, Dazai Osamu! Who else?"

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. That headache would be a migraine within the hour.

Dazai. Of course this was about that troublesome boy.

"I'll speak with him about it." Have mercy on any student unlucky enough to be stuck with Gilderoy for an hour-long detention. Even if it was a troublemaker like Dazai. Perhaps especially Dazai. "Now leave."

"That's all?" Gildeory tutted. He looked severely put-upon, despite being the one who had done the barging-in. "You aren't understanding, Severus. I'm trying to meet with that demon during detention, and he's using you as an excuse. You can't just let that kind of disrespect go unpunished, hm?"

Severus gave him an unimpressed look. "That doesn't surprise me." He paused. Then, unable to prevent himself from snapping, he added a biting, "and don't call your own student a demon, Gilderoy. He's only a boy."

Gilderoy, again, brushed him off. "He is a demon, Severus! Aren't you reading the papers? I made a statement in the Daily Prophet just the other day about it."

Severus sighed, deep and long-suffering. "I will speak with Mr. Dazai about it during our next lesson on Saturday. You are welcome to leave now."

"Saturday?" Gildeory blinked several times. "You really have class with him on Saturday?"