Magic and Mystery Coil by Allegory_for_Hatred

Subtle Movements

Severus set the book down with a put-upon sigh.

He'd been attempting to cast the spell written there for over an hour now with no results. No matter how many times he read the passage or waved his wand or wished really, really hard—nothing ever happened. In any other situation, Severus would have simply given up by now. As it was, a spell like this was virtually useless.

But Dazai needed to learn it, and Severus was at a loss as to how the boy would teach himself without a guide. Merlin knew the boy couldn't be trusted to do his written assignments, let alone take the time to learn this spell without a guiding hand.

Just as Severus was lamenting the upcoming lesson, the door to his office suddenly swung open.

For a split-second, Severus' heart sunk.

Not Gilderoy barging in again..!

His head snapped up with a glare, ready to chase the author away with a biting word or two. But rather than the loud and flashy form of Gilderoy Lockhart at his door, Severus saw a much smaller visitor instead.

"Don't you know how to knock, boy?"

Dazai waved him off, the ever-present smile on his face teasing. "It's not like you're expecting anyone else right now, are you?"

Unwittingly, Severus' eyes automatically roved up-and-down Dazai's figure in search of injury. A quick once-over, however, revealed nothing of the sort. Just the boy's worrying (but not unexpected) bandage wrappings and those strange gloves he'd started wearing this year. If Dazai had any injuries—self-harm or otherwise—they were covered.

Severus clicked his tongue. "Just because I know you're coming is no excuse to forego manners."

"Right, right. But you already know I'm rude, so there isn't much point in pretending," Dazai said, clearly unbothered by the potion master's smoldering sneer. Any other student would be trembling. As always, Dazai was the furthest thing from being just 'any other student.' "What are we doing for this week's lesson, Professor?"

"We'll be working on spell-casting today." Severus felt his eyes narrow. "And watch your tongue."

"Ah... I'm watching it, Sir."

Severus severely doubted that.

Mercifully, Dazai didn't make another impudent remark. Instead, he silently shut the door at his back. Only once the door was closed and they were truly alone, did Dazai whirl back around to face him.

Same teasing expression. Same amused glint in his eyes.

Severus sighed. "Sit," he instructed, gesturing to the chair across from him at the desk, "the sooner we get started the sooner you get out of my hair."

Only, Dazai didn't make any move to sit down. He stayed firmly in place, glancing around the room with two discerning eyes. His eyes flitted from one item to the next, lingering over textbooks, half-finished potions, the analog clock sitting on Severus' desk... He didn't appear to be looking for anything in particular. But after a moment, Severus' assumption was proven wrong when Dazai asked, "I don't see the Sensing Stone anywhere."

Severus grunted. "We won't be using it today. Sit."

An expression flashed across Dazai's face for a split second—one Severus couldn't decipher. Then, that cheeky smile was back in its place. Dazai sat down. "Madam Pomfrey doesn't trust you to take care of it, huh?" the boy teased. "Professor Snape's explosive temperament would destroy it by accident."

Severus' brow twitched. Irritation lanced through him. "The next word out of your mouth earns you a detention."

Dazai opened his mouth, paused, then seemed to think better of it. His mouth snapped shut with a boney click.