Magic and Mystery Coil by Allegory_for_Hatred

Home

In the center of the desk, a leather-bound diary sat in perfect stillness. Though it had been handled with excess care, the spine was broken and the pages yellowed. A beam of light caught on it. The book seemed to glow.

"...Well?"

Dazai blinked out of his silent musings. He turned to Draco, who was watching him with an anxious expression.

"Well what?"

Draco huffed, then kicked forward until he was just a foot away from the desk. Despite the edge to his whole demeanor, however, Dazai noticed he made a point to not get too close to Ginny's diary. "What now? Getting the diary is what my father wants from you, right? We're done now?"

"Are you going to have Featherbrain ship that to your boss?" Blaise asked.

"Even though we're pretty sure this is what Lucius wants..." Dazai trailed off with a hum. He leaned forward on a palm, deep in thought. Usually, Dazai wasn't one to hesitate about conclusions like this. But...

Dazai let his senses run over the diary. And although the office was always abuzz with magical energy, the diary seemed to be giving off none of it.

Well... that wasn't entirely accurate. The diary had magic. But it had no more than any random wizard Dazai could pass in the halls might. Compared to the Philosopher's Stone and the Sensing Stone? This thing barely qualified as magical at all! But it wasn't the nearly imperceptible magic that was bothering Dazai—nor was it the uncertainty of a job-well-done.

What was bothering Dazai was that the diary felt more like a person than an artifact.

"Dazai?"

"What do you mean pretty sure? I thought we were done!"

For the second time in as many minutes, Dazai startled out of his thoughts. This time, Draco's worry was replaced with irritation.

"Ah." Dazai rolled his shoulders tightly. The muscle clicked. "Our research was solid. Now it's just a matter of verifying things."

"I'm not sure any of our reputations could handle being blamed for another petrification," Blaise said. Draco winced at the comment. "Waiting to see if another one happens is risky."

Dazai nodded, eyes flicking to Blaise appreciatively as he spoke. "So we won't wait around." He tapped a gloved finger on the book's peeling cover. There wasn't really any magic there to nullify... but Dazai wasn't taking any chances. The gloves would stay on just in case. "Remember what Ginny said the other day? Evidently," he tapped the book again in point, "this ugly little thing can talk."

Draco reeled back immediately. "You can't seriously be planning to write in it!"

Dazai made a face. He looked to Blaise for support, only to find—

"That's an awful idea, Dazai."

"Wha—" he stuttered. "Aren't you supposed to be on my side, Blaise? You're my second! What's with all this hostility?"

"I'm being pragmatic." Blaise lifted his chin to watch Dazai through pointed eyes. "And you're doing something recklessly self-sacrificial again. This book corrupted Ginny. It can corrupt you too."

"You think so?" Dazai asked, almost hopeful. "Getting corrupted is kind of like dying, isn't it?"

"She only lost her memories," Blaise countered.

Dazai sighed.

Draco scoffed. He stared down at the book, then back to Dazai, derisive. "Writing in the book that made the Weasley girl go nuts is the definition of self-sacrificial. It's like you want to be its next victim."