Magic and Mystery Coil by Allegory_for_Hatred

The Basilisk

The meeting began just after lunch, when Dazai tapped a piece of white chalk to the blackboard and announced, "Alright, gang. Listen up."

"Ooh," Fred hummed. He leaned over into George's ear, "our boss is in rare form today!"

George waved his arms wildly overhead. "Sir, yes, sir!"

The Gryffindors had been easy to round up for an impromptu meeting. Dazai sat with them in the Great Hall now, after all. A few casual mentions of, 'meeting up in the usual spot,' was enough to rally Fred, George, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione without rousing the suspicions of anyone else. Though Percy had still watched the exchange with unconcealed trepidation.

"What's the plan, Dazai?" Blaise asked. Draco sat beside him, a stiff square of shoulder and bone. Those two had been a little more difficult to round up, if only because they sat so far apart. But Blaise was ever on the same page as Dazai, and a few searching gazes over the crowd of students had Blaise nodding. He'd understood Dazai's request to meet with only a short look. Blaise continued to unashamedly be Dazai's favorite.

"Hold on," Ron said, raising a hand. Angel was sitting on Ron's shoulder, looking like an uncomfortable bundle of bones and fur no matter how he sat. His eyes were beady little things. When all eyes turned to him, Ron pointed. "What is she doing here?"

As one, the entire room turned to face—

Pansy scowled. "Mind your own business, blood traitor."

Ron spluttered angrily and the twins glowered at her. But it was Hermione who shot to her feet. Rage bubbled up over her expression. Her mouth opened to spit out, "You—!"

"Calm down, children," Dazai said before they could start fighting for real. He tapped the board again a few times until they stopped bristling like angry dogs. And it was only after Hermione, reluctant and with a petulant frown, sat back down, that he said, "no fighting, or I'll kick you out of the operation. Which in some mafias is basically a death sentence!"

Draco choked. Blaise patted him on the back several times, until Draco was only staring blearily at Dazai from his spot on the sofa.

"This isn't a mafia," Ron said plainly.

"Very true!" Dazai said. "Gold star for Ron."

Ron and Pansy both gave him looks like he'd lost his mind. Dazai barrelled onward. On the blackboard, he wrote:

Team 1

Right below it, the drawing of the basilisk had been partially erased, leaving behind a snake-like smudge. Dazai wrote his own name in bold letters, followed by Blaise and Draco.

"Team one is going to—"

"Hold on," Pansy interjected. Dazai turned a raised brow onto her. "Where's my name?"

"I don't want you here," he told her candidly.

Pansy didn't look impressed. She looked even less impressed when the twins had to smother their laughter into one another's shoulders.

Dazai sighed. Sluggishly, like his hand was being dragged by some cosmic force outside his control, he wrote an incredibly unfelt 'Pansy I guess' just below Draco's name.

"You guess?" Pansy folded her arms.

"I guess," Dazai said with a nod. "Unfortunately."

He looked around the room, meeting each of his Hounds' eyes once each. The twins were still snickering by the desk. Ginny sat with Ron and Hermione, who were both glaring daggers at Pansy—who in true form had yet to stop challenging Dazai with every single breath. She was standing furthest away from everyone else. Isolated.