"No! Not now dammit!"
The staircase decided to move just as he was on it. He held on as it shifted to the other side of the floor. It took forever before the creaking staircase stopped moving. Sano hopped off and ran around to get to the main floor.
"Shit!"
Now he was really late. He was about to start down another corridor when he realized he had no idea where he was going. He stood still for a while, trying to find the quickest way to the dungeon when a head appeared out of the wall.
"Hallo there, Sanosuke."
"Hey, Headless Nick."
"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington... but never mind. A bit lost, are you?"
Sano looked chagrined "You could say that. Do you know the shortest way to the Defense class?"
Nearly Headless Nick puffed up and said importantly, "Follow me, my boy."
The teenager and the ghost ran down and around various corridors. Sano gave up trying to keep track of where he was going; he'd just wake up earlier tomorrow.
Headless Nick stopped in front of a door.
"Here we are. Defense Against the Dark Arts. Too bad you're late."
"Shit." Sano pushed the door open and quietly walked in. There was a hush and Sano watched all eyes turn to him. He looked up at Professor Saitou frowning at him.
This was not good.
"Ah. Mister Sagara. How nice of you to join the class."
Sano stuck out his chin. He wasn't going to let this oversized cricket intimidate him. So he was late to class, big deal. He glared up at the teacher. Wow, he really did look like a cricket with those bangs. Okay, so he was late, but it wasn't his fault -- he would have been in class on time if it wasn't for the staircase. Somehow he didn't think a moving staircase was enough of an excuse for this professor. This was not how he wanted to start the term. He really didn't want to get into trouble, but it REALLY wasn't his fault.
"Sit down, moron."
Sano quickly walked around Saitou and found a seat. He glanced over to see Katsu rolling his eyes at him. He could almost hear his voice:
'You idiot. You had to piss off the teacher on the first day. This isn't home, where we know the professors and I can cover for you. I can't help you out here. Remember, idiot, we're strangers.'
Sano ignored his friend, pulled out his quill and faked an attentive look.
Saitou stood in front of the class as he started speaking again.
"You've learnt how to defend against most curses, the ones that can be defended against. This year we will focus on other types of curses."
A Ravenclaw timidly put up her hand.
"Yes?"
"But sir, we've covered curses."
Sano looked down at his parchment with a smirk. He could tell the professor wanted to roll his eyes at the comment.
"You've covered single curses. We will cover generational curses."
"Sir? You mean the ones where you and your descendants are cursed with bad luck?"
"No. The ones where you and your descendants all die by time you're fifteen."
That shut the girl up.
Sano looked up to see Saitou standing in front of him.
"Something amuses you, Sagara?"
Sano looked up.
"No, sir."
"Something must have by the way you were grinning at your parchment. Would you care to share with the class?"
"Uh..."
"Then may I suggest you pay attention? You might learn something."
Sano flushed and looked back down, hearing the snickering of his classmates. He straightened up, ignored all the smiles and focused on the teacher. So he made a bad first impression, there was still time to make a better one.
"Multi-generation curses are rarely used because most wizards don't plan that far ahead." Saitou smirked. "Let that be a lesson. Planning is everything."
The Ravenclaw girl paled as she looked at the professor with fear and concern.
'Geez.' Sano rolled his eyes. 'This guy is too weird.'
"Mr. Sagara."
Oh no.
"Sir?"
"Is something bothering you, Mr. Sagara?" Saitou raised an eyebrow.
Sano swallowed. "Nothing, sir. Just the 'planning is everything' part."
"You disagree with planning?"
"Well..."
'Let me guess. You would just rush in, wand waving and hope for the best."
Sano shot up. "Hey!"
Saitou waved a hand. "Sit down."
"What's wrong with that? Besides, I'm entitled to an opinion!"
Saitou gave him what was definitely an evil smirk. "You do not have an opinion in my class. Just listen and maybe you will absorb something." He looked down at the student. "I doubt it, though."
Sano turned red. The man had called him stupid.
"Why you...!"
"Shut up."
The finality in that voice was enough to make him sit down and, yes, shut up. Sano frowned.
He really disliked this guy.
"Now before we begin, a quick refresher on the Imperio, Crucio and Avada Kedavra curses. Mr. Howard."
Another Gryffindor looked up. "Sir."
"What is the Imperio curse, and how do you break it?"
Mr. Howard answered and sat, satisfied that the teacher hadn't peeled him like a grape.
Sano watched as the teacher looked for another victim.
"Mr. Sagara. Explain to me the Crucio and Avada Kedavra curses, how to repel them, and..." he paused. "When were they last used."
"What?"
"Mr. Sagara, are you questioning me?"
The men glared at each other. Sano wasn't going to be the first to look away. He stared up at the professor, gritting his teeth. Those eyes made him shiver.
Saitou smirked. "Mr. Sagara, I expect to see you here after classes today. I don't take kindly to insubordination. My authority is absolute in this class. Do we understand each other?" He turned away.
Sano swore under his breath. Saitou may have broken eye contact first, but he had definitely won. He looked up at Katsu, who was grinning and running his finger across his throat.
Yeah. He was dead.
Sano sauntered across the green, heading back to the Gryffindor tower. Today hadn't been too bad. Okay, so the morning hadn't started off great, but it got better. Hagrid's class had been fun, despite his cottage nearly burning down. Professor Shinomori's Zen class was okay. He didn't fidget as much as he usually did, but he did spent the time thinking over the morning and coming up with an excuse, or three. Muggle studies kicked ass. Sano paused, looking up as he heard the beat of wings. A grey owl swooping down at him, dropping a white envelope. Sano frowned and picked it up. The card just had one word.
Detention.
Shit. He was going to miss the Quidditch tryouts! He crushed the card. To hell with the cricket, he was going to the tryouts.
It had been a great day. Sano leaned back at the dinner table. His classes weren't too bad, and now he was Gryffindor's new beater. He reached over for some more chicken, careful to avoid looking at the teachers' table.
Crickets were bad things.
Harry leaned over Ron and grinned. "Congrats Sano. I saw you at the tryouts. You really whacked the hell out of those bludgers."
Ron nodded, mouth filled with bread. He swallowed. "It was awesome! I thought you were going to fall off your broom."
"Yeah, well, when you're that good..."
Yahiko pouted. "I could do that."
Kaoru smacked her brother out of his seat.
"And what am I supposed to tell Mom when you break your scrawny neck?!"
"I won't break my neck!"
Kaoru belted him, again.
"It's nice to know I'm not the only one who has the urge to hit someone."
Ron, Harry and Sano gaped at Hermione.
After dinner, the prefects led the students back to their towers. Sano and the other sixth formers were trailing behind the rest of the group. He was laughing at a joke when the group stopped. He saw the praying mantis speak with the prefect, who nodded and pointed to the back.
Right where Sano was standing. He watched apprehensively as the professor stalked closer and calmly cut Sano off from the rest of the group.
"Sagara."
"Cri... sir."
Saitou turned away, obviously expecting Sano to follow him. They walked along the corridor and entered Saitou's classroom. Sano stood in the middle of the room, watching as the teacher seated himself behind his desk and lit a cigarette. He calmly smoked, reading a few papers on his desk. He looked up when Sano made a move to sit at a desk.
"I didn't say you could sit down."
"Um..."
Saitou finished his cigarette, and wrote something down.
Sano twitched. The silence was getting to him.
Nothing happened.
Sano clenched his fist. "Say something, dammit!"
Saitou raised his eyebrows. "What do you want me to say, moron?"
"I don't know! Anything!"
Saitou smiled and prowled from behind the desk. He stood in front of the teenager. Sano's eyes widened and he backed up, only to be blocked by a desk.
"You've got my attention, idiot."
Sano swallowed. "Sir?" He breathed easier when the professor moved away.
"Just that. I'll be watching you very closely." There was that smirk again.
"Oh."
"It should prove interesting."
"Uh..."
"Sit down, stupid. You still have to serve your detention." He pointed at a stack on books on one of the desk. "I want you to write 40 inches on the history of the unforgivable curses."
"What? Now?"
"Tonight."
They stared at each other.
"Moron, the longer you put it off, the longer you remain here."
Sano growled and stomped to the desk. He opened the first book, not forgetting to glare at the teacher, who smiled blandly at him.