CHAPTER TWO: ANY WORSE

Icarus looked up at the scarlet train, and then at Mihos, who clung to his shoulders.

Sighing, he hopped on. How he'd almost been late -

There were hardly any seats and he couldn't find Draco anywhere, so he made his way to the end of the train and found a compartment that was, for the most part, empty.

In the corner, a man in old robes slept against the window.

He lifted the suitcase into the rack above him and sat down. Mihos jumped onto his lap and curled into a ball, purring. A couple of minutes later, the door opened and he looked up to see Harry looking in.

"Hey, Icarus," Harry whispered, glancing at the man, "mind if we join you?"

Icarus shrugged, smiling at Hermione when she came in. Mihos looked lazily over at her cat - an ugly looking orange thing.

"Who d'you reckon he is?" whispered Ron as they sat down and the door slid shut.

"Professor R. J. Lupin," said Hermione.

"How'd you know that?"

"It's on his case," she said, pointing at it.

"Wonder what he teaches," said Ron.

"That's obvious," said Hermione, "there's only one vacancy, isn't there? Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Well, I hope he's up to it," said Ron, "he looks like one good jinx would finish him off, doesn't he? Anyway..." he turned to Harry, "what were you going to tell us?"

Icarus rested his head against the edge of the carriage, feeling as tired as the man next to him looked. The sound of Harry talking, however, kept him awake.

"Sirius Black escaped to come after you?" said Hermione, worried, "Oh, Harry...you'll have to be really, really careful. Don't go looking for trouble."

"I don't go looking for trouble," grumbled Harry, "trouble usually finds me."

He had a point. It usually found Icarus, too.

"How thick would Harry have to be to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill him?" said Ron shakily, "No one knows how he got out of Azkaban. No one's ever done it before. And he was a top security prisoner too."

Icarus glanced over at Hermione, who was watching him curiously. She looked away, embarrassed.

"They'll catch him, won't they?" she asked, "I mean, they've got all the Muggles looking for him too..."

"What's that noise?" asked Ron.

He winced as a high-pitched, tinny sound reached his ears.

"Are you alright?" asked Hermione, as Ron stood up to get whatever was making the sound.

Icarus nodded and Mihos stretched before curling himself - if it was possible - further into his stomach.

"Is that a Sneakoscope?" she asked, standing up to get a better look. Her cat jumped over to settle itself by Icarus' side and he relaxed a little.

He liked the warmth.

"Yeah, mind you, it's a very cheap one," said Ron, "it went haywire as I was tying it to Erroll's leg to take to Harry."

"Were you doing anything untrustworthy at the time?" asked Hermione.

"No! Well...I wasn't supposed to be using Erroll. You know he's not really up to long journey's...but how else was I supposed to get Harry's present to him?"

"Stick it back in the trunk," said Harry, glancing at the stranger, "or it'll wake him up."

Icarus found his exhaustion beginning to take over as they started to talk about Hogsmeade and soon fell into a fitful sort of sleep. He woke for a couple of minutes when the food cart came by their compartment, shaking his head when Hermione asked if he wanted anything.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked, sitting back down with an armful of pumpkin pasties and other sweets. He nodded.

A couple of hours later, the compartment door slid open again and Icarus looked up to see Draco Malfoy. Alone.

He raised his eyebrows.

"What happened?" asked the blonde, completely ignoring the others, "You stopped replying to my letters."

Icarus sighed and opened his mouth, wanting to reply. He closed it, frustrated.

"Great, can't even give me a reason," Draco growled, glancing past him, "why do I - who's he?"

He'd noticed Professor Lupin in the corner.

"New teacher," said Harry.

Draco scowled, gave Icarus a final look, and stormed off. Icarus sighed, closing the compartment door.

"What's he so mad about?" said Ron hotly.

Icarus glared at him.

...

He woke with a start from another fitful dream. Ron lent forward to see outside, a frown on his face.

"Why're we stopping?"

Harry got up and looked outside. From Icarus' vantage point, he could see students looking out of their compartments all along the carriage. Mihos sat up in his lap, alert.

The train came to a sudden stop and the distant thuds and bangs told him that luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out.

Icarus didn't hesitate in lighting his wand.

"What's going on?" asked Ron, accidently stepping on Hermione's foot. Harry sat back down in his seat.

"D'you think we've broken down?"

"Dunno..."

Ron turned and wiped at the window, looking outside.

"There's something moving outside," he said, "I think people are coming onto the train."

Icarus frowned, looking over at the window also. Until someone stumbled into the compartment and tripped over his foot, that was. Mihos jumped off his lap.

Neville Longbottom had to have been the clumsiest person he'd ever met.

"Sorry -" he said as Icarus helped him up, "d'you know what's going on? I saw a light - sorry -"

"I'm going to go ask the driver what's going on," said Hermione, standing up and making her way to the door. Icarus grabbed her wrist and pulled her back in, shaking his head.

Ginny appeared at the door a second after, confused.

"I saw a light down here," she said, "do you know what's going on?"

Mihos arched and released a low, gruttal hiss. Icarus looked at him, surprised. Mihos never hissed. Ginny accidentally stepped on Neville trying to get past him. He yelped.

"Quiet!" said a hoarse voice suddenly. Professor Lupin had woken up and Icarus met his eyes for a moment, before trying to close the compartment door.

It wouldn't budge, so he stuck his head outside, illuminating the carriage.

He really wished he hadn't. Though he'd never seen one before, he recognized the dark shadow which moved towards him. He jerked backwards, like he'd been hit, and sat back down on the bench.

"What is it?" asked Hermione, panic in her voice, "Icarus, what-"

The compartment grew cold and Icarus could feel his heart beating in his ears. Shaking, he looked to the door. The soft silver light from his wand illuminated the hooded figure that stood there, it's face completely hidden.

Ice flowed through his chest and water seemed to pull itself once again over his head...

He tried to reach out, to scream, to breathe...

His wand clattered to the ground.

. . .

Icarus sat up quickly, trembling. The train had started again and the ice had left his heart, but he felt sick. Very, very sick.

He heard a soft slap and looked over to see Ron crouching over Harry. He supposed he wasn't the only one to pass out.

"Are you ok?" asked Ron, looking between the two of them.

Mihos nudged Icarus' side fondly.

"Yeah," said Harry, wiping a layer of sweat from his face, "What happened? Where's that - that thing? Who screamed?"

"No one screamed," said Ron, looking pale. Hermione looked over at Icarus, worried.

"But I heard something-"

There was a loud snap and everyone in the carriage jumped - his panic increased when his wand wasn't where it was supposed to be. He patted himself down quickly, then bent to check under the seats -

"Here, you dropped it," said Professor Lupin, holding out both his wand and a piece of chocolate.

Icarus nodded in thanks, taking both and feeling himself relax a little.

"Eat," said Professor Lupin, handing chocolate to everyone else, "it'll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me..."

He disappeared into the carriage.

"I don't get it...what happened?" asked Harry, still shaken.

"Well - that thing - the dementor - stood there and looked around (I mean, I think it did, I couldn't see its face) - and you - you -" said Hermione.

"I thought you were having a fit," said Ron, "you just went all sort of rigid and fell out of your seat. Icarus -"

Icarus looked over at him.

"I dunno what happened," he said, "you looked like the life had been sucked out of you...you kinda just...slumped."

"Professor Lupin just stepped over you, Harry," added Hermione, "went straight up to the dementor and pulled out his wand. He said 'None of us are hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go.' And when it didn't move, he muttered something and a silvery thing shot out of his wand and it turned around and sort of glided away..."

"It was horrible," said Neville, his voice several pitches higher than usual, "did you feel how cold it got when it came in?"

Ginny was curled up in a corner, trembling.

"I felt weird," said Ron, shifting uncomfortably, "like I'd never be happy again."

"But didn't any of you - fall off your seats?" asked Harry.

"No," said Ron, "but Icarus fainted too and Ginny was trembling like mad..."

The carriage door opened and Professor Lupin looked around.

"I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know," he said with a small smile, going back to his seat, "we'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes. Are you all right, Harry?"

"Fine," Harry muttered, biting into the chocolate.

It took a moment for Icarus to realize the man was looking at him. He nodded.

. . .

Icarus joined them in the coach to Hogwarts, somehow more tired than he had been when he'd gotten on the train.

The chocolate only helped so much.

As they passed through the gates, a wave of cold washed over him and he shuddered. Soon enough, the carriage swayed to a halt and he jumped out, going to the front to greet the thestral.

They were beautiful creatures really - it was just a shame you could only see them when you saw someone die. It snorted happily as he stroked it.

A familiar voice reached his ears.

"You fainted, Potter?" said Pansy Parkinson, "Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually fainted?"

Icarus groaned, rested his head on the threstals neck for a moment, before stepping away. The carriage rattled away as he went to join Harry and the others.

She stepped back when she saw him approach, paling. He cocked his head.

Draco was walking up behind her, Crabbe and Goyle following him.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking between Pansy and Icarus.

Pansy seemed to decide she'd risk it.

"Didn't you hear? Potter fainted," she said.

"Shove off, Parkinson," Ron said, his jaw clenched.

Draco considered her for a moment.

"So?" he asked.

"So?" she repeated, stupidly.

"I heard you scream from the compartment over," he said, shrugging, "can't really call that brave, can you?"

Draco left Crabbe and Goyle, joining Icarus' side.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly. Icarus shrugged.

"Is there a problem?" called Professor Lupin, who had gotten out of the next carriage. She jumped and turned around, before looking back at Icarus.

He raised a slender black eyebrow.

"No, Professor," she said, "not at all."

She shoved past Hermione and made her way up the stairs, Crabbe and Goyle following closely. They steered clear of Icarus.

Icarus turned and allowed the crowd to move him into the castle. Harry, Ron and Hermione disappeared somewhere along the way. Draco, however, managed to stay by his side.

Silently, he dried the both of them off as they sat down at the Slytherin table. Only seconds later, he saw his father sweeping towards him. He almost glared at the man in frustration.

He just wanted to sleep. And eat.

"Come with me," said Snape, walking past.

Icarus stood back up and followed him out. They began to make their way to Professor McGonagall's office and Snape, noticing Icarus' confusion, decided to explain.

"Our new professor wrote ahead," he said, "to inform us that you and Mr. Potter took ill on the train. Poppy's already here, so it's just easier than taking you to the hospital wing."

Icarus rolled his eyes.

They arrived just as Harry and Madam Pomfrey left the office.

"Poppy!" called Snape. She stopped in her tracks and looked at Icarus.

"You too?" she asked, exasperated.

He shrugged and she examined him quickly.

"I suppose he gave you chocolate, too?"

Icarus nodded and she walked away, satisfied. Snape was watching him, ignoring Harry's glare.

"I know you can do silent spellcasting," he muttered, "but this is going to be a hard year if you don't start talking again."

"If he doesn't do what?"

Both father and son stared at Professor McGonagall like deer caught in headlights. They hadn't heard the door open.

She raised her eyebrows pointedly and Icarus could tell Snape was berating himself in his head.

"Minerva," said Snape, glancing at Harry.

"What were you saying, Severus? He can't -"

"Later, Minerva," Snape said hurriedly, taking Icarus' shoulder and guiding him away.

They arrived at the Great Hall just as Professor Flitwick carried out a stool and an ancient hat. Snape let go of Icarus' shoulder and the boy was surprised by the loathing that appeared on the man's face as he looked towards the staff table.

There was only one person Icarus could think of that would cause that expression on his father's face.

What wrong had Professor Lupin done to deserve it?

. . .