CHAPTER FOUR: ALWAYS ON HALLOWEEN

Draco Malfoy did not feel proud of himself. At all.

It was actually a first for him, to be so affected by how someone else felt. But Icarus himself was a first.

He'd never met anyone like him.

He'd also never had anyone try and shut a door on his head.

So on Saturday he went down to Hagrid's hut, fighting against every instinct that told him not to. Malfoy's didn't apologize, especially to half-giants or half-anything's, for that matter.

"What're you going to lose anyway?" he muttered to himself, stomping down the fields, "self-respect? Pride? Already fucking -"

He stopped, startled to find that he'd arrived at the hut. It looked bigger than he remembered it. Hesitantly, he knocked.

"Hold on a minute!" said Hagrid over the booming barks of his dog, "Who-oh, it's you."

He'd opened the door, holding Fang back from escaping. He scowled heavily at Draco.

"What d'yeh want?"

"Umm..." Draco shuffled awkwardly, "Iwantedtosaysorry."

Hagrid's scowl didn't go away. As a matter of fact, it deepened.

"Wha'?"

Draco took a deep breath and said it again, slower.

"I should've listened to you about the Hippogriff," said Draco, looking at his feet, "but I was trying to show off and now I've got you into trouble."

They stood there in silence until Draco decided he felt awkward enough and looked up, about to say something else.

"Tha's the first time I've heard a Malfoy apologise fer anythin'," said Hagrid.

How the fuck was he supposed to respond to that?

"How do I know yeh mean it?"

"I dunno, do I?" muttered Draco, "Like you said, it's a first."

Hagrid's scowl softened a little.

"What d'yeh know about gardening?"

. . .

"Isn't next weekend the Hogsmeade trip?" asked Snape, reaching for a jar he'd placed too far back.

"Is it?" asked Icarus, reading a book while sitting upside down in a chair.

"You should go," grunted Snape, straining, "get my birthday present early. Oh, fuck this-"

He stopped trying to reach it and 'accio'ed it towards him.

"You're already getting a birthday present," said Icarus, "why do you need one from me?"

"Shut up," grumbled Snape, inspecting the jar for damage.

Icarus had not let him forget that he'd been caught being kissed by Charity Burbage. Not for a minute.

"I'll think about it," said Icarus.

For him, that usually meant yes.

. . .

When he woke on Halloween morning, the weather was terrible.

He ate quickly in the kitchens before making his way up to the entrance hall and leaving - the first in Mr. Filch's very long list. He took his time journeying down to Hogsmeade and spent hours wondering the familiar streets.

The owner of Honeydukes saw him almost as soon as he came in and rushed to hand him armfuls of candy. They'd gotten along since he was a child and he'd helped develop a more secure plan to stop students from stealing. Not that he hadn't been one of them.

He went into Dervish and Banges next and considered buying Draco a mokeskin pouch, before having to remind himself that he was still supposed to be mad at him.

Five minutes after leaving, he went back inside to get it, deciding he'd forgive Draco by Christmas.

He wondered down towards the field near the Shrieking Shack and climbed a tree, delighting in the cold gusts of wind. The Shack had never bothered him, honestly - it might've looked haunted, but it actually wasn't. He was pretty sure that he was one of the only people that had actually figured a way inside though.

After an hour, he noticed his hands were almost purple and decided to go back to the castle to warm up.

. . .

The portrait door opened and Icarus looked over to see his father enter the common room. He frowned.

"All students are to make their way to the Great Hall," said Snape, "immediately."

Icarus closed his book softly and unfurled from the sofa. Snape glanced at him, worry in his usually calm eyes.

Following the small crowd, Icarus made his way to the Great Hall and went to find Hermione, who stood near to where the staff table would've been with Harry and Ron.

"What happened?" he asked. She opened her mouth to reply when Dumbledore stepped forward and the crowd fell silent.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a through search of the castle," he said, "I'm afraid that for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately. Send word with one of the ghosts."

He swept towards the doors and paused for a moment, thinking.

"Oh, yes, you'll be needing..."

With a wave of his wand, hundreds of soft purple sleeping bags appeared along the Great Hall.

"So?" asked Icarus, picking one of them up and following the small group to a corner.

"Sirius Black got past the dementors," said Ron, "tried to get into our House."

"Do you think he's still in the castle?" asked Hermione anxiously.

"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," said Ron.

"It's very lucky he picked tonight, y'know," she said thoughtfully as they climbed into their sleeping bags, "the one night we weren't in the tower..."

"I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run," said Ron, "didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here."

Icarus stared at the ceiling for a couple of minutes as the chatter of students buzzed around them.

"D'you reckon it was because no one was in there?" he asked, mostly to himself.

The three of them looked at him.

"Why d'you think that?" asked Harry.

Icarus blinked, turning his head towards him.

"Dunno," he said, "just a thought..."

"The lights are going out now!" shouted Percy Weasley, "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candle went out all at once and Icarus found himself watching the movement of the stars in the enchanted ceiling. Every hour or so, a teacher would come in to check on them but he didn't even pretend to sleep.

There was no point.

At around three in the morning, Dumbledore came in. He walked straight up to Percy - who stood not very far away.

"Any sign of him, Professor?"

"No. All well here?"

"Everything under control, sir."

Icarus thought Percy reminded him remarkably of a soldier.

"Good," said Dumbledore, "there's no point in moving them all now. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able to move them back in later on today."

"And the Fat Lady, sir?"

"Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently she refused to let him in without the password, so he attacked. She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr. Filch restore her."

The doors creaked open again and Icarus watched his father stride down the Hall to meet Dumbledore and Percy. He glanced at Icarus and blinked - safe. For now.

Icarus nodded slightly.

"Headmaster? The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either."

"What about the Astronomy Tower?" asked Dumbledore, "Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?"

"All searched..."

"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger."

"Have any theory as to how he got in?"

"Many, Severus, each as unlikely as the next," said Dumbledore.

"You remember the conversation we had just before the - ah - start of term?"

"I do, Severus," said Dumbledore.

Icarus frowned at the warning that laced the man's tone.

"It seems - almost impossible - the Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed-"

"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," interrupted Dumbledore, "I must go down to the dementors. I said I would inform them when our search was complete."

"Didn't they want to help, sir?" asked Percy.

"Oh yes," said Dumbledore, "but I'm afraid no dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am headmaster."

Dumbledore left the Hall quickly and Snape looked over at Icarus.

The fury in his gaze caught the boy by surprise - then he left also.

"What was that all about?" Ron whispered.

. . .