Greek Tragedy | Sirius Black's Son

Chapter Four

but i've got high hopes, it takes me back to when we started
high hopes, when you let it go, go out and start again
kodaline, high hopes

✧

By the time Friday of next week rolled around, Icarus was practically dead on his feet. He had been unable to sleep for the past few night due to a bout of insomnia he was suffering from. Just last night, he had begged for his friends to knock him out so that he might be able to get some sleep, but they wouldn't do it. He was awake all night, staring at the ceiling.

He, according to Alan, "looked like shit." He wondered if any of the teachers had noticed, but he doubted it. No one had asked him if he was doing all right or if everything was okay. If they did notice, however, they were doing a pretty good job of ignoring him.

He stood outside the door that led to Lupin's office-or that's what he hoped at least-wondering if he should knock or not. He wasn't even sure if the professor was in his office. Although, he probably was because Icarus had nearly collapsed onto his dinner and his friends had to practically drag him out of the Great Hall.

To add on to his sleeping problem, he hadn't smoked since Lupin had caught him. He wasn't sure if the man had alerted any of the other professors about his smoking, and he didn't want to take a chance and find out. Lupin had been nice, only giving him one detention-unlike McGonagall-and Icarus decided that he didn't want to get any more, what with all the homework that had already been piled on top of him. It was fifth year which meant O.W.L.s, and the teachers didn't seem to understand the meaning of the word mercy.

Icarus knocked.

The door opened and a smiling Lupin stood in front of him. "Ah, Icarus. I was beginning to think you wouldn't show."

Icarus trudged into Lupin's office. It looked exactly the same from the last time he was in here.

Lupin shut the door and motioned for Icarus to take a seat. A stack of papers sat on a table in front of Icarus.

He looked up at Lupin. "Why are there papers in front of me?"

"I want you to help me grade the sixth years essays on. . ."

Icarus tuned him out and slumped forward, closing his eyes. He was so tired.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump. Lupin was staring down at him, a questioning look in his eyes. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Hmm?"

Lupin sighed. "You're going to correct these essays for me. Better get started on them."

Icarus watched as Lupin walked back to his desk and picked a piece of paper from his own stack, reading it over. Icarus picked up his own paper and did the same.

Lucian Bole, he read. The name was familiar to him. Bole was a Slytherin in the year above him.

Scanning the page, he thought, He's got messy handwriting. Marking a few points off for that. He continued to read the essay.

After about an hour of reading papers, he began to get a headache. It started out as a dull throb; it hadn't bothered him too much. As the detention progressed, however, it worsened. It soon became a stabbing pain behind his eyes. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had been dealing with these headaches for a while. He assumed that they were the product of his lack of sleep and nicotine withdrawal.

"Those essays won't correct themselves, you know."

Icarus looked up to see Lupin staring at him with an amused expression on his face.

"No, they won't," Icarus said, sighing and turning back to the two stacks of papers that he had made.

After several more headache inducing minutes of correcting essays, Icarus had finally finished and he was allowed to leave. He dragged himself back down to the dungeon and collapsed onto a couch where his friends were sitting when he entered the common room.

"You all right there, mate?" Phillip asked, sounding a little concerned.

"I jus' wanna go to sleep," Icarus said, his words slurred.

"Wow, was detention with Lupin that bad?" Alan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I have a pounding headache and I don't think I can get up from this couch."

Alan and Phillip looked at each other.

"All right, get up." Phillip stood up and hooked his hands underneath Icarus's shoulders, making him stand. He guided Icarus to the fifth year boys' dormitory and let him fall onto his bed.

"Do you have any cigarettes, Phillip?" Icarus asked, his voice muffled because he was lying face down on a pillow.

"You are not smoking right now," Phillip responded.

"What time is it?" Icarus whined.

"Jesus, you are such a baby when you're tired," Phillip muttered, but Icarus still heard him. When he was about to complain, Phillip cut him off by saying, "It's nearly eleven."

"It took me three hours to correct papers?"

"I guess." Phillip untied Icarus's shoes and pulled them off of his feet. "Do you want to sleep in your robe and tie or. . .?"

Icarus answered his question by clumsily throwing his robe off of himself and loosening the already loose tie around his neck. He put the pillow over his head to block out the light that was coming from the window.

"Okay, so, I'm going to leave this room to let you sleep," Phillip informed him. "Oh, and, no smoking, okay?" His voice sounded farther away.

Icarus let out a muffled "Uh-huh."

"All right. Well, hope you fall asleep. Good night."

"G'night."

Icarus heard the door open and close. He closed his eyes and, for what felt like the first time in an eternity, he drifted off to sleep.

A/N I hope you liked the chapter. It's a little shorter than the ones I usually write, but I kind of wanted to show the relationship between Icarus and his friends.

What's your favorite Draco ship? (Ex. Drarry, Drapple, Drirror [Draco x a mirror], etc.)