The Stench of Death

Just over halfway, the train skittered to a screeching stop. Lutain awoke in a fury of aggression at being jolted around in his comfy nook in Adrian's front pocket. As he cupped one hand around his chest, he could hear the muffled shouts and complaints from other students and classmates as the train teetered to an unfortunate stop.

"What's going on?" Adrian mumbled under his breath, asking his familiar more than anyone else.

"The train has stopped," The girl blinked, jolting him and reminding him that he wasn't quite alone, "I dearly hope it's not from a Boobrie."

Adrian shot her a look. "This far from a loch? Probably not, a Glaistig or a Cu Sith seems more likely..."

She smiled knowingly and looked out the window right as the sky became black. Her smile faltered, twisting her expression into something concerned.

"Master," Lutain hissed, tucking his snout under Adrian's jaw, "Master, I smell rotting death."

Adrian's hairs slowly stood on end on his arms and the back of his neck. He almost smelled the sickening aroma that a few of Bellatrix's spells gave off, brushing just along his jaw.

Clouds covered the sun from what the window of his compartment could show. The window on the door to the hallway flickered eerily, making Luna's skin look slightly green.

He heard a muffled voice cast lumos, echoed by other students; fireflies illuminating through the glass like pixies.

Adrian exhaled and saw his own breath just as his bones began to ache in his skin.

"Oh," The girl exhaled, her own breath a fine cloud of cold. Adrian followed her eyesight, seeing something fluttering and black flash past his window.

What was going on?

It was too much Bellatrix's style, her taste in dramatics. But Bellatrix was in Azkaban, this...this couldn't have been her work.

Perhaps his father, oh Merlin, was his father making a move?

Wouldn't he have told him?

There was another trail of black, barely visible in the gloom that had shrouded the window in darkness. Black trailing strands, like ribbons dancing over the glass.

At once he knew what it was, and he felt the rising swell of excitement in the face of danger.

"Dementors," He breathed, stumbling to his feet to swing open the door to the hallways, "They must be on the train for something…"

He had to see them, he had learned so much about them behind his father's back. His father had told him to not interest himself in the guardian's of Azkaban, that he wouldn't find use there.

But Dementor's were on the train, he knew that the book would be useful.

(He mentally groaned as he remembered where he had left the book, hidden in his room under his bed. It was one of the first books to be removed from his trunk when Nagini convinced him that no matter how hard she squeezed, the lock wouldn't close.

The darkness receded and the temperature rose before he could open the door to see the shadowy figures just out of eyesight.

"The Minister should have better control over them." A glance at the girl showed she was as pale and shaken as a real sylph after being so close to them. "They shouldn't be on the train."

"Don't you wish you saw one?" Adrian asked in puzzlement, this girl knew magical creatures and seemed enthusiastic over them. Surely she hungered to see the creatures that stood in the Veil between death and life too?

"No," Her voice was sharp and her eyes lost the dreamy qualities. "Creatures that are more shade than living are not for those on this train, Shadis."

For speaking of Thunderbirds before, she seemed to embody the firm boldness of the creatures.

Adrian flinched unwillingly at the firm nearly sizzling bite to her tone.

"What? What did you just call me?"

She gained the dreamy quality once again, "Selwyn, of course. A wonderful name, it almost sounds like selkie." She paused, looking pensive, "Do you think there could be selkies in the Black Lake?"

Shadis, she had clearly called him Shadis.

Adrian didn't know why that name had hit him somehow harder in his chest than the Dementor's presence had, but it couldn't be good.

....

Want to read ahead by more than 60 chapters. Then join my pa*treon now.

Link: pa*treon.com/Amelie796 (Remove the *)

Free members will get 2 chapters for free.