Anna Potter and the Deathly Hollows

Chapter 22

MARBLE STAIRCASE - SAME TIME - NIGHT
[Anna, still feeling the effects of Voldemort’s Shield shattering, stumbles forward as spells fly and bodies fall. Like a woman possessed, she veers on, fighting her way toward the archway opposite when she sees a Death Eater drawing a bead on her.]
Everyone glares at him.
[With nary a thought, Anna drops him with a Stunning Spell just as Seamus, Rose and Neville appear.]
Anna: Rose! Neville! Seamus! You alright?
Seamus: Never better! Feel like I could
spit fire! Haven’t seen Dean, have you?
Anna: Dean -- ?
Seamus: I’m mad for him! Think it’s about time I told him, seeing as there’s a pretty good chance we’ll both be dead by dawn!
Anna: Finally! It took only war to make you tell him, but better late than never.
"She is such a matchmaker." chuckled Barty.
[Seamus grinns and runs off. Anna, Rose and Neville watching with smiles.]
WOODEN CORRIDOR - NIGHT
[As Anna pelts down the corridor, an explotion detonates and the windows running the length of the corridor explode -- one after another -- showering Anna in glass. Then the wall itself falls away, rubble falling into the night and below. Anna never breaks stride. As the billowing smoke thins, Cassie appears, flanked by Theo, Mucliber and Goyle.]
DESTROYED WOODEN CORRIDOR - NIGHT
[Ada races through the shattered glass, the smoke thinner now. Alex sees her and runs toward her.]
Alex: How did you get out?
Ada: Long story. [Ada grabs Alex's tie, pulls him down and kisses him. Surprised Alex kisses back.]
Alex: What was that for?
Ada: I didn't want to die without doing this.
"Bold. I like her." Said Lily.
Alex: I love you. [Ada smiles.]
Ada: I love you, too. [Suddenly, Ada notices where Cassie, Mucliber, Theo and Goyle are slipping around a corner. Ada nudges Alex and they follow.]
CORRIDOR OUTSIDE ROOM OF REQUIREMENT - NIGHT
[Cassiopeia stops, turns to face the wall and closes her eyes. As the window behind explodes, filling the corridor with smoke, Mucliber flinches a little, Goyle jumps, but Cassiopeia and Theo never flinches.]
CORRIDOR TO CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS ACTION - NIGHT
[Ada and Alex creep carefully to the end of corridor, peer slowly round the corner.]
"Can't they mind their own business?!" Said Lucius.
ROOM OF REQUIREMENT - NIGHT
[Anna continues on, almost running now, then winces, faltering as she’s struck by a spike of pain, her fingers tracing her scar as she resumes her pace, knowing she’s getting closer, feeling it, her head humming with the Horcrux’s sinister siren song, the sound growing louder and louder as she turns down yet another aisle and... Stops. A vein throbs visibly at Anna’s temple. Hand trembling, she reaches out, pushes aside a stack of decaying spellbooks and finds a pair of eyes looking at her over the rim of a dusty canister. She pushes the canister
aside and reveals a pockmarked stone bust of a warlock with glass eyes. Perched atop its head, dulled by time, is Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem. She reaches out...]
Mucliber: Well, well, what brings you here, Potter?
Everyone looks at him annoyed.
[Anna looks slowly over her shoulder. Mucliber -- Cassiopeia, Theo and Goyle at his side -- steps into view, his face bisected by light. He holds a wand on Anna.]
Anna: I could ask you the same. [Cassie interrupts him.]
Cassie: (to Anna) You have something of mine. I’d like it back. [Cassiopeia gestures to the wand sticking out of Anna’s pocket.]
Anan: What’s wrong with the one you have?
Cassiopeia: (studying it) It’s my mother’s. It’s very powerful, but it’s not the same. It doesn’t... understand me. (looking up) Know what I mean?
"You gave her your wand? What about you?" Said Regulus.
"I will be fine." Said Narcissa.
[Just then, over Cassiopeia’s shoulder and several yards beyond, a shadows flicker (Ada and Alex). Anna looks down, notices a drop of water fall from the pant cuff, cuts her eyes away. She reaches for the wand in her pocket.]
Theo: Easy. [Anna looks up, sees Cassiopeia watching her closely. She
studies Cassiopeia’s face.]
Cassioepia: Give me my wand. [Anna continues to study Cassiopeia’s face.]
Anna: I need it more than you. [Anna removes the wand in her own pocket, ponders it.]
Gryffindors agreed.
Anna: Besides, its allegiance is to me
now. If you want it, you’ll have to win it back. Perhaps even kill me... [Anna looks up. She and Cassiophea lock eyes.]
Mucliber: C’mon, Cassiopeia. Don’t be a prat. Just do ’er.
"Yeah, do her." Smirked Barty. Evan hit his head.
[Theo smirks at Cassiopeia and wingles his eyebrows and Cassiopeia glares at him. Cassiopeia’s hand twitches, her brow conflicted, then her eyes shift -- catch sight of Ada and Alex, in Silhoettes, far beyond Anna’s shoulder, Ada's wand pointed... at her. Ada blinks, as if she were a mirage... then... a ball of scarlet light bursts from his wand, briefly illuminating Cassiopeia's face, and strikes her hand. As Cassiopeia's wand flies free, Goyle steps into the breach and fires back at Ada.]
Mucliber: Avada Kedavra! [The spell caroms off the stone bust instead, sending the diadem spinning into the air.]
Everyone glares at him.
[Anna fires a flurry of spells at Mucliber, but he manages to elude them all by crashing through the wall of junk. As it teeters, Ada and Alex pelt through the hole made by Mucliber and give the chase. Ting! Anna looks up, sees the diadem bounce off the top of a bridcage, skitter along the top of the highest shelf and bounce... out of sight. Gone. Turning back, she finds Mucliber taking aim at her.]
Anna: Expelliarmus! [Mucliber's wand flies free and he scarpers. A massive groan echoes and the walls of towering junk shudder. Anna looks up. The sky is falling.]
"What the--?" Said Remus wide-eyed.
NEW ANGLE - HIGH
[One after another, the towering walls spill like dominos.]
NEW ANGLE - GROUND LEVEL
[Anna runs as the world comes crashing down. Ting! Ting! Ting! The diadem drops from the sky and hops, skips and jumps down the aisle in front of them.]
"What is happening?" Said James.
[Anna pelts after it. Anna nearly has it in grasp when a small avalanche of moldy books bars her path. Anna leaps over the books, reaches out and... grabs it. Anna wheels, sees Alex and Ada running towards her chased by a river of scarlet flames.]
Alex: RUN! Goyle’s set the bloody place
on fire!
"Idiooot!" Yelled Lucius. Everyone looks scared.
[As one, the trio dashes through the remaining aisles as the towers of junk turn to ash all around them. The flames draw closer, mutating into a pack of fiery beasts: serpents, dragons -- all nipping at their heels. No matter which way they turn, the flames follow them.]
People watch them worried.
Anna: Split up! [Each goes a separate way, but it’s no use. The fire simply divides, the serpent slithering after Anna, the dragon after Ada. Anna glances up, sees Mucliber, Cassiopeia and Theo scaling a mountain of burning junk, doomed. She takes one turn after another until she comes to a clearing and nearly runs into... Alex as they arrive from separate paths. They glance around frantically. No free path exists. The flames roar, racing toward them.]
Ada: Do we climb?
Anna: No, it’ll just follow us! [Anna glances around once more and sees them: Half a dozen ancient broomsticks.]
Anna: Here! Take one!
"Smart." said nervous Barty.
[She tosses Alex and Ada broomsticks then takes one for herself. As Anna slips the diadem atop her head, the flames explode into the clearing, engulfing them as they soar free, just barely eluding the snap of the dragon’s fiery jaws. As they race away, a horrible scream pierces the clamor and they all look below, see the flames devour Goyle and Mucliber.]
Ada: Serves him right. C’mon! This way!
"No, Cassie! Theo!" Yelled Lucius and Narcissa.
Anna: Wait! What about Cassie and
Theo!
Alex: You're joking, right? [Then Anna sees them, perched atop a fragile, crumbling tower. Anna whips her broom around and jets forth.]
Narcissa, Lucius and Regulus look more relived.
[Ada shakes her head, then jets after, bellowing:]
Ada: IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I’LL KILL YOU, ANNA!
Anna: GET IN LINE!
Barty laughs.
[Alex follows the two girls. Anna sweeps down, grips Cassie's hand while Alex takes Theo’s. The instant Cassiopeia’s foot leaves the mountain of junk, it collapses into a great billowing cloud of ash. As one, they fly pellmell. As they draw close the light burns so bright all goes white and they burst...]
"They are okay." Breathed out Narcissa in relief.
CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS ACTION - NIGHT
[... through the wall, tumbling into the corridor. Cassie lands face down, retching. As Anna rolls over, the diadem spins madly on the ground. Anna quickly takes out basilisk fang from bag. She stares down at the smoking diadem and briefly pauses, reading the words etched there: Wit
Beyond Measure Is Man’s Greatest Treasure. Then, without hesitation, she drives the fang into the blackened crown and...]
HOGWARTS CASTLE - SAME TIME - NIGHT
[... Voldemort freezes, bellowing in pain as his eyes burn red and he glares toward the castle in the distance, where...]
CORRIDOR - SAME TIME - NIGHT
[... Anna grimces in agony and roars with pain, the veins at her temple throbbing, her knuckles burning white as she grips the basilisk fang.]
"Five down. Two more to go." Said James. Barty and Regulus shared a look.