The Marauders Rise (II)

In The Hog's Head

April 29, 1974

The dusty door to the Hog's Head opens, revealing a completely empty bar. NARCISSA, LUCIUS, and MAFALDA enter, glancing around the room.

NARCISSA: Aberforth? Mister Dumbledore?

The room continues to possess an eerie silence. From the back, a goat runs upstairs.

NARCISSA: Hello?

MAFALDA: Where is everyone? This entire street is deserted.

From the steps, ABERFORTH descends into the main parlor.

ABERFORTH: What are you doing here?

NARCISSA: We need a place to hide.

ABERFORTH: Bloody fools, coming here, now. Get upstairs, now, all of you. Come on.

ABERFORTH ushers the three Slytherins upstairs. They arrive in a small upper room. A grimy window looks down into the empty street below. On the wall above a dirty fireplace hangs a portrait of a young girl.

ABERFORTH: What do you lot think you're doing, coming here? It's dangerous.

NARCISSA: I saw the Death Eaters Apparating here. I need to know what they're planning.

ABERFORTH: They're here, all right. That's why the rest of the street's boarded up their windows and locked themselves inside.

NARCISSA: Where are they?

ABERFORTH: Couldn't tell you. My guess is that they're waiting for the Aurors.

LUCIUS: We need to go find them. Now.

ABERFORTH: Who do you think you're fooling? You kids do yourself a favor, and get out of here, now. Save yourselves. Live a little longer.

NARCISSA: You don't understand. We need to-

ABERFORTH: What you need to do is get back up to that Castle right now. None of this concerns you children.

NARCISSA: The Death Eaters are being led by my sister, Aberforth. This concerns me greatly. Now, please, help us.

ABERFORTH gazes at her for a moment, then turns to face the portrait of the young girl. He nods at her.

ABERFORTH: You know what to do.

ARIANA: (smiling) Yes, brother. (She turns around in her portrait and walks out into the distance, disappearing from view.

NARCISSA: Where've you sent her?

ABERFORTH: To get my brother. If anyone can put a stop to this, he can.

NARCISSA: Thank you, Mister Dumbledore.

ABERFORTH: Yeah, yeah. You lot want something to eat? I've got-

LUCIUS: Too late. They're here.

They all huddle around the window, where they see several shadowy figures down the street. Suddenly, a few jets of green and red light zoom through the air.

ALASTOR: Infernal low-lifes! Show yourselves!

BELLATRIX: Crucio!

BELLATRIX'S curse just misses ALASTOR'S head. From the upper room, the Slytherins watch as the Death Eaters and the Aurors meet in each other in the middle of the street.

HESTIA: Stupefy!

RODOLPHUS: Avada Kedavra!

Several jets of light meet each other, and several wands become locked together in magical duels. ALASTOR and TED both attack BELLATRIX, who begins to duel both of them.

ALASTOR: Give it up, Lestrange!

BELLATRIX: (laughing maniacally) Crucio!

In the upper room, NARCISSA covers her mouth.

NARCISSA: We have to put a stop to this, come on-

ABERFORTH: I can't let you kids go down there. You'll get yourselves killed-

NARCISSA: We're not children, we're seventeen years old! And I will protect my family, Dumbledore. There's nothing that you can do that will stop me-

LUCIUS: Narcissa, look!

In the street, a hooded figure flies from the air and lands in the middle of the duel. The figure raises a wand and begins to duel BELLATRIX, shielding ALASTOR and TED.

BELLATRIX: (slightly weakened) Who are you? Show yourself!

The figure slowly removes its black hood, revealed to be ANDROMEDA.

ANDROMEDA: (smiling slightly) Step away from my husband.