The Marauders: Year Seven Part Two

More Than Half of Us

The night Fallengunder fell, the grounds were under watch by Bilius Weasley and Chriselda Blythe. They'd been hiding in that same clearing as they'd done on previous nights, staring out from the brush at the peaks of the castle, backlit by moonlight and stars, the cold January air nipping their noses and turning their cheeks rosy pink. Bilius had started a small fire with blue flames, around which they'd gathered to warm their fingers, listening for the caterwauling charms they'd set throughout the woods, waiting for Kingsley Shacklebolt to come and relieve them of their post - for he was next up from the Resistance to stand guard over the castle. 

Bilius Weasley was singing, Chriselda laughing as his voice warbled through the trees... "I'm Henery the Eighth I am, I am... I got married to the widow next door, she'd been married seven times before... and every one was a Henery, she wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam - no Sam! I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henery... Henery the Eighth I am!" And soon she'd joined in as they tried at staying warm in the cold.

Neither was prepared, neither ready...

Suddenly from among the trees there were two figures, and before any warning could be had, hands had clapped over their mouths. Bellatrix Lestrange's hair hung over Bilius's shoulder as she leaned 'round from the back, her terrible smile making his stomach flip as the smell of her filled his nose - like dark musk and thick vanilla and cobwebs, she smelled... And Rudolphus Lestrange had grabbed hold of Chriselda, an arm snaking around her middle to assure she was not going anywhere.

"My, my, my..." drawled Bellatrix, her cackle directly in Bilius Weasley's ear. "Doesn't this look familiar...?"Her voice was little more than a whisper, the words coming out raspy and low. "It feels as though we might've done this before, doesn't it, ickle little blood traitor?" Bellatrix spoke slowly so that her tongue flickered over her teeth, tickling his ear like a snake. "Oh wait. I know. This is.. just like... the night that... I... killed... Derek... Bell."

Bilius fought against her grasp, but she only laughed and drew her wand across Bilius's throat, pressing into the skin harshly. Chriselda let out a cry and Rudolphus snickered and breathed deep the smell of her hair, and said, low and menacingly, "Greyback'll enjoy this one."

"No!" Bellatrix snapped. "Greyback doesn't get these. These are for the Dark Lord! They're members of the Resistance!"

Rudolphus grinned.

They'd been dragged roughly back to the castle then, across the grounds, and shoved up the stairs so hard that Chriselda had tripped and torn the skin of her knee on the rough stones. Inside the front doors, they'd been forced down into the dungeons - dark, manky things, dripping with water from some mysterious source. They'd been flung thoughtlessly into the one cell in the dungeon of Fallengunder, a small thing with a wood bench hung from the wall, and manacles that lined one of the other walls. No other prisoners were yet in the cell at that point when Bilius and Chriselda had been chucked in - none except for Newt Scamander's briefcase, which had been chained shut.

"Wait here 'til he's ready," Rudolphus snarled, grinning at them mockingly, "But don't worry, the Dark Lord won't forget you." And he slammed the iron door shut and left, following Bellatrix as she led the way up the steps, singing loudly, I killed Derek Bell, I killed Derek Bell!

Bilius slammed against the iron cage doors, his arms squashing out between he bars, hatred etched upon his face as he stared up the steps after her, his blood running cold with anger. If he had been holding his wand, surely it would have burst with accidental magic to kill the witch. Surely, there was no way that he could have contained the way he felt.

Chriselda was crying, her hands burying her face.

"Chrissy..." Bilius turned from the bars - Bellatrix was gone, he couldn't do anything about her now, but he could comfort Chriselda Blythe. He hurried to her side. "I'm sorry, I - I swear I'd kill her if I had my wand, I swear it..."