Better - The Marauders

SIXTY-ONE

The car honked as it went passed, the man in the passenger seat sticking his head  out of the window and holding his middle finger up at the pair. He laughed as he retreated back into his seat, the car continuing to go down the street at a much faster pace then the others that actually stopped for the pair to cross with a small thankful smile.

"Honestly, how rude." Elladora said as they got to the other side and began waking closer towards the pub. "Muggles haven't been the very best of company today. Now I know we're not all nice, but we certainly have better manners than these muggles."

"There also doesn't seem to be many muggles." He said thoughtfully and she nodded along thoughtfully. Compared to the average population of Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, where they were was much quieter.

The two didn't know exactly where they were, to be honest. Orion had taken them to Diagon Alley by floo powder and once he had apparated back to the manor, the two went into a dark alleyway and Elladora apparated them to outside of Kings Cross station. They went from there, taking random ways and turns until they came across the setting that they were walking aimlessly through at that moment. Often they would come across a shop that showed them clocks and consequently, they would be shown the time.

Orion said he would be back at the same place he dropped them off at five o'clock in the evening so Elladora said she would apparate them back to Diagon Alley with fifteen minutes until they had to be there. It was currently rounding up to be 4 o'clock so Regulus' suggestion of a butterbeer was far from a bad one.

Approaching the pub, Elladora smiled politely at the men outside whose laughter had died down and they only nodded at her smile as she stepped into the pub with an eye roll and their attitude. Regulus followed her in with a glare to the men when their gaze followed the girl when she had turned her back.

It wasn't as homey or as comfortable as The Three Broomsticks back in Hogsmeade but it still had the usual round of chatter simmering above the sound of clinking glasses. Muggles sat in groups around them, some groups of men, some of women and some small families. For a moment, Elladora swore she saw the sobbing and bleeding man that she had killed sat at a table with a woman and two kids but when she took a sharp inhale and looked away before looking back slowly, he was gone and there was an empty place beside the woman.

Elladora exhaled shakily before walking further in and looking around for a place to sit. A small shiver ran down her back uncomfortably and trying to steady her breathing, she took off towards a small table for two at the back corner of the pub. She took a seat first, nervously glancing around again and smiling when she didn't see anything else.

Undoing the button, she let her cloak fall limp at her shoulders and she pulled it out from around her, having it hang on the back of the chair. It was a bit unsuitable for there to be no large seat so she could rest her cloak down without it touching the floor but she supposed muggles wouldn't have to think about that when designing their pubs.

Regulus did the same with his own cloak before they were coated in silence and observed the scenery of the pub again. There wasn't a roaring fire but there was a large chandelier type thing that hung above the middle table of the pub and around that table...sat the man.

Elladora's eyes widened and her lips parted at the sight of him again but as soon as she blinked, it was back to being a different man with his loving wife. She quickly turned her head away to see a waitress stood in front of her, looking down with a small smile.

"What can I get for you?" She asked sweetly and Elladora glanced back to the couple at the table before looking back up to her. Her eyebrows were creased into concern as she stared down at her but Elladora regained herself quickly.