The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix Part Three

Ovington Square

The Death Eaters in the Dolohov dining room were boring of one another's company and about to break apart for the evening. Lucius and Narcissa were already gone and the Crabbes were just about to leave. The hearth lit bright green and everyone turned to see who was arriving.

First was Fenrir Greyback, followed by Bellatrix and Rudolphus Lestrange.

"How did it go?" Dolohov asked, seeing the three of them. He smirked at Greyback's sour expression. "Not well, I assume by the poor mutt's attitude?"

"Fuck off," Greyback barked and he slouched over to the table and grabbed a plate, quickly helping himself to the dinner that still lay spread across the table. "I already heard your mission was a mess tonight as well, so you can hold off on your piousness, Dolohov."

"At least mine ended well. Wouldn't you say, Blagojevic?"

Blagojevic nodded slowly, "I suppose so. We have yet to retire to discuss the finalities of the treaty in all the... excitement...  But what we've discussed thus far seems in order." He took a sip from his flask of blood and said, "And it was interesting to see the your Lord in action, to know the sort of strength he possess against his enemies."

"Speaking of which, where is the little bitch?" Bellatrix cooed. "I'm bored." She cackled and started for the stairs.

"The Dark Lord said not to touch her," Severus Snape said coldly from the table. He stared with a look of disgust as Greyback started shoving cuts of meat into his mouth eagerly.

"We'll tell him that she tried to escape and we had to stop her!" Bellatrix sing-songed.

Snape scowled, "You're a fool if you think he wouldn't know precisely the truth the moment you began your lie. The Dark Lord can --" 

He was cut off by a shrill sound like a screaming, howling that filled the entire room - a noise he felt more than he really heard it.

Every one of them looked up. Barty covered his ears, eyes wide with panic. Bellatrix started laughing in her loud and cackling way. "OR MAYBE SHE REALLY IS TRYING AT ESCAPING!" she shrieked with excitement - and she made a mad dash for the stairs, wand drawn.

It was a caterwauling charm.

"An enemy has entered the gates," Antonin Dolohov said. He got up quickly, his countenance darkening and a grin spreading over his mouth, "The Dark Lord was right. Her friends come for her." He looked to Greyback. "Hope you saved some of your appetite."

Greyback laughed as he climbed to his feet.

Severus Snape looked at Blagojevic, who looked back at him, both assessing the other for a moment... and then Blagojevic was on his feet and following after the other Death Eaters, also drawing his wand, though discreetly, tucking it into the sleeve of his shirt so it wasn't easily seen.

Snape rose slowly and followed. Whose side would he fight on? he wondered as he walked.

Upstairs, Bellatrix Lestrange had wrenched open the door of the room where they'd laid Alice Longbottom and shrieked when she'd found the room empty - the bed vacated, the wand missing from the dresser. The windows were still closed, though, so she yanked open the closet door and violently pushed aside the clothes and things within, searching for Alice. She blasted a spell under the bed, shattered the doors of a wardrobe, and then went into the hall, shoving open doors and casting revelio spells into each room, her mouth pucked into a toothy sneer and her breath coming in deep gasps as though she were smelling the air as she moved quickly and strategically through the house, checking everywhere. There was a back stair - dark and twisted that led from the upstairs to the kitchen in one direction and up into the attic in the other.