Egotistic // Marauders Era

Cielo

"God, will everybody just shut it?" Remus snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He looked severely annoyed. He was thankful when the rest of the group complied, and they spent the rest of the time traveling in silence. The group of ten made it all the way to the entrance of the Hog's Head, finding it dark and abandoned for the night.

Rachel pulled out her wand, glancing at the red-headed boy who had come to stand beside her as she pointed the tip of her power at the lock that was bolted to the heavy wooden door. "Alohomora," she whispered stealthily, as she heard the satisfying click of the door unlocking. The door creaked open, all of the teenagers wincing at the loud noise. They knew the owner lived just above the shop, so they were sure to tip-toe along and be as quiet as possible.

"Where's the door?" Sirius asked his brother in a soft whisper, having to lean just next to his face in order to be heard. Regulus didn't dare try to speak at all; instead, he just lifted a hand to point at the liquor counter, before sneaking around the cracked granite island and crouching down behind the shelving, running his hands across the surface of the floor. Once he felt the bump of the slightly raised wood, he pulled out his wand.

"Reveal yourself," he ordered, and suddenly a latch was visible on the floor. Regulus pulled the latch upwards, giving him access to a rickety, crumbling old set of stairs carved of stone. "Right," he whispered, standing up. "Who's going first?"

It was practically a contest the way Sirius and Remus both darted towards the staircase, almost shoving each other out of the way as they tried to stumble down the narrow space at the same time. The rest sighed and exchanged both annoyed and exasperated looks, before they began to follow the two eager boys down into the ground. Cielo went first, then Crystal who was followed closely by Gideon, James trotting after just a foot behind him. Regulus tugged Bridget by the arm as the two began to march after the others, leaving just Rachel and Fabian at the top still.

Letting out a loud sigh, Rachel turned to the red-head beside her, her heart thumping like a well oiled machine that was just a little to loud in her ears. "You ready?" she asked, her palms sweating. This was it. They'd either save their friends or die trying, though Rachel was hoping for the first option. There were ten of them, sure, but who knew how many recruits You-Know-Who had picked up and sent here as reinforcements, or guards? For all they knew there could be hundreds of trained killers waiting in the damp basement they were about to crawl into.

Fabian turned to the blue eyed girl next to him and nodded, trying his best to flash her a smile; but as he found out, he couldn't seem to conjure one. Instead, he pursed his lips grimly and nodded yet again, bumping her shoulder softly with his. "Always," he whispered. The tiniest grin graced his features for just a moment, which was a bit odd and almost inappropriate considering what was about to go down. Carefully, he reached over with his large hand and took Rachel's much smaller one in his, intertwining their fingers and giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. Rachel squeezed back, closing her eyes for a moment and leaning into the taller boys side, resting her head in the crook of his neck. She felt a pair of soft lips press against her hair, and she too was able to flash a little smile, leaning into the comfort of the boy next to her.

Pulling away, Rachel opened her eyes and stared down at the dark, wet passageway the held the telling of their future. "Come on," she whispered to Fabian, not letting his hand go as she began to descend the stairs. "We should get going."

Clearing his throat, Fabian mumbled a quick "yeah, okay," before putting Rachel ahead of him, and they stepped into the darkness, pulling out their wands as Fabian shut the door behind him. "Lumos," they both cast the spell, the tips of their wands lighting up with a shining, blue glow. Not too far ahead, they could see the lights coming from their friends wands as they crept towards the challenge that awaited them.