April 24th, 1978
Bright rays of sunshine sneaked past the thick curtains the Room of Requirements had placed in front of the windows, tickling his nose. The distinct feeling of missing a blanket had him slowly blink his eyes open, glancing around.
Marlene sat at the edge of the bed, the velvet blue blanket tucked under her armpits, the length of her back exposed to him. 'She stole the blanket again.'
'But I'm still a lucky man.' Harry admired the sight for a few seconds before he skidded over the mattress. He took a seat right behind her, his arms wrapping around her midriff: "Is everything fine?"
"Yes," she whispered, sighing contently and nestling back into his embrace: "Everything's perfect."
"Good." Harry roamed through her long golden curls with the tip of his fingers, massaging her scalp and chuckling each time he stole a cute little moan from her.
A slim silver chain sparkled underneath the sea of liquid honey, catching his eye.
"Why did you stop?" Marlene groaned when he paused his admirations.
A small smile spread over his lips. His fingers played with the clasp of the chains. "You'll never take it off now, will you?"
"Why would I?" Marlene giggled. She dropped their blanket to skid around and face him. "Finders keepers, remember?"
Harry's eyes dipped to Salazar Slytherin's golden locket resting between the curve of her breasts, sparkling in the warm light. They dipped even further down...
'She knew exactly what she did just there...'
"Eyes up here, Mr. Peverell." A slim finger tilted his head back up, where he met a soft, warm smile that made his heart flutter.
"I was actually checking out the Locket." Harry attempted a grin and reached out to pick it up, studying the tiny flecks of crimson underneath the small windows. 'Marlene's blood.'
"How did you know it would work?" he asked.
"I didn't, but it was worth a shot." Marlene shrugged and took the Locket back from him: "Fiendfyre or Basilisk Venom would have destroyed the Horcrux, but they'd also damage the Locket beyond magic repair. I wanted to rid it of the taint but not sabotage any of the other enchantments placed on it."
"And how did you know there even were some enchantments on there?" Harry specified his question.
"Most pureblood children, especially those who had family members in Slytherin like mine, learn about Salazar's legendary missing Locket at some point. The artifact is almost as well-known as Ravenclaw's Diadem." Marlene brushed her thumb over the green gemstones forming a serpentine 'S'. "It's said to have many hidden powers and if the story about your ancestors, 'The Three Brothers', proves one thing, then it's that there's some truth to even the most ridiculous wizarding myths and legends."
'And still, you're the first to discover it in who knows how many centuries...'
"Borgin and Burke already regret ever selling the Locket to Hepzibah Smith. Now imagine their faces if they knew they actually sold an artifact that enables the wearer to speak the rarest magical language on earth," Harry chuckled: "Though, admittedly, I wouldn't have thought something like that was possible either."
"Why not? Salazar supposedly crafted the Locket for his wife." Marlene smiled and intertwined their fingers around the metal: "I'm sure he loved her dearly. It shouldn't be too surprising that he worked on a way to allow her to understand the gift he carried in his blood."
"Or any of his direct descendants once they find a partner for life." Harry ran his fingers over the small doors: "It's quite brilliant and foolproof actually. You have to be invited of sorts for it to work properly."
Marlene nodded. "Only a Parselmouth can open the Locket and thereby have a say in who may be granted the privilege to speak the language. Blood as a magical medium ensures that even if the locket gets stolen, no one but the person it was originally opened for can use it."
"Intent-based, abstract magic," Harry mused.
"It's the best kind." Marlene tossed her hair over her shoulder, beaming up at him.
"Well, I know why you're so happy about it," Harry grumbled and playfully tilted his head away from her, crossing his arms in front of his chest: "Now there is nothing fun to look forward to anymore..."
"Stop sulking, my love." Marlene slipped onto his lap, crushing her warm weight against him.
She brushed her lips over his until his heart pounded frantically and his body reacted. Heat pooled in his belly.
Marlene smirked down at him from underneath long eyelashes: "Why would I risk you and our children having a secret language all to yourself? You would've outright excluded me and kept silly little secrets..."
"But it would've been so much fun," Harry grinned, adjusting her hips to make things just a tad more comfortable for him: "And I know you'd have liked getting just a little worked up over it..."
"No, I would not have." Marlene wiggled right back into a position with a knowing smirk: "But we're still not going to tell our children that mommy can listen in on them." She nestled her head in the crook of his neck and whispered up in his ear. "Once they're old enough to talk, they're going to spill all their little secrets among one another, unable to figure out how I caught them."
"You're evil." Harry laughed: "Keep that up and I will easily be their favorite parent. That reminds me-" he scooped her a bit closer, "-we keep mentioning children, but it's not a given that we'll even have that many. Sometimes it takes longer for a couple to even get pregnant with the first one. Others don't get pregnant at all..."
"You shouldn't worry about that, love." Marlene's fingers roamed through his hair while she smiled at him.
"And how come?" Harry snorted.
"Because you're a powerful wizard and I'm a powerful witch." She shrugged as if it was the most normal thing in the world: "Mother Magic wants us to make many little, cute babies together."
"That must be some universal magical law they haven't taught us at university." Harry feigned confusion: "Perhaps they only taught the witches?"
A soft pearl of laughter burst from her lips: "You'll eventually see what I'm talking about. With how enthusiastic you are, the moment I'm off the potion, you'll put a baby in me."
"Oh, so I'm the over-enthusiastic one?" Harry smirked, his hands trailing up her waist, thumbs brushing along the underside of her breasts, causing her to shiver.
"Yes, you are. Although I have to admit that this ride is much more comfortable than the one I took in your lap yesterday." Marlene bit her bottom lip teasingly: "However-"
"However, what?"
Her lips came crashing against his again, her tongue invading his mouth. He felt every inch of her skin, every familiar, soft curve, pressed against him.
"However-" She rose slightly in his lap. One of her hands traveled down in-between them, finding him easily: "There's something we can do to make the ride even better..."
April 28th, 1978
Small groups of students scattered over the cobblestone street leading into the village, chatting and laughing with their friends under the bright sun of a late April morning.
Harry took a deep breath of fresh, Scottish mountain air. "Where do you want to go first?"
Marlene untied her braid and let her golden curls run freely down the back of her blue dress.
"Business first." She glanced at the distant building of Honey Dukes that was already being invaded by a swarm of students. "We'll satisfy my sweet tooth after. It's much too crowded there now anyways."
She tugged on his hand and led him in the opposite direction to some of the less popular shops in the village.
"That's fine by me, just don't snack on them toomuch already. We're set to drop by for some lunch at the Three Broomsticks later with James and Lily," Harry chuckled: "And I'm very curious to see if Sirius and Florence show up together as well."
"Urgh, please don't remind me about them," Marlene muttered with a wince while they approached a promising-looking shop: "I'm still so disappointed in her for becoming another notch on Black's bedpost. At least he can't brag about being her first, some Hufflepuff had the honor last year."
"I wouldn't read too much into it," Harry laughed: "Neither of them seems to take it very seriously. They're just having some fun."
'Madam Woddleberg's Magical-Household-World,' Harry read off the large sign above the store's windows. 'Let's give it a try.'
"I know I couldn't do it." Marlene wrinkled her nose: "If you're not fully committed to me, you don't get the benefits of any of this-" She adjusted the straps of her blue dress and gestured up and down her body in the window's reflection.
"Rather sure of ourselves, aren't we?" Harry grinned, holding open the door for her.
"I know my worth, Harry." Marlene pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek and slipped past him, tossing her hair over her shoulder: "And I know you do as well."
'She's not wrong about that.' He entered the shop with a low chuckle, glancing around.
The insides looked somewhat like a hodgepodge of random household items, littering the surrounding shelves and storage spaces. Harry saw sparkling cutlery among large pans and human-sized pots, expandable sofas, entire wardrobes, and even a strange clock with multiple hands, similar to the one the Weasleys had in his old life.
"Oh, customers!" An elderly, gray-haired witch drifted around the corner, placing the full box of candles she carried on a nearby counter. She dusted off her hands on her robes, eyes softening as they took them in: "You must be from the Castle. What can I do for you, my dear?"
"We were wondering if you could point us in the right direction on acquiring a house-elf, ma'am," Marlene said.
"What a funny coincidence!" The witch's eyebrow curved at their request: "It's been a few years since I sold my last house elf, but you're in luck: The Ministry is actually selling one right now and asked me to fill the role of intermediary."
"What's their name?" Harry asked.
"I will try to call him for you. Word of caution, my dear, he is a bit strange, even for an elf."
'Call him?' Harry frowned: 'Dumbledore placed anti-apparition and portkey wards over Hogsmeade. Does he purposefully allow elves to pass through or is he getting as short-sighted as Voldemort?'
Madam Woddleberg cleared her throat: "Uhm, Dobby?"
'There's no way.'
Harry forgot about wards and forced himself not to snort out loud when a small creature with tennis ball-sized eyes appeared with a loud snap. Next to him, Marlene trembled, shaking with silent laughter.
"Mrs. Woddly called Dobby?" Dobby bowed low, his nose almost touching the floorboard of the shop.
The elf looked evidently younger than he had when Harry first met him before his second year. There were far fewer scars on his face, arms, and legs. His skin was less wrinkly and there was an eagerness in his large eyes that Harry was certain he hadn't seen until Dobby was freed. Perhaps it was also the simple, clean tunica that made the difference.
"I told you it's fine to call me Susan, Dobby," Madam Woddleberg chided him playfully. "I'd like to introduce you to two people who are looking for an elf."
"Mrs. Woddly has found new Master and Mistress for Dobby?" The elf looked up hopefully. His expression fell slightly when he caught sight of Harry. A shudder swept through his small body: "Dobby recognizes the new Master," the elf swallowed heavily: "It's Harry Peverell, Sir."
"Peverell?" Madam Woddleberg frowned.
'And the Galleon drops now.'
A flicker of recognition spanned over her face as she studied Harry and Marlene: "Oh... Well- in that case, I'm not too sure if this is a good match anymore."
"Why?" Marlene feigned unknowingness, and squatted down to Dobby as much as her dress allowed: "Who were your last Master and Mistress, Dobby?"
"Dobby's Master and his son often mentioned Harry Peverell, Ms. Blondie. But they never had nice things to say about him." The elf shuddered again, blinking from Marlene to Harry cautiously. "Dobby served the Malfoy family until- until..."
'Until Abraxas died at his own wedding.'
Madam Woddleberg attempted to overcome the awkward silence: "Perhaps it's best if we-"
"No, it's fine really." Harry smiled down at the elf and squatted down next to Marlene himself until he was on eye level with him: "Your previous Masters and I shared a difficult history, Dobby; we didn't like each other very much. However, I'd like you to tell me how you feel about me if you don't mind."
"Harry Peverell, Sir, asks Dobby for his opinion?" The elf's eyes widened in disbelief when Harry nodded enthusiastically.
"Dobby's masters never spoke well of Harry Peverell, Sir, but Dobby knows he shouldn't believe everything they said." The elf bobbed its large head, bat-like ears flopping up and down: "Dobby knows they were very bad wizards. Dobby was secretly glad when Harry Peverell, Sir, killed Master's son-"
He paused with a frown.
"Bad Dobby!" The elf suddenly ran forward, attempting to smash his head against Harry's knee: "Bad Dobby!"
Having expected a similar development, Harry quickly snatched him by the collar and held him secure: "Dobby, I'm not your master, but I don't like seeing you punish yourself!"
The elf seemingly wrestled with himself, feet dangling in mid-air before he sagged with a deep breath: "Thank you, Harry Peverell, sir! Dobby still struggled to talk badly about his masters."
"Former masters, Dobby," Marlene smiled: "Harry and I would love to have you at our new home."
"Ms. Blondie wants Dobby?" Large tears threatened to spill on his cheeks: "No one ever wanted Dobby."
"My name is Marlene, Dobby, and I'll expect you to use it." Marlene chuckled, then she turned to Madam Woddleberg: "How much does the Ministry want for him?"
"I- uh- are you so sure?" The woman seemed a bit perplexed that they were so willing to buy the elf: "Well, the Ministry is content to separate from him for 150 Galleons."
"Oh no, Sir! 150 Goldies is way too much for a bad elf like Dobby, Harry Peverell, Sir!" The elf whimpered, shaking his head.
"Nonsense, it's a deal!" Harry offered her his hand with a wide smile.
Woddleberg shook it with a baffled face: "I'll set up the paperwork for you then. It might take a few days to be approved. The Department for the Regulation of Magical Creatures has implemented a few changes recently."
"That's fine, we won't have a need for him until we're finished with our NEWTs anyways." Marlene rose back up and smoothed out her dress: "We will seek you out during our next visit and deposit the gold."
They waved Dobby goodbye and parted from the shop.
"Just as I remember him," Harry laughed as they walked along the windows of the neighboring shops: "Things definitely won't get boring now."
Marlene smiled, studying a set of purple dress robes that were on display. "He will need a firm hand and perhaps some re-education, but-"
Her voice suddenly died in her throat. Her warm breath froze over on the glass surface, forming tiny crystals of ice. Darkness fell around them, caused by gloomy, gray clouds that stole the light and swallowed the sun.
An intense cold swept over Harry. He felt his own breath catch in his chest. The cold went deeper than his skin. It was inside his chest, inside his very heart…
'Dementors.'
Harry spun on the spot, wand sliding into his palm while he surveyed the edge of the village. A tall wall of thick, gray fog surrounded them from all sides, closing in on the furthest houses already.
Black shadows floated within the fog, dozens, perhaps even hundreds of them. He could hear their many rattling breaths like an evil wind closing in on him.
'Probably all the ones in Britain.'
The first screams tore through the coldness. The Dementors hurled themselves at the closest students, a group of Gryffindor third years, that had explored the outskirts of the village.
Harry fixed bright blue eyes and a warm smile in front of his inner eye. His wand snapped forward: "Expecto Patronum!"
Warmth rushed down the length of his arm. Ethereal mist erupted from the Elder Wand, twisting into a Thestral that took to the sky and flapped its wings threateningly at the closest Dementors.
Almost on reflex, Harry edged forward, ready to throw himself into the thick of the action only to be held back by a warm hand.
"Pick your battles, Harry!" Marlene's hair floated in the cold breeze. Silvery steam spewed from her wand, forming a shield of rippling air that blocked out some of the Dementors' effects. "You're not everyone's hero!"
'Pick your battles.' The words rang through Harry's head: 'My parents are at the Three Broomsticks. They're more important to me than some strangers.'
Harry tore his eyes away from the third years that were still frozen in place.
'I can't be your hero today.'
His Patronus was called back to remain at their side while he seized Marlene's hand. The blonde conjured her snow-white Granian that elegantly joined his Thestral in a sharp gallop, shining bright in the surrounding darkness and leading the way.
They hurried down the foggy street towards the general direction of the Three Broomsticks. He dodged crying students and terrified villagers, who seemed unable to even move; instead, they cowered on the grounds while shielding their eyes and ears.
'I can't be your hero today either...'
Icy cold penetrating his insides, fog starting to obscure his vision, yet he forced himself and Marlene to move. More Dementors were appearing out of the gray clouds from all around them, on every side; they were encircling them.
Their effects grew stronger, leaving Harry struggling to block them out. From far away, he heard screaming, terrible, terrified screams that threw him back to his third year all over again.
'No!' He buried his parents' pleading voices underneath a hot layer of grim determination: 'I'm not the helpless little boy anymore.'
"Harry, look!"
A flicker of silver burst through the thick fog in the distance ahead of them. Familiar voices cried through the darkness now, instead of in his head.
Harry watched the faint outline of a silvery doe and stag jump over the cobblestone. Their ethereal glow flickered weakly before dying out like a candle's flames in harsh wind.
"JAMES?!" Harry called out desperately.
No reply was shouted back.
Fear tightened its grip around his heart. He staggered through the darkness towards where the voices had sounded and his parent's patroni had appeared. Suddenly he almost ran into the thick wooden stake that steadied the roof of the Three Broomsticks.
He lit his wand and glanced around. 'Where are they?'
Four figures were sprawled out over the stones in front of the door, among them one with long auburn curls. Their eyes were closed, wands scattered beside them. Only the gentle rising of their chests confirmed that they were still alive.
"We have to get them out of here!" He yelled over his shoulder.
A rattling breath was drawn behind him. Harry spun around and caught a dead, slimy hand sliding out from under a torn black cloak, reaching for him.
"NO!" Marlene's Granian flashed forward and tossed the dementor back into the fog.
His comrades faded into view all around them, drawing rattling breaths and reaching out with withered, dead hands.
Harry wrenched the Elder Wand around, forcing his patronus in a sharp semicircle that caught the closest attackers and tossed them aside like pins hit with a bowling ball. Still, no matter how many he repelled, they kept coming back, seemingly enthralled to single him out among all other possible victims.
Aurelius' words rang in his ear:
"You could have grown up with the happiest childhood and the purest soul and any dementor would still seek you out among any other prey…
"Why? Because of your blood, Harry. Peverell blood"
'Fine.' Harry grimaced and tightened his grip on his wand: "You want the Peverell? Come and get him!"
He drew in a deep breath, blocking out his parents' and Marlene's desperate screams in his head. His patronus faded away into the fog while the hatred consumed him in its endless depths:
'There is no incantation to it, just intent.'
Screaming flames clawed out from inside his wand, not crimson in color, but of midnight black.
They moved in angry hisses and whispers of black mist, gaining in size and forming a terrifying replica of the guardian he'd grown accustomed to.
Its outline was not clearly defined, and its surface was far from smooth. It didn't even have a corporeal form, more like an angry, volatile, flickering shadow of black vapor that wrenched through the fog. Steam rose from the creature's nostrils in threatening, quick breaths. A ghostly, greenish glow met him from the depths of its eyes.
The wand in his hand began trembling as his creation wrestled over control.
'No!' Harry squelched the creature's brutal attempts to break free, like twigs underneath his heel: 'There's plenty for you to fight. But it won't be me!'
The battle of wills did not fare long, with the Carnifex deciding to engage the Dementors instead of clawing against Harry's iron-clad intent.
The creature hurled itself at the nearest cloaked shadow, flaring right through the Dementor in a spray of black mist, before ripping its cloaked head clean off.
'Okay then.' Harry swallowed heavily and turned around: 'I suppose that will do.'
"What. The hell. Is that?!" Marlene's eyes widened in terror. Her Granian abandoned the Dementors and instead stood protectively in front of her.
'I probably shouldn't admit that I'm not too sure of it myself.'
"It won't hurt us!" Harry said, taking a few steps back: "But it will hurt them." He gestured at three more former guards who had been ripped apart in sprays of black within split seconds each. "Just funnel them into its path with your patronus."
"I hope you know what you're doing, Harry!" Marlene stabbed her wand forward. The Granian reluctantly took off into the fog again and pushed the dementors like a sheepdog towards their butcher.
Harry's Carnifex went on a merciless rampage, tearing apart anything that floated above floor level. Scraps of ripped, black cloaks rained down on them. The dementors bled a tar-like substance that hovered like mist in the fog.
Soon the former guards of Azkaban comprehended their inability to deal with their new foe and abandoned their attack. Their rattling breaths faded with the thick fog until the sky cleared again.
Harry's creation wrenched after them in twisting black shadows before returning to its caster to meet in a stare-off.
'You've done what I conjured you for.'
'Now begone!'
Harry squashed the creature underneath Marlene's soft smile, pouring his magic into it until the clawing, flames warped in a puff of black smoke and vanished with drawn-out angry hisses.
"Interesting," Harry murmured, taking a few deep breaths before. He steadied his trembling wand arm before kneeling down next to his unconscious parents.
"Let me guess... Peverell magic?" Marlene stabbed her wand at Florence's chest, shooting a bright red flash of light.
"Yeah." Harry mirrored her motion on James and Lily: "But you'll be disappointed, love. No Locket in the world will allow you to learn it."
"Locket?" Sirius rubbed his head with a groan, blinking his eyes open: "What- what happened to us?"
"The dementors got too close to you. You probably exhausted yourself trying to cast a Patronus in the presence of that many." Marlene flicked her wand at the doors of the Honey Dukes across the streets: "Accio chocolate!"
The door was brown open and an entire box of Honey Dukes' finest zipped over to them.
"Eat, it will help you, trust me." Harry caught the box and handed out its content.
"The other students..." James fumbled for his wand and raised himself on wobbly legs, turning towards the entrance of the Three Broomsticks: "We brought as many as we could in here and sealed the doors from outside so the dementors couldn't get to them."
'Bloody Potter hero complex.' Harry exchanged a small sigh with Marlene before stabbing his wand at the door, ripping it clean off its hinges: "Alright, the air is clear now, you can come back out, everyone!"
Frightened whispers and muffled footsteps sounded from behind the door.
"Are- are they really gone?" A small blonde girl peaked around the corner, eyes red and puffy, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Yes, it's safe now." Florence held out a piece of chocolate with a gentle smile: "Our dark-haired hero and his golden heroine saved the d-"
A radiant beam of green light impacted the brunette's back and she tumbled to the ground, laying there motionlessly with a small smile still on her lips, her eyes wide and dull.
"Ha, gotcha!" The lunatic, ridiculous laughter of a woman sounded over to them: "I got one of them already!" She cheered.
Harry twisted on the spot. A flick of the Elder Wand brought the overhanging roof of the Three Broomsticks crashing down, intercepting the next trio of bright green curses.
"Get inside!" Harry roared and shut the door close with a wave of his hand behind his back.
Marlene's arm snapped forwards, blasting the roof into splinters of tiles and hurling them outward at their attackers.
Three Black robed, silver-masked figures ducked behind the fountain at the center of the village. They peaked out from behind it and fired bright curses over the square, slashing deep, smoking scorch marks into the facade of the pub.
"Bastards!" James launched forward.
Harry snatched his father by the collar of his robes and dragged him back, shoving him roughly into cover: "Stay here and stay together! You care about Lily and no one else right now, do you understand me!"
James nodded dazed, shielding his face from another volley of wooden splinters as the supporting beam burst from an impacting spell.
"Come out, little Harry!" The shrill, high laughter echoed over to them: "I'm here for some playtime!"
Harry gestured for Marlene to follow him and stepped out towards the fountain, raising a bright silvery shield that absorbed what was thrown their way, sending ripples down his arms.
"Peverell!" The voice of Rodolphus Lestrange roared from behind a silver mask. He fired another killing curse that fizzled between Harry and Marlene: "The Dark Lord sent us to bring him your head!"
"No, he didn't." Harry cast a sharp surge of clawing, gray magic that melted through the upper half of the fountain in angry, smoking hisses.
The explosion tossed the Death Eaters backward, sending their silver masks scattering over the cobblestone. Harry laughed as he took in each of the three Lestranges: "He sent you here - to me - to pay for your mistakes..."
Bright curses flashed over the square in retaliation. Harry effortlessly flicked them back at them, grinning coldly as his opponents hurled themselves apart in freight. The three attackers quickly turned on Marlene, crushing her under a storm of hexes that made the blonde clench her jaw in annoyance.
With a roar, Marlene twisted sideways and slashed her wand vertically, blasting a deep trench across the square. She separated one of the Death Eaters from his comrades and engaged him with a volley of bright blue spells that burst into sparks against his shield.
"You blood traitor bitch, it's finally payback time!" Rabastan abandoned his shield and rolled to the side. Crimson cruciatus curses left his wand in a series of snaps: "I came for a lot more than just your head. Tonight I'll have what's rightfully mine and show you your place!"
Marlene danced through his spells, her blonde braid swaying from side to side. She thrust her wand at the ground, sending long, sharp spikes of stone outwards.
"Fuck!" Rabastan cursed, blasting the stone into pieces, yet failing to catch the final ones. A scream tore over the sound of spellfire when his leg was pierced at the thigh and he dropped to one knee.
"Look at me, Rabastan." Marlene wrapped the man's leg in a greenish coating of bubbling magic. She yanked her wand sideways, tearing the limb out in a spray of blood and flesh. Rabastan wailed in despair, his wand scattered to the ground.
"I have grown more powerful than your knut-sized brain could ever hope to comprehend." Twirling steam rose from the joints between the pavement to her feet.
Rabastan's bones crumbled and crackled while Marlene approached him with slow steady steps. His fingers blackened and withered away; her spell spread up his arms and torso. Blood burst from his ears, nose, and eyes.
"And I was never yours to begin with!" Her fingers curled in a tight fist around her wand, crushing Rabastan in a bulb of crimson gore and white flecks of bone.
"NO, BROTHER!" Rodolphus screamed and abandoned his defense from Harry's spells, leveling his wand at Marlene's back instead. The tip glowed a faint green, his lips opened to vocalize the first syllable.
Harry stifled Bellarix's curse in mid-air and reached out himself. His spell punched a head-sized hole straight through Rodolphus lower torso. He dropped to his knees, hurling blood to the ground while he attempted to keep his entrails from plunging out of his stomach.
"You killed my husband!" Bellatrix's violet eyes almost bulged out of their sockets, her wand snapped forward in a blur.
"I'm sorry, were you close to him?" Harry weaved through the spells with ease: "I never had the impression..."
"I was meant to free myself from him!" Crimson flames poured from her curved, black wand and clawed over the square: "And now you took it from me!"
Harry crushed her furious, bubbling intent underneath his own. He nipped the fiendfyre in the bud before it could fully thrive on the fanatic witch's hatred.
Bellatrix's wand was reduced to ashes that rained down on her black heels. Harry curled his fingers in a fist, tossing her towards him like a fish on a hook. He dragged her face first over the ash-covered cobblestones before forcing her to kneel at his feet.
"Playtime is over, Bella." He leveled the Elder Wand at her forehead, right in between two violet eyes that stared up at him with sickening adoration: "I think you lost..."
"You- you were a very good playmate, Peverell." Her chest heaved and lowered with heavy breaths. She licked her bloodied lips before blowing him a kiss and whispering: "But the Dark Lord is an even better one."
"Kill the bitch before I do it." Marlene glared at her, shaking with anger.
"Goodbye, Bella!" The Elder Wand's tip began glowing a faint green when suddenly the air was filled with soft snaps.
"DROP YOUR WANDS, NOW!" A voice boomed from behind him.
Harry kicked Bellatrix onto her back and slowly turned around.
Dozens of Aurors in bright red robes surrounded the village square, their wands trained at the trio standing in the middle.
"You're rather late to the party, Captain." Harry recognized Moody approaching them with a slight limb.
The man's magical eye darted over the scene at a speed that almost made him dizzy.
"And I suggested against taking her to Azkaban." Harry pointed his wand at Bellatrix: "Even with the dementors it will be like a vacation for her."
"Bones, arrest her!" Moody barked over his shoulder at a familiar redhead, yet his wand remained trained at Harry's chest.
"Harry Peverell and Marlene McKinnon, you're hereby under arrest!"