Dim lamplight pooled over the slick asphalt, casting a sickly glow in the street that threatened to spill into the shadows between the darkened buildings that flanked it. Tucked away in an alley, a lean man in a threadbare cloak flattened himself further against the wall, as though the weak illumination might suddenly leap over the dented dustbins and expose him.
The street was absolutely empty. A November chill lent an unpleasant bite to the dampness, somehow making everything look sharper. Silence hung thickly, not even the persistent hum of London nightlife could penetrate the waiting tension. Subtly, the man shifted his hand, and the tip of a wand lifted through the shadows. He tensed, bracing against the grimy cement at his back. Any moment now.
A tiny noise made him spin around, wand up and a curse ready on his lips. An almost inaudible bark of laughter sent relief crashing through him.
–Padfoot,†he hissed, struggling to recapture his breath. –I could have killed you.â€
Sirius Black grinned, his white teeth gleaming in the shadows. –Not a chance, Moony,†he breathed. –You’re far too principled for cold-blooded murder.â€
Remus Lupin glared, though he was fairly sure Sirius couldn’t see his face. –That,†he whispered, –was foolhardy in the extreme. How in Merlin’s name did you even get back here?†His eyes raked the darkness behind Sirius where the alley stopped dead against the brick wall of a building. He hadn’t heard anyone Apparate.
–Window.†Even in a whisper, Remus could hear the smugness in his friend’s voice. –The back house is deserted; I just climbed through. Of course, my masterful Silencing Charm enhanced my stealth.â€
–And modest, too,†Remus muttered.
–Hey, we chatting or working here?â€
–Right.†Remus quickly returned his attention to the street. He felt Sirius move up silently beside him. –Why are you here, Padfoot?†he hissed, so softly he barely felt the breath leave his lips. –I thought you and Fabian were checking that warehouse in Bath?â€
–We were. Moody sent word; he thinks someone tipped the Death Eaters off that we were coming. Didn’t want us walking into a trap.†Remus could almost hear Sirius rolling his eyes. –I think the nutter’s paranoid, but I wasn’t complaining. I figured you’d appreciate some backup.â€
–Perhaps some quiet backup,†Remus murmured.
–Right.†Sirius lapsed into silence. For several minutes, they simply watched the street before them. Remus was beginning to pick out the tiny sounds that were the only hints that the street was alive. The dripping of the evening’s rain from a gutter. The whine of a breeze through broken windows. The skittering of rats. Wormtail’s compatriots, Remus thought, with an inner smile. He began to note the shape of shadows in the derelict buildings opposite him, tracing the contours of darkness with his eyes.
–Charming locale, Remus,†Sirius hissed. –You can really pick them.â€
–I believe the Death Eaters ‘pick them,’†Remus began to protest, but something made him stop. He felt Sirius go completely still, frivolity instantly expelled from his friend’s body. Both of them strained to catch the insignificant noise that had sounded so foreign on the quiet street.
With narrowed eyes, Remus searched the street as far as he could see for any sign of change. What had he heard? He squinted at the shadowed alley opposite them, again seeking the now-familiar lines of innocuous shadows. He couldn’t seem to tell them apart.
–Lights,†Sirius mouthed at his ear, at the same time that Remus realized what was wrong. It hadn’t been a noise that had alerted them. His eyes flicked to the street, a dimmer yellow than it had been moments before. Then it was darker and darker still, as each of the lights on the deserted street was slowly snuffed into blackness. Remus shut his eyes tight and reopened them, trying to force them to adjust faster.
Footsteps broke the silence, and soon three cloaked figures insinuated themselves into the shadows, walking slowly. Neither man in the alley moved.
–No one here,†murmured a man’s voice. He sounded tense, agitated.
–He said he would meet us,†growled a second, a threat implied in his voice. –Your brother told him the signal, right?â€
–Of course,†snapped the first.
–If we don’t get the information tonight…â€
A prickle of unease stirred in Remus’s stomach. His briefing had said nothing about a liaison. Emmeline Vance had only just discovered this afternoon that three Death Eaters were to meet on this street tonight, and with only Remus available to send, Dumbledore had strictly forbidden combat. This was a listen and learn operation.
–Maybe something happened…†muttered the first voice uneasily.
A third voice, a woman’s, spoke up for the first time. –And maybe something will happen if he is not here in the next three minutes.â€
Remus felt Sirius stiffen; the woman’s cold, aristocratic tones were familiar to both men. A wand tip flared suddenly, aiming a thin beam of light down the street past their line of vision, and Remus tensed, ready for action should the light swing in their direction.
–Put that away!†snarled Bellatrix.
–Just checking,†sulked the second voice. –Don’t trust this one. I want to see his face when he gets here.â€
–The Dark Lord trusts him, is that not enough for you?†Her tone was positively icy. Clearly the second man perceived the danger, as the light was extinguished with a hasty –Nox.â€
–Did either of you check this street for spells? Or eavesdroppers?†Bellatrix demanded abruptly.
There was a deeply uncomfortable silence; it appeared neither of the other Death Eaters was willing to point out that the oversight had been Bellatrix’s as much as theirs.
Remus sensed, rather than heard, Sirius lean in until his mouth was at Remus’s ear.
–Party time.â€
–Wait…†Remus breathed. He was curious, hoping to catch the name of their correspondent.
–Until they find us? Till there are four instead of three? No thanks. Dibs on Bellatrix.†Then, without further warning, Sirius leapt forward, red light erupting from his wand and streaking across the street like a flare from Hell.
Remus was right behind him, as of course Sirius had known he would be.
Against the Dying of the Light by starscribe
Chapter Notes: All characters and content of the Wizarding World belong to the incomparable JKR. (Long may she reign).
Chapter Endnotes: Buckle up, Bette Davis. It's going to be a bumpy night.