Episode 308.e Bubble Guppies: Nonny Pirruccello and the Prisoner of Azkaban! (Part 5)

Plot
Nonny Pirruccello is having a tough time with his relatives (yet again). He runs away after using magic to inflate Mr. Mitchell's sister Mrs. Toney who was being offensive towards Nonny's parents. Initially scared for using magic outside the school, he is pleasantly surprised that he won't be penalized after all. However, he soon learns that a dangerous criminal and Rotten Tomato's trusted aide Frank has escaped from the Azkaban prison and wants to kill Nonny to avenge the Dark Lord. To worsen the conditions for Nonny, vile creatures called Dementors are appointed to guard the school gates and inexplicably happen to have the most horrible effect on him. Little does Nonny know that by the end of this year, many holes in his past (whatever he knows of it) will be filled up and he will have a clearer vision of what the future has in store...

Cast (Characters from the real movie)

 * Nonny as (Harry Potter)
 * Gil as (Ron Weasley)
 * Molly as (Hermione Granger)
 * Tobias as (Draco Malfoy)
 * Mr. Grumpfish as (Severus Snape)
 * Frank the Tow Truck Lobster as (Sirius Black)
 * Mr. Grouper as (Albus Dumbledore)
 * Mrs. Grouper as (Minerva McGonagall)
 * Oona as (Ginny Weasley)
 * Mr. Langoustine as (Rubeus Hagrid)
 * Mr. Mitchell as (Vernon Dursley)
 * Sir Mulligan as (Remus Lupin)
 * Goby as (Neville Longbottom)
 * Daisy as (Sybill Trelawney)
 * Crabs, Lobsters, and Snails as (Other characters)

Information

 * Genres: Adventure, Family, Fantasy.
 * Rating: PG for a bit of violence, a little bit of cursing, a little bit of drugs, and many scary scenes.
 * Type of film: Fantasy

Trivia

 * This is based on the 2004 film "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." You can read about it on Wikipedia or IMDb
 * There are regular and fanon characters. Some don't return in this movie while there are new characters too.
 * This is the sequel to "Nonny Pirruccello and the Chamber of Secrets!" This story takes place a year after the second story.

Story
Start of Part 5.

(Scene: Bubblewarts Castle)

(Butterflies flutter over the great green lawn. The giant squid breaks through the last glaze of ice on the Black Lake. The Whomping Willow shakes the water from its branches.)

(Scene: Astronomy Room)

(The dying sun streams through high windows, painting Nonny's face a fierce amber-red as he stands opposite Sir Mulligan. Ancient charts drape the walls while gleaming spheres of spun glass orbit one another silently. Sir Mulligan paces before a large trunk.)

Sir Mulligan: You're sure about this, Nonny? This is very advanced magic. Well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level.

Nonny: If Frank can fight the Dementors, I need to know how too.

(Sir Mulligan studies Nonny -- as if conflicted -- then decides.)

Sir Mulligan: Very well. The spell I'm going to teach you is called the Patronus Charm. Ever hear of it?

(Nonny shakes his head.)

Sir Mulligan: A Patronus is a kind of positive force. For the wizard who can conjure one, the Patronus works something like a shield. The Dementor feeds on it instead of him.

(Just then, the trunk rattles violently. As Nonny's eyes wander, Sir Mulligan snaps his fingers, brings his attention back.)

Sir Mulligan: But in order for it to work, you must think of a memory. And not just any. This memory needs to be a very happy one. And powerful.

(Nonny thinks a bit. Then... nods.)

Sir Mulligan: Got something? Good. Let it fill you up. Lose yourself in it. Then speak the incantation: Expecto Patronum. Without your wand...

Nonny: Expecto Patronum...

Sir Mulligan: Right then. Shall we?

(Nonny nods, raises his wand. Sir Mulligan, watching closely, reaches over, grips the lid of the trunk.)

Sir Mulligan: Concentrate, Nonny. Concentrate...

(As Sir Mulligan flings open the case, Nonny opens his eyes. In the sun's blood-light, the Dementor looks particularly horrific.)

Nonny: Expecto... Patronum...

(The torches on the wall flicker as a chill breeze fills the chamber. A scream echoes distantly. Nonny's hand trembles. His eyes begin to roll up.)

Nonny: Expecto... Expecto...

Sir Mulligan: Here!

(Crack! -- the Dementor mutates into a silvery white orb.)

Sir Mulligan: Riddikulus!

(Sir Mulligan flicks his wand, sends the orb back into the packing case. Nonny stands blinking. Dazed. Sir Mulligan fishes a chocolate frog from his pocket. Presses it into Nonny's trembling hand.)

Sir Mulligan: Quickly.

(Nonny studies the frog. Takes a bite. Begins to recover.)

Nonny: That's one nasty Dementor.

Sir Mulligan: Boggart, Nonny. The real thing would be much, much worse. Just out of interest, what were you thinking of? What memory did you choose?

Nonny: The first time I rode a broom.

Sir Mulligan: That's not good enough, Nonny. Not nearly.

(Nonny glances toward the window, at the bloody sun.)

Nonny: There's another. It's not happy exactly. I mean, it is. It's the happiest I've ever felt. But it's... complicated.

Sir Mullifan: Is it strong?

(Nonny looks up into Sir Mulligan's eyes. Emotional. Nods.)

Sir Mulligan: Then let's try it.

(Nonny takes a breath. Tosses the frog aside. Poises himself.)

Sir Mulligan: Think, Nonny, think --

Nonny: Just do it!

(Sir Mulligan blinks at Nonny's quiet fierceness. Opens the packing case. Instantly, the Dementor appears again. A chill fills the air. The hair skates off Nonny's scar. He sets his jaw.)

Nonny: Expecto Patronum!

(Nonny's hand trembles. His whole body trembles. But he holds his ground, when -- Whoosh! -- a huge silver shadow bursts from the end of his wand, hovering between him and the Dementor. The Dementor falters... Nonny's legs like water.)

Sir Mulligan: Riddikulus!

(Crack! The Dementor vanishes. Nonny's arm drops. Slack. Sir Mulligan eyes Nonny with a kind of awe. His voice barely a whisper.)

Sir Mulligan: Well done.

Nonny: I think I've had enough. For today.

(Sir Mulligan nods. Watches Nonny move to the door.)

Sir Mulligan: So you know, Nonny: You'd have given your father a run for his money. And, believe me, that's saying something.

(Nonny ponders this. Then speaks, deep inside himself.)

Nonny: I was thinking of him. And Mum. Seeing their faces. They're just talking to me. Just... talking. That was the memory I chose. I don't even know if it's real...

(Nonny grips the door, pushes past.)

Nonny: But it's the best I have.

(Scene: Tower Dormitory)

(All the boys asleep. All except Nonny, who lies in bed, studying the photo of his parents, barely visible in the fluttering light of a guttering candle. As the flame dies with a soft hiss, all goes black.)

(Scene: Bubblewarts Castle)

(A hulking, haunte goliath against the sky.)

(Scene: Courtyard)

(A cautious breeze rises. Leaves scud across the gravel.)

(Scene: Great Hall)

(A church. Empty. Silent.)

(Scene: Seventh Floor Corridor)

(A windowpane rattles, up high, the corridor thatched in shadow. Slowly... creeping forward. A shadow engulfs Sir Cadogan, dozing against his tree.)

(Scene: Tower Dormitory)

(A whistle shrieks. The Sneakoscope, whirling madly, skitters across the bedside cabinet and -- Click! Click! Click!  -- taps against a water glass, sending shafts of red light pinwheeling over the photo of Nonny's parents.)

Gil: Aaaahhhh!

(Nonny bolts up, sees a silhouette etched on the window -- a man clutching a knife. All the boys are up now. Screaming. Amid the chaos, Nonny grabs his wand.)

Nonny: Everybody out!

(The others flee. Nonny faces the hulking shadow, wand poised.)

Nonny: Show yourself.

(Crash! The water glass shatters on the floor and Bubble Puppy darts past Nonny's bare feet, chased by Crookshanks. Seizing the moment, the silhouette grasps the curtains and swings through the open window, plunging into the night. Nonny rushes to the window, looks down.)

(Scene: Gryffindor Tower)

(The silhouette leaps from ledge to ledge with an animal's grace, then... vanishes.)

(Scene: Tower Dormitory)

(Nonny sweeps Gil's curtains aside. His bed is... empty.)

Nonny: Gil! Gil!

(Nonny's eyes flash toward the window, when... Gil pokes his head out from under the bed.)

Gil: Is he gone?

(Scene: Gryffindor Common Room)

(The entire Gryffindor House, in pajamas, stand before Mrs. Grouper, who wears a tartan robe and an expression of singular irritation.)

Mrs. Grouper: That's preposterous, Gordon. How could Frank the Tow Truck Lobster possibly have got through the portrait hole?

Gil: I don't know how he got in! I was a bit busy dodging his knife!

(Just then, a curiously content Crookshanks wends his way through Gil's legs.)

Gil: And this bloody cat ate my puppy!

Molly: That's a lie!

Gil: It is not and you bloody well know it!

Mrs. Grouper: Silence!

(Mrs. Grouper turns then and everyone follows her eye to Sir Cadogan who, sensing the attention, perks up instantly.)

Mr. Grouper: Sir Cadogan. Is it possible that you let a mysterious man enter Gryffindor Tower tonight?

Sir Cadogan: Certainly, good lady! He had the password. Had the whole week's, in fact. On a little piece of paper.

Mrs. Grouper: Which abysmally foolish person wrote down the passwords and then proceeded to lose them!

(Every eye shifts once more: Goby. Mrs. Grouper sighs.)

Mrs. Grouper: Is it always going to be you, Imani?

Goby: I'm afraid so, ma'am.

Mrs. Grouper: (to the group at large) While we know Frank the Tow Truck Lobster is gone tonight, I think you can safely assume he will, at some future time, attempt to return. Let me be clear. You are not to move about the castle alone. And you are not to write down the password! Understood!

(A collective nod of the head. Mrs. Grouper gives the ties of her robe a sharp tug, collects herself, and exits.)

Mrs. Grouper: Very well then. Go to bed.

(As the students drift off, Gil casts a last angry glance toward Molly, who now holds Crookshanks in her arms.)

Nonny: I could've killed him.

(Molly turns, sees Nonny staring out the window.)

Nonny: He was right there. Close enough to touch. I could've killed him.

(Scene: Slope)

(The trio make their way down the slope.)

Gil: I find it astonishing that someone who prides herself on being so logical can be in such denial.

Molly: Nonny. Will you explain to your friend Gil that he has absolutely no proof whatsoever that my sweet, unassuming cat ate his shabby, decidedly decrepit puppy.

Gil: Nonny was there! He'll tell you how it was. Go on, Nonny, tell her.

Nonny: No, I won't. Know why? Because I don't care about your stupid puppy! I don't care about your stupid cat! I've got few other things on my mind right now!

Gil: Really? Wasn't you had to roll under the bed last night to avoid getting cut to ribbons! A person could die being your friend, Nonny!

(Gil stops, wishes he could take it back. They all wish he could. Avoiding each other's eyes, they turn, continue on.)

(Scene: Black Lake)

(Mr. Langoustine, wearing a gigantic, hairy brown suit and perhaps the world's ugliest yellow and orange tie, stands knee-deep in the shallows of the Black Lake, skimming rocks as big as flagstones across the water's shiny gloss. As he turns, the trio catches a brief sight of his eyes, red with tears, then he looks away.)

Molly: How'd it go, Mr. Langoustine?

Mr. Langoustine: Buckbeak liked London.

Molly: I meant the hearing.

Mr. Langoustine: Oh. That. Well, I got up an' said my bit -- You know, how Buckbeak was a good Hippogriff an' as long as yeh treated 'im with respect, he'd treat you the same. Then Parmesan Gordon got up an' said his bit -- you know, how Buckbeak was a deadly dangerous beast that no teacher in their righ' mind would expose their students to...

Molly: (dreading it) And...?

(Mr. Langoustine slings another rock into water.)

Molly: You mustn't blame yourself, Mr. Langoustine.

Gil: Tobias. It's him the Committee should punish. It's him they should send off to the forest, not Buckbeak.

Mr. Langoustine: Buckbeak's not going back to the forest...

Molly: (dreading the answer) Where's he going, Mr. Langoustine?

Mr. Langoustine: He asked fer the worse, yeh see, Parmesan Gordon did. An' the Committee granted it. Buckbeak's bin sentenced ter death.

(Scene: Bubblewarts Castle)

(Dark. Ominous. Dementors drift in the distance. Restless...)

(Scene: Tower Dormitory)

(Silent. A room of shadows. While those around him slumber, Nonny lies awake, unable to sleep. Finally, he turns to his cupboard, takes the Marauder's Map.)

Nonny: I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.

(The crooked corridors and serpentine passageways of Bubblewarts radiate across the parchment, then... a tiny dot catches Nonny's eye. He frowns. It reads: "Polar Bear.")

(Scene: Corridor)

(Nonny moves down a dark corridor, map in hand, wand aglow. In the paintings he passes, the subjects snore softly. "Nonny Pirruccello" and "Polar Bear" draw closer and closer. Nonny squints toward the end of the corridor. Down at the map. The Polar Bear moves quickly down the adjoining corridor. Twenty yards away. Ten. Only seconds away... Wand trembling in his hand, Nonny glances from the map to the dark corridor ahead, again and again. Then... as the two dots are about to collide... he looks slowly up... turns the corner... heart in his chest... and meets... himself reflected in a mirror. He blinks, startled, then glances back down at the map. Pettigrew has moved past him. Confused, Nonny wheels, casts his wand along the walls.)

Voice: Watch it there, boy!

(Nonny jumps. But it's only an old man in a painting, scowling in the glare of Nonny's wand light. On the map, "Polar Bear" continues to move away. Nonny makes to follow, then stops. Hears footsteps. The wand's spot dances across the parchment, finds another dot. Approaching fast: "Mr. Grumpfish.")

Nonny: Michief managed!

(Nonny stashes the map, extinguishes his wand, and turns... into the harsh glare of Mr. Grumpfish's wand.)

Mr. Grumpfish: Pirruccello. What're you doing wandering the corridors at night?

Nonny: I was... I was... sleepwalking...

(A sneer curdles the corners of Mr. Grumpfish's lips.)

Mr. Grumpfish: How extraordinarily like your father you are, Pirruccello. He, too, was exceedingly arrogant. Strutting about the castle --

Nonny: My dad didn't strut. Nor do I. Now, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate you lowering your wand.

(Mr. Grumpfish eyes Nonny coldy. Containing himself. Lowers his wand.)

Mr. Grumpfish: Turn out your pockets.

(Nonny doesn't move, eyes still boring into Mr. Grumpfish.)

Mr. Grumpfish: Turn out your pockets!

(Finally, Nonny obliges. Seeing the map, Mr. Grumpfish's eyes glitter.)

Mr. Grumpfish: And this. What might it be?

Nonny: Spare bit of parchment...

Mr. Grumpfish: Really... (poising his wand) Reveal your secret!

(To Nonny's horror, words begin to appear. Mr. Grumpfish studies him, a sadistic half-smile on his lips. Turns the map his way.)

Mr. Grumpfish: Read it.

Nonny: 'Messrs. Moony, Polar BeR, Bud and Prongs offer their compliments to Mr. Grumpfish and...'

Mr. Grumpfish: Go on.

Nonny: '... and request that he keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business.'

Mr. Grumpfish: (smile drooping) Why you insolent little --

Sir Mulligan: Mr....?

(Mr. Grumpfish turns. Sees Sir Mulligan standing in the shadows.)

Mr. Grumpfish: Well, well. Sir Mulligan. Out for a little walk in the moonlight, are we?

Sir Mulligan: Nonny? You all right?

Mr. Grumpfish: That remains to be seen. I've just now confiscated a rather curious artifact from Mr. Pirruccello. Take a look, Sir Mulligan. This is supposed to be your area of expertise.

(Sir Mulligan takes the parchment, which now displays a rather unflattering caricature of Mr. Grumpfish and a pair of potions.)

Mr. Grumpfish: Clearly, it's full of Dark Magic.

Sir Mulligan: I seriously doubt that, Mr. Grumpfish. It looks to me as if it merely insults anyone who tries to read it. I suspect it's a Zonko product. Nevertheless, I shall pursue any hidden qualities it may possess. As you say, it's my area of expertise. Come, Nonny.

(Scene: Corridor)

(Nonny walks aside a fuming Sir Mulligan, who grips the map fiercely.)

(Scene: Sir Mulligan's Office)

Sir Mulligan: I don't know how this map came to be in your possession, Nonny, but I'm astounded that you didn't turn it in. Did you ever stop to think that this -- in the hands of Frank the Tow Truck Lobster -- is a map to you?

(Nonny walks silently. Sir Mulligan can barely contain his anger.)

Sir Mulligan: Your father didn't set much store by rules either. But he and your mother did give their lives to save yours. Gambling their sacrifice by walking about the castle unprotected, with a killer on the loose, strikes me as a poor way to repay them. I won't cover up for you again, Nonny.

(Sir Mulligan enters his office, tosses the map on his desk, and begins to sort through some papers. Nonny lingers briefly in the doorway, absently eyes the waxing moon that glimmers beyond the window, then starts to turn away. Stops.)

Nonny: Sir Mulligan. Just so you know, I don't think the map always works. Earlier, it showed someone in the castle. Someone I know to be dead.

Sir Mulligan: (only half-listening) And who was that, Nonny?

Nonny: The Polar Bear.

(Sir Mulligan hesitates ever-so-slightly, then returns to his papers.)

Sir Mulligan: Very well. I'd like you to return to your dormitory now. Oh, and Nonny? Don't take any detours.

(As Nonny looks back, Sir Mulligan taps the map.)

Sir Mulligan: If you do. I'll know.

Daisy:  Relax... Let your mind... go...

(Scene: Divination Classroom)

(The students gaze into crystal balls, faces reflecting the mist within, so that their very skin seems to be made of smoke. Conspicuously, Nonny, Gil, and Molly sit apart.)

Daisy: Crystal-gazing requires that you clear the Inner Eye. Only then, will you... See. Oh my, what do we have here...?

(As Daisy eyes Nonny's crystal, Molly rolls her eyes.)

Molly: Here we go again. It's the Grim! It's the Grim!

Daisy: (eyes narrowing) My dear, from the moment you first arrived in my class, I sensed that you did not possess the proper spirit for the noble art of Divination. You may be young in years, but the heart that beats beneath your bosom is as shriveled as an old maid's, your soul as dry as the pages of the books to which you so desperately cleave.

(Stung, Molly starts to reply, but -- remarkably -- seems incapable of a single word. Rising gracelessly, she exits, knocking her crystal ball to the floor. Nonny watches curiously as the ball rolls slowly out the doorway.)

Louise: 'In late spring, one of our number will leave us forever!' You knew, Daisy! You saw.

Daisy: On these occasions, I take no joy in my gift, Miss Brown.

(As the students exit, Gil, walking separately from Nonny, turns to Goby.)

Gil: She's gone mental, Molly has. I mean, not that she wasn't always mental, but now it's out in the open for everyone to see.

(Gil stops, glances at Nonny, then moves off. Nonny watches him go, along with the others, then spies Molly's crystal ball lying on the landing. Nonny sets Molly's crystal back on its stand, starts to go, when... the smoke within the crystal suddenly darkens. Leaning close, Nonny watches the shape that appears. It is unmistakable: Frank the Tow Truck Lobster. Just then, a shadow crawls the glossy surface of the crystal and... a hand snatches Nonny's shoulder. He wheels, finds...)

Nonny: Daisy --

Daisy: He will return tonight....

(Nonny stiffens. Daisy's voice is eerily hollow.)

Nonny: S-sorry?

Daisy: Tonight, when the clock strikes twelve, the servant shall break free. He and his Master shall be reunited. It cannot be prevented.

(Daisy smiles savagely... then her head falls forward. When it rises, she blinks, eyes the hand that lies upon Nonny's shoulder. Her hand.)

Daisy: So sorry, dear boy. Did you say something?

(Her voice is normal once more. Nonny shakes his head.)

Nonny: No. Nothing.

(Scene: Divination Stairwell)

(Nonny -- clearly unsettled by his encounter with Daisy -- hastens down the stairs.)

(Scene: Clocktower Courtyard)

(Swook! Swook! A crow glides to the flock circling the feet of a pot-bellied man sitting in the courtard. He sharpens his axe. Nonny, Gil, and Molly were hurrying past. The Executioner Lobster looks up.)

(Scene: Bridge)

(Nonny leads Gil and Molly towards Mr. Langoustine's hut.)

Molly: I can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeak! It's too horrible.

Nonny: It just got worse.

(She and Gil look.)

(Scene: Sundial Garden)

(They see Tobias, along with Jonesy and Joshua, lurks within a grouping of monolithic menhirs, binoculars in hand, spying on Mr. Langoustine, who stands in the pumpkin patch, tossing dead ferrets to Buckbeak. Mr. Langoustine wipes his eyes, lopes into the hut.)

Tobias: Did you see the big, fat blubbering oaf?! Oh, this is going to be rich. Did I tell you, Father said I can keep the head -- (looking up) Ah. Come to see the show?

Molly: You... foul... loathsome... evil... little cockroach...

(Tobias stumbles back against a tree, cross-eyed with fear as Molly jabs the tip of her wand under his nose, when...)

Gil: Molly! No!

(She turns, surprised Gil's spoken to her. He looks away.)

Gil: He's not worth it.

(Molly nods, then -- Smack! -- quick as lightning, lands a looping right to Tobias's jaw, putting him flat on his back. Stunned, he leaps to his feet and runs, Jonesy and Joshua huffing and puffing behind.)

Molly: That felt good.

(Scene: Slope/Pumpkin Patch)

(The trio makes their way down the slope and past Buckbeak, chewing on a ferret with idle satisfaction.)

(Scene: Mr. Langoustine's Hut)

(Mr. Langoustine stands by the window watching Buckbeak. Nonny and Gil sit. Molly makes tea.)

Mr. Langoustine: Look at 'em. Loves the smell o' the trees when the wind blows...

Nonny: I say we set him free.

Mr. Langoustine: (shaking his head) They'd know I did it. And tha' would only get Mr. Grouper in trouble. Gonna come down, yeh know. Says he wants ter be with me when it... when it happens. Great man, Mr. Grouper.

Molly: We'll stay with you too, Mr. Langoustine.

Mr. Langoustine: Yeh will not! Think I wan' yeh seein' a thing like this! No. Yeh'll drink yer tea an' be off. But before yeh do -- I wan' ter see you an' Gil shake hands, Nonny.

(Gil and Nonny exchange a glance, then look to Mr. Langoustine.)

Mr. Langoustine: Thin' I haven' seen 'ow it's bin betw'n you two? Go on now...

(Reluctantly, Nonny and Gil extend their hands. Shake.)

Mr. Langoustine: Good. Now then. Gil, I wan' ter see you give Molly a hug.

Molly and Gil: What!

Mr. Langoustine: Go on! You two've been at it all year. An' I'm sick o' it.

(Acutely uncomfortable, Molly and Gil step forward and perform perhaps the most awkward hug Bubblewarts has ever seen.)

Mr. Langoustine: Crikey, tha's jus' abou' the most pathetic hug I e'er seen. But yeh did it, an' tha's wha' matters. There's jus' one other thing...

Gil: I'm not kissing Dotty if that's what you're thinking...

(Hearing her name, Dotty -- Mr. Langoustine's giant boarhound -- thumps her tail happily on the floor. Mr. Langoustine turns, takes the lid from a flour tin, a tiny head, ears flecked with powder, emerges.)

Gil: Bubble Puppy! You're alive!

Mr. Langoustine: Yeh should keep a closer eye on yer pets, Gil.

Molly: I think you owe someone an apology.

Gil: Right. Next time I see Crookshanks, I'll let him know.

Molly: I meant me.

Mr. Langoustine: Crikey. Here we go again...

(Smash! A glass jar on the shelf shatters. As Molly scoops up a jagged star-shaped stone, a second stone bounces off the back of Nonny's head.)

Nonny: Ow!

(Nonny turns, looks out the window.)

Nonny: Mr. Langoustine...

(Everyone turns. Looks. Mr. Grouper and Marty Snailer approach. Behind them, in a fluttering shroud of crows, the Executioner follows, axe at his side. Mr. Langoustine begins to panic.)

Mr. Langoustine: Yeh got to go! It's almost dark. Anyone sees yeh outside the castle it'll be trouble! Big trouble! 'Specially you, Nonny --

(Bang! Bang! Bang! The door shakes. Mr. Langoustine stiffens in fear. Nonny reaches up, puts his finger to Mr. Langoustine's trembling lips, speaks softly to the others.)

(Scene: Pumpkin Patch)

(As the trio exit through the back door, Marty Snailer, Mr. Grouper, and the Executioner enter through the front. A veil of crows flutters onto the roof. More drop into the patch, begin to slowly circle Buckbeak. Nonny and the others duck behind the pumpkins, watch Mr. Langoustine solemnly greet the others. Marty Snailer appears at the window. Picks his nose. Just then, a Shhh! is heard. Molly turns. The branches of the trees behind her are dancing oddly.)

Nonny: What?

Molly: Nothing, I just thought I saw... Never mind.

(Scene: Sundial Garden)

(The trio slip silently into a stand of trees. Beyond them, Mr. Langoustine's hut glimmers desolately in the dying sun. High in the Clock Tower, a bell begins to toll. Ding! Ding! Ding! The trio stops, fighting their tears. A quartet of bleak shadows files from the hut. One of the shadows -- Mr. Grouper -- raises his hand and points, directing the attention of the others away from Buckbeak. Mr. Grouper speaks briefly -- unintelligible from this distance, then -- Caw! Caw! -- The crows shriek excitedly and the Executioner separates from the others, disappears behind a low stand of trees. Ding! All goes very still. The wind loses its voice... Ding! Sunlight kicks off the axe as it rises over the trees, into view... Ding! The axe hangs seemingly forever, etched against the sky, then drops from sight. A sickening chop fouls the breeze and Gil and Nonny stare toward the trees in numb disbelief. Molly, face turned away, trembles... Ding! The sun sets, dropping behind the mountains in the distance. Molly turns. Sees a frenzied spray of crows stain the bloody sky, their primal shrieking rising like a curse. Slowly, Molly's hand falls onto Gil's shoulder and a drop of blood hangs from his finger, drops like a tear... Ding! Gil stares at his hand. At the blood running down his finger.)

Gil: He bit me...

(His eyes shift. See Bubble Puppy streaking away.)

Molly: Gil! No!

(As Gil pelts after Bubble Puppy, Nonny and Molly give chase.)

(Scene: Ridge)

(Gil reaches the summit, disappears over the top. Molly and Nonny follow.)

(Scene: Whomping Willow)

(Nonny and Molly reach the top of the ridge. Stop.)

Molly: Nonny. You do realize what tree this is...

(Gil nabs Bubble Puppy, cradles him in his bloody palm.)

Gil: Now behave yourself.

(Gil is kneeling under the Whomping Willow.)

Nonny: That's not good. (yelling) Gil! Run!

(Gil spins. Looks toward Nonny.)

Gil: Nonny! Run!

(Nonny's eyes shift. Bounding toward him in the gathering gloom is an enormous, pale-eyed, jet-black... dog. Nonny shields himself when... the dog leaps clear over him.)

Gil: Aaaahhh!

(The dog's teeth flash and -- Snap! -- close on Gil's foot, dragging him towards the trunk like a rag doll. Instantly, Nonny dashes forward, leaps out, and grabs Gil's hands... but he and Gil just keep skudding along the ground.)

Molly: I've got you --

(Molly pitches herself onto Nonny's feet... and the three of them go scudding along.)

Gil: Nonny!

(Nonny raises his chin. The dog vanishes into the gap at the base of the tree, begins to pull Gil through...)

Nonny: Hold on, Gil!

(But it's no use. The dog is too powerful. Nonny glances around desperately, then finds himself looking directly in Gil's eyes. He can read his mind.)

Nonny: No, Gil...

(One by one, Gil releases his fingers from Nonny's forearm. Sacrificing himself.)

Nonny: Nooooo!!!

(But Gil closes his eyes, releases his hands fully, and disappears. As his voice echoes deep into the earth... Nonny and Molly rise, peer into the hole. Whomp! The Whomping Willow sweeps first Molly, then Nonny, into the air and -- Floomph -- drops them on their backsides. Swaying beautifully against the dusky sky, swishing softly. As one, they rise. Run back toward the gap in the tree. A branch swoops down. Molly ducks. Nonny doesn't. Whoosh -- he is flung one way, his goggles the other. Molly hops over another branch -- looks briefly pleased with herself -- only to find herself swept high in the air by a second branch. She looks down, sees Nonny searching the ground for his goggles.)

Molly: Nooooooonnnnnn!!!!!!!!!

(Nonny squints up, sees a pile-driving fast of a branch screaming straight down for his head. He rolls away just as -- Whomp! -- the branch pulverizes the ground. Molly whips through fame, still clinging on for dear life, and Nonny rises. Flumph! -- he's promptly knocked to the ground again. Molly goes crashing through the high branches, Nonny spies his goggles and grabs them. Rising, he fits them to his face and turns crystal clear just in time to see Molly flying madly toward him.)

Molly: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Nonny: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

(Molly reaches out, grabs Nonny's shirt and -- riding the branch in tandem -- the two boomerang back, hurtling toward the trunk of the tree, through the gap, and into the darkness below.)

(Scene: Tunnel)

(Oomph! Nonny hits the ground hard. Oomph! Molly falls on top of him.)

Molly: Thanks.

Nonny: Don't mention it. Lumos.

(As the tip of Nonny's wand glows, reveals a long, snaking tunnel.)

Molly: Where do you suppose this goes?

Nonny: I have a hunch. I just hope I'm wrong...

End of Part 5.