Episode 540.a Bubble Guppies: Nonny Pirruccello and the Half-Blood Prince! (Part 1)

Plot
In the sixth year at Bubblewarts School of Witchcraft, and in both wizard and muggle worlds Lord Rotten Tomato and his henchmen are increasingly active. With vacancies to fill at Bubblewarts, Mr. Grouper persuades Arctic Dan, back from retirement to become the potions teacher, while Mr. Grumpfish receives long awaited news. Nonny Pirruccello, together with Mr. Grouper, must face treacherous tasks to defeat his evil nemesis.

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 (Professor Severus Snape)
 * Arctic Dan as (Professor Horace Slughorn)
 * Oona as (Ginny Weasley)
 * Pablo as (Fred Weasley)
 * Brett as (George Weasley)
 * Mrs. Gordon as (Molly Weasley)
 * Mr. Gordon as (Arthur Weasley)
 * Sir Mulligan as (Remus Lupin)
 * Deema as (Luna Lovegood)
 * Limbite as (Narcissa Malfoy)
 * Witch as (Bellatrix Lestrange)
 * The Night Wizard as (Fenrir Greyback)
 * Polar Bear as (Wormtail)
 * Mr. Grouper as (Professor Albus Dumbledore)
 * Goby as (Neville Longbottom)
 * Mrs. Grouper as (Professor Minerva McGonagall)
 * Pronto as (Professor Filius Flitwick)
 * Mr. Langoustine as (Rubeus Hagrid)
 * Crabs, Lobsters, and Snails as (Other characters)

Information

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

Trivia

 * This is based on the 2009 film "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." 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 Order of the Phoenix!" This story takes place a year after the fifth story.

Story
Start of Part 1.

(Scene: Conference Room)

(Office workers sit around a table in a conference room. But the light has caught one worker’s eye, then another, and soon they are all rising, stepping to the window, mesmerized by what lies beyond.)

(Scene: Bubble City Skyline)

(Blood-red and stormy. A vortex of clouds -- strangely ominous -- hangs high in the sky, flashing from within, as if about to rain blood over the city. They cut into the storm itself and plummet, Bubble City expanding, stretching out on all sides. They sweep madly over street, leaving the Muggle world behind.)

(Scene: Diagon Alley)

(They swoop into Diagon Alley just as the front window of Dr. Clark's wand shop explodes. Witches and wizard crabs, lobsters and snails flee. In the drifting smoke, Death Eaters appear, accompanied by a tall, sinewy beast of a man. With a casual sweep of his hand he sends a wizard crab flying and a witch snail screams. In deep b.g., two Death Eaters abduct a shrouded figure (Dr. Clark). The sinewy beast man grins, then apparates, along with the others... leaving Diagon Alley behind.)

(Scene: Bubble City)

(The streets of Bubble City appear below once more, and then the river. Black trails -- the Death Eaters -- streak across the sky and then turn translucent as they encircle the Big Bubble Bridge. Pedestrians peer upward, bewildered, sensing a shift in the atmosphere. And then... The bridge crumbles into the river, the image horrifyingly beautiful, as is the sound of it, a roar, a wail, the last cry of a lion.)

(Scene: Bubble City Underground)

(A train blasts through the station.)

(Scene: "Treats" Food Store)

(Late. Lonely men and women loiter on the platform. At a food stand, patrons grimly read their tabloid of choice, The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Mirror --... the Daily Prophet. The silhouette. The Headline: “NONNY PIRRUCCELLO: THE CHOSEN ONE?” But the (unseen) reader is fixated on a smaller item, tucked at the bottom corner of the back page: “Parmesan Gordon Sentenced to Azkaban.” Two photographs accompany the piece, one of Parmesan Gordon, another of Limbite and Tobias Gordon as they exit a courtroom. Tobias’s eyes look distant, haunted.)

Waitress Lobster (o.s.): Nonny Pirruccello. Who's Nonny Pirruccello?

(The paper drops, reveals... Nonny. He glances up at the young waitress lobster who stands over him. Pretty. Very pretty.)

Nonny: Oh. Um. No one. Bit of a tosser.

(As she leans over to clear his chips wrappings, Nonny’s gaze drifts over the smooth skin of her neck, the spray of freckles across one cheek...)

Waitress Lobster: Funny that paper of yours. Couple nights ago, I could swear I saw one of the pictures move.

Nonny: Really.

Waitress Lobster: Thought I’d gone round the twist.

(She makes a face, smiles. A smile to die for. Starts to go.)

Nonny: Hey. I was wondering...

Waitress Lobster: Eleven. That’s when I get off. (the smile) You can tell me all about that tosser Nonny Pirruccello.

(Nonny watches her go, then quickly reaches into his coat and fumbles out a S’Mints container. Just then... a light on the opposite platform flickers. Nonny looks. It flickers again and this time a small cloud of glittering dust dances over the opposite platform. As a train roars past, Nonny squints through the flickering windows and watches the dust transform into... Mr. Grouper. Leveling his glasses, he peers across the platform, smiles and gives Nonny a wave.)

(Scene: Opposite Platform)

(As Nonny arrives, he finds Mr. Grouper studying a perfume advertisement which shows a model with a wand in her teeth: “Tonight Make a Little Magic With Your Man.”)

Mr. Grouper: I once knew a Muggle girl from Liverpool with hair like spun silk. No light could resist it... (turning) You’ve been reckless this summer, Nonny.

Nonny: I like riding round on the trains. It takes my mind off... things.

(Nonny hesitates, notices Mr. Grouper’s hand is ash black.)

Mr. Grouper: Rather unpleasant to behold, isn’t it? The tale is thrilling if I do say so myself, but I’m afraid now is not the time to tell it. Take my arm. (extending it) Do as I say.

(Nonny glances across the platform, sees the freckled Waitress lobster appear, eye his empty table. Slowly, he reaches out and -- instantly -- all goes black in a rush of sound and fury, as if Nonny had been pitched headlong into a tornado.)

(Scene: Village Square)

(Seconds later, he re-emerges into the world, reeling, eyes stinging with tears. Slowly, his planet stops spinning.)

Nonny: I just Apparated, didn’t I?

Mr. Grouper: Indeed. And quite successfully I might add. Most people vomit their first time.

Nonny: Can’t imagine why...

(Mr. Grouper leads Nonny up a steep narrow street lined with darkened houses.)

Mr. Grouper: Welcome to the charming village of Budleigh Babberton, Nonny. I assume right about now you’re wondering why I’ve brought you here, am I right?

Nonny: (glancing about) After all these years, I just sort of roll with it, sir.

(Mr. Grouper smiles mildly, then pauses, his face darkening. Before them stands a small stone house. But something is wrong about the place.)

Mr. Grouper: Wand out, Nonny.

(Scene: Arctic Dan's House)

(Through a crack in the front door: Mr. Grouper and Nonny move swiftly up the walk and enter.)

Mr. Grouper: Lumos...

(The tip of Mr. Grouper’s wand blazes. He sweeps the shadows.)

Mr. Grouper: Arctic Dan!

(Nothing. Mr. Grouper points his wand down a narrow hallway. Motes of dust dance in the wandlight, but nothing else. He starts down the hallway, toward the open doorway at its end.)

(Scene: Sitting Room)

(Utter devastation. A grandfather clock lays upon the floor, its face cracked. A piano sags in the corner, keys strewn like teeth upon the rug. A copy of the Daily Prophet trembles in the breeze from a half-open window. As Nonny looks, a drop of something wet strikes the word “CHOSEN.” His gaze rises. He gasps. A substance dark and glutinous is spattered upon the ceiling. Mr. Grouper raises his wand. The ceiling screams red. Another drop falls and this one strikes Nonny’s scar. As Nonny moves to wipe it away, Mr. Grouper grabs his hand. Training his light on Nonny’s forehead, Mr. Grouper flicks a blackened finger over the scar. Brings it to his tongue. Reacts. Turning, his eyes narrow on an overstuffed armchair. Moving to it, he jabs his wand into the plump seat cushion.)

Armchair: Merlin’s Beard!

(Instantly, the Armchair mutates into human form, though briefly gets caught inbetween. After a bit of grumbling, seam-splitting and the popping of a cushion button or two, a fat old man lobster in a pair of well-worn lilac pajamas appears.)

Fat Old Man Lobster: (rubbing his rump) There’s no need to disfigure me, Mr. Grouper!

Mr. Grouper: I must say, you make a very convincing armchair, Arctic Dan.

Arctic Dan: It’s all in the upholstery. (patting his stomach) I come by the stuffing naturally. What gave me away?

Mr. Grouper: (nodding to the ceiling) Dragon’s blood.

Arctic Dan: Yes, well, I couldn’t very well use wizard’s blood, could I? Oho!

(Arctic Dan takes a step back, having spotted Nonny. The blood on Nonny’s forehead only serves to highlight his scar.)

Mr. Grouper: Ah yes. Introductions. Nonny, this is an old friend and colleague of mine, Arctic Dan. Arctic Dan, this is, well, you know who this is. (a droll whisper) Apparently there’s some thought he may be the Chosen One.

(Arctic Dan stares at Nonny as if hypnotized.)

Mr. Grouper: So why all the theatrics, Arctic Dan? You weren’t perhaps expecting someone else, were you?

Arctic Dan: (blinking) S-someone else? I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.

(Mr. Grouper raises an eyebrow. Arctic Dan caves.)

Arctic Dan: Oh all right! The Death Eaters have been trying to recruit me for over a year. Do you know what that’s like? One can only say no to these people so many times before they...

Mr. Grouper: Take matters into their own hands?

(Arctic Dan eyes Mr. Grouper miserably, gestures.)

Arctic Dan: I never stay anywhere more than a week. The Muggles who own this place are in the Canary Islands.

Mr. Grouper: Well, I think it should be put back in order for them, don’t you? Mind?

(Mr. Grouper raises his wand. Instantly, the grandfather clock resumes its rightful place, shattered lanterns re- ignite and the blood on the ceiling evaporates -- just as the piano keys tumble back into place with a pleasant musical run.)

Mr. Grouper: That was fun. May I use the loo?

(As Mr. Grouper heads down the hall, Arctic Dan calls after.)

Arctic Dan: Don’t think I don’t know why you’re here, Mr. Grouper! The answer is still no! Absolutely, unequivocally no!

(Mr. Grouper doesn’t respond. Arctic Dan glances at Nonny. The silence is palpable. Awkward. A beat.)

Arctic Dan: You look very like your father. Except for your eyes. You’ve got --

Nonny: My mother’s eyes, yeah.

Arctic Dan: (smiling softly) Lily. Lovely Lily. She was exceedingly bright -- your mother. Even more impressive when one considers she was Muggle-born.

Nonny: One of my best friends is Muggle-born. She’s the best in our year.

Arctic Dan: Oh, but you mustn’t think I’m prejudiced! No, no, no! Your mother was one of my absolute favorites! Look, there she is. Right up front.

(Arctic Dan waves to a dresser crowded with photographs.)

Arctic Dan: All mine, each and every one. Ex- students, I mean. You recognize Barnubas Cuffe, of course, editor of the Daily Prophet. Always takes my owl should I want to register my opinion on the news of the day. And there’s Ambrosius Flume of Honeydukes. Sends a hamper of chocolate to the house each birthday. That is, when I had a house. And Gwenog Jones, captain of the Holyhead Harpies -- free tickets whenever I want them. Of course, I haven’t been to a match in some time...

(Nonny steps forward, takes a picture of one particular boy, a boy who resembles... Frank. Seeing Nonny thus distracted, he studies him intently, like a rare object.)

Arctic Dan: Ah yes. Farmer Joe. You no doubt know of his older brother Frank. Died a few weeks ago. I taught the whole Lobster family except Frank. Shame. Talented boy. I got Farmer Joe when he came along, of course, but I’d have liked the set.

Mr. Grouper: Mind if I take this? I do love knitting patterns.

(Arctic Dan blinks, looks away from Nonny and finds Mr. Grouper standing there, clutching a Muggle magazine.)

Arctic Dan: Of course. But you’re not leaving?

Mr. Grouper: I think I know a lost cause when I see one. Regrettable. I would have considered it a personal triumph had you consented to return to Bubblewarts, Arctic Dan. You are, like my friend Mr. Pirruccello -- one of a kind.

(Scene: Arctic Dan's House)

(Mr. Grouper hums placidly as he and Nonny make their way down the walk. Seconds later, the front door swings open.)

Arctic Dan: All right! I’ll do it. But I’ll be wanting Dr. Martin’s old office, not that water closet I had formerly. And I expect a raise! These are mad times we live in! Mad!

Mr. Grouper: Indeed they are.

(Scene: Budleigh Babberton)

(Mr. Grouper leads Nonny back toward the Village Square.)

Nonny: Sir, exactly what was that all --

Mr. Grouper: You are talented, famous and powerful -- everything Arctic Dan values. Arctic Dan is going to try to collect you, Nonny. You would be his crowning jewel. That is why he is returning to Bubblewarts. And it is crucial he return...

(Nonny looks intrigued by this last statement, but before he can pursue it, Mr. Grouper glances ruefully at the moon.)

Mr. Grouper: I fear I may have stolen a wondrous night from you, Nonny. She was, truthfully, very pretty. The girl.

Nonny: It’s alright, sir. I’ll go back tomorrow, make some excuse --

(Nonny stops. Mr. Grouper is shaking his head.)

Mr. Grouper: You’ll not be going back to Little Whinging tonight, Nonny.

Nonny: But, sir. What about Hedwig? And there’s my trunk --

Mr. Grouper: Both are waiting for you.

(Mr. Grouper extends his arm. Mystified, Nonny reaches out.)

(Scene: The Burrow)

(As his fingers touch the silk of Mr. Grouper’s cloak, he apparate into view, stumbling to one knee and wincing.)

Nonny: Sir?

(Mr. Grouper is gone. Nonny rises, glances about. In the distance a crooked house shimmers. A pretty girl with purple hair flits briefly past an upstairs window.)

(Scene: Kitchen)

(Oona dashes down a vertiginous staircase, flies into the kitchen and finds a large trunk and an owl cage. Curious, she cocks her head to one side. The owl does the same in return.)

Oona: Hedwig...? Mum!

(Scene: Downstairs Hallway)

(A clock hangs in view, bearing nine hands, each inscribed with a Gordon name, each pointing to mortal peril. Mrs. Gordon appears, looks down.)

Mrs. Gordon: What is it, Oona? Is it your father? Has something happened at the Ministry? Has he been kidnapped? Is it the Death Eaters?

Oona: Exactly. How’d you guess?

(Mrs. Gordon throws her hands up over her face.)

Oona: I’m joking, Mum.

Mrs. Gordon: You’re worse than Pablo and Brett.

Oona: Now you’re joking. I was only wondering when Nonny got here.

Mrs. Gordon: Nonny who?

Oona: Nonny Dimpleton. Nonny Pirruccello, of course.

Mrs. Gordon: I think I’d know if Nonny Pirruccello was in my house, wouldn’t I?

Oona: Well his trunk’s in the kitchen. And his owl.

Mrs. Gordon: I seriously doubt that.

(Just then, Hedwig screeches. Oona gives her an I-told-you-so when another door opens and Gil Gordon looks down.)

Gil: Nonny? Did someone say Nonny?

Oona: Me, nosy. Is he up there with you?

Gil: ‘Course not. Think I’d know if my best friend was in my room, wouldn’t I?

(Another door opens: Molly, in a robe, toothbrush in hand.)

Molly: Was that an owl I heard?

Oona: Nonny’s. Haven’t seen him, have you? Apparently, he’s wandering about the house.

Oona: Really?

Nonny (o.s.): Really.

(Oona spins. Nonny. Standing in the doorway of the kitchen.)

Gil, Molly and Mrs. Gordon: Nonny!

(As the others rocket downstairs, Oona gives Nonny a great grinning hug. There is something oddly charged in the moment, a surprise to both of them. The others arrive. More hugs.)

Mrs. Gordon: But why didn’t you tell us you were coming?

Nonny: Didn’t know. (a shrug) Mr. Grouper.

Mrs. Gordon: That man. But then, what would we do without him? Gil!

(Gil is about to touch Molly. She retracts her neck.)

Gil: You’ve a bit of...

(He gestures to the stray lace of toothpaste on Molly’s chin. Quickly she wipes it off, gives him an odd look.)

(Scene: Attic)

(The Daily Prophet tumbles within a makeshift campfire of blue flames, but magically doesn’t disintegrate. Nonny teases the fire with the tip of his wand, where The Chosen One? mingles with Tobias’s haunted face in the flames.)

Nonny: When’d you get here?

Molly: A few days ago. Though... for a bit, I wasn’t sure I was coming.

(Nonny looks up, sees her glance at Gil.)

Gil: Mum sort of lost it last week. Said Oona and I had no business going back to Bubblewarts. That it’s too dangerous.

Nonny: Oh come on...

Molly: She’s not alone. Even my parents -- and they’re Muggles -- know something bad is happening.

Gil: Anyway, Dad stepped in, told her she was being barmy. Took a day or two, but she came round.

Nonny: But we’re talking about Bubblewarts. Mr. Grouper. What could be safer?

(Molly and Gil exchange another glance.)

Molly: There’s been a lot of chatter lately. That he’s gotten... old.

Nonny: Rubbish. He’s only -- what?

Gil: A hundred and fifty. Give or take a few years.

(Silence. Nods. Then the three break out laughing. Grow quiet again. Nonny takes another poke at the Prophet. Tobias’s haunted face appears briefly, then is gone.)

(Scene: Mill Town)

(An old mill lists like an ancient ruin against a charcoal sky. A dark figure materializes. As she turns for the town in the distance, another witch materializes.)

Witch: Limbite!

(Scene: Spinner's End)

(Like a rat in a maze, Limbite makes her way through a labyrinth of dilapidated brick houses. The Witch trails.)

Witch: Limbite! You mustn’t do this. He can’t be trusted.

Limbite: The Dark Lord trusts him.

Witch: The Dark Lord is mistaken.

(Limbite turns, shocked. The Witch looks shocked herself, rain running down her cheeks.)

Witch: Or so I believe.

Limbite: Well, who can one trust these days?

(Scene: Mill House)

(Grim and dark, lit by guttering candles. Rain drums the roof eerily. A knocker clangs. A polar bear shuffles forth, something familiar in his gait.)

(Scene: House)

(The door cracks, spilling sallow light onto Limbite and the Witch.)

(Scene: Hallway)

(The sisters follow the Polar Bear down a narrow hallway.)

Witch: He lives in this Muggle dunghill?

(The Polar Bear glowers over his shoulder at her.)

(Scene: Sitting Room)

(They pass into a roomwhere a fish sits by the window running with rain, his face hidden by the Daily Prophet. On the front page is a photograph of the Big Bubble Bridge crashing into the river. But even more prominent is the silhouette of a young wizard and a headline: NONNY PIRRUCCELLO: THE CHOSEN ONE? Young Wizard Destined to Kill You-Know-Who? The paper drops and Mr. Grumpfish eyes the women curiously.)

Mr. Grumpfish: Run along, Polar Bear.

(Mr. Grumpfish fills the last of three goblets with wine.)

Limbite: I’ve nowhere else to turn, Mr. Grumpfish.

(Mr. Grumpfish hands her a goblet, extends one to the Witch.)

Witch: You must be joking.

(Mr. Grumpfish smiles faintly, brings the goblet to his own lips.)

Limbite: I know I ought not to be here. The Dark Lord himself has forbidden me to speak of this --

Mr. Grumpfish: If the Dark Lord has forbidden it, you ought not to speak. (eyes shifting) Put it down, Witch. We mustn’t touch what isn’t ours.

(The Witch, dark curio in hand, glowers, sets it back down.)

Mr. Grumpfish: As it so happens I’m aware of your situation, Limbite.

Witch: You? The Dark Lord told you?

Mr. Grumpfish: Your sister doubts me, Limbite. Understandable. Over the years I have played my part well. So well I’ve deceived one of the greatest wizards of all time.

(The Witch makes a scathing sound. Mr. Grumpfish turns, eyes hard.)

Mr. Grumpfish: Mr. Grouper is a great wizard. Only a fool would question it.

Limbite: I... I don’t doubt you, Mr. Grumpfish.

Witch: You should feel honored, Limbite. As should Tobias --

Limbite: He’s just a boy!

Mr. Grumpfish: I can’t change the Dark Lord’s mind. But it might be possible for me to help Tobias. To provide some... protection.

(The Witch eyes Mr. Grumpfish keenly.)

Limbite: Do you mean it, Mr. Grumpfish?

Mr. Grumpfish: I can try.

Limbite: Oh, Mr. Grumpfish, please, if you would... (I would be forever in your debt.)

Witch: Swear to it.

(Mr. Grumpfish's eyes shift, meet the Witch’s challenging gaze.)

Witch: Make the Unbreakable Vow. (as Mr. Grumpfish looks away) You see. It’s just empty words. Oh he’ll try. He’ll give it his best effort. But when it matters most he’ll slither back into his hole. Bloody coward...

(The Witch goes on muttering as she splashes some wine into a goblet. Mr. Grumpfish turns back, anger flashing in his eyes.)

Mr. Grumpfish: Take out your wand.

(The Witch freezes, goblet to her lips. As she lowers it, a rivulet of red runs out of the corner of her mouth. Mr. Grumpfish faces Limbite. The Witch, hand faintly trembling, places the tip of her wand over their linked hands.)

Witch: Will you, Mr. Grumpfish, watch over Tobias Gordon as he attempts to fulfill the Dark Lord’s wishes.

Mr. Grumpfish: I will.

(A single strand of liquid fire issues from the Witch’s wand and wends its way around their hands.)

Witch: And will you, to the best of your ability, protect him from harm?

Mr. Grumpfish: I will.

(A second strand of fire intertwines with the first.)

Witch: And should it prove necessary, if it seems Tobias will fail... will you yourself carry out the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Tobias to perform?

(Mr. Grumpfish's hand twitches within Limbite’s. The Witch waits.)

Mr. Grumpfish: I will.

(Scene: Gordon's Wizard Wheezes)

(A shopping bags bears Gordon’s Wizard Wheezes clutched in the hand of a boy being pulled by his mother through the throng packed sardine-tight in the store. It’s utter madness: Ever-Bashing Boomerangs whip through the air, Dr. Filibuster’s Fabulous Wet-Start No-Heat fireworks spit sparks, and Nose-Biting Teacups bare tiny porcelain teeth. Pablo and Brett Gordon, in screaming magenta, stand upon a counter, selling to the masses.)

Pablo and Brett: Step up! Step up!

Brett: We’ve got Fainting Fancy...

Pablo: Nosebleed Nougats...

Brett: And just in time for school...

Pablo: Puking Pastilles!

(A boy lobster stops chewing, turns pale green -- literally.)

Pablo and Brett: Into the cauldron, handsome.

(Together, with the tips of their toes, Pablo and Brett launch a sloshing cauldron down the counter, drop down on either side of Nonny, begin to steer him through the store.)

Pablo: What’d you think, Nonny?

Nonny: Amazing.

Brett: (to a browsing boy) Pocket that and you’ll pay in more than Galleons, my friend.

Pablo and Brett: We’ve got eyes in the back of our heads.

(The boy, working a screaming yo-yo, blanches as Pablo and Brett turn, reveal they do in fact have eyes in the back of their heads -- phony, but unnerving. As the eyes wink, the tiny boy bolts.)

Brett: Bloody urchins.

(Nonny eyes a display of orange and black lumps.)

Nonny: Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder?

Pablo: A real money spinner that. Handy if you need to make a quick escape. Hello, ladies!

(Brett drops one of the lumps in Nonny’s hand, turns to Oona and Molly, who peruse a display of “Wonder Witch Love Potions.”)

Brett: Yes, they do really work.

Pablo: Then again, the way we hear it, sis, you’re doing just fine on your own.

Oona: Meaning?

Pablo: Are you not currently dating Tom Pirruccello?

(Nonny pretends to consider a rack of “Ten-Second Pimple Vanisher,” but secretly eavesdrops.)

Oona: None of your business.

Molly: These are adorable.

Pablo: Aren’t they now. Pygmy Puffs. Can’t breed them fast enough.

(Just then a huge boy passes behind Molly and, with his eyes, takes the full measure of her. Noticing, she turns, receives a faint smile as he moves on.)

Gil: How much for this?

(A tiny wooden man ascends a tiny gallows and... drops. Brett rides a rolling ladder into frame, drops next to Pablo.)

Pablo and Brett: Five Galleons.

Gil: How much for me?

Pablo and Brett: Five Galleons.

Gil: But I'm your brother!

Pablo and Brett: Ten Galleons.

Gil: C’mon. Let’s go.

(The trio head for the door, passing Jessica, who smiles flirtatiously at an oblivious Gil.)

Jessica: Hi, Gil.

Gil: Hi.

(Scene: Diagon Alley)

(The sun fades over an iron archway -- Welcome to Diagon Alley! -- as Nonny, Gil and Molly pass beneath. All around them, shops sit silent, windows boarded-up or shattered. People scurry by, avoiding the scary faces of the witches and wizards who peer out from the security posters plastered to every lamp post. The Witch is there: “KNOWN DEATH EATER,” And the Night Wizard: “WEREWOLF.” And Parmesan Gordon: “CAUGHT.”)

Molly: How is it Pablo and Brett are doing it? Half the alley’s closed down.

Gil: Pablo reckons people need a laugh these days.

Nonny: Reckon he’s right...

(Nonny eyes the poster of the Witch, her mocking half- smile.)

Molly: Oh no. Look.

(Nonny and Gil follow her gaze to the wreck that is Dr. Clark’s Wand Shop.)

Molly: But everyone got their wands from Dr. Clark. Young. Old...

Nonny: Good. Bad. Speaking of which...

(Across the avenue, Tobias Gordon and Limbite pause, glance around, then slip quickly down an alley.)

Gil: Is it just me? Or do Tobias and mummy look like two people who don’t want to be followed?

(Scene: Various Streets)

(The trio trail Tobias and Limbite, who navigate these dark streets with ease. Molly, lagging a bit, glances up at the darkening sky. When she looks back, she sees Gil and Nonny far ahead. They turn a shadowy corner, vanish.)

(Scene: Shop Front)

(Nonny and Gil duck inside a shop front. At the end of the alley, a single shop glimmers dully: Borgin & Burkes. Limbite and Tobias enter, greet a stooped man. He points. Tobias walks to a lacquered cabinet, plays his fingers over its glassy surface. Limbite speaks and Tobias turns, finds the stooped man holding the curtain to the back room aside. Tobias hesitates, then follows his mother through.)

Gil: What’re they playing at?

Nonny: Dunno. Let’s get closer.

Gil: (a nod; stopping) Hey. Where’s Molly?

(Scene: Another Alley)

(Molly moves through the shadows, alone, peering down side streets, each darker than the next, lost, but holding it together, when... a shadow flickers overhead. She looks up, sees a figure leap from one roof to another. She stands perfectly still, then... hears voices.)

(Scene: Other Alleys)

(Nonny and Gil race down one passage then another. Stop.)

Gil: Nonny, where is she?

Nonny: I don’t know. I’m turned around.

(Scene: Back Courtyard)

(Molly creeps to the end of a narrow passage, toward the voices, and finds herself... behind Borgin & Burkes. Figures encircle an old cauldron, among them the Night Wizard, the Witch, Limbite, and in the very center... Tobias. Molly squints against the brilliance of the fire, the figures twisting like Giacomettis. Tobias extends his left arm... when a shadow falls over Molly, fingers find her arm. She wheels, terrified. Gil.)

Molly: Bloody hell.

Gil: Sorry.

(Just then, the cauldron explodes with light. Instantly, the group, including Tobias, disperses.)

Nonny: What just happened?

Molly: I don’t know.

(Nonny stares at the smoke drifting from the cauldron.)

(Scene: Bubblewarts Express)

(A sound rises, growing more powerful and the roar of a train overtakes us, the scarlet stack of the Bubblewarts Express churning furiously towards the horizon.)

Deema: Quibbler...? Quibbler...?

(Scene: Aisle)

(Deema Wahler moves down the aisle wearing a pair of red and blue cardboard glasses (Spectrespecs) identical to the ones modeled by a witch on the cover of the current issue of The Quibbler, a stack of which Deema clutches to her chest.)

Deema: There’s an article on Wrackspurts this month. Quibbler...?

(The loitering students ignore her, including Tom Pirruccello, currently whispering to Oona, who smiles mildly, more interested in the purple Pygmy Puff perched on her shoulder.)

Deema: He’s lovely. They’ve been known to sing on Boxing Day, you know. Quibbler?

Oona: Please. What’s a Wrackspurt?

Deema: They’re invisible creatures that float in through your ears and make your brain go fuzzy. (moving off) Quibbler? Quibbler?

(Scene: Compartment)

(Nonny, Gil and Molly sit together. Molly has a book entitled Advance Rune Translation open on her lap, while Gil lets Nonny’s invisibility cloak play through his fingers.)

Nonny: Don’t you see, it was a ceremony. An initiation.

Molly: Stop, Nonny, I know where you’re going with this --

Nonny: It’s happened. He’s one of them.

Gil: One of what?

Molly: Nonny is under the impression that Tobias Gordon is now a Death Eater.

Gil: You’re barking. What would You- Know-Who want with a sod like Tobias?

Nonny: So what’s he doing in Borgin and Burke’s? Browsing for furniture?

Gil: It’s a creepy shop. He’s a creepy bloke.

Nonny: Look. His father’s a Death Eater. It only makes sense. Besides, Molly saw it. With her own eyes.

Molly: I told you. I don’t know what I saw.

(Nonny rises, snatches the cloak from Gil’s hands.)

Nonny: I need some air.

(Scene: Aisle)

(A blood-red sun shimmers through the windows, staining the interior a deep scarlet. Students read, play cards. In one compartment, Jonesy and Joshua slumber sloppily. As Nonny enters, the accordion doors to the next car squall open and a pair of twin girls emerge. He watches them when a voice causes him to turn back. As the accordion doors slowly close, he spies Tobias sitting with Trembite and a boy with the cheekbones of a sphinx. Nonny studies Tobias when a boy pushes through the accordion doors. As they begin to close, slowly, Nonny reaches into his pocket and removes the orange and black lump Pablo gave him in Diagon Alley. He eyes Tobias, eyes the closing door and -- impulsively -- pitches the lump into the air. It soars through the narrowing crease of the doors and -- just as Tobias glances his way -- just as it reaches the apex of its flight -- Poof! -- explodes softly, raining dark powder.)

(Scene: Bubblewarts Express)

(One train car -- and only one -- goes.)

(Scene: Aisle/Compartment)

(Chaos. Panicked voices. Then, like a thinning mist, the darkness eerily recedes, the red light of dusk returns and Tobias is revealed, standing in the doorway of the car. As he looks on warily, students return to their seats. Across the way, Jonesy & Joshua continue to slumber.)

Tobias: What just happened? Tubbert?

Tubbert: (tense himself) Don’t know.

(Just then, a small bag teeters... then tumbles from a luggage rack. Tobias wheels, eyes the bag.)

Trembite: Relax, boys. The lights went out is all. Come, Tobias. We’ll be at Bubblewarts before you know it.

(She pats the seat. Tobias eyes the bag, slings it back onto the luggage rack and plops down. Trembite strokes his hair.)

Tobias: Bubblewarts. What a pathetic excuse for a school. I think I’d pitch myself off the Astronomy Tower if I thought I had to continue on for another two years.

(Trembite, gently twisting one of Tobias’s locks, stops.)

Trembite: What’s that supposed to mean?

Tobias: Let’s just say I don’t think you’ll be seeing me wasting my time in Charms Class next year.

(Confused, Trembite glances at Tubbert, who snorts derisively.)

Tobias: Amused, Tubbert? We’ll see just who’s laughing in the end.

(Tubbert shakes his head, smiling as he looks out the window at the darkness. Just then the small bag in the upper rack shifts. Tobias’s eyes play over it.)

(Scene: Station)

(The Bubblewarts Express steams into the station.)

(Scene: Aisle)

(Gil and Molly step into the crowded aisle.)

Molly: Where’s Nonny?

Gil: Probably on the platform. C’mon.

(Scene: Compartment)

(As Tubbert and Trembite make to exit, Tobias takes down the small bag, grips the handle thoughtfully.)

Tobias: You two go on. I want to check something.

(Tobias slides shut the door. Lets the blinds down. A beat.)

Tobias: Didn’t mummy ever tell you it’s bad manners to eavesdrop, Pirruccello? Petrificus Totalus!

(Tobias wheels, points his wand at the luggage rack. Something hits the floor with a thump. The Invisibility Cloak slips away and reveals Nonny, paralyzed on the floor. Tobias grins.)

Tobias: Oh, right, she was dead before you could wipe the drool off your chin.

(Tobias brings his boot down hard on Nonny’s face. Snap! Blood squirts from Nonny’s nose. Tobias snatches up the Invisibility Cloak, pitches it over Nonny.)

Tobias: Enjoy the ride back to Bubble City.

(Scene: Station)

(Tobias steps off, pulls his cloak tight and disappears into the night.)

(Scene: Aisle)

(Softly, a sound rises, of a girl lightly humming. Deema Wahler wanders down the aisle humming, red and blue Spectrespecs wobbling on the bridge of her nose. Up ahead one compartment’s blinds are shut. Deema stops humming. Cocks her head curiously. As she does, the light from an overhead lantern kicks off the cheap plastic lenses of her glasses and, for the briefest of seconds, a fluttering cloud appears. Of tiny insects. Or pixie dust. Or a trick of the light.)

(Scene: Compartment)

(Deema's silhouette swells over the blinds, then the door opens. She calmly draws her wand and sends forth a blast of red light. The Invisibility Cloak slithers from Nonny’s body.)

Deema: Hello, Nonny.

Nonny: Deema. How’d you...?

Deema: Wrackspurts. Your head’s full of them.

End of Part 1.