Harry scratched his head. "Man, I didn't understand that at all. Did you?" He turned to the redhead.

She looked at him disgustedly, all of her face twisted and furrowed. "That was the single greatest thing I've ever seen. What's wrong with you, you fucking asshole?"

Harry began to cough on the smoke from the spliff, surprised by this vitriolic reaction. "Listen, all I said was-"

The red-haired girl stood up and began shouting to the other students. "This guy hated the movie! This guy hated the movie!" She pointed to Harry.

A boy sitting next to them grabbed Harry by the hair and lifted him for others to see.

"Ow, christ! What the hell, I didn't-"

Suddenly the crowd swarmed upon Harry and began beating him. In the darkened theater with all the people blocking his vision, Harry could not see the boots stomping in his face, the fists landing again and again upon his stomach, or the knives cutting his skin and clothes. But he felt everything, and heard their shouted insults.

"Swine!"

"Shit!"

"Filth!"

"Poseur!"

"Faggot!"

"Fluoride zombie!"

Riddle looked out at the chaos erupting in the audience. "Who is it they're beating?" he asked.

Greyback cowered and scratched his face nervously. "The film, guv… somebody didn't like it! That shouldn't be possible! I thought it was impossible!"

Riddle nodded and stroked his mustache. "Yes… this could be a problem for us." He looked again at the crowd and found himself unable to spot this person who hadn't liked the movie, so covered were they by the ones that had, all kicking and stomping. "Then again, probably not for long, eh? The little bastard will be dead before too long. And in the meantime we've got a whole new batch of recruits."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Wanna head down the pub?"

"In a bit. We've got to pass out uniforms first."

"Yeah, all right." Greyback looked out at the audience as they stomped Harry. "I think they might be a while."

Riddle got his jacket on. "You're probably right. We can fit in a few rounds and then slip back here before they've noticed we're gone."

"All right!" Greyback pumped his fist.

"Hey, Wormtail!" Riddle jostled a fat trombonist in the symphonic band awake.

Wormtail looked up with sticky eyelids, "What? What?"

"We're heading down the pub."

"Oh nice. You paying?"

"Of course I'm paying. You stinking musicians don't have two pennies to rub together!" Riddle laughed.

Wormtail laughed and got up, and followed Riddle and Greyback out the cinema's backdoor.

"For it's always fair weather," Wormtail began to sing, "When good fellows get together..."

"With a stein on the table," Rolling his eyes, Greyback sang along. "And a good song ringing clear!"

With some initial reluctance, Riddle joined them.

"When the wind comes up from Cuba

And the birds are on the wing

And our hearts are patting juba

To the banjo of the Spring!"

Hearing their song, three others (Bellatrix "LeStrange" Norris, an emo Riddle had once dated and since remained on genial terms with, a former Knight of Columbus by the name of Malfoy, and his first-year girlfriend named Ebony who was a student of what was politely termed Hogwarts' "special" program) joined in and followed.

"Then it's no wonder whether

The boys will get together

With a stein on the table, and a cheer for everything!"

Laughing and singing all the way, the six friends made their way to the pub. There would be time for passing out uniforms later. Even bad guys can have fun.