Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Serpentine Series	By : HarmonyB Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Hermione/Voldemort Views: 12060 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN REGARDS TO THE HARRY POTTER FANDOM NOR DO I MAKE MONEY OFF OF THIS STORY.

Chapter List
- 24
- 25
- 26
PART SEVEN:

THE SPELL IS CAST

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Harmony grew tired of waiting for him to return and went into the bathroom, figuring she could be finished before he arrived. She stood from the toilet, pulled on her trousers, and was just buttoning up the front when the door opened.
Voldemort came in and saw the state she was in with a flicker of surprise. He looked away, but didn't leave his spot from the doorway. She quickly finished doing up her clothes and washed her hands. Upon leaving the bathroom, she had to squeeze past him, and Harmony's face grew warm as she had to brush against his body.
He went quickly into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him, and soon she heard the shower going.
Harmony went over to the couch and curled up on it, staring into the flames of the roaring fire.
"You look far away," said Barty in her ear, making her jump. He came around the couch carrying their dinner tray. "Are you thinking about me?"
"Never," she told him touchily. Barty went over to the table and arranged the food. He took his time setting out two plates, two forks, two spoons, and two knives.
"So," he began, "I hear things between you and Master are going very well." By his tone of voice, Harmony was sure Lucius had told him something about today.
"He just taught me how to Apparate," she replied simply.
"Taught you very well, I wager," Barty said with a grin. Harmony's Serpentine charm tightened around her shoulders, and they both heard the water turn off. "Are you next?" he asked hopefully, beckoning to the bathroom.
"Go find something else to do," she asked callously as she tried to hide her blush from his perceptive eyes.
"You'd best obey your Mistress, Barty," Voldemort called as he stepped out of the bathroom and came right up to Harmony. He held out his hand to her, and she stood up as she took it. "We certainly wouldn't want our food to get cold, would we?" he added as he led her to her chair.
Harmony noticed that Voldemort hadn't put on his night-clothes, but had come out in a velvety green robe that brushed against her cheek as she sat. Barty was still grinning slyly as he spoke.
"I'll do that, my Lord," he said. "Wouldn't want to make a nuisance of myself, now, would I?"
"Too late," Harmony muttered under her breath as she watched Barty leave. Master looked over at her and she cast him an innocent glance. She poured him out a cup of coffee, adding sugar and cream in the way she knew he preferred.
"There must be some kind of an art to that," he said as he stared at her.
"To what, pouring coffee?"
"No, to talking with your eyes," he said. "I've never met anyone with eyes as expressive as yours."
"What about your own?"
"Are my eyes expressive?"
"What do you think?"
"I want to know what you think," he retorted.
She met his gaze and they stared at each other. The silliness of it made an unanticipated laugh escape her. "I…I don't know. Tell me what you're thinking."
"You do not want to know what I'm thinking," he purred, and he stared at her long enough to make her feel uncomfortable.
She avoided his gaze for the rest of dinner.
In the week that followed, the whole house seemed to be holding its breath in anticipation. Every Death Eater she and Master passed in the hall were solemn and quiet; their minds were in another place entirely. Even Barty rarely made time to stop by to harass Harmony during those rare moments she was alone.
It was like a humming beehive full of bees, waiting to be stirred up so they could unleash their full fury. Even Voldemort—who usually spent time before bed discussing dueling tactics or tales from his past—withdrew into himself and became more agitated.
Harmony noticed that agitation while he slept. His dreaming had become more frequent and more intense. Since she had begun having nightmares herself, Harmony tried to evade sleep as much as possible. She would stay up and recount all the spells and charms she had learned so far, and watch as her master tossed and turned in the bed next to her.
Voldemort was teaching her to Apparate farther and farther away each day. Although she was excited to learn more, by the end of the week that solemnness surrounding her had crept up on her mood so much that even her celebration upon Apparition all the way to Knockturn Alley was short-lived. By then, Harmony was so exhausted in the evenings that nothing could stop her from falling asleep, and she was hurdled into the thick of the haunting nightmares.
The morning after her successful Apparition to Knockturn Alley, Harmony woke with heavy lids feeling as though she hadn't slept a second. She looked over and saw a shadow sitting up beside her in bed. Voldemort had his back to her with his legs hanging over the side. He didn't talk or move and Harmony wondered if he was still sleeping.
"My Lord?" She nearly brought a hand to grasp his shoulder. But she restrained herself and waited for him to reply.
As though the sound of her voice struck a chord within him, Voldemort's head twitched in her direction. He filled his lungs and slowly let it out. He rolled his shoulders in little circles and brought a hand to the back of his neck to rub the sore muscles.
"I didn't sleep well," he said with in a croaky voice.
"Neither did I," she admitted.
"So, I've been thinking…" he started.
"Hm?" she said as she stifled a yawn.
"It is time."
Harmony sat up with her heart beating fast. "Time for what?"
Voldemort craned his neck so he was looking at her, but she couldn't see his face in the shadows. "We are going to tempt fate today," he told her ominously. "You could very well die, but its risks are worth the awards."
Harmony didn't like the sound of tempting fate, but she scooted closer to Master in anticipation, egging him to continue.
"Today I intend to start teaching you the Cascadia Maxima," he said, his voice strained and reluctant. "It is one of the most powerful defensive spells ever created, and I would have preferred to start on a day you were more rested, but we don't have much time left for learning." He wrapped the bed sheet around his hips and jumped out of bed. He went into the bathroom and returned, straightening his black dress robes.
Harmony reached for her wand, but he said, "There will be no need for your wand. You may as well leave it behind."
She nodded, but while he was looking down at his robes to fasten them, she made certain to place her wand securely in her left boot.
- 24
- 25
- 26
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Serpentine Series