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
- 57
- 58
- 59
The golden bars of the elevator opened with a ding. Marek and Mag went in first followed by Snape and Harmony. She stood in front of Marek. When the doors closed and the elevator descended, she could feel Marek's eerie brown eyes on the back of her head. If it weren't for the black cloth covering his nose and mouth, she was sure she would have felt his hot breath on the back of her neck. She did her best to ignore him and how unnecessarily close he stood behind her.
In the elevator, the pain from her Serpentine charm vanished and she sighed in relief. They were plunged into semi-darkness except for a soft yellow glow around the crown of the ceiling above their heads. Over a loudspeaker, a pleasant woman's voice listed off a couple rules in a placid tone.
Harmony swallowed nervously. They were going a long way down into the ground, and she could imagine it growing hotter. She coughed, hating the awkward silence.
"I'll admit I'm a bit surprised to see you here," she said.
Mag peered over Snape's shoulder to look at her. "Is that so?"
"We're here for the grand prize," she said.
"Good for you," he replied with a smile in his voice.
"Which I will win," she finished. That got her a glare from Snape and a laugh from Mag.
"Strong words from a strong witch," Mag said between chuckles. "I have no doubt."
"So my question is," Harmony continued, "why you and your silent companion came to this competition at all."
"Enough," Snape hissed in warning.
"It's quite alright, Sev," Mag said without looking away from Harmony. Snape flinched at the nickname as though Mag had hit him. "We came here for the crowd," he explained. "You never know who you run into at these gatherings. After all, we've had the luck of running into you, have we not?"
Harmony turned her head to look back at him over her shoulder. "So you came here to recruit more Death Eaters, it that it?"
"Yes, and among other things," Mag said, shrugging. He nodded his head to Marek, "And my silent companionis quite the dueler, a secret weapon you could say. I would bet major galleons you two will be facing off in the finals together."
"Really?" Harmony asked as she turned her head to look at the wizard behind her. As expected, he was staring fixedly back at her. Why did he never blink? It made Harmony uncomfortable in her own skin. She swallowed her dry throat before saying, "Well, I acknowledge any challenge." She held her hand out to him. "May the best dueler win."
Marek stared at her hand for a brief moment before slowly extending it and grasping her hand in his.
At that moment, the elevator doors opened. A shiver ran up her spine as though she had been force-fed a bolt of electricity. She turned forward again and looked out on the Underground dueling competition. Harmony's brown eyes grew wide with wonder when she realized Snape meant it when he said everyone was going to be there. The crowd of witches and wizards was vast, but they weren't packed like sardines. The walls expanded for hundreds of yards, large enough to fit everyone comfortably with room to spare. At the very center was a rectangular platform approximately ten to twenty yards in length. That had to be the dueling floor, and at that very moment two duelers were battling it out; the light from their spells momentarily illuminated the faces in the crowd below. A large group of people were gathered at the far end, behind the dueling stage, and Harmony saw a bar set up beside a dance floor. The music playing was loud and fast with a low bass that rumbled deep in her chest.
Harmony took a step out of the elevator and lights suddenly exploded in the air above the dueling stage. She gasped as the bright gold lights formed a name and flew about the entire room above their heads. The magical gold lights shone on the cheering crowd below. She glanced at the stage and saw one dueler holding their arms over their head in victory; their competitor lay flat on their back, unconscious. She looked back at the name in the air, realizing it was the name of the winner in the duel.
My name will light up when I win, Harmony thought with dread heavy in her gut. It will be there for everyone to see.
She stepped out of the elevator and stood there before the crowd. She felt Marek step up behind her as he and Mag followed her out. Eyes of many witches and wizards turned to her as though magnetized to her presence. Harmony watched wordlessly as their gazes drew wide when trained upon her. She imagined how she must look being flanked by two Death Eaters.
Snape pointed off to the side. "We need to find the dueling organizer to see when you compete," he said in her ear loudly over the music and conversation.
Harmony nodded and let him lead the way.
"You don't mind if we stick close by, do you?" Mag said with a smirk before they walked off.
Snape turned back around and went right into Mag's face. "You do not take her anywhere," he warned in a low voice.
Mag held up his hands in defense. "Wizards honor. I respect any and all Underground laws," his grin turned tight into a leer, "laws which do not cover you the instant you step off grounds."
"We'll be long gone before you try to catch me," Harmony said to Mag. She looked to Marek. He still said nothing, and he was still staring at her. But now his eyes were narrowed, like he was glaring or smiling. Harmony had a feeling it was the latter.
"We'll see," said Mag, Harmony tore her eyes away from Marek. Mag raised an eyebrow at her. "You never know what tonight will bring, am I right?"
She didn't answer. A place where Ministry officials and Death Eaters act as equals could bring many surprises. But that didn't mean they'll be getting what they want tonight.
She turned away with Snape, and they moved through the crowd together. The sea of people parted in front of them as though moved by some unseen force. All eyes turned to Harmony, and their stares drove into her face as though physically inflicting her. Her Serpentine charm burned, and it was only a reminder that she was always in danger, always on the brink of death if it weren't for the laws of the Underground Dueling competition. Harmony forced herself to make eye contact with every individual who looked her way. She kept close in mind that this was nothinglike the Slytherin Celebration all those months ago. This was nothing like the dueling club at Hogwarts. For one thing, there were no rules on the dueling floor; this was going to be ten times more dangerous than the Hogwarts' dueling club. Also, she no longer wore her face scarf like she did before; her identity was now revealed to every individual in the immense room. Now everyone knew who she was. Yes, she was that girl who stood by Voldemort's side, and yes, was a friend to Harry Potter as well. The question that rang in Harmony's head was: what did they see when they looked at her? Did they see a great and terrible witch, destined to strike fear into their hearts? Or did they see a frightened young woman, thrust into a responsibility she could hardly handle?
Harmony felt like both. She didn't belong anywhere; not good or evil, just stuck in the middle. She had been good, once upon a time. But her wants and desires for the Dark Lord Voldemort were undeniable. Her brain, a muscle she was so used to trusting, was warning her of the evil. But her heart spoke different. Lord Voldemort wasn't just a part of her life. Their very souls were intertwined.
The way some individuals looked at her, it was as though they could hear her thoughts. Hateful glares, mistrustful glances, fearful anticipation. It wasn't just the way they looked at her, she snatched various conversations among the buzz of people. She caught words like, "Serpentine…Potter's friend…traitor." She heard the last word most often. She almost expected their harsh words to wring her heart to pieces, and if she had been the same Hermione Granger from a year ago, it would have. But now, Harmony Hangleton—forever hiding behind her pseudo name—stuck her chin up in the air, letting their words roll off her back.
They found the dueling organizer surrounded by a small crowd of people, and they fought their way through to him. He was an official looking wizard with a checklist hanging in the air in front of him like the guards in the warehouse. Harmony caught a glimpse of the parchment and saw it was a full list of names, some of which faded and appeared, listing new duelers.
"Harmony Hangleton," Snape said to the organizer before anyone else could get ahead of them.
Unfazed by her name, the organizer looked to the list, his eyes twitching back and forth as he searched. He pointed a pinky finger on the parchment to keep his place. "Hangleton," he called. "You're just in time. You'll be dueling next." He looked to the dueling stage and pointed, "Your first opponent hasn't shown up yet. Go wait in the dueler's tent and we'll send them over when they arrive."
Snape nodded and led the way out of the crowd surrounding the organizer. Harmony saw the dueler's tent was a small structure at one end of the dueling stage. When there, Snape pulled back a heavy red curtain and she stepped inside. It was mostly empty, only a couple waiting duelers sitting silently by themselves. Snape and Harmony sat on one of the benches away from the others.
Snape swiveled in his seat so he was facing her, and he bent his head in close. She could smell their dinner on his breath when he spoke. "Don't be nervous, you know you are more than capable of winning this, but don't get big headed. The last thing we will need is for you to start showing off, as usual."
She pursed her lips at him in irritation. After that, she zoned out Snape's voice, which persisted to give her dueling tips. As she pretended to listen, nodding her head every now and then, she thought about the duelers she was about to battle. How many would she have to face? Would they be as easy as anticipated? Or would she come across a wizard who wouldn't hesitate to use the Unforgivable Curses? One slip of the wand and she could be hit by the Killing Curse. What then? Would Voldemort's soul emerge from within her?
"Oi," Snape said sharply. Harmony flinched, focusing her eyes on him. "Are you even listening to me? Why do you persist on making this more difficult? It's like I'm talking to the bench."
"Sorry," Harmony mumbled, shifting nervously in her seat.
At that moment, the thick tent flap was pushed aside and the organizer's head peered in.
"Your opponent has arrived," he said to Harmony then disappeared.
He dropped the tent flap, but it was caught by a new hand, pale and unblemished. The flap lifted like a theater curtain, presenting Harmony's opponent. When she saw who it was, her jaw dropped. Her eyes met the last person she'd imagined seeing at the competition. There stood a sullen, pale, platinum blond Draco Malfoy.
Draco took one look at Harmony. He blinked, and his shoulders sagged.
"Damn it," he muttered.
- 57
- 58
- 59
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