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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
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- 60
"Draco!" Snape exclaimed in surprise when he saw the young Malfoy enter the tent.
With a sigh, he collapsed onto the wooden bench across from them. His pale eyes ran over Harmony dismissively. "So you're still alive, are you?" He scoffed, shaking his head.
While Harmony glared at him, Snape asked, "Draco, what are you doing here? Where are your parents?"
"Mother's just outside the tent. But I don't think she's in the mood for talk. She's stressed enough having to be at this place."
"What are you doing here?" Harmony asked.
"That's none of your bloody business, Granger!" he replied forcefully.
"What are you doing here, Draco?" Snape repeated.
Draco looked away, pursing his lips. After a hesitation, he said reluctantly, "We need the money." He quickly added to Harmony, "But it's nothing serious, alright? Everybody needs a few extra galleons these days."
"You said Narcissa was here," Snape said. "Where is your father?"
He bit his lip and Harmony knew he was reluctant to speak. "He's working overtime at his new job. We're just trying to start over, what with the Dark Lord gone."
"He's not dead yet," Harmony snapped.
"Starting over is wise," Snape said, ignoring Harmony's outburst. "Are you and your family still at the Malfoy Manor?"
Draco shook his head. "They thought it would be a good idea to sell it. We have a place maybe twenty miles in a forest near Father's new work." His face soured. "It's tiny as hell, in my opinion, a shack compared to the Manor."
Without a word, Snape was on his feet and swept out of the tent, leaving Harmony and Draco alone.
An awkward silence settled on the dueler's tent. Unspoken words rallied back and forth between the two that might as well have been a heated argument. They cast each other glares, provoking the other to speak first.
"I hate you," Harmony said at last, feeling relief at finally getting it out in the open.
"Tell me something I don't know, Mudblood."
Harmony flinched at the insult and she hissed, "Do you know why I hate you?"
He narrowed his eyes, thinking.
"Because you tried to kill me!" Harmony shouted, jumping to her feet. The other competitors spun their heads in her direction at her outburst.
"W-what?" he said. His well-groomed platinum blond hair seemed to deflate.
"You practically sent me to my death!" She pointed an accusing finger under his nose and his eyes went cross-eyed looking at it.
"What're you talking about?" he exclaimed. "You're mad!"
She dropped her arm. "Last time I saw you, you tattled on me to Voldemort like a little rat," Harmony said. "You knew he wouldn't take the news that I was Muggle-born well. You left me there alone with him because you knew he would kill me for it, didn't you?"
Draco's Adams apple bobbed as he swallowed, and Harmony knew he understood what she was talking about. She glared down at him with as much hatred as she could muster. "I've always thought low of you, Draco Malfoy, but that was lower than low. That was unforgivable."
He stared at the clasps of her cloak, not able to meet her eyes; his cheeks were flaming red with what Harmony took to be shame, but when he looked at her she saw not one guilty speck in his cold pale eyes.
"I thought You-Know-Who would reward me and my family for it—for telling the truth." His eyes narrowed dangerously, "And if you think I would have sacrificed a chance to save myself instead of a Mudblood like you, then you aren't the know-it-all I thought you were."
Harmony shook her head and whispered, "Spoken like a true Slytherin." With a sigh she sat back down on the wooden bench, glaring at the abomination in front of her with revulsion.
The two stared each other down until Draco crumbled and looked away. "Do me a favor, Granger?"
"What?" She said angrily, gripping the wooden bench beneath her.
He met her eyes directly. "Don't kill me."
Harmony's face fell, and she stared at him.
"Don't kill me. And for Mum's sake, don't embarrass me," he ran a hand through his light hair with a heavy sigh. "I swear if you cast me flat on my back, I'll murder you later for it."
Harmony knew he was only kidding, but the last thing she wanted to do then was laugh. She understood what he was thinking. She wanted to say, "Just because I have Voldemort's Serpentine charm doesn't make me a killer." But the words froze on her tongue. What if Voldemort's horcrux within her made her do something she didn't want to do? What if it took control and cast Unforgivable curses against her wishes?
She needed control. It was her body, not his. She needed to keep her soul in control.
Draco leaned forward so they stared eye-to-eye. "Let's say we make a deal," he said, raising his light eyebrows. "You beat me, you win, and you share five percent of your winnings."
Harmony laughed, and then laughed harder at the puzzled look on Draco's face. She also leaned in and said, "How about this? I beat you, I win, and you will be thankful I didn't kill you."
Draco's mouth dropped open slightly. The shock registered on his face made a fluttering in Harmony's stomach. Yeah, she wanted to say, I'm not the girl I used to be, I know.
Both of them jumped when golden lights exploded above them, and they could hear the roar of the crowd as the name of the winner circled the massive room. The noise rumbled deep in her chest, shaking her pounding heart against her ribcage. A wizard came in the tent and looked around frantically. When he spotted Draco and Harmony, he sighed impatiently.
"Hurry up, you're on next!" He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder to the dueling stage and was gone.
Harmony and Draco exchanged glances. The young wizard elbowed his way in front of her, so as to be first on stage, but Harmony didn't mind. She stopped just before exiting the tent. Quickly, she unclasped the front of her cloak. The fabric fell gracefully off her shoulders, exposing her Serpentine charm. Before stepping out into the battle ground, Harmony grazed her fingers over the black ink of her enchanted tattoo.
"Help me," she whispered.
Then she pushed aside the heavy tent flap and stepped out.
Harmony was met with a roar of voices. Part cheering. Part booing. She didn't need to look to know which voices belonged to whom. The pain from the Serpentine charm had reached its maximum, and now it was only a numb pressure over her chest.
Before going up the stairs to the dueling stage, Harmony cast her guarded brown eyes to the witches and wizards huddled around her. Fear, hate, excitement, curiosity; it showed on all of their faces. Witches sneered, wizards cursed her, and only the select few smiled knowingly with pride. Strangely enough, she felt some kind of comfort in their smiles.
Harmony climbed the steps. Her feet stepped out onto the black stone covering the stage. She felt the heat radiating from the solid rock beneath her, making her forehead dampen with sweat. Her eyes scanned the crowd which drew closer as she and her opponent took their places at each end. Several layers of people back, she saw Snape, and at his side was a fragile Narcissa Malfoy with worry etched in her pale brow. Behind them was Mag and Marek. Mag smiled and nodded as their eyes met. She looked away and faced Draco Malfoy. Even from that distance, Harmony could make out the pearls of sweat slipping down his forehead to the collar of his jacket. His Adams's apple bobbed whenever he swallowed from nerves. The corners of her lips curved upward in what she intended to be a comforting smile, that she didn't mean any real harm. But then Draco's eyes drew wide with apparent fear, and she could imagine the look on her face now seemed more hostile, like she was a smirking snake zeroing in on its prey.
Harmony nodded to Draco and she took the first step. He followed her lead, and they began to walk toward each other. When they were a couple feet apart, they stopped. Draco's eyes flickered from her Serpentine charm, to her eyes, then back again as they bowed to each other. Harmony remained firm and stared Draco down unflinchingly. They straightened their backs and spun away with a twist of their heels. Now with their backs facing the other, Harmony stepped ten times away from her opponent, like the countdown to a ticking time bomb…Three, two, one. She twirled around to face her opponent.
"Wands at the ready!" a wizard shouted from below.
As one, she and Draco took their dueling stances.
Immediately, Harmony wanted to cast the first spell because she was so used to having to react quickly while dueling her past master, Voldemort. But Draco's words echoed in her mind, "For Mum's sake, don't embarrass me." Harmony bit her cheek in irritation. She must let him cast the first spell, no matter how much she hated it.
When she held her stance, Draco's face flickered with confusion.
This moment of hesitation held the crowd captive. Not one breath was inhaled as they stared, frozen in anticipation.
Then Draco cast the first spell. He sent the great burst of red light reeling down at Harmony as though it were infused with all of his hatred. The Expelliarmus was nearly blinding, but she was ready. Her body was well used to the rhythm Voldemort instilled within her in their lessons. Wait for it, deflect, and counter attack. In one motion, Harmony broke past Draco's spell and deflected with the Protego charm. Draco's scarlet spell flew back at him with double force. Harmony could hear his gasp all the way from her end. He cast the spell aside at the last millisecond, but his feet tumbled together in attempted to quickly move out of the line of fire. He tripped, falling to his knees and caught himself with his wandless hand. His face flashed up to her, and Harmony watched as the fury bubbled in his eyes. She allowed him to stumble to his feet before she cast a Stupefy.
"Ennervate!" Draco shouted. His voice was trembling, as though anger coiled in his throat, making speaking difficult. "Petrificus Totalus!"
Harmony side-stepped the spell, crossing her left foot behind her right, and the spell grazed by her hip ineffectively.
Draco shouted out, his wand clasped in his hand with a white-knuckled grip. "Damn you, Mudblood!" The crowd gasped at their feet as Draco swooped into a new dueling stance.
His words hit Harmony harder than any spell, and her cheeks grew hot with anger and embarrassment. She quickly followed his lead and took a new stance.
Harmony knew. She could see the words forming on his lips before they were even spewed from his sneering mouth. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple. Her heart beat dangerously slow.
"Crucio!" he screamed.
Harmony didn't know how to stop the Unforgivable curse. It came so quick, the adrenaline in Draco's blood increased the power and speed. Instinctually, she shut her eyes, bracing her body for the major blow. Behind her eyelids a bright blue light flashed like lightning. Her body warmed suddenly as though it were on fire, but immediately cooled.
No pain.
Harmony opened one eye at a time. Everything was quiet except for the music blasting on the dance floor. She looked down at herself, but she was unharmed. She looked back at her opponent; Draco was staring at her in mute horror. Then she knew. In order to protect herself, the magic in her blood instinctually cast the Cascadia spell. Harmony hardly needed to even think and it happened. She gave a silent thanks to Voldemort for teaching it to her.
Harmony could feel everyone's eyes upon her, staring in awe. Draco slowly fell to his knees. He knew it was over.
A quiet buzz started among the crowd. She couldn't understand the words, only that they were quick and repetitive. The buzz climbed as more people began to catch on. Louder and louder the words became until they ringed in Harmony's ear. The army shouted, and then pumped their fists in the air. They were like rebels in a revolution. Harmony closed her eyes, absorbing their screams and pleas.
"Finish him! Finish him! Finish him!"
Draco hung his head in defeat. His temples pulsed as he clenched his jaw. He released his wand, and the slender bit of wood fell to the black stone stage with a clatter.
"Finish him! Finish him! Finish him!"
Their noise was suddenly like food for her soul. Hersoul? Or his? And she raised her wand, pointing the weapon directly at Draco. Harmony licked her lips; she could almost taste the words, desperate to escape. It was bittersweet, like honey tinged with vinegar. In her mind, she watched memories of her past at Hogwarts; Draco and his cruel gang of cronies. They didn't deserve to live. All those times, all those harsh words, they cut her deeper and deeper like razor blades. The Killing curse came up in her throat; she could do it, she knew she could. She almost wanted to.
"Avada-," she gasped, only a whisper on her lips. But the words faded. The Killing curse was so much harder to cast than she thought; it was as though she had to physically burst through a barrier, like a brick wall. She had toreally want to do it. Harmony gritted her teeth. "Avada," she tried again, but stopped. She gave a small cry of exasperation. Thoughts raced through her head. Did she really want to end his life? He has done horrible things, some of which were unforgivable, but…so has Voldemort. The Dark Lord has done inconceivable acts that should never even be mentioned. But she still cared for him. Draco was nothing in comparison.
"I can't," she muttered under her breath. Then she shouted, "Expelliarmus!" The spell impacted Draco square in the chest. The young wizard grunted and was flown from his knees and landed in the crowd behind him.
The air above exploded into golden lights. Harmony watched in wonder as "Harmony Hangleton" formed, sparkling over the hundreds of people. The sound of applause surprised her. She looked out over the crowd. People were clapping and grinning up at her; not all, but more than she expected. Were there really that many Death Eaters? Or were people other than followers cheering for her? She tried to muster a smile for them and was soon directed off the stage. At the bottom of the stairs, hands reached out for her to shake.
Harmony let anyone grasp her hand, but she was only half aware. She needed to see Draco, to see the look on his face as he realized she had defeated him, despite her Muggle blood. She moved through the tight crowd pushing in on her, and she slowly made her way over to the opposite end of the stage. Draco was holding his forehead, cringing; her spell must have hit him harder than she thought. Harmony saw Narcissa Malfoy fighting her way over to her son, using elbows and claws to reach him as soon as possible. Harmony pushed two wizards aside and stepped up to Draco on the ground. Mother and son looked up at her with unease. Harmony held her hand out to him, offering to help him up.
Draco stared at her hand as though it were covered in spiders. Harmony insisted. Then Narcissa gave her son a small push and Draco clenched his jaw, moving toward Harmony with reluctance. With the hand he used to hold his head, he reached out to her and clapped it in hers. A satisfied smile formed on her lips as Harmony grasped and brought him up off the ground. When he was standing, she shook his hand once firmly. He said nothing, but peeled his hand away when she was done. He stared at the floor as someone handed him back his wand, and Narcissa wrapped an arm around him.
A firm hand grasped Harmony's shoulder and she looked back expecting to see Snape. But instead she saw Mag Crotchet's black beady eyes gazing down at her.
"Exceptional," he said from behind black crooked teeth. "Quite extraordinary—as expected, of course."
"Thank you," she said plainly, shrugging off his hand. She looked around and asked, "Where is Marek?"
His eyes brightened mischievously. "Why, he is about to perform." He pointed. "Take a look."
Harmony brought her eyes to the dueling stage. People were now gathering around the platform once again, ready for the next show. Up on stage was the tall form of Marek and a stumpy witch. They had just turned their backs on each other and took their ten steps.
"Wands at the ready!"
Marek swooped gracefully into stance.
Then it was over. Just in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly the stumpy witch was flying across the stage, disappearing into the bodies of the crowd. Harmony gasped as Marek stalked off without hesitation before the lights in the air could even explode his name.
The crowd didn't clap; there was hardly time to register what happened. At her elbow, she heard Mag bellowing with laughter.
"Like I said," Mag said in her ear, "this should be interesting."
Harmony felt her stomach drop with dread. How was she going to compete with that?
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Serpentine Series