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
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- 63
- 64
The elevator shuddered as it ascended, and Harmony's legs quivered with apprehension. She grasped her wand to her chest like a shield. Draco trembled beside her. She looked over at him out of the corner of her eyes, but he stared forward blankly at the golden bars of their cage.
"You'd best pull out your wand," she said. Her voice hadn't been louder than a whisper, but Draco jumped anyway and grabbed his wand from his pocket.
"Why should I worry," he said, his voice sounding tired and strained. "You're the one they're after."
Harmony reached a hand out and grasped his wrist where she knew the Dark Mark resided under his sleeve, "Because of this."
"I'm no Death Eater."
"Irrelevant," she said firmly. "As long as you have this, the Ministry will always be on your back. You're wanted. Perhaps not as much as Voldemort or I, but you will live with their eyes watching you until the day you die."
Draco closed his eyes tight. His jaw clenched as he gnashed his teeth together, like he was trying to suppress a whimper of fear. Yeah, Harmony thought, I know that feeling.
The elevator jolted as it reached the top of its journey to the surface.
"Stay close to me," she said urgently before elevator opened.
He didn't reply, but somehow she knew he was listening.
"When the doors open, we run. The anti-Apparition shield is a hundred yards from here. That's our goal. The moment we pass the barrier, we Apparate. Okay?"
He nodded. She could see the beads of sweat breaking out on his hairline, mingling with white blonde strands. His cold eyes were wide, the whites shining in the dim light of the elevator. She could see he was legitimately afraid, and it made her stronger.
There was a small ding from the elevator. Harmony held her breath as the doors opened and the golden bars of their cage lifted. She waited for the flashing wand lights, the yelling and screaming of witches and wizards to fire at will. An eerie feeling crept over her—physically tingling down her fingers and toes—when they were met by complete silence. The warehouse was empty of people. Harmony poked her head out, glancing left and right for some moving shadows trying to surprise them.
"Homenum Revelio," she whispered, waving her wand about the length of the warehouse. No one revealed themselves: they were alone.
Draco followed her when she stepped out. A couple windows took up both sides of the heavy wooden door and she went over to peer outside. The sky was pink with the dawn, but the sun was still a long way from coming over the horizon. Harmony guessed the time was about four-thirty to five o'clock in the morning. The small farm houses in the distance were dark, and the valleys and fields surrounding them were silent. If she hadn't known any better, she would have thought this was just another normal country-side morning. But the forests beyond the fields had to be crawling with witches and wizards, waiting like lions for their prey.
Harmony bit her lip and tapped her fingers on the sill contemplatively.
She heard the heavy wooden door open and looked over just in time to see Draco step outside the warehouse.
"Draco, no!" She sprinted after him. He was running off to the left, away from the farm houses, towards the dark forest. She quickly gained on him and reached a hand out to grab his collar, but something caught both of their eyes. Throughout the length of the forest, near the trunks of the trees, wand lights appeared. Harmony's jaw dropped in awe when she beheld the sight of the small army. Some shout out battle cries and fled from the concealment of the forest as one, running right towards them.
Draco's step faltered for only a moment, but he continued on in resolution. "Keep running!" he shouted. "We have to keep running to reach the barrier!"
Harmony knew he was right even though they would be running straight at the torrent of angry witches and wizards. It was suicidal, but if they could Disapparate the moment they passed the anti-Apparition shield, they wouldn't have to risk their lives by sticking around to fight. She ran close to his side, gripping her wand more firmly in her fist. Her leg muscles burned furiously as she pumped them as fast as she could. The army of Ministry officials pointed their wands at them as they ran towards each other, and Harmony could almost feel the tingle of magic in the air as it formed and burst from their wands.
Harmony called out, and a second before the spells hit the pair of them, she jumped at Draco to wrap her arms around his shoulders. Surging forth energy in her core, she produced a Cascadia and the protective light erupt from her body, concealing the both of them. Their legs knotted together and they stumbled to the ground. They looked up from between the long blades of grass at the half-sphere of blinding blue light covering them. Draco pushed Harmony off and they stood, staring at the witches and wizards on the outside of the shield. The air was still thick with the anti-Apparition shield. They still had a little ways to go before reaching the barrier.
"Brilliant," Draco said derisively. He turned to her. "What now?"
"You could start by thanking me," Harmony said testily. "I just saved your life."
"Yes, well," he sniffed, looking away. "I suppose I shouldn't thank you just yet taken we're still in the middle of a mob who want to kill us."
"You're welcome," Harmony mumbled, and then she paused to think a moment. Colorful lights exploded against the Cascadia shield as the witches and wizards outside tried to break in. "I can get us out of here. I'll need to create a Cascadia Maxima to push them away, but I won't be able to do it alone. One way I can produce enough energy is if I'm emotionally stressed, which—involving you—is no difficult feat, but it takes longer than if we just combined our powers."
"Combine?" Draco asked, with a quirked eyebrow. "But I don't know how to make one of those…those things."
"If you knew how to make a Cascadia that would certainly help, but I think it would be enough if you shared some of your energy with me, so I can produce it myself." She held a hand out to him, and he stared at it. Harmony sighed. "Draco, please, I know combining magic with another person usually takes trust, but believe me when I say I want to be away from here as much as you do."
He took a moment to glance at the angry mob outside of her protection, and with a repressed grimace, he slipped his hand into hers. Harmony's hand grew warm as magical energy passed from him into her. She gathered the magic at her center and it grew, expanding like a balloon being filled with scalding oil, threatening to burst any moment. Harmony scrunched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth to hold back a gasp, and she gripped Draco's hand tighter. Her energy began to overflow, and she took a deep breath; the burning magic filled her every vein. On the exhale, she cried out and released her magical force. Bright blue lights flashed behind her eyelids like lightening. Instantly, she felt relief as she was eased from her burden. There was silence for a moment, but cries could be heard off in the distance. She was only half-aware when the lights stopped pulsing from her body, and her arm felt like it was being pulled from its socket. Her feet started moving in the direction she was being tugged along.
The Cascadia Maxima had depleted her energy and she was beginning to feel the lethargic after-affects. Her eyelids were heavy with weariness and she lost focus of what was going on around her. Her feet tripped and she stumbled. She fell to her knees and pain shot up her legs. Arms wrapped under her armpits and quickly jerked upward to pick her up off the ground. Her head spun at this action and she groaned in protest. She began to have tunnel vision and neared unconsciousness, but she willed herself—with all the energy reserves she had left—to keep awake.
Suddenly, she was dropped to the ground. The wet grass chilled her bare skin and soaked into her clothes. One side of her face planted into the soft earth and she licked her lips, tasting the cool dew. She heard heavy panting nearby. Opening one eye, she saw Draco gasping, hands on knees. He glanced over his shoulder, and with renewed urgency, he turned back to her on the ground. He grasped one of her hands and tried to pick her up, but her dead weight was too much. She tried to move her limbs but couldn't stand. Draco released her hand and stared down at her for a moment; his pale eyebrows were high on his forehead with uncertainty. Suddenly he surprised Harmony by dropping to his knees and bending over to lay his body on top of her.
Harmony's muddled mind was outraged that her enemy would dare touch her in such a way and she prepared to scream at him to get off of her. But she was cut off by the familiar pull of Apparition as they were sucked into the black hole. When they arrived, her face landed onto sharp and uneven gravel. Draco got off and she took in a loud lungful of air.
"Where are we?" she asked, pushing her palms into the rough ground and making an effort to stand.
"The shack," he replied snottily.
Harmony looked up, expecting to see four small walls and a roof in shambles. But she gasped in wonder. The house was large with Victorian architecture and wrap-around porch. Two pillars guarded the door, and with a closer look she saw rose stems etched into the stone.
"It's beautiful," she said softly.
"Of course you would think so," Draco replied. "Compared to the Muggle shoe box you probably live in, this must look like a castle." He ignored her livid glare and continued, "No, this is nothing. You should have seen the Manor. That place was at least inhabitable. Here I have just one bedroom. Can you believe that?"
While he led her inside, Draco went on and on about how his family had to fire their servants after the Battle of Hogwarts. The heavy oak door opened as he approached and he strode through without slowing. They entered a large lobby and a chandelier lit up above their heads. She gaped up at the glittering lights and grunted when she ran smack into Draco's back. He flipped around to face her, his eyes narrowed in offense, and he pointed a finger at the room on her right.
"Living room." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Kitchen." He pointed to the stairs on her left. "Bedrooms." He dropped his arm. "Welcome to the Malfoy shack."
"Thank you," Harmony said halfheartedly. When Draco raised an eyebrow, she clarified, "I mean, thank you for letting me come here. I really needed a place to-"
"I didn't do this for you," he said plainly, looking at his nails. "Snape asked my mum tonight if you two could lay low here for a day or so and she said yes as long as you weren't followed." After Harmony's questioning look, he continued, "The main reason we moved was so we could escape from any surviving Death Eaters. My family no longer wants to be involved, especially with You-Know-Who dead."
"He's not dead yet," Harmony stressed defensively.
He stopped cleaning his nails and looked up at her with a shrug. "Why do you care?" He shook his head and looked away before she could answer. "My father should be home from work soon. I'm sure he's heard about the battle at the tournament. He'll be worried about mother and me." He walked away, going into the kitchen. She looked around her unfamiliar surroundings. The living room looked comfortable with lush green couches, but her stomach was eager for some breakfast, so she followed Draco.
The kitchen was rather large, bigger than her kitchen at home with an island in the center and iron stove tops. It wasn't particularly clean; there were dishes in the sink and old bread crusts sitting beside a dull knife. She heard Draco sifting through a pantry and he came out with a jar of jelly in his hand.
"That's it?" Harmony asked, amused.
He didn't meet her eyes. "I'm not sure what to do with the rest of the rubbish in there." When Harmony snickered, he snapped, "I've never cooked, alright! I never had to. The house elves always did the work."
She pushed him aside and stepped into the pantry. After a bit of searching, she found enough ingredients to make a measly meal. She brought the food out and set them on the counter. Using the dull knife, she made a couple sandwiches, handing one to Draco. He scrutinized the food longer than necessary and sniffed it a couple times. Finally, he sat down at the table and tentatively began to eat. Harmony could've accompanied him, but the silence as they ate was too awkward so she left to find someplace to eat by herself. Remembering the living room, she left the kitchen and made herself at home on one of the couches near the window that showed the sun peeking up over the horizon.
As she ate her small breakfast, her thoughts drifted to Snape. Had he made it out of the tournament alive? And what about Narcissa? Harmony could just imagine Draco's and Lucius' grief in finding out their mother and wife was dead. And what about herself? What would become of her? With Snape gone, she'd have to set out on her own. But where? Snape had been smart enough to toss her the bag of galleons before she and Draco escaped. Maybe she should go through with Snape's plan and buy the Polyjuice ingredients. It was the safest way to handle her situation, to hide and run. But she never liked running; that had grown old soon after escaping Shell cottage.
Perhaps she made a mistake by running away from Voldemort after she erased his memory. She could have stayed with him, taken care of him. Maybe, somehow, she could have figured out how to return his memories. She had been afraid when he became angry with her. Maybe she overreacted by erasing his memory. Perhaps they both overreacted.
When Harmony was done with her sandwich, she brought her knees up to her chest and sat there with her head in her lap. A thought popped into her head, telling her how much she wished she could go to Menkar wizard asylum and see Voldemort, to touch him again and know he's still real and not some dream.
She gave a tired sigh and scooted over to stretch out on the length of the couch. She closed her heavy eyelids, and everything became quiet.
Images flashed behind her eyes. Images of Draco walking into the competitor's tent, of her holding up the prize money, of all those people cheering for her, of Marek simply walking up to Zeth and murdering him. The green flash from the Killing curse blinded her and when the light died away, she was walking in the field next to the forest by Riddle mansion. The hem of a green velvet dress whipped at her knees in the wind. She held her hands out at her sides and the top of the grass grazed her palms and fingertips. She felt an immense peace, like she was at the right place at the right time. Walking away from Riddle mansion towards the forest, a voice suddenly called out to her.
"Hermione!"
Her heart swelled in her chest at the familiarity of the voice and she turned to face them. But no one was there. Her smile fell, her eyes grew large in fear, and her blood ran cold when she saw that Riddle mansion was engulfed in flames. The fire was so large that she could feel the intense heat all the way from where she stood.
Where was he? Where was the voice that called her name?
She jumped when a window on the first floor exploded and a figure fell through, completely engulfed in fire. Harmony screamed.
She opened her eyes. The living room was now completely dark, as though someone had closed the drapes on the window while she slept. Her throat was sore with use. She must have really screamed and she was embarrassed to think Draco had heard.
Then a warm hand rested on her forehead, pushing back the hair from her face. She was thankful for the comfort.
"How long have I been out?" she asked the owner of the hand.
"You never woke," he said.
The breath caught in her throat and she sat forward to reach out to him. Her hands touched his usual robes and she trailed up his chest, broad shoulders, neck and face in one swift motion.
"Why can't I see you?" she asked, wanting to see his icy blue eyes looking at her in their usual hungry way. She felt the corners of his lips curving upward, and she sighed, "How can you be smiling at a time like this? You're supposed to be executed soon."
He replied in a surprisingly light tone, "I am not worried."
"So how is it we keep ending up in each other's dreams?"
He replied in a more serious tone, "You know why."
Harmony caressed the side of his face thoughtfully. She did know the answer, and it almost scared her. The reason was simply because that was how it was supposed to be; whether she liked it or not, they needed to be together and Harmony felt somewhat ashamed that she needed a dream to tell her that. Harmony inched toward him, extending her neck so her face was closer to his. Using touch, she centered on where his lips were.
"I miss you," she whispered.
He chuckled and his breath was hot on her face when he purred, "Good."
Harmony inhaled as he spoke and his breath mingled on her tongue. She eagerly leaned forward to place her lips on his. More and more she leaned until she was halfway off the couch. Then she slipped and fell face-first onto the hard wood floor and jolted completely awake. The searing morning sun poured through the window in the living room. She sat up on the floor, rubbing her nose which had taken most of the impact.
As she grumbled to her feet, the front door of the Malfoy home burst open.
"Where are you, Draco?" Narcissa called out. "Please be alive, my dear! Where are you?"
Harmony rushed out of the living room, surprised at the relief she felt in hearing the witch's voice. She met the group in the lobby, and for the very first time she was glad to see Snape alive and well.
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Serpentine Series