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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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Narcissa grasped her shoulders and shook her. "Where is he?" she asked desperately. "Where is my son?"
When Draco walked in from the kitchen, the worry crease between Narcissa's well-groomed eyebrows smoothed and she beamed. The witch released Harmony and embraced her son.
"If something had happened to you, I don't know what I would've done with myself," Narcissa said, stroking Draco's white blonde hair.
Snape and Harmony's eyes met briefly and they nodded to one another.
"Did you have much trouble with the small army waiting outside?" Harmony asked the adults.
Without letting go of Draco, Narcissa answered, "They put up a fight, but nothing beats a determined mother who wants nothing more than to return to her family."
"This small army," Snape added, "may have mostly consisted of Ministry officials, but they were unorganized. They didn't seem to have much of a battle plan, only fought like enraged bulls."
"Which means…?"
"They came to the competition most likely without the Minister's permission or acknowledgment."
"So the people are becoming more rebellious."
"More so since the Battle of Hogwarts," he said. "Many people lost someone in that fight. Many people feel compelled to have revenge against what was taken from them. You may be the center of many people's wrath, but there are some who may have found a change of heart."
Harmony's ears perked at this. "What do you mean?"
Snape's thin beige lips pursed, knowing this bit of information would interest her. "After you and Draco escaped by elevator, a mob prepared to take the next one up. But some people blockaded the entrance to the elevators, slowing the mob's ability to get to you." He gave a dignified little shrug and tilted his head slightly, "Not all of them looked like Death Eaters. Some I had never seen before; there were a couple children your own age, I noticed."
Harmony absorbed this news greedily and she smiled. People other than the Death Eaters were trying to protect her.
Seeing her smile, Snape intervened, "But we shouldn't become too hopeful. The numbers against you still outnumbered those with you, by far."
Soon, Narcissa—always conscious of her looks—noticed the state of her muddied dress and asked Harmony if she would like to join her in cleaning up. She gratefully agreed and asked Snape if there was anything he could do about her burns. They weren't too serious, but the blistered skin was painful and covered parts of her front and back torso. He said that with the Malfoy's permission he could make a salve using their ingredients. Narcissa agreed and guided Harmony upstairs to change.
When she tried to take off her corset, she gritted her teeth in pain. Part of the fabric had melted onto her and trying to take it off was like trying to pull off layers of her own skin. But with the help of Narcissa's magic, her clothes unstuck leaving furious red blotches on her stomach and up her back. Narcissa lend her one of her own dresses made of green velvet with a silver hemline. It covered her legs and arms, but it was tight fitting at the torso, giving her a feminine look her other clothes failed to give her.
Narcissa took her old clothes away. Harmony got the idea the witch was probably going to burn them. Which was fine. The clothes had served her well and it was a relief to have them off, like she had shed the Death Eater part of herself and was now left with something more elegant and royal.
Harmony stared at herself in the mirror and searched for the bookish, innocent girl she knew, thinking she could see it like a freckle on her cheek. It was like she was clinging desperately onto who she used to be. A girl who laughed freely and only worried about when homework was due. But as she stared at her hard brown eyes and unkempt hair, she couldn't deny the transformation. She had a new purpose in life and it was slithering up and down her body at that very moment. It was as though the girl on the other side of the mirror was begging to be released from this purpose, to be free and innocent again.
Harmony Hangleton touched her fingertips to the cold glass, almost wanting to smash her fist into the image and set the girl free from her bonds. Hermione Granger was on the other side of that mirror. Would she ever be set free?
She jumped when Narcissa appeared at the doorway of her reflection.
"Green and silver becomes you."
Harmony turned away from the mirror. "Why are you helping me?"
Narcissa flipped a strand of white blonde hair over her shoulder and sauntered over to her side. "For protection," she replied. "We mean to cut ourselves off completely from the rest of the Death Eaters, but if they happen to find us then perhaps they'll be more merciful if they knew we had treated you well."
Harmony nodded when she understood. She should have known. Just like Draco, she was only concerned about herself and her family. A part of her was envious; she missed having that family support. She had it with Ron and Harry, but now even that seemed lost.
In the first day Harmony spent at the Malfoy's, she learned much about their new lifestyle. Without servants, Narcissa was left to the cooking and cleaning all by herself. Lucius kept to his work, going overtime for the extra pay. Draco used to have a tutor for the days he stayed home from Hogwarts, but the tutor had to be laid off as well. Now Draco spent his days alone in the study, flipping through spell books and left to his own devices.
Taking advantage of the extra hands, Narcissa immediately put Harmony to work by helping with the house chores. In their formal gowns, they set about the Malfoy "shack" and cast spells for the dishes, the sweeping, the laundry, and the bathroom scrubbing. Narcissa wasn't particularly good at it, but Harmony taught her until she was capable of working on her own without difficulty. As they worked about the house, Narcissa chatted to Harmony as though she hadn't been able to speak in years.
"This old grungy house was nothing compared to the Manor. Oh, has Draco told you? Well, anyway, do you know how I first came to live there with my husband? I suppose I should start from the beginning: Lucius and I had a prearranged marriage to keep the pureblood line, of course, but I didn't mind. He was a charmer, that man. Can you believe it? No? Well, he can be harsh and firm when he needs to be, but he loves his family. We both had worked at the Ministry, but after we married in my early twenties we had more than enough money to keep ourselves, so I quit working and stayed home.
"The manor was passed down by Abraxas Malfoy. It's where we spent our honeymoon and all. A place of wonders, the Manor was. Almost like Hogwarts itself. And soon I was pregnant with Draco. Oh what a happy day that was. The very first person I told was Bella…" Narcissa's voice cracked, and when Harmony looked over at the witch she noticed tears brimming in her pale eyes. She continued after a couple breaths. "Bellatrix had been as excited as though the baby were her own. She so was beautiful back then. She had only just met the Dark Lord and wasn't yet degraded by the dark arts."
"You miss your sister, don't you?" Harmony asked delicately.
"More than anything," she replied as a tear rolled down her cheek. "She may have been corrupted, but she was my flesh and blood and my best friend. Family is very important. Without family, you lose yourself. The Dark Lord is the perfect example; he had no family and now look where he is. Family matters, don't forget that."
"I won't," Harmony said quietly. She knew full well that if Voldemort had some family—his mother, for example—then he would be very different from the man he was now. If he had family, he probably wouldn't be in a wizard insane asylum waiting for his death. Perhaps that was something else that made the two of them remarkably similar: neither of them had family to claim them or friends to comfort them. They just had themselves.
"What is family?" Harmony wondered aloud. Narcissa gave a small knowing smile.
"Family is someone you love and care for unconditionally, no matter what wrongs they've done, no matter how hard they push you away. For example, Draco is growing up; he's preparing for the day he can leave us and live on his own. He may push me and his father away, but we will always love him."
"Even if he murdered hundreds of people," Harmony said without thinking, and she shut her mouth quickly when she realized what she'd said.
Narcissa blinked and said simply, "Well, of course I'd still love him."
Harmony gaped at her answer and tried to comprehend. "But how?"
"People commit evils for a reason. It could be because they want revenge; it could be a call for help, or a need to be controlled. There is always a reason why people do what they do. And therefore there is always a way to help them."
"I've…never thought of it that way."
"I take it you're thinking of one person in particular," Narcissa remarked, raising a groomed eyebrow.
Harmony didn't bother lying. She nodded.
Narcissa watched her for a long moment and Harmony couldn't meet her eyes. Soon she heard a small laugh, high and delicate, coming from the witch.
"Yes, little Chosen One, there's always a reason. My sister wasn't strong or brave enough to change him—her ambitions were too great, but perhaps you're different."
"What do you mean?"
"Everybody can change," Narcissa said simply and left it at that.
Harmony followed Narcissa to the kitchen where they started on dinner. It was still a bit early to eat, but Narcissa wanted to have dinner ready for when Lucius came home. Narcissa said it distressed her husband to see his wife working so hard. Harmony suggested Draco come help them, but Narcissa burst out laughing at that suggestion. The witch said Draco would be even more hopeless at cooking than herself.
"Draco is with Severus, anyway, observing as he works on your burn salve."
The small dinner table was set by the time Lucius came home. He dropped his cloak on the sofa, hung up his cane, and collapsed in a lush armchair before he looked up and noticed the Muggle-born in his home. When he saw Harmony, his eyes flickered with surprise, but only for a brief moment. He soon composed himself and raised a straight eyebrow as though he had expected her to be there.
"Well, well," he said simply.
"I hope you don't mind, love," Narcissa said gently. "Severus asked if the two of them could stay here for a day or two."
"Severus may stay here as long as he wishes," Lucius said pointedly, giving Harmony a tight grin. With a beckon from Narcissa, he stood from his chair, his long white blonde hair falling over his shoulder, and sat at the head of the dinner table. Narcissa sat at the opposite head and Harmony took the seat directly on her left, leaving an empty chair between herself and Lucius. Draco and Severus occupied the two seats across the table. The head Malfoy kept his cold eyes on her, narrowing them on the dress she was wearing as he recognized it belonged to his wife. The food had hardly made it halfway around to everyone's plates when Lucius spoke.
"Miss Hermione Granger, heir to The Dark Lord Voldemort," he gave a forceful chuckle, as if he would have rather hurled his goblet at her head. "It is a bit humorous, don't you think Draco?"
"Hilarious," Draco replied despondently without looking up from his plate of food.
"Dear?" Lucius asked his wife.
Narcissa only shook her head at him sharply.
Lucius turned his attention to Snape, but the professor answered before the Malfoy could speak.
"She has carried the burden rather well, Lucius. I wouldn't be too harsh."
Lucius' face stretched in bewilderment at Snape's reply, and he gave a small, "Oh."
He left Harmony alone after that, but continued to shoot her glares over his forkfuls of roast beef. From the exchanged glances between Narcissa and her husband, she could guess the two were going to have a long, detailed conversation later tonight about their new charges.
After dinner, Harmony helped Narcissa carry the dishes to the kitchen. As they set the dirty plates in the sink, Narcissa whispered, "You'll have to excuse my husband. He may give you a hard time, but he means well for us. I'll explain to him tonight the reasons for letting you stay, he's sure to listen to me."
Harmony gazed at the woman in reverence. "I cannot thank you enough, Mrs. Malfoy." She was glad of the woman's kindness, no matter if she only meant it to protect her family. Being surrounded by all these demanding Slytherins was getting tiresome; Narcissa's motherly demeanor was a breath of fresh air.
When they returned to the men sitting stiffly in their chairs, Snape let her know her burn salve was ready. He led her silently down a hall into the potion room. A pewter cauldron stood in the center of the space, full of a pink bubbly substance. With experienced fingers, Snape scooped the contents out into a round silver canister the size of her palm and handed it to her.
"Apply a thin layer over the burns once a day and the scarring should disappear within a week."
"Thank you," she said, giving him a small smile, but he turned away to clean up the workspace.
Before she left he asked without looking over at her, "Will you need assistance in applying it?"
Harmony froze, thinking a moment. She knew she wouldn't be able to reach some places on her back without help, but the thought of Snape's rough, callused hands rubbing up and down her skin made her stomach clench. She quickly declined and left, feeling sick and a bit feverish. Merely in desperation, she asked Narcissa to help her and the woman did.
Later that evening, everyone was settling down for bed and Narcissa was showing her where she was to sleep. Like Draco said, the bedrooms were all at the top of the stairs, and Harmony noticed three doors. She saw Lucius disappear behind the door on the far end, and she assumed Snape was occupying one room, so where did Draco-?
"Here we are," Narcissa said as she wrapped a hand around the handle to the last door and swung it open.
Right away Harmony saw Draco by the bed, and he had just pulled off his shirt to change into pajamas, revealing his bare chest. Then he spotted the women at the door.
"Oi!" he shouted, using his shirt to cover himself, "Mum!"
Harmony stood frozen like an owl in the headlights, whereas Narcissa composedly placed a hand on her hip and said in a stern tone, "Draco, I said you were going to be sleeping on the couch. Severus has the only spare room and she is our guest."
Draco sputtered, quickly slipping back on his shirt, "Like bloody hell she's sleeping in my bed!"
"Draco!" Narcissa exclaimed, curling her dainty hands into fists at her sides.
"Having to be in the same room with her is torture enough. Don't you care about how I feel?"
"Oh please, Draco," Narcissa said, waving his words away. "Spare me the drama."
"It's okay," Harmony squeaked, but their conversation overpowered her.
"Show some respect to her once in a while. Don't you know who she is?"
"A bloody Mudblood is what she is."
Narcissa threw her hands up in the air. "Oh, my son, don't be so ignorant. If we treat her well, we might be rewarded for it. Don't you want that?"
"Of course…That doesn't mean she can take anyone's bed when she wishes."
Narcissa geared up to reply to his argument, but Harmony spun around and walked away from the bedrooms, going downstairs. Their banter followed her to the living room. A blanket and pillow were on the sofa she laid on earlier that morning. She blew out the candles and undressed before snuggling down in the plush pillows. She listened until the mother and son's conversation ended, then the house became quiet. It was so silent not even a clock ticked. Harmony could close her eyes and easily imagine herself in a coffin buried six feet underground.
She hated to admit she was having difficulty getting the image of Draco's bare chest out of her mind. The expanse of his skin was firm and pale like Voldemort's the night they'd spent at Shell cottage. That had been her first time seeing a man completely naked, and her encounter with Draco only refueled those hungry passions.
Harmony fell asleep with an ache in her chest, but hardly a moment later, she pushed back the blankets and stood up from the couch. She left the living room and went in the hallway. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. A shadow passed from the kitchen to the room across the hall. She followed with her bare feet slapping against the wood floor. She peered into the room. Was this here before?She didn't remember seeing a door across the kitchen earlier. It must have gone overlooked.
The door was partly closed and she brought a hand up to push it aside. Like the parting of a theater curtain, first she saw an elegant four poster bed. Strange, Harmony thought, Narcissa didn't mention another spare room. It didn't occur to her she was dreaming until she pushed the door completely open and discovered the source of the shadow.
Voldemort stood with his back to her, facing a large window. The moonlight poured in, turning his body from the hips up a majestic blue. With a step closer, Harmony realized he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. She swallowed, her face growing hot, and her heart thudded against her chest so loud she could hear it through the silence. As though magnetized to his presence, she couldn't help but walk closer to him. Her feet hardly made a whisper and he didn't turn to face her. She stopped a couple feet from his bare figure and her eyes drank in every inch of skin. The curves of the defined muscles in his shoulders were as pale as marble, and for a moment she wondered if he would feel just as hard. Like a statue frozen in time.
Impulsively, she reached a hand out and touched his back. The muscles stiffened beneath her fingers, quivering like a wild animal unacquainted with the warm feel of another living being. He took a deep breath, making her fingers spread as his skin went taut. She stepped closer and rested her head between his shoulder blades. His skin there was warmer than the rest because it was so close to his heart.
"You know," she said, breaking the silence, "some would consider it imprudent to be standing around with no clothes on."
He gave a short chuckle and she felt him turn his head to look back at her. "I could tell you the same thing."
"Hm?"
Harmony looked down at herself and she quickly brought space between their naked bodies with a gasp. Where had her underclothes gone? Hadn't she been wearing them a moment ago? She snapped her head back up to him, fighting the impulse to cover herself. But something stopped her; she could have easily rushed over to the bed and wrapped a sheet around herself, but her feet didn't move. Why should she try to conceal herself from him? He had seen her completely bare before and he explored every part of her with ferventness. He had taken—no…she had given her innocence to him. He had endowed to her, of all people, his unique mark to let everyone know she belonged with him. A part of his soul, no matter how small, literally resided with her; not living side-by-side, but entangled, intertwined, and laced together as one. Harmony tried to think of what else could possibly bind them any closer.
Marriage, maybe?
She laughed aloud at the thought, amused by its ridiculousness. He would never be interested in marriage…would he?
Voldemort tilted his head back to look at her.
Harmony felt a sudden surge of confidence and the embarrassment from her nakedness disappeared.
"What is so amusing?" he asked in his deep velvety voice.
She shook her head, ridding herself of all thoughts of marriage. "So is this your preferred way to dream?" she asked, waving a hand over her body.
He laughed, fully and deeply, and he turned around to face her. He leaned against the window sill, smiling at her with narrowed eyes as though he knew something she didn't.
"You know full well it takes the two of us to dream these dreams together," he said.
She looked away.
"Ah," he said when he caught her guardedness, "you know what I mean, don't you?" When she met his gaze pointedly, he clicked his tongue. "Not so innocent as I once thought."
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she asked with feigned distaste.
"Oh, yes," he replied, looking at her through his dark lashes. "Immensely. You see, I've never been completely certain of your thoughts and opinions of me. But now," his penetrative blue eyes roamed up and down the length of her body, "I see quite clearly."
She wanted to hex him for his forward remark, but she halted because she knew he was right. Before now, she missed him because she thought she needed him. But now she realized that she wanted him. She thought of Narcissa's words from earlier, about loving unconditionally despite all of the wrongs that person loved has committed. She looked at Voldemort in front of her, thinking about all his faults, and she wondered: can he be loved?
"Everybody can change."
Harmony understood and the realization brought tears to her eyes. Voldemort could change. He could love like his mother loved his father, but he couldn't do it alone. He had been too deprived of love as a child; he didn't understand what it meant. He had to be shown. Her heart ached horribly knowing it was too late now that he was in his Menkar cell, waiting to be executed. But when she really opened her eyes, she still saw him standing there before her, bare and painfully perfect.
Voldemort's eyebrows knit together when he saw her tears, and he brought a hand up to brush them away with his fingertips. Then he trailed down and brushed his thumb across her bottom lip. The familiar hunger filled his eyes. Seeing this, she pressed her chest against his and kissed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him as close as possible. Surprising her, he quickly responded by tangling a hand in her mass of curls and pressing his mouth harder on hers. Their breath came fast, impatient for more. His other arm wound around her waist and his mouth left hers to trail down her neck onto her chest where the Serpentine charm tingled on her skin. With her body completely against him, she felt his body tense. They pulled enough away to meet each other's eyes, brown to blue.
No words needed to be said; everything transpired in their eyes. Somehow she knew what he wanted, and that she wanted exactly the same thing.
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Serpentine Series