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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- 67
Harmony sprinted through the grass, wetting the hem of her dress with the early morning dew. The heavy bag of galleons jingled with each step she took farther away from the Malfoy home. Her heart was beating against her chest so hard it threatened to explode from her rib cage. Her mind was empty of all rational thought, her body only moved because her heart told her to.
Nearly ten minutes ago, Narcissa had been asking her strange questions, some concerning Snape. Had they shared a bed? Well, of course, but-Then Narcissa became angry. Harmony didn't understand, but then Narcissa told her she was pregnant. She only stared at the witch. What,she'd asked, even though she had heard perfectly. Narcissa was familiar with the symptoms of being sick with a baby, and she had no doubt Harmony was going through the same thing. Piece by piece, she began to understand. The shock hit her hard in the chest and the air left her lungs in a rush. Narcissa left the room in a furious frenzy before Harmony was initially over her shock, but as she sat in the room alone—holding her middle and gasping as though she had been punched in the stomach—her mind began to change. She realized that there really was no reason to be shocked at this news. Of course she was going to have a baby, it only made perfect sense. She was Voldemort's heir, follower, and companion. She was most likely the only woman alive to have these kinds of feelings reciprocated by the Dark Lord. Her hands had drifted over her stomach, imagining the new life growing into another existence, a human being made of her and made of him. Then she remembered with gut-wrenching horror that her baby's father was going to be killed tonight. Her child was going to be born and raised fatherless. Everyone needs a mother and a father. Like Narcissa said earlier, family is everything to a person. Without them, a person is incomplete and a piece of who they are and where they come from is missing. She felt a pain in her chest at the thought of Voldemort dying without knowing what miracle he was leaving behind.
It was that thought that made her jump out of bed and start packing. Her mind and all thoughts of logic left and her heart took control. Snape had their bags in the spare room and she snatched hers up, fitting her burn balm into one of the side pockets.
An idea had popped into her mind: she and Snape were going to use the tournament money to buy Polyjuice potion ingredients. In order to sneak into Menkar, she would most definitely need to change her appearance. She searched through all the drawers, hoping Snape didn't keep the money on his person. She found the bag of galleons in the desk drawer and slipped it in her sac. Tip-toeing down the stairs, she hoped no one would come out of the living room and see her. If Snape knew what she was doing, he would surely try to stop her and convince her that the mission was suicide. Of course he was right, but her mind didn't think about that. What she was doing was crazy, but for the sake of her baby she was suddenly willing to risk everything.
Escaping the Malfoy home through the front door wasn't an option because she would have to walk right past the living room, where Snape and the Malfoy's were. There was a back door by the kitchen and that was her best choice. On her way out, she spotted the Daily Propheton the table, forgotten by Draco after she had gotten sick on his suit. Directions on how to go to Menkar had to be in there. She snatched up the newspaper and grabbed one of Narcissa's scarves on a cloak stand, winding the green fabric around the bottom half of her face. Without any thought or hesitation, she left the Malfoy home and started on her incredible undertaking.
Harmony didn't completely comprehend that she was planning on escaping Voldemort from Menkar wizard asylum until she was sprinting out in the morning air. The breeze lifted the fog from her mind and the very idea made shivers rack down her arms and legs. But the desire to have her child's father in safety's arms still resided. Was this desire selfish? Absolutely. She wasn't even sure if sneaking into Menkar would be possible; the asylum had to be covered with officials and with her being the world's most wanted criminal, sneaking in was going to be no easy feat. She needed to take this in steps. Number one: she needed to change her appearance. To do that she needed to buy a brewed Polyjuice potion at Knockturn Alley. But who would she turn into after she bought the potion? The person had to have access into Menkar, or a ticket to see the execution. Again, she was just going to have to take this one step at a time.
Harmony sprinted up and over a hilly field next to the Malfoy home until she was sure she couldn't be seen, then she Apparated. The only bit of Knockturn Alley she had ever seen was what she saw while on the mission with Voldemort to retrieve the Vanishing cabinet not long after she'd first met him.
She Apparated to a dank alleyway and even the protection of the scarf over her nose wasn't enough to block out the rank smell of the rubbish lining the walls. Something in the air smelled like a mixture of old fruit and rotting flesh; she wasn't exactly sure which because she refrained from looking too closely at her surroundings. A beggar woman draped in soiled rages sat hunched at the mouth of the alley, and at the sight of Harmony's wealthy clothes she thrust her dirty hands out to her.
"Please mad'm," the beggar croaked.
Harmony bit the inside of her cheek in indecision. She wasn't sure how expensive the brewed Polyjuice potion was going to be, so she needed to be wise with her money. But she thought about the family the beggar woman might have. Maybe she had children at home and she knew if she were the beggar, she would hope the same for her child.
Harmony fished a few galleons out of the purse and dropped the glittering gold in the beggar's outstretched hand. Her eyes grew large from beneath the hood of her filthy cloak, and when she smiled Harmony saw a full view of her black teeth.
"Thank you, my Lady, thanks very much," the beggar woman said, bowing her head deeply.
"Would it be possible if you could help me?" Harmony asked, bending over slightly so they looked eye-to-eye.
"Depends," she replied. "How about you ask me first? Then we'll see if I can help."
"Potions," Harmony said. "Where can I buy them?"
"Well, you see here," the beggar began, looking left and right before continuing, "If you're looking for your usual potions, there's always Hornby's Place. But if you're looking to get real business done, Sanguinary Solutions might have something in store for you."
Harmony shrugged one of her shoulders innocently. "Well, I suppose what I need isn't necessarily an everyday sort of thing." She smiled at the thought, and then asked the beggar, "Where can I find Sanguinary Solutions?"
Harmony cringed when the shopkeeper told her the price for the brewed Polyjuice potion. The price was at least a third of her prize money, but it gave her five gulps, which was five hours under its effects. It would have to work. She gave in and passed the money over with a deep sigh. Thankfully the shopkeeper didn't question her on the purpose for the potion nor looked suspicious at her face scarf. They must have been used to coming across shady people on a daily basis.
She slipped the Polyjuice potion in her sac and brought out the Daily Prophet. As expected, there were several locations listed of harbors for people to take a boat to Menkar for the execution. The closest would take a whole day's walk, but Harmony knew of an inn she stayed at nearby. She could Apparate near the inn and walk to the harbor in minutes.
The inn resided next to the open sea and dark clouds blemished the horizon. Tonight was going to be a violent storm. Hopefully by the time it rolled around, both Harmony and Voldemort were already miles away from there. She was a bit sick of the overcast weather. Maybe they could Apparate to somewhere nice when this was all finished and done. Italy, perhaps, they could take a tour of the country.
Harmony let her mind wander as she strolled quickly down the side of the road to the harbor. Within a couple miles she saw large signs of life. People were passing her in massive groups in carriages or cars. Most Apparated and people would suddenly appear in front of her. This always made her nervous; what if people looked at her and recognized her hair or eyes? But no one took a second glance at her. Narcissa's scarf covered enough until she could change her appearance.
There were a couple buildings beside the harbor and in the windows of the ticket building read "ALL TICKETS SOLD OUT!" She had no choice but to use the Polyjuice potion. But on who?
She slipped into an alley between two buildings in order to look around for her victim without being scrutinized. Everyone walked about excitedly, singing with praise and laughter. She tried spotting any Death Eaters that were undercover: Mag, maybe Marek. But she saw no one that she recognized except for the few Ministry workers and Hogwarts students. While she looked for a victim, she expected to spot Harry and Ron somewhere in the massive crowd. If she did, she wasn't sure what she'd do. They had wanted to hear from her. She had promised to message them by Patronus, but she kept forgetting to. But as she thought about it, she knew she wouldn't have the courage to face Harry, not with what she was about to do. Would Harry ever forgive her?
Harmony shook away all thoughts of guilt as she continued with her search. Many people walked in groups; it would be smart if she chose someone away from the crowd, a lonely straggler. It was then she spotted her perfect target: a woman in Menkar worker clothes, which were long pale blue cloaks with emblems on the arms. Harmony immediately recognized the woman. It was hard to forget the time she tackled her to the ground at the Underground tournament after she had insulted and bemused Harmony with talk of Voldemort's execution. Her anger for the snide woman returned and she knew she would enjoy using her as a target. The woman was clearly a part of a group who also wore the pale blue Menkar cloaks, but she walked slightly behind, allowing Harmony easy access. As though fate was on her side, the group was going to pass right by her hiding spot in the alley.
Harmony slinked against one wall as tight as she could, as though to blend into the brick and become invisible. She held herself stiff as a bow string pulled taut, and when the group passed her, she acted.
"Confundo," Harmony whispered.
The Menkar woman, who had been in mid-annoying-laugh, froze and her soprano voice cut short. Her group walked on, not noticing anything wrong. The woman stood there slack-jawed with a blank expression in her cold grey eyes.
"Come this way," Harmony said delicately, curling a finger towards her.
The woman blinked and turned to Harmony. Without a glimpse of recognition in her eyes, she stepped like a zombie into the shadows of the alley. Harmony quickly cast a Stupefy and the woman collapsed to the ground unconscious. Harmony dropped to her side after taking a look around to see if anyone noticed. She was lucky; everyone was too caught up in their anticipation to realize what she had done. Quickly, Harmony removed the woman's Menkar cloak. When she put it on, the sleeves fell over her hands and the hem covered her feet. She slipped out the Polyjuice potion flask and plucked several hairs from the woman's head. When she sprinkled them in, the liquid turned a vile lavender-gray. She scrunched her nose in disgust as she took one gulp of the potion. Corking the rest, she slipped it into her sac which she hid beneath the Menkar cloak.
First her skin tingled all over, and then in bubbled as boils began to grow over every inch of her body. Her bones creaked as she grew in length and her head felt lighter as her hair changed from long to short-cropped. As the potion settled, she looked down at her hands which were now long and bony. She was higher up from the ground now and she took a couple steps to make sure she had a handle on her new body. This was going to be who she was for the next five hours, she needed to get used to it.
Harmony sat on her haunches and searched through the woman's clothes for her wand. When she found it, she pocketed her own and tapped the woman between the eyes, casting a Disillusion spell. Starting from the point where her wand met her skin, it was like a liquid poured out and covered the woman from head to foot, making her blend into her surroundings like a chameleon. At a glance, no one would notice her lying in the alley.
Her ears perked when she heard people calling out, "Ursula!" She jumped to her feet and poked her head out of the alley. The group in Menkar robes had finally noticed their companion's disappearance and they scanned their eyes through the crowd to find the missing woman. When Harmony stepped out of from her hiding spot—throwing on a smug smile for theatrics—their faces lit up and they waved her over.
"Ursula!" shouted a man with similar grey eyes. "Where have you been? The next boat leaves in five minutes."
She nodded and sauntered over as though she could take as long as she wished. The large boat was nearly overflowing with witches and wizards. There was another boat waiting at bay to come to harbor when the current set off, but Harmony didn't want to wait any longer than she had to. So when she reached her group of fellow workers, she bowled past them and took the lead. As expected, there were large security wizards at each side of the entrance on the boat. They narrowed their eyes at her, as they must have with everyone, and Harmony swallowed nervously. She was afraid to speak, knowing her voice was still her own and not the woman's, but their intense scrutiny eased when they saw her Menkar robes.
"Long time no see, Ursula," one of the men spoke, winking playfully down at her and holding out a beefy hand. "You know the drill."
Harmony blinked at his hand momentarily, then she took out the wand she'd snatched from the woman and handed it to the security wizard. He muttered under his breath and violet sparks shot from the tip. Harmony swallowed nervously. This had to be some identity check; the Ministry of Magic had similar protocol.
The guard's eyes flicked up to her before he handed back the wand, and her lips twitched into a painful smile.
With an inward sigh of relief, he returned the smile and waved her onto the boat. "Go ahead, Ursula. Have fun, will you?"
On the inside Harmony cursed him for thinking this expedition could be remotely fun, but she forced her smile to widen and nodded.
There was no more seating available, so Harmony strolled between the large groups of people, eavesdropping on their conversations. When she passed a couple huddled against the breeze, she heard them muttering excitedly.
"Rumor has it they're going to let Harry Potter do the execution."
Harmony's heart jolted to her throat at the sound of her friend's name.
The other tittered, "That sure won't make the Dementors happy."
"No, but that boy deserves his vengeance, especially after all he's been put through."
"He's not the only one," the other complained. "The Dark Lord is responsible for the deaths of many people with friends and families."
"Yes, of course, but Potter is our Chosen One. He's always been destined to bring You-Know-Who down. He deserves to end it all and bring the Wizarding world to peace."
I'm a chosen one, too, Harmony thought solemnly, only for the exact opposite reason as Harry's.
The breeze bit coldly at her face and she was glad for the protection of the Menkar worker robes. She stood at the bow, leaning against the rail with her eyes narrowed on the blue and gray horizon where the sky met the sea. By word of mouth, she heard the boat ride to the wizard asylum took nearly an hour; an hour of her Polyjuice potion gone. She would need to take another gulp the second she stepped onto shore.
Her Menkar worker mates eventually caught on to her aloof behavior and began to question her playfully.
"You haven't said a word since we stepped on board, Ursula," the man with grey eyes pointed out. He elbowed her lightly in the ribs, and gave her a half smile. "Is there something you're not telling us?"
Harmony wondered how the woman would react. She placed a hand on her jutted out hip and smiled mischievously. She raised an eyebrow as if to say, "I don't know, you tell me."
"I know what's going on," a small witch said, waving a finger in her face. "You're saving your voice so you can cheer when the time comes for the execution."
Apparently this was a hilarious comment and the group—everyone but her—burst out laughing. Suppressing a grimace, Harmony pursed her lips, making it appear as though she were holding back a laugh. The man slapped her on the shoulder, holding his side in stitches.
"That's my girl," he said. "You were always the smarter one, always one step ahead of us."
The rest of the group decided to do the same and they stared off into the sea silently. Harmony's first view of Menkar was its towering architecture appearing out of the dense fog. The large building resided on a bluff overlooking the ocean with water crashing on the rocks below. Only a small section of the island had a safe place to harbor where the waters were less violent. A path led up to the asylum, which serpentine through the forest that concealed the land outside the stone walls. Chills racked up and down her body at the sight of the desolate place. Everything looked cold, wet, grey, and void of life. Perhaps it was due to the presence of the Dementors. She could feel her spirits diminish at the thought of the horrible creatures, but her heart quickened knowing Voldemort resided somewhere behind those cold stone walls.
Their boat waited in the bay as the boat in the harbor finished unloading its passengers. When it was their turn, they approached shore and were welcomed by a small throng of Menkar and Ministry guards. They all held their wands firmly at their sides and stared intently at every single person who stepped off board. Harmony felt a small tingling sensation all over her body and she knew the Polyjuice potion was starting to wear off. As she walked behind her group up the steep path, she slipped the vial out of her pocket and took another gulp. The tingling ceased and with a heavy sigh, she continued her trek.
Harmony looked up at Menkar asylum on the bluff. She was really doing it; she was really going to try to escape Voldemort, for the second time. But this time—unlike the Battle of Hogwarts—her chance of survival was even less likely.
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Serpentine Series