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
- 66
- 67
- 68
Harmony kept her head down and mouth shut as she blended in to the growing crowd of Menkar workers and audience members. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought everyone was attending a national quidditch match. People cheered, sang, drank, danced. Children ran in between their legs and cloaks. Barters sold merchandise and goods along the side of the road on the way to the asylum. Only the sight of the armed Ministry and Menkar workers scrutinizing everyone like vultures reminded Harmony of the seriousness of the situation.
Menkar wizard asylum was a cold grey building with spires on the roof sticking up to the sky like jagged teeth. Small windows lined the walls in an orderly fashion, one for each prison-like room. Harmony looked up at the many windows imagining Voldemort was behind one of them gazing down at her.
They were checked by guards again before passing the tall iron gates and entering into the courtyard. Audience members were guided to the center of the courtyard where seats, tables, and a stage was set up. It was still early afternoon and already the seating area was half full. Harmony scanned her gaze over the scene; if she was successful, then these seats, these tables, that stage will all have been set up for nothing. All these people will have come for nothing, only be present for the announcement that Voldemort had once again eluded them. Harmony tried desperately to bury the fact that what she was about to commit was horribly wrong. Voldemort's memory was gone. He was not the man he once was. Everyone deserves a chance…And her child. Her child will need their father.
There was no time to let the news of her pregnancy thoroughly sink in. If there was time, she would have wondered something like Would I make a good mother? or Will it be a boy or a girl? But deep within she knew she didn't want to think about those things at the moment, not when she was so uncertain of her future. What if she didn't survive this undertaking? Then she didn't want to think about the life that would die inside her as well.
She was lucky to have her Menkar work mates. Without them she would have walked around Menkar like an idiot. All workers took a back entrance where they gathered to hold a meeting and be assigned their daily job. They were given directions to check on their usual patients—which she did with a partner—and when that was through, Harmony was given kitchen duty. It was simple; speaking wasn't much of a necessity so she was safe from much inspection. In the kitchen, she was forced to cook simple meals, which she served to the massive crowds waiting in the courtyard. The cook, a burly middle-aged woman, tossed her an apron and immediately set her to work. She was pouring pumpkin juice when she felt it again: that tingling sensation all over her body, making her hairs stand on end. Discreetly, she slipped into a broom closet and took another gulp of her potion. Three gulps gone, only two left. She needed to figure out her plan and quick.
Soon enough, she did learn one thing. Listening to talk among the Menkar workers in the kitchen, they spoke something about a Level Six. Like "Level Six is going to get it tonight," or "Good riddance to Level Six." It didn't take much to realize that they were talking about Voldemort. He had a whole floor of the asylum to himself for security reasons. His presence must have unsettled the other patients. The mention of Voldemort made Harmony's heart beat in her throat and she swallowed it back.
Harmony finally found the chance to go to Voldemort just before she drank her last gulp of Polyjuice potion. She had been holding the vial to her lips, holding it there as though it were the poison to bring her death. This was it. If she didn't figure out a plan and act in the next hour, she would be discovered and join Voldemort at the execution stage in front of the world. Then from behind the broom closet door, she heard two kitchen workers speaking frantically.
"But do I have to," whined a young woman not much older than she.
An older woman answered severely, "You're not the only one who is weary to be around Level Six, Steph. Somebody has to deliver his food."
"But why me?"
"Perhaps you should have thought about that before you came late to work! Everyone has voted and it's your turn to deliver Level Six's meals."
The young woman groaned and Harmony heard a bang as though she had kicked aside a rubbish bin while she walked away. With the spark of an idea igniting within her, she downed the last of her Polyjuice potion and left the broom closet. The older woman's back was to Harmony as she walked over to her.
When the older woman saw Harmony, she addressed her by the ID number on her Menkar robes.
"6485, haven't you something to do?"
Harmony was thankful for her luck; the older worker didn't know Ursula personally, so Harmony felt more free to speak in her own voice.
"I was just relieved from cooking duty," she lied. "If it's too much trouble for Steph, I can take up her delivery to Level Six."
The older woman raised an eyebrow. "You'd do that?"
"He's harmless, isn't he?" Harmony asked with feigned unease.
"Well, of course," she replied. "Yes, he's perfectly harmless, doesn't even speak a word. I take it you haven't delivered his meals before." When Harmony shook her head the woman waved her over and led her back to the kitchen. A plate with a steaming meat pie and goblet of water was waiting for them on the counter.
"I'll tell Steph when she comes back. She'll be absolutely thrilled." She picked up the tray and set it into Harmony's hands. "If I had my way he'd starve until his timely end," the witch mumbled under her breath. "But these damned humanitarians always get their way in the end, you get me?'
Harmony shrugged one shoulder, not trusting herself to speak. Innocently, she asked, "Will I have any trouble with more guards?"
"Nah," the witch replied. "There are only two of those buggers at his cell and they know the routine."
"Only two guards?" Harmony asked in surprise.
The witch looked at her with amusement. "You haven't been here long, have you? Didn't you listen to what I said? He's harmless now. Everyone knows that. Why waste plenty of good men on one wizard?"
"I don't know, I just thought-"
"Oi! What are you doing, 6485?" the cook shouted when she looked up from the stove. She waved the spatula in Harmony's face. "You have more meals to serve! This isn't a buffet!"
"Calm yourself, Hilda," the older witch fussed. "She's delivering Level Six's meal."
"You think I give a unicorn horn about Level Six?" the cook said bitterly. "He can starve until midnight, for all I care!"
The older witch narrowed her eyes at the cook and placed her fists on her hips. It was easy to see who had the authority and the cook soon crumbled under the older woman's gaze.
The cook turned back to her busy stove and said, "I just finished one table's meal. Serve those and you can get the man his food, yes? Then hurry yourself back down here, or so help me…"
"Thank you, Hilda," the older witch said with a puckered smile.
Harmony bit her lips and hid her face behind a curtain of hair in order to keep the women from seeing her annoyance. She had so little time, every second was precious. She set down Voldemort's meal and picked up the tray that was overflowing with food. She left the kitchen with a worker who carried the rest of the table's food and went to the busy courtyard. The crowds had grown immensely since she first arrived. As the day went on, entertainers performed on the stage and currently a band was playing some upbeat music to keep people's spirits high. Her partner guided her to the table they had to serve, and when Harmony first caught sight of its occupants she nearly dropped the tray.
She could recognize that head of messy jet black hair anywhere. Harry Potter sat with his back to her at a large table with everyone: Ron, the rest of the Weasley's, and Harry's guard. They were given one of the tables in the VIP section of the courtyard with an unobstructed view of the stage. Harry was conversing intently with Alastor Moody. When Harmony set the tray on their table, she accidently bumped a glass of water and it fell over, shattering on the ground. Just what she needed. They stopped talking and all eyes went to her. She gulped and sweat slicked the palms of her hands as she quickly fell to her knees to mop up the water with her apron. When she did what she could, she stood back up and finished setting down plates in front of people.
Fortunately, they ignored her as she worked quickly. Except for one. As Harmony set a goblet down in front of Mr. Weasley, her eyes glanced up to where Moody sat. His normal eye was trained on Harry who was speaking, but his Mad-Eye was focused raptly on her. As she moved around the table, the bright blue eye followed, and Harmony had the horrible feeling he could see right through her disguise. He was the last one to be served and after she set his plate down before him, she turned to leave.
"Excuse me, Miss," Moody called to her.
She froze.
"You dropped something."
She turned around and saw Moody holding up her empty flask that once contained her Polyjuice potion. How in the-? The flask must've fallen out of her pocket when she bent down to clean the spilled water. She accepted it back and dropped it in her pocket without a word, not meeting his eyes. Harmony swiftly turned around and left, returning to the kitchen. She leaned against the cold wall for a moment to catch her breath. Her heart hadn't stopped pounding since she arrived and she knew it would be a while before it calmed again. Her mind spun now that she was positive Harry was here. She still had no idea how she was going to sneak Voldemort from his cell and off the island. What if another fight broke out, like at the Battle of Hogwarts? It would be just like before: Harry would see her betrayal first-hand.
Her heart thumped painfully against her chest. She pulled her collar away from her neck, suddenly feeling claustrophobic, and she gasped. The deep breaths slowed her heart some, but her mind continued to reel. She slowly closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they landed directly on the meal she was to deliver to Voldemort. She uncurled her fingers from her collar, and without another thought she strode over to the tray, picked it up, and headed to the stairs.
The journey to the sixth level was silent. Everyone was on the first floor, leaving Harmony to trek up the stone stairs alone. The strangest thing, there were no Menkar guards on any of the floors she passed. They must all have been ordered to secure the courtyard and keep an eye on incoming audience members.
Harmony knew she reached level six when she saw two large guards standing in front of the cell at the end of the corridor. She took a deep breath and began walking towards them. Glancing to her left and right, she noticed the rumors had been true. All the cells on each side of the hall were empty; there was only the cell at the very end occupied. As she drew nearer, the outline of a body behind the bars became clearer. Her eyes never left the figure and by the time she was standing in front of the cell, she realized her legs had turned to jelly and her knees knocked together beneath her dress. Seeing her Menkar cloak, the guards did nothing to acknowledge her; even if they did, she would have been oblivious to their actions.
Voldemort, in the flesh, sat on the sorry excuse of a bed with his forearms on his knees, head bowed low. If it wasn't for her loud breathing, he might not have noticed her standing there staring at him. He looked up at her and, timidly, Harmony's gaze shot down to the tray in her hands. In her peripheral vision, she saw him stand up from the bed and walk nearer to her. His close proximity sucked out all the oxygen from the air and Harmony's heart pounded as she tried to breathe normally. Her throat went dry and she licked her lips, daring herself to look Voldemort in the face.
She cast her gaze up at him.
Her knees almost buckled when she saw the striking blue eyes that could belong to none other than the Dark Lord. Her lips parted and her mouth fell open slightly as she observed him. He had let his black hair grow out and it was slicked back, away from his face. His marble skin was as pale as always, only more so now, and dark circles hooded his eyes, making the iridescent blue stand out. She could tell the time at Menkar had been hard on him, but he was tough and he scrutinized her guardedly.
Now that Voldemort was before her—not in sleep but in reality—it dawned on her the intensity of her actions. She wanted to touch him, just to make sure he was real and not some illusion, but this would have seemed peculiar to the Menkar guards and she didn't want to risk blowing her cover just yet.
Harmony looked back down, observing the cell door. A break in the bars gave her enough space to slide the tray on through to him. He grasped it and set the tray down on his bed. The moment he took the food, Harmony inched her wand out from her sleeve and grasped it in her fist. With quick precision, she cast two Stupefy's at the guards on either side of her. They had been taken by surprise and fell unconscious to the floor before Voldemort even had time to look up from his food. When he turned to her again, he saw only Harmony standing before him on the other side of the cell doors. The corners of his lips twitched upward.
With her breath coming in quick gasps, Harmony dropped to the ground next to one of the guards and threw back his Menkar cloak. She found the set of keys on his neck, tucked beneath his shirt. She tugged the chain off his neck and jumped up to the cell door. Voldemort watched her silently as she unlocked the door and slid it open. Impulsively, she reached a hand out and touched his arm as though to assure her he was real. His dark eyebrows furrowed and he looked down at her hand.
"It's me," she said.
His head shot up to her, as though the sound of her voice sparked something within him. Harmony jolted at this reaction and she smiled encouragingly.
"Do you remember?" she asked, her voice heavy and pleading. "Do you know the sound of my voice?"
He opened his mouth to speak, but after a quiet moment, he shut it again and shook his head. Harmony sighed and her shoulders sagged.
"That's alright," she assured him and grasped his arm tightly. "You'll know soon enough. I'll figure out a way. I promise you, I'll find a way to restore your memories."
Harmony released her hold on him and went back down to one of the unconscious guards. She undid the clasps to his cloak and tugged his arms out of their sleeves. When the Menkar cloak was free, she tossed it up to Voldemort.
"Quick," she said. "Put it on. I'm still not sure exactly how we're going to get out of here, but a little disguise is better than none at all."
After he threw the cloak on over his pale blue Menkar clothes, Harmony grasped his hand and tugged him along down the corridor. When at the staircase, she peered over the railing, looking out for anyone coming up. When in the clear, they sprinted down, pausing every now and then to look out for people. At the bottom of the stairs near the kitchen, the older witch she spoke to earlier came flying around the corner. Harmony swiftly leaped at Voldemort and covered his head with the hood of the cloak. She pushed his shoulder slightly away so that when the witch saw them, she couldn't see Voldemort's face.
"6485, there you are," she said impatiently. "What took you so long? All you had to do was walk up there, drop off the food, and walk back. It's not that difficult."
"I'm sorry," Harmony said, her eyes darting nervously to Voldemort.
"Get back to the kitchen soon or Hilda is going to have a fit."
"Yes, ma'am." Harmony stretched her lips in an apologetic smile.
The witch only glanced at Voldemort before turning around and walking back to the kitchen. Harmony released her breath and grasped Voldemort's hand once again. The only way off the island was by boat, so the harbor was their only option. Harmony knew that through the kitchen was the courtyard and across the courtyard were the front gates. Past those was the path down to the harbor. They had a long way to go and the task would be suicidal, but there was no other way. They did have the element of surprise on their side. No one would expect Voldemort to be simply walking around through the crowds. With his hood shadowing his face, they had a chance.
In the kitchen, Voldemort kept his head bowed low as they strode quickly to the door.
"6485!" the cook shouted. "There you are! I have seven orders up, get serving-"
"Yes, ma'am," Harmony said without slowing. "I'll get to that right away."
She and Voldemort left the kitchen and entered the courtyard. Off in the distance, she saw Harry Potter sitting with the Weasley's and his guard, and she grasped Voldemort's hand tighter. They kept close to the walls of the courtyard, shirking away from the crowds as much as possible. When they reached the gates, she smiled at the guards and they waved her on through. They took five steps, and then the air exploded with sounds.
Alarms rang from the towers surrounding Menkar, voices shouted from loudspeakers. Wand lights were cast up into the air in warning.
"Damn," Harmony muttered, frozen in place.
They looked over their shoulder and saw guards darting from one place to the other, causing havoc throughout the large crowd. Harmony could hear bits of what was said over the loudspeakers by an authoritative voice, "Level Six…escaped…all units… terminate…"
Harmony and Voldemort looked at one another.
"Time to run," she said.
At once, they sprinted down the steep side of the bluff. Harmony held her wand tightly in her hand ready to use. She didn't dare look over her shoulder; she could hear thundering footsteps pounding the earth as they were pursued down the path. Her adrenaline rushed through her veins, allowing her to move down the hill smoothly and skillfully, but it masked what she failed to notice until she was tripping over her cloak. The Polyjuice potion was wearing off, sooner than she thought. As she ran, she shrunk to her own height and the black short-cropped hair grew back into her dark blonde curls. She had to hike up her cloak to avoid tripping on the hem. With a glance over at Voldemort, she saw the hood to his cloak had blown back. They were both revealed, now there was nothing left to disguise their identities.
What were they to do when they reached the harbor? What if there weren't even any boats there to escape onto? Harmony's questions were answered when they rounded a corner in the path and the view of the harbor was revealed to them. Harmony nearly tripped over her own feet at the sight. There was a boat in the harbor, luckily. But it wasn't full of the usual audience members.
Death Eaters, unmistakable in their dark garb, filled the boat and they fought off the Ministry and Menkar workers at the harbor.
"My Lady!" a familiar voice called from the boat and she saw Mag standing at the bow waving to her.
Voldemort was way ahead of her. The moment he saw the boat, he high-tailed it out of the harbor and joined the Death Eaters. She quickly followed, ducking her head low to avoid the line of fire. Mag grasped her shoulder, pushing her down safely below the rail.
"Get below deck!" he shouted in her ear. Then he released her and jumped up with a battle cry. Green flashes burst from the tip of his wand as he laughed manically.
Harmony found Voldemort's hand again and gripped it as though he were a life line. They kept their heads low as they dodged between the Death Eaters and ducked safely below deck. The wood and steel surrounding them muffled the sounds of fighting, and all they heard was their own quick and heavy breaths. Voldemort ran a hand through his hair habitually. Strange, Harmony thought, he never used to do that before. Perhaps swiping his memory clean allowed him to start over and attain new mannerisms. Did that mean his personality has changed as well? He leaned against the wall and his chest rose and fell as he caught his breath. He looked over at her out of the corner of his eyes and straightened after noticing that she was gazing at him carefully.
Her attention broke when the floor beneath their feet quaked. Harmony grabbed his arm for support, but the movement quickly stopped. They must have finally set sail and Harmony slumped against the wall in relief. They heard quick footsteps above their heads. Harmony wasn't ready to be disturbed by any Death Eaters. She just got him back; she wanted to have more time with him alone.
Harmony spotted an open door nearby. Peering inside, she saw a living quarters with bunk beds and a desk. A round window across from her showed the water flying by as the boat sped through the sea.
"In here," she said, waving him to follow.
She walked in and stood at the window, gazing out. Behind her she heard the door close with a metallic click.
"When we get off the boat," she said, watching the sky which had darkened with storm clouds, "you're coming with me. I don't know where, but we can't stay here. Those men on deck will only bring us trouble, do you understand? I know they helped us escape, but they're the kind of witches and wizards that give Azkaban prison a purpose. When the time comes, we're going to sneak away from them and set off on our own." She added quietly, "I can't think of anything else that we could possibly do." Harmony bit her lip and sighed, lowering her head. "I know you have no idea who I am, but please know that you can trust me. I'm not like those up on deck. I want to help you." She hesitated, finding her words. "You see, it is my fault you don't remember your past and I want you to get your memories back. It's only fair to you. I know this will sound mad, but you've been sending me dreams ever since you lost your memory. While you sleep, you're…who you used to be—the man you were. And it is this that gives me hope that you can be helped. If you accept it." Harmony closed her eyes and finished in a gentle voice, "And I hope you do, for all of our sake. You, me, and our-"
She froze mid-sentence when arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind. They constricted, holding her tighter against his body. He rested his chin on her shoulder and brushed his lips against her ear.
"I'd love to spend some time with you alone," the voice purred.
Harmony's eyes popped open and her blood ran cold in her veins. That voice didn't belong to Voldemort. That voice, deep and taunting, she remembered gave her nightmares while she stayed at the Riddle mansion. It couldn't be-
Harmony twirled around in his arms expecting to see…but it wasn't. Voldemort still stared down at her, but his mouth was in a tight, mocking grin. Was she going mad?
But then something about him began to change. His skin, over his face and arms, began to bubble and boil. Harmony only stared in mute horror as his features shifted, his eyes darkened to brown, and his hair grew long and mangy.
Harmony choked back a cry when she saw that Voldemort no longer had his arms wrapped around her, but Barty Crouch Jr. instead.
Impulsively, she shoved her hands into his chest and pushed Barty away. He reluctantly let go and she forced herself against the wall as hard as she could, wishing she could disappear through it.
"N-no," she moaned, shaking her head. She stared at the man before her with wide eyes. "What's going on? Where's-"
"I'm right here," Barty said, holding his arms open wide as though to embrace her. She winced and slinked further away from him. He stuck his bottom lip out. "I'm hurt," he said. "I almost expected you'd missed me, after all we've been through together. But I get it. You're all hot and heavy for the Master, that's fine." He reached a hand into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out a vile full of liquid. "I don't mind changing back if that's what turns you on." He uncorked the bottle.
Harmony lashed out and slapped the vile from his hand. It slipped away and shattered on the floor.
Barty turned on her, his brown eyes hard with fury. "That was at least a month's worth of Polyjuice potion!"
Harmony darted around him, making for the door. But when she turned the handle, it was locked. She flipped the switch above the handle, but before she could throw it open his arms coil around her waist, pulling her back.
"I'm not finished with you yet," he said with his chapped lips against her ear.
Barty picked her up off the ground and Harmony kicked her legs in the air, fighting to get him off balance. He struggled her over to one of the bunk beds and pinned her down upon it. His mouth was all over her, kissing and sucking and licking. She nearly screamed out in her desire to get away from him. He fought his way between her legs and his hands worked feverishly to lift up her dress. She tore her face away from his when he kissed her lips with his open mouth. With her head on its side, she spotted her wand on the ground beside the bed; it had fallen out in the struggle. While Barty was busy undoing the front of his trousers, Harmony reached her hand out from beneath him and snatched up her wand.
"Crucio!" she shrieked, and the curse hit him square in the face.
Barty screamed at the top of his lungs, contorting himself into painful spasms. He lurched off the bed and slammed onto the floor. Harmony jumped away from him and hurriedly covered her naked legs. Barty's gasping cries of agony followed her as she threw open the door and ran out. Without looking back, she sprinted up onto the deck.
The storm had caught up with them and raindrops streaked all around her. Harmony frantically looked around for anything to answer the questions bellowing in her head. She wanted to shout at all the Death Eaters who passed her, "Wait, we have the wrong man! That's not Voldemort!" But something told her they already knew exactly who he was. She needed answers.
Harmony ran around the length of the boat until she found him. Mag was shouting orders at a group of Death Eaters and bowed to her when she approached him.
"You know that the man I just brought on board isn't Lord Voldemort, yes?"
"Yes, my Lady," he said with a piqued frown. "Damn, that Barty can never follow orders."
"What do you mean?" Harmony pleaded. "Do you know where the real Voldemort is?"
"Er," he looked over her shoulder and his black eyes followed a man that came over and stood beside them.
Harmony only glanced at the man, but had to do a double take. It was Marek. And he was alive! She almost thought he had been killed after murdering Zeth at the Underground tournament. She opened her mouth to acknowledge him, but Mag beat her to it.
"My Lord," he said, nodding his head to Marek.
My Lord?
"I apologize," Mag continued, "but she tells me Barty already made himself known to her."
"That is alright," he replied.
Harmony's mouth dropped. Those were the first words she had ever heard Marek say and his voice was staggeringly familiar.
"I was on my way down to her anyway to reveal myself." He reached a hand up and Harmony watched, enthralled, as he pulled down his face scarf, and then tapped the side of his head with his wand making the color of his eerie brown eyes melt and fade into the tip if his wand leaving perfect, normal, stunningblue eyes.
Harmony's legs buckled and the real Voldemort caught her beneath the elbows. Mag leaned in to help, but Voldemort ordered him to get back to work. When he returned his attention back to her, his lips were curved upward in a mischievous smile. Droplets of rain dripped off his black lashes onto her mouth as she looked up at him. Her peripheral vision became hazy with static as she focused on his eyes. She had lost the feeling in her legs and Voldemort let her down slowly, but kept his hands grasped on her arms.
"You," she choked. Her mouth had suddenly gone dry. "You never lost your memory, did you?"
"Of course not," he replied with a chuckle.
Harmony didn't remember closing her eyes, only that everything went black and after that: nothing.
- 66
- 67
- 68
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