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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
- 7
- 8
- 9
Harmony was certain that Barty Crouch Jr. was the one who delivered her meals—Goyle had a job and Bellatrix surely would have refused to do such a task—so she expected to come upon him in the hall at any time. That day it was just before dinner, and he was just closing her door when she rounded the corner.
"Have fun with Master today?" he asked with a mocking grin. He purposefully moved in her way as she tried to pass.
Don't talk to him, she told herself. Don't even look at him.
Barty reached out an arm to wrap around her, but Harmony ducked out of his reach and spun around, then ran to the safety of her chamber. Once she was inside, she cast a spell on the lock to keep him out. She heard him try the handle.
"Aw, come on, love," he purred through the door. "I just wanna get to know the new girl. Come on, lemme in."
She said nothing, knowing that replying would only spur him on. Eventually, he stopped turning the handle and she heard his footsteps retreat down the hall.
Harmony leaned against the door in relief as she tugged the scarf down around her neck. She was well aware of the snake charm that lay just beneath because she had actually felt it, as though it were tightening its grip. She'd noticed the change in the charm when Barty had first looked at her, but she hadn't paid it any heed until now, when it relaxed again.
"Lessons were good today, I hear," said Claudia in a cheerful voice as Harmony began to eat. "It won't be long before our Master will test you on your new Disarming spell."
"But I've barely improved," Harmony protested. "How can I pass a test where failure is obvious?" The thought of failing at anything made her physically ache. She had always been naturally talented where magic was concerned, but she felt helplessly inadequate against her Master's abilities.
Claudia held up her hands in defense. "Don't bite off the head of the messenger," she grumbled. "I'm only repeating what I heard."
Harmony looked over at the little witch, but saw that she had left the frame again. She was alone.
Harmony finished her meal with jangled nerves. She was nervous about how and when Master would test her on the Disarming spell. Would he conduct a final duel between the two of them?
She took a nap with the question echoing in her mind, and slept fitfully as a result. It was late into the evening when she woke. Harmony crept out of bed and went to the door. She released the locking spell she had put on it earlier and peeked outside. She was relieved to see Barty had not been lurking around her corridor while she slept.
Claudia wasn't in the picture frame, which meant Harmony had the perfect chance to leave her chamber unnoticed. All day, even in her sleep, she thought of the woman lost in that room with no one to help her with her baby. Harmony needed to go to her, and she needed to figure out how to prevent herself from becoming lost this time.
If she could keep herself from getting lost, she would not be in danger, and no danger meant Master would not be warned by the snake charm that was slithering around her shoulders just now. She would be able to do as she pleased without the trouble.
Even if he did catch her, Harmony still knew it was important enough to take the risk. All that mattered right now was helping the girl and her baby.
She cast the Lumos spell and started down the long hallways. Every few doors she drew a huge red X on the wall with her wand so she could find her way back. She rounded many corners, feeling disoriented by the sheer number of similar hallways. She had no idea where she was going, but that was the whole point. The quicker she lost herself, the quicker the magic would lead her back to that mysterious room.
After what felt like the hundredth red X, Harmony grew impatient. She obviously wasn't getting lost fast enough, so she decided to run. She ran as fast as she could, only stopping every now and then to place an X. It seemed like the more time it took her to find the pregnant woman the more trouble she was in. Harmony had to get there faster.
She had to stop when her lungs were bursting and begging for air. Pink and sweaty in the face, Harmony looked desperately around her. Her wand, which once had been bright, now flickered on and off in her hand. She hit the tip of it against her palm as if it were a flashlight. It brightened some, but then went out entirely, like a candle that was suddenly snuffed out.
Harmony knew that wands could quit working if the witch or wizard they belonged to became so exhausted they could no longer control their magic. But she felt fine, other than the fact that she was doubled over in pain from running cramps.
Now she was engulfed in darkness. She was worse than lost, she was lost in the pitch black. Without any light at all, the X marks she had made to help her return would be completely useless.
She knew she had to rest for a while so her wand would work again, but she couldn't rest in one place. She had to move or do something to prevent the dark magic from taking her over. She wandered with both hands touching the walls blindly. Her hands ran over many dusty doors and cobwebs while she waited for her cramps to subside. Only when she was free of pain and able to breathe easy did she try the wand again.
"Lumos!"
But there wasn't even a spark. She tried a few more times in desperation, but it was useless. She would just have to remain in the dark.
Maybe it's not because of me that my wand stopped working, she thought. Maybe it was something else entirely. It had to be the same magic that had guided her to the special room before. Harmony wondered how she could be so senseless. I should have thought more on this, she told herself in despair.
Her eyes filled with frustrated tears, and her left arm was starting to cramp up. How would she ever find her way out of the middle of a magic maze? It seemed to go on forever. She stopped and slid down the wall onto her heels. She was never going to get out.
Unless—
"Claudia?" she called out; her voice sounded strange in the empty halls. She was sure there must be a portrait frame around here somewhere. The little witch could guide her out with her voice until Harmony reached a place where her wand would light again. "Claudia? Claudia! Claudia!"
Hot tears streamed down into her face scarf until it was completely soaked through. Please, somebody come, somebody get me out of here, she thought. She didn't want to die here like some wandering intruder. She wasn't an intruder. She wasn't a prisoner. She chose to come here, and now she was going to die, not because Voldemort would harm her as she'd imagined, but because of her own foolishness.
She stood up again, using the cold wall for support. She resented this feeling of worthless, it wasn't like her. She needed to move. She didn't want to because her cramp was killing her, but she needed to move. If she moved it might help her forget some of her thoughts.
It felt nice to lean her forehead against the cool wall after so many hot tears had soaked her face. Finding the pregnant girl was no longer her priority, though she did wonder if she might suddenly come across it any time now.
At this point she just moved, and listened to nothing but her rapid breathing and the sound of her boots slapping the floor. She massaged her left arm, which was throbbing with pain now.
She knew she would eventually become too tired and choose one of those guest rooms to rest. She'd never come out, just as Claudia had said. That was what was supposed to happen; it was how the magic worked, even though it wasn't supposed to happen to her.
Harmony tried to push those thoughts aside, and her mind wandered to her family who abandoned her in her dreams. She thought about her friends, who would be shocked into thinking she had betrayed them to join Lord Voldemort. That's what the newspapers would say, anyway. The headlines would say "Potter Betrayed by Best Friend." But she would be dead before it would make it to print.
Harry and Ron wouldn't believe one bad word against her, she knew. The newspaper was always telling lies about Harry, and she and Ron stood up for him. That was what friends did for each other. Harmony released a couple of tears at the thought of them and smiled sadly. She missed them already.
The cramp in her arm steadily worsened, and when it felt like it reached its peak the pain slowly ebbed away. She was glad not to feel the pain anymore—she didn't want to feel any pain when she went to rest, which was most likely sooner than later. No point in wandering a maze with no more exits. The dark magic had her now; she was deep in its belly and there was no escaping its cold clutches.
It felt like she'd been walking for hours and her legs were turning to jelly. Her droopy eyes were stiffened with salt from her dried tears and crying only made her more tired than ever. After three more blind steps she reached for the walls, feeling around for the nearest room. She pulled out her wand, figuring it couldn't hurt to try one more time.
Harmony took a deep breath. Either it worked or it was over for her.
"Lumos," she whispered.
She might as well have been talking to a stick. She fought the urge to hurl her wand as hard as she could down the pitch-black hallway. Instead, she calmly slipped it back into her boot and faced the door. At least it would be a quiet and calm death, she thought sadly and turned the knob.
Then she froze.
The light started out soft but gradually increased in size and brightness as it drew closer to her from down the hall. Harmony could only stare as the bluish-silver light grew so strong she was blinded by it. The light formed into an orb which floated over an open palm. The palm was attached to a cloaked arm belonging to—
Harmony couldn't decide whether to burst into tears of joy or dread. She was joyful she was saved, but distressed to see that it was Lord Voldemort doing the saving. She saw his face as he rushed over to her, his eyes wild with emotion. The trouble was she couldn't tell if that emotion was worry or blistering rage.
She didn't notice until he was right in front of her that he held a pile of books in one arm. She managed to read the spine of one book: Defense Against the Dark Arts for the Adept. They were the books from her room. Other than the clothes on her back, the books were all she had for belongings.
Her Master dumped the load of books into her arms, and she nearly toppled over from fatigue. But with his arms free he was able to wrap one around her waist to support her. He half-carried her through the bluish-silver hallways, never saying a word.
Harmony was so tired that she didn't care if he might be so furious enough to kill her for disobeying again. She had been just about to die a few second ago, anyway.
Her head slumped against his shoulder and bounced around, limp with exhaustion. She wanted to close her eyes and go to sleep, but she knew then he would have to carry her wherever it was they were going. She shuddered at that thought—having Lord Voldemort's arms around her body—and tried to think of nothing except keeping her legs moving forward.
The top book on her stack toppled off as he brought her up a flight of stairs and landed a few steps down. Harmony was too tired to retrieve it and was just going to leave it behind. Master was quick to stop and pick it up with his free hand, then wrap his arm around her again. She was too tired and confused to even register the act of kindness—if that's what it was.
Everything beyond that point turned hazy as her exhaustion kept her from thinking clearly. They went through more hallways, up more stairs, and soon Harmony recognized some of the rooms they passed. Master took Harmony up one last grand staircase and brought her into a room. It was too dark for her to notice anything specific about it except a large bed in one corner.
Master took the books out of her arms and set her on the bed.
"Lie down," he ordered.
"But the woman—," she whispered, remembering what had brought her into the labyrinth to begin with. "She's all alone in that room."
"Harmony, listen to me," he snapped. "You will never be able to find that room again. That's how the spell works. Now I told you to lie down."
Harmony was too tired to disobey this time, and she grateful to lay her head down on the pillow. Master picked up a silver cup from the bedside table and stirred its contents before holding it out to her. Their hands touched as she took the cup. She was about to pull down her scarf to gulp down the potion when she remembered she couldn't, not with him watching.
She cast a glance at Master as he stared down at her. He stiffened and looked away. She waited until he left the room, closing the door behind him, before pulling down the scarf and swallowing the liquid without hesitation. She knew it wouldn't be poisoned; if he had wanted to kill her he would have already done it.
She could tell immediately that the potion had drowsing qualities of some kind as her limbs went numb. She was able to hold onto consciousness long enough to tie her scarf over her face again, and then everything went dark.
She wasn't sure if she was awake or if it was a part of her dream, but when Harmony cracked open her heavy eyelids she heard footsteps approaching. She saw someone setting a tray of food on the bedside table. Barty. She wanted to check if her scarf was covering everything as it should, but found she couldn't move her limbs due to the potion.
After he had set down the tray, Barty stared down at Harmony lying on the bed, and once he looked he couldn't stop. He drank in every inch of her with his eyes. She heard his heavy breathing and saw his hands twitch with the desire to touch her.
The snake charm must have been around her neck. She felt a pressure, as though she was being choked, but her airways were not constricted. She tried to speak, to tell him to leave her alone, but then Voldemort called him from a nearby room.
Barty looked reluctantly away and trudged out, leaving the door open. Harmony heard their voices low in conversation, but she could not hear any part of what they said. Then she drifted back to sleep.
While she was out she thought she had a dreamless sleep, but when she woke again she could remember several images: She was lying on a cold, smooth ground, broken and weak. Behind her she saw a bright white light, but in front of her was a figure with his back to her. He had his arms spread out and his long black cloak flapped in an invisible wind.
A deep shadow beyond where he stood came toward them, wanting to take her. The figure was keeping the shadow at bay, and when he turned his head to look back at her she was not surprised to see he was her Master, and his blue eyes were blazing with tears of frustration.
"Run!" he shouted as he continued to fight off the shadow.
Though he asked something impossible of her, Harmony suddenly found her body filled with life and strength as she slowly got to her feet. She glanced at the welcoming white light, ready to flee. But then she stopped and turned to look at her struggling Master and even though her feet wanted to flee, her mind would not let her.
Harmony woke the moment she realized she couldn't leave him to fight alone.
- 7
- 8
- 9
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Serpentine Series