Haphephobia

A new role

Am I alive?

It was a curious thought, and one that contradicted itself because, if she was capable of cohersive thought, was she not alive in some way? Or was this merely what was left of her, of her mind and being, floating around in the endless dark space around her? She couldn't feel her body, and she didn't think she was looking around so much as she was just aware of the all encompassing darkness she found herself in. 

What happened?

She remembers a snake-like face, pale with insane glee as a lipless mouth stretched into a predatory grin. Ruby eyes shimmering with dark satisfaction on a head that didn't quite seem his.

His? Him. The Dark Lord.

It was like a dam had broken, memories pouring inside what she thought was her mind. Confusion about her existence without a body was pushed aside as she tried to make sense of the cacophony of noises, sights and experiences that terrorised her being. HarryRonTrollHermioneQuirrelSnapeVoldemort-- the jarring orchestra of impressions made way for pain. So much pain. With a startling headache, Adeline became aware of her body as she shot upright, wrenched from the void that she assumed had been her mind. Her chest was heaving as she tried to grasp how to breathe within her panic induced haze, silvery-blue eyes staring around her to try and find something to focus on.  For a moment, she didn't understand whether she was actually awake or not. The shock of a different environment than any of the ones she had expected was enough to snap her from the near panic attack, forcing her attention on the here and now. 

She glanced down at her legs, noticing she was sitting up in a queen-sized bed, dark green sheets spilling across her lap. She wasn't in Hogwarts then, she concluded, grimacing at the black and green tones that seemed to be everywhere in the room. They knew better than to dump a Gryffindor in the Dungeons, she was sure of it. Besides, if they found her passed out infront of the Mirror of Erised, they would have brought her to Madame Pomfrey. No, wherever she was now, it was unfamiliar territory. Adeline felt a little confined and swung her legs from the bed, standing up tentatively. Her legs shook, barely able to carry her weight in the aftermath of the heavy sleeping charm. Carefully, she held herself on the ridiculously big bedpost as her legs adjusted, allowing her a moment to realise she wore different clothes rather than the school robes she had worn when facing Voldemort. She was in a dark purple dress which looked black in the dim light, almost fooling her sharp elven eyes. Around her throat she found, to her horror, a pitch black collar with a serpent green gem in the middle, completing her outfit. She wiggled her toes on the cold stone floor, realising to her delight that there were no shoes to be seen anywhere in the room. 

''So he has marked me.'' She murmured to herself, resignation coloring her voice as small fingers caressed the collar. She felt like a glorified pet. But she'd have to play the part well. She would be a proud one, secretly affectionate to the Dark Lord when away from prying eyes, but vicious and ruthless to anyone not the leader of the dark side out in public. Schooling her features into something impassive, she managed the change just in time as a small 'pop!' echoed through the room, revealing a nervous house elf that was bowing its head. ''Master has ordered Parum to bring Serpent to him.'' The elf, a small one even for his kind, wrung his hands nervously. Adeline felt some amusement bubble up at the creatures name, how fitting that the Dark Lord had called one as small as this one the Latin equivalent of 'too little.'  Adeline realised that the Dark Lord had staked his claim in more ways than one. First, the collar as a sign of ownership. Now, she had been given the title of Serpent, likely to never be adressed by anything else again. It was like he had named his property. She shuddered at the thought, and decided not to speak to Parum, wanting to hide the powers of her voice from anyone not already in the know, giving the servant a nod.