ꜱᴇʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪɴᴇ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ | ᴛᴏᴍɪᴏɴᴇ

Serpentine, ch. 3

CHAPTER THREE

They walked into the front room, a huge area littered with furniture covered in sheets. She didn't pay much attention to the room until they passed a painting that caught her eye.

Squinting through the gloom she noticed that, unlike everything else, it was dusted recently. The portrait was of a young woman with long, wavy black hair. She wore the most stunning green velvet gown with delicate silver stitching at the sleeves, around the shoulders, and wrists. It looked so real-so beautiful-that she imagined she could touch the canvas and feel the fabric.

The woman's face was quite lovely with a straight nose and full lips that curved up into an enchanting smile. However, what held Hermione's attention most were the eyes. They were an exquisite bright blue that sparkled like stars in an evening sky. They were so striking that they held her transfixed.

Snape gave her an impatient shove in the back to keep her moving. Voices, low in conversation, could be heard from another room ahead of them. He lit the tip of his wand. Through the dim light, he guided Hermione into the room where several people gathered near a blazing fireplace.

Hermione immediately recognized the malicious Bellatrix Lestrange, but the two men with her were unfamiliar. One man, just a little taller than she, stood next to the large, ornate fireplace with arms crossed over his chest, while the other man sat on a threadbare couch as he stared into the fire.

Bellatrix had been speaking and paused in mid-boast to observe the newcomers. She leered at Snape as though he were an unwelcome bug that had crawled in from beneath the floorboards to bother her, but when she saw Hermione her eyes widened in outrage. With her dingy clothes and wild hair that uncoiled in every direction, she resembled a banshee preparing to claim another soul.

"Is that the one?" she bellowed in a shrill voice. "She's a woman! Why did you bring a woman? We don't need another one of those."

"This is Bellatrix Lestrange," Snape told Hermione as though he was talking about a filthy stain he'd found on the carpet. Then he pointed to the man on the couch. "That balding old codger sitting there is Goyle, and the rather animated young man by the fire is Bartimus Crouch Jr."

Hermione looked the last man over as she thought, So this is the infamous Barty Crouch. She had heard from Harry all about his antics during the Triwizard Tournament; how he had impersonated their Auror friend, Mad-Eye Moody, and nearly killed Harry. He had been stopped, of course, but while he had been escorted away to be punished with a Dementor's Kiss, he had escaped with the help of a few Death Eaters. She had only ever seen him in his Alastor Moody guise, but now she saw he was a young man with a mess of dark, mangled hair and wore a long leather coat in spite of the heat of the fire beside him. He straightened up and uncrossed his arms when he caught sight of her.

"Call me Barty," he told her as his eyes roved over her body hungrily. Hermione's skin crawled beneath his gaze as he asked, "And what's your name, my lovely?"

Bellatrix interrupted them as she stepped up to look at Hermione more closely. "Why do you have that thing covering your face?"

Hermione's hand came up to her face scarf, which covered everything except her wide brown eyes.

"I don't trust anyone who hides their face," Bellatrix added.

Goyle continued to stare, zombie-like, at the fire as he said, "Maybe she has to trust us first."

Bellatrix crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I don't think our Dark Lord would trust someone who covered their face."

"Deal with it, Lestrange." Snape stepped between the two women. "Now that we all know each other, where is the Dark Lord? We have private business to attend to."