ꜱᴇʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪɴᴇ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ | ᴛᴏᴍɪᴏɴᴇ

Serpentine, ch. 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The door banged shut as soon as the two of them were safely inside. Harmony squinted, trying to make out her surroundings in the dark, dusty shop. A small, glowing orb near the back of the room emitted enough light for her to make out the silhouettes of several figures.

Harmony saw Master's face nearest to the glow, and noticed that he was the one supporting the ignited orb in his hand. His eyes seemed almost drawn to her like a moth to a flame as she stood watching him.

"Took you long enough," complained one of the male Death Eaters. Harmony couldn't see who he was, though she thought she recognized his voice.

"Miss Hangleton has not yet been educated in the art of Apparition," Snape explained. "I had to assist her. It was difficult, but it appears we made it here in one piece."

Harmony's cheeks flushed. She hated to be reminded of how young and inexperienced she was compared to the others.

"Well, of course," the man grumbled, "just take your bloody time when any minute now Aurors could be upon us."

"Enough, Darius," Master said sternly. "Everyone is here now. Let's get this over with. The six of you I chose earlier, go out and search every corner between here and Borgin & Burkes. It's only a block away, so don't take long. I don't want one second of trouble or it'll be on your heads."

"Yes, my Lord," said many voices scattered throughout the dark shop. Footsteps passed by Harmony as the Death Eaters left the shop. The evening sun lit up the large room briefly when the door opened. Snape left along with them.

Voldemort was standing near the back of the room with a broad-shouldered wizard beside him. The door closed, leaving everything dark except for the glowing orb in Voldemort's palm, which accentuated his sharp features.

"Go stand watch by the window, Felix," he said to the man who stood beside him.

Felix jumped in surprise and ran to the window, casting a glance at Harmony as he passed. His expression was grave as he stared out the window with his wand firmly in hand.

Harmony and Voldemort closed the gap between them, meeting somewhere in the middle of the room. When they were close together, Master moved the orb away from her face so it wouldn't blind her. She could see how dusty the place was when he let out a breath and dust swirled in clouds around their faces.

"I remember my first Apparition," he said. His eyes glanced at Felix across the room and then he leaned in close and spoke in a lower tone. "I lost an eyebrow once."

"No," she whispered in awe.

He nodded. "But if you share that fact with anyone, you will pay."

She shook her head, unsure if he was joking with her. "I won't."

He blinked at her. "Your hair is shorter." He brought a hand up to stroke her light brown locks, but dropped it when she flinched. "Snape must not have put you back together right."

"Oh no! Really?" she gasped and shot a hand up to brush at her bangs.

He chuckled lightly, mocking, and she dropped her hand from her hair in a huff.

"So," he said, "you don't know how to Apparate?"

Harmony shook her head, hoping he wasn't going to criticize her for it. She saw with a sinking feeling that his demeanor had switched from an kind of camaraderie to that of the dark and commanding Lord.

"It is crucial for you to know how," he told her. "We will frequently be involved in situations that need a quick escape. It will have to be the very next ability I teach you."