ꜱᴇʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪɴᴇ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ | ᴛᴏᴍɪᴏɴᴇ

Serpentine, ch. 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Harmony appeared to have caught a cold while they were out on their mission. She woke the next morning in bed barely able to breathe through her nose. But she said nothing about it as she sat up and secured her face scarf; she knew the damned material over her nose and mouth wasn't going to make breathing with a cold any easier.

She averted her gaze when Master left the bed to put on a change of clothes. She pulled on her boots, starting to feel the pressure in her head from her sinuses. When he was ready to go, they left. As they walked together down to the lesson hall, she wondered if she'd have the time or resources to put together a potion to help with her symptoms.

In the lesson hall, Harmony was just about to Apparate for the first time to warm up when her concentration was broken by a big, loud, and painful sneeze. "Oh, damn!" she said in a nasally voice.

"You're ill," he said rather sourly as he produced a green silk handkerchief from the air and brought it to her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to be a bother," she said, ready to continue.

"You being sick is the least of your bothers," he said as he took her elbow and tried to draw her out of her pose. Harmony didn't move. "Come now, you're going to be impossible until you feel better. You will return to bed for the time being, until I say otherwise."

Harmony groaned in protest and tried yanking her elbow away.

In a threatening tone, he added, "Are you going to cooperate, or must I just pick you up and carry you again?"

"No!" she burst out, and blushed when he chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"You," he said with a smirk and drew up close to her. "You know full well that if I'd wanted to do it, you would never be able to stop me. And yet you still try to save your pride."

"I'm not being proud," she protested hotly and tried drawing herself up to her full height. He seemed so much taller than her; it added to his menacing demeanor. When she coughed violently, though, it spoiled the effect she'd been going for. She felt so weak and feeble.

"Then why not return to bed?" he asked.

"Because," she said, shaking him off. "I need to practice. I can't-I never miss a lesson. I have so much to improve upon, so much work to do. I...I...," her voice trailed off as he stared at her with those piercing eyes of his. She knew he could see right through her weak protest. Not catching up on her lessons was really only half the problem. Really, she just didn't want to go back to bed in case he'd want to spend the whole day in bed with her.

As though he could read her thoughts, he said, "I'll let you sleep. I have other things to do, albeit less important, but still..."

Harmony relaxed, but she did not move from where she stood.

"I bet I could even find a book for you to read," he added. "Now I know you can't resist that, can you? You little bookworm."

Harmony gritted her teeth. She didn't like how he knew her so well, knew her weaknesses.

"You can have your book after you get some more sleep first," he said as they entered his bedroom. He threw back the covers and watched as she pulled her boots off and lay back down in bed. He leaned over her once she was tucked in, and he brought a pale hand up to her forehead. His skin felt icy cold. "You're hot," he said.

Harmony tried not to laugh at the words. It was strange to feel the sudden delight bubbling up inside her. My sickness must be making me delirious, she insisted as she closed her eyes and snuggled down into the covers. She was starting to like the prospect of finally having some time alone.