ꜱᴇʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪɴᴇ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ | ᴛᴏᴍɪᴏɴᴇ

Serpentine, ch. 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Harmony stood with her back straight, nose half a meter away from the wall; all the while she was trying to concentrate on what she knew was on the other side. This isn't impossible, she told herself, but each time she felt the sucking, black hole sensation that came right before she Apparated, the thought of being mutilated in the middle of the stone wall interrupted her and the sensation would disappear.

"Don't think about going through the wall," Voldemort instructed from behind her in the lesson hall. "Instead, imagine that you're already standing on the other side, in the middle of the hallway."

In her mind's eye, Harmony saw the dusty rugs that covered the floor in the passageway. On a nearby wall hung several tapestries and a couple of paintings, each with a witch or wizard snoozing inside. She imagined spotting Claudia, though she had not spoken to the witch in quite some time. Even through her congestion, she remembered the damp musty smell of old age when she had passed through the hall moments before. But it also had a hint of oak, a reminder of the mansion's exquisite wooden beams above.

Again she felt the pull of the black hole, but this time she completely relaxed her body and let herself be sucked in. She gave in to its allure. In one sweeping motion, the lesson hall disappeared and the hallway appeared with a snap.

Harmony laughed out loud at her accomplishment—as soon as she'd checked to make certain that all her appendages were still in place. She was elated at the thought of all the places she had access to now that she was able to Apparate.

Spinning around, she faced the wall she'd just come through. She stepped close and laid a gloved hand on it, closed her eyes, and imagined what was on the other side. In her mind's eye, she could see her master waiting in the middle of the lesson hall with a pleased expression on his narrow features.

The image of him was in her mind as she could feel the effects of the black hole forming, and the tug that would take her back. She took a deep breath and twisted, and the hole sucked her in.

When she opened her eyes she was met with Voldemort's two penetrating blue ones, two centimeters away. She gasped aloud at his closeness and flung herself away; he had to grab hold of her round the waist to prevent them both from falling. Once they were steady, he released his hold on her.

"You're progressing considerably," he told her, slipped his hands into his pockets. "You'll be honored to hear that you might even be learning how to Apparate faster than I did."

Harmony's eyes grew wide with astonishment at such a large compliment coming from him. But it came secondary in her mind compared to something else that had her completely baffled. It was something that she'd never thought she would allow herself to imagine in her entire life.

Until this very moment, she'd always kept herself at arm's length from Voldemort, never allowing him the chance to touch her intimately, like friends might. But now her eyes drifted down to his lips that were still upturned in a proud smile. She admired the smooth curve of his bottom lip, how it quavered with each rush of blood from his beating heart.

When Voldemort saw the look in her eyes, his smile fell and he stared at her a moment, dazed. His lips parted slightly as he, too, lowered his gaze but saw only that damned scarf. Irritation flared up in his eyes as he looked more than ready to tear it off this time, and his twitching fingers were just about to do it, once and for all.

A man cleared his throat from somewhere behind Harmony's shoulder.

"My Lord?" a familiar voice said.

Voldemort's cast a furious glance at the man who spoke: Lucius Malfoy. Harmony continued to stare at the spot where his lips had been as she realized what she had been doing. And then she realized that Lucius Malfoy had no doubt seen every second of their shared intimate moment. Her face flushed as Voldemort strode over to see what the man wanted.

Harmony stood there, frozen, wishing she could hide. She could hear the two men talking, but she was so traumatized that she couldn't make out a single word of what they said.

Master's posture became ridged, and he called to her. "Harmony, wait for me outside. I must speak to Lucius alone."

Harmony turned at his words and shot through the double doors like a bullet, taking care to keep her eyes averted from the witness as he glared coldly in her direction. When she closed the doors behind her, she clutched at her head in agitation and took a few deep, deliberate breaths to calm her pounding heart.

What has gotten into me, she screamed in her mind. Now that she was alone, the full realization of what had just happened arose. It all occurred so quickly; he was just there in front of her, smiling with pride. He looked almost welcoming.

But a kiss! Was she really thinking about what it'd be like to kiss the Dark Lord?

She'd never felt this way about any man before! Why did she have to feel that way for him? Of all people! Harmony tried to leave it up to being the random desires of a hormonal teenage girl, though she knew that sounded beyond silly. But what else could it have been? Attraction? Was it even possible to feel attraction for a man she was supposed to hate?

After she took a few more breaths and felt a bit calmer, her curiosity got the better of her. What did Lucius Malfoy have to say that Master didn't want her to hear? It had only been a day or so since his return to Riddle mansion, so what could be so important?

Harmony bit her lip and dared herself to stand by the doors and listen at the crack. After all, she reasoned, I'm supposed to be here spying on him. She decided that she should risk being caught. Perhaps Dumbledore would want to know whatever it was they were discussing. She took a tentative step forward, but then the hinges creaked loudly as the heavy oak doors swung open and Lucius Malfoy stepped out, very nearly trotting on Harmony's toes.

Lucius flinched in surprise and stared coldly down his nose at her, which would have collided with his own if Harmony had not jumped back in shock. She could tell his first impulse was to insult her by the way his lips curled into a snarl, but Master had followed him out into the hall. Voldemort grasped the man's shoulder to make his presence known, and Lucius glanced in his direction as he continued to glare at her.

Lucius cleared his throat and scrunched his face up into a pained expression that Harmony realized was supposed to be a smile. He tilted his head and said loud enough for the Dark Lord to hear him, "Mistress." His voice sounded strained, like his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth, and he quickly spun away and headed down the hall. His back was straight as a ramrod and his nose was stuck up snootily in the air.

Mistress, Harmony repeated in her mind with wonder as she watched him go. She couldn't decide whether or not she liked the title.

"He brought news of the Vanishing cabinet," said Master when Lucius was gone. She was relieved to see his face had returned to its usual cool manner, and it was as though the intimate moment that passed between them had never happened.

"Did he?" she asked, trying to appear casual.

"He may know where it's being kept, but he fears it is under the strictest control. Ten Aurors per shift are keeping it under guard." He smiled broadly as he leaned in, as if to tell her a secret. "That's what happens when you're the greatest wizard alive. The mere thought of you becomes a threat. There are no words to express the delight I feel in watching those Muggle-lovers squirm."

Harmony didn't respond, but tried to look as if she found humor in his overly gleeful words. She was just glad the scarf was still there to hide her disgust.

"Come," he said as he put a hand on her shoulder, leading her back into the lesson hall. "Let's see if you're able to do that again."

By the end of the day, she was able to go through the wall and back without hesitation.

"If you keep this up," he told her as they headed back to his room, "you'll be able Apparate as well as any mature witch or wizard before you know it."

"Thank you, my Lord," she replied. "I...I had a good teacher."

Voldemort looked slightly pleased at this. At the staircase leading up to the bedroom, he stopped. "I have some things to take care of before I come up for dinner. Go up and wait for me."

"Yes, my Lord," she said without hesitation. "I will."