ꜱᴇʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪɴᴇ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ | ᴛᴏᴍɪᴏɴᴇ

Whispers from the Past, ch. 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Harmony and Snape glided over the fields in the darkness as silent as shadows. The tall grass quivered in the sea wind at their knees, sounding as though a million small whispers were speaking to them. When the wind picked up, their whispers became louder and more urgent, and to Harmony it sounded as though they were trying to warn her.

Sssstop, turn back, don't go.

It was starting to frighten her and she eventually broke the silence by asking Snape, "Are you sure this dueling competition will be safe?"

Snape had longer legs than she, so he strode ahead of her a couple paces quicker. The strands of black hair which fell like fat rattails in front of his face now blew back as he walked. He replied without looking back at her, "Safe in what way?"

That wasn't the answer she had been anticipating. "Just safe. I'm not going to risk losing my life or anything of that sort."

She could almost hear the amusement in his voice when he replied, "No, not safe at all. I've heard rumors that lives are lost every competition. There is no fighting allowed beyond the dueling floor. But on the dueling floor, that is a completely different story. There are no rules there; all wand spells are allowed, which I'm sure include the Unforgivable Curses…But keep in mind they are only rumors."

"Of course," Harmony said quietly to herself with a twinge of sarcasm. She pumped her legs faster, her black boots pounding in the earth as she hurried to fall into step beside Snape. "So while I risk losing my life, you're just going to stand by and watch. I've never used an Unforgivable Curse. Did you know that? How do you expect me to compete with the kind of people who wouldn't hesitate to use the Killing curse?"

"You will do fine," he said. They passed a barrier of trees, leaving the light of the moon and entering into the shadows of the forest. Snape said while he raised his wand, "You need to have more faith in your abilities—Lumos—as well as who you are."

"What do you mean?" Harmony asked, looking over at Snape in the glow that emanated from the tip of his wand.

"You are the Dark Lord's heir, his chosen one. Any followers wouldn't dare kill you, and others would be too afraid to do it. It is the Ministry workers you need to be wary of. Any ally of Dumbledore and the Minister of Magic will be trying to kill you on the dueling floor."

Harmony gulped so loud Snape must have heard, because he quickly replied, "Trust your abilities. You are stronger than you know."

"I would feel flattered by that if it weren't for the fact you could be sending me to my death right now." She looked ahead, trying to make out the shadows of the trees in Snape's Lumos. "Not much farther I hope," she said, keeping her voice light.

He nodded. "Yes, we will Apparate the rest of the way soon enough."

"Ah," she bobbed her head and they walked in companionable silence for a few moments. She could only keep her mouth closed for just a minute before she felt compelled to speak, "So say there is going to be a lot of Ministry workers there…"

Snape grumbled, "Yes?"

"With so many criminals at this competition, it would be like an Auror's buffet. They could just take over and arrest who they want, couldn't they?"

Now Snape looked over at her. A sly grin played at the corners of his pale lips. "That's why they call it the Underground tournament."

His reply hadn't done anything to sooth her nerves as she had hoped.

"But," Snape continued quickly, "the minute you step off the Underground dueling competition grounds you no longer have immunity from the law. I'm sure there will be people waiting to take you."