ꜱᴇʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪɴᴇ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ | ᴛᴏᴍɪᴏɴᴇ

Whispers from the Past, ch. 48

Harmony glanced from person to person. Every expression she read was different. The Weasley kids--George, Ron, and Ginny--stared at her in wonderment as though she were a dragon sprouting two heads. The adults--Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley--watched her warily. Harry, on the other hand, was beyond furious.

Harmony remembered that the last time she saw everyone was at the Menkar Insane Asylum, where they had been awaiting Voldemort's execution. Until she had helped Voldemort, or at least who she thought was him, escape. It was a fateful day that seemed ages ago but, really, it had hardly been a week.

A part of her knew this day would come. The day when she would be faced with these people she had loved--still loved!--and would need to answer for her actions. The last time had been at the Battle of Hogwarts. In front of everyone, she had stopped the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort, and she had helped her master escape. Shortly afterward, she confronted everyone at Shell Cottage and had given the excuse that she hadn't wanted to see anyone else killed.

But what was her excuse now?

Not only had she saved Voldemort from execution, but she had also helped him infiltrate the Ministry of Magic! Arguably the worst offence a witch or wizard could make. It was shocking that her old friends hadn't killed her already. She'd understand if they wanted to.

While Harry was crouched before her, everyone else stood gathered around. They were in a large room with desks and overturned chairs pushed aside, probably in an unused office. When she was done looking around, her attention returned to Harry.

He opened his mouth to speak to her. But before he uttered a word, he snapped his lips shut and turned to Lupin and Moody. "How will we know he's even noticed she's gone?"

"We'll know," Moody replied, dropping Barty on the ground like a sack of potatoes. Barty twitched but stayed unconscious. "She has his Serpentine charm. No one is more important to him than her. No doubt we've already captured his attention. It shouldn't be long before he demands her return. And when he does, we'll have our own demands."

Harry turned his gaze back to Harmony. "And what are we supposed to do with her until then?"

Harmony shuddered at the coldness in his voice.

"Interrogate her, of course," said Moody, which led Lupin to cast him a chastising look. "What? Can you imagine the things she knows about Voldemort? All his plans? Her mind is a little treasure trove waiting to be unlocked. I say we start with a few painless hexes, and then move on to some simple nail-pulling--a trick I learned from Muggles, in fact--and perhaps follow that up with a good Cruciatus curse--"

"Stop!" Harmony called out in fear, bringing everyone's attention back to her. The satisfied look on Moody's face told her that he had been anticipating that kind of reaction from her. "You don't need to torture me. Just ask. I'll tell you everything you want to know."

"Well, you're not a very loyal Death Eater, are you?" said Mrs. Weasley with her arms crossed.

"I'm not a Death Eater at all," Harmony explained. "Perhaps I was in the beginning, under Dumbledore's orders, but a Death Eater serves Voldemort with reverence and without question. I am still my own person."

There was a pause as everyone considered this.

"Could she have been under the Imperius curse?" Ginny asked hopefully.

Lupin shook his head and Moody clarified, "I've seen plenty of poor bastards under the Imperius curse. Miss Granger shows none of the signs."

"If you went to such lengths to save Voldemort," Harry asked, "then why are you prepared to tell us everything and betray him?"