ꜱᴇʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪɴᴇ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ | ᴛᴏᴍɪᴏɴᴇ

Serpentine, ch. 16

"Oh, important business, I'm sure, but I've got orders from the Dark Lord himself to bring you two downstairs. Everyone has been waiting on you to retrieve Harmony. We're all ready to go now."

"She wasn't in her room," Bellatrix explained, prodding Harmony's face with her wand. "I wasn't sure where else to look, but when I saw the Dark Lord's bedroom door cracked open, I found her here—in his bed!"

"Yeah, yeah, we all know you want the Dark Lord for yourself. But couldn't you at least wait until after the mission to murder his favorite?"

Bellatrix's eyes brightened at his words.

Harmony was relieved to see her eyes had returned to their usual, less murderous glare.

"Right. We'll make a deal," the witch said as she jabbed Harmony's nose with her wand. "If you're not dead by the end of today's mission, then we have another date. Deal?"

Bellatrix stood up off her and left before Harmony could comply, passing Barty with a sneer.

Harmony struggled to sit up. With a grunt, she grasped onto the bedpost to help her up to her feet. Her head spun from lack of oxygen and she took a couple of deep breaths. When she heard a laugh from the doorway, she glared over at Barty.

"I think I just saved your life," he said with a look of astonishment on his face.

She glowered. "Don't even think about it."

"What?" he asked with a sly grin.

"I don't owe you anything." She continued to cling to a bedpost until her head cleared. When she felt better, she walked shakily out the door.

"Wait," said Barty as he grabbed her arm to stop her.

Harmony violently yanked herself free.

He didn't back away, but pointed at her face. "You're bleeding."

Her hands shot up to the wound on her face. When she brought them away they were covered in blood.

"I think I'm going to puke—hey, stop touching it! You'll make it worse. Now, I can stop the bleeding, but it'll scar. Not to worry, though," he added with a wide grin, "some men find scars attractive."

There was a twinge of worry as Barty pulled out his wand and pointed it at her face, but when a pink light emanated from the tip, the pain ebbed away.

"There. What did I tell you? You're more attractive than ever. But there's still some blood. Here." He licked his thumb and brought it toward her face, but Harmony swatted his hand away in disgust.

She used the edge of her glove to wipe away the blood as she followed Barty down the stairs. When it was mostly clean, she fingered the new scar under her left eye along the ridge of her cheekbone. She wondered how noticeable it was likely to be.

"Bellatrix mentioned a mission," Harmony stated. "Master didn't say anything to me about any mission."

"What? You mean you don't know?" asked Barty with a raised brow. "Oh, that's right. I've forgotten that you were sleeping in his bed all day, you lazy git."

Harmony restrained herself from slapping him upside the head. She knew that was just the reaction he was hoping for.

Barty glanced back only to see her looking forward as if he hadn't said a thing. "The mission is just a little pick-up delivery in Knockturn Alley," he told her as they turned a corner and saw the group of Death Eaters ahead.

"What are we picking up?"

"A very important item," he replied. "The Ministry won't be pleased about this, mark my words."