Am I alive?
It was a curious thought, and one that contradicted itself because, if she was capable of cohersive thought, was she not alive in some way? Or was this merely what was left of her, of her mind and being, floating around in the endless dark space around her? She couldn't feel her body, and she didn't think she was looking around so much as she was just aware of the all encompassing darkness she found herself in.
What happened?
She remembers a snake-like face, pale with insane glee as a lipless mouth stretched into a predatory grin. Ruby eyes shimmering with dark satisfaction on a head that didn't quite seem his.
His? Him. The Dark Lord.
It was like a dam had broken, memories pouring inside what she thought was her mind. Confusion about her existence without a body was pushed aside as she tried to make sense of the cacophony of noises, sights and experiences that terrorised her being. HarryRonTrollHermioneQuirrelSnapeVoldemort-- the jarring orchestra of impressions made way for pain. So much pain. With a startling headache, Adeline became aware of her body as she shot upright, wrenched from the void that she assumed had been her mind. Her chest was heaving as she tried to grasp how to breathe within her panic induced haze, silvery-blue eyes staring around her to try and find something to focus on. For a moment, she didn't understand whether she was actually awake or not. The shock of a different environment than any of the ones she had expected was enough to snap her from the near panic attack, forcing her attention on the here and now.
She glanced down at her legs, noticing she was sitting up in a queen-sized bed, dark green sheets spilling across her lap. She wasn't in Hogwarts then, she concluded, grimacing at the black and green tones that seemed to be everywhere in the room. They knew better than to dump a Gryffindor in the Dungeons, she was sure of it. Besides, if they found her passed out infront of the Mirror of Erised, they would have brought her to Madame Pomfrey. No, wherever she was now, it was unfamiliar territory. Adeline felt a little confined and swung her legs from the bed, standing up tentatively. Her legs shook, barely able to carry her weight in the aftermath of the heavy sleeping charm. Carefully, she held herself on the ridiculously big bedpost as her legs adjusted, allowing her a moment to realise she wore different clothes rather than the school robes she had worn when facing Voldemort. She was in a dark purple dress which looked black in the dim light, almost fooling her sharp elven eyes. Around her throat she found, to her horror, a pitch black collar with a serpent green gem in the middle, completing her outfit. She wiggled her toes on the cold stone floor, realising to her delight that there were no shoes to be seen anywhere in the room.
''So he has marked me.'' She murmured to herself, resignation coloring her voice as small fingers caressed the collar. She felt like a glorified pet. But she'd have to play the part well. She would be a proud one, secretly affectionate to the Dark Lord when away from prying eyes, but vicious and ruthless to anyone not the leader of the dark side out in public. Schooling her features into something impassive, she managed the change just in time as a small 'pop!' echoed through the room, revealing a nervous house elf that was bowing its head. ''Master has ordered Parum to bring Serpent to him.'' The elf, a small one even for his kind, wrung his hands nervously. Adeline felt some amusement bubble up at the creatures name, how fitting that the Dark Lord had called one as small as this one the Latin equivalent of 'too little.' Adeline realised that the Dark Lord had staked his claim in more ways than one. First, the collar as a sign of ownership. Now, she had been given the title of Serpent, likely to never be adressed by anything else again. It was like he had named his property. She shuddered at the thought, and decided not to speak to Parum, wanting to hide the powers of her voice from anyone not already in the know, giving the servant a nod.
''Please wear this mask, miss Serpent ma'am.'' Parum snapped his fingers and a mask appeared, hovering in front of her. It was a white porcelain mask, similar to that of the death eaters, if not for one glaringly obvious detail. The sockets for the eyes were a dark purple, just a hint lighter than her dress. Adeline imagined she'd look rather imposing wearing the mask, collar and dress together. She wore the mask with another thrum of resignation, gesturing for Parum to lead the way. They wandered many halls, all of which held items of prestige, telling her that she was at a mansion of someone with money, which in todays society equalled might as well. Before she could make a guess on whose home Voldemort had taken her to, the pair arrived at a large door, likely leading to a meeting room of some kind. Adeline took a fortifying breath and squared her shoulders, reminding herself that she was worth more than these maggots, and that she would defend herself if necessary, consequences be damned. She was in control, even if Voldemort tried to make her nothing more and nothing less than his property.
The doors opened, and the little creature led her inside, bowing deeply towards a throne. ''Parum has brought Serpent, Master.'' His voice, shaking with nerves, tried its best to convey their presence before he popped out of the room, leaving her alone to face a long table filled with death eaters and, at the very end, a throne with a smirking... man? Adeline calmly walked forwards, ignoring the whispering of the gathered death eaters on who she could be. A particularly nasty glare was aimed her way by a witch she had vaguely heard about called Bellatrix LeStrange, most likely offended at the Elven girls lack of groveling at her Masters feet. What had caught her attention was the man on the throne. Gone was the snake-like man leeching off of her old professors body and magic, instead replaced with a man around his forties. He had brown hair with a single streak of silver, carefully combed back. His eyes were a crimson red, observing her with what she could only describe as satisfaction, startingly plump lips pulled in a smirk. Was this how Voldemort looked after the ritual? Did it help with his sanity, as she had hoped it would?
Adeline made her way closer to him, noticing from the corner of her eyes as Bellatrix quietly send an orange colored curse her way, a wicked grin on her face. The elf realised it was likely a torture curse, meant to embarass her, or hurt her for daring to walk here as prideful as she did. With a lazy flick of her wrist, which she realised still had her bracelet-wand wrapped around it, the glass of wine infront of a man with long blond hair, startingly familiar to the Malfoy heir, shifted in the form of a snake. She thought it fitting, given the name Parum had introduced her with. The glass snake shot forwards and launched itself at the curse, devouring the light until it was visible in his see through stomach, keeping the spell intact. Bellatrix stood up with a shriek, enraged at having missed her target so spectacularly. Adeline noticed a satisfied spark in Voldemorts eyes and knew she had to press her advantage to show her worth. With an inaudible sigh of regret, she send the glass serpent off towards the shrieking witch.
With no regards for the womans health, the glass animal attacked Bellatrix' throat, not for a lethal wound but for one that would hurt enough to make her remember not to try Adeline's patience in the future. With a viciousness rarely found in actual snakes let alone a transfigured one, the beast injected the orange curse like it was its venom, before retracting from the bloody wound and clattering on the ground, once more in the shape of a glass. The moment the curse entered Bellatrix' body, she started screaming; clawing at her arms as boiling skin burned from the inside out. Adeline was grateful for the mask as it hid her horrified expression at the results of the curse, her body leaning closer towards the screaming witch as if she was curious to see the results of her counter-attack. A deliberately slow clapping sound echoed through the meeting room, pulling everyones attention from the screaming witch to the new Voldemort that sat on his throne. With a lazy flick of his wand, the sobbing Bellatrix was hit with a silencing spell, effectively cutting off the screams and cries of her agonizing position.
Adeline sagged down a little bit, pretending to be disappointed at the ending of the cries, before she turned to the leader of the dark. ''Excellent. Such a wonderful performance.'' Voldemort's voice was pleased, almost as if he hadn't dare hope his new obsession would defend herself in such a harsh way. The girl came closer, dipping her head down in a reverent bow. She would not speak and reveal the powers of her voice to all the death eaters here, hoping that Voldemort wouldn't take it as a sign of disobedience. ''Servants of the dark, today we have a new member. She will only answer to me, and as you just saw, she is not to be harmed. Serpent is above you and I will not tolerate anyone breaking this rule.'' Here his cold gaze locked on the pathetic form of Bellatrix as she held a cloth to her throat, trying to recollect herself as pain burned in her arms. His gaze swept across the other death eaters, watching with some amusement as the inner circle members studied his Serpent, curious and some even jealous. Finally, his gaze landed on his new prize, and his lips pulled up in a slight smirk.
Adeline knew she had to do something since all attention was now back on her. With a flick of her wrist, making it look like she was doing wandless magic rather than using her transfigured wand, a velvet green pillow appeared near the dark lords' feet. She steeled her nerves before trying to make her way over as elegantly as she could, sitting down on the pillow criss-cross applesauce; making sure the fabric of her dress covered any possible views between her legs. She had made up her mind when she first met Voldemort that she wouldn't kneel, so this position would have to do. The death eaters took turns staring at her, then a little higher up towards their Master. She settled her back against the bottom half of the throne, right as a pale hand landed on her head; fingers carding absentmindedly through her hair as the Dark Lord continued his meeting with his servants. Yes, she definitely felt like a pet.