A. N. This chapter is specially for xxxxInu girlxx93839, who had a nice thing to say about all my chapters. I'm sorry for not posting it sooner, but here's your so awaited update, have fun XD
36 In the serpent's lair
Conscious brought back the last memories before she had collapsed, in a flash, Serena raised to a seated position as she hold the gasp that threatened to escape her parted lips. The first moments she looked around with unfocused eyes, her memories still playing in her mind's eye. What the...She thought as she finally took a good look at her surroundings. Had it all been nothing more than a vivid nightmare? The Gryffindor frowned, it was a little far-fetch but... She flexed her arms and legs, they seemed okay, more than okay even. Her chest didn't seem to be constricted any more and even her light-head feeling seemed to have completely disappeared. How strange! She felt better than she had been feeling in ages. We won. She sighed content as she let herself fall back on the comfortable bed, a big smile gracing her lips. Serena pull the covers over her yawning and snuggling further into the warm bed. But such decision only lasted mere moments before worry made her raise herself again, she was okay, but what about her friends, what about Harry? What if they hadn't had the same luck as her? Taking a long breath, she shoved the covers away and flung her legs out of bed.
She look to the floor surprised where her exposed feet curled languidly on the fluffy carpet that covered great part of the room's floor. Odd! Large windows, scattered around the room let the twilight partially light the room. She stopped to examine the unfamiliar chamber. She was sure she wasn't anywhere in Grimmuald Place. Maybe another Head-quarters, perhaps?She scanned the bedside tables for her wand, but came out of such search empty-handed. She felt fidget, why would the Order take her wand? She shook off a bad feeling, she had to be with the Order, right, if not... why would the Death Eaters heal her and even if they did, why would they put her in such room? She felt foolish only by thinking such thing could even be possible.
First things first, she needed to get some clothes, she thought eyeing the nightgown she had woken in, she couldn't simply go ramble in some unknown house in her nightwear. The bedside tables, of a dark wood she supposed to be cherry-wood, had already proved being of no help what so ever seeing their lack of any drawers and the fact the only object occupying them was a candle holster on each one. She shifted her attention to the abandoned bed, the witch was quite amazed when she really look to the enormous piece of furniture in front of her. It put the bed of her room in Grimmuald Place to shame, and think she once thought of it as the biggest bed she had ever saw. It was what she supposed to be a king size bed in the same wood of the bedside tables, its linen, oddly enough were black as well as its covers, but although unusual it didn't seemed a wrong choice. It give it a more sophisticated look instead. Unfortunately, as before, the bed hadn't giving her any leads as well. Scowling, Serena padded the carpet covered floor to the great fireplace she had noticed on the far end of the room. She examined around herself, highly interested on the well polished black marble fireplace, it was bigger than she had expected, she didn't doubt it could, very well, be as big as the fireplaces in Hogwarts kitchens. A single black leather armchair stood near it.
Something in the corner of her eyed caught her attention and turning to see exactly what that was, Serena found herself lustfully eyeing a immense bookcase that occupied the entire wall at her side. Her hands itched at her sides as she read the tomes' titles. Their were all rare manuscripts, long thought lost, books she had wished to read but had lost hope to ever find. Whomever was their owner, she was sure he/ she wouldn't mind let her read some of them. She smiled giddy, now she only had to find their owner.
With a last look to the recent discovered treasure, she double-back and directed herself to the double doors she had saw directly to the left side of the bed. She stopped on the threshold, shocked with everything she saw. The doors leaded to what at first sight seemed to be the closet, her jaw dropped, dam, it was thefirst time she saw an entire room be used as wardrobe. Okay whomever owns this place his definitely loaded! Its right side was full of male robes, all of them in different fabrics. Their colours varied from the midnight black to the dark silver and she, although new at such things, could very well guess their good quality, below them dragon bots laid, polished to a shinning perfection, perfectly lined, just waiting to be used.
Although as elegant as the garments on the right side of the room, the clothes on the left side completely clashed with their neighbours. Contrary to the ones before, those were woman clothing, each garment more breathtaking than the one before. Their vivid colours made the gowns seem to pulse with a life of their own and the fine embroidering they showed seemed to be alive. Serena almost expected for the butterflies from a deep azure one to start flapping their wings and fly away. Below the endless row of dresses, various pairs of slippers in diverse fabrics that would complement perfectly the robes above them stood neatly arranged.
The green eyed witch, turn in her heels and left the outstanding closet before she could damage anything. Turning then, her attention to a door on the other side of the room, Serena padded towards it, hoping to finally found someone.
Bloody hell, Serena fell dumbstruck as she stared the, practically, Olympic pool that she supposed to serve as bathtub in her recent discovered bathroom. She eyed the various golden taps at its side, it's that true gold, her eyed bulging out as she took in the sight of the gigantic black marble pool. She left in a haste, closing the door behind her she leaned against it sighing deeply. Was it possible for existing people THAT rich? She had to found someone and quickly, she was getting more and more confuse by the moment.
Making a bee-line towards the last door on the room, Serena followed forward with decided steeps, it would probably lead her out of the room but she was far from caring any more. She stopped in her tracks when she noticed the monumental white marble bookshelves, that raised it-selves highly above ground. She fallowed the intricate carvings on the pristine white rock becoming marvelled with such beauty. The crystal dome that served as the camber's sealing cast fragments of multi- coloured light in every directions making the sight breathtaking. The blond witch walked, lost in the moment, as she lightly brushed her hands in the immense source of knowledge she had found by accident. With happiness she sprinted from shelf to shelf admiring the endless stacks of tomes as she imagined the knowledge contained inside them. Her steeps lead her to the other side of the new division, where another fireplace as impressive as the last one stood, an inviting fire burning in it. Not far, a sofa in a deep bluish green with and a coffee table proved to be the only pieces of furniture around. She downcast her eyes and eyed her bare-feet frowning, were where everyone? The Gryffindor sighed exasperated as she steeped forward to the door in front of her.
She eyed the new room expectantly, a large desk she thought to be of mahogany wood took the prominent place. Stacks of parchments laid neatly folded at one side, some books at the other, a set of quills and an inkwell not far from them. The desk armchair was turned and she wondered for a moment if she had finally found someone, but the lack of reaction told otherwise. Her brows furrowed, a nagging feeling creeping over her. She glanced to the window behind the desk, it was night already. Serena took a few steeps forward, something wasn't right, she knew it, but for the life of her she couldn't pinpoint it. The fire crackling to life behind her made her jump in fright and turn her back to the desk. Her racing heart fighting to get out of her chest.
She let of the breath she hadn't been aware of holding, gee, talk about being a scared rabbit, she mentally berated herself, the fireplace probably had some sort of lighting up enchantment on it like the ones on Hogwarts. She took a moment to calm down before turning her attention to the book shelves around what she supposed to be a office. She tried to read some of the titles, but the letters engraved on the spines of most of them had already disappeared or was to faint for her to manage so. This collection had to be very antic for it to happen, all this books must had gone through the same magic treatment that every magic book was submitted so to conserve them longer than the muggle ones and even those, if well kept, took ages to achieve such state of degradation. Serena randomly selected one from the shelf more close to her opening it.
She let out a disgusted screech as she dropped the book to the floor eyeing it as it was something devilish. The book, it was about torture curses, the moving image of an agonizing woman with her limbs ripen off before an emotionless made her physically ill. In a moment all the warning signs came rushing in her head, the dark décor, the immense health, the biggest collection of books had ever saw. She hastily took another book from the shelf half wanting to be wrong half knowing she wasn't, that one was a compendium of dark hexes. She fell drain of her strength, she finally discovered what the nagging feeling was about, she had experimented all the doors she had found until now and now she observed with increasingly fear that there wasn't any more left, she was stuck in these divisions.
Serena tensed as she felt movement coming from the desk, her fearful eyes searching for its fount. The armchair had been turned putting her face to face with the most feared wizard alive, she fight back a shiver as the pair of incandescent ruby eyes burned into her soul pinning her to the ground.
"Welcome," he said to her, his eyes becoming dark as he stared her in the eyes.