CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Back at the Minister's office, Barty entered and could've swore the temperature in the room had dropped last he'd been in. He shivered in his jacket as he saw the Dark Lord, pacing back and forth behind the desk.
"You're lucky, Minister," Voldemort said to the figure cowering in the corner. "If your people didn't have my partner, your blood would already be splattering the walls."
"Please," Scrimgeour moaned and Voldemort was over to him in an instant.
"Shhhhh, Minister, shhhhh. If she's fine, then you have nothing to worry about. However, if she isn't..."
Voldemort's wand twitched and Scrimgeour let loose a scream, gurgled from the blood in his mouth. Barty cringed. He'd rather fight a thousand Aurors than be where he was.
"Apologies, my merciful Dark Lord," Barty announced. Voldemort's head jerked up at the sound of his voice. "I hate to interrupt your fun."
"Save your apologies," Voldemort said, striding over to him in the doorway. Scrimgeour looked relieved at the interruption. "Speak."
Barty flinched under his ice cold gaze. His mouth struggled to make words. "They agree to your demands, my Lord."
"How smart of them," Voldemort drawled, but excitement lit up his eyes. "Take me to Harmony. I have to see her."
The sound of raw need in his tone made Barty uncomfortable and he took an awkward step away from Voldemort's penetrating gaze. "They wish to meet down in the Atrium—"
"I don't give a damn what they wish," Voldemort hissed. His breath was hot on Barty's face like dragon's fire and the Death Eater cowered. "You'll take me and my followers to her and we'll make very short work of this."
"It was her wish, my wondrous Dark Lord. It was my Lady's wish that you meet in the Atrium."
Voldemort froze, staring Barty down. "You sure, Bartemius? Why there?"
Barty shook his head, and he flinched again when Voldemort spun away from him to stand before the shattered window, looking down. Death Eaters and Aurors still dueled, their colorful flashes of wand lights soaring back and forth across the Atrium. Only now, Death Eaters outnumbered their enemies four-to-one. However, the potential victory was bittersweet. As long as his other half was away, the mission was far from complete.
"S-she also wished that you command the others to cease fighting," Barty added, nervously twiddling his wand with his fingers.
A vein throbbed in Voldemort's temple, but he gave an imperceptible nod at Barty's words. If she wished it. He had to trust her. "Tell the others waiting outside to descend to the Atrium and stop their comrades. If our enemies wish to flee, let them. If they wish to stay and fight, slaughter them."
Barty bowed and gratefully turned to leave.
"Wait," Voldemort barked over his shoulder and Barty regretfully froze in his tracks. When the Dark Lord spoke again, his voice was soft and hesitant. "How did she look?"
"What do you mean, my Lord?"
"Was she hurt? Frightened?"
Barty thought a moment. "Nervous. She seemed nervous, my Lord."
"Nervous," Voldemort whispered. "Fine. But not hurt?"
"Not physically, no. Although…" Barty began, his black eyes narrowing in detest, "…that damned infamous Auror I had the pleasure of impersonating a few years ago, Mad-Eye Moody, threatened to kill her and the baby should you refuse their demands. Right git, he is."
Barty turned to leave.
"I'm sorry?"
Barty stopped again. "My Lord?"
Voldemort was staring at him with a curious look on his pale face. "Her and…the baby? Whose baby?"
Barty couldn't help but chuckle. "Yours I assumed, my Lord."
Confusion splashed across the Dark Lord's face. "Harmony doesn't have a baby."
Barty frowned at him with a smile on his lips. "Well, not yet, my Lord. Of course. Those little tykes take time before they're out running around, crying and pissing on everything,"
Quiet as a shadow, Voldemort stalked over to Barty. The Death Eater was tall but Voldemort still easily towered over him. He brought his face in close to his, watching his follower, unblinking.
"What are you saying, Bartemius?"
Barty swallowed, giving a half-shrug. "You know, my Lord. You…you….Oh." His eyes went wide as quaffles in shock and fear. He bent his head, casting his gaze down to the ground. "M-my Lord. My sincerest apologies. I thought you knew."
"Knew. What?"
"That the Dark Lady is pregnant with your—"
Voldemort's hand shot out and grabbed Barty by the neck, cutting the Death Eater's words violently short. He slammed him up against the wall, making the paintings tumble to the ground. Barty was up on his tip-toes, trying desperately to gasp for air.
"My merciful Lord," he wheezed. His eyes bulged out of their sockets, his face red and sweaty. "Please…please…."
"What are you playing at, worm?" Voldemort snarled at him, eyes wild and murderous.
"Not playing—"
"Don't. Lie. To. Me."
"It's the truth!" Barty howled with as much air as Voldemort's grip would allow. "She said it. I heard it from her own lips, my Lord!"
Voldemort squeezed, watching Barty closely. The young man wheezed but still didn't change his story. After a tense moment, the Dark Lord eased his grip, but only slightly. "If you value your life, cretin, you will tell me word-for-word what you heard."
Barty tired to swallow but couldn't. He looked anywhere other than the icy daggers before him. His master's very gaze could have stopped him dead.
"It was Moody who asked," Barty spat out, tears of pain falling down his unshaven cheeks. "Moody asked her if she was pregnant. With your child."
Voldemort watched him, his anger turning to desperation.
"And…she said…."
"Yes?" Voldemort gasped.
"'...I am.'"
Voldemort's hands went limp, and Barty collapsed to the floor among the rubbish and broken picture frames. Clutching at his throat, Barty breathed in the sweet, blessed air. He sat there, wondering wildly, how in the bloody hell he was still alive. But he wondered too soon. Suddenly, the tip of Voldemort's wand was pointed straight at his face.
"Swear to me that what you heard was true," Voldemort demanded behind gritted teeth.
"Oh, my Lord," Barty cried out, tears streaming down his face.
"Swear it."
"It's true. It's true. I swear it!"
Voldemort didn't lower his wand and Barty knew that it was truly the end for him. His life flashed in his mind like a dreary painting: enduring the embarrassment of having his father be promoted to Head of Magical Law Enforcement, finding Lord Voldemort and finally feeling accepted into a family that valued him just as he was, suffering through long hopeless nights with voices screaming in his head how pathetic he was, only to have those voices quieted by finding comfort in the arms of another—whether those arms welcomed him or not. A rather simple life. Though a bit dreary indeed.
Barty closed his eyes, whimpering, waiting for the final blow.
But it never came.
When he reopened his eyes just a sliver, Master's wand was gone. With Barty crouching on the floor much like the wounded Scrimgeour, he arched his neck up to see over the massive Minister's desk. He spotted the Dark Lord standing at the broken window with his palms on the sill, head bent down, chin to chest. A voice broke out, desperate and longing, and Barty realized the Dark Lord was muttering to himself. Barty strained to hear:
"She would have told me," Voldemort said in a voice barely above a whisper. His hands curled into fists, nails scraping the metal sill with a sickening screech. "She would have told me."
Barty dared not utter a sound. Not even to breathe. As quiet as possible, he inched himself up off the ground, keeping an eagle's eye on the frightening man before him. When Voldemort moved, he nearly screamed. However, the menacing man didn't move toward Barty. His cold, slender fingers reached for the announcement speaker system off to the side. He pressed a big red button that allowed his voice access to every shadowy corner of the Ministry. Not a single soul could miss it. Then he took the microphone, set it before him, and spoke.
"Listen all," he announced, and Barty heard it echoing outside the door, down the hallways, and out into the Atrium. Every department throughout the entire Ministry must have heard it. "It is I, Lord Voldemort..." He let the echo of his name hang in the air. "If you are wise, you will stop what you are doing and hear me, very carefully. A few of you would like to know that your Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, is still breathing. But he is irrelevant, as I am here to take his place. I have sacrificed so much to be here. The lives of my family have been taken, so cruelly by your merciless Aurors. But of course, war was inevitable..."
"Listen all...," a spine-chilling voice boomed from the speakers in the office Harmony, Harry and his Guard resided.
They had all jumped at the sound and scanned the room frantically as though expecting to see Voldemort standing in the corner.
"Bloody hell!" Ron shouted. "Where's that coming from?"
"...It is I, Lord Voldemort..."
"The Minister's office," Arthur said with a quiver of fear in his voice. "He's using the emergency line."
Harmony stood with the others, clutching her hands to her chest. Her heart quickened. The sound of his voice sent a thrill coursing through her body.
"...I have sacrificed so much to be here..."
That elicited grumbles of disagreement from the others.
"He's sacrificed?" Molly scoffed, crossing her arms.
"What gives him the bloody right?" said Ron.
"And what of the hundreds of innocent people he's murdered, I wonder," Lupin muttered under his breath.
"...I must admit, your efforts have been valiant. From infiltrating my headquarters to battling my Death Eaters. But...the end has come. The age of Dumbledore is over. The age of Harry Potter will soon follow. My time―our time, the Dark Lord and Lady―has finally arrived..."
Moody glared at her, both eyes trained hard on the young witch. Harmony looked to the ground.
"...My people, my family, still hold strong by the hundreds with more joining every day. Their faith in my cause is undeniable. To oppose me would not be an act of bravery but very foolish indeed. I speak to you fools now: do not resist me. For the sake of your few that remain, no more have to die. Lay your wands down and embrace change. Do not be dismayed by the violence our war has caused. The Wizarding World as it is needs to be destroyed, simply so it can be rebuilt into something new, something more powerful than ever before..."
"Harry, what's he mean the Wizarding World needs to be destroyed?" Ginny asked but Harry shook his head, a look of perplexity on his face.
"...you'll realize how right I've always been. Witches and Wizards are the gods of this world. Not just the Wizarding World, but of the whole earth. We were destined to thrive and rule, not hide in the shadows, afraid to reveal ourselves...I understand your resentment of me. In the past, my beliefs have been a bit misguided. I had thought that only Purebloods were destined to lead our world, because I had believed them to be more powerful. But...I was wrong. I realize that now, thanks to a certain Muggle-born witch..."
Voldemort's voice softened now, longingly.
"...A witch who has shown more power than any Pureblood. A power that rivals even my Slytherin blood. She is our Lady, my Chosen One endowed with the Serpentine charm. Although we are equals, one day she will take my place, and she will rule..."
Everyone's eyes turned to her at this. Harmony's face went hot and she shrugged sheepishly. "He's quite generous with his words, isn't he?"
Mrs. Weasley gave a disapproving shake of the head, her red hair quivering.
"...Speaking of my Lady..."
His voice now went back to its usual cruel, cold tone.
"...Harry Potter, I speak directly to you now..."
They all nervously looked to Harry but his expression remained resolute.
"...You have someone that belongs to me, someone even more precious than I thought. This individual WILL be returned immediately. She belongs with me, and the longer we're apart, the worse it will fare for you, Harry. You thought you were clever, taking her from me. You thought you could get away with it. There is nothing you can do. I do not know what you'd hoped to gain by keeping her from me, but..."
Now his voice went deathly murderous. It sent shivers through Harmony and she noticed Ginny hugging herself for comfort.
"...but let me assure you, returning her will be the smartest thing you do. When you return her, if I find her person is in a state less than perfect, I will rain fire down on you and everyone you hold dear. Should you hesitate to bring her to me, or fail to do so completely... I will burn the whole world down to the ground to find her..."
It was Harmony who shivered then.
"...Make the right choice, Potter..."
There was sharp click! as Voldemort disconnected from the emergency line.
His cold voice echoed down the halls like a winter breeze, and was gone. They all stood in silence, absorbing his words. Harry was the first to speak.
"I had no idea he felt that way about you," he said, his emerald eyes flashing at Harmony. "You're unlike any of his other followers, aren't you? He's always seen his Death Eaters as expendable, just someone to do his dirty work. He'd never go so far for just one of them."
"It's the Serpentine charm," Lupin explained. "There can only be one. In a way, she truly is unlike all his other Death Eaters. Now and always."
"It's more than the charm," Harmony found herself saying. "He cares about me, wants me safe by his side."
"Rubbish," Ron muttered.
"It's not rubbish, Ron, it's true," she pressed.
"Didn't you hear him just now, girl," Moody growled, pointing a callused finger at the speaker. "All he wants is what your power can do for him. The only thing he cares about is power."
Harmony shook her head vehemently. She touched the ring on her finger, the one Voldemort had given her during the excitement before their departure for the Ministry. "That's not all. He…he asked me to be his wife."
Everyone's eyes grew big at that. Ron's especially.
"His wife!?" he exclaimed. "Hermione, you can't be serious!"
"Now that is interesting," Mr. Weasley said, rubbing his chin in thought.
"Hold on, hold on," George said, hands raised, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "So not only are you preggers with his baby, but you're also gonna be a Mrs. Voldemort?"
"George," Mrs. Weasley warned.
"Are we invited to the wedding?" he added on the verge of laughter. "Well, not Harry probably, but I expect an invitation at least."
"George, hush! This is serious!"
Ginny's hand was over her mouth, trapped between shock and wanting to laugh out loud. Ron, on the other hand, never cracked a smile. He was absolutely distraught.
"But do you understand now?" Harmony implored, meeting everyone's eyes with hers. "If it's only my power he wants, what has he to gain by making me his wife?"
The room was silent at that.
"Why indeed," Lupin said with a frown on his tired face.
Harry only shook his head. "This is bullocks, Hermione. Voldemort spent years burning in hatred, unable to show affection to a single person. And now, all the sudden, you're the exception? He doesn't love you and he never will."
She cast her eyes to the ground and he stepped up to her, forcing her to meet his gaze. He went on, his voice softer, "We loved you, you understand? We were your real family. You were loyal to us. You risked your life to protect us from him. The Hermione I knew never would have done anything to change that."
Harmony bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. Her chest burned with shame. He was right. The old her would have stayed loyal to him. But now? She could not help her feelings. She loved Voldemort. She loved him so hard it made her heart ache.
"Ah, Barty!" Moody shouted. "So good of you to return. I was beginning to miss you, slippery snake. I've thought of a few more hexes I'll enjoy exercising on you."
Harry and Harmony broke their gaze to see Barty enter. He was a disheveled mess―more than usual―and a nasty red mark blemished his neck. He cast a doleful look at Harmony.
"Well," Mrs. Weasley said to Barty, "by that rather threatening announcement, I think it's safe to assume You-Know-Who has agreed to the cease-fire?"
Barty nodded. He swallowed and cleared his throat. When he spoke, his voice croaked. "He will meet you in the Atrium, as agreed. Hopefully, er, you can be quick about it. His mood's a bit foul."
"Let's get this over with," said Moody. "Everyone say your good-byes."
"What!?" the teenagers shouted in disappointment.
"We're all going to the Atrium," George demanded to Moody.
"Absolutely not!" Mrs. Weasley said, hands on hips. "You are all staying right here, especially Harry."
"Molly's right, Harry," Mr. Weasley added when Harry opened his mouth to protest. "With only a few of us left, it would be too dangerous for you. Voldemort would certainly take the advantage."
Harry didn't say anything at first. He looked at everyone, fists clenched at his side, before looking to Harmony. He stared at her long time, making her frown in questioning,
"Like Ron said," he said. "What if we don't want to give her back to him?"
The adults exclaimed at this. Ron straightened with hope in his eyes.
"We had an understanding, Harry," Lupin said, going over to him. "We need the Minister."
"But she's valuable," Harry argued. "With the war no longer in our favor, she may be the only advantage we have against Voldemort."
"I understand what you're saying, Harry, but the Minister is more valuable," Mr. Weasley countered. "With him, we can rebuild our ranks and reclaim the Ministry."
"But―"
"Tick-tock, tick-tock," Barty called out, tapping his wand on an imaginary watch on his wrist. "The Dark Lord awaits."
"Hold your tongue!" Moody shouted and Barty sneered at him.
"He's right, we can't waste any more time," said Mr. Weasley. "Kids, stay here. Hermione, let's go."
The young witch and wizards called out objections again, but the adults would hear none of it. Lupin put a warm, comforting hand on Harmony's shoulder and guided her toward the door. She cast sorrowful eyes at her old friends in goodbye. letting the man who had brought her there now take her away. In her last glimpse of them, they all returned her gaze with unspoken words on their lips.
Barty took the lead, followed by Lupin escorting Harmony, then Mr. and Mrs. Weasley with Moody taking up the rear. They journeyed through the Ministry, making so many disorienting turns Harmony wondered how Barty was able to find his way. They passed many abandoned departments whose windows had been broken into and been ransacked during the violent battle. Every turn they made presented more and more dead bodies littering the floor. It was like the Battle of Hogwarts, although Harmony wasn't sure which was worse. The amount of dead she saw now greatly outnumbered the ones she witnessed at Hogwarts. However, back then, most of the dead had been children, including people she knew personally.
She inspected one of the bodies more closely as they went and recognized one of the boys she had taught back at camp. A pang of sorrow shot through her. He was only a little younger than her. She didn't know his name. Why hadn't she tried to remember their names?
Though she thought the bodies were numerous while striding through the halls, it was nothing compared to the amount in the Atrium. When they entered, the sight they were met with made Harmony gasp, a hand covering her mouth. Hundreds of Death Eaters, still alive, lined the walls looking tired but satisfied in their victory. At their feet, though, lay an expanse of motionless bodies, all tangled up and overlapping each other. So many that it made walking difficult. Doing her best to stifle a whimper, Harmony stepped over the bodies, taking care not to land her foot on any of them. The others also struggled to walk, and they couldn't help but voice their horrors.
"So many of them," Mrs. Weasley cried, voice trembling. She had lost so much in the last battle. The sight of the dead must have triggered those horrific memories.
"Stay strong, Molly," Mr. Weasley said to his wife, taking her hand. "We're almost out of this."
Harmony's foot slipped on the hem of a wizard's robe and Lupin caught her before she fell onto a witch who lay face-up, her dead eyes open, staring at the vaulted ceiling.
"Alright, Hermione?" he asked and she wanted to say "No" but she simply nodded.
Every pair of eyes from the Death Eaters surrounding them watched closely, wands out in case they needed to jump in and save her from her captors.
"It's okay," Harmony said to the Death Eaters standing closest. "They won't hurt me."
Though they heard her, their posture stayed rigid.
Harmony spotted her group of followers, led by Lyra, and they nodded to each other. Up ahead, bodies had been cleared away, stacked like rubbish against the walls, and a crowd of Voldemort's followers blocked the way. They stopped some thirty meters from them, regarding the dark witches and wizards warily. To their right was the Floo Network fireplaces. To the left was the elevators, quiet and motionless. Behind the crowd, Harmony spotted the peak of the famous Fountain of Magical Brethren, though currently no water flowed from the tip of the golden wizard's wand.
Harmony's group looked around at the Death Eaters, but no one spoke, not even whispered. They simply stared.
"Let me see her," a familiar voice called out behind the crowd.
In one fluid motion they parted like a sea, and out walked Voldemort.
It was as though everyone else in the Atrium disappeared. In that moment, every single one of Harmony's senses zeroed in on him and they were the only two people in the world. Without thought, her feet moved, immediately drawn to him. He matched her steps and in no time they were standing close, drinking in the sight of each other. His eyes, wild with worry, scanned every inch of her body.
"I'm alright now," she whispered and his eyes flickered up to her lips. She could feel his burning desire to kiss her. However, he made no move to close the gap between them. Instead, a strange and unreadable look overcame his features. His breathing grew heavy and the worry in his eyes turned hard with anger.
His next words made Harmony freeze.
"Is it true?"
She stared at him and the silence hung heavy between them.
"What?" she said, not understanding why they weren't in each others arms that very moment. There was too much space between them. She needed to touch him, feel him.
"Is it true?" he repeated, his eyes unblinking.
"Is what true, love?"
"You know what."
Harmony frowned up at him, her mind reeling. Then sudden realization overwhelmed her. Back in the office with Harry and his Guard. Before Barty left, Moody had threatened to kill her and the baby. Barty must have let the information slip. Damn that sorry slippery excuse for a wizard.
Harmony shut her eyes, pressing her lips together into a tight line.
"I'm so sorry―"
"I need to hear you say it."
"Yes," she said, voice weak. "Yes, it's true."
His breath caught in his throat. "You're going to have a baby."
"I am."
At her words, a heavy weight lifted off her chest. After all this time, keeping the secret had taken a toll on her, physically and mentally. It had been like carrying a heavy boulder in her pocket and trying to swim with the weight keeping her just below the surface. Now that it was finally out in the open, she could breathe again.
Harmony watched him closely. His usually guarded expression softened with surprise and affection. But in a flash, his eyebrows knit together again in anger. His voice was sharp with bitterness and betrayal.
"Barty knew. How could you tell Barty before me, of all people?"
"He discovered by accident," she quickly explained. "I swear to you. I had never meant for you to find out that way."
"How long have you known?"
"Right before going to Menkar."
He sighed, shaking his head. "So long."
"Narcissa helped me connect the dots," she said, and then smiled sadly. "It was actually what made me decide to go save you."
"Narcissa knows. Who else knows besides me?"
"A small handful of people now," she said, thinking of her old friends and the Guard. She kept that information to herself. She figured Voldemort wouldn't take it well, his mortal enemy knowing about the baby before him.
There was obvious hurt in his voice when he said, "How could you keep this from me?"
"I had a dream," she said and quickly added when he gave her an exasperated look. "You of all people should know that dreams are more than they seem."
"Must have been quite a dream," he said bitingly, "to keep something so important, so life-changing, from me."
"You killed me."
He blinked at her.
"The entire world was burning," she went on, her eyes misting over at the memory. "You killed everyone, one by one. Finally, you pointed your wand at me."
"Harmony."
"And you killed me."
"It was just a dream."
"Maybe," she said with a half shrug. "But it made me think. All you've ever wanted was to have your legacy live on, that was the purpose of the Serpentine charm. That was my purpose. But a child? A child would be the perfect legacy―one you could raise to be the exact leader you wanted."
"And you thought that with the baby, I'd no longer need you," he finished.
"Yes."
"And so…once again you kept the truth from me."
"I was so scared," she said desperately.
"You really think I would do that?" He stepped closer, his eyes burning in earnestness. His very gaze could have set her on fire. "Harmony, you're the most important person in the world. You're my other half. I can't be without you. Being away from you just now drove me mad."
"You say all that now, but what about before, when I told you Dumbledore had sent must have wished for some sort of alternative―anything other than me."
"I've told you," he said firmly. "I don't regret giving you the charm. No matter how much you fear, no matter how much you doubt…it was always meant to be you."
Harmony could feel the Serpentine charm slither up her chest to caress her heart.
"You should have told me."
"I needed to be sure."
He raised a hand and brushed his fingertips across her cheek to move the hair away from her tear-filled eyes. Her skin tingled at his touch.
"Are you sure now?" he whispered.
They stared deeply into each others eyes.
Harmony lifted her chin.
Voldemort slowly leaned in and placed a sweet kiss on her lips.
A warm swell of bliss rose up from her belly and filled every inch of her. Just one kiss wasn't enough. When Voldemort pulled away she stood on her tip-toes to catch his mouth with hers. He made a small grunt in surprise. Her arms wrapped around his neck and his snaked around her waist. They pulled each other close until their bodies were pressed hard together.
Someone in the crowd wolf-whistled which earned a few scattered chuckles.
They finally broke apart, suddenly remembering that they weren't alone. Face growing warm, Harmony took in their surroundings and was met by the Death Eaters grinning back at her. Then her eyes fell on her old friends. All four of them stood there with their mouths open, looks of utter confusion on their faces. Barty was smirking, although his eyes were narrowed in jealousy.
Fingertips grazed her stomach and Harmony looked down to see Voldemort holding his hand there. When she looked back up at him, he smiled.
"We're going to have a baby," he whispered in awe.
Harmony placed a loving hand on his cheek.
"Enough of this," Mad-Eye Moody shouted, breaking the magical moment, and Voldemort's cold eyes flickered up to him. "We've brought your harlot, Dark Lord. Now hand over the Minister."
Voldemort's posture turned rigid and the Death Eaters mirrored him. A few spewed hateful words at the Auror, but Moody was unfazed.
"What did you call her?" Voldemort hissed dangerously, reaching in his robes to grab his wand.
Harmony laid a hand on his chest. "It's fine, love."
"It's not fine―"
"Forget it. You made a deal," she reminded him. "Give them the Minister, and then let them go."
Voldemort stared the Auror down but after more coaxing from Harmony, he relaxed. He jerked his head at Mag who disappeared back into the crowd, and he reemerged, half-dragging the Minister by the elbow. Harmony had seen Rufus Scrimgeour before in Daily Prophet photos; he had seemed like a sturdy man that wouldn't go down easy in a fight. The wizard she saw now was unrecognizable. His face was twice the size, swollen, bruised, and bloody. His hair was wet and matted with blood. He held his left hand to his chest and Harmony noticed three of the fingers were missing.
"Where are his fingers?" Harmony whispered, frightened.
"Where I left them," Voldemort said. "On the floor of the Minister's office."
Harmony shivered.
Mag stopped a few meters from Harry's Guard and tossed Scrimgeour to the ground. Lupin, Arthur, and Molly all jumped down to help him. Lupin and Arthur took him by each arm, draped them over their shoulders, and slowly lifted him back up. Scrimgeour let loose an agonizing cry of pain.
Molly waved her wand over his wounds. "Vulnera Sanentur."
His cries slowly ceased and he manged to give the witch a small, thankful nod. It was all she could do for the moment; he was going to need more serious medical attention.
"We can't Apparate with him," Lupin said, voice strained under the weight of the Minister. "Not in the state that he's in."
Mr. Weasley nodded to the Floo Network fireplaces off to the right."Those will have to do. Remus and I will take him to St. Mungo's. Molly, go back for the kids. Make sure they get out of here alright."
She nodded, and after giving her husband a love-filled look, she hurried off back where they came.
Lupin and Mr. Weasley gently carried Scrimgeour to the fireplace. Once inside, they were engulfed in emerald green flames and vanished.
Harmony had watched them go with a knot in her throat, and now that they were gone, she was left with a sense of longing.
Voldemort wrapped an arm around her and she smiled up at him, making her gloomy thoughts drift away momentarily.
Barty and Mag gathered around them, awaiting further instructions.
"Follow the woman," Voldemort ordered. "She'll lead you to Potter. When she does, bring him here alive."
"No," Harmony gasped, watching in dismay as Barty and Mag waved a group of their people over and followed Molly out of the Atrium. She reeled on Voldemort. "You can't hurt them!"
"I never said I was, darling," he purred down at her. "I told them to bring Potter back alive, didn't I?"
"So you can have the pleasure of killing him!" Harmony accused. "You promised―!"
"I promised to exchange the Minister for you." He held his hands up. "And I have."
"Please call them off," she begged.
He tilted his head, observing her desperate look in wonder. "Not going soft for your old class friend, are you?"
"They were my family once."
He stared at her, and for a brief moment Harmony thought she had swayed him. But then the moment was gone. He turned away and began barking orders at his Death Eaters as though she had never spoken out.
Harmony staggered away from him, unsure of what to do.
Her head follower, Lyra, came over, flanked by her other loyal followers.
Lyra placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright, my Lady? You look pale."
"Harmony!" Voldemort called, holding a hand out for her to return to his side.
Harmony turned back to Lyra and spoke in hurried whispers. "Go after them. Make sure they don't harm my old friends. Better yet, make sure they escape."
"What about you, my Lady?"
Harmony looked over her shoulder at Voldemort as he awaited her expectantly. "I can never leave his side. Not ever. You must do this alone."
"As you wish, my Lady," Lyra said with a bow. She motioned to Harmony's followers and they marched out of the Atrium. She watched them go with her tummy tied up in knots. Harry and her friends were good in a fight, but she wasn't sure they'd be able to go up against an entire horde of Death Eaters without his Guard. After all she had done to betray them, she owed them a safe and swift escape at least.
"Harmony?" Voldemort called again, capturing her attention.
Harmony had jumped, startled, and shook away any other thought that didn't involve Voldemort. She strode over to him, reaching out to take his outstretched hand. Before the tips of their fingers touched, all pandemonium broke loose.
A violent explosion erupted above the Atrium in bright, colorful flashes. One after the other, sparks scattered and cascaded down upon their heads. Some sparks burst into formation. Harmony recognized one that looked like a leprechaun, another was an owl, and another exploded into the shape of rather round and ample buttocks.
"What in the bloody hell!" Voldemort shouted.
"Fireworks," Harmony said, though she doubted he could hear her over the booms.
Voldemort screamed for his Death Eaters to find the source of the explosions. Meanwhile, they crowded Harmony for protection, wands drawn. Between their shoulders, she saw the Death Eaters scattering every which way in confusion, unsure of where to look first. The fireworks seemed to appear out of no where.
Strong arms clad in black grabbed her by the waist and pulled her off to the side of the room for safety.
"I'm alright!" she shouted. "Take me back to Voldemort! I must stay by his side!"
However, the Death Eater acted as though he hadn't heard. He kept dragging her, farther and farther away from the chaos.
"What are you doing!? Let me go!"
The Death Eater lowered his mouth to her ear and said, "We're not letting you go this time."
Harmony's blood ran cold.
She squirmed around in his grasp as best she could to look over her shoulder. His hood was up, but deep within the shadows of his cloak, Harmony recognized his blue eyes and freckles.
"Ron?"
Although his eyes were determined, he managed to give her a sloppy half-grin.
Three other black-clad Death Eaters converged on them and Harmony instantly noticed Ginny's fiery red hair peeking out beneath her hood. Beside her was her tall and lanky brother, and beside him was Harry. All wore black cloaks with their faces concealed in shadow. Their eyes darted about nervously as they followed Ron.
"Stop!" Harmony yelled, struggling against Ron's strong hold on her.
"It'll be easier if you didn't fight, Hermione," said Harry. His glasses glinted within the shadows of his hood.
"You all need to get out as soon as possible," Harmony said. "But you have to leave me here!"
"Fat chance," Ron said in her ear.
Harmony's cries of dissent eventually caught the attention of a real Death Eater, a younger witch who pushed herself into the group.
"What are you doing? Where are you taking our Lady?" she demanded, glaring at Ron.
"Er," Ron hesitated, but Ginny beat him to it by holding her wand up the witch's head and yelling "Stupefy!"
The Death Eater fell to the Atrium floor, unconscious.
"Blimey, Gin," George said, stepping over the witch.
"What?" Ginny said, shrugging innocently.
"Come on," Harry urged them, and Ron dragged Harmony more urgently through the throng of confounded Death Eaters.
One by one, people began to notice their Lady struggling against who they assumed was their comrades. They slowly trickled over and descended upon the small group. A wizard with a nasty scar across his cheek held his wand up to Ron.
"Did the Dark Lord tell you to take her away, friend?" the wizard asked, suspiciously. "When the Lady tells you to let her go, you'd best listen."
Without hesitation, Harry pointed his wand at the wizard. "Confringo!"
A fiery explosion erupted from the tip of Harry's wand, blasting the Death Eater away. He hit the wall and slumped to the ground unconscious―or worse―with his face covered in burns.
"Go, Ron!" Harry shouted.
Ron swept Harmony up off her feet and carried her away.
She knew producing a Cascadia would save her from them, but the fear of harming her friends stopped her. She screamed and writhed in Ron's clutches. Flashes of wand spells flew over their heads as Death Eaters attempted to reclaim her.
Ron took her straight to the Floo Network fireplaces. A few Death Eaters stood in their way. Harry, George, and Ginny squared up, one Death Eater each. Harry and Ginny finished theirs off easily enough, but George was hit with a bright white spell right to the shoulder. He cried out in pain, grasping it, and nearly staggered to the floor.
"George!" Ginny rushed to her brother's side while Harry finished off the remaining Death Eater.
"STOP THEM!" an icy voice screeched from across the Atrium. They all looked up to see Voldemort pointing a finger at them. Every single head turned in their direction, all several hundred of them.
Ron leaped into the fireplace. Harry and Ginny quickly followed with George between them while they sent spell after spell at the army of Death Eaters that descended upon them. Once they were all inside, Ron muttered their desired location.
"No, no, no, NO!" Harmony cried, as the group was completely swallowed in flames.
Her whole world spun about at a dizzying speed. Her head banged against Ron's with a sickening thud and stars burst in her eyes. Different fireplaces flashed by, giving her glimpses into the living rooms of witches and wizards throughout the Wizarding World. Smoke and ash choked her lungs, making her throat burn, and she coughed into Ron's shoulder.
When they finally reached their destination, Ron landed on his feet, but his knees buckled and Harmony went flying out of his arms. She landed on the ground hard and rolled over and over again until she collided into the side of an old sofa. With loud grunts, a few more bodies came flying out and landed against Harmony, each one heavier than the last. Pressing her palms into the floor, she picked herself up. Once she made it to her feet, she held a hand up to her dizzy head, willing it to stop spinning.
When her eyes focused, she looked around, taking in the room. It was all too familiar with it threadbare furniture, peeling wallpaper, and dusty paintings. She was back in Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Last she had walked its halls was weeks ago, when she had been trying to find her friends and was ultimately led back to Shell Cottage.
Slowly, her friends made it back onto their feet. They tore off their Death Eater robes, like shedding a snake skin, and tossed them aside with disgust.
"Bloody hell, I can't believe that worked," Ron said, brushing ash off his trousers.
"Yeah," George chuckled weakly, still clutching his shoulder. "Would have been nothing without those fireworks I found in my robes. Honestly forgot I had them."
"How in the world do you forget there's fireworks in your robes?" Ginny said, fixing her hair.
"It's easier than you think," he said, and he tried to laugh but it was cut short with a wince of pain.
"Come here, sit down," Ginny said, guiding him to the weathered couch. She inspected his wounds. "Looks swollen. Probably just a Stunning hex. It'll sort itself out in an hour or so."
While the others were distracted with George, Harmony eased her way out of the room. When she was confidently in the clear, she twirled around and headed for the front door.
"Stop!"
Harmony froze, turning back to see Harry and Ron pointing their wands at her. She slowly lifted her hands in defense.
"Where do you think you're going?" Harry asked.
"Harry," she said with all earnestness in her voice. "Harry, you have to let me go."
"Don't think so," he said, wand aimed at her chest.
"You don't understand," she said, frustration building. "I have to go back. Voldemort will be furious."
"I'm sure he will be. But he can't always get what he wants, can he?"
"You don't get it!" she said, looking back and forth between Harry and Ron. "Remember what he said during his announcement back at the Ministry? Should you hesitate to take me to him or fail to do so completely, then he will burn the whole world to the ground to find me."
"He was just being a bit over-dramatic is all."
Harmony shook her head. "No, Harry. He wasn't."
"You're not going back to him," Ron added.
"Twice now, Voldemort has gotten through our fingers," Harry said. "All because of you, Hermione. He would be dead already, and so many lives would have been spared. Every moment he remains alive, the Wizarding World remains in danger. I don't know exactly what's going on between you two―call it love if you like―but you're not going back."
"It's like he's stronger with you," Ron said, baffled. "Back at the Battle of Hogwarts, you two combined your magic and nearly blew the Great Hall to pieces."
"I'm also the only person in the world who has some semblance of control over him," she argued. "There have been times he's nearly committed murder and my influence changed his mind. And whenever he was about to do something dangerous, I was there to be his voice of reason. He listens to me."
"Where was your voice of reason when Voldemort attacked the Ministry?" Harry shouted. "Or attacked Hogwarts?"
"I barely had any warning, on both instances! You think he's bad now? Without me, he'd be worse. Trust me."
"We can't trust you!" Harry said angrily and Harmony saw his eyes were glistening with tears.
"Then why bother taking me!?" Harmony felt the sting of tears gather in her own eyes. "Why go through so much effort and risk your lives to steal me from Voldemort?"
"We're desperate, Hermione," Ron said. "Things are bad on our end. Really bad. Every day we hear more and more news of our people dying. Good people."
"We never stood a chance at the Ministry," Harry said, swallowing back his emotions. "And now? After that massacre in the Atrium. We have nothing…Nothing except for you."
"Oh," Harmony laughed, cold and humorless. "I see. You plan on using me, is that it?"
"You're the most important thing to Voldemort," Harry said. "With Scrimgeour back in our hands and you to help control Voldemort. We might actually stand a chance of winning."
"So you plan on making me your prisoner?"
Harry shrugged. "That's up to you. If you finally realize how wrong you've been this whole time and decide to help us, then no, you won't be a prisoner. However, if you fight us…"
Harmony watched them, thinking. Realizing that she had no other choice, she reached a hand into her robes and pulled out her wand. "For your own good, I'd rather fight."
She cast the first spell down the hall, illuminating the peeling wallpaper with red blocked it with a skilled quickness Harmony was only used to seeing in Voldemort. Ron took his turn by sending an Expelliarmus at her. Ron may not have been as quick as Harry but there was more punch to it, and Harmony staggered back a step when she cast his spell away.
"Bombarda!" Harry shouted, but Harmony dodged out of the way and his spell headed straight at the portrait of Mrs. Black. The moth-eaten curtains once concealing her flew apart. The old woman in the portrait saw Harmony and an insult formed on her chapped lips when Harry's Bombarda collided, shattering the canvas and frame into a million tiny fragments.
Harmony sent a powerful Stupefy down at them, and the second it left her wand, she jumped out of the hall into the kitchen. The boys pursued her and she sent a tripping jix over her shoulder at them. There was a great clatter as her jinx hit Ron and he stumbled forward into the kitchen table. Plates and silverware went flying. Harry leaped over Ron and followed Harmony around the table. She ducked beneath it for cover, sending spells at him recklessly. He bent over to cast one at her beneath the table.
"Expulso!" Harmony shouted with her wand pointed at a set of kitchen table chairs which went flying at Harry in a flurry of broken wood and splinters. He threw his arms over his face to protect it from the blow. With him distracted, she jumped up and sprinted out of the kitchen. Back out in the hall, she glimpsed Ginny and George watching them from the living room in shock. Ignoring them, she went straight for the front door.
Harmony reached out, her fingertips centimeters from the brass doorknob when―
"Incarcerous!"
The sound of a whip cracking flew down at Harmony, and she was knocked to the ground with great force, thick ropes wrapped around her body. With a cry, she struggled against her bonds. Her wand had flown from her hand.
"Accio wand!"
"Expelliarmus!" Harry quickly countered. It flew through the air into Harry's outstretched hand.
Harmony growled in defeat.
Harry strode over to her useless body lying by the door. Ron soon followed, rubbing a sore spot on his leg.
"I swear you're going to regret this, Harry. Voldemort will kill everyone! Destroy everything!" she said, trying to wriggle her way free from the ropes that bound her. "He will stop at nothing to get me back."
Harry and Ron towered over her from her spot on the floor. Harry held out his wand and pointed the tip straight between Harmony's eyes.
"That's what I'm counting on."
The last thing she saw was a violent flash of scarlet, and then everything went black.
END OF BOOK TWO
WHISPERS FROM THE PAST
THE STORY CONTINUES IN BOOK THREE
THE DARK LORD'S HEIR
COMING SOON
