The Serpent's Teeth:
His Desires

Even closer

Tom

He had stayed beside her.
Haylee's eyes remained closed.
Was she asleep?
He didn't think so, he could literally see her mind working behind her forehead.
But when he immersed himself in her thoughts, he found them strangely empty- just like last time.
She was hiding something, of that he was sure.
The Dark Lord had planned on leaving after having stilled his thirst, but instead he found himself gently running his fingers through her copper-red hair, the same way that he used to do to Hazel.
"Hazel..." The Dark Lord muttered in a low voice.
He thought back to that day, the day she left him- no, the day he had told her to leave.
She was bearing a child- his child, a future heir to Salazar Slytherin...

Haylee opened her eyes and looked up at him- apparently surprised.
The Dark Lord noticed that she was itching to say something, but instead, her face took on an slightly cynical expression.
But that wasn't the only thing.
There was a shadow in her eyes, a shadow of bitterness and hopelessness?
No, it was hard to believe.
At that age?
How old was she?
Twenty-three?
"Exactly," said Haylee, and her lips curled into an arrogant smile.
If Tom didn't have his emotions so well under control, he would have stared at her in disbelief.
Had she just read his thoughts?
But how was that possible?

Haylee

Haylee laughed inwardly.
She could hardly believe it.
She had managed to read the Dark Lord's thoughts.
No!, barked an inner voice.
She hadn't accomplish her main goal just yet.
Her wand was laying on her desk, she could hardly stand up and take it.
Maybe he would fall asleep if she would wait a little longer?
That was highly unlikely.
But if he stayed for a bit longer...
He had been briefly distracted and Haylee had managed to immerse herself in his thoughts, and not vice versa.
A strange satisfaction filled her.
At the same time Haylee loathed herself for it.
What was she thinking?
It could hardly be due to her illness...
Haylee wasn't thinking about the fact that she had slept with the one and only Dark Lord, no, she thought of what was now being asked of her, what she herself demanded of herself.
She impulsively stroked his cheek.
No, the heartless voice in her head whispered once again.
This is wrong, don't do it!
But Haylee was not heartless.
She was a feeling person.
She had enjoyed what had transpired between them ...
No.
Do not finish that thought Haylee Rosier! If you do that, you will not be able to kill him.
That voice again...
Maybe it's her conscience?
That was hardly likely.

The eyes of The Dark Lord answered her gaze.
It was strange, and probably understandable for anyone else, but in this moment, she leaned toward him and approached with her face to his. When she was only a few centimetres away from his lips, and the inner voice warned her to stop repeatedly, Haylee suddenly felt a rough thrust of The Dark Lord's hand that she nearly fell out of bed.
Confused and also disappointed, Haylee stared at him for a while, but eventually then turned her back at him and remained lying there.
As she felt him sitting up, Haylee knew that he was about to leave.
Damn it! Why hadn't she trusted in her inner voice?
"I'm sorry," she whispered almost inaudibly.
She heard as The Dark Lord paused in mid motion.
Seconds passed before Haylee felt him stroking her hair over her shoulder and kissed her neck.
A small smile spread on to her face, at this small gesture.

After The Dark Lord apparated, Haylee stood up as well as.
Just a little bit more, then the game would be over.
"It's just a game," she repeated aloud.
Yes, game, that was the right word.
It was merely a game.
A dangerous game that she couldn't afford to lose.
With a sigh, Haylee let herself fall back into bed.
She had wanted him...
"But not like this," she whispered to herself. "Not like this."
One complication, had occurred.
It had pleased her, and yes, she had longed for him.
The young witch was angry with herself.
She was too upset to go back to sleep now.
The Dark Lord had pushed her away, when she leaned in to kiss him.
Normally, one would expect the opposite...
It was confusing.

Was it her fault?
Had she done something that displeased him?
Not that she knew...
After a while Haylee's eyelids began to get heavier and she fell into a dreamless sleep, without knowing that someone at this very moment was having nearly the same thoughts as her...

Tom

The look she had given him, haunted him.
Haylee Rosier was a strange person, and perhaps dangerous.
She was dangerous, at least as long as he didn't know what she was hiding.

He shouldn't have responded to those beautiful eyes, those eyes that reminded him so much of Hazel... Instead, of him slowly losing interest in her, as it had been the case with Bellatrix, it only increased.
The Dark Lord told himself that this was only because he didn't 'really posses' her yet.
There was just something in her eyes, something absent, as if she was constantly thinking about something.
But what use was it to ponder about it?
He would just let her come to him, after all, she was just another woman...

Haylee

The next few days went by without incident. Haylee knew he would come back to her.

It was a quiet evening.
Alexander hadn't come home yet.
Her other two siblings were in their respective rooms playing games, or in Timothy's case reading.
Haylee even sat in the small living room.
In fireplace crackling fire and threw dim light on the pages of a book in which she read.
Suddenly she heard a slight noise behind her.
She let the book fall into her lap.
"I hope that I'm not disturbing anything..." Haylee heard the voice of The Dark Lord from behind her.
"To be honest ..." Haylee stood up, carefully placed the novel on the small Onyx table, turned around, and completed her sentence:
"... You're not."
Apparently amused, he let his gaze wander from her face over her body, and back again.
It was clear why he had come.
Or was she imagining things?

Haylee took a step forward.

There was a knock at the door, which was open after a slightly exasperated "Come in," from the auburn haired witch.
Tim who had just opened his mouth to say something froze in mid-motion, when he saw the Dark Lord.
"Yes?" Haylee asked her younger brother .
"There's this ..." The boy stole a quick glance at The Dark Lord.
"This man..."
"What man?" She exclaimed more sharply than expected.
But instead of a reply, Snape burst into the room.
"Forgive me my lord", he blurted breathlessly, as his black hair fell into his face.
"What do you want?" The Dark Lord asked with an annoyed sigh.
"We were betrayed! Aurors... the Ministry knew where we were headed... " Snape's usually cool composure was gone.
His pale cheeks had taken on an ugly red, his breathing was pressed.
"What do you mean?!," thundered The Dark Lord.
"They were expecting us!"

Haylee had not immediately understood what was at stake, here eyes opened wide as realisation hit her.
"Expected? Does that mean there is a traitor..."
"...Or the Ministry had simply more luck than it deserves," Snape said.
"What exactly happened, Snape?"
"There must have been twenty Aurors."
"And who did they take?"
"I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps Greenwood and... " Snape trailed off and glanced quickly over at Haylee.
"Alexander! No, not Alexander! "She gasped.
"Rosier?"
"I can't be sure where the others are, my lord."
"Those filthy, unworthy worms!" The eyes of The Dark Lord flashed red with anger.

Haylee didn't hear the rest of the conversation between the two men.
No, not Alexander, that was the only thing she could think.
"You stay here. I'll convince myself of it," the Dark Lord said, after some time, and the Haylee could still feel his eyes fixed on her, before he Apparated.

"Tell me, Severus!" Haylee called out when she found her voice again.
"What did they do to Alexander? Where is my brother?!"
Snape disappeared from her view.
"I didn't know, I swear it."

"Oh God!" She groaned and dropped to her left on the sofa.
What it good was it to her, if The Dark Lord was dead, but Alexander was held somewhere in Azkaban?
"Maybe he... went into hiding. Perhaps the Aurors saw and recognized him and therefore he couldn't come back. "
"As if," Haylee muttered, whilst nervously chewing on her lower lip.

Haylee suddenly noticed blood dripping on to the floor from Snape's tattered robe sleeve, and the nasty scarring on his face.

"Sit down and be quiet," she said, turning to him.
Now she also became aware Tim's presence again, and ushered him to tell the house-elves to bring clean towels and hot water.

After Tim, went to get the house-elves, Haylee finally managed to get Snape to sit on the sofa, she took Snape's potion from her room.
When Haylee returned to the living room, she couldn't help herself and smiled at the scene unfolding before her eyes. Tim was back already, but now someone was sitting on the couch just beside Snape.
Cathy spoke cheerfully to a slightly bemused wizard.
Haylee's smile faded when she saw how grim Tim was looking.
"Tim, bring Catherine to bed."
"I'm not tired," wailed Cathy and then let out an enormous yawn.
"Of course not. Come on Cathy, up you go." For a change the little girl followed her sister's wish, and left the living room closely followed by Tim.

Haylee brought her attention back to Snape's arm.
She walked over to him without saying a word, pushed the torn fabric aside, and examined the injury.
Fortunately it wasn't as deep as Haylee had first expected.
After she had cleaned the wound, Haylee dabbed at the wound with the healing potion, the scratches on his face underwent the same treatment.
She leaned over Snape's face and brushed his hair from his forehead.

As she leaned a little further forward, she felt Snape's breath caressed her skin.
Haylee bit her lip and forced herself not to pay attention to it.
When she had finally finished her "work" , she said: "I'll give you something from Alexander to wear." Haylee hurried out of the living room after that, Snape's dark eyes followed after her.

After Snape had taken his leave, Haylee remained in the living room, praying that her brother would finally return, but he didn't come.

He just couldn't have been sent to Azkaban!
That wasn't possible.
And if he did?
That would be the end!

"Alexander in Azkaban? Nothing could be worse than that," she said, and was almost convinced that her brother was in the wizard prison.
What Haylee didn't realise at the time, was that things could always get worse than expected...
______________________________________

AN:

Hillo(:
I'm really sorry for the lack of updates on this story lately, but due to work, classes and course work I have been too busy to write...
However I will try to have a new chapter up at least once a month from now on, so don't give up on this story just yet.

The next chapter should be up sometime today or tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Much love
Jamz