Secrets (Prequel To Bar Elate)

Chapter One

September 1st, 1941

The cool breeze broke through the shady oak trees and found its way through the darkened locks of her hair. They were splayed around her on the grass as she watched the fettered clouds pass around her. The light blues and purples that followed the sunrise caused a light smile on her face. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. This was what she loved most; the end of summer. The air filled her lungs and surrounded her in hope. This year was going to be her fifth year and she couldn't have been more excited. The only thing that bothered her was the fact that she was getting older. She wished that she could remain young and naïve forever but seventeen will come and go with or without her.

Eyes still closed, she fingered the soft grass and dandelions that grew within them as she thought about her friends and the long train ride to her favorite place. She barely thought about her disastrously cluttered room that wasn't packed up yet. Her sister was going to say something at breakfast but she didn't really care either way. How could she when she was surrounded by all the beautiful pieces of the atmosphere on a day like today?

She didn't want to think about how dim her room was despite the single strand of sunlight that managed to flutter through her curtains. She had to leave it behind. She couldn't be kept any longer.

"Charlotte!"

Charlotte was brought out of her meditation only to sigh in sadness. She had become so comfortable in her spot on the grass that she didn't want to leave it. Her mother's voice still beckoned from the screen door leading into their backyard. She peered around at the tire swing and the old tree house that sat on top of the old Oak. They were all covered in dew from the early morning and bright sunlight filtered through the leaves.

"Charlotte Anne!"

The harshness in her mother's voice made her sit up instantly. Ignoring the head rush and the dampness from the dew on her backside, she marched from her spot into the unbearably warm kitchen. The smell of scrambled eggs and burnt toast filled her lungs. It was a disappointment compared to the fresh air that had once lingered there.

"Why are you up so early?" her mother scolded.

"I couldn't sleep," Charlotte defended.

She couldn't tell her that she had been having nightmares again about the outing of her enchantment powers. She had wished, like all of her family members, that she would be a witch. Her entire family had always been one with the witches and it dated back beyond what she could comprehend. She shouldn't have felt fear about where she would end up. Although, she couldn't help but get a bad feeling about what would happen if it were to come out. She would be exiled from her friends of worse...expelled from Hogwarts. Her family had managed to keep her secret but she didn't know how long that would last. Strange things had been happening since she came home last spring but it wasn't something she dared to tell her parents. She didn't want them to be as worried as she was.

"I hate to think that you have to take that train ride when you're exhausted,"

She looked a little disappointed that they were leaving today for Hogwarts.

"It'll be alright. We have plenty of snacks, water, and time to nap on the train. Things will be fine. Trust me?" Charlotte asked with a cool smile.

Her mother gave a relieved smile and hugged Charlotte tightly. She patted her unruly hair and wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Before you leave this house, you are to brush your hair. Honestly, child, you have tangles for days! Now, go ahead and wake your sisters up. Breakfast is almost ready," she nagged.