Secrets (Prequel To Bar Elate)

Chapter Three

Later That Day- 1941

As it was the first day of school, Charlotte always liked to continue with the traditions that she had set for herself. The last five years, she skipped Divination to go swimming in The Great Lake. She understood why some called it The Black Lake with the fallacies that insinuated a giant squid squandered in the depths but there was much more to it than that. There were many kinds of creatures that resided in the lake but Charlotte learned long ago that if you don't bother them then they won't bother you. In this case, she wasn't bothered but enchanted. How was she going to tell her friends that she was seeing Andrew? Was it something that she really wanted? It's not just something that comes out or happens. These kinds of things take planning. She still hadn't wrapped her head around being with someone and labeled under everyone else's impertinent gaze. She wanted to be free from all of that. Considering his popularity and devilishly good looks, she was bound to get some kind of negative reaction from the female population. She wanted a year where she didn't find some form of potion that made her spit bees or something. She just felt like the sneaking around with him was more fun than actually being in a relationship with them.

She lay there on the grass before the lake and watched as the sun glimmered off the ripples that surfaced. No doubt it was the giant squid playing with the bubbles like he always did and it was just so pleasing to Charlotte for her to be able to see him. He was happy and he was free. Just as she longed to be. It just seemed that everything around her was forcing her to become domestic. Who wants a domestic enchantress? That was something else that frightened Charlotte. If she had begun to date Andrew and lied to him about her magical ability, she imagined that it wouldn't go over well. Why couldn't she be like the squid? He could do anything he wanted as long as he wasn't disturbed. She wished she didn't have to listen to someone else the rest of her life just because being half an enchantress could earn her a one way ticket to one of the strictest academies in a country pretty far from what she was already accustomed to. She was even more upset that she couldn't be herself. She couldn't tell her friends and she couldn't even tell her best friend. She wasn't sure Andrew would understand. She'd be newly cast as the freak that belonged in a museum rather than a school. Then Charlotte would have to beg for that one way trip to Sorcellerie Academy.

She removed her robes and stripped down to the blasted slip that she had to wear under her plaid skirt and button up shirt. She waded into the ice cold water and relished in its temperature. She never went so far in the water that it would disturb the Grindylows and she certainly never went deep enough to anger the Merpeople. The squid had never seemed to mind that she was just swimming or he didn't know she was there. Either way, they could both pretend to live in their happy world.

Then she began to think about Transfiguration again and how Tom Riddle seemed to be so against sitting with her because of their houses. The only time Charlotte ever thought of house competition was when there was a Quidditch match but that was only because Andrew was the captain. Another time that she would have thought about the house separation was at the end of the year when house points were rewarded or deducted. Tom Riddle just stood in the middle of the room and denied her invitation to sit with him. She eventually got him to accept but it shouldn't have been that difficult to choose. The real test would be if he sat with her tomorrow in Transfiguration or if he decided to arrive before everyone else in order to pick his seat. Something about him burned into her soul and she wasn't quite sure what it was. He had this way of interrupting her thoughts lately and she tried to push it out with thoughts of her escapade with Andrew that morning. However, every lasting impression of Tom Riddle burned her and she couldn't decide if she enjoyed the fire or not.

Charlotte had finished her swim and was drying off when she heard talking coming her way. She gathered up her clothes, her drenched slip covered by a towel, and fled towards the bridge so she could stop and get dressed. However, the conversation that was going on was much too interesting to ignore.