1 : IMPERIO

CHAPTER 1: DUMBLEDORE

Word Count: 3750

Snape was in the kitchen cooking something. Charlotte lay on the couch of the living room in such a way that she was sure her back and neck was going to ache later. She was reading a magazine about – well it was a magazine; she didn't expect anything interesting there. Tired of reading informative journals, and school books, magazines were next best thing. There were pictures of brooms and broom care equipment, flipping the pages she saw a few jewellery designs, some clothing brands, and new chocolates. Charlotte groaned bored and threw the magazine on the coffee table.

"I'm so boooorrrreeddddd!!!" she cried.

"Go paint or something then." She groaned again. It was just start of summer, and surely enough it was a huge torture.

"I don't want to. I want to do something interesting, something exciting or thrilling." She sat up straight, her hair not tied and messy. "I want to colour my hair!!" she exclaimed, and jumped up the couch.

"No" said Snape without a beat, and her enthusiasm crashed and she sat back on the couch gloomily.

"Oh come on dad, you suggest something then." Snape walked out, and stood at the door, leaning on the door frame.

"I told you to go paint."

"I don't want to paint."

"Then learn some new language or something" he said and walked back in the kitchen. Charlotte's eyes widened at the suggestion, as she rushed to her room.

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One and a half month passed since Charlotte decided she wanted to learn French. Snape had thought she was crazy, as she read the whole French dictionary.

With her eidetic memory she had memorised the whole dictionary in a month with pronunciations. Snape couldn't believe when Charlotte bough French story books and started reading like it was her first language. She had started reading The Phantom of the Opera in French, and she couldn't put the book down. It was just so goddamn good.

"When are you going to even check your school letter Charlotte?" asked Snape as he sat in his study writing something, and Charlotte lay on the couch in some very horrible position. She just hummed not paying attention and Snape sighed. "You have to get your books. School starts in fifteen days." Charlotte placed the book aside and looked up at him.

"I don't want to go to the bloody school." She groaned, and Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Really, up until two months ago you said and I quote, couldn't wait for the school to start so I can finally roam around the castle without the stupid cloak." She sat up and grunted.

"I know, but now all I want to do is stay at home and learn all the languages. Can I please do that?" she batted her lashes and Snape shook his head standing up.

"No you can't. You need to go to school."

"Why?" she whined. "I already know most of the stuff. I've almost read half the library. You can home school me. You stay at home and teach me; I will stay at home and learn Greek and Latin." Snape sighed and pulled her up from the couch and lead her to the living room.

"You have spent too much time reading books. You need to go out and socialise and make friends." At that Charlotte stopped and turned to look at him in disbelief.

"Really, you're the one to say." She said and walked to her room shaking her head.

"Now you get ready in twenty minutes, I'll let Dumbledore know you are ready to go today."

Charlotte did not like the fact that she had to leave the house. Her social skills had gotten better over the years, but the reason she didn't want to go was Dumbledore. She knew he was going to be taking her, and he had a job for her. She wasn't supposed to be like a normal eleven-year-old at Hogwarts – more like she wasn't allowed to be – but she had to pretend to be. It was one of the reasons apart from her boredom that she focused on learning a new language. It got her mind off of a job she didn't know.