The Madness of the Queen

II.

Two Months Later

Charlie sat against a stone, overlooking the river flowing below. The cloak she kept had long since repaired itself to perfection. In her hand was a strange silver object with a symbol of a snake imprinted on it, coming out of a skull.

It was originally on the cloak when it repaired itself. For some reason, the image of it instilled fear into her, but not the normal kind of fear. It was like the fear fueled her with a dangerous kind of joy.

A woman appeared out of a murder of crows. One would normally think they were hallucinating if they saw her. Her eyes looked like reflections of the world around her, but they weren't quite right, her skin was paradoxically pale and dark at the same time which moved on their own, her hair was black and long before at the tips were snakes and a crown that looked like a gothic crown yet simultaneously was made out dead ravens.

Charlie asked, "Mania, was it? What do you need?" Mania replied softly, "you got a letter. The owl trying to send it died because it saw me and its head exploded."

Charlie had to take a moment before she bursted out laughing. Mania set the letter down next to her and said, "you know how it is when an animal sees me. It kills them, but humans are driven insane by the constant presence of me in the corners of their eyes until they commit suicide."

Charlie replied, "ah, yes, the beauty of madness." Mania smiled, "anyways, get onto the letter and I'll have Demeter get a new owl to replace it so you can send it back."

Charlie knew that if Mania had to do that, the mail was important. She carefully opened it, finding her Hogwarts invitation letter. She was thinking about declining it since she prefers her contact with the gods, until she felt a hand on her shoulder and the soft voice of her mother saying, "Charlie, you should accept it."

She felt a shiver as she realized it was Echo. Charlie admonished, "Echo, don't sneak up on me like that!" Charlie turned around to see the red haired Oread smiling softly at her.

She knew what Echo was trying to tell her. She asked, "should I go?" Echo replied with her mother's voice, "yes, Hogwarts is important if you want to help your world."

Charlie nodded and began writing her response letter, accepting Hogwarts' invitation. Afterwards an owl came flying to Charlie and Demeter told her, "heard you needed an owl." Charlie shouted, "thanks Demeter!"

With the owl she carefully gave it the letter and watched as it flew away. Charlie swiftly stood from the stone and began to walk into the forest until she couldn't hear the beautiful sounds of wildlife before she paused at an intersection where she revealed a hidden portal for her to pass through into Diagon Alley.

She had the cloak over her form, and swiftly pinned on her shirt underneath the silver diamond with the symbol of a snake coming out of a skull before she started slowly walking into Gringotts.

The moment she entered, a goblin teller swiftly came to her side and told her, "my dearest lady, I will take you to King Ragnok." Charlie was genuinely confused, but nonetheless followed the goblin teller.

As she walked down the halls with the goblin teller, she asked, "so sir, may I inquire why you called me 'dearest lady?'" He replied, "why it's rather simple my lady, it has been centuries since we last had someone like you. Actually the last time we had one like you, it was when Hogwarts was first founded."

Charlie tried desperately to understand, but he could tell that she was confused, he explained, "you, my lady, are the queen of the entire world."

Charlie paused, her heart racing. She muttered, "that can't be possible, I'm insane and mad alright, but I can't be queen. I would do more harm than good."