Charlotte Weasley

Chapter 34 - The Other Charlotte

I froze in my tracks, hearing her words over and over again like a pulsing drum, my head aching. Please Charlotte, stop!

I completely forgot where I was standing, the whole world seemed to be revolving around me but leaving me planted there, unmoving. I was an island surrounded by surging seas, I was lost. What had I done? How could I have done whatever happened to Susan? Or whatever is happening. 

Then logic came back to me in one great crash and I came to my senses, I couldn't have. It was the simple logic of the matter. 

When I came back to reality, Britt was waving a worried hand in my face, her eyes wide. I blinked a few times and then shook my head as if to rid any other clueless thoughts. 

Susan kept on pleading and I peeked around the tree to see myself standing there. I rarely ever used my metamorphmagi so I always looked pretty similar, the same dark hair and rosy cheeks that I saw before me. 

I shook my head another time but the scene didn't change. I was standing there performing the cruciatus curse on Susan. 

Thinking quickly, I scrunched up my eyes transforming myself into a likeness of Professor McGonnagal, the first person I could think of. For some reason I felt like it meant something, not Professor McGonnagal, but the transformation. It was like the feeling you get when you reach some sort of invisible milestone. Sad, yet oddly relieved. 

I stepped into the clearing, all thoughts cleared from mind. I took out my wand and then directed it at myself. I barely noticed the wind whipping around me and the ominous clouds rolling over head in the darkening sky.  

Britt's eyes peered nervously out from the trees and I saw her take out her wand. 

Susan saw me as Professor McGonnagal and her eyes widened. 

"Professor," she croaked, "Thank you.." and then she slumped over. I hoped beyond hope that she was still alive. 

The other me turned her head around and I took a step back, my voice getting caught in my throat. 

She spoke in a voice much colder than my own, it was like frozen steel, icy and hard, "Why have you come to interrupt me?" 

Before I could do or say anything, she lifted up her wand and pointed it directly at me. 

My heart stopped. 

"Protego!" I yelled, my eyes darting away, I didn't want to see if it worked or not. In a few seconds I either would be alive or a dead corpse. 

I braced myself for anything but instead I felt a soft warmth creeping up my arms and legs. Looking back over I saw an enormous cloudy shield projected over me, it radiated a comforting heat. I had never done that before, in class I only ever made weak little trickles of the spell. Seeing it now before me made my longing to live past this night stronger.

I scrunched up my eyes and wished that I was back up at the castle, probably tucked warmly in my bed and I could almost trick myself into thinking I was. Almost. 

Then the shield charm began to melt away and with it the remaining ounce of my courage. 

She flicked her wand one more time, and this time, defenseless, I accepted it. I waited for the pain but for the second time that night it didn't happen. 

Without realizing it, I was down on my knees on the ground and I had changed back to being the normal me, no longer looking like Professor McGonngal. Through the crack-opening in my eyes I could see Britt running over and standing over me, sending a jinx straight at the other one. 

It seemed to happen in slow motion, the other Charlotte hitting the ground with a loud thump, a small tremor shaking the ground. That was almost me. Almost. 

I was almost killed, I almost went back to the castle, I almost ran away. But that was the point. Almost. I didn't and in the end that is what it's about. Almost doing something doesn't change what you did. If it did, Susan wouldn't be alive. 

After Britt cast the jinx, she ran back to the castle for help and returned with some teachers and Miss Chang. They carried Susan and I to the Hospital Wing. 

When I woke up, it was the morning and I was distinctly sore all over my body. I lifted up one arm to inspect it and it was dotted with bruises and a few minor cuts. 

At the end of the room, there were curtains drawn around what I assumed to be Susan's bed. On the side table next to my bed there were a variety of colorful get-well cards and a vase with fresh roses. I leaned over and smelled them, intaking the sweet perfumey scent. 

I sighed, wondering who it was in the Forbidden Forest when Miss Chang bustled over. 

"Are you feeling much better? You've been out for nearly a week."

"Wait then what day is it?" I asked apprehensively. 

"Saturday, dear, and you mustn't worry about that now, you've gone through a great shock. Just relax."

Saturday meant that the quidditch match was this afternoon. I had to make it. It was the finals and we had to win the match by two hundred points to beat Slytherin in the house cup. 

"Will I be able to play this afternoon?" 

Miss Chang smiled sadly, "I'm afraid not.."

Just then, Britt followed by Lacey, Valerie, Quinn, Morgan, and Adora stormed through the door. 

"Charlotte!'' Britt yelled out, smiling brightly. She ran over to hug me but Miss Chang stopped her in her tracks. 

"Girls! Remember, Charlotte was still hit with a severe curse so be careful! Be quiet, too, Miss Jones is asleep. And there can only be seven visitors," Miss Chang reminded them.

"There's six of us," Adora pointed out. 

Miss Chang sighed and returned to her office. 

"I can't play in the quidditch match!" I wailed, mainly to Adora who would understand my predicament more than the others. 

"You have to! She can't hold you in here forever!" Adora said, outraged. "I will break you out of here. Plus if you can catch the snitch quick enough you can come back here before she even notices!" I could see a few flaws in her plan but decided not to point them out. 

"You guys can deal with that later. I have to talk to Charlotte by herself," Britt said and the others waved and wished me to get better before leaving. 

Once they had left, Britt pulled up a chair next to my bed. "Okay I have a theory as to how the person in the woods was able to look like you," I immediatly sat up straighter in my bed and listened carefully, "You know how I was going to do my presentation on Polyjuice Potion? Well, Polyjuice Potion allows you to take the form of anyone you wish if you add their hairs or any other part of them to the potion, " I cringed, wondering where she was going with this, "Well the person in the woods could have made a potion and put your hairs in it!" 

I thought about this for a few moments, "But how would they have gotten my hairs?"

"Oh I don't know, had any shady encounters with people recently?" 

I shrugged.   

We talked for a little longer and then after she left I thought about how someone could have plucked a hair without me knowing. 

Then it came to me; the mysterious stranger at the Masquerade Ball. 

-------------------

And there you go, the mysterious stranger. And wow, that was a dramatic chapter.. Well the book is almost over. If you liked this chapter give it a vote.

xoxo Rose