Weapon ~ harry potter

Chapter 1 : Fresh air

She was walking down a dark corridor, the only light coming from a room at the end of it. There were bedrooms with beds alongside the corridor, but not a single person in them. She looked down at her naked feet and realized she was wearing a hospital gown. She was in a hospital. Was she the only one here ? Like if her thoughts were heard, a voice whispering some complex words came to her ear. A baby's cry echoed. She recognized this noise and it worried her. The crying became louder and louder, consuming her brain, she started running. She needed to get to the baby. But it was like running on the spot, she could never reach the end of the corridor. Despite the pain, she needed to get to the baby, she screamed for help but it only intensified the cry. Closing her eyes as if it would protect her, she collapsed.

She opened her eyes only to close them. Why were the lights so damn blinding ? And why were they on in the first place ? She slowly opened her eyes, her hands covering them as she sighed, it's been three weeks since she last had this nightmare. The only nightmare she ever had. A loud thud made it's way to her ears as she sat up, her legs crossed. Scanning the room and the floor, she noticed her notebook on the floor near her bed. She stood up to get the notebook only to be interrupted by a voice whispering at the back of her head ;

He is coming. Albus Dumbledore is coming... it whispered.

As Charlotte heard footsteps get closer to her, she quickly picked up the notebook and jumped on her bed.

The door opened just as she hid it under her pillow. A healer appeared in the door frame, his brows furrowed at the innocent look plastered on the girl's face, "Hello Charlotte, you have a visitor." he slowly announced. He entered the room and opened the door wider to let the man enter. He was tall, had a long silver beard tied with a ribbon at the end along with long silver hair, his purple hat matched the elegant purple robes he was wearing. Moon shaped glasses rested on his crooked nose.

"If she starts acting strangely, call a healer and we will come." the healer to the man.

She rolled her eyes, the healers would always think she didn't hear them say that to anyone who was entering the room. From an intern who was bringing her food, to a very competent healer who was here to examine her.

"Thank you" said Dumbledore politely.

With one last suspicious glance, the healer left the room and closed the door. Charlotte got up and walked up to the man. He was finally here but instead of feeling happy, she was angry. What had taken him so long ? He extended his hand ;

"Albus Dumbledore."

"Why are you here ?" she ignored his hand and looked at him in the eyes.

Albus lowered his hand, "To get you out of this hospital." Seriously ? Charlotte tilted her head slightly and rose an eyebrow ;

"And ?"

"I need your help." he kept the eye contact.

Charlotte went to her desk, picked up her chair and placed it in front of her bed on which she sat down. "Sorry for being rude, let's start over." she motioned to the chair in front of her. Albus sat down. If he needed her help, then he knew about her ability, then wouldn't he know about her identity ? "Charlotte- what do you know about me ?" she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Charlotte Grindelwald." he nodded.

"Okay," she sighed, "Why are you here now ?"

"As you might know," he paused to choose his words, "Lord Voldemort is back." Albus watched in surprise the girl, she didn't flinch a bit. "And I need your help to take him down."

"With the rest of the Order of the Phoenix ?" she curiously inquired, her eyes lighting up. Charlotte had heard many story of the Order by the voices. He nodded, an impressed glint in his blue eyes. "So I'd be a member of the Order ?" he nodded again, "Where would I live ?"

"In a guestroom at Hogwarts, you could assist classes, help other students. You'd be considered a member of the staff. Only the members of the Order will know about you."

"You do realize it will take them time to trust me ?" she stated.

"I do, but with time, they will begin to trust you. We need you and they know it." he paused, "I will come back in a week to hear your decision."

But for Charlotte, she didn't need to think about it twice. Being a member of the Order of the Phoenix, having people listen to her instead of  calling her crazy and drugging her, getting out of this place and living in Hogwarts , why would I say no ?

Charlotte stood up from her bed under the curious eyes of Albus Dumbledore, walked to the desk at the opposite side of her room where she picked up a bag containing her notebook, some of her clothes and put a strange ring, with a small flattened deep blue orb on it, on her right hand's fourth finger. Diane's ring. She didn't have a lot of possessions so she was going to travel lightly.

"I'll come with you." she said smiling at Dumbledore. For a split second, she saw relief in his eyes.

They walked out of the room to an office. Dumbledore had asked her to wait outside the office. Charlotte sat down on a chair but quickly got up.

It felt weird and almost uncomfortable to sit in this chair and it would've been the same in any other chair from St. Mungo's hospital. They were all identical, just like the Weasly twins, like she heard the voices say.

***** (trigger warning, read the chapter Introduction if you are confused)

She had seen so many people in them waiting for news about their loved ones, worried they would die. She had seen countless happy and sad tears drop on the light grey fabric. She had seen people collapse in these chairs after waiting for hours, tired from all the worry. Images of wounds and liquids dripping from them flashing in her mind. Charlotte closed her eyes and rubbed them. 

She remembered the curious faces of the people that would watch her walk in the halls during her free hours. Sometimes she read empathy in their eyes. She didn't know what to think of that, she was annoyed that they would look at her like a fragile little bird but also weirdly happy to know that some people in these dark times were still able to feel empathy for strangers.

*****

The door reopened, showing the silver bearded man walking out of the office and handing Charlotte a large file.

"It contains all your medical records, you might need them later so I advise you to keep it in your bag."

Nodding, Charlotte took the file and put it in her bag. Her shoulder lowering at the weight of the bag, she sarcastically said ;

"Guess I won't be traveling lightly after all." A grin formed on Albus Dumbledore's lips as he began walking down the stairs back to the entrance, which was also the exit.

And just like that, after all the paperwork, she was walking out of her prison. Breathing fresh air for the first time in eight years. Giving a grateful look at the man standing beside her who was offering her his arm. She took it, knowing what he was doing, and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, ignoring the slight dizziness she felt, she was standing in between the numbers 11 and 13, Grimmauld Place.

*****explained :

In these paragraphs, Charlotte talks about . I thought these paragraphs might be triggering for some people as it sounded a bit like trauma to me.