HER DARK ENCHANTMENT Chapter 1
It wasn't anything like Harry had imagined it would be. He imagined that he would see a large house surrounded by darkness. Judging by the letter left for him by Dumbledore, he expected something dilapidated and covered in cobwebs. It wasn't. It wasn't a large house but a small cottage. The windows were perfectly intact, the light blue shutters weren't falling off the hinges, the garden wasn't empty or rotted, and it was rather cozy. It looked like a cottage straight out of a fairytale.
It was surrounded by beautiful flower beds, weeping willow trees, and a river that ran through the backyard. When Dumbledore described her as being the most dangerous enchantress of our time Harry didn't expect to see ivy growing up the side of something so simple and homely.
"Is this it?" Ron questioned, motioning to the cottage in the clearing.
"This looks like a house out of a-" Hermione started.
"-fairytale. Right, I was thinking the same thing," Harry finished.
Since they had been on the search for horcruxes, they had traveled to some of the most remote places but this one had specific instructions. You couldn't apparate here but you could apparate to a specific section of the forest. They were in so deep that it took them a solid day to find it. It was risk that Harry was willing to take, especially, if she knew anything about the horcruxes or about Voldemort.
"This could just be for show," Ron said.
"What do you mean by that?" Harry questioned.
"Well, I'm just saying that this could be how she lures you in. She could make it look great on the outside just to get you inside," Ron replied, a little horror stricken.
"Relax, Ron. Dumbledore said she would help us, not harm us," Hermione soothed.
"Yeah, that makes me feel better," Ron rolled his eyes.
Everyone had their wands ready at their side in case they were to need it. They weren't sure about the place because it wasn't what they expected. They started to walk forward and a force threw them backwards so hard that it knocked the wind out of them. A mix of shock and fear crossed through each of their faces after they made it through their coughing fits.
"Oi! What gives?" Ron shouted, coughing slightly as he started to stand.
"I guess they have to keep the most dangerous enchantress secured in her own home," Hermione answered, dusting the dirt from her pants.
"Did she create the force field or did someone else?" Harry asked, picking his wand off the ground.
At that moment, the door to cottage opened slowly and a beautiful young woman stepped onto the porch. Her dark wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders and her violet eyes pierced through the twilight. It didn't appear that she could see them very well but she knew they were there. Her kind voice called out a soft "Hello?" before she stepped from her porch to come to the outer edge. She didn't appear to look any older than mid twenties and that seemed impossible to them.
"James, is that you?" She asked a mix of excitement and fear ran over her features as she sprinted to the edge.
"No, I'm sorry," Harry answered, unsure of how close he could get before being thrown back again.
"Who are you?" she asked kindly.
"Harry Potter. Dumbledore sent us to find you," Harry mentioned.
"H-Harry?" she asked, slightly stunned.
"Yes," he affirmed.
"You look so much like your father," she commented sadly.
"I hear that a lot,"
"You have your-" she started.
"-mother's eyes. Yeah," he answered with a small smile.
She nodded sadly but a small smile still remained on her face. She looked like she wanted to say something to him but she didn't know how to start. Her mouth would open and close periodically as she pondered the reason that they were there.
"When you asked if he was James, were you talking about James Potter?" Hermione questioned, standing next to Harry.
They could see the inner struggle through the brightness of her eyes. She was contemplating everything that she had just learned but she knew that she was confusing Harry.
"I was," she said quietly.
"Did you know him?" Harry wondered.
"Yes, I did," she nodded.
"Are you Charlotte Lightheart?" Hermione asked.
Charlotte nodded and looked at the state of the three teenagers in front of her. She noticed just how tired, hungry, and lost they appeared to be. They were looking for answers. Dumbledore told them that she could give them. Dumbledore sending them only meant one thing and that one thing frightened her more than any other situation.
"You're here to find out about Tom Riddle," Charlotte stated.
She wasn't looking for a yes or no. She got the answer through the looks on their faces. It was something she did well.
"Come in. I've got dinner made and a place for you all to rest. It's a little late for any kind of stories tonight but I promise that you will be safe here," she smiled at them warmly and placed her hand against the force field.
In that moment, they saw just how big the dome was that surrounded her house. It was a translucent bubble that opened a small door to let them through. She explained, as they all walked back to the cottage, that no one could come in unless she said they could. However, in return, she could never leave.
"It is good to finally meet you," Charlotte said with a smile as she opened the door for them to come through.
Neither of them responded due to being so shocked at the house interior. Again, it was nothing that they had expected. The lights had warmth to them that comforted every part of their body and enveloped them in safety. The furniture looked softer than any bed he had slept on and the flowers that surrounded every corner left a fresh smell that brought him back. They weren't regular flowers that you would see in any regular garden. These were glowing and spinning with different kinds of colors. He felt like he belonged on a page in his Herbology book when he stared at them. Another unfamiliar, yet comforting, smell drifted from another section of the house and it smelled absolutely delicious.
"I wasn't expecting company but follow me. I'm sure I can arrange something," Charlotte said with a smile.
A stew appeared to have been brewing on the stove and there were fresh rolls that had appeared from out of the oven. The steam was not lost on them but he did notice that the pot she stirred looked incredibly small for four people. Before he realized it, she had touched the tip of the pot quickly and pulled her hand back to put her finger in her mouth. Harry felt bad that she had burned herself but the sight he witnessed amazed him too much to ask if she was alright. The pot grew several sizes along with the contents of the pot. The rolls multiplied as she blew on them and she spun her hand in the air to reveal a marvelous cake layered with strawberries and whipped topping. She handed them each a bowl and motioned to the pot for them to go first.
They all were too hungry to question the contents and dug in until they couldn't eat any longer. Charlotte ate slowly but she carefully studied each one of them. Her eyes, naturally, landed on the scar that graced Harry's forehead. Fear shot through her body because she knew what it meant. Tom had warned her about what would happen if she didn't let up. She couldn't believe he had gone through with it. Anger ripped through the fear and then sadness crept in.
This was all her fault. She didn't know how she was going to explain herself but she had to try. Hermione held a hand on her stomach and doubled over a bit.
"When was the last time you guys have eaten?" Charlotte asked, acting quickly to help them.
"We haven't eaten any kind of big meal for quite some time," Ron answered, rubbing Hermione's back as she growled in pain.
"I've got just the thing,"
Charlotte grabbed a milky white flower with a large lip out of a vase in her kitchen. She urged Hermione to drink it slowly so that the pain would disappear faster. Hermione noticed that the nausea and pain subsided just as quickly as she had informed.
"Is that a Milk Flower?" Hermione questioned, taking deep breaths.
"It's one of the rare ones. I grow them in my garden," Charlotte smiled.
"I thought they were mythical," Hermione added.
"Most think this because it's not found just anywhere. There was one garden at my school where they grew abundantly. I stole a couple before moving and they've always traveled with me. They're the best medicine," Charlotte winked.
"You've been really wonderful so far but why does Dumbledore want us to talk to you about Voldemort?" Harry asked.
"I've known Tom in two different ways. It's going to be a very long story and you all looked dirty and too exhausted to hear it tonight. I promise your safety for several days. No one will find you here," she assured.
"How can you guarantee that?" Ron asked.
"Just trust me," she said, smiling warmly, "now, there are two bathrooms down the hall so one of you will have to wait. However, I have Milk Flower tea brewing and biscuits in the oven for you while you simmer down. I need to create a place for you to sleep,"
The trio watched her in awe as she waved her hands to the side and the furniture disappeared from her living room. The flowers and couches were replaced with three extremely cushiony beds. The sheets were red and gold lined like their house colors. Nightstands appeared with cups and saucers attached to them so that they were ready to relax. Their mouths hung open as they witnessed the change and Charlotte smiled at them as she handed them crimson materialized towels.
"Why can't we stay with her while we're searching for horcruxes?" Ron asked as they made their way to the baths.
Charlotte didn't have the heart to tell them but she assumed that she would have to soon enough. They would want answers come morning but they were so tired and hungry now that they didn't question too much. If it hadn't been for the force field, she was sure that they would have refused to stay in one place for too long.
-XOX-
Harry couldn't sleep like the other two. He had too many questions running through his mind. There was too much uncertainty that was associated with everything that had happened that evening. Sure, she had fed them, let the clean up, and was willing to house them for a few days but Harry still had no idea who she was. She was supposed to be the most dangerous enchantress in the world but he had yet to see that in her.
"Harry, is something wrong?" Charlotte asked as she passed by the doorway with a cup of tea in her hand.
She sipped it carefully before smiling at him warmly.
"I just have so many questions," Harry said, sitting up a little more straight.
Charlotte came into the room and sat in the chair that had remained in the corner during the moving. She sipped her tea carefully and crossed her legs. There was so much that she wanted to tell him but it would just confuse him. The back story was what he needed and that was going to take a long time to tell. At least, to tell everything truthfully, it would take a long time.
"If you are anything like your father then you are curious. I will answer two questions tonight but nothing more until tomorrow. Would that help?"
"More than you know," he said.
"Then ask away,"
"How do you know Lord Voldemort?" Harry questioned.
Charlotte groaned inwardly. She knew this was going to be his main question. How could it not? It was the reason he had come to her to begin with. Her answer could keep him at bay until the morning. She hoped it would.
"Our story is a long one. I wish to tell you more of it tomorrow but it wasn't until my fifth year at Hogwarts that I really noticed he was there. I knew him as Tom Riddle. That's who I'll refer to him as. This persona he's developed over time doesn't exist to me. He was a completely different person then than he is now. However, I'm proof that he could love and that he could be loved," she answered, saving the rest for the morning.
Harry nodded and knew that she would go into more detail the following day. His trust in her was strengthening as his questions were being answered.
"How did you know my father?" Harry asked his second question.
Charlotte took a sharp intake of breath as she relived their last moments and then the moments before that. Explaining their story was going to be even harder for her and more than likely for him. Since most of those associated were dead because of her, she didn't know how to tell him the truth.
"I knew your grandfather as well. We attended school together. We were old friends," she was hoping that would be enough of an answer.
Of course it wasn't but he let it go. After all, he was his father's son. He would never let it go and he would try to push the limits as best he could.
"Can I ask one more question? It'll be a quick one," he begged.
She laughed lightly to herself and stood from the chair. She knew that he was a lot like James.
"Only one more and then you need your rest,"
"How old are you?"
She smiled at the question and this calmed his nerves for asking.
"Enchantresses stop aging at various ages but I stopped at the age of twenty-five. My real age is seventy-two. Being an enchantress has its perks," she winked.
It may not have put his mind at ease but it settled him until the morning. Her fear of telling him the truth was becoming more fearful each second. If he knew the truth behind the games that Tom played in her mind then he might be sympathetic. Then again, he could fly completely off the handle. She had to tell him everything tomorrow or he would never defeat the creature they called Voldemort.