Chapter 17, the last chapter of our little saga, only the first story of it though. I guess, well when I first thought of the plot I thought it would make three shorter stories rather than 1 huge inanely long story. So any way here we go.
Birds That can't fly
Chapter 17: Judgement.
Charlottes breath caught in her throat for a moment as Harry Potter took a seat next to her in the nearly empty Gryffindor common room. She sat quitely , her mind racing, trying to think of the appropriate thing to say. Nothing Particularly intelligent or sensible came to mind. So she remained silent, probably better in this case, to let him make the first move.
"Hey." Harry said.
Charlotte managed a weak smile " Hey. How are you?"
"Good, I'm good." he nodded his head slightly. More uncomfortable silence. She could see he was on edge, but she was grateful he had at least made this gesture of friendship. "We missed you in Potions while you were.....er..........ill."
"Really?" A little too quick, a little too eager.
Harry smiled " Yeah, Dumbledores a great man, an even better wizard, but he's a little out of practice with his potions."
"When he was younger, he was quite the prodigy. But I suppose with so many other things on his mind these days..............." So my grandfather killed your parents.........how do you feel about that?
Silence, nothing but the sound of wood crackling on the fire. It was all of a sudden very warm in the room. Charlotte shifted uncomfortably in her seat, she wasn't sure where this conversation was leading, but she knew it was important to have.
"So.......this is really awkward hey?" he chuckled. " I mean , Voldemort's Granddaughter and Harry Potter having a fire side chat, this is one for the books."
Charlotte frowned. "How come you still get to be Harry potter, famous or not, but I get to be Voldemort's Granddaughter. I'm sorry if I'm being rude, but it doesn't seem fair does it?"
" I guess not. But not a lot of things are.........." he trailed off.
" You got that right."
Harry looked at her very earnestly for a moment. " I think I understand though." He ignored Charlottes snort. " I should know better than anyone, people can't help who their families are. The Dursleys, the people I live with during the summer, well they are the only living family I have. I have never known such wretched people in my life. I'm not like them, I hope."
Charlotte was quiet, considering this for a moment. "I think maybe you might actually understand me a little bit Harry Potter. But tell me, just to satisfy my curiosity, do you think I'm like him?"
Harry faced her again and gazed intently into her face, searching for some sign. After an eternity he spoke. " I have had the opportunity to meet both your grandfathers Charlotte, and this is what I know. I know on the one hand is Voldemort, evil and black hearted in every way. It's as if he doesn't feel anything at all." Charlotte shivered slightly. "And then there is someone else. Tom Riddle. I found him strange, because when I met him in my second year at Hogwarts I saw him as a child. And even then there was something about him, part of him had already turned away from goodness. But when I thought about it later I imagined that once I saw a flicker in his eyes, I haven't really thought about it again until this moment. I saw just a glimmer of someone who could love, if only someone would show him what it really meant to love and be loved. Maybe your grandmother was that person. I don't really know what I see when I look at you. Maybe it's a bit of both. But I do no that you have a choice. You are either Voldemort's Granddaughter or Tom Riddle's granddaughter.
Long after Harry had left Charlotte sat looking into the fire. She brought out her photo albums and began flipping through pages
Her parents wedding photos.
Baby pictures of her.
Her father.
Her mother.
Everyone smiling.
She found it in a photo album that she had not looked at for ages. Old faded pictures placed neatly inside, tiny captions written in blue ornate writing. A woman, her grandmother, Alexandra. So young and pretty, in delicate robes or dresses. Pictures from when she was a baby. Charlotte had inherited her grey eyes and brown hair. She smiled as her grandmother smiled back at her.
Flipping through pages she found pictures of a baby boy, smiling, chubby and happy. She watched the boy grow as she went farther through the book. Charlotte saw him with scraped knees and spelling awards. A picture of a handsome young man in Hogwarts robes smiling at the camera.
She had reached the last page before she found what she needed. A wedding Picture, her Grandparents wedding picture. Charlotte studied it closely, determined to see for herself. There was no denying the powerful love they looked into each others eyes with. That was love, real and true. Charlotte had her answer, she closed the book, feeling an empty spot in her heart fill up. She was beginning to understand.
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It was hard to think clearly over the din in the great hall. Angry parents had begun showing up in the small hour of the morning for Dumbledores meeting. They all wanted the same thing. An explanation from Dumbledore, and Charlotte's resignation.
Charlotte and the staff stood just outside the doors, trying to collect themselves. Everyone had assured her they were behind her 100%, however this didn't change the fact that she was being fed to the wolves. She and Dumbledore had already agreed that she would stay on and teach at Hogwarts, no matter what. But doubt plagued her mind, as to whether or not she should stay at this place only to be feared. Stand firm! said the voice in her mind You can't always run away, sometimes you have to stand up and fight.
Still no word from Snape. There were whispers among the students that he was dead. Charlotte knew this could not be true. She would feel it if he were dead. She wished he were here, his help would have been encouraging.
Dumbledore gave Charlotte a small smile , which she returned, then opened the doors to the great hall. IT was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Charlotte wondered momentarily if they were expecting her to curse them all. She toyed with this idea for a moment then pushed it aside.
She took a seat next to professor McGonigall and professor Sprout. They sat facing the parents, Charlotte felt she was in a Salem witch hunt. Professor Dumbledore remained standing and addressed the crowed with his eyes twinkling.
"I haven't seen many of you in years. And it pleases me to know that you have all become such responsible parents and are so concerned with your children's welfare. I'm certain you have all heard by now that professor Snape is on leave, and in his absence one of our student teachers has taken his place. I am also sure you are quite aware of the rumours surrounding the lineage of Miss Wildsmith. We are hear to allay your fears. I myself have worked closely with Miss Wildsmith, and I have found her to be of no danger to any of our students, or anyone else much less. In fact at our Quidditch cup she was instrumental in saving one of the Gryffindor beaters from a potentially fatal fall. I assure she is completely trustworthy-"
Here Dumbledore was cut off, the crowd had erupted into angry shouts and exclamations. "You can't trust the spawn of you-know-who!" "She's is trash just like the rest of her family!" "You should stick in Azakaban with the rest of his followers!" They came in a torrent with no avail, even though Dumbledore tried to calm the crowd.
Fred watched in silence as Charlottes breathing quickened. Even hidden in the back rows of the great hall he could see her short struggling breaths. All of a sudden it occurred to him that Charlotte was not taking the riencour potion anymore, he wasn't exactly sure what would happen. However as the witches and wizards in the hall continued to yell it looked as though all the pent up emotions that Charlotte had kept inside her for the last few months were building to a climax.
"She has innocent blood on her hands!"
It appeared that this comment made by a short fat wizard in the front was all it took to send Charlotte over the edge.
"ENOUGH!" she shouted so loud that it caused the entire crowd to stop mid sentence and hold their breath. Charlotte had leapt to her feet and stood their before them eyes ablaze with fury, Fred thought she looked a very formidable figure at that moment. Quickly she regulated her breathing and a look of deadly calm fell over her face. Although the whole crowd saw the steely glint in her eyes that dared them to say anything more. When she spoke it was eerily calm and so quitely that everyone strained every last muscles to hear, and there was something about her in that moment that made everyone hang on to her every syllable.
"I know nothing more regarding my genealogy at this moment than you do." she began "And I think it is ludicrous for you to judge me based only on my family history. I barely know who I am. I know that my mother committed suicide when she found out the circumstances regarding her birth and her parentage. My father is half muggle," Charlotte told them, tears were creeping their way into her eyes, she fought to hold them back and keep them out of her voice. "he........he raised me to be tolerant and loving and gave to me all the wonderful things that he valued. He is a good man, My father raised me to be a good person.......................I am a good person.............." Here she paused for a moment , then spoke so softly it was barely a whisper "How long do I have to pay for the sins of my forefathers?" Charlotte looked out at the silent crowd, appealing to them. Fred remembered why he had loved her so much.
Suddenly The same wizard down in front piped up " How can we trust you?" he yelled "Your father was Voldemort!" The crowd was taken back, the seriousness of this comment was multiplied enormousley because this wizard had actually said Voldemort's name.
Charlotte stared at him, all the anger had left her eyes, replaced by an extremely intense look that Fred could not quite place. The crowd froze one more, waiting to see what Voldemort's Granddaughter would do to this brash man. When she spoke this time her voice was strong no tears remained "My Grand father" she said " was not Voldemort. My Grandfathers name was Tom Riddle." Then gracefully she turned and swept out of the great hall through a back door.
The audience sat stunned and silent. Dumbledore still standing had a look of understanding on his face and underneath his long silvery beard Fred could almost see the smallest of smiles. "My friends, you have trusted me before, although I have often made choices that were a little odd. I know all of you stood behind me. I beg of you, do not throw out a life, just because she was born into a certain family. We cannot choose our families. And we cannot change the past. But if we stick together, and keep our minds and hearts open. If we choose to be tolerant and understanding we may be able to change the future."
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Charlotte Wildsmith perched herself onto of her trunk on platform 9 and 3/4. She watched and smiled at the activity that flurried around her. Hugs and kisses, laughs and tears. Promises to write over the summer, promises to be true. Charlotte was all of a sudden very aware of all she had missed out on in her life. All the things the terror had kept her from. Her smile broadened as she searched her soul and realised the only thing she feared was the countless possibilities life had presented her with. And even that she faced with more child like enthusiasm than anything else.
Her flight to America left that night. But Charlotte didn't feel compelled to leave this place just yet. Something about this world held her were she was, frozen in time just for a moment. So the tin man got his heart after all. she thought and chuckled.
Hermione, Harry and even Ron waved as they walked by. Neville brought his grandmother over to meet her. The old woman shook her hand and grinned. "My Neville has never done well in potions until this year. I don't know what you did, but I'm grateful."
Charlotte came back to reality when she realised George Weasley was standing in front of her.
"Don't give up on him." He said.
"Pardon me?"
"Fred, don't give up in him. He's being stupid. But he loves you a great deal. Just promise when he finally understand what an idiotic prat he's being, that you won't have given up on him." George glanced over his shoulder every once in a while, lest his brother find him fraternizing with the enemy.
Charlotte looked up at him "I couldn't stop loving him, not even if I wanted to."
George nodded. " Have a good summer Charlotte."
"Yeah you too."
She watched as he disappeared through the barrier. Charlotte waited until she was the only one left on platform 9 and 3/4. When she finally got up to leave she was smiling, because she knew that wherever she went, she was ready to go with all her heart.
********A little cheesy I know I know. But what's a story ending with out a little cheese? Well I hope you have enjoyed reading this at least half as much as I enjoyed writing it. Which by the way was a great deal. I love you all! Be on the look out for the sequel, but I my take a little time off............I dunno, as if I could. I love you I love you, I love reviews!!!!!!! love you!!!!!!!
