"I try to go at life as if I were acting it...It makes things simple. You just try to play the role of the hero.

From The Sweetheart Season by Karen Joy Fowler

Chapter 6: Charlie Orpheo

As the evening sky grew dark, Charlie searched for signs of Madeline in the house and outside of the house, but found none. He had just decided she must still be at Camelia's house when he heard the faint sound of music. He paused to try and pick out the direction from which it came. It was a lively reel and he heard voices singing and laughing. It sounded as if a party was in progress a long way off, but approaching.

"Lumos," he said, causing the tip of his wand light up. He walked carefully toward the sound.

Then he saw a crowd of people winding their way through the trees, but there was something strange about them. The figures seemed ethereal and bathed in their own supernatural light. He thought they must be ghosts. He stood amused watching them progressing toward him. They were all young and beautiful women and men dressed in colorful medieval clothing and carrying all sorts of instruments and were adorned with garlands of flowers. He smiled, thinking of his upcoming wedding. As the procession started to wind away again, his face flushed cold and pale, for he had caught a glimpse of Madeline among them. Her face was ashen and vacant and she walked as if in a dreamlike state.

"Madeline!" he called in alarm. She did not respond. He wondered in horror, was she spirit or flesh? He ran toward the retreating group, but when he passed into their light, they promptly vanished and all was dark again. He looked around in confusion.

Then as mysteriously as they had disappeared, they reappeared a short distance away with their glow and their music springing back into life. He ran toward them, but once again when he came into their glow, they vanished only to reappear again farther off.

"Damn!" he shouted, then waved his wand saying, "stupify!" But it did nothing to them. "Madeline!" he shouted again in desperation. He ran toward them and tried another spell. "Homorphus!" But the strange band of people were not effected in the least. He saw Madeline's blank stare and his heart lurched.

He ran at them with all his strength and thought for a moment he was among them, but then they were gone again. He pounded an oak tree with his fist in frustration and groaned like a bear in a trap.

When the sound of the music began again, Charlie gathered up his resolve and pursued them doggedly. They led him to a cave, the mouth of which was partially hidden by bushes. They entered and he followed at a distance, lest they disappear again. Upon entering, their glow was no longer to be seen, although he could still hear their music and it was growing thin and faint. The sound of his own heart pounding in his chest was more audible. He cast a supersensory charm on himself and heard the sound of water dripping somewhere deep within the cave and then he felt a warm breath over his left shoulder and heard a panting sound as if a giant dog were coming closer. He spun around, his wand at the ready and saw a dim corridor going off to the left. Even with the charm, he could see nothing through the inky blackness, but he could still hear the panting. He was about to cast an impedimenta spell, when he noticed a small golden horn chained to the wall.

"What's this?" He asked himself. Then he chuckled when he read the small tag hanging off of it. "Whosoever blows this horn will be spared the wrath of Cerberus for two hours."

"Cerbwhat? What's that? Ok, this is a game of some sort. I'll play along." His eyes widened just as a fierce growl came at him from the dark corridor which made him jump and he quickly blew the horn. He heard no sound from it, but the sound of the dog ceased. He laughed at himself for flinching.

"Well, that was easy." He nonchalantly put his left hand into his pocket and held his wand, still glowing, aloft with his right. He smiled to himself thinking what an elaborate hoax this was and how Fred and George would approve.

His amusing thoughts drained from him like ice cold gin out of a broken glass. On the walls where his wand shined, he saw gruesome images of twisted bodies and faces in terror and pain. There were severed heads and limbs, people tied with legs and arms in unnatural positions. Some appeared to be half human and half animal such as a dog's head where an arm should be, or a zebra's body with a woman's head. There were also depictions of agonizing torture. He looked away in revulsion and tried to keep his eyes focused ahead of him. He removed his hand from his pocket and rubbed his sweaty palm on his shirt.

"Oh, come off it. This is some cheesy wall art!" Charlie called out trying to sound unruffled, but his throat felt exceedingly dry. He started to sweat, though the air was becoming cooler. He sensed a wider expanse up ahead and slowed his pace and listened harder. He heard and smelled water up ahead. He finally stepped out into a larger cavern and peering ahead he saw a boat like a black gondola on a dark lake. There was a cloaked figure with a deep hood covering its face. "Madeline?" he asked hopefully, but as he looked closer he saw its hand resting on the bow had pale mottled skin stretched over thin bone. Charlie reflexively conjured up a shield charm, but no attack was forthcoming. "This isn't..." he started to stammer, but stopped when he heard a voice. It was somewhat familiar and didn't seem to be coming from the figure. It echoed throughout the cavern.

"Speak not another word or you will never see your lady again. Pay the boatman what he asks to carry you across the lake. When you see your lady, turn from her immediately and proceed back from where you came. She's free to follow...or not. If you touch her, you lose her. If you speak or even gesture to her, you lose her. Take no notice of her whatsoever and never look upon her until you step out under the stars. To bring her across the lake, again pay the boatman what he asks. Or, if you wish to proceed alone, pay nothing more and he will carry you back without her. It is your choice. And do not attack or all will be lost to you."

Charlie wondered how in Hell he was supposed to remember all that? Certain sinister forces should learn to tighten up their threat lists. If this was a game, it was certainly in very bad taste. If it wasn't a game...well, he'd better follow the rules just in case. "How bad could it be?" he wondered naively. His mind started to wander to the unseen dog, but he yanked it back abruptly. No, he'd think about that later.

Charlie rallied up his confidence and approached the boat. Seeing the boatman closer up didn't do anything to calm him. It looked rather like a dementor, but however alarming it appeared, it didn't create the fog of complete hopeless sorrow typically associated with them. It held out its palm and said in a crackled voice, "Your ring."

A pack of mad Hungarian Horntails started growling around inside of him. Damn it! He didn't want to give up his engagement ring. It was nearly identical to Madeline's, a shiny silver band engraved with the image of a Chinese dragon. His was otherwise unadorned, but hers had one tiny and perfect diamond in its eye. Well, if this was all a joke, he'd get it back. If it was serious... He swallowed hard and surreptitiously twitched his wand and cast Homenum Revelio nonverbally. He slipped off the ring, and laid it in the hand of the boatman with a look that would have intimidated it if it had been an actual being. The spell revealed that it wasn't human, indeed it didn't even seem to be alive. It was more like an animated wax figure, but something was controlling it and also the boat, which after he stepped on board, began gliding over the water without any visible means of propulsion. Charlie impatiently stood watching their progress to the other shore.

On the other side Charlie disembarked, stepping onto the damp stone floor. He turned to the boatman and tried to smirk at it in order to gain confidence. He failed miserably. He cast Homenum Revelio once again and this time he detected a human presence ahead. He proceeded forward at a trot and only paused momentarily when he heard a sound like something clattering to the floor. He came to a dead end and saw Madeline slumped on a large black and red cushioned chair. He had enough composure to remember the instructions and turned away straightaway, though it pained his heart. He saw from the quick glimpse that her eyes were open and he also thought he saw another figure behind her.

Just prior to Charlie's approach, Martin had flicked his wand over the silver rod on Madeline's finger and released it with a snap. It fell to the ground and rolled away. She began to stir. "Shh," he purred into her ear. He inhaled her scent, but kept his eyes on Charlie. He tensed slightly, hoping his friend would play by the rules.

She looked up blearily at the stranger, then blinked in confusion. She couldn't understand why it was so dark and she was so weak. "Look," he whispered barely audible. She turned her head and saw an approaching figure. She recognized Charlie's familiar form and walk, though she couldn't make out his features. She relaxed. Good, he would help her up and explain everything to her. Then he quite suddenly turned his back on her. It felt like that moment when you just realize you've tipped your chair too far back.

"Charlie?" her voice croaked. Did his pace slow, or was it her imagination? "Charlie, wait."

Her voice sounded so pitiful it caused Charlie to wince. In his mind he cried out, "Just follow me, Madeline. Come on!" But he remained obediently silent. Then he heard a slimy voice that got his hackles up.

"You see, my fair one, your Charlie isn't interested anymore." Madeline looked up into the stranger's eyes.

"Martin!" Charlie seethed in his head. "I knew he was a fiend. If I could just cast...No, I might hit Madeline or miss entirely and completely blow it. What enchantments is he using? Is he working alone?" Martin often boasted, claiming to have unusual talents. Come to think of it, Charlie didn't really know anything about the wizard. He didn't work for Draconem Protectus or even anyone in the village. He called himself a "trader" or a "free agent." When Charlie questioned him about it, he joked that he was just a "bloody pirate." Maybe that wasn't far from the truth. But being one of the few Brits around, Charlie had taken a certain comfort in wasting time with Martin. "But I don't know what he's capable of," was his worry now. He mentally whacked himself on the head for taking up with the guy.

"No," pleaded Madeline pushing the stranger's hand off her shoulder. She stood up on wobbly legs, but he caught her as she fell back. "Charlie, help." She looked up at the stranger questioningly. He simply said, "Go with him if you want." He gently helped her back up. She folded her arms around herself. "It's so c-c-cold." She followed Charlie weakly, her mind still in a fog. "Charlie?"

It was easier to mentally whack himself for his stupidity than "whack!" dwell on her voice "whack!" behind him. "Whack!" And his voice. "Whack!"

Martin strutted a few paces behind the girl. He tilted his hat back with his wand and smiled at his own cleverness. "Can you see my dear?" he said gently. "Your fiancé has taken off his ring." He watched her look at Charlie's left hand as it clenched and unclenched. She began to whimper, still hugging herself. This was more entertaining than poaching and illegal trading. In those cases he had to pretend to be respectable. Evil villain was a role closer to his own heart.

Charlie's nostrils flared. "Whack!" He bit his tongue and forced his feet to trod onward. This wasn't fair. She was obviously under a spell or drugged. If he could just look into her face, he could make her understand. It wasn't fair, damn it! He heard Martin's voice all silky now.

"Sweet one, I don't think Charlie is interested in marrying you anymore. I'm so sorry." She felt him close behind her and he put his hands on her cold arms.

"It's not true. Charlie, tell him it isn't true." Her sobs resounded through the cold air of the cave. She ripped herself from Martin's grip. "Let go. Charlie, please." She stumbled forward and was forced to allow the strange wizard to take her arm again. She stared after Charlie in disbelief. He didn't even stop, let alone turn around. She looked up at the stranger. His look of pity was convincing. Barely audible, she asked him, "Why?"

"You really don't want to know." He kissed the edge of her ear. His breath felt warm.

Martin thought how Charlie didn't deserve to play the hero with such a pretty one as this. He wasn't the type; he's not good looking enough, not aggressive enough, and simply too bloody good natured.

Charlie ground his teeth. "Martin, you monster," he thought to himself. "Take my damn house, but leave me my girl." He stopped at the lakeside. The boatman put out its hand and said in its crackled voice, "Wand." Charlie looked at his wand. He'd have to give it up in order to bring her across. He non-verbally performed, "nox" and the light on his wand was extinguished. He hesitated when he heard Martin's voice.

"I guess he's going without you, my dear." Martin took Madeline's hand in his as if to comfort her.

This was not how Charlie had hoped they'd be spending the evening: a little bread, some cheese, a bottle of wine maybe. Perhaps he might have to endure talk of wedding plans, but nothing like this.

Madeline stared at Charlie beside the black boat. Her head was beginning to clear a little. She recovered her hand from the stranger and rubbed her eyes and face like a child waking from an evil dream, then looked around and realized for the first time that they were in a cave. She didn't think this was a good time to mention her claustrophobia. "Charlie, why are we here?" She looked at the alarming figure of the boatman. This all seemed somehow familiar. If only she could think clearly... "Are... are you going without me?" Her voice was forlorn.

The stranger answered for Charlie. "So it would seem."

Martin thought to himself how this was going to be so easy. It was a bit unfair.

Charlie dare not look back nor try to attack, at least not unless there was no other way. Thoughts and memories scurried around in his mind trying to assemble themselves in a pattern that would give him a clue as to how to communicate to her, to get her to come with him. He couldn't even gesture. The voice said he must take no notice of her. How the hell...? He interrupted his own thoughts. She was silent now. What was she thinking? "We aren't strangers, love," he said in his mind. "You know me, derry-dol. I'd speak to you if I could." She was so quiet, like when she first came to The Burrow.