THE CHARLOTTE MACMILLAN CODE

there is really no way of winning
if in their eyes
you will always be a dumb blonde
TV girl - Blue hair

CHAPTER EIGHT

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The tight squeeze that Charlotte Macmillan was feeling in her stomach had nothing to do with the spoiled milk she drank in the morning. For her, it was an uphill struggle to keep herself together every time she entered the Room of Requirement.

The suffocating moss shade that was creeping over the thick walls was enough for her to feel nausea. It had the same color as the color of a regurgitation, with the lit candles spreading a pale beige shadow over the mesmerizing features of her boyfriend, Theseus Lestrange.

He could be flawless like an angel that fell from the skies coated with a dazzling holy light that he was blessed with since the start of creation. The boy that could allure you into madness with the darkest blue eyes she had ever seen, his dark hair so inflatable that someone could swear that if you put your hair there it might be got lost from its thickness. And also, his mannerism that every man would die— no, kill to have.

He was just perfect. And of course, he was all that. However, watching him sitting down at this immense table while scheming with the Knights of Walpurgis about the luck of the wizardry world, if you could call it like that, was certifying that indeed Theseus Lestrange was a fallen angel. But not an upstart, not a common angel, but Lucifer himself.

And right now with her ears filled with the deafening sound of her blood pressure, while Tom Riddle seemed more like bubbling like a disgusting fish, she knew that was already too dipped into some dark ocean waters. The coldness and the waves of shame washed all over her body and she could feel herself losing a piece of her soul with Theseus taking her life slowly like Atropos.

She was a religious girl, and watching these boys working with immorality as their only guidance and Tom Riddle, the epitome of darkness, as a compass to their glory, made her praying more intense for forgiveness.

Theseus Lestrange could not have a psyche like that. Her Theseus could be neither alike the vicious Tom Riddle nor the rest of his well-called friends. Her Theseus was a paragon of virtue, for his kind demeanor was as effulgent as the rays of the sun, warming her heart every time she was trying to find peace in his embrace. His magnanimous spirit was matched only by his unassailable integrity, for he was a man of unimpeachable character and unswerving devotion to truth and justice. Her Theseus Lestrange was a beacon of light in a world too often shrouded in darkness.

Only for her to find out that all of this was a mask he was wearing revealing that he was the same darkness that roamed the world. Not the one creating it, but a pawn, because the source of the obscurity originated by the man that addressed her name as the girl was swimming in the cold waters of her mind that they had put her.

"Macmillan, I assume that your psyche is not with us. Care to explain where your little mind is running?"

If Theseus made her feel disappointment for the man he had grown secretly away from her, then the rage that would someday fall upon Tom Riddle impaling his insides was nothing compared to it.

However, she knew that the situation was bigger than her. Because this was not a meeting that some friends do to have fun away from the pure eyes of their classmates, it was a cult— an evil one that did not just advocate distorted virtues, but a whole reality based on a utopia of debauchery.

She tried to search for Theseus' eyes and when she found them she could not translate the meaning behind his dilates irises. Was he begging for her to speak and defend herself in front of Tom Riddle? Did he feel apathy for her pitiful state? Or even a glimpse of remorse?

Charlotte Macmillan stared at Riddle, she opened her mouth realizing that she was holding her breath the whole time, "I am not used to it, that is all," she managed to say.

Riddle lift his eyebrow and then wheezed, "Well, Macmillan, now that you are part of our little group you will get used to staying up that late. You are a cadet and I will tolerate your behavior," he paused "You wanted to know what was Lestrange doing until midnight, and now not only you found out, but you are an unofficial member of it," his voice got lower and Charlotte could feel it crawling like a spider in her.

She had followed him that night and now she wished she had not. A tiny part of her wished that she could run away from the boy she loved so incessantly and ardently so that she could finally every inch of her forsake him. But for someone like her that was impossible. She had lost countless nights by cogitating how that boy could be saved.

Now she paid more attention to what was Riddle saying, "I will head to Albania after our stay at Rozier Manor, alone. The Diadem of Ravenclaw is waiting patiently for someone to find it, and I would be more than delighted to be the first one to discover it after almost one millennium. Lady and gentlemen may Christmas Eve find us with a glory that we have never encountered before. Dismissed,"

Bitterness crept on her face as she watched one by one leaving the room with Rosier being the first one. After some time only she, Theseus, and Riddle left looking at each other as the atmosphere around the room darkened with the only source of light being the candles and Charlotte swore that even they lost a little bit of their sparkle.

Tom Riddle got up from his chair and approached the girl that was sitting on the opposite side of it with her hands now shaking from fear. With his wand in his hand, he got right behind her chair and looked at Theseus. Her boyfriend did not seem like he was going to react as he was just staring at Riddle's cold forest eyes.

"You think that these are going to save you," he grabbed gently her baptismal cross. It was a silver one with a Majorcan pearl on its side. It was not something that worthed a fortune, but for her it was precious "Have you ever thought that maybe the existence of a religion is a product of propaganda to control the community?"

She shivered at that and now her eyes found his instantly with a glimpse of furiousness adorning them "I have, but I like to have a little hope that one-day cruel people are going to be punished for their actions. One divine power, superior to all of us is enough to anchor at times like these when mayhem is ruling over," she wished God one day forgive this boy, but she knew that Tom Riddle had no moral hindrances and the journey of his atonement would delay.

He grabbed her hand forcefully and raised her sleeve revealing the flesh of her arm almost flawless and pale from the lack of sun contract. With his wand, he draw a cross that from time to time burnt on Charlotte's hand as if someone had electroshocked her with the pain transferring to her nerves and cells as a tremendous wave of razors.

Small tears formed in her eyes and she tried to cover them with her other sleeve. Theseus was holding his breath and Charlotte felt another wave hitting her insides but this time it was a tsunami of betrayal and disappointment. She wanted to leave this place as fast as she could and never return.

"Inform me when He reaches a rapprochement of all this utopia you have planted in your head," his head turned to Theseus "Off you go both of you,"

Charlotte stand up with her fingers rubbing the place where Riddle had burnt her with his wand, the rash of the cross becoming reddish which made her sure that it would not retreat so simply. She noticed that Lestrange was following her when she finally took her eyes away from her irritated skin accelerating her steps. Theseus did too and now he was standing next to her trying to steal a glance from his girlfriend.

"Are you alright?" he asked unsure of what to say.

Her eyes flashed, "Do not you dare ask me again about my well-being, while you perfectly know that you are the one that caused this," she tried to keep her composure but having him in front of her faking that he felt sympathy for her made her blood boil.

"It is not my fault that you are always involved in my business, I tried to protect you and you spied on us,"

"Oh, Theseus how fearless you are. Thank you for saving me from the monsters that roam the school. Oh, wait the monsters that happen to be your pathetic cult and you of course,"

"You are one of us now,"

"No," she laughed with some tears finally leaving her eyes "I am nothing compared to all of you," she paused and punched slightly his chest with her finger "Tell me Theseus, how you sleep the nights knowing that a beast is hiding in the shadows of your soul?"

Theseus took a breath and his eyes softened watching his lover broken in a state of misery that it was the first time he had seen it wearing her— the misery was attiring her like an armor that had thorns. but thorns pointed towards her breaching her dermis and then her webs. Her blue eyes seemed like a pond of her tears that overflowed with every word she spat out that seemed like it was something she was holding for a long time. "Charlotte, I am sorry. I wish I could be better than this, but this is the case,"

Theseus Lestrange left her in the corridor while heading to his Common Room without any other glance. He was hurt too, but Charlotte could not see that. The only thing she was seeing was a boy that was too selfish to care for her thinking that a bogus apology could solve all of their problems.

She needed to get back to her Common Room too, and it was time for her to give some proper explanation to Y/n and Grace of what is going on. May she be surrounded by darkness, but she would not be an accomplice to it.

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The minutes passed like the raindrops that are falling upon a mosque, with only the sound of a clock ticking to mark their passage. Y/n was sure of what had happened, although a part of herself did not want to believe it.

Regardless of the fake or true memories she had in her head, Y/n felt Charlotte Macmillan as her person, maybe even like family. But she had to expect it from the moment the girl had a relationship with Lestrange. Sooner or later, Tom Riddle would recruit her to his side, without considering whether the girl had the same ideologies as him or not. And from what she knew of Charlotte, Y/n was almost sure that she did not join of her own free will.

Y/n and Grace were waiting for her in their dormitory, and Y/n wondered if Charlotte would tell the truth when she returned to the room. She could not help but wonder what excuse Charlotte would come up with when Grace bombarded her with thousands of questions and accused her of cheating on Theseus. How would Grace take it if she knew the truth?

Her friend had a strong sense of justice, and if she realized the harm these boys were causing, she would be furious and might not keep her mouth shut. It could cost her head in the future, so that night she had to be prepared for any reaction.

And indeed, when Charlotte Macmillan appeared at the doorstep with red, teary eyes, she knew that the moment of truth was nearing.

Grace approached her anxiously, looking at her with wide eyes, "What happened, my Charlotte?" Y/n approached and looked at her with sympathy. The girl flickered as if the question Grace asked was like the last knives her pained soul could endure— as if a new demon had woken up from her inside.

"I'm an idiot, a pitiful moron who can not even defend herself," she murmured, with tears streaming down her cheeks and falling onto her bed like a tower of playing cards. Grace gave a puzzled look to Y/n.

"I do not understand. Did Theseus catch you with Rosier?" Grace asked Charlotte, and Y/n wanted the ground to swallow her up from embarrassment.

Now it was Charlotte's turn to give Grace a strange look. "Excuse me?" of course, this question did not sound like someone being surprised that someone else found out about their secret.

"You are absent many nights and deny that you are meeting Lesreange. So, Y/n and I took the initiative to follow you and see what the hell you are doing and hiding it from us," she explained.

Her eyes widened. "You followed me? And you have concluded that I am deceiving Theseus? Are you insane?" But why did she get so furious with them when she had done the same thing to Theseus weeks ago— curiosity had led her to this point. She should not have raised her voice.

"I mean, I concluded," the American said softly.

Y/n just stared, waiting for Charlotte to finally say what she had been waiting to hear. And what she was waiting for would be a catalyst to get her closer and closer to Riddle.

"It is not like you imagine," she said with a sigh, "I do not know how to tell you and I do not know if you will believe me."

Y/n urged her on, "Tell us, Charlotte, and we will understand."

She took a deep breath. "We are all finished if you go and tell someone about that, believe me," Grace shook her head in confusion once again, and the girl added in a clear voice now to make sure it sounded euphonic to her friends, "Tom Riddle's group of friends. May the lord forgive them, they are all demons, even Theseus. They are plotting to neutralize the muggles, talking about immortality, and other vicious things. I do not understand them and I do not want to. They saw me eavesdropping on them one day and since then they have included me in all this bloody charade they have thrown. They are awful," and that was when she started crying again and buried her head in the pillow.

"This can not be possible!" exclaimed Grace. "Are you kidding us?"

No answer came from her. "I do not think she is kidding us, Grace,"

"What else do they do?" Johnson asked.

"He killed Myrtle," Charlotte said mournfully. Oh, what are you telling us...

"Who? Lestrange?" No, Tom Riddle.

"The source of evil, the one who motivates them all, Riddle," the truth hit Grace with disbelief in her eyes Tom Riddle was a very smart and well-mannered boy. Everything that came out of Charlotte's mouth sounded like gibberish to her.

"You must be mistaken,"

"How stupid do you all think I am?" she shouted, and both girls jumped back.

Grace approached her. "It is not that, they might just be joking. They are boys," they are not joking, Grace, if they were joking, I would not be here, and neither would you, most likely.

"I believe her," Y/n whispered. "What else are they saying?"

A small glimmer of hope formed in Charlotte's eyes— finally someone was taking her seriously. "Many things, they plan to go to a forest in Albania to search for the lost Diadem of Ravenclaw," she said.

"Then we will probably go with them as a company," said the girl from the other reality "Charlotte, how can we join their meetings?"

"What do you mean?"

"The last thing I want is for you two to get involved in this madness," Charlotte exclaimed, getting up from the bed in a frenzy.

Y/n thought for a moment. If she could not defeat him from his fortress, she had to enter his world. To become one of them, one of the Knights of Walpurgis.

"Just tell me how Charlotte,"

The blonde-haired girl hesitated for a moment and looked at her suspiciously. "You just speak to Riddle, I do not know exactly," she said, squinting at her. "Do not tell that you adopt such ideologies as he does," she added.

"No, of course not, but I have a plan," Y/n replied.

Charlotte Macmillan swallowed hard. She had never felt more guilty knowing that Theseus would not only be dragging her but also her two friends down. She hoped that Y/n's plan would work, but to achieve such a plan, she would have to be just as abhorrent as Tom Riddle. And it was that glint in Y/n's eyes that made her doubt her intentions.

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Also which is your impression about Charlotte Macmillan?

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