Author's Note: Charlie is obviously J.K. Rowling's character, as is this entire world that I'm writing about. Similarities in some parts with the Harry Potter books (as I've had a review on the subject) are usually coincidence as I'm not using the books as a direct reference for this story because Charlie rarely features in them. I've read the books so many times and can only put it down to how often I've read them that some parts have sunk into my brain. I'll try and avoid it though.

Essentially - If you recognise it, it's not mine.

LittleGuitar94

1st September, 1984

Charlie Weasley was eleven years old and jumping up and down with excitement as he stood on Platform 9 ¾, grinning from ear to ear. His father, Arthur, helped him steer the trolley loaded up with his trunk towards the gleaming and steaming Hogwarts Express. Behind them followed Charlie's mother, Molly, and the younger Weasley children not yet old enough to attend Hogwarts. Percy, seven years old, was trying to act mature and confident as he held the hand of his youngest brother Ron, three years old. Percy didn't want to look after Ron, but his mother had asked him to because she had to keep an eye on the two five year old twins, Fred and George, while also taking care of two year old little Ginny. And Percy, being the good son that he was, obliged.

Bill was already on the train. Two years Charlie's senior, Bill was a third year Gryffindor and had been teasing Charlie about being Sorted into Hufflepuff ever since he had returned from his very first year at Hogwarts.

'Come on Charlie!' Bill called from the window of a carriage.

Charlie looked earnestly up at his father.

'Go on son, I'll finish getting these on.' Charlie gave his Dad a big hug and a toothy smile before running to say goodbye to his Mum and siblings.

'Now you be good, you hear me Charlie?' Molly fussed.

'I will Mum, don't worry!' She enveloped him in her trademark rib-crushing hug until he wheezed that he couldn't breathe.

'Oh Charlie!' she stroked his bright red hair and he could see she was going to start crying soon. Now that would be embarrassing. He ducked away from her and was saying goodbye to his siblings when Arthur rejoined them.

'See you Perce, just hang on another four years, you too Ron, but a bit longer.' He ruffled Ron's hair, earning himself a wide smile full of missing teeth. Percy offered his hand for Charlie to shake. Charlie ignored it and pulled him into a brotherly hug. He high-fived Fred and George's tiny little hands and gave Ginny a kiss on the forehead before he finally joined Bill on the train.

It was two minutes to eleven and Charlie couldn't wait to be away. He made his way down the train searching for Bill's compartment. Bill's two best friends, Myron Wagtail and Kirley McCormack were sharing his compartment. Myron was a lanky boy with shaggy brown hair who offered Charlie a chocolate frog. Charlie willingly accepted the sugary amphibian. Kirley however, was a pale boy with dark shoulder-length hair who rarely spoke.

A whistle blew, warning parents to get off the train and kids to get on. Charlie, Bill, Myron and Kirley leaned out of the window to wave goodbye to their families.

'Bye Bill! Bye Charlie!' the Weasley clan chorused over the growing noise of the train's engines.

'Bye!' they called back, waving as the train begun to chug off towards Hogsmeade Station, still waving as the vivid red hair of the Weasleys vanished around the corner and Kings Cross station was lost behind them.

Charles Septimus Weasley was the second eldest of seven children, all of whom had the same fiery red hair. He was shorter and stockier than Bill, who was tall and lanky. Dressed in some plain denim jeans and a yellow t-shirt picked out by his mother, Charlie had the cheerful, healthy glow of a well-fed and excited boy. His blue eyes were bright and eager as he looked for an empty train compartment. He had promised Bill earlier that morning that he wouldn't hang around his big brother all day.

'Hey, can I sit here?' Charlie poked his head around the door of one relatively empty compartment. In it sat two first years, a boy and a girl. The boy was quite skinny with a full head of shaggy blond hair. He was quite obviously muggle-born in some tight, worn-out jeans and a cut-off denim jacket over a t-shirt that read 'IRON MAIDEN' that had a picture of an Inferi and a red pixie on it. The girl was also pretty unusual, she was quite similarly dressed in ripped skinny jeans and a leather jacket over a bright yellow t-shirt advertising 'THE SEX PISTOLS' in the same colour pink as her hair. Charlie wondered if the two were related.

The pink-haired girl gave Charlie a wide smile, 'Sure, come on in!' The boy shuffled over and Charlie took the seat next to him.

'I'm Charlie Weasley,' he said, by way of introduction.

'Tonks,' said the pink-haired girl.

'Don Tremlett,' was the blonde boy. Charlie guessed that they weren't related then.

'So is Tonks your last name or what?' Charlie asked the girl.

'Last name, and no, I'm not going to tell you my first name. Just call me Tonks, I hate my first name.' she said it with a note of finality that Charlie decided he wasn't going to press the matter.

Don looked curiously at Charlie. 'So are you, um, I'm not sure what the word is…' he looked at Tonks, 'like me?'

'He means are you muggle-born?' she translated.

'No, both my parents are magical.'

'Same here,' said Tonks, 'but my Dad's muggle-born, Mum got disowned for marrying him.'

'Why?' Don looked confused, 'why should that matter?'

'That side of my family is pretty insane; they're all pure-bloods and they only marry other wizards or witches. They seem to think it's sinful or something to marry a half-blood or muggle-born.' Tonks shrugged. 'Complete rubbish of course.'

Neither Charlie nor Don knew quite what to say.

'Well this is a bit depressing.' Tonks piped up after a moment. 'So Charlie, cool hair! Is it all natural?'

'Uh,' Charlie glanced up at the tuft of vivid fringe he could see, 'yep, all natural.'

'Wicked!' She screwed up her face and suddenly her pink hair turned auburn, the exact colour of Charlie's hair.

'Wow!' Charlie and Don both gasped. 'How'd you do that? That's brilliant!' they chorused.

Tonks grinned, 'I'm a metamorphmagus.' She said as if that would explain anything.

'A meta-what-ma-what?' Charlie looked as stumped as Don.

'It means I can change my appearance at will.' She scrunched up her face again and her hair was just like Don's.

'That is so cool!'

For the next half an hour Tonks took requests changing her appearance until the sweet trolley came around, after which they spent a great deal of time feasting on Liquorice Wands and Chocolate Frogs. Charlie and Tonks introduced Don to Drooble's Best-Blowing Bubblegum. They even played a game with Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans where they all took one and even if it tasted disgusting they had to keep a straight face. A moody seventh year came by and told them to be quiet because they were laughing so much.

As evening began to fall outside the window the driver announced that they would soon be arriving into Hogsmeade station so they'd better get into their robes. Charlie and Don stood outside while Tonks got changed.

Back in the compartment Charlie was getting really excited. He would be at Hogwarts soon! He'd been waiting for this day since Bill got his letter two years ago and he could tell that Tonks and Don were excited too: Tonks' hair kept changing colour every few minutes without her realising.

'So what house do you think you'll be in?' Tonks asked, picking at the hem of her black Hogwarts skirt.

'Gryffindor,' Charlie declared. 'All my family have been. Mum, Dad, brother, uncles, grandparents. All of them.'

'I don't know,' Don fretted. 'I read in a book that Gryffindors are meant to be brave, and Ravenclaws smart and Hufflepuffs hard-working and Slytherins ambitious, but I don't think I'm any of those. Before I got my Hogwarts letter I just wanted to be a bassist in a rock band, I had lessons and everything.'

'Don't worry,' Tonks comforted, 'I don't know where I'll end up either. Dad was a Hufflepuff and Mum was a Slytherin, so Merlin knows where I'll be! Ooh! We're here!'

The brakes squealed as the train pulled into a dark station lit by flaming torches along the walls. The overhead speaker hissed.

'We have arrived at Hogsmeade Station.' The conductor announced. 'Please leave all of your luggage on the train; it will be taken separately up to the school. Thank you, see you next summer.'

Prefects in black Hogwarts robes lined the exits of the train, ordering the stampede of children to stop pushing, and directing first years over to the left of the platform and the rest of the school somewhere else.

'Firs' years! Firs' years!' called a loud voice. Charlie, Tonks and Don jostled their way over to it and Charlie's jaw dropped.

The owner of the voice was massive. Charlie knew he couldn't be a giant, he was too small, and that's the only time this man could ever be considered small. He was about twice the height of an average man and three times as wide. In one of his huge dustbin-lid sized hands he held a lantern, and in the other, a pink umbrella. His face was covered in a great bushy beard and his black eyes glittered in the lamp light.

'Firs' years over 'ere!' he called.

When all the first years were gathered around him he warned them all to mind their step and set off into the darkness, leaving them to follow the lantern light. They headed down a steep narrow path, trying not to slip on the slightly damp ground. Several times Charlie found his cloak being suddenly yanked from behind, but it was only Tonks trying to save herself from falling over. She had confessed on the train that she was really clumsy, so clumsy in fact, that many of the Healers in St Mungo's treated her as a regular customer.

'Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec,' the giant called behind him, 'jus' round this corner.'

'Ooooooh!'

'Wow,' whispered Tonks from just behind Charlie.

'It's beautiful,' murmured Don.

'It's Hogwarts.' Charlie grinned, excitement shining in his eyes.

There was a fleet of small boats on the great black lake in front of them, reflecting the golden lights of the castle windows as Hogwarts stood solidly atop the huge mountain on the other side of the lake.

'Four to a boat!' the giant called, as he settled into one on his own. The first years scrambled forward and Charlie ended up in a boat with Don, Tonks and a brunette girl called Annie.

'FORWARD!' the giant called after checking that everyone was in a boat. The little fleet began to move together at once, gliding smoothly across the lake. The first years stared in awe at the castle which loomed ever closer above them.

'Heads down!' the giant warned as the first boats approached the cliff. The boats carried them through a wall of ivy and down a tunnel which took them under the castle until they reached a small jetty. They clambered out of the boats and back onto land.

The giant led them across a lawn of damp grass, up a small flight of stone steps to a large oak front door. He turned to check that everyone was there before knocking three times on the castle door.