It was finally here. September 1st, 1984. It was finally Charlie's turn to get on the train. Bill promised that he would help him out on the train, and even at the school. Charlie hoped that he would be in Gryffindor. Bill was sorted there, just like their parents. Charlie didn't want to be the first Weasley NOT to get into Gryffindor.
He was packing his trunk. He looked at his bed, and saw his stuffed dragon. He'd had it for as long as he could remember. He wasn't sure if he should pack it or not. Would any of the other boys have stuffed animals? He heard his bedroom door open, and heard Bill clear his throat.
"You know, I brought my blanket with me when I went to Hogwarts. It's packed in my trunk right now, too. You'll see that the other boys bring things too. They may not have them in their beds, but they'll be in their trunks."
"Thanks, Bill. How did you know what I was trying to decide?"
"I had that same look on my face when I was packing the first time. Dad told me it was ok to bring my blanket. You know what? He was right. I was glad I had it."
Charlie grabbed the dragon, and packed it in his trunk. The feeling of relief that washed over him surprised him. He was fully packed, and his Mum had double-checked. His Dad helped him carry it down the stairs.
They arrived at Kings Cross Station, and Bill ran ahead, right through the barrier. Charlie had gone through last year, when they came to see Bill off, but for some reason, this time, he was nervous. He decided it must be because he was pushing his trolley this time.
"Charlie, we don't have time to dawdle…just go at a run…you know how to do it"
"Right Mum, sorry. See you on the other side."
He set off at a slow jog, disappearing behind the barrier of the platform. His Mum and Dad were right behind, each with a twin held firmly by the hand, and each carrying one of the babies. The sight of the train astounded him. It was finally HIS turn. Bill helped him get his trunk settled on the train.
"Do you need me to sit with you, or can I go find my friends? I'll stay if you need me to, but I'm sure that you'll be ok." Charlie could tell that Bill was trying hard to keep the pleading look out of his eyes.
"No, its ok Bill…go find your friends. I'll be fine. I expect that I won't be alone for long."
"Ok, if you're sure. I'll be taking the carriages to the school; you'll be going on the boats. Don't let Hagrid scare you…he's big, but harmless."
Charlie settled into his seat, and took out a book. Three other boys soon joined him. Eric Harris, Kevin Hall, and Joseph Green were also First years. Eric was Muggleborn, and was very nervous about starting school. Charlie was the only one in the compartment who had a sibling at Hogwarts. The other boys peppered him with questions. Charlie felt badly that he couldn't really answer them. Bill wasn't exactly forthcoming with information about the school. He said it was because he wanted Charlie to experience it the way he did, with no preconceived notions, whatever THAT meant.
Bill stopped by his compartment, and told Charlie to get changed. Not long after that, the train came to a stop. Charlie climbed off the train and looked around.
"Firs' Years…this way…Firs' Years…On to the boats."
Charlie made his way over to the voice, and was startled by the sheer size of the man who was calling them over.
"Oi…you must be Charlie Weasley. Yer brother said y'ed be startin' this year. Climb on the boat then, gotta get yer up to the castle."
They hadn't gone far when a collective gasp rose from the group of First Years. There was a reason that the First Year students were brought to the castle by boat. The image of the castle, rising behind the lake was breathtaking, and, quite frankly, magical.
Hagrid shepherded them into the enormous Entrance Hall, where an intimidating looking Witch dressed in Tartan plaid met them. Charlie was sure that this was Professor McGonagall, the Transfiguration professor. She told them to smarten up, and disappeared behind a set of enormous doors. Charlie looked around at his fellow first year students. A girl with a heart shaped face and bright pink hair caught his eye. When he looked back, though, her hair was the exact shade as his. Charlie had to figure out what was going on with that. By the time he got to her side, her hair was pink again.
"Hi, my name is Charlie…what's yours?"
"Wotcher, Charlie…my name is Tonks."
"Tonks? Really? That's a bit of a funny name." Charlie blushed brightly, as he realized that wasn't a really kind thing to say.
"Tonks is my Surname, I won't tell you my given name, my parents were cruel, let me tell ya."
"Tonks it is. Look, I think she's ready for us to go in. What house do you think you might be in? My older brother is in Gryffindor, so were my parents. I'll probably go there; at least I hope I do."
"My whole family has been in Slytherin, except for my dad, and one cousin we don't talk about. My dad was in Hufflepuff, so I hope I go there. My Mum doesn't speak to her family; I don't think she would be too keen on me being in Slytherin."
"I guess it's all up to whatever decides these things." He decided that the red hair must have been a trick of the light, or he was seeing things, or something.
The huge doors opened, and again, the first year students gasped at the sight. The Great Hall was filled with four tables, hundreds of students. At one end of the hall, there was a stool. Sitting on the stool was a ragged looking hat. They waited while the hat sang a little song, then they each took their turn putting it on. The Muggleborn boy he sat with on the train, Eric, was sorted into Gryffindor. The other two were sorted into Ravenclaw. Tonks, he found out, was called Nymphadora, and she was sorted into Hufflepuff.
Finally, it was Charlie's turn. He made his way up to the stool, and sat down. He shoved the hat on his head. He really hoped it wouldn't take long. He was the last person to be sorted, and he could only imagine that everyone was getting hungry. He didn't want to be the reason they were help up from their meal.
He didn't need to worry. The hat was barely on his head when it yelled out "GRYFFINDOR!"
Charlie trotted passed his big brother, and sat with his new friend. He saw his brother smile at him, and give him a thumbs up. Charlie knew he would have been welcome to sit with Bill and his friends, but Bill was happy that Charlie had found a friend to sit with.
After the Feast, they were led to Gryffindor Tower by their Prefects, told the password, and then led to their dormitory. Charlie was happy to see his trunk sitting at the foot of one of the beds. He hastily unpacked some of his belongings, and got ready for bed. He was exhausted, and well aware that classes started in the morning. He put his hand on his dragon, and looked around. Charlie was brave, but not brave enough to try sleeping in a brand new place, without his Mum and Dad, without his dragon. He grabbed it, and climbed into bed.
Charlie woke the next morning to the sounds of his dorm mates getting ready for breakfast. He hastily pulled on his uniform and robes. He grabbed his rucksack and followed his house down to the Great Hall. He was a bit worried that he would get lost on his way to his classes. He found Eric and sat down next to him.
"Are you ready for classes?" Charlie began filling his plate with eggs, sausage and baked beans. He passed over the coffee, and filled a goblet with pumpkin juice.
"Mate, I'm petrified. I've never done magic on purpose before. I never knew what was happening before was magic. It all just seemed weird to me."
"Try living in the house with six underage wizards and an underage witch. The accidental magic in my house is out of control."
Professor McGonagall walked the length of the Gryffindor table handing out timetables. Charlie and Eric looked them over carefully.
"We've got Herbology first, with the Hufflepuffs. Then Transfiguration. After lunch, we've got Defense against the Dark Arts. Hopefully it won't be too bad."
"Herbology, that can't be too bad…its plants. How scary can plants be."
Charlie was pleased to see Tonks in Herbology. He and Eric set up at a table next to Tonks and her roommate, Peyton Aggat. Tonks' hair was still a bright pink. Charlie couldn't imagine a mother allowing her daughter to make her hair that color. Not to mention, on the first day, they hadn't learned glamour charms yet.
"How do you make your hair that color? I'd bet my Mum would go spare if my baby sister tried to do that, when she was older."
"Oh, the pink?" She grinned, "Is this better?" She screwed up her face in concentration. When she relaxed, her hair was the same color as Charlie's.
"How do you DO that?
"I'm a Metamorphmagus…I can change my appearance at will. Cool, isn't it?"
"Wicked"
They turned their attention to the class, and worked in silence for the remainder of the class. Charlie and Eric quickly cleaned up before hurrying to Transfiguration. They could tell that this class was going to be challenging.
They finished their day with Defense Against the Dark Arts class. They headed to Gryffindor tower and joined their classmates to do their homework. When they had finished as best they could, they tried to teach Eric how to play Exploding Snap. He explained that it was similar to a Muggle game, but that when playing the Muggle way, the cards didn't explode. The prefects came around and sent the First year students to bed.
It was one of the best days of Charlie's life, and he couldn't wait to do it again the next day.
