Chapter Text
“Charlie, I told you to tidy your room!” His mother’s voice cut through the hallway. “The maids are not to clean after you. I really hope that your trunk is packed! I swear if we are late because of you, I will talk to your headmaster for a suitable punishment.”
Charlie kept his eyes glued to the floor, making himself as little as possible and counting down the seconds until he gets to live the whole school year miles away from his mother.
He had never gotten on with his mother. Well, that’s just an understatement if you ask anyone who spent five minutes in the Springs' mansion.
His family is one of the oldest and wealthiest bloodlines in the wizard world. He has an older sister, two years older, Tori, who he loves dearly, and a little brother who is currently 5 years old, Olly, just the cutest human being that ever existed. Charlie, being the oldest boy of his siblings, was from birth given the responsibility of being the sole heir of the Spring family. It’s quite an enormous weight to put on a child’s shoulders.
From his youngest years, Charlie always was with mentors learning about etiquette and nearly everything linked to the wizard’s world. Fun was forbidden. He was under constant pressure to represent his family perfectly. Fortunately, through all that he had his only (as he was not allowed to partake in any fun activities with other children) and best friend in the world, his sister Tori. Without her, he would have probably gone mad. She was his knight in armor when his mother started being violent or volatile.
Well, with all that said, you could understand his excitement to live a whole school year in Hogwarts. He still felt very anxious. Tori was two years older. In his year, he was going to be completely alone. Everyone is going to hate me, he couldn’t help but think. If my own mother despises me that much, surely there must be something wrong with me. Right?
After making sure his room was clean and clothes folded nicely in his trunk, he looked back to his bedroom. This room that doesn’t feel like his—he only thought of it as this room he goes to sleep in. The only room he felt at ease in in the mansion was the music room. Even though he was forced to master the piano, he always had this soft spot for the drums, which let him forget about all his problems.
Before leaving, Charlie went to find his little brother. He found him sitting on the stairs tearing up. He didn’t hesitate; he dropped to his knees and hugged the little boy tightly.
“Charlie… when are you coming back?” Olly sobbed on his shoulder.
“For Christmas,” Charlie whispered softly. “And when I get back, I’ll play with you as much as you want.”
“But it's so far away.”
“I know, Olly. It’ll go by fast. You’ll have so much fun with Leo, you won’t even notice I’m gone!”
“I don’t want you to go… This time it’ll be just me, mum, and dad at dinners. It will be boring!” Olly whined.
“Charlie!” his mother snapped from the front door. “If you're not downstairs in two minutes, we are leaving without you.”
Charlie felt a chill down his spine. This was his final warning. He knew better than to make her wait even more. He was sure that she wouldn’t hit him, not when he was about to take the train with people that could see him. But he was sure she was still capable of making his life hell. He kissed his brother goodbye and left him a letter he wrote the night before for Olly to read when he misses him too much.
“Keep that safe, okay?” Charlie said before grabbing his trunk and hurrying himself into the car. Tori was already seated and listening to music with her headphones.
The drive to the station was awfully quiet. Charlie started to fidget with his sleeves. Tori somehow noticed his growing anxiety and reached across the car to squeeze his hand tightly in hers. Charlie released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. She understood him without needing to talk.
When they arrived at the station, their mother ushered them toward Platform 9 ¾. His father hugged Tori, and she stepped through the wall. Charlie remembered watching Tori do it last year. He was mesmerized by the magic. Well, this year he was no less amazed.
His mother’s hand pressed against his shoulder. For any other people watching, it would look like a mother encouraging her child. But Charlie knew she just warned him not to embarrass them. He understood what he had to do.
Charlie advanced toward the wall. Took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He didn’t get a proper goodbye, but just before entering the passage, he still caught his father's eye, and for a split second, his father seemed proud. Charlie didn’t need more. He opened his eyes and saw Tori waiting for him with a hint of a smile.
“So,” Tori said calmly while taking off her headphones, “how does it feel to be free?”
“Well, I don’t quite know yet,” Charlie admitted, feeling his shoulders slowly relax. “But I’ll see.”
He was sure this new journey was the start of something great. He could just feel it.