James walked into Charlotte's room, seeing her suitcase already packed, and on the ground next to her bed, she sat next to it on the floor writing something on a piece of parchment; she folded the parchment, and quickly ran to Hedwig, tying it to her leg and quickly and opening a window to let it fly out.
"Charlotte, are you ready? Who did you send that letter to?" James asked, making Charlotte jump. She didn't know he was in the room.
"Parvati." She muttered.
"And yes, I'm all packed and ready," Charlotte said, walking to her suitcase. James picked it up for her and nodded.
"Okay, let's go." He said. She nodded, and followed her dad out, and downstairs where her mother and Harry were waiting for her.
---
Twenty minutes later, Mad-eye, Ron, Hermione, Mr. Weasley, Fred and George, Bill, Tonks, Remus, Kingsley, Hagrid, and Mundungus Fletcher. The Potter manor was thankfully large, so they all had enough space to fit and talk peacefully.
"Thank you for coming, Mad-eye," James said, shaking hands with Mad eye, who nodded, his magical eye moving across each of the Potter's faces.
"Kingsley, I thought you were looking after the Muggle Prime Minister?" Harry asked,
"He can get along without me for one night. You guys are more important." Kingsley said.
"Guys, guess what?" Tonks said, wiggling her left hand at them, showing a beautiful wedding ring.
"You got married," Charlotte said, grinning at her.
"I'm sorry you guys couldn't be there. It was very quiet." Remus said, Lily shook her head.
"Don't worry about that. We're happy for you."
"Yes, and when this is all over, will get you guys a proper wedding." James laughed.
"All right, all right, we'll have time for a cozy catch up later," Moody yelled over the loud noise as he dropped a sack on a table.
"As Dedalus probably told you, we had to abandon Plan A. Pius Thicknesse has gone over, which gives us a big problem. He's made it an imprisonable offense to connect this house to the Floo Network, place a Portkey here, or Apparate in or out. All done in the name of your protection, to prevent You-Know-Who from getting in at you. Absolutely pointless, since old Charlotte's spell has been protecting all of you Potter's since she died."
Mad eye explained the plan, that Bill, Mr. Weasley, Charlotte, Fred and George, Ron, Hermione, and Mundungs were all going to drink the Polyjuice potion and turn into Harry.
"No! No way!" Harry shouted.
"I told them you'd take it like this," Hermione signed, shaking her head at Harry.
"If you think I'm going to let seven people risk their lives--!"
"—because it's the first time for all of us," said Ron, dramatically rolling his eyes.
"This is different, pretending to be me –"
"Well, none of us really fancy it, Harry. Imagine if something went wrong, and we were stuck as specky, scrawny gits forever." Fred said.
"You can't do it if I don't cooperate. You need me to give you some hair," Harry yelled, thinking he found a loophole.
"Well, that's the plan scuppered. Obviously, there's no chance at all of us getting a bit of your hair unless you cooperate." George yelled, throwing his hands up in the hair.
"Yeah, sixteen of us against one bloke who's not allowed to use magic; we've got no chance," said Fred.
"Funny, really amusing," Harry muttered, dryly rolling his eyes.
"If it has to come to force, then it will. Everyone here's overage, Potter, and they're all prepared to take the risk." Mad-eye, muttered, his magical eye glaring at Harry.
"Harry, we're doing it, end of discussion. But I don't know if Charlotte will-"
"Dad! We've talked about this!" Charlotte shouted, cutting James off.
"James, she's right. She'll stick out like a shore thumb if she doesn't go as Harry.
"The problem is she's underage. She can't use magic if she gets attacked, so she's going to be sticking with her dad and Mum. It's better hiding her than being out without any magic." Mad-eye said. Charlotte nodded.
"Let's have no more arguments. Time's wearing on. I want a few of your hairs, boy, now."
"But this is mad-"
"Oh, for the love of god!" Charlotte shouted, grabbing a chuck of Harry's head and ripping it out of his skull. The order members stared at her. Some started laughing.
"Ow! Charlotte, what the hell?" Harry yelled, rubbing his head.
"We're wasting time, and you fight too much." She shouted, handing the chuck of hair to Mad eye, who placed it into each potion.
"What gave you that idea?" Ron asked. Charlotte shrugged.
"I saw it in a movie."
They were each handed a small portion of the potion. Charlotte stared at it nervously. It was a lovely gold color, instead of its usual mud-like substance.
"Ooh, you look much tastier than Crabbe and Goyle, Harry," Hermione said, before noticing Ron's raised eyebrows. She blushed, glaring at him.
"Oh, you know what I mean–Goyle's potion tasted like bogies," Hermione explained.
"Right then, fake Potter's line up over here," Mad-eye said, gesturing by the door.
"Altogether then," Mad eye said. The eight of them downed their drinks. Charlotte grimaced as she felt her face and body changing, burning and bubbling. Charlotte's hair shot into her skull, turning a darker shade. Her limbs started growing, and her clothes felt a little tight.
"Wow–we're identical!" Fred and George shouted. Fred examined his face in the mirror.
"I dunno, though, I think I'm still better-looking."
"Bah, Bill, don't look at me – I'm 'ideous." Fleur shouted, looking over Fred's shoulder.
"Those whose clothes are a bit roomy, I've got smaller here," said Moody, indicating the first sack.
"And vice versa. Don't forget the glasses. There's six pairs in the side pocket. And when you're dressed, there's luggage in the other sack." The seven Potters started changing. Charlotte felt very uncomfortable in her brother's body having to change into his clothes.
"I knew Ginny was lying about that tattoo," Ron said, looking down at his or Harry's chest.
"Harry, your eyesight is really awful," Hermione said as she put on his glasses.
"Good," Moody said. He explained who would be riding with who once they finished changing.
"Where's Charlotte?" James asked once everyone started going outside.
"What? You don't recognize your own daughter?" Harry's deep voice said from the back of the room. James looked around the room, confused.
"No?" He said as Charlotte chuckled quietly to herself.
"I'm right here." She said, moving next to her dad.
"We're going on a thestral." Her dad told her walking her outside, where Lily already stood waiting for them near the thestral.
"Okay, your dad's going in the front, you in the middle, and I will be in the back," Lily explained.
"Can we even see it?" Charlotte said. James felt around, awkwardly in mid-air for it.
"I think I found it?"
"You think?" Lily asked, laughing.
"Dad, it's to your left!" Harry called out from the sidecar of Hagrid's motorcycle.
"Ah! I found it!" James yelled, keeping one hand on the thestral as he helped Charlotte and Lily on, before climbing onto the front.
"All right, then. Everyone ready please. I want us all to leave at exactly the same time or the whole point of the diversion's lost." Moody called; he scanned the front yard one more time.
"Good luck, everyone. See you all in about an hour at the Burrow. On the count of three. One ... two ... THREE."