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Chapter Text

This is a story about an ordinary teenager named Charlie Bucket. He was not faster, or smarter, or cleverer than any other people at his age. There was only one thing that differed him from the rest. This fact was that five years previous, he had been on a tour in a chocolate factory, and when it was over, he had won the factory itself. This wasn't your ordinary chocolate factory, however. It just so happened to be Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory.

This year Charlie had turned fourteen, the year when most teens leave elementary schools and go on to high school. Now, even though he lived in one of the most renowned factories in the world, it happened to be in a small town where the only school was an elementary school. There was a high school that Charlie would be attending in the next town over, but that town was thirty miles away. Thankfully the school did supply transportation from his town to the school.

Charlie closed the gates of the factory, locking it tight to ensure more security. He then walked down the road that stretched from the factory to the lot where his old house once stood. This was the place where the bus would stop to pick up the kids. Charlie happened to arrive just before the bus was leaving, and he quickly boarded what he liked to call, "the Giant Twinkie." Charlie went to the back of the bus to take one of the seats there. He refused to sit with the other people because he knew what would happen. For the past five years, whenever he was going to school, he would be stopped by other children who would pester him about life inside the factory. Charlie knew he could not answer their questions, and so he tried desperately to avoid any contact with other people, even if it meant sitting in a seat beside that of a couple who seemed to be eating each other's faces.

Charlie looked out the window as the bus left his town and headed out into the countryside. His nervousness in what this new chapter in his life would bring melted away as he watched the greenery roll by. His mind then shifted to the many inventions he and Willy were working on. His mind was so caught up in the sweet delicacies and surprises that he hadn't noticed the bus stop at the end of a dirt road and pick up a lone passenger.

The new arrival headed to the back and looked over the available seats. As they noticed the couple who were now groping at each other with such ferocity that it seemed they were having a battle more than a make out session. "God, get a room," the person said. They then turned to Charlie, who was still in his little dreamland. "Is this seat taken?" they asked.

Charlie jumped at the voice. He turned to see the stranger, who he could tell was female by her voice. He was rather confused by the choice of dress, however. She was wearing a ski mask and a hoodie even though it was boiling outside. Her lower body displayed a knee length skirt and fishnet leggings over what appeared to be dark blue sweats. Jeez, she must be dying of heat, Charlie thought to himself. He looked down and saw leather boots that went halfway up her calf.

"Hey kid, are you deaf?" she asked. "Is this seat taken?"

"Oh, not at all!" Charlie said in a slightly startled tone.

"Cool. Now scoot. I'm calling the window seat."

Charlie had always been raised to be polite, kind, and unselfish, so he smiled as he stood to let the girl take her preferred seat. As she took her spot, she dropped her backpack to the floor and threw her feet up to rest on the backrest of the seat in front. Charlie wasn't completely sure, but this girl's behavior gave him a sense of déjà vu, as though he knew her, even if his memories of their previous meeting were vague.

Little did Charlie know, but he stood and blankly stared as he tried to recall if he had met the stranger. She turned her masked face to him and said, "Hey, you gonna sit or what? I'm not gonna bite you, ya know."

Charlie quickly sat back down, facing the front of the bus. The girl must have noticed his nervousness, because she asked, "So kid, this your first day at River Valley? I don't think I saw you here last year."

Charlie nodded without looking at her. He felt it would be rude to stare at her while trying to figure out who this person could be. Her only clue to him was her voice, and it was driving him a bit crazy that it wasn't ringing any bells, especially since it sounded familiar to him. The fact that she seemed to be unwilling to remove her unnecessary garb wasn't helping.

"Well, kid," she said as she began twirling her hand in a matter-of-fact kind of way, "you just take it from me. Should you draw any unwanted attention, just lie low and you'll get through alright. Not much comes from sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

She then put her hand on his shoulder, which he turned his head to look at. "Believe me, rookie, I had to learn that lesson the hard way."

Charlie didn't respond, as he was fixated on the hand on his shoulder. It was in a fingerless glove, and he saw that the fingers underneath were the same dark shade as her sweats. They had to be her fingers, because he could see the lines and wrinkles that no gloves could provide. The girl seemed to take notice as she quickly removed her hand and turned to look out the window. With this brief opportunity, Charlie slyly took a closer look at the portion of her leg that was not covered by skirt or boot.

The leg was the exact same color as her fingers.

Suddenly, it dawned on him who this girl was.

"By the way, what is your name kid?" the girl asked, without even turning to look at him.

"Charlie," he said. He felt it wouldn't be a wise thing to give his full name, just in case his assumptions were correct.

"Charlie, huh? I once met a Charlie. He seemed like a decent kid, I suppose. A bit of a goody-two-shoes if you ask me."

Charlie was certain now of who this person was. He was still uncertain if he should fully disclose his identity. He chose better as he asked, "How did you meet this Charlie guy?"

The girl sat silent for a moment. Then she turned to him and asked "What's up with all the questions?"

Shrugging, Charlie answered, "Just figured I'd like to have a friend when I get to this school."

"Uh huh…" was the response she gave him. "Well to be honest, it was only by a complete random chance I met that guy."

"How long ago?"

"It's been a long time since then. About five years, maybe?"

"Five years? You're making it sound like you were one of the winners of that Golden Ticket contest that one time!"

The girl remained quiet from the last statement. Charlie could tell he had just pushed a little too hard with that one.

Suddenly, she reached up and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him in close, seeming to scrutinize his face.
"What game are you playing, kid? You're really getting on my nerves with all these fucking questions."

Fear crept into Charlie's very soul as he began to quickly, if not quietly, beg, "Violet, please! It's me, Charlie! You know, from the tour! The goody-two-shoes!" She continued to glare, so he added, "Please don't hit me."

She held him for what seemed to be an eternity from his standpoint, her glare never ceasing. She finally softened her look (only slightly) and let him go. As she leaned back and rested her head on the window, she said, "God, I really hoped I would never have to see any of you again. Especially you." She then lifted her head, reached up and removed her hood and ski mask, revealing the face underneath.

In Charlie's opinion, Violet Beauregarde had barely changed. Her skin from head to toe was blue, as was her hair. Charlie knew the reasoning behind this, but he hated to think of it. The thought of what she went through was enough to give even him a nightmare or two. Upon a closer inspection, he saw that her face was slightly more matured, and she seemed to have lost the baby fat that he had seen her have when they were on the factory tour.

Charlie was unsure what to say, but he figured silence was not the best option. "I think I know why you wouldn't want to see me," he tried. "Was it because I was the one who beat you in the competition?"

Violet gave a small look of surprise before she smiled and gave a small chuckle. "Wow, Chuck, you got that all wrong."
Charlie was baffled by her answer, as when he had met her she had been focused on victory. This proved to be her downfall, as her pride got the best of her that eventful day. Once again, Charlie stopped his mind from thinking of the horror she went through. "If that's not it," he said, "then why would you not want to see me?"

Violet sighed, turned quickly and opened the window before responding, "Actually, it's because you are the only one who I would be embarrassed to see. You, of all people, tried to be nice to me and I just shoved you off like a jerk."

Charlie saw that she was blushing a bit as she turned back around. "Violet, you don't need to be embarrassed to see me," he reassured her. "It's not like me living in the factory now makes me "holier than thou,' or anything!"

Violet shrugged as she pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her right hoodie pocket. Charlie watched as she tapped one out and pulled a lighter from her other pocket and lit it. "Uh… What are you doing?" he asked.

Violet took a drag and blew the smoke out the window before she asked "You know what people say about how chewing gum can help you stop smoking?"

"Well, of course. Everyone's heard that."

"Well, guess what? Works the other way around, too!" Violet said, taking another drag from the cigarette.

Charlie was very shocked to see this. Every memory he had of her, few as they were, were of a prideful girl with an outgoing personality. The Violet he saw now was kind of quiet and seemed to stray from other people, for obvious reasons.

"Violet, what happened to you? How come you're so different?" Charlie asked innocently.

Violet quietly breathed in another lungful of the acrid smelling fume. She then turned to Charlie and blew it right in his face as she irritably said, "I don't know. Why not ask your buddy, Wonka?"

Charlie coughed and waved the smoke away. "No, what I meant was, why are you being so nice to me? On the tour you were so, I guess I could say snobbish, for lack of a better term."

Violet finished her cigarette, flicked the butt out the window and sat quietly for a minute or two before she answered him. "Well, after I went home from the tour, I tried to get back into the norm like nothing had happened. Much easier said than done. As I was so much different than the other kids, I became a laughing stock. Everywhere I turned there was someone mocking me or just outright laughing in my face. I thought I could get away from it all with my real friends, but I was wrong. Even they turned from me. My best friend Cornelia included. In fact, she was the worst of the whole lot. And all because I turned into a freak of nature. Being rejected by almost everyone, I ended up hanging with the Goth kids, who sort of accepted me. Even to them I was an outcast, but they didn't turn away from me because I was different. I guess they figured we were all separated from the common crowd. They actually would treat me like a human being. The only other person who was ever that nice to me was you. That's why I'm being nice to you, Charlie. It's because you were nice to me first."

Charlie was unsure what he could say. Her story had been a horrible one ever since that fateful day. "It really couldn't have been that bad, right?" he asked.

"Oh, that's not the worst part," Violet replied. "My own mother has barely said a word to me in the last five years. Imagine living with someone who thinks you aren't even worthy enough to lick their shoes. She hates me Charlie, more than any of the others. I know she does. She knows I could have prevented what happened, if only my pride hadn't gotten in the way. Even though my pride was something I got from her in the first place."

Charlie was devastated. He couldn't believe that her own mother would turn against her. He looked into her eyes to see if she was lying or not, but the look that was returned told him it was truth.

"We moved out here to get away from everyone we knew. Mother's idea of course. She was embarrassed to have me where people would recognize us and jeer at me."

"That's awful!" Charlie said. "I'm sorry you went through this. If I could, I would reverse the clock and stop this from happening in the first place."

Violet sighed as she set her hand on his shoulder. "Don't be sorry Charlie, it's no one's fault but my own. I screwed up, I paid the price. The thing is I learned a lesson, and I think only an experience as bad as becoming a giant piece of produce could have opened my eyes."

"Ugh… you just had to mention that…" Charlie said, shivering a bit. "Just remembering it happening to you gives me the creeps."

"Just imagine how it felt. Not good, let me assure you."

The bus slowed as it began to pull up to the school. It was your average high school, consisting of buildings where the classes were, a cafeteria, a gymnasium, and a few sports fields. As the bus came to a full stop, the duo grabbed their things and started to get off the bus, completely ignoring the make out session in the next seat as they departed.

"Come on, I'll take you to the office to get your schedule," Violet offered holding out her hand to Charlie, who took it without a moment's hesitation.

"Thanks, Violet," he said as he followed her to one of the buildings.

"No sweat, Charlie. That's what friends are for."

Charlie thought about her comment. Friends, huh? I guess we are friends now! Imagine that!

After finding his correct spot to get his schedule, Charlie soon had it in hand and left the building to find Violet sitting in the grass, reading from her own. Charlie sat beside her as he tried to memorize his schedule. He then turned to violet and asked, "Wanna see if we have anything the same?"

Violet laughed. "You're a freshman. Can't imagine us having any periods the same." She still did bring her schedule closer to his so they could compare.

"Wow, we have the same study period," Charlie said in a surprised tone.

"And chemistry, too," Violet noted. "Odd, that's a sophomore class. What's a freshy like you doing in there?"

"Well, I happened to get my freshman science credit last year, so I got to move ahead. Willy really helped me out with anything science related."

"Huh. I guess living with the old kook does have a benefit."

Just then, the bell rang, signaling ten minutes before the first class of the day started.

"Wow, that seemed to go by a lot quicker than last year," Violet said, getting up. She helped Charlie to his feet. "Guess it's time to split up for now."

"See you in study period, Violet," Charlie said, as the new friends went their separate ways to their first classes.

Chapter Text

Charlie took his seat in his first class, theatre, while the teacher made his way to his desk. Mr. Sween, as he was called, was a tall, lanky man with dark hair and a thin moustache. His walk was very similar to sneaking, which gave Charlie the impression that he had played the role of a villain in many theatrical performances.

"Settle down, class, settle down!" Mr. Sween called out in a voice that was soft, but strong, claiming his authority. He sat at his desk and opened the top drawer to pull out a slip of paper. As he held it aloft, Mr. Sween said, "I will now call for attendance. If you are not present, please tell me so right now."

Charlie chuckled at the little joke as Mr. Sween looked at the paper and cleared his throat to call the names upon it.

Mr. Sween smiled as he noticed the very first name on the paper. He called it with a very pleasant tone, "Charles Bucket!"

Charlie raised his hand and said, "Present!"

Mr. Sween looked at him and smiled even wider. "I should have known you would be taking this class, Mr. Bucket. Your mother was in the same theatre class as me, you know. She was marvelous, my boy, simply marvelous! And I'm sure I can expect the same thing from you! It's an honor to have you."

Charlie blushed a little as he smiled at the compliment, but he quickly noticed the other students looking at him and snickering. Embarrassed, he quickly buried his head in his folded arms, as an ostrich would in the sand. Charlie was never a fan of being praised in public, which was noticed by Mr. Sween, who cleared his throat again and continued to call out the rest of the names. Charlie was paying no particular attention until he heard a certain name. A name familiar to him, but one he never would have expected in a thousand years.

"Michael Teavee!"

Charlie's head shot straight out of his arms the moment the call reached his ears. He quickly scoped the room looking for the one who would answer, but none of the faces were ones he remembered. Unsurprisingly, none of them made any response to the name.

"Michael Teavee!" Mr. Sween called louder. The room remained silent and still. Mr. Sween then shook his head and sighed while he pulled out a pen to write about the absentee. As he did, he said, "Well, I do believe that Michael is-"

Mr. Sween was interrupted by the door in the back of the room slamming open. Every person turned to look at the figure in the doorway.

It was indeed, Mike Teavee, another person Charlie had met on the tour of the factory. Mike had left the factory having been almost twelve feet tall and as thin as a wire. He now appeared to have shrunk down to about seven feet tall, and his body had thickened into rather normal looking dimensions.

Mike, having noticed that every person in the room was staring at him, smiled and called out "The fun has arrived! Thank you, thank you very much!"

Mr. Sween sighed before saying, "I appreciate your enthusiasm for the theatrical arts, Mr. Teavee, but it would be wise that you arrive before I start attendance next time. Please take your seat. Right there next to Mr. Bucket will do."

Oh joy, Charlie thought as Mike made his way over to the table where he sat. To Charlie's chagrin, his table was the only one with an available seat. He and Mike had never hit it off when they were on the tour, and so Charlie steeled himself for whatever was to come.

Mike remained silent as he sat down and removed his backpack. The quiet was deafening, and it stretched on unbearably for what seemed to Charlie like years. As if to break the tension, Mike softly said, "Hey, Chuck."

"Hey," was all Charlie could think of to respond.

"Never thought I'd see you again."

"Likewise."

The silence returned as Mr. Sween began his lesson, which appeared to be on how theatre began.

"So, you live around here now?" Charlie asked.

"Yep," was Mike's reply.

"I thought you lived in Colorado."

"We did. My mom worked for a law firm. Receptionist, actually, even though she had taken classes to become a lawyer. She got a partnership offer in the area, which she took without any hesitation. As such, we packed our bags and hiked on over. My father tried to get a position as geography teacher here. No go. Turns out the positions were already filled. But there was an opening, so quicker than you can say 'Bob's your uncle,' my pops is a history teacher. Which would have been good, I guess, if it hadn't been for the fact that it's the freshman class."

"I see," Charlie said. Mike had been rather open, so Charlie had decided that was his way of trying to be friendly. He didn't want to seem rude, so he continued the conversation by asking,

"So, what's the reasoning of you taking a theatre class?"

Mike shrugged. "Well, I figured it would be better for me to learn how to act than to just sit back and watch others do it. Even though that is a fun thing to do. Oh well, only so much you can do when your time with electronics gets almost obliterated."

Charlie just nodded. He knew Mike had always been a television freak, but he figured after being shrunk by a giant camera, he would have been a bit more wary of any sort of electronic.

"And how did you get shorter? You were way taller when you left the factory."

Mike smiled after Charlie had asked the question.

"Well, best guess is that the pull of the force of gravity was already making a bit of progress on bringing me down to my current height. I also drank a good amount of coffee. They say it stunts your growth. Apparently it can also revert it. Who knew, right?"

Charlie laughed as Mike finished his explanation. He didn't want to say it, but Mike had sounded much like Willy Wonka would have, given the circumstances.

"Once you two are done socializing," Mr. Sween said, turning to the duo as he spoke, "maybe you can actually pay attention and take notes. My class isn't an easy A if that's what you were looking for."

Mike and Charlie quieted down at the teacher's remark and began to truly participate in the studies. After the lecture part of the lesson, the two compared schedules and noticed that their study period was the same.

"Wow. What sheer dumb luck, huh?" Mike asked.

"Yeah. Especially since Violet's in there too."

"Violet?"

"Yeah. We were on the bus together. Found out she also lives nearby. Big coincidence, huh?"

"Weird coincidence if you ask me."

Charlie shrugged as the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

"Hey Chuck! Meet me before we go to study hall," Mike said. "No offence, but you look like the kind of guy who might attract unwanted attention. Figure you could use a bit of backup."

Charlie nodded his agreement before the two darted off in search of their next classes.

Violet arrived to her second class, geometry, just as the bell for the start of classes finished ringing. Sighing with relief, she glanced around the room for the perfect seat (which would be a table that nobody would be sitting at other than her). Unfortunately for her, the only available seat was one next to a guy who had "jock" written all over him.

Ugh… I hate jocks… Violet thought. Still, she sat down next to him, which gave her a better view of her "partner." He had a thin midsection that, should he not have been wearing his European soccer team jersey, she would have sworn had a six-pack. His arms were also a bit beefy, and were bristling with muscles. His face was chiseled to perfection, and Violet noticed that many of the girls (mainly the popular ones) were taking glances at him and giggling in a nauseatingly girlish way.

Mrs. Frogles, who had been Violet's math teacher the year before, sat behind her podium and began to call attendance. She was a slightly frail looking woman appearing to be in her late sixties at least, who had a mildly orangey skin tone, and a short stature that made it difficult for anyone to see her even as she sat on her elevated chair. Everyone in the school would joke that she was the only math teacher on campus as she would teach three different courses a day. Even so, Mrs. Frogles was a clever woman who knew almost everyone in the entire school, which led everyone to wonder why she stayed teaching math instead of trying to go for a better career.

After Mrs. Frogles had read a few names from the list, she narrowed her eyes and sighed, "Ah, Violet Beauregarde."

"Here, Mrs. Frogles," Violet said as she removed her hoodie, revealing a purple V-neck shirt that seemed to fit her a bit tight. Mrs. Frogles always made her classroom stiflingly warm, much to Violet's dismay. It reminded her of when Wonka said he had to keep the factory warm for his workers, the Oompa Loompas, as they were used to a tropical climate. She laughed inwardly at the thought of Mrs. Frogles maybe being related to them.

Mrs. Frogles looked at Violet with a stern eye, as if examining her like a new science experiment. "You won't be causing any trouble this year, will you, Violet?"

"No promises."

Mrs. Frogles kept an eye on her for a minute, then resumed calling attendance. Violet became oblivious to the other names as she got out her notebook. Many of the other students began whispering and pointing at her, and a few even silently laughed. Violet chose to ignore them all for now. Just when she got her pencil out of her pack, she heard something that made her stomach churn.

"Augustus Gloop!" Mrs. Frogles called.

Oh shit, Violet thought. Another member of the tour. Can't you be done torturing me, God?
As she straightened up, she scanned the class, looking for the boy she met on the tour. In her memory, he was a tub of lard with a face on it. She knew it was cruel to think that way, but back then he was just a stupid kid who happened to be in the way of her victory. Her observation of the classroom was void of anyone that could even resemble the tubby guy.

Maybe he's late? Violet thought, partially hopeful. Or maybe he'll never show up?

Violet could never have been prepared for what came next. The jock she had been forced to sit next to raised his hand and said, "Here." Violet was floored.

The hell happened to you? she thought.

Augustus turned to her and politely asked, "How have you been, Vi? You're looking a lot better than I imagined."

At first Violet couldn't speak. How could she? It was an almost impossible thing to imagine! Upon a closer inspection of his face, she could notice a few features that she remembered from him (what few she could recall), but the most amazing thing she noticed was his accent. More notably, the lack thereof.

Quickly, she focused her attention and cleared her head, which allowed her to notice something else about him. He had his eyes positioned not at her face, but at her chest. Only now did she realize that her shirt was revealing her greatly ample amount of cleavage. She managed to smile before she decided to answer his question.

"I've been good, Gus," she said as she put her elbow on the table and lay her cheek in her hand.
"Do you mind if I call you that? Augustus is just a mouthful."

"Not at all," he replied, his eyes seeming to be drawn only to Violet's bust.

Violet shrugged, then put her other hand under his chin and lifted his face until his eyes were looking in hers. "I'm up here, you know. I'm sure they're a great sight, but my face needs some attention too."

"Sorry," Augustus said, blushing. "Anyways, I'm sure you want to know why I'm here."

"I'm all ears."

"I'm a foreign exchange student." Gus started. "I started taking English lessons when I got back to Germany after the tour. I also started to work out because I finally realized that my weight was a problem. I started playing sports, mainly soccer, and that helped me lose weight as well. It didn't take me long for my school to offer me the chance to come to America. Needless to say, I took it without hesitation."

Violet listened intently while he explained himself. She then asked, "So, do you know which person you switched with? It had to be someone from around here."

"Yeah, we met before we signed the agreement for the exchange," Augustus responded.

"Apparently that's part of the procedure. My exchange partner was some girl by the name of Cornelia Prinzmetal."

Violet began to laugh loudly once she heard that. "Oh my god! That's priceless! That traitorous whore followed me up here just to torment me. She thought she'd get the better of me, huh? Well, sayonara, you wicked bitch of the east!"

"Ms. Beauregarde!" Mrs. Frogles called from the front. "I will not tolerate any foul language in my classroom, especially during the lesson!"

Violet and Augustus both jumped at the shout. They hadn't even noticed she had been teaching for the last few minutes. The other students snickered as they watched Violet being scolded.
I'll give them something to really laugh at, she thought.

Smiling innocently, Violet then asked "Foul language? What could you mean by that? Oh, you mean bitch? That's not a bad word, you know. It's in the dictionary. Means 'female dog.'"

Some of the others laughed out loud, and a few others giggled. Mrs. Fogles hushed them all with a quick glare in their directions before replacing her eyes on Violet.

"Violet, if you say any more of those curses, I will have to report you to the principal!"

Violet bit her tongue. Nobody, not even troublemakers, ever dared press a teacher's buttons when the principal card had been played.
The principal had never been a good person to the students (even the goody two shoes had a hard time staying out of trouble with him). He was a stickler for rules, and he seemed to add more rules to the list every day. Violet hadn't been the best student the previous year, and she was certain he had a whole file cabinet full of misdeeds with her name on it. She was a bit amazed her record hadn't gotten her expelled.

Mrs. Frogles, having established her authority, cleared her throat and continued her lesson as if nothing had happened.

Augustus leaned to Violet and whispered, "You have a point, you know. Bitch really does mean 'female dog.' Also, the bitch in question likes Germany and my family, so she might stay there until graduation."

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!" Violet whispered back, and the duo chuckled quietly at the thought. They then continued their lessons in silence, each knowing that a friendship between them had just been born.

Chapter Text

Hello to the readers of AO3! TheGreatOrangeHood here! I wanted to thank everyone who has read so far and left comments. I want to preface this next section by telling you that this story is slowly being brought over from fanfiction, as that site has essentially closed its door and I wanted this work to be in a flourishing environment. As such, I will be doing something now that I did over there, which is to respond to the comments before we get into the chapter proper.

Mudkip4Life - I see that you are a fan of a certain individual! Don’t worry, she’ll definitely make an appearance. And as this is still a work in progress, there may be possibility of suggestions being taken into account.

Fiddlethecat - Thank you for your support! As this is the third chapter, I think your question did indeed get answered, but there are definitely more surprises in store.

BrevityGuy0 - I will certainly try my best at keeping this up. Thank you for reading!

AzulaLover50000 - You never know what’s around the bend. Things may or may not happen…

SeaSideDeni3d - Don’t worry, Augustus hasn’t fully lost his accent. After all, you haven’t seen him express ALL his emotions. And as for the principal… you’re just going to have to wait and see…

Without further ado, please enjoy the next chapter of An Unlikely Reunion

Chapter 3: The Study Hall Gang

Violet stared at the clock. She had finished her classwork ten minutes ago. If only Mrs. Frogles was one of the teachers that allowed students to leave once they were done with their work… but, of course, she wasn't. Another five minutes before class was over.

Violet sighed and turned to look at Augustus, who was still scrawling on a piece of paper. He, too, had finished earlier, and he had decided to fill the time with drawing randomly in a notebook.

Violet, being curious, tried to look at what he was drawing. Augustus noticed, and quickly closed his book and threw it in his backpack. Violet took the hint and drew back.

Finally, after a long stretch of silence, the bell had rung, signaling the end of class. Violet and Augustus , having already put their things away, quickly snatched up their bags and made a dash for the door. Once they had escaped into the busy corridor, they took a moment to check their schedules.

"Study hall," Augustus read aloud. "Great. I'm going to have a fun time trying to find the damn room."

"Just follow me," Violet said as she quickly threw on her hoodie. "I'm having to go there too. Besides, we have a friend waiting there for us."

Augustus looked confused, but Violet just grabbed his hand and practically dragged him to the study hall.

The study hall was made like most people would think of as a college classroom. It had rows of desks, each one getting slightly lower than the one behind until it got to a small area where the teacher's desk stood. Violet quickly scanned the room and soon saw Charlie waving his arms for her attention about halfway down the sloping aisle. She saw him sitting next to a tall guy, whose back was turned, so she couldn't see who it was.

"Told you," Violet said as she pulled Augustus over to the desk in front of Charlie's. As they approached, the tall guy turned around, revealing to her that it was none other than Mike Teavee. Both she and Augustus were shocked, and their faces clearly showed it.

"Hey," Mike said with a short wave.

"Well, I'll be fucking damned!" Violet said, looking over Mike to make sure it was really him. "This is one big, awkward coincidence, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Augustus said as the two removed their packs and took their seats. "Who would have thought we all would end up in the same school, much less the same period?"

"It's the Force!" Mike said, raising his hand as if in reverence. "May the Force be with you!"

"Settle down there, Obi-Wan," Charlie said, hardly holding back laughter. Violet smiled at the bit of a joke, though Augustus looked a bit confused.

"Star Wars," Mike said, seeming to answer Augustus's unasked question.

"Ah. Still haven't seen them all. I wondered why that sounded familiar."

The friends then spent a few minutes relaying their stories to the others as to why they were in the area. After they had concluded, Violet asked "Who do you think our study mentor will be? It's usually a teacher who doesn't have a class this period."

"Don't know, don't care," Mike said. "Just as long as it's not-"

Mike cut short as Mr. Teavee walked into the room from the back door. He looked over all the students as he casually walked down the aisle.

"-my dad," Mike finished as he proceeded to bury his head under his backpack.

Mr. Teavee continued his walk, only stopping once he noticed the group. Recognition flashed across his face as he inspected each one of them.

"Why me?" Mike said, muffled through his backpack.

"Well, this is a surprise," Mr. Teavee said. "I never expected to be teaching any of you kids, or even see you again. My son, granted, being the exception."

"Well, tada! We're here!" Violet said in a sarcastic manner. Mr. Teavee just smiled and nodded before turning and proceeding down the aisle to the teacher's desk. Mike, not having noticed his father's departure, still had his head covered like an ostrich would have its head in the sand. The others shrugged at his behavior, and decided to converse idly until he came out of hiding.

As they were speaking, a girl appeared in the doorway, which Violet and Augustus noticed first as they were facing the door. The girl was wearing an outlandish amount of pink, including her shoes, skirt, shirt, and even a scarf that was the epitome of the color. She had long, brown, curly hair and a pale, flawless complexion. Many of the boys in the class took notice of her, and a few made wolf whistles at her, which she promptly ignored. Violet, having recognized the girl at a glance, narrowed her eyes in anger of the arrival.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in," Violet said, her voice practically dripping with venom.

Having heard her tone, Mike pulled his head out and turned to see who Violet was glaring at. Charlie, too, turned to see who she was talking of. The boys all gasped in shock when they recognized the arrival as Veruca Salt. Veruca was the last of the five children that had been on the tour.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Mike wondered aloud as Veruca looked around the room, seeming to be judging every group she noticed. By the look on her face and the way she appeared to be mumbling, it appeared she was displeased of what she saw.

"No way," she said as she turned away from the nerdy group.

"Nuh-uh," she said, overlooking the cheerleaders and jocks.

"Ew!" she exclaimed, averting her eyes from the emos.

That's when her eyes landed on Charlie. Her eyes widened with shock and recognition before darting to notice every other face in the group. She then almost yelled, "Oh, bloody hell!" and looked around as if trying to find a means of escape. Unfortunately for her, the only means of escape that didn't result in absence from class would involve sitting with any of the other cliques in the classroom, a thought she found even more horrendous than sitting with the only four people she knew. Reluctantly, Veruca slowly walked over to where her old "friends" were seated.

"What are you all doing here?" she asked, quickly slipping behind Charlie and Mike to sit at the empty chair there. Charlie was unsure, but he thought she was trying to avoid Violet in any way possible.

"We were actually wondering the same thing about you, Princess," Mike said, leaning onto the desk with his face in his hand, with a wide, slightly sinister smile displayed.

"I might as well tell you, as I'm sure you won't stop asking until I answer. Well, my daddy was pla-"

"Whoa, hey, hold up a moment!" Violet interrupted, seeming to be stifling a laugh. "You still call him "daddy?" What are you four?"

Veruca glared at Violet for a moment before continuing. "My father was planning on expanding the company, seeing as business was booming. He wanted to branch out, mainly thinking of a new branch here in America. He worked tirelessly for a while, trying to find the best land for the best price. Finally, once he had managed it, he got everything ready for construction. He wanted the new branch to be even bigger than the last one, and as such, decided we should move here to oversee the company from the new plant. He bought us a house here in town, even, mainly so I can get a decent education."

Violet smiled sinisterly as she asked, "Just a house here in town, huh? Not some stately manor out in the countryside?"

Charlie saw that Violet was trying to get under Veruca's skin. "Violet please," he said.

"What?" Violet said, not looking away from Veruca. "You really want me to play nice with her? I remember everything she said at the factory. Telling my mother to put me in a county fair? She's lucky I don't knock her teeth in for it right now."

"Oh just shut it, you overgrown blueberry!" Veruca spat at Violet.

"Is that all you got, brat? I'm really shaking in my boots! We got ourselves a feisty one over here, boys! Tell me, Veruca, what other mean, nasty things do you have to say to me." Violet asked sarcastically. "Well, I'm waiting."

Veruca just glared intently into Violet's eyes and remained silent. Violet took the moment to prod her by saying, "What's wrong, little miss trash bin? Run out of ammo? Squirrel got your tongue?"

Veruca's face turned red with fury at Violet's comments. She then responded in a way that Charlie and the others never expected. She reached back with her fist and punched Violet right in the face. The boys stared in shock as Violet's cheek grew a bit darker from the hit. Violet herself was stunned for a moment, but then stood and said, "Ok, play time's over, bitch." She then launched herself over the desk at her rival.

“Oh…” was all Charlie was able to mutter as he watched the girls begin to beat the snot out of each other. He turned to look over at Augustus, who had shot out of his seat to move away from the conflict, and was now rubbing the bridge of his nose while mumbling, “Mein Gott…”

The commotion caught the attention of the other students nearby, who called out to the others in the hall. Soon everyone was running over to see what the noise was all about, and those who were close enough to see began to place bets on who would win. Charlie could only watch in amazement and terror as Violet and Veruca were pounding each other so fiercely that he could swear they were turning each other into ground beef. Constantly the two were throwing the other one off of themselves and jumping on top, not missing a punch. Charlie and Augustus winced as they saw each girl punch the other everywhere they could contact, face, arms, legs, and even groin.

Needless to say, the noises also caught the attention of Mr. Teavee, who had to force his way through the crowd to get to the source. "Girls, settle down!" he yelled over the noise as he continued to push his way through the students at the front of the crowd.

"Go for the jugular!" Mike yelled. He then noticed his father standing there, and he slightly cowered at the look his father gave him. Mr. Teavee got over to the girls and began to pull them apart. Even with them each at the end of his arm's length, the two were still doing what they could to strike the other, their anger at each other not abiding.

"Girls, please cease this..." Mr. Teavee said calmly. He waited for at least ten seconds for the girls to respond. However, they continued struggling to continue their duel.

Mr. Teavee then let go of them, only to grab the backs of their heads. He then brought their heads together with a loud cracking sound. This action caused every jaw in the room to drop. No one had ever seen a teacher stop a fight with such a tactic.

"I said, knock it off!" he said after the two reached up to rub their foreheads. "If you two can't sit here and do your work without getting in a fight, I will have to separate you. I might even have to report what happened to the principal. Now get to work." He then headed back down to his desk as if nothing had happened.

Everyone got settled back into their seats, and Violet and Veruca both stared at each other for a minute. Veruca had a bruise under her left eye and a small split on her lower lip. Violet's nose was leaking a small stream of blood (which could only really be seen when you focused on it, as her blood was almost the same shade as her skin) and her eye seemed to be almost swollen shut and bruised.

"You look like shit," Violet said. "But you fought a lot better than I thought you would."

"Have you looked in a mirror?" Veruca asked sarcastically, but not in a harsh tone.

"Can't say I can tell which one of us would win in a fight. Shall we call it a draw and just be friends?" Veruca then held her hand out in case Violet took her up on it.

Violet smiled as she took Veruca's hand. "Friends. And I would have totally kicked your ass. I was holding back. Didn't want to completely break your porcelain face."

"Well then, I look forward to seeing your full strength, should we ever get ourselves into a real fight."

After the two let go of the other's hand, the guys looked at each other and shrugged. Mike mouthed what they all were thinking, Girls are crazy.

"And don't you forget it!" Violet said, looking directly at Mike.

After Mr. Teavee helped the girls with the small amount of medical treatment they needed, the group finally got themselves settled into doing their work, talking about small tidbits of it to the others and asking for help, as friends tend to do. Charlie knew the five of them had made a bond today, not thinking it would ever have happened. After all, none of them could have ever expected for the five of them to be reunited!

Halfway through the period, Violet looked at the clock before saying, "Damn, lunch is in two periods and I'm starving! Anyone got anything? Granola? Apple? Something?"

They all searched their bags, most of them revealing nothing but paper or various electronic devices. Charlie, however, found a small box in his pack that he hadn't packed. He looked at it quickly and knew that Willy had put it there just in case. He always did look out for his protege. Charlie then turned to Violet and said, "Hey, I have something, but you won't like it."

"I'm up for anything right now," Violet said.

"Trust me, you are not going to want this."

"Don't care. Food is food."

Charlie shrugged at Violet's persistence and pulled out the box. It was a box of Wonka's Three Course Meal chewing gum. A small note was on the side, but nobody noticed it other than Charlie as the others were too busy watching Violet's reaction: a look of pure terror.

"I told you you wouldn't like it," Charlie said as he took the note off of the box and read it. "Apparently, Willy did fix the bugs in it. This is the first box of the proper product."

"Fuck you, Charlie!" Violet said, completely turning around to so as to avoid seeing the box entirely.

Charlie sighed as he put the gum away. Then, he smiled at her and asked, "Is that an invitation? Or am I reading too much into it?"

All five broke into fits of laughter, which made most of the other students turn and look at them in disdain. They quickly finished their laughter and continued working on their studies, with Violet eyeing Charlie every now and then to make sure he wouldn't take the box out of his bag again.

Chapter Text

The next few classes seemed to fly by. Charlie was continually distracted by his thoughts, continually overwhelmed by the sheer coincidence of the day. It never occurred to him that he would see any of his tourmates again, and yet they all now attended the same school! It was too incredible of an idea to comprehend! These thoughts flooded his mind as the day progressed, and before he knew it, the bell was ringing for lunch. Without hesitation, he gathered his belongings and rushed his way to the cafeteria.

He would never say it to their faces, but Violet made it far too easy to find where his friends were sitting, and having Mike sitting next to her made it all the more apparent. Charlie waved to them as he came over and seated himself. Augustus and Veruca were yet to be seen.

“Welcome to the cool kids club,” Mike said, moments before he began stuffing his face with the pizza he had in front of him. “Damn, this school makes better stuff than my last one. Their pizza tasted like cardboard!”

Violet nodded in agreement, as she continued eating the salad she had procured. Charlie noticed that she had a small pile of discarded toppings beside her plate that was covered in a napkin, and he could just barely see the tip of a slice of strawberry poking from beneath it. Looking up from this observation, Charlie saw that she was looking right at him. He just shrugged as he reached into his pack and pulled out his lunch.

“Hey,” came a voice behind him, and Charlie turned to see Augustus and Veruca both approaching with trays. “Sorry it took so long. The princess couldn’t figure out what she was going to have.”

Veruca scoffed at him as she sat down. “My apologies, but I have a sensitive palate. I did agree with my parents that I would eat what the other kids ate, but so much of it is too coated in grease for my liking!” She then turned and noticed Mike and his plate. “Clearly it doesn’t bother some people though.”

Mike had the common decency of finishing the mouthful of food before stating, “Might be coated in grease, but it tastes fantastic. You should really explore more food options.”
Veruca watched as a small drop of sauce dripped from Mike’s pizza and landed on his plate. “Another time maybe. Can’t rush these things.”

“Clearly not,” Augustus mumbled.

Even with the situation being right there in front of him, Charlie still had a hard time believing any of this was real. For all he knew, he was having a bizarre dream, and would soon wake up from it.

This dream theory was abruptly halted when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Charlie looked up from his seat to see a rather buff student standing almost menacingly over him.

“Well, well,” the figure said as he leaned over the table to look at those seated. “Quite the group we have here. Rich kid, nerd… And look, even the freak is here.”

Charlie sat motionless. He’d had issues with bullies before, and he could tell that this guy was definitely one of them. He felt the best course of action in this moment was to not engage. Of course, he did look at his friends around the table, and noticed the varying looks upon each of their faces. Veruca couldn’t hide her disdain as she looked at him. Augustus remained stone faced, as though he was watching and waiting for a proper moment to strike. Mike nonchalantly ignored the individual as he kept wolfing down his lunch.

Violet, however, sat back with a large grin on her face. “If it isn’t Danny the Dick. Miss me over summer?”

The bully growled at her and said, “Watch it, bitch, or I’ll give you some bruises that can even be seen through your freak skin.”

“That’s the only comeback you got? Not really even much of a threat. Already had a fight today and it was worse than anything you could dish out.”

Danny glared at her before saying, “I just wanted to introduce myself to the new kids in town. Danny Richardson. Quarterback. This is my school. Things go as I say they go, got it?”

Violet let out a quick laugh. “If this school followed your words, nobody would be able to see for shit because their heads would be up their asses. Still surprised you haven’t bumped into anything yet with how far your head is up yours.”

Danny chose to ignore her statement as he leaned down next to Charlie’s face and said, “Might want to figure out quick who your friends are. I’d hate to see something bad happen to you from hanging with the wrong crowd.” He then released his steel grip on Charlie’s shoulder and walked back to his table, where Charlie could see a small group of other rambunctious students cheering for their leader.

Augustus watched him like a hawk for a few minutes after he left, before finally returning to his meal with his friends. “I know this is the first time I’ve met him, but mark my words, he’s going to be eating my fist by the end of this school year.”

“Don’t bother,” Violet said with a shrug and a sigh. “He talks tough, but I’ve never seen him do anything. I mean, he might have, but I’ve never seen it.”

Veruca huffed as she said, “Well, if he tries to do something again, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.”

Mike finished his food before he said, “Guys like that are a dime a dozen. It would be like talking to a brick wall. Hell, the wall would probably be a better conversationalist.”

Violet shrugged, though a smile was plastered on her face. “You have no idea how accurate that statement is. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the rest of the goon squad over there. New girlfriend this month, it looks like. Don’t know her. Taller guy is Nick Mackwell. Linebacker. Smartest guy on the football team, and the one that does the dirty work if any gets done.”

Charlie chuckled a bit, then said, “Smartest guy on the football team, huh? Based on my previous experience with jocks, that would be the equivalent of being the tallest dwarf.”

“Hey!” Augustus said, feigning being hurt by Charlie’s comment.

“Our resident jock being the exception,” Charlie amended, playing along.

The group continued chatting casually as they each finished their meals, mostly discussing classes and how the first day in each one was. When lunch was over, they all waved goodbye and headed their separate ways to finish the day. One thing Charlie knew for sure, though, was that somehow, in just this one day, he had made the best friends he was ever going to have.

And the look of shock he imagined on everyone’s faces when he told them at home made the fact all the better.

Chapter Text

Three classes had passed in a flash. Or at least it seemed that way to Charlie. Though, that was easy as his second to last class, being history, was shared with both Mike and Veruca, and the three chatted almost the entire class. Charlie grinned as he picked up his bag and practically ran to the bus. He could hardly wait to get back home to tell his folks the news. He was certain that even Willy would be surprised by who he had met.

His excitement was slightly diminished, however, as he noticed the bus leaving the school grounds minus one person from the morning. Not wanting to interrupt the driver from their job, Charlie sat quietly, wondering what had happened that she would be missing.

Perhaps one of the others offered her a ride home? Possibly, though from what he understood, Mike and Augustus currently lived in the same town as the school, and Mike would be staying after school as he got a ride from his father. Veruca would be the most likely candidate, though if Violet had been offered a ride, why wouldn't he?

Though… he did live at the factory now. The others would most likely all have a hard time looking at it, let alone being anywhere near it. It made sense to him. And though he was still concerned, Charlie settled back in his seat for the remainder of the trip home.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Having successfully taken the secret side entrance to the factory unseen, Charlie ran into the ramshackle house that sat within the chocolate room. There, he was greeted properly by his parents and grandparents.

"Charlie dear, how was school today?" his mother asked after giving him a warm embrace.

"It was great, mum! So many great classes and teachers! And you would never guess who I ran into today!"

Charlie's family all enthusiastically shared their insights on who Charlie could have met, from friends he had in previous school years to celebrities that were rumored to be in the area. with Charlie just smiling broadly like the cat that ate the canary.

"A Vermiscious Knid!" said a resounding voice from the doorway. Turning around, Charlie saw none other than his mentor and friend, Willy Wonka, having just entered, and seemingly joining in the random shouting, if not uncertain as to why.

Charlie smiled as he went over and gave the chocolatier a hug. "Honestly, we've seen enough of those for three lifetimes. I was asking everyone who they thought I might have met at school today."

Wonka, giving the rest of the family his sincerest greetings, sat down in his usual chair and began to think. "Surely it would have to be someone you've met previously."

Charlie nodded, but continued to silently smile as he watched the gears turn in Wonka's mind.

"Couldn't be a celebrity, you don't get this excited over many of them."

"Well, when you've met the best one, everyone else doesn't seem as interesting," Charlie said coyly. Wonka smirked at the comment before replying, "Indeed. Well then it would have to be someone around your age then. And if not one of your old school mates, as I'm sure everyone else has suggested, the only conclusion I have is that it has to be someone from the tour."

Charlie nodded as he grinned. "You would be correct. Though not just one of them. They all were there."

A stunned silence fell upon the room. It was as if they were waiting for Charlie to laugh and tell them it was all just one big joke.

"All of them?" Mrs. Bucket was finally able to ask. After Charlie nodded in response, she sighed. "Well, that's quite the coincidence. One or two I wouldn't have blinked an eye at, but having all five of you end up there? That is quite a surprise, indeed!"

Mr. Bucket nodded in agreement at his wife's statement. "Very true. Though I'm sure everything is alright with them, yeah?" He looked over to Charlie with a sincere, but protective, look in his eye.

Charlie nodded, then turned to his grandparents. "Well, I'm sure you have a few questions. Who's first?"

"Is that spoiled girl being nice? Not picking on you, I hope!" Grandma Josephine said, both out of curiosity and in concern for Charlie's well-being. Charlie stifled a chuckle with Josephine having basically asked what his father just had, though he was certain that she might not have heard him properly. Her hearing wasn’t what it used to be.

Charlie smiled, "Well, she is, but it did take a bit to get her to open up. And in the oddest way too. Her and Violet got in a fist fight before she started being nice to everyone."

Almost everyone looked shocked, Wonka and Grandpa George being the only exceptions. Mrs. Bucket even nearly dropped the potato salad she had been preparing. There was a brief silence before George said, "She needed a good kick in the pants."

“Dad!” Mrs. Bucket exclaimed, looking appalled that her father had said something like that, even though she knew he would have anyway.

"Seems likely," Wonka said in response, nodding towards George. "Veruca did say a couple of rather rude things before Violet was rolled off. There had to have been a lot of tension going on."

Charlie nodded, saying, "You would have needed a chainsaw to cut through it."

"Speaking of," Wonka said, sitting up straighter in his chair, "How was Violet seeming to fare? I'm sure it hasn't been easy for her these last few years…"

Charlie was uncertain of it, as Wonka was a rather… unpredictable person at times, but he almost felt a sense of… remorse? Clearing his thoughts, Charlie answered, "Well, she does seem to get a fair bit of unwanted attention, but she seems to be handling things alright… Though she was a slight bit miffed when I found your care package in my backpack."

The color drained from Wonka's face as he realized what Charlie meant by that statement. "I'm… I'm sure she was…"

"Is that one kid still really tall?" Grandma Georgina asked. "What did you say he was when he left? 12 feet or something?"

Grandpa Joe answered, "Ten, if I recall correctly. And he was so thin too. Poor kid could probably have been blown away in a breeze."

Charlie chuckled at the mental image before answering, "He wasn't anymore. He managed to get down to about seven feet tall and his proportions have returned to normal."

Grandma Georgina nodded, saying, "That's good."

"Is that one kid still a porker?" Grandpa George blurted out without pausing to think.

"Pops!" Mr. Bucket exclaimed at that last question, playfully slapping his father-in-law on the shoulder. Grandpa George just shrugged as if he had asked a perfectly reasonable question.

"Actually, he's in really good shape now. I think he's planning to try out for the soccer team!"

Even Grandpa George could not hide his expression of amazement at this news. "Well, I hope he gets in."

"Alright, I'm sure Charlie needs some time to rest from all the excitement!" Mrs. Bucket said as she quickly brought everyone's attention away from Charlie. "Besides, supper is almost ready. Staying for the meal tonight, William?"

Willy smiled, everyone knowing full well she was the only one in the room that Willy wouldn't correct on using his full first name, before answering, "Yes, I'd quite enjoy some company tonight. My latest project has ended in disaster again, and I could use the distraction."

Charlie sighed. Willy had been working tirelessly on a new project for a while now, and he could never seem to get it to work right, whatever it was. He would not tell anyone about it, just that he would be working on it periodically, sometimes for days on end. Charlie was certainly hoping he wouldn't be hurting himself with whatever this project might be.

"Certainly. Charlie dear, mind helping me set the table?"

Charlie hopped up and began setting everything up, though all the while, he told the others about everything that had happened that day, from meeting everyone, to the school bullies and their interaction with the group, and what classes he shared with who. Everyone listened with full attention, only stopping him once in a while to ask for clarification.

"All I can say now is that I'm glad I could meet with them again. Sure it's weird, but I think it will definitely make for an interesting school year!"

Everyone smiled and nodded in agreement, some even saying, "Hear, hear!"
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After dinner was over, Charlie went to do his small bit of homework he had gotten. Having properly thanked the family for the food and the good times, Wonka stepped out, promising Charlie he would be free the next evening for a brainstorming session and the family a fond farewell. After making sure the house was closed up tight, Wonka went over to the elevator, and after a brief moment of looking for the desired button, was zipping off to one of the newer parts of the factory.

Stepping out into the room, which was fairly small, only having a couple desks and tables covered in notes, chemicals, and even a couple computers, Willy reached into his pocket, pulling out one of his triple energy coffee candies and putting it in his mouth. "Well, time for another all-nighter with you. I will get this right, even if it kills me."