Twins

"Mr Potter, your wife is pregnant with twins," said the Healer to James Potter. "She is in Delivery Room Six now."

"Twins?" asked James.

"Yes, twins," responded the Healer. "Somehow, our scans must have missed that."

"We haven't been here in a while," admitted James. "You know my wife's background."

"So the Muggle healers somehow missed it, then," said the Healer.

James walked into the Delivery Room, and rather quickly for such things, a baby boy was born.

"Harry James," said Lily. She gasped as another contraction hit. "I'm really having fucking twins!?"

"Lily, calm down," said James, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"James, remove that hand or it gets broken on the next contraction," said Lily. "I'll fucking break it so hard, the healers won't be able to put it back together."

James quickly removed his hand. A couple of minutes later, she delivered a baby girl.

"Rose Lily," said Lily.

"Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Potter. Harry James Potter was born at 23:45 (local time) on 31 July, and Rose Lily Potter was born at 00:15 (local time), 1 August." said a Wizard from the Department of Records.

\\/

A couple hours later, James and Lily were talking.

"James, what should we do?" she asked. "Having one child when this war is going on is bad enough, but two?"

"You don't think this is a good thing?" asked James.

"Of course I love the fact that we have babies, but it's a bit dangerous, don't you think?"

"I agree, my love," said James. "We'll send Rose to an orphanage, and if we survive, then we can explain everything when she's old enough."

"Are your Healers discreet?" asked Lily.

"They've been employed for the private use of my family, and their parents and grandparents before them, for the last 200 years," said James. "The Records man can make Rose disappear."

"We need to get to Gringotts," said Lily.

\\/

Eleven Years Later

Mr and Mrs Dursley of Number 4, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.

Despite outwardly being normal, Vernon being a Director at a firm called Grunnings (which made drills), Petunia being a home-maker, and Dudley being in Year Six at his Primary school, they also had a secret, and their biggest fear was that someone would discover it.

Their secret was not their nephew, Harry Potter, as everyone knew about him. No their secret was about Harry Potter.

Harry Potter was the son of James and Lily Potter, who'd gone and gotten themselves blown up. Harry Potter had been delivered to their door the next day. He was about as un-Dursley-ish as humanly possible, which most people thought was a good thing.

The last couple of days, strange letters had been arriving at the Dursley's house. Letters for Harry, who'd never received any mail before. He hadn't even gotten a library late notice, as he was afraid that any books he borrowed would be confiscated by the Dursleys, and never brought any books home.

The notes, which were identical, kept showing up in the strangest places, including the eggs and down through the chimney.

Fed up with the letters, Vernon had taken the family on a day trip, trying to outrun the letters, but they kept showing up anywhere they stayed for more than 30 minutes. Finally, he rented a hut on a rock for the night, confident that with the storm brewing he could finally throw the letters off.

\\/

"Albus, we still haven't received a response from Potter," said Minerva McGonagall. "I also need to finish up my visits. There's a girl in Crawley that I need to visit."

"I'll send Hagrid," said Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"I disagree, Albus," said Minerva. "Whilst he may be a very loyal man, what if there are problems? And even if he does get Harry out of there, how many of his questions can Hagrid actually answer? The man got expelled his third year, for Merlin's Sake!"

"You do have a point, Minerva," admitted the Headmaster. "You go Visit the girl in Crawley, and I'll deal with Harry and the Dursleys myself. He's much too important to send anyone else."

The headmaster seemed almost to be convincing himself of the decision.

"Yes, I'll go straightaway," said the Headmaster.

\\/

The Book of Names led him to a Hut on a Rock right near the Sea. He knocked at the door. Nobody answered.

"Bombardo!" he screamed, and the door went flying into the residence. The door missed a young boy with black hair, and ended up hitting a hugely obese man coming down the stairs who was armed with a gun.

Dumbledore walked over to the boy. "Hello, Harry. It's nice to see you again."

"I'm sorry, Sir, but who are you?" asked Harry Potter.

"I'm Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts," said Dumbledore kindly.

"I demand you leave at once!" bellowed Vernon, aiming the gun. Dumbledore waved his wand, and the gun turned into a fish. "And my lawyers will be in touch about the door and the gun, you freak." he said as he dropped the fish.

"You're the chief freak," said Petunia in recognition.

"Hello, Petunia, how are you?" asked Dumbledore. "You recall our correspondence?"

Petunia had a look of fury on her face. "You call that corresponding?! It was a bloody note saying that we had to take the freak, and you probably used your freakishness to make us do so!"

Harry interrupted here. "Sorry, sir, but what is Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts is a school," said Dumbledore. "A school for people like you."

"I'm not a criminal!" said Harry. "They just say that I am mentally disturbed. I'm not."

Dumbledore did not like where this conversation was going one bit. It reminded him too much of a conversation with another child, so many years ago. His answer, though, was essentially the same.

"Hogwarts is not a school for criminals or mad people, Harry," he said. "Hogwarts is a school for people who have special abilities. People who can do magic."

"It's magic what I can do?" asked Harry. At Dumbledore's nod, Harry continued. "I turned my teacher's wig blue once, and grew back my hair, and set a snake on my cousin, though that one was more a happy coincidence."

"You set a snake on your cousin?" asked Dumbledore.

"He was teasing me, and the snake made for better conversation anyway, so Dudley pushed me out of the way, and found himself in the snake habitat. Without the snake, who escaped, and thanked me."

"You can talk to snakes, Harry?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes," said Harry.

"I wouldn't mention that to most people," said Dumbledore. "There are a number of people who consider that to be a Dark Ability."

"He won't be going!" said Vernon.

"You're not going to stop me," said Dumbledore.

"If you go, boy, Number 4 Privet Drive will not be your home any longer," said Vernon. With those words, Dumbledore felt a surge through his body as the wards on Number 4 dissipated.

"Well, Harry, it looks like we will have to find you some, um, alternative accommodation for the rest of the summer, and perhaps, until you turn 17," said the Headmaster, guiding Harry out the door.

"Sir, how am I to pay for this? I haven't any money."

"It's in the bank, child," said Dumbledore. "Now touch the sock, and we will be transported to a very nice inn."

Harry touched the sock and was transported to an inn or a pub. The interior didn't seem to be the 'nice inn' that Dumbledore described, but Harry thought, 'to each his own'.

"Abe, I'll need a room for Harry for the night," said Dumbledore. "We have lots of things to buy tomorrow."

\\/

Harry was at dinner with Professor Dumbledore and the Longbottoms (whom he'd met that day while getting his school supplies) when he asked a question, something that he was rather unaccustomed to, as the Dursleys had discouraged such things from an early age.

"Professor, how did my parents die?"

"There was a man who called himself 'Lord Voldemort'," said the Headmaster. "Someone close to your family betrayed their location to Him, and He personally murdered your family. The betrayer was caught a couple of days later. He has been in Azkaban, our prison, ever since."

"But why?"

"Harry, just like everywhere else, there are good wizards and bad wizards," said Dumbledore. "I am firmly on the side of the Light, as were your parents. Voldemort is firmly on the side of the Dark. Your parents were rather popular at the time, and their assassination would be demoralising to the rest of our side."

"But Voldemort isn't in control of everything?"

"No," said Augusta, speaking up. "Something happened that night that stopped him. Most of us say that he died, but the Headmaster and I unfortunately think that He is out there biding his time until he can make an attempt to return. Also unfortunately, a couple of his followers, called Death Eaters, in an attempt to return Voldemort to power, tortured my son and his wife a couple of days after your parents' deaths. They don't even recognise their son any more."

It was a lot for Harry to take in, for such a short amount of time. He could tell that the story was very emotional for Mrs Longbottom, as she seemed close to tears.

After the shopping trip, it was decided that Harry would live with Neville and his grandmother for the rest of the summer. Before he left, though, Dumbledore had a few words for Augusta.

"Augusta, that wand won't work for the boy," he said.

"It's Frank's wand," she replied. "He should be happy to get it."

"That wand should be put in a place of honour," said Dumbledore exasperatedly. "I can see Auras with these glasses. His is so much different than his father that the wand would only allow him to use 10-15 per cent of his potential. Harry tried literally hundreds of wands before he got one that matched him. Harry's wand is nothing like either of his parents."

"Neville, come here!" shouted the Longbottom Matriarch to the room that Harry and Neville were sharing.

They went to Diagon Alley again the next day, and Neville got a wand from Ollivander. His father's wand was framed and put above the mantle, waiting the return of its original owner.

Harry and Neville quickly became best friends, even before Mrs Longbottom mentioned that Lily had been Neville's godmother, and that Alice had been Harry's. According to the Law, a godparent took over responsibility for a child if their parent was unable to serve. Unfortunately, both godmothers were unable to exercise their duties.

Over the next couple of weeks, Harry learned more about the Wizarding World, and its traditions. On his first day at their house, he'd met the staff, which had startled him.

Flashback:

He was looking for the kitchen, and opened a door to find a dozen or so little creatures, with tennis-ball eyes, and big floppy ears, working.

"Hello, I was looking for the kitchen," Harry stated.

"Misty thinks that young Master's friend, the Great Harry Potter, Sir, has found the kitchen," said one of the beings. "We is preparing for dinner now."

"What exactly are you?" he asked, hoping that he wasn't being rude.

"We is house-elfs, young Master's friend, the Great Harry Potter, Sir," said the elf. "We is doing all the cooking and cleaning around Longbottom Manor, so that when young Master grows up, he can be good Master for us, like Master Frank was."

The elf's ears dipped at the mention of 'Master Frank,' Harry noticed. Apparently even these elves were in mourning about the loss of Neville's father. Harry also noticed that the Misty called him, 'Young Master's friend, the Great Harry Potter, Sir,' and it almost sounded like a single word. He could definitely tell that the being was giving him a title. Harry left the kitchen, seeing that the elves were busy, and his presence would only distract them or get in their way.

"I see that you've met the help," said Neville.

"What are they?" asked Harry.

"They are house-elfs," said Neville. "They live to serve a single family for their whole life, unless they are freed or sold."

"Are they slaves?"

"It's more of a symbiotic relationship," said Neville. "They clean and cook for us, and they get to stay here. They are powered by our magic, so if the Longbottom family were to die out, then the Elves would either die themselves or have to find another family to serve."

"Symbiotic Relationship?" asked Harry. The term sounded familiar to Harry from science classes at primary, but for the life of him, couldn't remember what it meant.

"Two organisms working together to help each other," stated Neville. "You see it all the time in plants. A fungus will grow on a tree that will stop the tree from getting other diseases."

End Flashback

Soon, it was the last day of August, and they would be going to King's Cross Station in the morning.

A/N:

Inspired by "25 things Hermione Granger doesn't know" (or something to that effect), but basically only the idea of a hidden twin. I have some good plans for the upcoming chapters, perhaps including a Star Wars reference or two.