Chapter One

'Harry! Hayley! Wake up! You need to make breakfast!' Aunt Petunia screeched from the other side of the door, unlocking the deadbolt on the other side and sliding the flap open so that the light streamed through.

'Yes Aunt Petunia.' Harry answered robotically, but I remained silent knowing my tone would be snarky and I knew better than to annoy her on her precious son's birthday.

'Come on, Ley we should move before…' He nudged my shoulder encouragingly but went silent as Dudley started stomping down the stairs with enough force to cause the dust to fall on us.

Harry and I had a room that we were forced to share under the stairs of our Aunt and Uncle's four-bedroom home. It wasn't so bad when we were younger, but Harry and I were due to celebrate our eleventh birthday soon and the space was starting to get a little cramped. But I'd been with my brother so long, I didn't think I could handle having a room of my own; he was the only real family I had. Harry shielded me from the dust as best as he could, waiting for Dudley to tire of stomping on the stairs out of spite. It didn't take him long; it was his birthday after all and he had mountains of presents waiting for him in the living room. Once he was safely away, we exited the cupboard under the stairs and went to the kitchen. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were busy fussing over their son, and so didn't notice our hasty entrance. Harry started taking the bacon and eggs from the fridge while I grabbed the frying pans from the cupboard closest to the cooker and set everything up. Once Harry had mixed the batter for the eggs and another separate mixture for the French toast, he placed them into separate pans and moved to the far right so that he could start cooking the bacon. We had been doing this since we were eight; Petunia and Vernon wasted no time in putting us to work so we could "earn our keep". I personally found it didn't make much sense as they never let us eat anything we made, the only keep we earned was our shared bedroom under the stairs, hand-me downs from Dudley and two meals a week; if we were lucky.

'Come on you two. Breakfast should be ready by now!' Vernon snapped, glaring at us over his paper from his place at the head of the table.

'Yes Uncle Vernon.' I answered, placing the finished French toast and scrambled eggs onto the three waiting plates that Harry had already placed onto the counter beside me. Once I was finished I put the pans in the sink and added some hot water so they could soak. Then I reached into the cupboard above the sink and grabbed three small glasses, filling them with orange juice while Harry added the bacon he had prepared to the plates. When he had done that I took the pan from him and put it into the sink, my gaze not even leaving the glasses I was still adding juice to. Harry took Vernon and Dudley their breakfasts, knowing they would complain the most if either one of them had to wait an extra twenty seconds for their meal. He quickly returned for Petunia's plate and I followed him, carefully taking all three glasses the few steps to the dining table, placing a glass in front of each of them.

'Clean up. We'll shout you when we are finished with these dishes.' Vernon snapped around a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

'Yes Uncle Vernon.' We answered simultaneously.

Without another word we went to the kitchen and did the dishes; I washed them and Harry dried them. We didn't speak; we knew if we did Vernon would yell at us to be quiet as talking slowed us down. Once I had finished washing, I helped Harry put away the dried dishes and when we had finished, Vernon, Petunia and Dudley were finished with their own breakfast's, so we collected their plates and glasses and completed the process over again while Vernon and Petunia took Dudley through the archway to the living room where his presents were waiting. Harry had just finished putting away the other dishes and I was finishing wiping down the table, having already done the counter tops, when we heard Dudley start yelling.

'How many are there?' He demanded.

'Thirty Six, counted them myself.' Uncle Vernon sounded very pleased with himself.

'Thirty six? Thirty Six? Last year, last year I had thirty seven!' Dudley yelled, clearly on the verge of throwing a tantrum.

Harry and I shared a look, rolling our eyes in unison as we made our way back to our cupboard; we knew by now to stay out of Dudley's way if he was having a tantrum.

'Yes well, some of them are a bit bigger than last year-,' Vernon tried to explain.

'I don't care how big they are!' Dudley cut his father off with a screech.

As usual, Aunt Petunia piped up in an attempt to diffuse the situation, 'When we go out later we'll get you two new presents. How does that sound, pumpkin?'

I shook my head in amazement when we heard no more yelling; I assumed that meant that Dudley was placated and was now tearing into his presents. He may have turned eleven that day, but mentally he was no more than three years old. Harry and I stayed on our bed for the whole hour it took Dudley to open his thirty six presents. I had my legs crossed with my body facing the door and my head resting on Harry's shoulder, lost in my thoughts while Harry played with a horse figurine that we had found a few months ago; I assumed it was Dudley's but he obviously wasn't missing it.

We both flinched when the door was suddenly pulled open with enough force to make it clatter against the stairs. Uncle Vernon was standing there, glaring in between us both and I tensed, wondering if we were about to be punished. I wondered if I had left the dishwater in the sink again instead of draining it out, but for the life of me I couldn't remember if I had. I felt Harry inch closer to me; ready to move in front of me if Uncle Vernon moved to strike.

'Mrs. Fig has broken her hip.' He told us, his tone displeased, 'and we don't trust you two rodents in the house by yourself so you will have to come to the zoo with us. We're leaving in twenty minutes so get yourselves presentable.'

With that he closed the door, but didn't lock it. I looked over to Harry; sure that he could read the cautious happiness on my face. The only times we left the house was to go to school or to be babysat by Mrs. Fig across the street.

'We're going to the zoo.' Harry said, trying to contain his excitement.

'We're going to the zoo,' I agreed, hugging him for a moment before we both stood and made our way upstairs. If Uncle Vernon wanted us presentable that meant that we would have to wash. Once we had washed our faces and brushed our teeth with our toothbrush, as Uncle Vernon didn't want to spend the extra money so we could have our own, we made our way down to the cupboard and changed into fresh clothes. It didn't make much of a difference; we shared the hand me downs from Dudley and they consisted of large shirts and baggy jeans that were nowhere near close to fitting either of us. But we didn't dare complain; Uncle Vernon had given me a split lip and Harry a black eye when we asked for tooth brushes of our own, so we didn't want to see what would happen if we asked for our own clothes.

'We're leaving!' Vernon shouted, without a word Harry and I walked out from under the stairs, closing the door behind us and making our way out of the front door and to the grey family van that Uncle Vernon drove. Harry had just opened the door and was about to get in first, not willing to let me sit next to Dudley, when the door slammed shut and we came face to face with a furious looking Uncle Vernon.

'We are doing this out of the kindness of our hearts. And so help me, if there is any funny business, any at all, neither of you will eat for a week,' he hissed getting in our faces, 'understand?'

'Yes sir.' We said in unison. He looked in between us both for a moment before nodding, seeming satisfied with our response.

The drive to the zoo was silent, at least for Harry and me. We didn't dare to speak and risk Vernon turning the car around and making us stay at home. Harry did his best to ignore the punches Dudley kept aiming at his arm and the pinches he kept placing on his leg. He couldn't help the occasional wince slip through though and at those times Harry had to hold me back to stop me from punching Dudley and getting us both in trouble. When we arrived I couldn't stop my sigh of relief and neither could Harry. As soon as the car was parked we jumped out, Harry taking my arm and gently linking it through his to make sure he wouldn't lose me in the huge crowds. I let Harry lead the way as he trailed after Uncle Vernon; I was too fascinated by the crowds, the families and the laughter around me that I would have definitely gotten lost if it hadn't been for Harry. The day progressed quickly, Harry and I were completely enraptured by the animals; we managed to get around and see everything, aside from the reptile house which we were headed to last; Dudley had developed a sudden obsession with them but personally I didn't think his five second attention span would be able to cope with owning an animal from the reptile family. I felt the heat when we walked into the reptile house and I instinctively stepped closer to my brother as a crowd of what looked like school children rushed to get past us.

Once they were gone, we walked forward, my arm still linked through his as we took the time to look in at the different kinds of reptiles behind the protective glass. There were turtles, crocodiles and lizards amongst others. When we reached the end of the walkway, we saw a giant python circled around a log, looking particularly relaxed as the crowds moved past his glass without much interest. I however was fascinated, as was Harry. We both stepped up to the wooden railing, stopping ourselves from pressing our faces to the glass. We were stood in comfortable silence, observing the reptile, at least until Dudley joined us. I tensed when he slid into the empty space beside me, staring at the snake for all of five seconds before getting bored.

'Make it move!' He yelled, aiming his demand to Vernon who was behind him reading a newspaper.

Vernon looked up and idly stepped forward; knocking the glass lightly before shouting, 'move!'

When the python didn't even twitch, Dudley lost his patience and rapped the glass with much more force before yelling, 'move!'

I saw Uncle Vernon flinch at his son's actions, but as usual he didn't berate him, he just let him get on with it. I noticed his relief when Dudley declared the snake "boring" and move on to another animal that was actually move him. He and Petunia trailed after him, leaving Harry and I alone once more.

'Sorry about him.' I murmured to the snake.

'He doesn't realize what it's like, laying there day after day while everyone else just looks in on you.' Harry said, his gaze also on the snake.

'Yeah he's a little spoiled.' I added, sharing a smirk with Harry before we looked back to the snake, only to jump when we noticed it was leaning toward us, its head a mere ten centimeters from the glass.

'C-can you understand us?' Harry asked, sounded astounded but a little unsure.

We both gasped when the snake literally nodded in answer to his question.

'Do you have any family here?' I asked, my voice gentle as I leaned forward a little.

The snake shook his head in answer to that, its gaze looking at the "bred in captivity" sign to our right. We nodded in understanding, I felt my gaze soften in sympathy.

'I'm sorry. We don't have much family either. But we're lucky to have each other.' Harry said, his arm tightening a little in mine.

'That is lucky,' the snake hissed.

Before we could share a shocked look that the snake had actually used words this time, I was suddenly shoved into Harry. Neither one of us were expecting it so we both went to the floor, landing side by side.

'Mummy! Daddy! You won't believe what this snake is doing!' Dudley shouted, pressing his hands and face to the glass.

I felt anger and annoyance blossom inside of me as I stared at my cousin, wishing for the millionth time that our parents hadn't died in a car crash. Wishing that we didn't have to live with our terrible Aunt, Uncle and cousin. I wondered if we would be happier. It wouldn't have taken much, if I were honest. Harry and I gasped when the glass separating the snake from us disappeared, and because Dudley had been leaning so excessively on it, he fell forward, landing in the water at the front of the python's enclosure with a splash. Before Harry and I could even move from the floor, the snake slithered over the wooden frame that used to hold the glass and the railing attached to the wall, landing on the floor with a smack.

'Thankssss,' it hissed at us as it slithered past us, towards the exit.

I watched him go in astonishment, amused at the people that kept screaming and jumping out of the way when they noticed him on the floor.

'Dudley!' I looked back over to the enclosure to see Petunia screaming and Dudley smacking the glass over and over again and I frowned, wondering when it came back up. After a moment, Harry and I shared a look and started to laugh lightly, though when Uncle Vernon looked down to us we immediately stopped, gulping with worry.

'We didn't do anything!' Harry insisted as he winced in pain from the grip Uncle Vernon had on his ear.

'One minute the glass was there and then it was gone!' I backed up Harry, cringing from the grip Uncle Vernon had on my hair.

'It was like magic!' Harry finished.

Uncle Vernon released Harry for a moment to open the door under the stairs; once it was open he shoved me in first, Harry followed closely before he slammed the door. I heard the deadbolt click in place and Uncle Vernon leaned forward, his face visible through the little cracks, as the flap was open.

'There is no such thing as magic!' He sneered, slamming the flap shut.

Harry and I were locked in our cupboard for two weeks after that, we weren't allowed any meals, but they did allow is one bathroom break a day. They didn't even bring us out to cook their meals, which we were surprised about; any other time we had been punished they still expected us to cook for them. But Harry and I appreciated the break, we spent most of the time catching up on sleep, chatting about what we were going to do when we were old enough to leave the Dursley's forever and sitting in comfortable silence when we didn't have the energy to talk. With the lack of meals, we were tired more often than not.

'Up, both of you, we expect breakfast to be ready in twenty minutes.' Petunia ordered, opening the cupboard door with a slam.

Harry and I stood immediately, grateful to be able to stretch our muscles a little even if it meant we had to cook for everyone else to do it. We started our routine, preparing pancakes and bacon at their request. We were just finishing the cleaning up when we heard the post fall through the letterbox, Harry turned to collect it knowing that Uncle Vernon would have asked him anyway. Dudley was currently parading around in front of his mother and father wearing his new red and white pinstriped uniform. I personally thought he looked like he'd escaped from Mary Poppins but I would never voice that aloud. When Harry returned the kitchen and was clean, all of the dishes completely finished. I frowned when I noticed Harry staring at two letters in his hands, completely astonished. He slowly walked to Vernon and handed him the other letters in his spare hand before joining me behind the counter and handing one of the letters he had been clutching to, to me. With a crinkled brow I took it from him, my jaw dropping in shock when I saw the name and address:

Miss Hayley Lily Potter

The cupboard under the stairs

4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging

Surrey

I noticed that Harry's was exactly the same, aside from the name of course. We shared a look, both of us a mixture of amazed, excited and confused; we never got mail. Turning them over at the same time, we were both just about to remove the seal when the letters were snatched from our hands. I blinked in confusion but looked up to see Dudley running over to Uncle Vernon, our letters clutched in his pudgy hand.

'Look! Look! Harry and Hayley have letters!' He shouted.

'Give those back! They're ours.' Harry yelled, seeming to catch himself after the words had left his mouth and he cringed away a little, fearing punishment.

'Yours? Who would be writing to you?' Uncle Vernon mocked, but when he turned the letters over and saw the seal on the back I saw something similar to fear shining in his eyes, when he shared a look with Aunt Petunia they were both pale.

After that incident, Uncle Vernon didn't allow us to get the mail again, but we knew the letters were still coming. If we didn't see them on our way back to our cupboard after breakfast, we would have known from the expletives that Uncle Vernon gave out every time he went to check the mail. About a week had passed when Uncle Vernon took action and boarded up the letterbox on the front door, sending a smug grin to Harry and I when we peeked out of our cupboard to investigate the noise. As the days passed Harry and I started to lose hope. Uncle Vernon was going to make sure that we never got to see what was in those letters, of that I was sure.

It was Sunday, and Harry and I were passing out biscuits to Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley when Uncle Vernon started chortling happily.

'Fine day Sunday.' He suddenly said, smiling smugly, 'why is that Dudley?'

Dudley simply shrugged, not interested in his father's ramblings, Harry and I however had a pretty good idea.

'Because there's no post on Sundays?' Harry guessed, sharing a disheartened look with me.

'Right you are Harry,' Uncle Vernon acknowledged, taking a digestive off the plate of biscuits Harry was offering him, 'no post on Sundays. Ha. No blasted letters today. No sir-.'

Harry and I both looked over to him when his words suddenly cut off; it wasn't like Uncle Vernon to just suddenly stop bragging. When I saw a letter fly from the fireplace to hit Uncle Vernon straight in the face, I understood why he had suddenly gone silent. The house suddenly started shaking and Harry came to stand beside me, his arm linking through mine as we both waited for what was to come in excitement. We weren't disappointed; letters started flying into the house from everywhere; the letterbox, the fireplace, the windows, it seemed endless. Harry released my arm and started to jump in the air, trying to catch one of the letters, with a shake of my head I bent over and picked one with my name on it off the floor. I had just opened it when Aunt Petunia suddenly yanked it out of my hands before I could read it.

'Get off!' I looked towards the hallway in alarm when I heard Harry shout, and without another word I headed in that direction. When I saw Uncle Vernon holding Harry tightly to prevent him from escaping I was furious, I was just about to scream at him to let Harry go when he suddenly collided with the wall as if he had been thrown. Without questioning it I went to my brother, hugging him hard.

'We're going to go away! Far away! Where they can't find us!' Uncle Vernon shouted.

'Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?' Dudley whimpered into his mother's chest as she held him.

The next few days were spent driving aimlessly around Britain. Uncle Vernon would bring us to a new destination only to get out and mutter 'not secure enough' or 'they will definitely find us here.' Before getting back into the car and driving around again. I was starting to believe that we were all going to live in the car when Uncle Vernon returned to us looking particularly smug, swinging a silver key around on his index finger and holding a long rectangular package under his left arm. Petunia asked him what he had bought but he refused to answer her, leading us to the coast that was a half an hour walk away from he car park where he had left the car. I huddled closer to Harry as we walked; we were near to the sea so the wind was sharp and icy, biting into my face and arms. When he led us to a boat, everyone's mouth dropped open in shock. It was a boat that had to be rowed manually, which made me wonder what the keys Uncle Vernon had bought back with him were for.

'You two, get to it.' Vernon demanded pointing to me and Harry and then the ores sat waiting in the boat.

Harry and I shared a look and then we got into the boat taking an ore each. When everyone was seated we started to row, not actually knowing what direction we were aiming for. After a while Uncle Vernon told us to aim for the island that was about two hundred meters from the shore, it seemed so far away and by the time we actually reached it my arms and hands were purple from the cold. Harry and I had a hand-me-down jacket from Dudley that we shared but neither of us had a coat, so one of us was always feeling the weather. Today it was I, as Harry was wearing the thin black adidas jacket.

Harry and I pulled the boat up onto the gravel, coming to a stop next to the circular run down looking hut at the centre of the island. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley were already inside and I was just about to go in when Harry bought me to a stop with a gentle tug on my wrist.

'What's wrong?' I asked him, my brows furrowing in concern at the worry in his blue orbs.

'You're freezing, Ley.' He murmured, flicking his jet-black hair away from his eyes, almost knocking his circular glasses off in the process.

'I'm fine, Jay.' I told him, squeezing his hand softly; I called him Jay, as it was short for his middle name, James.

'No you're not.' He shook his head and shrugged off his jacket, draping it over my shoulders before I could protest. I wanted to be stubborn and give it back to him, but the warmth I felt as soon as the material touched my shoulders stopped me from speaking out. I put my arms through the sleeves and zipped it up, giving Harry a grateful smile.

We walked into the hut to see Uncle Vernon trying and failing to start a fire in the fireplace. From the looks of it, he was using empty crisp packets and matches, but they were just shriveling up from the heat and not catching fire. After a while he gave up and abandoned his work, taking the rectangular package he hadn't let out of his sight into the only other room. Aunt Petunia made a bed up for Dudley on the moth eaten sofa before telling us all to go to bed. Harry and I searched for the softest part of the floor to curl up on, cuddling into each other to try and gain some warmth under the small thin piece of cloth we had been gifted with. Pretty soon all that could be heard throughout the hut was the sounds of Uncle Vernon and Dudley snoring and the fierce wind and rain whipping through the hut. Without the fire we may as well have not had a roof over our heads, it was just as cold as it was outside, but I was thankful for Harry's body heat, without it I knew I would have been shivering.

'It's our birthday in,' Harry paused to glance at the watch on Dudley's chubby wrist, 'eleven minutes.'

'The big eleven at last.' I commented dryly, resting my face into the crook of his neck. I chuckled when he muttered a protest when he felt how cold my nose was.

'I wonder what the Dursley's will get us this year.' Harry mused, not sounding overly excited and that was understandable; last year they got us a coat hanger and a pair of socks. We didn't even get a pair each.

'I doubt they'll even remember, Jay,' I said softly, my voice sad.

Harry hugged me tighter to him, offering me as much comfort as he could and I squeezed his waist with the same intention. We were all each other had and I was grateful everyday for my brother; I honestly didn't think I would be able to cope living with the Dursley's without him. He was my confidant, my twin, my other half and the only family I had.

'When we get away from the Dursley's we'll celebrate our birthday properly. Every year. I promise you, Ley.' Harry murmured, his gaze on Dudley's watch.

'I'll hold you to that.' I murmured, also watching the time tick down. Two minutes to go.

I frowned when I heard a crunching noise coming from outside, it sounded like someone stepping on the gravel, 'Harry, do you hear that?'

'It's probably just the wind blowing gravel onto the hut.' Harry reassured me, clearly not thinking much of it. I had an uneasy feeling about it, but I was distracted when Dudley's watch beeped, signaling the beginning of a new hour. It was officially the 31st of July.

'Happy birthday, Harry.' I whispered.

'Happy birthday Hayley.' Harry replied, his eyes drooping. Mine started to follow suit, in the back of my mind I was wondering if we would be made to make breakfast in the morning.

BANG.

Harry and I startled and shot up to sitting position on the floor, as did Dudley from his position on the sofa.

'What is that racquet?' Dudley complained, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

BANG.

I got to my feet that time and pulled Harry with me, backing away to the far wall just as Uncle Vernon came rushing into the room, a rifle in his hand. I guess we knew what the brown package was now.

'Who's there! I suggest you leave at once, I will warn you- I'm armed!' Uncle Vernon's voice boomed over the storm that was raging outside. My hand went to Harry's when the banging continued, undeterred by Uncle Vernon's threat.

'I'm warning yo-,' Uncle Vernon started to formulate another threat but he was cut off when the hut's door caved in, landing on the creaking floor with a thud.

I gasped when a huge man stepped over the threshold. His clothes were dripping from the rain, his bushy hair and beard nearly covered his face, but his black eyes were distinguishable amongst the hair. His threatening demeanor disappeared when he spoke; his voice was friendly and almost… excited.

'Sorry about that. Don't suppose you could fit me a spot ah tea could yer? It were a long journey ya see.' The giant man said after he had placed the door back up as best as he could, successfully stopping the rain from entering the hut.

Harry and I shared a look, wondering who this man could possibly be and why he had gone to so much trouble to get to us in the middle of the sea.

'Budge up would ya?' The man asked Dudley, who was staring dumbly at him from his position on the couch. When he realized he was talking to him he let out a great yelp and scampered over to his mum and dad who were stood just behind the couch. Uncle Vernon was still holding his rifle, aiming it at the giant, but the man didn't seem threatened in the slightest.

'And there's Hayley and Harry!' The giant exclaimed from his place on the sofa, though he leaped up in excitement as soon as he spotted us and in one stride he was a meter from us, his eyes crinkled into a warm smile.

Harry and I shared a look before I managed to stutter out, 's-sorry, do we know you?'

'Las' time I saw you, you was only a couple a babies,' the man said, his eyes flitting in between us, 'you're both the double of ya parents, down to the eye colour.'

'W-we are?' Harry asked, sounding surprised.

We had never seen or been given a picture of our parents, we had no idea who we looked like, what traits we got from who, mainly because Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia flat out refused to talk about them, after a while we stopped asking. Harry and I liked to place bets on our mum and dad's appearances because of how different we looked. Harry had jet-black hair, blue eyes and he wore circular glasses. I had strawberry blonde hair, light freckles and bright green eyes. We couldn't have been more opposite if we tried.

'Yup. You are the double of ya father, Harry.' The man patted Harry's shoulder with enough force that his whole body shuddered before he turned to me and squeezed my free hand in his giant one, 'and you, Hayley look exactly like yer mum.'

'You knew our parents?' I asked when he had let go of my hand.

'Sure did,' the giant nodded, 'oh and before I forget, I've got sommert for the two of ya.' He started to rummage in his pockets before pulling out a white rectangular box, 'I mighta sat on it at some point, but I reckon it'll still taste the same.'

Harry released the grip he had on my hand to accept the box; he shared a look with me before opening it, when I saw what it was my heart stuttered. It was a circular cake that was covered in pink icing with: Happee Birthdae Harry & Hayley written over it in green icing. I felt my eyes water and without even thinking about it I stepped forward and threw my arms around the giant's waist as far as I could, hugging him as hard.

'Thank you.' I whispered against his brown coat; it smelled like freshly cut grass and the forest.

'Now, now none of that you'll get me all emotional.' The giant murmured, sounding quite teary as one of his hands gently patted my back; one of his hands was big enough to cover my whole back.

I stepped out of his embrace, as Uncle Vernon seemed to find his voice again.

'I demand that you leave at once, Sir!' he shouted, 'you are breaking and entering!'

The giant was in front of him in an instant, taking the rifle from him and bending it easily so that the shot Uncle Vernon fired ended up going through the ceiling. I jumped and Harry's hand grabbed mine again as we observed the scene.

'Shove off, Dursley you great prune!' The giant bellowed, throwing the gun across the room before he took his seat on the sofa once again. Uncle Vernon made a noise, I assumed it was supposed to be a sound of protest but it sounded more like a squeak.

'Anyway- Harry, Hayley,' the giant continued, turning his back to the Dursley's as Harry and I came to stand in front of him on the sofa, 'Happy birthday to ya!'

'Who are you?' Harry asked, holding the cake in his free hand.

The giant chuckled, his eyes flickering in between the both of us, 'true I haven't introduced myself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.'

He held out his huge hand and shook Harry's arm and then mine; Harry had to place the cake on the arm of the sofa in order to complete the task. Once he had released us both, he gently ushered us away from the fire so that he could kneel in front of it. I couldn't see what he was actually doing, but a moment later I could feel the warmth flooding from the fireplace and wrapping around me like I had just sunk into a hot bath.

'What about that tea then, eh?' Hagrid said, rubbing his hands together, 'though I wouldn't say no to something stronger if you don't mind.'

'I'm sorry but we don't actually have any food or… anything,' I shrugged, feeling my cheeks redden in embarrassment.

'Now, not ta worry,' Hagrid waved a giant hand dismissively, 'I got all we need in ere.' He winked as he started to rummage through his pockets.

I felt my own eyes widen when I saw him pull out a kettle, sausages, a frying pan, a teapot, several chipped mugs, a few plates, a poker, a bottle of some amber liquid and a small box, which I assumed contained tea bags. He took a swig of the amber liquid before he got to work. A few moments later the hut was full of the sounds of sausage sizzling on the frying pan, emitting a smell that made my stomach rumble from hunger. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten.

'Come on now both of ya.' Hagrid said, ushering each of us to take a seat either side of him on the sofa. I just managed to squeeze in as he handed me a plate with four sausages on it and a steaming mug of tea.

'Thank you,' Harry and I said at the same time, causing the giant to chuckle.

'Don't touch anything he gives you Dudley.' Uncle Vernon snapped to his son, who I noticed was starting to fidget as the smell of food started to waft throughout the hut.

Hagrid chuckled darkly; 'Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' any more, Dursley, don' worry.'

Harry and I ate the sausages in silence, and I honestly couldn't remember the last time I tasted something so wonderful, but I didn't know if that was because I was just so hungry. When we were finished, and half of our tea had been drunk, Harry and I shared a look, both realizing at the same time we still didn't really know who he was.

'I'm sorry, but we still don't really know who you are.' Harry murmured after a while as I took another sip of tea.

Hagrid took a giant sip of tea and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his gaze moving to Harry as he spoke, 'just call me Hagrid, everyone does. And like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts- yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course.'

Harry and I shared a confused look over the giant's lap before I answered for us, 'Sorry but we've never heard anything of Hogwarts.'

Hagrid looked shocked as he read the sincere expressions on our faces, before he looked over to the Dursley's and his gaze darkened.

'It's them that should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't getting' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeah never wonder where yer parents learnt it all?' Hagrid wondered, looking in between the both of us.

Harry and I shared another confused look before Harry answered for us, 'All what?'

'ALL WHAT?' Hagrid thundered, 'now wait jus' one second!' He leapt to his feet and I slid over on the sofa so I was now sitting next to Harry. Hagrid took two steps and he was stood in front of the Dursley's who were cowering in the corner.

'Do you mean to ter tell me that these two kids- these two kids- knows nothin' abou'- ANYTHING?'

I felt a little offended at that, and I could tell Harry did too- after all we still went to school and I was the top of all of my classes. Doing homework was a safe haven for me in the long nights we spend locked in our cupboard. Harry's marks weren't bad either.

'Actually Hayley is the top of every class and my marks aren't that bad either, especially in math.' Harry defended.

Hagrid simply waved his hand dismissively, 'not about that, about our world. Our world. I mean your world. My world. Yer parents world.'

'What world?' I asked, getting more and more confused by the minute.

Hagrid's eyes looked wild as he glared at Uncle Vernon, 'DURSLEY!' They all cowered even more into the corner as Hagrid's gaze returned to us, softening as it did, 'but yeh must know about yer mum and dad,' he said. 'I mean, they're famous. You're famous. Both of you.'

'W-what?' I said, dumbfounded.

'Our parents weren't famous were they?' Harry asked, his gaze briefly flitting over to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia in the corner.

'Yeh don' know what yeh are?' Hagrid sounded bewildered as he ran his hands through his bushy beard and hair.

'Stop!' Uncle Vernon shouted before Harry and I could answer, 'Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell them anything!'

Uncle Vernon's brief bought of courage died just as quickly when Hagrid's furious gaze moved over to him.

'You never told them? Never told them what was in their letter that Dumbledore left with them? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it Dursley! An' you've kept it from them all these years?' Hagrid thundered.

'Kept what from us?' I asked eagerly.

'STOP I FORBID YOU!' Uncle Vernon sounded panicked, but Hagrid just crouched in front of us both, taking one of my hands and one of Harry's in one of his own.

'Harry, yer a wizard. And Hayley, yer a witch.' Hagrid murmured softly.

Silence followed Hagrid's confession as we both stared at him bewildered; Harry was the first to recover from the shock.

'I'm a what?' He gasped.

'A wizard o' course.' Hagrid murmured, sitting on the other side of me on the sofa, it groaned under his weight but he didn't seem to care, 'an' I'd wager yer both thumpin' good ones too. Well, when you've been trained up a bit, o' course. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time you both read yer letters.'

We both stretched out a hand, ready to receive the letters we had been denied for so long. When I received the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green ink to Miss H. Potter, The Floor Beside Her Brother, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea, I had never been more excited. Harry and I shared a look before we tore open the envelope.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1September. We await your owl no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Harry and I shared an amazed and cautiously excited look before we looked over to Hagrid.

'What does it mean they await our owl?' I asked, though I had a pretty good idea, I just didn't know if it was possible.

'Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me!' Hagrid said, standing from the sofa once more and rummaging through his over coat, pulling out an owl a moment later- a real live rather ruffled looking owl- and a roll of parchment and a quill. Harry and I leaned forward to read the note as he wrote it:

Dear Mr Dumbledore,

Given Harry and Hayley their letters. Taking them to buy their things tomorrow. Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.

Hagrid.

He rolled up the note as soon as he finished it, gave it to the owl, who clamped it in its beak, went to the door and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as if he hadn't done anything out of the ordinary. But then again I supposed it was normal for him and his world.

I noticed Harry's mouth was hanging open and I elbowed him gently, nodding towards his mouth to bring it to his attention. It snapped shut quickly.

'Where was I?' Hagrid wondered, but it seemed that Uncle Vernon had found his voice once again as he stepped far enough forward to be illuminated by the firelight.

'They are not going.' He said, though he didn't sound very confident.

'I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop em,' Hagrid grunted.

'A what?' Harry asked, interested.

'A Muggle. It's what we call non-magic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on.' Hagrid explained, eyeing the Dursley's with disdain.

'We swore when we took them in we'd put a stop to all that rubbish!' Uncle Vernon screeched, 'swore we'd stamp it out of them! A Wizard and a Witch indeed!'

I flinched, recognizing the tone he was using; whenever he shouted like that Harry and I were to expect a beating. Harry's arm wound around my shoulders and pulled me to his chest a little, offering me comfort. It was an action that didn't go unnoticed by Hagrid.

'You knew? You knew and you never told us?' Harry asked, sounding angry.

'Knew?' Aunt Petunia spat, disgust clouding her tone, 'of course we knew! How couldn't you be with my dratted sister being what she was? Oh she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that- that school- and came home every holiday with her pockets full of frog-spawn, turning teacups into rats. But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!'

She stopped to draw in a deep breath, just when I thought she was finished she surprised me and carried on, as if she had been holding it all in for years.

'Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you two, of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as- as- abnormal- and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with the both of you!'

Harry and I shared a look at her words, I noticed he had gone very pale and I wondered if I had as well. As soon as we could formulate words we both shouted together.

'Blown up? You told us they died in a car crash!' Our word choice didn't differ, in that moment, despite how different we looked; it was easy to tell that we were in fact twins.

'CAR CRASH!' Hagrid roared, making his presence known once again, 'how could a car crash kill Lily and James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry an' Hayley Potter not knowin' their story when every kid in our world knows their names!'

'But why?' Harry asked and I added to his question with one of my own, 'what happened?'

Suddenly, Hagrid wasn't angry anymore, but his eyes crinkled with what looked like worry and he started to fidget as if he were anxious.

'What is it, Hagrid?' I said, my voice gently as I squeezed his hand in encouragement, well I tried to; his hand was so large I only managed to squeeze two fingers but he understood what I was trying to do and he awarded me with a soft smile that crinkled the corners of his black eyes.

'There was this wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…' Hagrid gulped, seeming to struggle to say the name.

I squeezed his fingers again and after a deep breath he carried on, 'his name was… Voldemort. Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too- some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry, Hayley. Didn't know who ter trust didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches… terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him- an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then anyway. Now yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' Girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get em' on his side before… probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side.'

Hagrid paused to take a deep breath, looking at our faces for a moment before he continued.

'Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em… maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Hallowe'en ten years ago. You was both just a year old. He came ter yer house an'- an'-.' Hagrid suddenly pulled out a dirty handkerchief with the hand I wasn't holding and blew his nose, loudly.

'Sorry,' he said, 'but it's that sad- knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find- anyway- You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then- an'- this is the real myst'ry of the thing- he tried to kill the both of you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that scar on yer forehead, Harry? Or how you got that scar on the back of yer neck, Hayley? Those are no ordinary cuts. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh- but it didn't work on either of you, an' that's why yer famous. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except the both of you, an' he killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age- the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts- an' you two was only babies an' you lived.'

As Hagrid's story came to a close, I suddenly didn't feel as if I were in the hut anymore, but I was being blinded by the green light that had haunted my dreams on multiple occasions, but this time I could hear something I had never heard before. The sound of a baby crying and a cold, mechanical laugh. I blinked, thankfully returning to the present, I looked over to Harry and noticed he looked like he was forcing himself to return to the hut, too. I released Hagrid's hand and took Harry's instead, squeezing it gently to let him know I understood what had just happened to him.

'What a load of rubbish!' Uncle Vernon suddenly shouted, both me and Harry jumped, I didn't know about my twin but I had definitely forgotten they were there.

'There's definitely something weird about you two, nothing a few more beatings wouldn't have cured.' Uncle Vernon paused seeming to gather himself and his temper, while I took a step closer to Hagrid, pulling Harry with me; I didn't know why I trusted him so fast, but I did.

'You will not be going to that school, do you understand me? I will not pay for some crackpot old fool to teach him magic tricks!' Uncle Vernon shouted, but his momentary bravery was diminished when Hagrid took a step towards him, looking angrier than I had ever seen him. He pulled out an old looking pink umbrella and pointed it at Uncle Vernon like a weapon.

'NEVER INSULT ALBUS DUMBLEDORE IN FRONT OF ME,' each word dripped with a threatening promise that made Uncle Vernon cower back in the corner, hoping he would calm down I supposed, but Hagrid swung the umbrella and pointed it to the youngest Dursley, a streak of violet light shot out the end and hit Dudley. The next second he was squealing, jumping up and down on the spot with his hands holding his bottom. I noticed a curly, pink pig's tail sticking out of his trousers. Harry and I shared an amused look while Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia ushered their son into the other room, slamming the door behind them, each of them shouting in horror.

Hagrid stroked his beard, looking noticeably calmer and a little regretful, 'I shouldn't have lost me temper. I'd appreciate if yer didn't tell anyone about that. I'm- er- not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff- one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take the job-.'

'Why aren't you supposed to do magic?' Harry asked, curious.

'Oh, well- I was at Hogwarts myself but I- er- got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore.'

'Don't worry, Hagrid, we won't tell anyone- that was brilliant!' I assured him, squeezing two of his fingers again, Hagrid gave me a warm smile and took a seat on the sofa again.

'You are exactly like yer mum, ya know.' Hagrid commented, taking the poker he had pulled out earlier and shuffling the hot coals around.

'I am?' I asked, eager for any information for our parents.

'Yer sure are, an' you're both brave an' you look our for each other. Yer parents would be proud.' Hagrid stated firmly, looking a little emotional.

I felt my own eyes cloud over with tears as I felt the empty space in my heart throb painfully, 'I wish I could have known them.'

'Me too.' Harry agreed, his arm winding around my shoulders as he held me close.

'Yer parents loved yer both so much. An' if there were a way for them to be with ya both now then they would be. It aint fair.' Hagrid said sadly.

'What happened to him?' Harry asked suddenly, Hagrid looked surprised but I knew who he was talking about.

'To the man who killed our parents. What happened to him?' I clarified.

'That's a good question. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you both. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see… he was gettin' more an' more powerful- why'd he go? Some say he died. Codswallop in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of em' came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you two finished him, Harry, Hayley. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on- I dunno what it was, no one does- but somethin' about the both of you stumped him, all right.'

Hagrid was looking at the both of us with warmth and respect in his eyes and I felt myself fidgeting underneath his gaze. I didn't feel like we deserved such recognition for something we didn't even mean to do. Surely there had been a mistake. There was no way that we were the ones that Hagrid was looking for. I felt my heart sink as the hope that had flickered when Hagrid had entered the hut was snuffed out. I looked over to Harry and the disappointment in his eyes told me he was feeling the same way.

'I-I don't think you have the right twins, Hagrid.' Harry admitted quietly.

'I don't thank we are the witch and wizard you're looking for,' I agreed, looking down to the old, worn floorboards. To my surprise, Hagrid chuckled. Harry and I both shared a confused look before we looked over to the giant on the sofa as he explained.

'Not a witch, not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?'

I frowned, thinking over the weird things that had happened to me. When Harry and I were running from Dudley and his brutish friends on the way home from school, and we were suddenly out of their reach… when Aunt Petunia had given me a horrific bowl hair cut that made me look like a boy and made me dread going to school- I was already teased about looking like a boy already because of Dudley's hand-me-downs, so I had been incredibly relieved when it had grown back overnight. When Uncle Vernon was shoved off Harry in the hallway, when the glass had disappeared at the zoo.

Harry and I smiled at each other and looked over to Hagrid.

'See?' Said Hagrid, 'Harry an' Hayley Potter not a witch and wizard- you wait you'll be right famous at Hogwarts.'

I couldn't quite picture that happening, if I was honest and I wasn't sure I wanted it to either. I was used to being invisible and I quite liked it that way.

'It's gettin' late an we've got lots ter do tomorrow,' Hagrid murmured, 'gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that.'

He moved from the couch and gestured for us both to lay on it, when we did he took off his overcoat and laid it over the both of us.

'You can both kip under that. Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets.' Hagrid smiled kindly before laying down on the floor in front of the fireplace. I snuggled into Harry's chest, my arm around his waist while his arm wound around my shoulders. I fell asleep quickly.