Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I wish I did.

For once in my life, I was bored.

I should tell you about myself. My name is Sapphire Potter, twin sister to Harry Potter, known as the "Girl Who Lived", the likes. I have long auburn hair and green eyes. Oh, and a bloody scar on my face. In fact, that scar and my eyes are the only things that I have in common with my brother, look-wise, seeing as he has messy black har that stands up in the back, with glasses.

My brother, at the moment, was doing an essay for school, using his wand for light.

I probably should have mentioned before, but I'm a witch. As in I can do magic. Me and Harry go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a school for people like us.

The clock chimed, meaning it was one o'clock in the morning. I had been 13 for a whole hour!

I reached under our bed and pulled out Harry's present. He looked up at me, confused.

"Happy birthday, big brother." I said. Pointing at the clock.

"Oh!" He jumped up and got my present, and gave it to me. I got him a book with all of the world's greatest seekers on it, as he was the seeker for our house Quiddich team. Harry got me a book(Pranking for the Prankster) and a picture of the Quiddich team we were on. I played one of the three Chasers after trying out last year.

All of a sudden, through the window soared four owls, two of them holding up the third, which appeared to be unconscious. They landed with a soft flump on our bed, and the middle owl, which was large and gray, keeled right over and lay motionless. There was a large package tied to its legs. Harry recognized the unconscious owl at once - his name was Errol, and he belonged to the Weasley family. I dashed to the bed, untied the cords around Errol's legs, took off the parcel, and then carried Errol to Harry's owl Hedwig's, who was currently out, cage. Errol opened one bleary eye, gave a feeble hoot of thanks, and began to gulp some water.

Me and Harry turned back to the remaining owls. One of them, the large snowy female, was Harry's own Hedwig. She, too, was carrying a parcel and looked extremely pleased with herself. She gave Harry an affectionate nip with her beak as he removed her burden, then flew across the room to join Errol. Another owl was my own Lunae, who also had a package. I took it and she went off hunting.

Neither of us recognized the third owl, a handsome tawny one, but I knew at once where it had come from, because in addition to a fourth and fifth package, it was carrying two letters bearing the Hogwarts crest. When I relieved this owl of its burden, it ruffled its feathers importantly, stretched its wings, and took off through the window into the night. Harry sat down on the bed and grabbed Errol's package, ripped off the brown paper, and discovered a present wrapped in gold a birthday card. Fingers trembling slightly, he opened the envelope. Three pieces of paper fell out - two letters and a newspaper clipping. The clipping had clearly come out of the wizarding newspaper, the Daily Prophet, because the people in the black-and-white picture were moving. I picked up the clipping, smoothed it out, and read:

MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE

Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, "We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank." The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend.

I scanned the moving photograph, and a grin spread across pur faces as we saw all nine of the Weasleys waving furiously at us, standing in front of a large pyramid. Plump little Mrs. Weasley; tall, balding Mr. Weasley; six sons; and one daughter, all (though the black-and-white picture didn't show it) with flaming-red hair. Right in the middle of the picture was Ron, tall and gangling, with his pet rat, Scabbers, on his shoulder and his arm around his little sister, Ginny. Next to them were my first and two of my bestest friends Fred and George. Me and Harry couldn't think of anyone who deserved to win a large pile of gold more than the Weasleys, who were very nice and extremely poor. Harry picked up Ron's letter and unfolded it.

Dear Harry and Sapphire,

Happy birthday! Look, I'm really sorry about that telephone call. I hope the Muggles didn't give you a hard time.(I sniggered) I asked Dad, and he reckons I shouldn't have shouted. It's amazing here in Egypt. Bill's taken us around all the tombs and you wouldn't believe the curses those old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn't let Ginny come in the last one. There were all these mutant skeletons in there, of Muggles who'd broken in and grown extra heads and stuff. I couldn't believe it when Dad won the Daily Prophet Draw. Seven hundred galleons! Most of it's gone on this trip, but they're going to buy me a new wand for next year.

Harry remembered only too well the occasion when Ron's old wand had snapped. It had happened when the car the two of them had been flying to Hogwarts had crashed into a tree on the school grounds. Luckily I wasn't there.

We'll be back about a week before term starts and we'll be going up to London to get my wand and our new books. Any chance of meeting you guys there? Don't let the Muggles get you down!

Try and come to London,

Ron

P.S. Percy's Head Boy. He got the letter last week.

I glanced back at the photograph. Percy, who was in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, was looking particularly smug. He had pinned his Head Boy badge to the fez perched jauntily on top of his neat hair, his horn-rimmed glasses flashing in the Egyptian sun. Harry now turned to our present and unwrapped it. Inside was what looked like two miniature glass spinning tops. There was another note from Ron beneath it.

Harry and Sapphire - these are Pocket Sneakoscopes. If there's someone untrustworthy around, they're supposed to light up and spin. Bill says it's rubbish sold for wizard tourists and isn't reliable, because it kept lighting up at dinner last night. But he didn't realize Fred and George had put beetles in his soup.

Bye - Ron

Harry put the Pocket Sneakoscopes on our bedside table, where they stood quite still, balanced on their points, reflecting the luminous hands of our clock. We looked at them happily for a few seconds, then Harry picked up the parcel Hedwig had brought. Inside this, too, there was a wrapped present, a card, and a letter, this time from Hermione. I read over his shoulder.

Dear Harry and Sapphire,

Ron wrote to me and told me about his phone call to your Uncle Vernon. I do hope you're all right. I'm on holiday in France at the moment and I didn't know how I was going to send this to you two - what if they'd opened it at customs? - but then Hedwig turned up! I think she wanted to make sure you guys got something for your birthdays for a change. I bought your presents by owl-order; there was an advertisement in the Daily Prophet (I've been getting it delivered; it's so good to keep up with what's going on in the wizarding world), Did you see that picture of Ron and his family a week ago? I bet he's learning loads. I'm really jealous - the ancient Egyptian wizards were fascinating. There's some interesting local history of witchcraft here, too. I've rewritten my whole History of Magic essay to include some of the things I've found out, I hope it's not too long - it's two rolls of parchment more than Professor Binns asked for. Ron says he's going to be in London in the last week of the holidays. Can you guys make it? Will your aunt and uncle let you come? I really hope you can. If not, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September first!

Love from Hermione

P.S. Ron says Percy's Head Boy. I'll bet Percy's really pleased. Ron doesn't seem too happy about it.

Me and Harry opened the presents. We each got Broomstick Servicing Kits and they looked really cool.

From Fred and George I got a large box of sweets, which I shared with Harry. From Hagrid we each got these books that tried to decapitate me. From Hogwarts, other than the usual letter, there was a notice:

Dear Miss. Potter,

Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock.

Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign. A list of books for next year is enclosed.

Yours sincerely,

Professor M. McGonagall Deputy Headmistress

I pulled out the Hogsmeade permission form and looked at it, no longer grinning. It would be wonderful to visit Hogsmeade on weekends; I knew it was an entirely wizarding village, and I had never set foot there. But how on earth were we going to persuade Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to sign the form? I looked over at the alarm clock. It was now two o'clock in the morning. I'd worry tomorrow. Me and Harry got into bed, and I smiled. This was the best birthday ever.

"WHAT?" I screeched. "That demon lady is coming over?"

All happy thoughts were out of my head by now. Harry and me HATED our Aunt Marge. I knew I was going to stay upstairs all night. I am not staying with that demon.

There was nothing that could bring me down, so Harry had to deal with this alone. Which was a bad dea, as he blew up our aunt. We were now on the street with our trunks and owls. That's right. We were on the streets.

Harry tried coming up with a plan, but I was busy staring at a dog. It was a large black dog, with stormy grey eyes. I got a really weird feeling in my gut, like I should know it. I stepped forward and put out my arm…

And was scared half to death by a bus appearing right next to me. So I did something wise.

I fainted.