Title: Not a Hero (I am I?)

first of all, I would like to thank Animalium for beta-ing my story, you rock girl!

Disclaimer: I don't own this story,
Jk Rowling does

"please no! Not my Lydia! Take me instead " please!

The voice screamed, a woman stood shielding a child, they both sported red hair, the woman let out a scream as a jet of green light hit her square in the chest causing Lydia to wake up in her small cramped space she was given by her 'family '.

Lydia always knew she was different, she looked and acted so differently than the other kids to the point where she was bullied, her cousin Dudley would torment her endlessly, throwing rocks at her and calling her 'carrot hair'.

The teachers barely reacted let alone punished the kids, she would go back home where she would be ignored by her uncle and made to do chores for her aunt.

Lydia never knew why her aunt acted the way she did, she was always cold and uncaring when it came to her niece and smothered her own baby with so much love leaving the redhead sobbing silently in her cupboard under the stairs.

"WAKE UP GIRL!" bellowed a voice after a few hours, it was obviously aunt Petunia from the sound of it, the woman tapped on the cupboard's wooden door for more effect.
" yes aunt" mumbled a drowsy Lydia, following her aunt to the kitchen, Today was Dudley's fifth birthday, Lydia never had a birthday party and felt a spark of Jealousy light in her chest while watching her aunt fret about, wanting her Duddykin's birthday to be perfect, the young redhead was soon put to work, cleaning after her aunt as the older woman baked a gorgeous cake Lydia knew she would never taste.

" Once you are done cleaning start cooking breakfast and make sure the bacon is exactly how my Duddykin likes it!" ordered Petunia who marched upstairs to wake her child up.
The young redhead was just setting the plates on the table, ignoring the mountain of gifts destined to Dudley when said boy bounded down the stairs, pushing his cousin away from the table and proceeded on stuffing his face with the food.
"We're going to the circus to have my birthday party right? " asked the child as his parents sat on each side of their clearly overweight child who resembled his pig of a father, Lydia, of course, was dismissed with a harsh 'shoo' from her uncle'.
So she waited for them to finish their breakfast, who knows? She might find some leftovers to quell her hunger.
"there's no way we'll take her with us! She'll ruin everything like the freak she is!" Bellowed Vernon as he paced around in another room, Mrs Figg was out visiting her relatives, they could and would not leave the freak in the house, their only option was to take her with them, Dudley was quick to show his distaste despite him being just five, the ride to the circus was a tense one, making the young girl wish she was left home, she would have been able to sneak some food into her 'room ' and rest for a while.

They ditched her.

Of course, they would leave her behind, why didn't she see it coming?
They paid for the fees but ignored her completely, making the child happy since she could go around where she wanted and even made her way to the cages where the animals were kept.

"so beautiful.." she whispered softly, walking around the cages as she marvelled at the beasts sprawled in their cages, she played with the monkeys and show horses who nipped at her curious hands, a few sparks of magic escaped her delicate hands as she caressed a dangerous looking lion who barely paid attention to her, she fed The caged Elephant a few Peanuts She found on the floor and giggled softly when the animal shot the shells out of the cage, she was having so much fun!

Of course the fun did not last, she heard the bellowing voice of her uncle who searched for her, his face was in a deep shade of purple as he reached for her, the circus employees took pity of the child dressed in baggy boy shorts and did their best to calm him down, but to no avail, he dragged her to the car and drove home, they yelled at her along the way, claiming that she had ruined everything as usual, but as the man ranted on and on, not paying attention to the road, he was so upset with the little freak to the point where he swerved into the opposite lane where a truck faced them. All they could hear was honking, the loud sound of tires skidding across the road then...

Nothing.