This is a twin!Slytherin!grey!Harry AU, with Dumbledore bashing of a yet unknown degree. Harry will be paired with a male in the future, perhaps Draco or someone typical like that, but I haven't decided yet. Though this is in "Penelope"'s point of view for the first few chapters, it will change to both Harry and "Penelope"'s POV in later chapters. This first chapter is short, but I'm already working on the next. I hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: Abuse (everything but sexual), future slash pairings, violence, and character death.

Preface:

Dear Mrs. Dursley,

As you probably know, these two children are your niece and nephew. Their parents have, tragically, been killed by the dark wizard Voldemort. The children, however, survived, and one of them seems to have destroyed the Dark Lord – perhaps for good. Since their mother's love for them protected them, I have placed them in your care, as you share the same blood as Lily Potter. Your presence with the children will protect them as their mother's did until they are of age. I'm sure you and your family can find it in your hearts to care for the children, and I'm certain they will be very kind and well-behaved.

Now, about their future education at Hogwarts. I am not certain as to how much you know about our world, so I will try to cover all the bases. Their letters should come in the summer of their eleventh year. Their tuition is already paid for, and they have a very large sum of money stored in the wizard bank, Gringotts, that can be accessed any time by the key in this envelope, or, if need be, by a blood sample. However, I am sure you will not need any of this until their education starts, but it is there if necessary. Now, the entrance to Diagon Alley, where Gringotts is located and where they may get all their school supplies, is located behind a pub called the Leaky Cauldron. It sits in between a book shop and a record shop, called Tussahs and Tate's, and William's Music respectively. The Leaky Cauldron isn't easily noticed by non-wizards, so the children will have to lead you in.

But in any case, I'm sure you'll all do very well. We'll see you in ten years.

Sincerely,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

Chapter One: Life As We Know It

When Petunia Dursley opened the door that morning and saw two bundles on her doorstep, she shrieked loudly enough to alert the neighbors, then scooped the things up and quickly shut the door before anyone could become too curious.

She knew at once who they were, because they looked exactly like their parents. Yanking out a letter from inside the boy's blanket, she consulted it long enough to read the first paragraph and check the signature at the bottom. So her sister and her good-for-nothing husband had gotten themselves killed and landed her family with the brats. Naturally. As shocked as Petunia was, she knew that she had no choice but to take them in. Even though she very much thought her sister had been a freak, Lily had still been her sister, and it was the right thing to do.

However, that didn't mean she was going to care for the children.

Petunia smirked. Finally she would get her revenge for Lily carelessly leaving her behind year after year.

Harry James Potter and Penelope Petunia Potter were twins. Penelope, a pretty girl who looked exactly like her mother at her age, was older by half a day, while Harry – who looked just like his father except for his green eyes – was the younger sibling. Both children had lived with their uncle and aunt for years, but they vaguely remembered their parents – little flashes of lullaby's and happy faces – but they remembered the night they died very well.

A man had come in wearing a cloak. Their father had been scared; he yelled for their mother to take them and run. She took them to their nursery and after only seconds, the man appeared. He took out his wand, said some funny words, and a green light hit their mother in the chest. Then he had turned his wand on the children, and a bright light engulfed the room. When it passed, Harry and Penelope found themselves in a half-destroyed nursery with lightning-bolt shaped scars in the middle of their foreheads. They both cried and cried, trying to wake their mother and not quite wanting to believe she was asleep for good. Just as the two toddlers were considering trying to go down the half-ruined staircase, a huge but kind-looking man arrived, scooped them up in blankets, and took them off on a flying motorbike. The next day when they woke up, they were with the Dursleys.

Dudley, their cousin, was a couple of months older than them, was very fat, and loved to hit people, their aunt was a thin, horse-faced woman who loved to gossip, and their uncle was a large man with little neck, a large moustache, and a deep hatred of the out-of-the-ordinary.

The Dursleys had always made their hatred for the twins very clear. They were forced to live together in the cupboard under the stairs, fed very little, and punished severely for minor infractions. However, Penelope easily had it much worse than her brother, all because of her uncanny resemblance to her mother. Often, she was beaten for no reason, fed spoilt food, and purposefully exposed to sick children in order to catch diseases. Harry did not at all have it easy, but he wasn't ever injured any more badly than a broken nose (given by his cousin, not his aunt or uncle) and was at least given some medicine when he was sick.

But then one day the Dursleys went too far with their abuse towards Penelope, and everything changed…