This idea has been playing on my mind for a while so I decided to start writing it. I'm still writing a Dursley Witch but I've got a little bored and am lacking inspiration so I don't know if I'll continue that one. This story is going to be told in first person by Venus so any opinions on characters are not mine but hers.
Chapter 1 - The Weasleys
Life hasn't ever been normal for me. Not since I remember. Weird things have always happened to me but I've never been completely sure why until last year. My brother Harry turned out to be a wizard and I think that I might be a witch but I don't know for certain yet.
My aunt and uncle they're awful. Harry says everyone at his school was appalled by how he was treated but I was even worse. He slept in the cupboard under the stairs but I slept in a broom cupboard which was even smaller than his. When he was naughty he'd get locked in his cupboard but they locked me outside. I'm skinny for my age like Harry but my body is scarred and bruised a lot worse than his. Dudley doesn't bother with me as much, I guess because he wouldn't feel as strong because I'm a girl but he will if his parents tell him.
Last year was awful, Harry left me for Hogwarts so I had nobody to help me like I usually have. Although Harry's less than a year older than me it feels like he's much older. I guess it might be because I'm so small for my age and he's always been protective of me. He'll always hold me when I'm scared and makes me feel like everything's going to be okay. That's why last year was so hard it was just me against the Dursleys.
He's home now and hopefully I'll join him at Hogwarts next year. The Dursleys aren't very happy with him because magic was used when they had dinner guests. Harry says it was a house elf called Dobby but they don't believe him. He's locked in the bedroom he got when they got scared by the wizards last summer so I can't see him in the day. Sometimes I sneak up at night just to be near to him but it's very risky.
I heard Uncle Vernon coming towards my cupboard. I stood back as he yanked the door open. He grabbed my arm pulling me out the door.
"You should be up already making breakfast!" He snarled at me.
"Sorry, I think I overslept."
He growled pushing me down onto the floor, giving me a kick in the side for good measure and stalked down the stairs. I got up hurriedly and followed him down the stairs.
I got to work quickly making their breakfast, I didn't bother trying to make any for myself, I knew they wouldn't let me eat it anyway. I just hurried back to my cupboard before I could get another beating. I hated myself for being so scared, I hated the Dursleys for making me so scared. One day I would make them pay for how they'd treated me. I just had to hang on until 1st September when hopefully I could join Harry at Hogwarts. I'd heard so many stories about it's greatness and how there were people who cared about Harry and how he had friends.
My daydream was broken by a loud growl from Uncle Vernon followed by footsteps coming closer to my cupboard. I curled in a ball against the corner fearing the worst. The door swung open revealing a purple faced Uncle Vernon glowering with a letter in his hand.
"So," He said coming towards me, "You've been invited to join your brother at his school!"
His hand hit me in the face and his foot hit me in the stomach. I stared up at him, panting from the blow.
"Well let me tell you this, you're not going!" There was another kick and another slap. My face burned and my ribs ached. I was terrified of my Uncle, I'd never seen him this angry, not even when Harry got his letter. I couldn't help it, I couldn't control my magic. The door splintered, firing pieces of wood everywhere.
"You!" He thundered, "Stop that!"
"I can't help it," I whimpered.
"Well maybe some lessons are in order!"
I shrunk back even further into my cupboard, I didn't know what he had planned but it could never be good.
He advanced further into the cupboard. He kicked and kicked and kicked until he heard a crack. I couldn't help myself, I screamed. He'd broken my rib and he wanted to, he wanted me to suffer. Hatred filled me. He reached in and dragged me from the cupboard. I didn't resist, I knew better than that by now.
"Dudley!" He called.
The next minute Dudley appeared cracking his knuckles.
"Break her arm." Uncle Vernon commanded.
Dudley smiled sadistically, "Which one?"
"Let's make it that one with the ugly mark."
He grabbed my left arm and pulled up my sleeve revealing the thing I worked my best to hide. It was like a tattoo but I don't remember getting it, I'm guessing that Lord Voldermort gave it to me the same day he gave Harry that scar but i don't know why or what it even is. All I can tell is that it's got the shapes of a skull and a snake.
Pain surged through my arm as Dudley snapped my arm. I cried out in pain and fell completely onto the floor.
"Garden now!" Commanded Uncle Vernon.
I followed his orders for only the reason it meant they were done beating me for now and I could get away from them.
The door slammed and was locked behind me and I was alone. I tried to hold back the tears but I couldn't, my arm throbbed and so did my rib. I was a witch but I didn't think I'd ever get to Hogwarts. I laid down on the ground and decided to wait till night fall to climb up to Harry's window if I could. As I expected nobody bothered me for the rest of the day. It was nice to be free of them for a bit even if it was starting to get cold and I was starting to get hungry.
Night eventually fell and I watched as the Dursleys went to bed. I watched the clock, visible from the moonlight for an hour before I decided they should be asleep. I crept round to the front of the house trying to ignore the pain that I was in. I found the drain pipe and managed to pull myself up till I was in front of Harry's window. I'm not sure how I manage it but I did. Harry saw me and opened his window. I slipped through the bars with ease and through the window into his room.
I collapsed onto the floor from exhaustion and pain.
"Venus, Venus, are you okay?" Harry asked the concern clear in his voice. "Is your arm..." I nodded,
"And my rib." I grimaced.
Harry bent down and scooped me into his arms he laid me down on his bed and held me. He did it carefully to make sure not to hurt me and it was comforting to know that he was there. He played with my hair, it was red and thick. It was much too long really but I liked it, it was brighter than most things in the house and it matched Gryffindor house. That was Harry's Hogwarts house and I hoped I could join him in it soon, if Uncle Vernon let me go to Hogwarts.
I was staring to settle into sleep when I heard an engine outside the window but that wasn't possible, we weren't on the ground. I opened my eyes and looked towards the window and saw three red headed boys grinning.
"Fred, George, Ron, what are you doing here?" Harry asked.
"Rescuing you of course." Replied the youngest red head.
Harry looked back at me and then at the boys.
"Who's this little girl?" Asked one of the twins.
"My sister."
"Is she a witch?" Asked the other twin.
"We d-"
"Yes I got my letter today." I interrupted.
Harry looked back at me, I shrugged. I figured he'd heard the noise earlier.
"That's why they were so angry at you?" He asked softly.
I nodded.
Harry turned back to the boys, "I can't leave her here, I don't know what they'll do to her."
"Bring her along then, I'm sure mum won't mind." Ron said.
"Yeah the more the merrier!" Said the twins in unison.
They started attaching the car to the bars on the window and pulled them off. There was a massive bang as they came away and the bars hit the car.
I froze as I heard footsteps coming towards Harry's room.
"Your trunk Harry!" Urged the red heads.
Harry passed them his trunk and began to climb into the car as the door burst open. Uncle Vernon grabbed me by my already broken arm and shoved me to the floor. He then moved onto Harry trying to pull him back but I managed to get up. I crept up around uncle Vernon and kicked his ankle. It can't have hurt him that much with all the fat surrounding his legs but it shocked him enough that he let go of Harry. Harry climbed into the car and I managed to worm my way around uncle Vernon and followed him into the car.
The Weasleys shot off into the night. I suddenly felt the pain in my arm. I'd been to caught up in the excitement to feel it before but now it was throbbing like crazy. I bit my lip to prevent myself crying out, I couldn't be weak in front of these new people.
"How did you know to come?" Asked Harry.
"When you didn't reply to any of our letters we knew something was wrong - why didn't you write?" Said the one I was guessing to be Ron.
Harry explained about Dobby and about how he'd then got locked in his room.
"How did she manage to get in then? Asked one of the twins.
I half smiled, "I climbed up the drainpipe and through the bars."
"You can fit through the bars?" Spluttered Ron.
I shrugged, "Years of malnourishment has to mean something."
"Yeah but that's seriously bad, they must have literally starved you."
"It's not the worst thing they've done"
Ron's eyes bulged, "Why what else have they done?"
"When they found about my Hogwarts letter today they broke my rib and my arm." I said simply.
All three of the twins turned to gape at me.
"Fred you might need to look where we're going!" Harry said.
"Oh yeah." Said Fred a little sheepishly.
"Bloody hell Harry, you didn't even tell us you had a sister, let alone that she was treated like this."
"Yeah well they've always treated her worse than me and I don't know why." Said Harry.
I looked at him, "You never told them about me?" I asked a little hurt.
"Look Venus it's not like that, it just never came up."
"What about in the Mirror of Erised?" Asked Ron.
"She wasn't there." Harry said quietly.
I turned and looked out of the window ignoring the rest of their conversations. I wasn't part of Harry's biggest heart's desire but he'd lied to me. He told me all about the Mirror of Erised at the start of the holidays but he told me he saw our whole family.
The car started to descend and I came out of my self pity and back to reality.
I followed the twins creeping into the house.
"Where have you been? Beds empty no note, you could have been killed, you could have been seen."
"They we're starving him mum, and plain abusing her." Said Ron.
"Don't be silly I know they're not nice but they wouldn't abuse anyone and who is this girl you're speaking about."
I stepped out from behind Harry where I'd been hiding.
"Me and it's true they've broken my arm and my rib."
"You poor girl," she said beckoning me over to the sofa which she's laid out cushions and a blanket on, "You just rest here for a moment and I'll be back in a minute.
She moved back over to the boys. "Harry dear how are you darling?"
"I'm fine really Mrs Weasley." Harry assured her.
"Well you can go up to bed and rest, you're in Ron's room."
"I'll show him," offered Ron, "I need a rest too."
"You will not, it's your fault for being up all night, you three can de-gnome the garden!"
There was a resounding groan from the three boys.
"I'd like to help, I've " Said Harry.
"Mate you really don't want to." Urged Ron.
"No I do," Harry assured them, "I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway."
"Well okay but you come back inside if you feel tired," Mrs Weasley instructed.
I watched the boys go out into the garden and Mrs Weasley came up to me.
"Bless you dear, now I'm going to have to call Madam Pomfrey from Hogwarts to give you some Skele-gro."
"Mrs Weasley really it's fine I don't want to cause you any trouble, I've had broken bones before."
"Nonsense, it isn't any trouble and I'd much rather you were healthy."
She started scribbling a note and gave it to an owl who flew off with it.
"Now let me look at your rib."
She lifted up my T-shirt wincing at the bruising and scars from years of torment.
"Ah yes now your arm."
"Sorry but no,"
I didn't want her to see the mark, I didn't know what it meant and I didn't like anybody to see it. I'd hated pe at school because it was on display and people didn't hesitate to mention it.
"I need to check the bone." She tried to reason.
"I'm sorry but nobody gets to see this arm."
"Why?" She asked concerned.
"Well Harry has his scar from that night but I've got a mark."
"I need to see it darling, I'm not going to think anything of you because of this mark."
She smiled at me reassuringly.
Tentatively I pulled up my sleeve to past my elbow. She held my arm but dropped it when she caught site of the mark.
"The dark mark!" She breathed.
I pulled my arm back and pulled my sleeve back down holding it close to my body.
"You poor, poor girl being branded with something that dark so young."
"Please, what is it?"
"You know who - you know who I'm taking about?"
I nodded, Harry had told me all about him that summer.
"Well yes his way of branding his followers and communicating with them was that he'd brand them with that mark right where yours is. They'd also put that symbol over the house of anybody who they murdered."
I looked at my arm, hating what I'd been branded with.
"But why me?"
"I don't know, if I did I would tell you but I really don't know."
She looked at me pitifully.
"Don't look at me like that." I pleaded.
"Like what?"
"Like I'm a broken child and like I don't deserve everything that's happened."
"But you don't!"
I looked away, "Of course I do, I'm not like Harry. Harry wants everything to be forgiven and just wants safety but me, I want revenge. I want the people who've made me suffer to suffer and this makes me just as bad as him."
"No, you don't deserve any of this, you're not like him. It's okay that you want him to pay, it's normal, that doesn't make you a bad person."
She looked me in the eyes cupping my face in her hands.
I broke away from her as the boys came back in from the garden.
Mrs Weasley moved back to the kitchen to start making breakfast. Harry came over to me and sat at my feet stroking my hair.
"It's his mark." I told him quietly.
Harry froze and looked at me.
"I don't know why." I said.
I could feel his eyes boring into me but I wouldn't meet his glance.
"Breakfast Harry dear!" Mrs Weasley called from the kitchen.
He stood up and walked into the kitchen still dazed. Mrs Weasley came back to me on the sofa.
"Here you go, Venus. You'll feel better if you eat. Madam Pomfrey is going to come in about an hour to start healing your rib and your arm."
"Thank you." I said gratefully.
"Now I'm going back to the kitchen but just call out if you need me."
"Okay." I said refusing to meet her eyes.
She gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze and moved back into the kitchen. I could hear her telling Mr Weasley about the boys coming and saving us from the Dursleys. I had to stifle a giggle when I heard that Mr Weasley was more interested in how it went.
I ate a bit but I didnt really feel very hungry.
It felt like no time at all till a nice but strict looking woman came into the living room followed by Mrs Weasley,
"This is Madam Pomfrey." She told me.
Madam Pomfrey set about casting diagnostic spells.
"Yes as I suspected a broken rib and a broken arm," she handed me a bottle, "drink this and it'll be healed in a few hours."
I drank it, it didn't taste nice but it wasn't too bad.
"But there's also some concentrated dark magic around your left arm." She said a little concerned.
"Oh yes I know, it's from the night my parents died." I was guessing it was from my dark mark.
"Oh yes that's nothing to worry about it, I've already seen it." Mrs Weasley covered for me.
I looked up at her gratefully.
"Well then I think I'm done, keep eating and resting Venus." She said indicating my hardly eaten breakfast.
"I'll make sure of it Madam Pomfrey." Assured Mrs Weasley.
"Good and I hope not to see you too often when you get to Hogwarts." She told me her eyes twinkling in amusement.
Mrs Weasley showed her to the door and came back through to me.
"I've owled Professor McGonogall confirming your place at Hogwarts."
"Thank you."
"You're a lot braver than you know." She said before returning to the boys and Ginny still in the kitchen.
Ginny came through a few minutes later.
"We're going to play Quidditch outside, you can't really play but you can come referee."
"Alright yeah." I said.
I followed her out into the garden and sat down on a chair. They were playing Fred and George against the other three. It was funny to watch and my rib was hurting from laughing so much but I didn't care, I was having fun for one of the first times in my life. My mood couldn't even be dampened by Percy who kept popping his head out of the window telling us to keep it down.
He wasn't very happy with us when we went in for lunch but none of us really cared. I actually ate all my lunch which Mrs Weasley was happy about however she wasn't as happy that I hadn't been resting as I should. After lunch I couldn't feel any pain in my arm or my rib so I joined them playing Quidditch in the garden. I wasn't great but it was thrilling to be flying, it was like nothing I'd ever felt before. I was starting to get a hold of how to play and could hold my own against them by the end of the afternoon.
We all went inside tired except for Ginny because we hadn't slept the night before but we were all happy. Mrs Weasley's cooking was amazing and Ginny showed me to the room I'd be sharing with her. We played exploding snap until we were both about to fall asleep and then I cuddled into the blankets set up on a spare mattress. I'd never had an actual mattress before so it was really comfortable. I fell asleep for the first night of my life full, happy and comfortable.