Ever Dursley was proud to say that she was perfectly normal, thank you very much. She went to a regular school, made regular friends, and had regular dinner parties with her family's friends. She loved being normal, but the universe didn't seem to like it.
"I can't be a witch!" Ever whispered, holding the yellow-ish envelope in her hands.
"Ever!" her dad called from behind her. "Is something wrong?"
"No, Daddy!" Ever yelled over her shoulder before looking down at her envelope. "Not that you will find out of, anyway."
She tucked the letter in her jeans pocket and walked back to the kitchen, where her family was talking cheerfully. Her cousin, Harry Potter, had ran away two days ago and everyone was in a better mood with him gone.
"Just bills," Ever said, handing her dad the letter and sitting in her seat next to her mother.
Vernon grunted when he searched through his mail, but then he stopped at one and his small eyes widened.
Ever felt nervous. "What is it, Daddy?"
"Your school letter," Vernon said, making Ever stiffen. "Your Smeltings acceptance letter."
Ever breathed a sigh of relief and reached out for it. It was lighter in her hands then the Hogwarts acceptance letter.
"Aren't you excited Ever?" Petunia asked.
Ever realized she had been scowling, and forced herself to smile cheerfully. "Of course I am, Mummy. I've been waiting for this day ever since Dudley went."
It was the truth. All of Ever's friends were going to Smeltings, and they had so many plans… but it was all ruined by the Hogwarts letter.
Ever had never had as good of grades as Harry had in school, but hers weren't as bad as Dudley's, so she was smart enough to know that the Hogwarts letter wasn't going to be ignored – they would keep coming until it would be impossible to hide them.
Ever was already planning on what she would do, though. She had been planning ever since she found the letter in the pile of bills.
"Mummy," Ever said. "I was thinking that I could go get my supplies… with my friends."
Petunia smiled at her daughter, bemused. "Of course. When will we pick them up?"
"No, Mummy," Ever said, biting her lip. "I mean, just me and my friends."
Petunia's smile fell from her features, and she glanced at Vernon. "Why, Evie-Poo?"
"We just want to go by ourselves," Ever lied. "Please, Mummy?"
Petunia looked deflated, but she nodded. "Do you want to bring extra money? So you can get ice cream?"
"Yes," Ever said. "Thanks, Mummy."
Petunia smiled. "Anything for you, Darling."
Then she smoothed Ever's honey-blonde hair back, as though worried it would stick up in every direction like Harry's. Ever smiled, and did her best to make her grey eyes go so wide that saying no to her would be impossible. "May I be excused? I have to tell my friends you agreed."
"Sure, Darling," Petunia said.
Ever gave her mother a kiss on the cheek and hurried out of the kitchen, leaving her family to begin a chat about the weather – as Dudley, Ever's brother, watch television while eating bacon and pankakes.
Ever raced up to her bedroom and burst inside, finally letting her panic show as she slammed the door behind her.
"A witch," Ever breathed, running her hands through her silky hair. "I'm a witch. This is bad, this is so so bad!"
Ever looked desperately around her room, looking for something – anything that could help her out of this mess; but there was nothing. All she ever kept in her room that she actually used was her bed – everything else she kept in her trunk, because she didn't think her parent's would approve. She had posters of her favorite actors, high heeled shoes one of her friends insisted would look nice on her but really caused her to sprain her ankle, and a diary so private Ever would just about die if anyone read it.
Ever grabbed her pillow from her bed and stuffed her face in the soft blue fabric. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, but no one would be able to hear.
"A fine way to ease your frustration," her counselor had said after a very violent fist fight Ever had started.
Ever had used the tactic ever since, and it noticeably worked – she only got into fights twice a week now.
Ever, completely out of breath, collapsed into the bed and forced herself not to cry.
She had seen the way her mother and father had treated her cousin, and she never really stopped them, but to think that they might end up treating her like that was heartbreaking and – though she would never say it out loud – scary.
Ever never really thought about it, but her cousin's life was miserable. He was stuffed in a cupboard all his childhood, unloved, and he was hardly ever fed. The poor boy got beaten by Ever's father, but Ever had never even winced when she heard his cries.
Ever tried to imagine herself in his position, and couldn't; it made her stomach clench.
"This is no time for an epiphany, Ever," Ever told herself. "It's time to make plans. Think, think, who would be able to help you… oh fudge."
The only person she knew that could help her, was the person she had never even helped. The boy who she walked by every day and they never even glanced at each other. The boy she had laughed at with her friends – even though she knew half of her friends had a crush on him.
Harry.
"No," Ever moaned. "No, no, no! Can this get any better?"
Harry would never agree to help her – she couldn't blame him. If she was in his place, she would have laughed in her own face. Not only will he laugh at her, but he might tell her parents, and who knows what they would do to her.
Ever groaned and put her hands over her face. She had never believed in karma, but this was proof that it was real.
"I have to try," Ever said. "I have to, I have to."
It was true. He was her only chance, her last chance; and maybe she could get him to help her, she was good at tricking people into doing what she wanted. Like how she got her mother to let her go 'shopping' – that was only one small example to many others.
One time, she even got the girl she beat up into telling the principle that she had started the fight.
Ever got to her feet and smoothed out the sundress her mother had forced her to wear. It was bright purple, so bright that you would be able to see her miles away in the dark, and had mustard yellow polka dots all over it.
Ever was sure that Harry would have had a good laugh at the sight of her.
Ever fluttered over to her dresser and took out a piece of paper and a pen from it. She had seen Harry's white owl fly to and from his window when she spent her nights on the roof, and she knew that that was the only way to reach him – so that would be very difficult for her. But owls loved to sit on the roof at night, and they barely noticed her anymore, so catching one of them would have to be simple. Not making noise while doing it… that was tough.
Ever absently took out her Hogwarts acceptance letter and stared at the address on the front.
Ms. E. Dursley Top Bedroom 4 Privet Drive Little Whinging Surrey
Ever tried not to be creeped out at the fact that they knew which bedroom was hers as she opened her letter.
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 Ms. Dursley, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress
"This is like a nightmare," Ever mumbled, pinching her arm hard to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "A horrible nightmare that I can't wake up from."
Ever shook her head and turned to the paper she had taken out. With a deep, calming breath, she began to write.
Dear Harry,
Need your help. Mum and Dad and Dudley don't know so DO NOT TELL.
Ever
Ever folded up the paper and stuffed it in her pocket with the Hogwarts letter. Dudley had a thing for snooping around, and if he found the letter… then her life was over.
"Ever, Darling!" Petunia called. "Your little friends are here!"
Ever cursed under her breath. The last thing she needed was her friends visiting. Nevertheless, she faked a smile and skipped down the stairs to the front door, where her three best friends were standing, wide smiles on each of their faces.
"What are you guys doing here?" Ever asked when she made it to them.
"We've come to walk with you to our dance class," Ever's friend, Olivia, said. "Don't you remember?"
"Oh," Ever frowned. "Sorry, I have a lot on my mind."
"She's just been accepted to Smeltings," Petunia said, obviously unable to keep her excitement in.
Ever's other friend, Isabelle, smiled. "Really? That's absolutely lovely."
Isabelle was Petunia's favorite. In her eyes, she was a perfectly respectable young lady that was worthy of her daughter's presence. But Isabelle was really the complete opposite, she talked bad about everyone she knew and stole from stores and people.
"It is, isn't it?" Petunia beamed. "Well, I guess you girls want to be on your way."
"Yes," Ever said, giving her a kiss on the boney cheek. "Love you, Mummy. I'll see you later."
The other girls called goodbye also and they all left, not talking till they heard the door close.
"What were you doing in your room, Ever?" Isabelle asked. "You came down looking pale."
Ever rolled her eyes and smiled. "None of your business, Izzy."
Isabelle narrowed her eyes suspiciously but let it go.
Ever's other friend, Lynette, grinned at Ever. "I didn't see Harry, Ever. Did you guys finally throw him out."
"I wish," Ever sighed. "But he's like a cockroach – you can never really get rid of him."
Olivia, Isabelle, and Lynette nodded, though Ever could tell that they were all secretly happy that he wasn't away.
"Well, you'll be at Smeltings with us anyways," Olivia said. "You'll only need to see him on summer holidays."
Ever smiled sadly at her friends. Though they sometimes annoyed her so much, she would really miss them. "Actually, guys, I won't be going to Smeltings."
"What?" Lynette scrunched up her eyebrows, confused. "But your mum said…"
"Yeah, I got my acceptance letter," Ever nodded. "But I also got an acceptance letter from a different school and I'm going there."
"Your mum doesn't know," Isabelle said. It wasn't a question.
Ever shook her head. "Please don't tell her."
The girls glanced at each other, and got little smirks on their faces.
"What's in it for us?" Olivia said.
Ever grimaced. "My mum is giving me extra money for ice cream – probably about fifty dollars."
"So about sixteen dollars for each of us," Isabelle wasn't the smartest of the group, but she was good with her money. "Okay, I'll hold my tongue."
"Me too," Olivia and Lynette said.
"Good," Ever grinned. "That's good.