Author's Note: This chapter is really similar to the second one in Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone.
Chapter Warnings: This chapter contains mentions of child abuse!
Kept Secrets, Hidden Truths, New Worlds
Chapter One: A day in the Life Of
It's a day in life, it' a link in tha chain,
Beginning the end, they both look the same, round and round,
No new ground, it's a day life, and were down to the game,
Winning or losing, there nothing to gane, round and round,
No new ground,
-Lindsey Lohan from Confessions of a Teenaged Drama Queen Soundtrack
Hayden Potter woke up to the sound of her Aunt Petunia pounding on her cupboard door. With a groan she got up knowing today was going to be hell since it was her cousin Dudley's birthday. Getting up, she quickly through on Dudley's hand-me-down baggy black shirt and baggy jeans. As she walked out of her cupboard she ran her fingers through her short raven-black hair.
Her name was Hayden Yuri Jamie Potter, but everyone knew her as Harry James Potter, a boy. Her relatives had been doing it as long as she could remember.
She quickly walked into the kitchen to make breakfast for the Dursleys knowing if she didn't hurry up she'd get in trouble with her Uncle Vernon. When she entered the kitchen Aunt Petunia wordlessly pushed her to the stove to cook the food and Hayden knew by now not to burn if she didn't wish to be.
Quickly and carefully she finished up breakfast and got into severed by the time the whale-size Dudley came in.
"How many are there this year?" asked Dudley as he came in.
"Thirty-six," answered Uncle Vernon with a smile on his face as he looked over his newspaper. "Counted them myself, four times."
"Thirty-six!" yelled Dudley. "Thirty-six! Last year I got thirty-eight, that's two less."
"Sweetie," said Aunt Petunia, "you didn't count Aunt Marge's present. It's under the big one from Mummy and Daddy."
"That's thirty-seven," said Dudley. "That's still one less than last year."
Aunt Petunia quickly added, "We'll buy you two more presents while we're out today."
"Then I'd get thirty . . . thirty," said Dudley trying to count. Hayden bit back her laigh she felt coming knowing it would only lead to trouble for her.
"Thirty-nine, sweetums, thirty-nine," said Aunt Petunia.
"Sounds good, Mum," said Dudley as he started to rip into his presents.
The sound of the telephone ringing drove Aunt Petunia out of the kitchen to answer it. While she was gone, Vernon, proudly watched his son unwrap his mountain of birthday presents, Hayden sat at the table bore, trying to look happy. A few minutes later, Aunt Petunia entered the kitchen looking pissed with the phone.
"Vernon, Mrs. Figg can't take the 'boy', she broke her leg," said Aunt Petunia annoyed.
Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia started to talk about things they could do with Hayden. In the end they decided she'd have to come with them, since they couldn't think of anyone to watch him. During the discussion Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, came in.
About a half an hour later, Hayden was in the back seat off Uncle Vernon's car with Piers and Dudley going to the zoo. She was told to behave. On the drive, Uncle Vernon complained about the usual: co-workers, 'Harry', the bank, 'the boy', morning traffic, 'the freak', the government and 'Harry'.
During the conversation, Hayden kept her mouth shut know it might get her in trouble. She looked out the window and the scenery flying by.
When they got to the zoo, Hayden saw it was crowded. By the entrance Uncle Vernon bought Dudley and Piers a large chocolate ice cream. Hayden didn't anything as usual. She followed the Dursleys and Piers around the zoo looking at all the animals.
When they reached the reptile house, Dudley and Piers wanted to watch the largest snake in the place move, but it wasn't. Dudley complained to his dad, hoping he could get the snake to move, but it didn't do anything but give people nearby headaches. Slowly they moved to watch another snake.
While they left Hayden watched the snake. It winked at her and slowly raised its head to meet her eyelevel. It nodded its head in the direction towards Uncle Vernon and Dudley.
'I get that all the time,' said the snake
'I know,' said Hayden rolling her eyes. 'It's really annoying.'
The snake nodded its head.
'Where are you from?' asked Hayden.
The snake jerked its head at a sign near the glass that read:
Boa Constrictor, Brazil
This animal was bred in the zoo.
'You didn't know your parents either?' asked Hayden. 'Mine died when I was a baby.'
The snake nodded its head.
All of a sudden, Hayden was pushed to the ground by Dudley as he came over to the snake. He pressed himself against the glass. Then a split second later, he fell through and the snake came out.
The snake started to move out, but it looked in Hayden's direction and said, 'Brazil, here I came. Thanksss, amigo.'
When Uncle Vernon came over he saw Hayden on the ground trying not to laugh and Dudley trying to get out of the glass. The next few hours were sent with the zoo director going over what happened.
When they got back to Number Four Private Drive, Uncle Vernon dragged Hayden into the house by her hair. He beat the girl before putting her back into the cupboard. She was kept in the cupboard for weeks without food.