Thanks so much to all the reviewers out there! 11 reviews! Does happy dance Hopefully this chapter lives up to your expectations. There is a bit of explanation in here, though not EVERYTHING is explained. So read onwards my friends!

"Nice to meet you" said the other boy good-naturedly, but with a twinge of amazement still in his voice. "I'm Percy Jackson."

There was an awkward silence for a moment or two before Percy broke it. "D'you want me to help you with those…" he said in an unsure voice, gesturing at the luggage.

"Oh, yes," said Dudley happily. "I'm so tired there better be a couch in there…" and with that he dropped his bags and waddled off into the apartment.

Percy gave Harry an is-that-how-he-always-is look to which Harry nodded. They both grabbed bags and grinned at each other before staggering into the lounge.

The apartment was nice in an unused sort of way. After a nice coat of paint and a dust (Aunt Petunia had wrinkled her nose at the inch thick layer of dust as soon as they had entered the apartment) it would turn out alright. It wasn't the same neat clean perfection of Privet Drive but it wasn't a dirty hole either.

After the last bag had been unpacked and the final room allocated (to Harry's surprise he got a room, although he put that down to Percy's presence) Percy invited Harry to his apartment – which was strange for Harry as he had never been invited to another kid's house before.

"MUM!" yelled Percy as they entered the apartment. "COME MEET OUR NEW NEIGHBOR!"

"I'M IN THE KITCHEN!" came a faint reply and Percy led Harry through.

"The weird thing," said Percy as he and Harry manoeuvred their way through the cluttered apartment. "Is that my mum's eyes and your eyes are identical. Not as identical as us though!" He finished with a laugh.

They entered the kitchen and harry saw a woman with long red hair bent over the counter.

"Hi mum," said Percy. "What'cha cooking?"

"Never you mind greedy-guts. Now who's the neighbour?" Harry noticed her English accent and stepped forward.

"Er, that's me" stammered Harry and Percy's mum turned around. Her eyes grew wide and she glanced from Harry to Percy. "I just moved in next door with my Aunt, Uncle and cousin. I'm Harry, Harry Potter," but before he could say anything else Percy's mum fell to the floor in a dead faint.

"Er, does she normally, you-know, faint?' asked Harry.

"No, but I bet it's because we look so much alike" replied Percy, who was poking her. After she made no kind of movement he went to the sink, filled a glass of water and upended it on her face.

"What did you do that for!" she spluttered as soon as she woke up.

"Because you weren't getting up. Duh! Now I know Harry and I look alike but it's a coincidence so stop fainting and introduce yourself properly." Percy peered down at his mum and held out his hand.

As soon as she was up Percy's mum stuck out her hand. "Sally Jackson, pleased to meet you." She still looked a bit uncomfortable with the situation.

"Pleased to meet you too, Mrs Jackson," mumbled Harry politely.

"I see you're from England. I'm English myself and I'm interested where you're from and what are you doing here in the Big Apple?"

Although Harry had never met her before he felt she wouldn't find him strange and so explained the whole situation.

"Well I live, no lived, in Little Whinging with the Dursleys, I mean my Aunt, Uncle and cousin because my parents died when I was one. And just recently – I know this will sound really weird – all these letters addressed to me started turning up. And my Uncle Vernon got all angry so he nailed up the post flap and covered all the holes and ways to get into the house so they couldn't come in. Then last Sunday the letters started appearing in the lounge with a sort of popping noise so Uncle Vernon kind of went mad and we're moving here so the letters wouldn't come." Harry finished rather breathlessly and blushed when he saw Percy and his mum staring at him.

"What did the letters look like?" said Mrs Jackson in a quiet voice.

Harry found this question rather strange. "Er," he stammered. "I never got to read one but they were really thick and made out of this parchment stuff and said Mr H.J. Potter…" Harry stopped as Mrs Jackson muttered under her breath, "I'm going to kill them," and strode out of the apartment.

"Mum, that's not a good idea…" Percy yelled and trotted after he with Harry trailing on behind.

Sally Jackson strode into apartment 7 with a murderous look on her face.

"How DARE you stop him from getting his Hogwarts letter!" she shrieked, although her words made absolutely no sense at all to Percy and Harry.

Aunt Petunia took one look at Mrs Jackson's face, said Lily and fainted. "Honestly!" Percy exclaimed. "What is it with woman fainting today!" Lily? Harry thought Could it be…?

Mrs Jackson glared down at Aunt Petunia with an unforgiving look while Uncle Vernon shook her awake.

"Do you know this woman?" he said to her angrily.

"She's my sister" said Aunt Petunia disbelievingly.

"You're my Aunt?" Harry asked Mrs Jackson.

"No," she said carefully. "I'm your mother."

"My mother?" Harry repeated blankly.

"HIS MOTHER!" Uncle Vernon roared. "YOU MEAN TO SAY WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AFTER HER GOOD-FOR-NOTHING BRAT FOR TEN YEARS AND SHE'S BEEN ALIVE THE WHOLE TIME?!"

"Why didn't you tell me I had a brother?" Percy asked.

"Why did you leave me to live with them?" Harry said, pointing at the fuming Vernon Dursley and his shocked wife.

"I, I…" stammered Lily.

"So what's happening?" asked Dudley as he waddled in from the lounge.

"GO AWAY DUDLEY!" everyone yelled before turning back to Lily.

Aunt Petunia managed a word. "Explain," she said quietly.

"SHE BETTER RUDDY WELL…"

"Shush Vernon," Aunt Petunia interrupted. "Well?"

"I, I thought you had died," she told Harry. "Voldemort had come and…"

"Who's Voldemort?" interrupted Harry.

"He's the dark wizard who was after us, well after you."

"After me?" asked Harry. "What for?"

"There was a prophecy…"

"Hold up," Percy interrupted this time. "'Wizard', 'Prophecy', what on earth are you talking about?"

Lily looked like a rat in a trap and her eyes darted between Harry and Percy rapidly. "Uh, uh…"

"She means magic of course," snapped Petunia, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Her and her freaky friends going off to that school, of what was it? Witchcraft and Wizardry…"

"Yes, okay!" yelled Lily desperately. "I'm a witch, James was a wizard, you're both wizards and that's what those letters were about, they were inviting you to Hogwarts!"

"Hogwarts?" asked Percy and Harry together.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," cited Lily. "Where I and your father went to school."

"So you can do magic," said Harry slowly.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me!" exclaimed Percy.

"Finish the story first," came Petunia's cold voice from the corner.

"Alright, alright," said Lily in an exasperated voice. "So Voldemort turned up and he, he killed P-James," she said hastily. "I ran upstairs to get you two but he followed me and he performed the killing curse on you Harry. I thought you were dead and so I apparated here, to America before he could get me and Percy." She sighed. "Percy I never told you because I thought Voldemort was still at large and I knew everyone would think we were dead so you'd never have to go to Hogwarts or learn magic and I thought there was no point. Explanation done alright?"

"Are Percy and I twins?" asked Harry.

"Yes."

"Will we get to go to Hogwarts?" asked Percy.

"I suppose so yes. I have to let you now don't I. It will be hard to explain, all my friends…" she trailed off.

"How did I survive?" said Harry quietly.

Lily stared at him deeply. "I have no idea," she said truthfully. "Maybe James did something."

There was silence for a moment.

"Boy, pack your things, I refuse to house you any longer," said Uncle Vernon indignantly.

"You can share my room Harry, I've got bunks," said Percy, grabbing Harry's satchel from his room and dragging him back to apartment 6.

They heard a shriek from apartment 7 that sounded a lot like Lily Potter. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU KEPT HIM IN A CUPBOARD?!"

"They kept you in a cupboard?" asked Percy in an interested tone.

"Yeah, the cupboard under the stairs," said Harry in an awkward tone. 'Who's that?" he asked, quickly changing the subject and pointing at a slothful looking man strewn on a couch in front of the TV.

"Gabe, mine, I mean our mum's boyfriend. Lazy asshole." Percy growled. "And don't change the subject. Did you sleep in there?"

"It was my bedroom pretty much," said Harry, embarrassed and eager to move on.

"Well, your bedroom isn't a cupboard anymore, though it's practically the same size. Welcome to your new home," said Percy throwing open a door to a messy and otherwise normal 10 year olds room.

"So," said Harry, breaking the awkward silence that had filled the room. "It's our birthday tomorrow.

"Isn't it weird that we're twins? I wonder who was born first."

And so they sat talking for over an hour about themselves, their lives, their future before Lily found them.

"Having fun?" she smiled.

"What are we doing for our birthday?" said Percy as an answer.

"I thought we might go to Diagon Alley."

"Where's that?"

"What's that?"

"Why?"

"It's a sort of wizarding shopping centre in London. Why? Because we need to get all the things in this letter." And with that she pulled two letters out of her pockets.

They both ripped open their letters to read…

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 Mr Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term Begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

"Weird," said Percy. "Percy Potter, PP. Has a bit of a ring to it huh?"

"It says 'We await your owl" what does it mean?" Harry asked bemusedly.

"Oh yes, when we go to Diagon Alley we'll have to buy an owl, our last one, Flopsy died a few weeks before Percy and I came here."

"Oooh look Harry there's another sheet – it's got all the supplies on it" Percy squealed and began reading them out loud. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, yes ok we know the school's name tell us what to buy! Uniform First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black) – do we really wear robes?"

"Yes Percy you do…" Lily said with a smile at his excitement.

"2. One pointed hat (black) for day wear, 3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) – Dragon hide! Do dragons exist?"

"Yes Percy they do…" Even Harry was finding Percy's excitement funny now too – Lily and he shared a smirk as Percy started up again.

"4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings) Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags. Like mum would let us go without name tags, god forbid,"

"Don't be cheeky!" Lily interrupted while Harry and Percy giggled.

"My turn, my turn," Harry said. "Set books; All students should have a copy of each of the following: The standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk, A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot - Bet you that's boring, especially because someone called Bathilda wrote it."

"Bathilda is a lovely old lady thank you very much," said Lily. "She doted on you two since the day you were born."

"You knew her?" Percy said incredulously. "You knew a historian? You're way more boring than I thought!"

"Percy!" exclaimed Lily but let it drop.

"Hey listen to this next one - Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling" The two boys looked at each other then burst out laughing and were soon rolling on the floor crying with laughter while Lily watched them, shaking her head.

"Let's skip the rest of the books," she said scanning the rest of the names. They would be laughing forever if they read a couple of those.

"Other Equipment;" continued Harry. "1 wand, 1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) – Do we really make potions?"

"Yes, that was one class I was particularly good at when I was there, I had this funny old teacher called Professor Slughorn…"

"Enough with the trip down memory lane," interrupted Percy. "Go on Harry."

"1 set glass or crystal phials, 1 telescope, 1 set brass scales. Students may also bring an owl OR cat OR toad – why on earth would you want a toad? – PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS."

"Why would we want a broomstick? Do magic folk think that cleaning's fun?"

"Nooo" said Lily carefully. "In the wizarding world you can fly on broomsticks. Your father was especially good at it."

There was a moment of silence.

"Cool!" chorused the boys and started throwing questions at Lily. "How fast can they go? Can we get one please… I really want to try it out, what do you do on them?"

Lily groaned. "You get to try them out at Hogwarts, and you play this game Quidditch on them…I'll show you one when we go to Diagon Alley tomorrow."

"About that," said Harry. "How are we going to get to London by tomorrow?"

"I think I've got some floo powder in the cupboard…"

"What's floo powder?"

"It's this sort of…"

And so they talked through the night.

Ugh what a terrible end to a chapter. But the next chapter is good, I promise. And extra long. But I haven't typed it up yet, plus my life is hectic with training for Optimist Nationals (which is next week). So update will be in 2weeks-a month. See you then!