Jo shot straight up looking wildly around in the darkness. Her breath was short and quick, as if she had just ran a full marathon. Sweat plastered her long red hair to her face and neck, and her hands were shaking violently. That poor woman, she must be dead. That man killed her. She tried to erase the image of the cloaked man out of her mind, but every time she blinked, all she saw was the blinding flash of green light. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Joanna began counting up to five. One... two... three... four... five.

"Jo?" asked a sleepy voice from beside her. "JoJo, are you okay?" It was Harry Potter. Jo's twin brother.

Harry and Joanna Potter have been living with their Aunt, Uncle, and cousin all their lives. Their parents were killed when they were just babies in a car crash, or so their relatives have told them. Somehow, Harry and Jo had both survived. While Jo managed to escape without at scratch, Harry received a lightning bolt scar. Their relatives had forbidden the twins from asking any questions about their parents, so the car crash was all they had of their parents, besides each other.

Unfortunately for the twins, their relatives, the Dursleys were not exactly the warmest of people. They were cruel and horrible to the twins, never missing an opportunity to torment them. As part of their harsh treatment, besides the endless chores and mean remarks, the twins were forced to sleep together in the small cupboard under the stairs. It was fine when they were both younger, but now that the twins were almost reaching 11 years of age, the cupboard was beginning to get rather cramp for the two of them, even if they were small for their age. There was only enough room to fit a small mattress and nothing else.

Jo sighed. "I'm fine," she said quietly, and laid back down on the bed looking up at the bottom of the staircase. The flash of green light was fading away. Counting to five had been a trick Harry had taught her. Only give fear five seconds and nothing more. Jo's breathing had slowed down and her hands were no longer shaking.

"It was that nightmare again, wasn't it?" Harry asked, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

Jo looked over at her brother and couldn't help but smile as he squinted at her. Harry had horrible eyesight and could rarely see anything without his glasses. Even though he was laying right beside Jo, she knew she only looked like a blur to her brother. She reached over to their shelves of little belongings and grabbed Harry's glasses, handing them over to him. "Here," she sighed, "And yeah, the very same one."

"Thanks," Harry said graciously, putting his glasses on. There was tape on the brim of the glasses, no doubt from being broken a dozen or so times by their bully of a cousin. "Well, you're awake now and safe with me," said Harry, giving his sister a wink. Jo smiled in return. Harry was truly the best brother and she couldn't imagine going through anything with the Dursleys without him. He was the only thing that got her through each and every day of hell.

A thumping noise came from upstairs and Jo groaned. "They're alive, sadly..."

Harry gave a small chuckle. "Better get ourselves ready," he said, and grabbed the bed sheet to make a barrier in between the two.

Once the sheet divided the two of them, Jo grabbed a clean shirt and slipped into a pair of jeans. Jo always got made fun of at school for the clothes she wore because they were old clothing, mostly from second hand stores or yard sales. She never owned anything new. Quickly, she threw her hair up into a ponytail and then grabbed an outfit for Harry. "Okay, your turn," she said, taking the sheet from Harry and holding it in place.

A minute later, there was rapid banging on the door of the cupboard. "Up. Get up. Now!" said a shrill voice. It was their Aunt Petunia, their mother's sister. She was the only living relative they had, which is how they got stuck wit the Dursleys.

Jo groaned again, a little too loudly.

"What was that?" asked Aunt Petunia.

Harry pulled the sheet out from Jo's hands and rolled it up. "Nothing, Aunt Petunia," he said quickly, giving his sister a stern look. Jo rolled her eyes. Harry was way better at not getting into trouble with Aunt Petunia than she was. She always felt like Aunt Petunia hated her a bit more than Harry.

"Did you not hear your Aunt? She said get up," growled another voice. That was Uncle Vernon. There was a click of the lock coming undone. He had unlocked the door for the twins.

As Jo started for the door, Harry put his hand on her arm to stop her. "Jo," he began seriously. "Please, don't do anything stupid today, okay?"

Jo returned her brother's steady gaze. "I know," she said quietly. "The same goes for you as well."

The moment between the twins was lost when a series of loud thumps came down the stairs. "Wake up, Potters!" shouted a voice. It was Dudley, their cousin. Dudley was the biggest bully on the block, tormenting the twins and any other kid smaller than himself. They couldn't even escape him at school. Everyone knew that the Potters were related to Dudley so no one wanted anything to do with either of them because they were scared of Dudley. It was another reason why Jo was so grateful she had Harry. She couldn't imagine being so alone at school.

Jo moved to the cupboard door again and pushed it open. She was halfway out when she felt a sudden force on her shoulders, pushing her back down into the cupboard. She landed on top of Harry, feeling his kneecap going into the small of her back. That's going to bruise...

"What losers," sneered Dudley, and then he disappeared from sight.

"Ouch," Jo heard Harry grumble.

"Sorry, Harry. That was Dudley," said Jo, grimacing as she moved into a sitting position. Harry was rubbing the back of his head. He must of hit it on the back wall.

Harry gave a big sigh, "It's a new day," he said. "A brand new day."

Jo gave a small laugh and pushed herself out of the cupboard and turned around to help Harry out. "Always an optimist."

Before entering the kitchen, Jo turned around to Harry and whispered, "Brace yourself." The demands began as soon as they entered the kitchen. "Bring me my coffee, girl," barked Uncle Vernon. He was sitting at the kitchen table with the newspaper opened across the table. The only way to describe the man is to say he looks liked a pig with clothes on. Jo never found it hard to imagine, he's a very convincing pig.

"And you," spat Aunt Petunia to Harry, "cook the breakfast. Try not to burn anything." Aunt Petunia was the complete opposite of Uncle Vernon. She was very thin and bony, with a long neck.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," said Harry. He walked over to the stove where the eggs and bacon had already been started. Jo walked over to the counter to start the coffee.

"Where's the birthday boy?" boomed Uncle Vernon.

Shoot, it's Dudley's birthday.

Dudley came running out of the living room with an unopened birthday present in his hand.

"There he is," Aunt Petunia said happily.

"Happy birthday, son," Uncle Vernon beamed.

The sight unfolding before Jo made her want to gag. She looked over at Harry and stuck her tongue out as if she were about to vomit. Harry rolled his eyes and went back to cooking.

"I want everything to be perfect for my Dudders special day!" said Aunt Petunia, and she led Dudley back into the living room. Jo was so bored at what was happening in front of her that she forgot about Uncle Vernon's coffee until he yelled, "Hurry up! Bring me my coffee."

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," Jo said quickly and took a mug out of a cabinet. Jo poured it quickly and walked it over to her uncle slowly as to not spill it.

"Aren't they wonderful darling?" Jo heard her Aunt Petunia say to her son. Once she placed the coffee down in front of her uncle, she could see what Aunt Petunia was talking about. There was a mountain of presents in the living room, and all of them were for Dudley.

Jo had a sudden image of seeing herself picking up Dudley's gifts, ripping them apart, and throwing them out the window. "How many are there?" asked Dudley, pulling Jo out of her thoughts.

"Thirty-six," answered Uncle Vernon proudly. "Counted them myself."

Jo turned around back to Harry and held up three fingers, then two, then one, and Dudley exploded. "Thirty-six?! But last year I had thirty-seven!"

Harry shook his head and narrowed his eyes as he put the breakfast on plates and carried them over to the table. Jo began pouring orange juice into glasses.

"Well some of them are a bit bigger than last years'," began Uncle Vernon, trying to reason with his son. But Jo knew he wasn't going to be able to get anywhere with Dudley. They've spoiled that kid so much, giving him anything he wanted. Whereas for Harry and Jo, they never even wished them a happy birthday.

"I don't care how big they are," said Dudley angrily.

And just like Jo predicted, Aunt Petunia said quickly, trying to calm Dudley down. "This is what we're going to do. When we go out, we're going to buy you two new presents. How's that pumpkin?"

Jo glared at Aunt Petunia and Dudley. It wasn't fair that her aunt and uncle gave everything to an ungrateful boy. No wonder why the twins haven't had that extra bedroom, it was filled with the useless birthday presents Jo knew that Dudley only played for a day or two before kicking it aside. All he ever has to do is cry and with the snap of a finger, he gets exactly what he wants.

"Wipe that look off your face, girl," spat Uncle Vernon.

And that was it.

Jo looked at her uncle, ignoring Harry's looks of warnings. "I have a name you know. It's Joanna. And I'd appreciate it if you used it. Clearly no one has ever taught you manners."

Silence.

Great, now I've done it.

Uncle Vernon threw his fist down on the table, spilling his coffee all over, making Jo jump. He stood up so quickly that she didn't have enough time to avoid the hand coming down on her. Uncle Vernon smacked Jo hard across the face with enough force to knock her over to the floor. The pain was instantaneous. Blinking fast, she saw black and white spots clouding her vision.

Harry made a move as to come over to Jo, but Uncle Vernon pointed a short fat finger in his direction. "You stay right where you are," he growled at Harry. Then he was on top of Jo, facing her to stand back up by pulling her hair. Jo gave out a cry.

"Stop it!" yelled Harry, "Leave JoJo alone, you're hurting her."

"Stop it. Leave JoJo alone, you're hurting her," mimicked Uncle Vernon in a mocking tone. He continued to hold Jo by the hair. "I will not have the two of you ruining my boy's birthday. I won't have it"!

Uncle Vernon gave another yank of Jo's hair and pulled her out of the kitchen into the hallway. Then he opened the cupboard door and pushed her inside. She landed on the mattress hard, but that was the least of her worries. "You stay in here," Uncle Vernon spat at her. And then he slammed the door shut and Jo heard the snap of the lock.

She didn't even bother to turn the little light on in the cupboard. Instead, she curled up on her side, pulling her knees into her chest with one arm, and rubing the side of her face with the other. When Jo pulled her hand away, it came away wet. At some point in her altercation with Uncle Vernon she had started crying. She didn't even remember when it started.

With her cheek and head throbbing, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "One..." she whispered quietly, "two... three... four... five."

Soon after, Jo heard voices outside of the cupboard. "Get your sister and come out to the car," said Aunt Petunia.

The lock on the door came undone and Harry appeared on the other side, looking anxious. He bent down and came into the cupboard slowly. "Oh, Jo," he whispered quietly, taking Jo's face into his hands examining her cheek.

"Don't worry about it, Harry. It wasn't your fault," Jo muttered.

"You shouldn't have said anything to him," said Harry quietly, not looking Jo in the eyes. "You let your temper get the best of you."

"You think I don't know that?" Jo snapped, pulling away from her brother.

"Look, JoJo, I don't want to fight with you, not now," said Harry. "I have good news to tell you."

"What could possibly be good news?"

"Mrs. Figg couldn't watch us today," said Harry with a smirk. "Which means we're going to the zoo with the Dursleys."

Jo stared at Harry, her jaw dropping. The Dursleys are actually taking us to the zoo?

"That's right," said Harry, reading his sister's mind. "They don't want to leave us alone here because they think we'll do something," Harry rolled his eyes, "and they don't want to leave us in the car either. Which leaves them with taking us to the zoo."

Jo had never been to the zoo before, neither of the twins had, and she had never dreamed she would have the chance to go. There had been many chances to go with school, but Uncle Vernon had banned the twins from going to any field trips, forcing them to remain at school while the rest of their classmates went to amazing places.

Harry moved out of the cupboard and into the hallway, Jo following him quickly. Uncle Vernon was standing at the front door, waiting for them. Jo scooted closer behind her brother and Harry took ahold of her hand. Harry made sure he was between his sister and Uncle Vernon the entire time. Jo hated how Uncle Vernon could make her feel so small.

When they made it the car door, Jo was just about to climb inside when Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. Jo gulped and turned around to face him. Somehow, Uncle Vernon seemed to get much bigger than usual as he stared down at Jo with his little black eyes. Harry's hand in Jo's tighten and he took a slight step to be in front of her. Jo wished he'd wouldn't do that, there was no need for both of them to be in any pain.

Uncle Vernon narrowed his eyes as he pointed the car keys in their faces. "Now I'm warning you," he said threatening. "Any funny business, anything at all, and there will be no meals for a week... for either of you."

Funny business. Jo knew exactly what he meant by that. Sometimes, unusual things would happen whenever either Harry or Jo were around. One time, Aunt Petunia gave Harry a horrendous hair cut. Then she turned towards Jo with the scissors and backed her into a corner. Jo didn't want her to come near her hair at all, crying and begging her Aunt Petunia to not cut her hair. And then suddenly, when Aunt Petunia was standing right in front of Jo, she screamed and dropped the scissors. They somehow became so hot, that they burned Aunt Petunia's hand. Aunt Petunia still had the scars to prove it. And the next day, when Harry woke up, his hair had grown back to normal. So yeah, Jo knew exactly what funny business Uncle Vernon was referring to.

Finally, Jo was in the car with Harry and the Dursleys on their way to the zoo. Her mood began to change once Uncle Vernon had parked the car and she could see the zoo entrance. And things were great once they were inside. Seeing the animals up close and in person was so much better than seeing them in books. Harry and Jo made sure to walk a few paces behind the Dursleys, not giving them an excuse to do anything to either of the twins.

Jo's excitement grew even more when they headed for the reptile and amphibian building. The inside was dimly let with glass casings up and down on either side of the walls. The Potters followed the Dursleys up to on exhibit.

Dudley began banging on the glass. "Move!" he yelled. "Make him move, Dad."

Uncle Vernon looked bored. He tapped on the glass. There was no reaction from the snake within the exhibit.

"It's asleep," said Harry, glaring at his cousin.

Dudley scoffed. "This is boring," he said and he and his parents moved on to the next exhibit.

Jo scanned the room twice before finally seeing the sign she was searching for. "I'm gonna go over there," she said to Harry.

"What, you don't want to see the giant snake?" Harry asked amused.

Jo shuddered, "Ew, no thank you. Snakes are gross. Turtles are way better."

Harry laughed, "Should have known it was the turtles."

Jo stuck her tongue out at her brother and moved across the room to the turtle exhibit. She doesn't know what it is about turtles, but she's always had a sort of obsession about them, turtles being her favorite animal and all. She was just about a foot away from the turtle exhibit when she heard a shriek, then another, and then another.

"WATCH OUT!"

"SNAKE!"

"RUN!"

Jo turned around to see her brother laying on the ground as a giant snake slithered outside of its exhibit. It paused in front of Harry and Jo's heart stopped for a moment. But the snake didn't attack. It almost looked like it was speaking to Harry, and Harry talking back to it. Jo shook her head quickly. The snake then began making its way down the long hall of exhibits with people running to and fro, moving out to its way. Jo shuddered, watching the snake move out of sight.

Then suddenly, Jo heard her Aunt Petunia give a cry and started to have a full blown freak out. She screamed again and pointed to the glass in front of her. Uncle Vernon's mouth dropped to the floor, and Jo heard Harry laughing.

She gave one last longing look at the turtle exhibit before turning back towards her brother. It didn't take long for her to figure out why Aunt Petunia was crying hysterically. Jo stopped dead in her tracks, taking in the scene. Dudley was inside of the snake exhibit, the very same one that the giant snake just escaped from, and he was stuck inside, banging against the glass for his mother.

Jo felt the corners of her mouth go up as she walked over to Harry and helped him up. "Did you-?"

"Yeah I think so," said Harry with a smile. Then it vanished. Jo looked over her shoulder to see Uncle Vernon giving the twins a death glare. Looks like they just lost their meals for a week.

When they returned home, Uncle Vernon shoved the twins right into their little cupboard, slamming the door hard.

Jo gave a big sigh, "Well it looks like we both couldn't help doing something stupid today."

Harry gave her a small smile, "Sorry you didn't get to see the turtles," he said quietly. "I know you were really excited about that."

Jo gave Harry a small nudge in the side, "Don't worry about it Harry, there will be other times." She tried to sound optimistic as Harry did this morning, but she knew Harry saw right through it. They both knew that the likelihood of there being other times was rather slim.

And that was life with the Dursleys. Nothing but harsh treatments and disappointments. So as Harry and Jo laid there in the darkness, waiting for the Dursleys to fall asleep so they could steal some food, Jo dreamed of a life where she and her brother could feel like they belonged.