Nearly a minute passed, and there was no answer.

"Maybe he won't be home," Dudley said, under his breath.

"Maybe who won't be home daddy?" asked Alexandra, desperate for and answer. "Where are we? Why won't you tell me any-" But she was cut short as the door opened up.

A pretty looking young lady with red hair was standing at the threshold of the door. Alexandra eyed her, trying to see if she looked even the slightest bit familiar. She didn't, and Alexandra put the identity of this woman on the long list of questions she had for her father.

"Hello," the woman said. "Can I help you with something?"

"Um, yes," Dudley said, looking at the ground as he spoke. "I, er, was looking for a Harry Potter. I was told he lived here."

"What do you need him for?" she asked shrewdly. "I don't recognize you from his office."

"No, no we don't work together," he said quickly. "He-he's my cousin."

"His cousin?" she repeated. "You mean you're one of the Dursley's?"

Since when did her father have a cousin? Alexandra strained her memory, trying to think when her father might have mentioned any cousin, but nothing came to mind.

"He probably hasn't said very good things about me," Dudley said. "I don't blame him at all. But I really need to talk to him. It's urgent."

The lady gave Dudley a scrutinizing look, identical to the one Ms. Figgs gave him.

"Come in," she said, moving a bit to allow him to pass.

"Thank you."

From the instant she stepped inside, Alexandra loved the house. It was nothing like her grandparents home, where there was a place for everything and everything was in its place.

This house was welcoming. The sitting room, which the lady had led them to, had toys strewn about it, and the fireplace was cackling happily away, warming the room comfortably.

"I'm sorry about the mess," the lady said. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, we're alright, thanks," Dudley said, looking around the room.

"I'll go and get Harry, he's in the back with the children, make yourself at home," she waved to the couch, indicating for them to sit down.

"Daddy," Alexandra said for what felt like the hundredth time. "Why did we come to your cousin's house? I didn't even know you had a cousin."

"I'll explain it to you later," Dudley said, not looking her in the eyes.

"But-"

"Later Alexandra," he said firmly.

Sighing in defeat, Alexandra continued to take in her new surroundings. The house seemed normal. She assumed a child her age must live here, judging from the toys.

On the side table next to the couch, a stack of papers lay, and sitting adjacent to it was a picture of a boy with bright blue hair, who winked at her?

"Dad!" she gasped, her eyes wide. "Dad, the picture just moved!"

Still, her father continued to look anywhere but into her eyes.

"Dad," she said, this time more assertive. "Why did that picture just move?"

"It-it was probably your imagination Alexandra," her dad said in the voice that she knew he reserved for lying.

"But he's doing it again! Look, he's waving at me! Look at him dad!"

Just then, a young boy who looked to be about Alexandra's age came running into the room. He had dark, chestnut hair, and large, round brown eyes. He was very sweaty, and had a few specks of dirt smeared across his forehead.

"Who are you?" the boy demanded, pointing to Alexandra and Dudley. "Are you strangers? 'Cause mummy said strangers aren't aloud in the house."

"James!" called out another voice, this one sounding like it belonged to an adult.

"Daddy!" the boy said excitedly as a tall, thin man with tussled black hair came into the room.

Dudley shifted nervously in his seat as the man picked up the little boy.

"I thought you mother told you to go wash up," he said to the boy.

"I was, but then I saw them," he nodded over to the couch. "They're strangers I think."

"Go wash up James," the man said, staring at Alexandra and Dudley.

"But dad they're-"

"Go on, or you wont get to ride your Junior Nimbus for a week."

Muttering protest, he shuffled out of the room.

The tension was very thick in the room. Alexandra's eyes flickered between her father and the man, both seemed unsure of what to say.

"So," Dudley said awkwardly. "That's your son?"

"Yup," the man said. "Is she's your daughter then?"

"Yah, that's Alexandra."

Once more, silence fell in the room.

The man cleared his throat. "Ginny said you needed to talk to me about something. Said it was urgent."

"Oh, right," Dudley said, his face becoming more anxious looking.

"Well," the man said. "What do you want to talk about?"

"It's Alexandra, Harry," Dudley said in a hushed tone, as though trying to block out Alexandra from hearing what he was saying. "I think she might be , you know, like you."

"Why do you think that?" Harry asked, studying Alexandra.

"She can make odd things happen," her father said, still in a monotone whisper. "Like when she was three, she fell out of a tree. She must have fallen a good twenty feet, and landed right on her head. She didn't break a single bone though, or get any cuts or bruises."

"Mhhhm," Harry said thoughtfully, still examining Alexandra.

"But I just put it off as luck," Dudley went on. "And the other stuff she's done, I always thought were coincidences, but today, today was different."

"How so?"

"Well, I was visiting mum and dad for the weekend. We were eating breakfast, and then dad and I got into an argument. He was yelling at me, I was yelling at him, and then she screamed at us to stop. But when she did, the glass of juice that was sitting across from her went flying across the room. She didn't touch it, no one did. That's when I realized those events that happened earlier might not have just been coincidences and what not, and that she might be a…"

Harry said nothing.

"So, do you think she is one?" Dudley asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"I can't be sure," Harry said slowly. "My wife, Ginny, would know. Her whole family was magic, she'll know how to tell."

Alexandra's ears pricked up. Magic? What magic? Her grandpa always told her magic was but a fantasy, promoted by arrogant old cooks.

And what was her father talking about? What did she think she was?

Harry told Dudley he would be right back, leaving the two alone.

"I want to know what's going on," Alexandra said firmly, sounding much older than her age. "Don't just ignore me this time. I want to know what's happening!"

Her father turned to face her. "I'm not sure myself what's going on right now," he said, pulling her into a one armed hug. "But just know, that no matter what happens, I'll love you."

"But what's going to happen?"

Dudley was saved from answering further, as Harry and Ginny came into the room. Ginny had a little baby girl, with flaming red hair on her hip.

"You've met my wife Ginny," Harry said to Dudley.

"Not formally," said Dudley, getting up and shaking her free hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Same here," she said, though a look of puzzlement on her face. Dudley understood why. The Dudley Harry would've told her about would never be this well mannered.

"So this is your daughter?" she asked, nodding at Alexandra.

"Yes."

"You do know how to tell, right?" Harry asked.

"Oh yah, my mum told me when I was young how to tell if a person was a witch or wizard. Here," she passed the baby to Harry. "Hold Lily,"

As her husband took the baby, Ginny took Dudley's now empty seat on the couch.

"Hello," Ginny said cheerfully to Alexandra.

Alexandra said nothing. She must have something wrong with her hearing. Because from what she heard the lady, Ginny, say, she wanted to find out if she was a witch!

Did her father think there was something wrong with her? He had brought up the incident at breakfast; did he really think she did that? He said he knew that she didn't even touch that cup!

"How old are you?" Ginny asked kindly, trying to get something out of the small girl.

"I'm five years and seven months," Alexandra said, a bit of trepidation in her voice.

Ginny smiled and nodded. "Can you do me a favor?"

"What sort of favor?" Alexandra questioned, looking over at her father, who was staring hard back at her. He gave her a small, encouraging smile, though his eyes didn't match his facial expression.

"Can you hold this for me?" she pulled out a long stick from her back pocket.

Cautiously, Alexandra took the stick, expecting something dramatic to happen. But nothing did.

"Can you wave it at that vase," Ginny pointed to a blue glass vase sitting on the coffee table.

Feeling very stupid, and unsure of what was supposed to happen, Alexandra gave the stick a short flick in the direction of the vase.

There was a loud BANG and the vase exploded in a flash of red light, and was reduced to only shreds of crushed glass.

Dropping the wand in surprise, Alexandra ran over to her father for protection from whatever had just happened.

Ginny and Harry seemed unfazed by the sudden bursting of their lamp. Even the little baby in Harry's arms didn't look at all frightened.

"What did I do?" Alexandra sobbed hysterically into her fathers arm as he lifted her up.

Dudley didn't say anything. This time though, he wasn't ignoring her. He was just so awed by what his daughter preformed, that no words came to him.

"Well then," Ginny said, getting up off the couch. "It seems she really is a witch."

"No I'm not!" Alexandra cried. "There are no such things as witches! I don't know how the vase broke! It just did!"

"Alexandra," Dudley said, finding his voice again. "Calm down."

"I can't!" she screamed. "You think there's something wrong with me because of what happened!"

"There's nothing wrong with you," Dudley said. "You're just different."

"But how come she keeps saying I'm a witch?" she said, tears still streaming freely down her face, looking over at Ginny. "Witches aren't real. Everyone knows that."

"Why can't they be real?" Ginny asked.

"Because," Alexandra replied, distressed. "Because they just can't be, that's why."

"Aly," Dudley said, using Alexandra's special nickname as he set her down. "They are real."

Why was her father trying to fool her? Did he really expect her to believe this? Alexandra sobbed harder now.

"How about I show you some magic?" Ginny asked, kneeling down next to her.

This ought to be good, Alexandra thought, as her crying slowed. She's probably going to pass off some cheap magic trick as actual magic.

"Alright then," Alexandra said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Show me some."

Ginny walked back over to the couch and picked up the stick Alexandra had dropped.

With a slick swish of it, the destroyed vase of the table repaired itself, and it looked like it had never even been broken in the first place.

But how? Alexandra stared, amazed at the fixed vase. There had to be some sort of explanation for this, but she could think of none.

"Do you see?" Ginny asked gently. "I'm a witch."

"But-but even if you are a witch, I can't be one like you said."

"And why not?"

"Well, because, because I've never been able to do magic before. If I was really a witch, I'd be able to make anything I want happen, right?"

Ginny shook her head. "You're not trained up yet. All witches and wizards start off like you, only making things happen by accident. But as they learn, they get better."

"And even once you've gotten better, you still can't make anything you want happen," Harry spoke up. "Magic has restrictions, and the best wizards know they must abide them."

Could it be true? Could she, Alexandra May Dursley, be a real live witch? The idea was so far fetched, and yet, everything was starting to make sense…. Peculiar things did occur a lot around her. There was the scene at breakfast this morning, and that time she made a the nose of a boy who had been bullying her at school swell up to the size of an apple, not to mention the countless incidents where she was involved in an accident that should've sent her to the hospital (she was a reckless little girl).

"Are you a wizard daddy?" she asked, turning to her father.

Dudley shook his head.

"But then how can I be a witch? Was mum one?"

"I don't think so," he said, a hint of depression in his voice.

"You're what we call a muggle born," Harry said, setting Lily down on the floor.

"Muggle born?"

"Yes, a muggle is a person with no magical powers. There's nothing wrong with being a muggle born, one of my best friends, Hermione, is muggle born, and she's the smartest witch I've ever met."

"So you're sure I'm a witch?" she asked.

"Positive," said Ginny.

"But then what'll happen to me? What do I do as a witch?"

"Well," said Ginny. "When you're eleven, you'll go off to a spectacular school called Hogwarts. Harry and I both went there. At Hogwarts, there are professors who help you become a great witch or wizard. Once you're done with Hogwarts, you can pursue any career you like."

There was a whole school for magic? Had her whole life just changed in a matter of minutes?

To think that only yesterday, her life had been simple. And now all this was being thrust upon her.

But at the same time, she felt a tinge of excitement inside her. Hogwarts did sound interesting. And being a witch might have its advantages…

"You're parents might not be too thrilled about this," Harry said to Dudley.

"My mum might be fine with it," Dudley mumbled. "My dad already practically disowned her after the incident with the orange juice this morning."

"That's a shame," Ginny said sadly.

"I suppose," Dudley sighed. "But maybe he'll come around. Eventually."

"But grandpa doesn't believe in magic," said Alexandra.

"He tries not to," said Dudley darkly. "But he knows it's real."

"He does?"

"Yes," Harry said. "I used to live with them, back when I was a kid. They knew I was a wizard, even before I went to live with them when I was one. Though I never found out about it until my eleventh birthday."

"How come you went to live with grandma and grandpa? What happened to your parents?"

"They died," he said shortly.

"Oh," Alexandra said, looking at the floor.

Dudley cleared his throat, and then changed the subject. "You have a daughter as well? You have two kids?"

"Three," said Harry. "Albus is over at his cousin's house."

"What ever happened to James?" Ginny asked.

"He went to go wash off. But that was nearly an hour ago. I wonder what he's-"

There was a sudden CRASH from upstairs, making the whole house shake.

"Oh, what did that boy break now?" Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

Just then, Lily gave a shriek of laughter, as she threw one of her toys across the room, and then made it come back to her.

"She's been doing that all week," said Harry at Dudley's surprised look. "Took out two lamps and a window."

"Are all kids with magic this way?" Dudley asked nervously, looking over at his own daughter, who appeared to be fascinated with the soaring toys.

Harry nodded. "Scared?"

"More then ever."