The Vanishing Glass:

It was a bright, early morning on the 23rd of June 1991. Jenny was sleeping peacefully in her tiny room in the cupboard under the stairs. This was where she slept. It wasn't comfortable at all – and it was sometimes full of spiders.

She suddenly heard her dreaded aunt banging on the small white cupboard door and yelling "Get up!" she banged on the door another few times before unlocking it. She yelled "Now!" before stomping back into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Jenny sat herself on her small bed and pulled a string to turn the inside-light on. She pushed her short right hair bangs out of her eyes before taking a brush from of the shelves behind her and brushing her hair. It often got a little raggy due to having a room that was fill of loads of dust.

Meanwhile Dudley was stampeding down the stairs like an elephant when he stopped and stood on the middle stairs and started jumping up and down.

"Wake up, Jenky!" she shouted. "We're going to the zoo!"

Jenny heard her terrible cousin from up above the stairs as she felt dust fall into her eyes and onto her hair again much to her annoyance.

Dudley was enjoying what he was doing when he heard his younger sister: Sophie shouted. "Stop, Dudley leave Jenny alone!"

"Well sorry, sis. I'm having fun!" Dud retorted and he went stampeding downstairs. Jenny was coming out of her cupboard when Dudley came out of nowhere and shoved her back inside before kicking the door closed with his foot.

Sophie saw the whole thing and rushed down to check on Jenny. She opened the door and said, "I'm so sorry, Jenny. I tried to stop him,"

"That's okay, Sophie," Jenny replied stepping out of the cupboard, "I'm used to it. We'd better go into the kitchen,"

The two walked into the kitchen where they saw Petunia cooing, "Here comes the birthday boy!"

"Happy Birthday, son," Vernon cheered as he watched his wife and son have the faces touch one another. Petunia covered her son's eyes with her hands as she spotted her niece come in with her daughter, "Why don't you just cook the breakfast and try not to burn anything?" she ordered harshly to Jenny.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Jenny answered in silent mocking tone walking over to the stove to fry the bacon that Petunia had set. Sophie was about go and help her when her suddenly ranted, "Not you, Sophie. Sit down!" he pointed to the chair near him.

"Just do what he says," Jenny said to Sophie. "It'll be fine,"

"I want everything to be perfect for my Dudley's special day," Petunia squealed in delight as she was leading Dudley to a surprise near the dinner table.

"Hurry up! Bring my coffee girl," Vernon ordered impatiently.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," Jenny answered grimly. Sophie glared at her selfish father for his impatience but his harder glare back at her made her back down.

Petunia lifted her hands off Dudley's eyes and he saw a huge pile of presents.

"Aren't they wonderful, darling?" Petunia asked happily.

"How many are there?" he rudely asked his dad.

"Thirty six. Counted them myself," Vernon proudly replied.

"Thirty six?! But last year I had thirty seven!" he lashed out. Jenny and Sophie sighed in aggravation at the words of that spoilt brat.

"But some of them are bigger than last year's," Vernon attempted to reason.

"I don't care how big they are!" Dudley shouted.

Petunia attempted to calm him down, "Now, now darling, this is what we are going to do. When we go out, we're going to buy you two new presents, how's that pumpkin?"

"Mum, I think he's already got enough presents," Sophie ranted from her seat.

Petunia turned to her daughter and her face boiled red, "You dare saying another rude thing on your brother's birthday and I'll lock you up in your room for the rest of the day. Got it?"

Sophie gulped and fearfully nodded.

All but Jenny had a nice breakfast. Jenny had nothing but a slice of bread. Her uncle and aunt barely gave her anything to eat. This lead to her having a thin body and a grumbly tummy for several days every time.

However Sophie managed to sneak a bit more food to her just before they got ready for this day out of the zoo.

All the Dursleys (except Sophie of course) were furious that Jenny was coming with them. The other day, Vernon and Petunia had arranged for Jenny to stay at Mrs. Figg's house. Jenny hated Mrs. Figg's house because it always smelt of cabbage. She also really didn't like Mrs. Figg because she always talked about her cats and she barely gave Jenny any space.

Petunia and Vernon had also tried to have a friend of theirs named lok after Jenny for the day. But she was away on holiday. Jenny said she could stay at their house but they refused so she was forced to come with them. Luckily she still had Sophie.

They all walked outside and opened the car doors to hop inside. "The zoos going to be marvellous," Petunia complimented getting in the front passenger seat. Dudley and Sophie hopped into the back and before Jenny could join inside, Vernon closed the car door and blocked her. "I'm warning you, now girl…any funny business…any at all…" he warned pointing his car keys at her. "And you won't have any meals for a week…Get in," he went round the car to get inside the driver's seat whilst Jenny sighed and hopped inside next to Sophie.

Sophie (who had heard her father's warning against her cousin) placed a hand on Jenny's hand to assure her that everything would be fine,"

The journey to the zoo was long but quiet. Once they arrived there, they decided to head to the Reptile House first. They first stopped at a huge glass cage which held a giant python that was sleeping.

"Make it move," Dudley ordered his dad.

Vernon obeyed and banged against the glass. "Move!" he called loudly to the sleeping python. The snake didn't stir. Not even a bit.

Dudley banged and shouted louder at the python in his cage. "MOVE!"

"Leave him alone!" Jenny shouted. "He's asleep!"

"He's boring," Dudley scoffed walking over to another cage to look at something else less 'boring'. The other Dursleys went to look around. Sophie meanwhile went to the glass cage of the other side of the python's to look at lizards whilst still staying close to Jenny.

Jenny look inside the cage and the still sleeping python. "Sorry about him. He just doesn't know what' it's like to sit in there day after day watching people press their ugly faces on you,"

The python mysteriously lifted its head up and looked at Jenny Potter. Jenny gaped bewildered.

"Can you hear me?" she asked with wide eyes.

The python hissed with its forked tongue out and nodded.

"It's just I've never talked to a snake before. Do you…I mean do you talk to people often?"

The python shook its head.

"You're from Burma aren't you? Was it nice there? Do you miss your family?"

The python pointed its head to the side. Jenny turned her head to the same direction, the python's head was in and she saw a sign on the side of the glass. It said 'Bred in Captivity'. Jenny knew what that meant.

She turned her head back to the python. "That's me as well. I never knew my parents either,"

Dudley suddenly came out of nowhere and pushed Jenny to the ground whilst calling out, "Mummy, daddy come here, you won't believe what this name is doing!" he was surprised that the snake was no longer sleeping but holding its head up.

Jenny landed on the floor with a 'thud'. Sophie saw what her brother ditched went down on her knees to Jenny. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm okay," Jenny still on her bottom on the floor took a deep, hard glare at Dudley leaning against the case with his hands pressed on it.

The glass suddenly vanished and Dudley lost his balance. He fell into the cage into the small pool full of water for the python.

Jenny and Sophie still on the floor suddenly gasped out what had just mysteriously happened. Dudley (all soaked and wet in the pool) saw the python start to slither out of the cage. Jenny and Sophie saw it too and held their breaths as they saw the python land in front of them and look at them.

"Thanks," the python said to Jenny.

"Anytime," Jenny simply answered.

The python started slithering away towards the exit.

"Snake!" a visitor shouted. Groups of visitors started screaming as they saw the python escaping. During the whole commotion, Sophie asked Jenny; "Did you just talk to the snake/"

Jenny was at lost or words; she simply answered, "Yes, it could actually hear me and understand me?"

"Wow, that was cool,"

"Don't tell anyone will you?"

"Your secrets safe with me," Sophie promised as they stood up and got back on their feet.

Dudley had stood on his wet feet in his soaked shoes and he proceeded to get out of the cage. When he realised the glass frame had appeared back in its place. He banged against it with his hands and shouted. "Mummy!"

Petunia screamed at seeing her son in the python's cage and rushed to it with Vernon. "My darling boy! She creamed placing her gloved hands against the glass frame. "How did you get in there?"

Jenny and Sophie were giggling and laughing at the sight of seeing Dudley looked like an animal. He deserved it. Vernon heard them and glared darkly at them. Their laughing silence. All Jenny could remember what happened next was being dragged to the car by her hair.

Dudley was released from the cage by the zookeeper and they all drove home with him wrapped in a woolly blanket. They arrived back home and Petunia huddled a quivering Dudley close to her. She also angrily gripped Sophie's arm with her strong bony hand and pulled her into the living room. Meanwhile Vernon pulled on Jenny's hair again. "What happened?" he demanded.

"I swear I don't know! Jenny cried out in pain but Vernon growled like a bear in her face.

"One minute, the glass was there and then it was gone, it was like magic!"

Vernon shoved her into the cupboard under the stairs and locked the door. He spoke his final sneering, cruel words through the golden panel with holes in the centre of the door. "There's no such thing as magic!" he shut the golden panel loudly and marched away.

How was that for Chapter 2? Please all of you let me know what you think. Also feel free to send any ideas.