Chapter Two: Until the Letter Came.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material written by J. K. Rowling or her publishing company.

Hibiscus Potter and the Nundu

Ten Years Later

Hibiscus Potter was a pretty girl with long gold and red hair and a pale complexion. Her intelligence however, was her most dominating feature. It was sharp as a knife. All the other children at her primary school and even a few teachers found her to be strange and disquieting. This was mostly due to the strange things that happened around her.

When she first started school, Nancy Bakkbin pushed her off the swings. It took the janitor a strong set of pliers to untangle Nancy from that swing set. When she was eight, her teacher, Mrs. Christiansen lost the ability to speak for the rest of the day after she reprimanded her for going ahead of the class. Last year when Jane Goodman had dumped her lunch on Hibiscus's hand me down clothes, her and her friends were simultaneously depansed by the seemingly thin air.

These strange occurrences were a few of many. But even these odd happenings were not the biggest part of the problem. It was her cousin, Dudley Dursley. Dudley Dursley was the size of a rhinoceros which may have sounded rude, though it was benevolent since he probably weighed more than that. As if that was not the worst of his problems he was as thick headed as a Christmas pig with an apple stuffed in its mouth.

Dudley's favorite pastime was a game he invented with his friends called Potter Hunting. Hibiscus had to admit that even though it wasn't positive with regards to her existence, she was proud that Dudley was actually capable of thinking of something. Alas, when he was not able to find any defenseless first graders to beat up and mentally scar, he went for Hibiscus.

Currently, Hibiscus was sitting in her math class, glossing over her life. There was one final mortal struggle she battled through in her sad life. Dudley's parents, her aunt Petunia and her Uncle Vernon, the most dreadful creatures in existence. Vernon was a beefy pig that could not see past his chin, while Petunia was a horsey monster, with an unnaturally long neck that belonged in a horror program on the telly. It was only fair, Hibiscus thought to herself, since Dudley originated from their fatal loins. Shuddering, she tried to think of anything but the Dursley's loins.

When Hibiscus was a year old, her parents passed away and she was left on the Dursley's doorstep. Though she had never seen a picture of her mother and father, she wondered how her mother could possibly have been Petunia Dursley's sister. Hibiscus was only ever told that they were good for nothings who died in a car crash. The Dursleys seemed to have been pulled into the world just to give Hibiscus the most unhappy childhood possible. Hibiscus began to reminisce the two nights prior when Dudley had kicked her down the stairs.

She had never seen it coming; he came up and kicked her in the back of her left knee when she was at the top of the stairs. The laundry basket she was holding went in the air as she rolled down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. The gash which had appeared on her forehead as she fell stained the carpet with her blood. When her uncle came out from the telly, he beat her black and blue for staining his carpet and ruining the laundry. Then he promptly shoved her in the cupboard. In the morning when he opened up the cupboard and saw that the gash seemed to be gone like magic, he refused to let her out until this very morning.

Hibiscus was snapped out of her reverie by Mr. Martin, the math teacher, who was asking for her to simplify the fractions on the board. She did so successfully, much to the chagrin of Dudley's friend's, and the primary school bell rang not much sooner. Hastily, she retrieved her bag and scurried out of the class before the congregation of Dudley Dursley caught her.

When she made it into the main hall, the crowd was impossible to get through. She looked up to the stairs and saw Dudley's cronies. Dudley himself was absent that day due to a chronic temper tantrum. Realizing she didn't have time to wait, Hibiscus instead ran to the gymnasium. When she made it in she to the back exit which was right across the other side of the gym.

As soon as she grabbed the handle and pulled, and realized the door was locked, the gang of bullies entered the gym. They laughed as they approached her. Piers, one of Dudley's friends, cracked his knuckles and laughed. "Alright, let's make Potter wish she had never run from us." They ambled towards her carelessly, and she knew they were not joking. They had beaten her up before.

Just as Piers pulled back his fist to hit her, something strange occurred. Hibiscus shoved her hand out in an arc and all the balls in the gym rocketed from their places on the metal racks and collided with Piers along with the rest of his friends relentlessly. She ran around the group as they screamed in desperation. When she reached the unlocked door to the gym, she fled.

As she ambled along the road, Hibiscus thought over the oddity of what had just occurred. This was not the first time something like this had happened in such an un-subtle manner. When she was a child, Petunia had beaten her bloody when she found Hibiscus talking to the garden snakes. But just like speaking with snakes, the telekinesis seemed to be the only peculiar occurrence she was able to control.

Absentmindedly she flicked things around with a swish of her finger. The odd twig here, the small pebble there. At least she did, until she arrived at Privet Drive. Slowly, knowing what was to come, she entered the door and looked into the living room. Dudley was presumably upstairs while his horse faced mother sat on the couch, and Vernon Dursley snapped around to assault her. Apparently the school had called and Dudley's friends made her to sound like the bully.

Before her brain could process that she was ducking a nearby vase was shards on the wall behind her in an instant, glass trinkets lost their form as they whizzed through the air at her head and crashed on the wall behind her. She fled to the kitchen, Vernon hot on her heels. When she arrived in the kitchen, she flung pots and dishes at him to no avail. He eventually grabbed her and banged her against the counter.

Hibiscus did not even bother trying to use her newfound telekinesis against him. He was far too heavy and the incident in the gym had taken lots of energy from her. Instead she watched with dread as he whipped off his belt and fashioned it into a loop. Then, she waited for the first blow. She looked up at Petunia who was standing in the doorframe with pleading eyes. To no avail however as the woman merely avoided eye contact.

Then, he began to beat her. The face, limbs, torso, he did not leave a single patch of skin unturned. Rapidly she became a bloody mess as the belt hit new places. Petunia finally took mercy, and placed a hand on his shoulder. Hibiscus did not notice, her world was about to leave her.

Instead of leaving her there to bleed, Vernon dragged her to the cupboard by her hair and roughly shoved her in, pulling the locks on the outside closed with clicks and sounds of metal sliding into metal. Hibiscus soon passed out, half of her petite body on her small bed, half of the rest of her body crammed into the door.

She awoke two days later still in the cupboard. Not that she was aware of how long it had been. As always, whenever the Dursleys beat her she mysteriously healed quickly, sooner than she should have. In addition to that the Dursleys kept her in there for an additional two weeks. One more mystery that confounded her was how she survived the boredom and pain. It probably had to do with the meager meals she was given and the time she had to practice her levitation of objects.

After Vernon released her and drilled what was wrong with her into her head for half an hour, she discovered how long she had been in the cupboard and realized that Dudley's birthday had passed. Afterwards she was given lists of chores to complete, including gardening.

In the garden, Hibiscus decided she did not give a flying piss for what the Dursley's had decreed. In other words, she began to communicate with the garden snakes once again. It was to them that she relayed the horrific experiences she had survived.

"Little one, you mussst tell ssomeone before they render you irreparable," Farbior, one of the snakes hissed. The other snakes hissed in agreement. Hibiscus hissed back emotionlessly, "What isss the point, if I do that I will just be thrown in a home that isss probably worssse than thisss?" She could see the snake was going to insist again and changed the subject. "Tell me all about your new nessst'sss and hatchling'sss." The topic was lost amidst bragging between the different snake couples.

The rest of the month passed uneventfully which was surprising for the household. That is to say however, at least life was uneventful until the letter came.

She had just set the breakfast she had prepared, and spit in, on the table in front of the Dursleys. Just then the mail man dropped the post in the mail slot. Vernon looked up and said to the girl, "Get the post you blasted menace." All too willingly she went into the main room and retrieved the mail. Before she went in the kitchen she looked through it all. That was when she saw it, the letter. It was addressed to one H. V. POTTER.

When Vernon bellowed, "We don't have all bloody day you indolent splotch," she acted quickly and slid it under the door to her cupboard. She knew if Vernon saw it he would apprehend it immediately.

Breakfast went dreadfully; As usual she was forced to watch and wait for them to finish their first servings. Besides that, Dudley was going to Smelting boy's academy and had received his uniform. Hibiscus just gaped at the amount of fabric that now adorned Dudley; she had suspicions that it was such a large quantity it could clothe an impoverished village for decades. However, that was not even the worst part; the boys at Smelting school were provided sticks to smack at one another with.

When she finally left with a few new bruises from the whacking stick, she went straight to her cupboard, retrieved her letter and went outside to commence her chores and read it with the snake community. She sat there and peeled open the flap at the urge of the snakes. She read it aloud in their language, "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 Ms. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
A representative of the school will arrive two days within the opening of this letter.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry

UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
sets of plain work robes (black)
plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE 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

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

Hibiscus just sat there in shock, the snakes continually hissed, "Misssusss, Misssusss." She just simply let the letter fall to the grass. "Why I am able to talk to snakes, why I can move things without touching them, why strange things happen around me." The snakes listened intently to the befuddled young girl. "I am a witch."

Ooh, Hibiscus is a witch, who saw that coming? Please review. This is my first fanfic and I need all the feedback, positive and negative, that I can get.