A/N: I chose the name Kerria because there's a type of flower called kerria japonica, which is where I got it from.

The next chapter will start off in the third book, with Aunt Marge's visit.

The face-claim to Kerria is Merit Leighton.

"Stapled shut, inside an outside world,
and I'm sealed in tight, bizarre but right at home.
Claustrophobic, closing in and I'm catastrophic, not again."

Before I Forget – Slipknot

Prologue

To all who knew Kerria Potter, they would say that she was a normal, healthy ten-year-old girl. Sure she was a little pale and a bit on the short side, but healthy all the same.

However, to her aunt, Petunia, and uncle, Vernon, they would say that she was a nuisance, free-loading orphan who darkened their doorway when she and her twin brother, Harry, were dropped off on their doorstep when they were just one-year-olds.

To her cousin, Dudley, she was a freak of nature, some abnormal person that needed to be tormented, alongside Harry.

To Harry, she was someone that he protected, because she was the only family he had left, discounting the Dursleys, who really didn't act like family to them.

However, Kerria was much more than that. She was a witch and she goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she was sorted in Gryffindor.

"It's been years since I had last sorted a Seer. Oh and you're very intelligent, just like your parents. Now, where to put you? I can see you thriving in Ravenclaw. I also see that you have a lot of courage that is begging to be brought out. But where to put you…I know just the house for you. Gryffindor!"

After starting classes, she found that she was okay. The one that was top of the classes was Hermione, which irritated Kerria to no end. No matter what, it seemed like Kerria would always come in third. She also didn't like Harry's best friend, Ron, very much because she thought that Ron was trying to take Kerria's place in Harry's life, something that Kerria kept to herself.

In her first year, Harry was the one who had gotten the Philosopher's Stone, because Hermione had used the Full Body-Bind on her, which was something that was unnecessary, since she really wasn't going to tell anybody.

In her second year, she was also considered the heir of Slytherin because Harry was a Parselmouth, a person who could talk to snakes. Her friends, Charlotte Jones and Briallen Morgan, believed her. Even Kerria's crush, Keagen Rothschilds, believed her, along with his younger sister, Aoife, who seemed to look up to her. What took the rest of Hogwarts to believe that they weren't was when Kerria got Petrified, and since no one would believe that Harry would attack his own sister, his twin at that, they believed they were innocent.

On top of that, Professor Lockhart tried very hard to get Kerria to believe that he wasn't a fame-seeking glory hound, when Kerria had stood up on the first day of class and called him a fraud. It was worse when Lockhart kept trying to latch onto Kerria and Harry's fame of being the Twins-Who-Lived.

Well, how she had gotten to those points, it's a bit of a long story. It all started with a letter.

The day started when Harry and Kerria had gotten done with their grounding. A boa constructor had somehow gotten loose at the zoo, which was strange, so obviously the twins had gotten grounded for it.

Dudley was mocking the twins over the fact that he and his friend, Piers Polkiss, were going to Smeltings, while the Potters were going to the local public school, Stonewall High. According to Dudley, the newbies get their heads dunked into toilets. Kerria felt that was a bit of a sucker punch considering that part of the Incident was her getting her head dunked into a toilet repeatedly when she was seven, by a group of older girls.

Aunt Petunia was dyeing their clothes grey so it could look like everyone else's, which Kerria doubted.

She was sitting at the table, getting poked and prodded in the ribs and shoulder by Dudley's Smeltings stick. Uncle Vernon was reading the newspaper, ignoring what his son was doing. Harry was glaring at Dudley, but Kerria was sure that Harry wanted to take the stick and hit Dudley repeatedly with it.

Kerria noticed that the click of the mail flap and the flop of letters hitting the ground got Uncle Vernon's attention.

"Get the post, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon.

"Make one of them get it," ordered Dudley.

"Get the post, one of you two," demanded Uncle Vernon.

"Make Dudley get it," replied Harry.

"Poke one of them with your Smeltings stick, Dudley," Uncle Vernon said.

Harry dodged a blow from the stick as Kerria ran to the front door. She rubbed her temples as she felt a headache growing. It was a sign that she was going to end up daydreaming again soon. She wasn't sure why she always daydreamed or had such vivid dreams that always seemed to come true, but she had them.

"Hurry up, girl!" demanded Uncle Vernon.

Kerria went over and picked up the post. There was a postcard from Aunt Marge, a brown envelope that was a bill, and a strange looking letter addressed to her:

Miss K. Potter

The Living Room

4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey

Kerria examined the letter. Why was 'the living room' put there? And why was the envelope made out of parchment? Was it for aesthetic reasons?

"What's taking you so long, girl?" yelled Uncle Vernon sounding impatient. "Are you checking for letter-bombs?"

Kerria went to the kitchen where Harry was getting poked and prodded by the Smeltings stick. She dropped the bill and postcard in front of her uncle, dropped Harry's letter in front of him, and sat down in her chair.

Of course all good things came to an end, when Uncle Vernon took the twins' letters because Dudley had to open his big, fat mouth over them getting letters.

The next week passed with letters bombarding the house and Kerria having a strange repetitive dream of a silhouette of a large man standing in an open doorway with a storm raging behind him. She didn't understand it though.

On Sunday, Uncle Vernon finally had enough and they took off to the ocean where a hut was on rock in the middle of the ocean.

Uncle Vernon had borrowed a boat from a toothless man. The boat ride to the hut was bumpy and Kerria kept flashing back to the Incident where she got her head ducked in the toilet at school.

When they got to the hut and went inside, Kerria was hit by the smell of seaweed. She could hear the wind rattling the windows and whistling through the gaps in the hut. She hoped the hut wouldn't collapse on them.

Uncle Vernon passed out rations which was just a packet of crisps each and five bananas. He made sure to give the fresher looking bananas to Dudley, Aunt Petunia, and himself. He also tried starting a fire with the empty crisp packets, but they just smoked and shriveled up. He cheerfully said, "could do with some of those letters now, eh?

Kerria was terrified of the thought of her uncle being in a good mood.

By nightfall a storm raged on and Kerria listened to the spray from the high waves splatter the window.

Aunt Petunia found some moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the mouth-eaten sofa. After that, she and Uncle Vernon went to the second room.

That left Harry and Kerria to find the softest bit of floor they could find.

"Do you want the floor or the coffee table?" asked Kerria looking at the coffee table.

"I'll take the floor," said Harry.

Kerria looked at the coffee table. There was a good chance Dudley might 'conveniently' trip over Harry and fall right into Kerria if she slept on the coffee table. There was also a chance of the same thing happening if Kerria took the floor. Then there was the thought of Dudley waking up and pushing Kerria into Harry if he slept on the opposite side of the coffee table away. There was also the exact same thing if she took the floor. There was also the idea of them taking the floor and Dudley "tripping" right onto them.

It was definitely a lose-lose-lose situation to the twins.

Kerria sighed and looked at Harry, "I'll take the coffee table." She went over and took off her black chunky boots. She lay down on the coffee table under the thin, slightly holey blanket. She passed Harry her jean jacket so he can use it as a pillow. She used her messenger bag for a pillow. At least she wore a long-sleeved shirt, which kept her somewhat warm.

"Is there something wrong with us?" asked Kerria.

"What?" asked Harry.

"Is there something wrong with us?" repeated Kerria. "The Dursleys won't let us look at our own mail, Polkiss thinks I'm a witch because I knew that his dog was going to die before it died, I got beaten up in the girls' toilets because I knew things were going to happen to us, and all that freaky stuff happens when we're around…" She was beginning to get choked up. "Like that time you somehow ended up on the kitchen roof at school, or that time when I was being chased by Polkiss outside in the garden and I somehow ended up in your cupboard. You know all that weird stuff that we always got in trouble for doing. Is there something wrong with us?"

"No, Kerry, there isn't," said Harry. He had sat up. "The only ones that have something wrong with them is the Dursleys. They have no reason to act like this to us. Try to get some sleep."

Kerria nodded although that didn't make her feel better. She laid her head down and somehow managed to fall asleep.

Kerria was awoken by Harry shaking her awake. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up, "What is it?"

"It's almost our birthday," whispered Harry.

"Oh," said Kerria.

"Make a wish and blow out the candles," whispered Harry.

"What?" whispered Kerria.

Harry pointed at the ground and Kerria got off the coffee table and crouched down to see what Harry was pointing at.

There was a birthday cake drawn in the sand with eleven candles.

Happy Birthday
Kerry + Harry

It was beautiful. The Dursleys always pretended that the twins didn't have a birthday, but they did acknowledge it by giving them rubbish as presents. Once, Uncle Vernon had given Kerria an empty tube of toothpaste.

"Ready?" asked Harry.

Kerria whispered, "On three."

"One," said Harry.

"Two," said Kerria.

"Three," they both said and blew on the cake erasing it.

BOOM

That made Kerria jump up, startled. "What was that?"

"Thunder?" whispered Harry.

"That didn't sound like thunder," whispered Kerria. "I think it came from the door."

BOOM

Kerria turned to face the door as she backed up.

"Where's the cannon?" asked Dudley jerking away.

There was a crash and Kerria spotted Uncle Vernon sliding into the room holding a rifle.

"Who's there?" shouted Uncle Vernon. "I'm warning you—I'm armed!"

SMASH

The door swung clean off its hinges, landing on the floor.

There was a silhouette standing in the doorway, with the storm raging on behind him.

Kerria was reminded of her strange dream that she had been having.

Harry grabbed Kerria and pushed her in between the wall and fireplace.

"Sorry 'bout that," said a gruff voice.

Kerria frowned because she wondered why the man apologized for knocking the door off.

She tried looking over Harry's shoulder, and she could see the man bending down. The storm lessened.

"I demand you leave at once, sir! You are breaking and entering!" ordered Uncle Vernon waving the rifle around.

Kerria would've found it heartwarming that Uncle Vernon cared enough to demand the stranger to leave, except she was sure that he was protecting his wife and son more than the twins.

"Dry up, Dursley, you great prune," said the man. Kerria looked over Harry's shoulder to see the stranger grabbed the barrel of the rifle and bent it upwards, causing the gun to go off. A hole was shot in the ceiling.

What's one more hole to add in the hut?

The man looked at Dudley, who was still on the couch, staring at the man. "Boy, I haven't seen you since you was a baby, Harry, but you're a bit more along than I would have expected." He was motioning to his middle, "Particularly 'round the middle!" He sounded confused, "Where's yer twin?"

Dudley sputtered, "I-I-I'm not Harry. And that freak is hiding behind him." He pointed at Kerria and Harry.

Harry stepped forward glaring at Dudley, "She's not a freak!"

The man looked at Harry and Kerria. He seemed to smile fondly. At least, Kerria was sure he was smiling fondly. It was hard to tell with the wild, tangled beard and the long, shaggy mane of hair.

"Las' time I saw, you two were only babies," said the stranger. He looked at Harry, "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes." He looked at Kerria, "And yeh look a lot like yer mum but yeh've got yer dad's hair." He pointed at his head for emphasis.

Kerria wondered how this stranger knew that. She had never met this man before, yet he was acting like they've known each other all their lives. She looked at her aunt and uncle, who were huddled together looking scared.

"Got something for ya. 'Fraid I might have sat on it at some point. I imagine that it'll taste fine just the same. 'Fraid I had plenty of time to make just the one, so you two will have to share."

Kerria watched as the man pulled out a white box from his overcoat. The stranger handed it to Harry.

Harry looked at Kerria, "Are you going to open it with me?"

Kerria nodded, "Sure."

Kerria went to Harry and together they opened the white box. Inside was a strawberry cake and in green icing it said:

Happy Birthday
Harry & Kerria

It looked like her name was tucked in at the last minute, but it didn't matter to her, it was the sweetest thing that a stranger had ever given them. She felt tears come to her eyes. It was probably the first birthday cake that she had ever received.

"Thank you," said Harry and Kerria nodded her thanks, still feeling a little choked up at the present. "Who are you?"

The stranger chuckled, "True, I haven't introduce meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." He shook Harry's whole arm and reached out to shake Kerria's arm, but she shrank back.

Hagrid seemed confused.

"Sorry," whispered Kerria.

"She doesn't like strangers touching her," said Harry. "Not since…" He didn't continue, because he knew that the Incident still upsets Kerria, even though it was nearing four years since it had happened.

Hagrid seemed to shrug it off, "What about tea then, eh?" He was rubbing his hands together, "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."

"We don't have anything stronger," replied Kerria.

Hagrid looked at the empty grate with the crisp packets in it and bent down over it, blocking it from view.

Kerria stood up on the tips of her toes to try and see what Hagrid was doing. She used Harry's shoulders for leverage.

"Kerry…" hissed Harry as Kerria accidentally dug her bony knee in Harry's side.

"Sorry, Harry," Kerria said.

Hagrid drew back, showing that a roaring fire was now in the fireplace. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Kerria felt warmth was over her. It was very pleasant, even through her long-sleeved shirt.

Hagrid went to the sofa, "Budge up, yeh great lump." Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was still hiding behind Uncle Vernon.

Hagrid sat back on the sofa, which sagged under his weight. He began taking out a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, and several chipped mugs.

Kerria wondered if she was in one of those vivid dreams that she has. In a low voice, she whispered, "Am I in one of those dreams?"

Harry shook his head, "I'm awake."

Hagrid had started making the sausages, which smelt good. It made Kerria's stomach rumble and she realised she was more hungry than she had thought.

"Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley!" barked Uncle Vernon.

Kerria looked at Dudley, who was fidgeting as he stared at the sausages.

Hagrid noticed and chuckled darkly, "Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' any more, Dursley, don't worry." He passed three sausages to Harry and held out the other three to Kerria.

Kerria stared at Hagrid suspiciously, not taking the sausages, despite her hungry. What was going on? Why was this man being nice to her? The last time someone was nice to her…well, it ended up with her taking a trip to A&E.

"Sorry, she doesn't trust people anymore," said Harry apologetically. Hagrid was looking a little confused. Harry took the sausage from Hagrid and handed them to Kerria, who took them, and ate them. They were surprisingly delicious.

"What's a Hogwarts?" asked Kerria.

"Yeh don' know about Hogwarts?" asked Hagrid, surprised.

"No," said Harry and Kerria shook her head.

Hagrid looked shocked.

"Sorry," said Harry.

"Sorry?" barked Hagrid.

Kerria recoiled a little.

Hagrid turned to looked at the Dursleys. "It's them that should be sorry! I knew yeh two weren't getting' yer letters, but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learnt it all?"

"Learnt what?" asked Kerria.

"All what?" prompted Harry.

"All what?" bellowed Hagrid. He jumped to his feet "Now wait jus' one second!"

Harry backed up a little into a wall. Kerria was shaking because the last time she saw someone that angry was when she was seven.

"Do you mean ter tell me these children—these children!—knows nothin' abou'—abou' anythin'?" Hagrid demanded.

Kerria felt insulted at that. She wasn't a prat. She didn't have to copy off of anyone else, unlike Dudley, who tried to copy her homework. She ended up giving Dudley false answers.

"We know some things," said Harry loudly. "We can do maths and stuff."

Hagrid waved his hand at them, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."

"What world are you talking about?" asked Kerria.

Hagrid looked angrier at that and yelled, "Dursley!"

Uncle Venron paled.

Hagrid looked at the twins, "But yeh must know about yer mum and dad. I mean, they're famous. You're both famous."

"For what? Surviving a car crash?" Kerria asked. At least, she was sure that was what they would be famous for. At least she was known for getting beaten up by a group of older girls in the school lavatory.

"Yeh don' know…yeh don' know…" said Hagrid as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeh both don't know what yeh are?"

Uncle Vernon spoke up, "Stop! Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell them anything!"

"You never told them? Never told them was in the letter Dumbledore left fer them? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from them all these years?"

"Kept what from us?" asked Harry.

"Stop! I forbid you!" yelled Uncle Vernon.

Aunt Petunia gasped in horror as Hagrid said, "You're a wizard, Harry."

"I'm a what?" asked Harry flatly.

Hagrid turned to Kerria and said, "And yer a witch, Kerria."

Kerria widened her eyes and took a step back. She touched the thin curving scar that was on the upper part of her eye socket. She remembered the brutal beating that she had been handed from that group of older girls in the school's lavatory when she was seven. They had called her all sorts of name, including calling her a 'witch'.

She didn't understand how that one girl's hair had changed colour, or how that other girl's nose grew bigger. She definitely didn't cause that bird to fly out of a shrub and attack that group of girls. It was impossible, but she was nearby and so therefore she had gotten beat for that.

"Don't call her that," snapped Harry angrily. "She doesn't like being called that."

Hagrid shrugged it away, "Well, it's the truth." He sat down on the sofa, "An' thumpin' good'uns, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be?"

Kerria shook her head. They couldn't be magical. Magic simply didn't exist. What were the Dursleys playing at?

"No, you made a mistake," said Harry. "I-I can't be a wizard and Kerria can't be a witch." Kerria winced at the word, but she knew that Harry wasn't being cruel. "I mean…I mean, I'm…just Harry. And Kerria is…just Kerria."

"Tell me just Harry and just Kerria. Have either of you make anything happen? Anything you couldn't explain when you were angry of scared."

Kerria thought about it. Of course there were her experiences that had made her get beat up, the boa constrictor escaping its glass tank at the zoo, how Aunt Marge's dog somehow ended up outside in the backyard when it was inside, and plenty of minor experiences.

"Ah," said Hagrid. "I reckon its abou' time yeh read yer letters." He held out two envelopes and Kerria grabbed one of the yellowish envelopes. She opened it and took out a letter:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF
WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

(Order of Merlin, First class,
Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme
Mugwump, International Confed. of
Wizards)

Dear Miss 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 late than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

Kerria had to read the letter two more times, each time more questions forming.

"They're not going! We swore when we took them in, we'd put a stop to this rubbish!" shouted Uncle Vernon.

Kerria turned to look at her uncle and aunt. She felt angry at them for hiding this huge part of her life from them. They've lied to them for years! It made a lot of sense. Punishing them for every strange little incident when it was unexplainable? Saying that she deserved that beating that she had received, for daring to be a freak. Of course they knew! She crossed her arms and glared at the Dursleys.

"You knew? You knew all along and never told us?" asked Harry sounding as angry as Kerria felt.

"Of course we knew. How could you both not be a witch and a wizard? My perfect sister being who she was," snarled Aunt Petunia. "Oh my mother and father were so proud the day she got her letter. We have a witch in the family. Isn't it wonderful? I was the only one to see her for what she was. A freak!"

"She wasn't a freak, you old hag!" shouted Kerria suddenly.

"You shut your mouth, you little freak," snapped Aunt Petunia.

Kerria flinched and Harry glared at Aunt Petunia.

"I knew that you'd both be just the same, just as strange, just as…abnormal. And then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up. And we got landed with you two," said Aunt Petunia.

"Blown up?" said Harry angrily, "You told us that our parents died in a car crash!"

Hagrid looked angry at that, "A car crash? A car crash kill James and Lily Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal!"

Petunia didn't look insulted, "I had to tell them something. We couldn't let people think they were ours."

"They're not going and that's final!" shouted Uncle Vernon.

"Oh, and I suppose a great Muggle like yourself's going to stop them, are you?" asked Hagrid.

Kerria frowned at the strange word.

"Muggle?" asked Harry.

"Non-magic folk," said Hagrid calmly. He turned back to the Dursleys. "These kids had their names down ever since they were born! They're going to the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world, and they'll be under the finest headmaster that Hogwarts has ever seen: Albus Dumbledore."

"I will not pay for some crackpot old fool to teach them magic tricks!" shouted Uncle Vernon.

Hagrid took out a pink umbrella and pointed it at Vernon threateningly. He warned, "Never! Insult! Albus! Dumbledore! In! Front! Of! Me!" He noticed Dudley, who was eating the twins' cake. Hagrid fired a violet spark at Dudley's rear. A grey pig's tail grew out of his arse and Dudley fell face-first right into the cake. He jumped up, his hands over his rear. He ran over to his parents, Uncle Vernon roared at them, and dragged his wife and son in the lone bedroom.

Hagrid turned to the twins. He said, "Oh, um, I'd appreciate it you didn't tell anyone at Hogwarts about that. Strictly speaking, I'm not allowed to do magic."

Kerria nodded, still a little surprised at the sight of magic being used right in front of her.

"It's gettin' late, and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid. "Gotta get up ter town; get all yer books an' all that." He took off his overcoat and passed it to the twins.

Kerria got on the coffee table as Harry scooted close to the coffee table and Kerria had half of the overcoat dangle over the edge so Harry can use it as a blanket. It was probably the warmest thing she ever had as a blanket.

"Good night, Kerry," said Harry.

"Good night, Harry and Hagrid," said Kerria.

"Good night, Kerria," said Hagrid.

With that, Kerria closed her and fell asleep with a smile.