Disclaimer: Not mine, I only own the plot of this fanfic and Carya, some parts are copied from the book. Yes I KNOW the Dursley's are completely AU here but didn't I say this IS an AU fic? I believe I did ^_^. I really don't like the Dursley's that much. They just fit into this story like that.
Added 2006-12-17: If you have to critisize something then at least leave your emailaddress so it can be discussed. Anonymous reviewers will be ignored unless the have something constructive to say !!
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Chapter 02 – The Birthday
When Petunia Dursley opened the front door the morning after Halloween 1981 she nearly dropped the bottles she was carrying. On the front step of number four, Privet Drive were two babies wrapped in blankets. Tugged into one of the blankets was a letter. As soon as Petunia spotted the seal on the back of the letter she knew who those kids had to be - her niece and nephew, Carya and Harry Potter.
"Vernon! Please come here quickly," she shouted.
"What's wrong, Petunia, dear? What ...," he began but stopped when he saw her holding two bundles that were wrapped in blankets.
Petunia and Vernon Dursley had never been fond of magic. To tell the truth they hated it and thought of wizards and witches as unnatural freaks – until now that is. Petunia had always wanted at least one daughter but girls were rare in Vernon's family. And a brother for Dudley wouldn't be that bad too, so he wouldn't get lonely.
"What do you think, Vernon? Perhaps we should really take them in. Read the letter. Lily and her husband, they ... they were murdered. I mean, these kids aren't at fault. It wasn't their decision to be what they are ...," she rambled while Vernon picked up the parchment.
"You're right dear. And since your parents have left over 5 years ago we apparently are their last relatives. I'm worried about that magic thing but if you wish we will keep them and raise them as if they were ours," he told his wife.
Both Dursley's couldn't help but think that Harry and Carya were not responsible for what or who they were and therefore they decided to take them in and raise them as their own. Vernon got the spare bedroom ready for them and the Dursley's treated the twins like they did with their own son Dudley.
On the outside of number four, Privet Drive nothing seemed to have changed at all since that fateful Halloween night nearly 10 years ago. But on the inside the changes became pretty obvious. All over the place were pictures of Dudley, Harry and Carya.
One time on their first bikes, their first attempt on walking or Petunia hugging each of them. They all had quite good marks at school because they knew how to share the work between them and how to get homework perfect without losing all day. And their "parents" gave them everything they wanted.
The schoolyear of 1991 was finally over and the three children were glad about having summer holidays. After summer they planed to attend secondary school. Vernon had suggested Smeltings, his old school, but the kids were undecided.
The twins had gotten an invitation from Eton and Dudley's grades were good enough that he could easily join them. But right then they didn't worry about secondary schools or anything like that. They had planned to have fun until they had to make a decision.
The days were mostly spent outside with friends, on their bikes or simply in the park. When Harry, Carya and Dudley were in the park there were always lots of kids on the playground. The little ones knew they were safe from the bullies as long as the 'Terrible Trio' was there.
No one dared to mess with them and anyone who was above fifteen didn't care about the little kids playground. In the middle of July the topic 'schools' appeared for the first time since end of term. Carya was the one to start with it.
"You know? In September we will be just like those kiddies. We'll be the new 'Firsties' then. I really do hope the older ones don't treat them like the First Years at primary were always treated," she mused.
"You're right. I've heard that at Stonewall Highschool the new boys are stuck into the toilet with their head," Dudley told them shuddering.
"That's a gruesome mental image. But I don't think something like that happens at Smeltings or Eton. We're most likely be treated as outsiders until we have proven ourselves there. But I don't think that the younger students are violated there," Harry said.
"You know what? I'm hungry. We should head home and see what delicious lunch Aunt Petunia is making today," the grinning girl told the boys.
"Right, come on, who's first gets the desserts!" Harry exclaimed.
They ran home as fast as they could. Carya won - she would get three desserts that day. Vanilla ice-cream with strawberries. But Harry and Dudley were pleading with her so much that she declared their race nullified if they went shopping with her the next day.
The boys both agreed. With any other girl they probably would've declined but Carya never took so much time for shopping than other girls her age. Although she bought just as much but her methods were more efficient.
A few days late they were told that Mrs. Figg their old babysitter had broken her leg. Dominic Rogers, the biggest bully in their immediate neighbourhood had knocked her down when he drove on the sidewalk with his mountain-bike. She was a nice old lady and the three children liked her despite her many cats and her house smelling oddly like cabbage.
Harry, Carya and Dudley decided to visit her within the next week. Carya would bake some cookies with Harry's help (well, he would eat most cookies himself but Carya always made enough) and Dudley would go before they went over and get some fresh flowers for Mrs. Figg.
On a Friday, July 19th 1991, they were visiting old Mrs. Figg at Privet Drive No.8. She was slightly surprised to see them at her door but let them in anyway. When Dudley gave her the flowers and the twins handed her the cookies she invited them to stay a bit.
The woman went to the kitchen to fetch some tea and Carya insisted on helping her. When they went back to the living room the old lady tripped over one of her numerous cats but was caught in Harry's arms and safely led to the sofa.
The girl and Dudley finished setting up the coffee table and Harry fetched the tea from the kitchen. The kids were finally told Mrs. Figg's first name.
"Thank you, dears," she said and smiled kindly at them.
"No problem, Mrs. Figg," said Dudley and the twins answered their typical "You're welcome;" before sitting down.
"There's no need to be so formal children. You may call me Arabella if you like," she told them and took a cookie, "Oh, these are delicious. Did you make them or did Petunia?" Arabella inquired.
"Eh, I made them and Harry helped," Carya admitted and blushed a bit since she wasn't used to someone praising her cooking. Aunt Petunia only said it was adequate or sometimes good but she'd never said it was delicious.
"Well dear, you'll certainly make a perfect house-wife one day. At least you won't have to stick to that junk food the young people are consuming today," she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
Carya's blush deepened and the two boys started snickering.
"perhaps you should teach Harry and Dudley a bit so that they can live on their own too?" the woman suggested.
Now Carya was giggling while the boys just looked dumbstruck. A second later all four of them were laughing. It was a nice afternoon and Mrs. Figg thanked the three of them for visiting her. It had been the best afternoon they had ever spent at Privet Drive No.8 and when Arabella told Petunia the next day how well mannered and behaved the three kids were she was beaming with pride.
As the end of July 1991 approached Vernon began to get nervous and Petunia got very quiet around the twins with each day passing. Of course this didn't go unnoticed by the twins and Dudley. The were wondering what was wrong most of the time but almost always got distracted easily.
After a long talk with Vernon the Dursley's finally decided to tell Harry and Carya the whole truth of what and who they really were. It was in the early evening of July 30th, 1991 when the twins were called down from their bedroom (which they still shared and refused to change that because they just loved it that way *gg*, no not a sister/brother lovestory) to the living room.
"Harry, Carya, we need to tell you something really important," said Uncle Vernon. "I'm sure you remember we told you that your parents had been murdered?"
When both children nodded with sad looks on their faces Petunia helped Vernon and continued.
"I think you two have already realised that you're special in some way, haven't you?" she asked them.
They nodded again because they suddenly remembered a few occasions when they'd done some things which really weren't considered "normal" at all. For example when they were running from a furious neighbour who believed they had trampled over his precious flowers they'd ended up in they backyard of number four. Or accidentally setting free that boa constrictor in the zoo on Dudley's 6th birthday.
~*~*~ Flashback - Dudley's 6th birthday ~*~*~
It was Dudley's 6th birthday and it was a beautiful sunny day. They Dursley's were taking their son, nephew and niece to the London Zoo. The children were excited about that. There was so much to see. The bears, elephants, monkeys and all the other animals in there. But what caught the kids attention the most was the reptile house.
"What do you think Carya? Do you want to see the bigger or the smaller snakes? I want the big ones. Those that can squeeze someone to death," Dudley said grinning.
Carya only smirked at him. "I bet you'd like to see those. I for one prefer the poisonous ones. Most of them are absolutely beautiful but also very dangerous," she continued with an even wider smirk. Harry just listened to their antics while the people around them looked horrified.
All three of them were slightly disappointed when they finally got to see the snakes. The most interesting was a huge boa constrictor but she was apparently sleeping. She opened her eyes when some other visitors knock against her glass window. Once those people left Carya began talking to her quietly. Harry translated for Dudley. Dudley just loved seeing them talking to snakes. Just like they had done with that tiny brown garden snake the week before.
"I'm sorry," said Carya. "They are just stupid humans, you know? They don't know what it's like to be stuck in a place like this. Where are you from by the way?" she continued.
The snake actually raised her head and kind of pointed to a small sign next to her. It read:
Boa Constrictor, Brazil.
This specimen was bred in the zoo.
"So you've never been there, hmm? I wish I could help you," she mumbled but didn't get any further as she was roughly shoved aside by a group of strangers who had seen the snake moving.
Harry and Dudley tried to help her up while she was busy glaring at the people and desperately wishing to pay them back. When she heard someone scream in front of her and her brother and cousin laughing behind her she snapped out of it. Carya saw that the glass window which had separated the snake from the visitors had vanished into thin air. The snake lazily slithered out of her prison and flicked her long body towards the group of people that in panic tried to get out of the reptile house.
Harry and Carya could hear her talk again. "Thanksss, my friendssss! Brazzzil, here I come!" the snake hissed and slithered outside.
The twins told Dudley and he joined their laughs. Soon they were the only ones left in this part of the zoo. Petunia and Vernon were quite worried when they heard about a snake being loose in the reptile house but calmed down when the saw three laughing children slowly walk towards them.
"Thank god, you're safe! You had us so worried," whimpered Aunt Petunia and gathered them into a big hug. Even Uncle Vernon looked elated that they were positively unharmed.
Dudley was happy. This had been the best birthday present ever. It was already past midnight when the three kids stopped talking about it.
~*~*~ End Flashback - Dudley's 6th birthday ~*~*~
Dudley had laughed his head of about all the people who fled from the reptile house because he knew that the twins somehow understood what snakes were saying. They'd found out a week or so ago when their were playing in the backyard and a garden snake slithered towards them hissing but only Dudley knew of this. The twins wouldn't let that animal harm him, they always protected him. Not that he needed any protection, all three of them were kind of leaders in school and no one dared to annoy or cross them. At those memories a small smile appeared on their faces.
"What we want to tell you is that you're in fact a wizard and a witch just like your parents were," said Vernon seriously.
The two children looked dumbstruck. That was impossible, wasn't it? There was no such thing as magic or was it? It certainly would explain some of those weird incidents that only happened to them and the strange dreams they had sometimes.
It was Carya who asked: "But if we are ... er ... wizards why could our parents not defend themselves against their murderer? What happened then?"
"It's true that they were murdered but not in any way you could imagine right now. An evil dark wizard went after you and your parents and tried to kill the whole Potter family. No one knows how the two of you have survived that night but you did and you're famous for that in your world. I'm sure that sometime soon – perhaps even tomorrow - you will receive your acceptance letter from school. Then everything will be explained," Aunt Petunia said.
"I really hope that you're not angry with us for not telling you sooner. It's just ... we don't really like magic that much ... but that has nothing to do with you. We love you as much as Dudley. You have to believe that ..." she continued her rambling and was trying to apologise but Harry and Carya already understood. They were really smart and understanding for their age.
"Er, ... it's okay Aunt Petunia, really, but what did you mean with 'acceptance letter'?" Harry asked confused.
"It's a letter sent out to those who are chosen to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I only know of this because my sister Lily, your mother, got the same letter around her eleventh birthday, too. I know that you still have some questions but it is pretty late and you should already be in bed by now. We'll talk more tomorrow, okay?"
When the twins nodded, they said good night and then went to bed but they were too confused and excited to fall asleep immediately. When they woke up again it was July 31st – their eleventh birthday. After throwing pillows at each other for about ten minutes Carya and Harry got ready for breakfast. On the kitchen table were two piles of presents waiting for them. The rest of the family stood around the table wishing them a Happy Birthday although Dudley looked as if he would fall asleep every second.
Carya got many books, some sweets and the brand new computer she had wanted. Harry got a Playstation 2 with six games and some books, too. They always wanted books as presents, because the really loved to read. Both of them got another present which was an envelope that contained about 200 pounds which they should exchange into wizard money once they got to the wizarding bank Aunt Petunia had told them about.
Half an hour later they had nearly finished breakfast when they heard that the mail had arrived. Harry immediately went and collected it. There were some bills and advertising, a postcard from Aunt Marge and another strange letter. The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. On the backside of the letter was a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H. The addresses read:
Mr. H. Potter and Ms. C. Potter
The Smaller Shared Bedroom
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
Harry was very excited and ran back into the kitchen showing the letter to his twin, aunt, cousin and uncle.
"Go on, read it, it's yours!" said Aunt Petunia. And they read them:
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 Mr. Potter, 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.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
Inside the envelope was an additional piece of parchment they hadn't noticed before. It read:
Please be ready to go to Diagon Alley on August 1st. One of the Hogwarts Professors will collect you from home and take you to London so that you can buy your school supplies. Enclosed in this letter you will also find the keys to your Gringotts vaults.
Yours sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore,
Headmaster of Hogwarts
Both children were grinning widely by now. It had been hard to believe yesterday evening that they were a wizard and witch but now it hit them full force – it was really true. And even though the Dursley's didn't like magic, at this moment they were really proud of the twins.
So at the end of the holidays Dudley would go to Smeltings – Vernon's old school – while Carya and Harry would go to Hogwarts but both would tell their few friends that they were going to attend a small private boarding school somewhere in Scotland. After lunch the family visited the zoo where Harry and Carya much to Dudley's amazement had a little chat with the snakes in the reptile house – of course the twins translated for Dudley when he wanted to know what they were saying.
After that the children went to the cinema while Vernon and Petunia took a long walk in the park. They were watching 'Defending Your Life (Romance / Comedy)' Summary: Yuppie Daniel Miller is killed in a car accident and goes to Judgement City, a waiting room for the afterlife. During the day, he must prove in a courtroom-style process that he successfully overcame his fears (a hard task, given the pitiful life we are shown); at night, he falls in love with Julia, the only other young person in town. Nights are a time of hedonistic pleasure, since you can (for instance) eat all you want without getting fat. In the evening they had dinner at an expensive looking restaurant and the kids were allowed to order whatever they wanted to have. This night Harry and Carya voluntarily went to bed early. They were both tired but excited of what would happen the following day, too.
In the morning they woke up early and decided to make breakfast for the family (yes, they are a bit spoiled but know how to cook quite well). They had barely finished eating breakfast when there was a sharp knock on the front door. On the outside stood a tall man with obsidian eyes, shoulder-length black hair and he was entirely clad in black clothes. As soon as Carya and Harry heard him introduce himself to Uncle Vernon as Professor Severus Snape in a cold sarcastic tone they knew in an instant that this was someone not to mess with ever. When he asked if they were ready to go – he seemed very impatient, too – they said "Yes, Sir!" in unison and stepped outside.
The kids didn't see a car so they just gave the Professor a questioning glance. He of course noticed this immediately, pulled a colourful woollen sock with little christmas trees on it out of his pocket and told them what to do.
"This" he said "is a portkey. You have to hold onto it and don't let go!"
Both children grabbed a tip of the sock and as soon as Snape had muttered something under his breath. They felt a nauseating jerk behind their navel. The next thing Carya and Harry knew was that they stood or, in Harry's case, lay on the floor in a small pub where everyone stared at them with wide eyes. Before Snape could say something Harry got up and the Professor led them to the back entrance of said pub which was called "The Leaky Cauldron".
Please Read AND Review.
Thx ^_^,
Carya
