Chapter 3
Soon school begun once again, and they got less time for reading as they stayed at school from morning when every other student go there and till late in the evening, hours later then everyone else. The short time of summer that was left passed in a rush and even the winter was long passed when the twins tenth birthday finally arrived.
They had gone to bed early the evening before and therefore woke up early in the morning of the last day of July. They quickly got up, chose their clothes for the day and took a shower. Dressing and returning to their room they Harry sat down to read a book about the laws of muggle England that Erika just finished and she started reading the book on twelfth century weapon smithing that Harry had borrowed from the library just three day ago.
Two hours later, the kids got up from the bed where they had sat reading and walked downstairs to prepare the breakfast. Soon the other inhabitants of the house got to the table and the food was served. They all ate in silence and when Dudley finished his share, which is by far bigger then the twins' shares combined, he left for his friends.
"Happy birthday." Vernon said finally, "Today I have decided that you many choose what you want to receive, you may either get the presents that Petunia and I have gotten, or you can choose to have us give you a ride into London so you can go to that shopping center. If you choose London you will get the other present at Christmas instead."
Harry and Erika takes a look at each other, just staring for a couple of seconds, they hugs hard and twirls around before running over and hugging their Aunt and Uncle too. "We choose to go to London! Thank you so much." the two said at the same time.
"I had a thought you would choose so." Vernon said with a smile, "How fast will you be ready to go?"
"In fifteen minutes." the twins states.
Hurrying to get ready in time the twins ran with the dishes to the kitchen-sink and Harry started washing while Erika dries and puts them back into the drawers and cabinets or wherever is should be.
With two minutes to spare they are finished and rush up in their room and pick out one of the bags they bought the year before, the one that is not filled with books.
"Bye, Aunt Petunia." they wave and get into the backseat on the car. On their way into London they braid each others hair to once again hide the lightning bolt shaped scars that adorn on their foreheads, as of now their hair reaches about a quarter down their backs.
"How much time do we get?" Harry asks his Uncle from the open door to the car.
"How much do you want? I'll give you at the most four hour though."
"I don't think we need more then an hour." Erika says.
"Let's say an hour and a half." decides Harry.
"Bye then, Uncle." Erika shouts and pulls excitedly Harry towards the pub.
"Hello Tom." Harry says as they pass the barkeep on their way through.
They get out to the back and Harry takes Erika's hand in his. He reached out his hand and taps the correct brick with his hand, opening the way into Diagon Alley, the twins walked still hand in hand directly over to Flourish and Blotts, just as they are about to enter the shop Erika pulls Harry to a stop and say one word, "Gringotts." They turned abruptly around and walked over to the bank. They walk up to a desk goblin, not the same one as last time. Erika said, "We'd like to make a withdrawal." and holds out the key. They are taken down to their vault and brought out as much gold this time as last, 150 Galleons.
Before leaving the bank they decide to change some of the money to pounds thinking they might need is sometime. Out from the bank they first walked over to a workshop where they make magical trunks. They start looking at the price list when the owner clears his throat, "Can I help you?"
"Yes we'd like a trunk with medium sized exterior, four lockable compartments where one should be fit for a library, one with an internal lock for possible living and the two others should be endless compacted space with extra dampening. The locks should be thought activated by us two, no extra master key in case of our death. There should also be a though triggered reducing charm." he thought for a moment, sure that there is something that he forgot. "Fixed weight." Erika adds with Harry gave her an agreeing nod.
"Hmm... That would cost..." he gets out an abacus and starts counting.
Erika who has been counting since Harry started telling what they need spoke up, "That would be five hundred and fourteen Galleons and sixteen Sickles, if the price list is correct."
The man continues counting for a few minutes before he looks up and says, "Five hundred and fourteen Galleons and... Oh... You where right."
"When will it be finished?" asks both of the twins at the same time, they turn to each other and smiles.
The man resets his abacus and counts out the work hours he needs, "Um, that would take about two weeks, with possible delay of one or two weeks due to unforeseen events."
"Alright, is it possible to have the trunk sent to our home?" Harry asks.
"Yes, of course. Are your parents paying for this?"
"No, we are. You will send it with owls?" Erika waits for the man to nod, "Then you have to send it so that it arrives in the night, we live in a muggle area. We could go over at Gringotts right away and sign the deal."
"I'll be sending an instruction on how to fix the locks to you and leave them open then." The man nods his head thinking of how these two kids can know so much, they look like they barely could be ten years old. But he followed them out and over to the bank where he asks for a deal form to sign. Soon they have agreed, with a goblin as a witness, to have half the sum transferred at once and the rest when they get the trunk home. The goblin is there to make sure the deal is followed down to last letter. All three of them sign the deal and the twins finally make their way over to Flourish and Blotts.
As the go through the door Erika happens to take a look at her wrist watch. "Harry, we have to hurry, we only have fifteen minutes left. I'll take a couple of books on Legilimency and Occlumency."
"Good, they mentioned those in several of the books we have and it seems interesting. I'll take some of the standard school books." Harry replies and both of them rush around to get the books they want. Seven minutes later they both stand at the counter paying for the books, there are four thick ones and a small thin one that Erika collected for her subjects and fifteen books about the same size that is standard books about Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology and Potions.
They quickly pay for the books and threw them carelessly down into their bags.
Hurrying out of Diagon Alley, they arrived at the arranged meeting spot with only one minute to spare, and with Vernon waiting for them.
They all climb into the car and their Uncle starts driving them home, "Are you sure that you don't want a couple of minutes more in there? You looked quite hurried when you came out to the car."
The twins both shook their heads and Harry replied, "It was just one thing that was dragging out on the time a bit more then we planned. There was not very much we could do in there."
"There are a lot of things that we will have to buy later when we begin school, but we did not think you would appreciate if we brought home with is all manner of foul smelling potion ingredients or perhaps a pet owl, would you?" the twins both grin at their Uncle.
Vernon chuckles at this, "You're right, I would not like that."
They arrive safely at home near an hour later. The twins run into the house and up to their room to dump the bags before going to the kitchen.
Three weeks of heavy studying passed before the trunk arrives at one night. They send the confirmation that they have received the trunk so that the second half of the payment is made with the owl that came with the package. Setting the locks to only work for them is quite easy work as all the hard things has already been done for them and the instructions just needs to be followed in a couple of simple steps.
After moving the books from their wardrobe, that was quite full with them, to the trunk they set down once again to try a couple of the exercises detailed in the Legilimency and Occlumency books.
The weeks passed, the days filled with chores, reading, school, and lost of training of their minds. One day, just a week before the Christmas holidays, when they had just gotten home from the extra classes they take, done the chores and sat down on the bed after locking the door.
"I don't get it, why does it not work? It is supposed to work without a wand even if it should be a bit harder..." Erika sighs.
"I don't know either, we have worked with it for months now." He sighs too. "Perhaps we should put all work on Legilimency first, and then if we manage that then we could easier see if we make any progress on shielding our minds with Occlumency." He puts down the book he was rechecking and looks at his sister, "Let's do it like this, you try to read my thoughts in the same way as before and I, instead of trying to remove my surface thoughts I try to put more thoughts out there."
They start again by looking into each others green eyes. After several minutes Harry was about to give up and thought 'It does not work.'
"No, it does not seem to."
"What does not seem?" Harry asks surprised.
"You said, It does not work, and I just said that that is how it seems."
"I did not say it." Harry is still for a moment before he throws his arms around his sister. "I just thought it!" he almost squealed.
The two spend the next fifteen minutes just hugging and laughing. "It works, it works." they repeat, both of them exited because finally they get at least some confirmation that what they have worked so long with has done something.
"We have to try it again, this time I will think something and you try to read it." says an exited Erika.
So they begin passing thoughts back and forth. When they finally look at the clock and they see that it is already passed midnight, they went and brushed their teeth before curling up against each other and falling asleep with happy smiles on their faces.
The next day they wake up at seven in the morning, they pick out their best cloths as Dudley's Aunt, Marge, was coming for a visit. They went to the bathroom and take a swift shower before dressing and going downstairs to make breakfast.
After breakfast the two start cleaning the house trying to make it spotless for the guest that is coming. Two hours before the dinner was to be served and Marge to come, the twins return to the kitchen and start cooking all sorts of Christmas foods.
Harry and Erika had just begun placing all the dishes onto to the table when Marge arrived at the house. She swayed when she walked in and sat down at the table, clearly more then a little drunk.
When the Dursleys have sat down at the table the twins did so too. Looking surprised Marge takes a mouth full of liquid from the flask she held, it probably contained something with a high alcoholic content. She points at the twins and says slurring, "How can you let those children of a dog eat at the table with you, or worse, at the same time as ME?"
"Calm down Marge, calm down." Vernon tried to calm her down but failed.
She turns to the twins and said, "Your dad was just a beggar who got drunk and killed himself in a car accident just to put the two of you into the care a fine family like Vernon's." Marge continues insulting the twins and their father and mother for a while until they cut her of, their eyes almost shining with fury.
They had been staring at the woman for about a minute when they interrupt her. With
a voice that sounded like it could have frozen the entire ocean they both said at the same time, "Don't you dare say another word about our parents."
Marge ignores the twins' warning and started again, however, this time only the first three words left her mouth. Where her mouth was only smooth skin remains, furthermore parts of her body seemed to grow and shrink independently, as if two different forces compete, one shrinking and one growing her.
In the end the lower part of her body expand to almost three times the normal size, which was not by any means small, and her upper body was reduced to that of half a normal persons, a quarter of hers.
After a short while three loud pops are heard from the hall towards the door, the twins break their eye contact with Marge to look at each other, "Apparation?" remembering something of what they had read.
When three official looking, robe clad wizards walked around the bend into the dining Harry asks them, "Accidental Magic Reversal Squad?"
"Yes, could you tell us what has happened to her?" the wizard that seemed to be in charge said.
"Accidental Magic, we were provoked and my brother and I got angry enough to inadvertably lose enough control and the results are what you see before you." Erika points at the woman that now are bobbing silently between the ceiling and the floor, her expanded legs pointing upwards.
Two of the wizards turn to Marge and starts to casting counter spells on her while the leader talked to Vernon. Five minutes later they have finished reversing the effects on Marge and the leader, by the firm insistence of Vernon, decides to Obliviate both Dudley and Marge.
The squad left and before Marge and Dudley recovered from the effects of the Obliviate spell the twins leaves the dining room to go up to theirs, "If we are down here she will start insulting our parents again, and if she does so to our faces the same thing will happen again, if not worse."
The twins spent the rest of the day in their room with the door locked. They quiz each other about different spells, incantations and wand movements and tried to find the answer through Legilimency while the other tried to hide it.
About an hour before midnight someone knocked softly on their door and the twins collected and hid all the wizard books in the trunk. Harry walks to the door and opens it as Erika sat down on the bed. When Vernon entered the room along with Petunia Harry walked to the bed and sat down close together with his sister.
"I would like to ask for forgiveness for the actions of my sister Marge." Vernon starts.
"We will not forgive Marge and you have not done anything that would need us forgiving." Replied Erika.
"You where not down when we opened the presents so we want to give it to you now." Their Aunt, Petunia, handed them a big box wrapped in red and gold paper.
"Thank you and Merry Christmas." the twins say before they carefully cut the tape and removed the wrappings. Opening the box they see at first only a lot of paper but picking it out of the box they unearthed two beautiful violins and several books of songs.
"We have talked to our neighbor just across the street and she has agreed to teach you to play if you want to." Petunia said and almost fell of the stool she was sitting on from the hugs she got from her niece and nephew.