Chapter 2:

Dudley's Birthday

Jessa Lily Potter awoke to the sound of her cousin purposely stomping down the stairs and to her aunt banging on her "room" door, ordering her to get up. She groaned, rolling over, before sitting up on her knees. She quickly put on her glasses, brushed her hair a few times, and opened the door of the tiny, cramped closet where she slept.

She pushed her way into the dining room and made her way to the kitchen, where she poured her uncle his morning cup of coffee and her aunt her morning cup of tea. She rolled her eyes as she overheard her cousin, Dudley, complaining loudly having one less present than last year. Jessa grimaced, before shooting a look at her older brother, Harry, as he pushed into the kitchen himself.

For as long as she could remember, neither Harry nor herself had ever gotten a decent present for their birthdays, (or any other occasion for that matter,) if any and here Dudley was, complaining that he had one less than last year; all of which were most likely specially chosen and very expensive.

Harry and Jessa Potter had lived with the Dursleys for practically their entire lives. Their parents had died in a car crash when Harry was a year old and Jessa, under a month. Both had lighting both-shaped scars; Harry's on his forehead and Jessa on her left palm, thanks to the incident. Just by looking at them, you'd never be able to tell they were siblings: Harry with his jet-black hair and emerald-green eyes while Jessa had auburn hair and hazel eyes. Other than their matching scars, they both wore glasses.

Uncle Vernon shuffled through the kitchen door at that moment. "No one can take you today, so you're coming with us. But any funny business, anything at all, and you'll both find yourselves locked up from now until Christmas," he threatened, pointing his pudgy finger between them.

And that was how Jessa found herself at the entrance to the reptile house at the London Zoo a half an hour later. She shuddered once before entering. She wasn't particularly fond of reptiles.

She watched as the boys made their ways towards one of the snakes. She turned and went to the exhibit opposite, looking at a colourful Caiman Lizard. She watched it transfer between water and a protruding branch.

Then she heard a commotion behind her. She whirled around and sure enough, her brother and cousin were at the centre of it. She ran to where Harry had been pushed aside, just as Aunt Petunia screamed. She looked up and her eyes widened as she realized Dudley was somehow trapped behind the snake's glass…and that said snake was slithering right by them.

She laughed as all Dudley and Aunt Petunia managed to do was scream. The smile slid off her face as Uncle Vernon caught sight of them. He lectured the Potter siblings, before locking them away.

Still…it had been good to get out for a bit. And – she could even admit – to see Dudley shown up and embarrassed – instead of his usual role as tormenter. Even with her uncle's temper, today hadn't been horrid.