Nearly ten years had pass since the Dursley's had woken up to find their niece and nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive hadn't changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys front door, it crept into their living room. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing bonnets, but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large boy riding is first bicycle; on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room showed no signs that any other children lived in the house, too.

Yet Harry and Selena were still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. Their Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.

"Up!" snapped the shrill voice, followed by rapid tapping on the door. "Get up!" Selena groaned, turning on her side. Her brother, Harry Potter shifted upright and reached for his glasses and turned on the light to the small cupboard under the stairs, sharing the small bed with his sister. It was cramped but it was the best they had. The twins went about getting dressed. Harry was forced to wear Dudley's old baggy clothes and Selena wore second hand clothes bought at the Second-Hand shop for only one or two pounds. She reached under their bed and pulled out a simple white long-sleeved shirt and plaid skirt. She shook a spider off the skirt and pulled it on. The twins were used to spiders, since the cupboard under the stairs was full of them and that was where they slept.

Once they were both dressed, Harry nudged his sister. "Come on Lena, we better get up before Uncle Vernon drags us out."

Selena sighed, tying her green ribbon in her hair. "Fine," she grumbled, pushing open the door.

At first glance, you would think the twins were just family friends and not relatives. The twins were both skinny and Harry looked even skinnier in his baggy clothes and Selena, if it was possible, she was skinnier than Harry.

Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. Selena was the opposite. She had a heart shaped face with long, dark red hair she liked to wear either lose in silky waves or; like she was currently, in a low wavy ponytail tied with a green ribbon. She also had bright green eyes, but never needed glasses. The only thing the twins liked about their apperences was a very thin scar they both had, besides their eyes it was the only identical thing they shared. The scars were settled on their foreheads, like bolts of lightning.

It was an age old question in the twins minds as to how they got them, and the first question they had asked Aunt Petunia.

"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said. "And don't ask questions."

Don't ask questions – was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.

Aunt Petunia immediately started barking orders at them as soon as they entered the kitchen. "Harry, you watch over the bacon. Selena, you cook the eggs and make the toast and don't let anything burn. I want everything perfect for my Ickle Duddikins special day."

"Dudley's birthday," Selena said telepathic to Harry. That was another thing that the twins shared. Somehow, they could read minds and talk to one another through their mind, but they dared not mention this to their folks in fear of another beating. This skill came in handy if they were running away from Dudley's gang, all really big and stupid. "Pity we intended to forget," Harry replied. That caused a chuckle from the twins, but their joke was interrupted by their Uncle. "Hurry up! Bring my coffee, girl,"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon." Selena said, scooping some coffee powder into a mug and filled it with warm milk, adding a spoonful of sugar before passing it to the man. Aunt Petunia was covering Dudley's eyes, taking him over to where his mountain of birthday presents. She uncovered her son's eyes and Dudley immediately started counting them. 36 in total.

Selena and Harry exchanged nervous glances, sensing another huge, unnecessary Dudley tantrum building up. Harry began scoffing down his bacon encase Dudley flipped the table up. "THIRTY-SIX! LAST YEAR I HAD THIRTY-SEVEN!" The plump boy screamed.

Aunt Petunia was quick to calm her son down. "Now, now Duddy. Here's what we are going to do. When we go how, we are going to buy you two more presents, how's that Popkin, two more presents?" "So, I'll have…thirty…thirty,"

"Thirty-nine my boy." Uncle Vernon said ruffling his son's hair, making Harry and Selena cringe. There was a ring from the telephone and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Selena were busy washing up, watching their brainless lump of a cousin unwrap his presents. They heard Aunt Petunia's muffled voice, then the telephone being hung up again. Petunia returned to the kitchen looking sour. "Bad news Vernon, Mrs Figgs broken her leg. She can't take them."

Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry and Selena's hearts gave a leap. Every year for his birthday, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would take Dudley out for the day to places like amusement parks, hamburger joints, or the movies. Harry and Selena were left with a neighbour, Mrs Figg. Mrs Figg was an old woman whose house smell of cabbage and included one too many cats. Harry hated it, but Selena loved it there, as Mrs Figg would invite her over in the holidays, to teach her arts and music, something that she loved. Yet the twins both felt delight as that meant that their Aunt and Uncle had no choice but to bring them along.

"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at the twins as though they'd planned this. Harry and Selena knew they'd ought to feel sorry that Mrs Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy for Harry when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he'd have to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufy again.

"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.

"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates them both."

The twins breathed a sigh of relief. They would gladly spend the night sleeping in a rubbish dump than have Marge look after them for the day, she hated them and they hated her.

The Dursleys often spoke about Harry and Selena like this, as though they weren't there – or rather, as though they were something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.

"What about what's-her-name, your friend – Yvonne?"

"On holiday in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.

"You could just leave us here," Harry put in hopefully (they'd be able to watch what they wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).

Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just sucked on a lemon.

"And come back to find the house in ruins?" she snarled.

"We won't blow up the house," said Selena, but they weren't listening.

"I suppose we could take them to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "… and leave them in the car…"

"That car's new, they're not sitting in it alone…"

Dudley than started sniffling dramatically, like he was about to cry. Selena rolled her eyes. "Oh Lord, here we go," she said through to Harry. She knew that he wasn't really crying – it had been years since he'd actually cried – but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.

"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let them spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.

"I… don't… want… them… t-t-to… come!" Dudley yelled between huge, fake sobs. "They sp-spoil everything!"

Half an hour later, Harry and Selena couldn't believe their luck, they were sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Dudley wedged between them, on the way to the zoo for the first time in their lives. Their aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with them, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry and Selena aside. "I'm warning you both, any funny business and you won't have any meals for a week. Understood?"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon. We understand." Selena said, holding tight to Harry's hand keeping the bond strong.

Uncle Vernon didn't believe them. No one ever did.

The car ride to the zoo was a nightmare. While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, The Twins, the council, The Twins, the bank and The Twins, just to name a few. This morning, it was motorbikes.

"… roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorbike overtook them.

"I had a dream about a motorbike," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."

Selena slapped herself in the forehead for his stupidity. Uncle Vernon's reaction was much different, he slammed on the breaks, almost crashed the car in front of them. He turned around to the back, looking like a beetroot with a moustache, yelling at Harry. "MOTORBIKES DON'T FLY!"

"I know they don't, it was only a dream!" Harry insisted.

Dudley snickered.

Harry looked over at Selena, who's eyes were misty with wonder.

"I had the same dream," Selena said to him through her mind.

"Really?"

"Cross my heart, do you think it's because we're twins?"

"I don't know, Lena, but it's weird,"

"Maybe it was just a strange reoccurring dream that people get,"

It was a bright and sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. Uncle Vernon bought Dudley a large chocolate ice cream at the entrance, but when the smiling lady in the van asked the twins what they wanted before they could hurry them away, he bought them each a cheap, lemon ice lolly.

"It's better than nothing Harry, there are people in the world who have it far worse than us." Selena said, licking hers.

"Yeah, true." Harry replied. When they reached the Reptile House, Dudley wanted to see huge poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons and quickly made a beeline towards the biggest snake on display. But the snake didn't show any sign of movement. Dudley tapped roughly on the glass, yelling at the snake like a spoiled brat. "Move!"

"Leave him alone," Selena snapped.

"He's asleep!" Harry added.

"He's boring," Dudley said, walking off.

Selena and Harry gazed through the glass at the snake. "Sorry about him, he thinks he can get whatever he wants just by yelling." Selena said.

"He doesn't know what it's like being stuck in a cage all day with only stupid people knocking on the glass for company." Harry said.

Then, something strange happened. The snake lifted its head, winked and the twins could swear it said. "I get that all the time,"

Selena shot her brother a glance. "Harry, did you hear that?"

"I did," he said, turning back to the snake.

"Can you hear us?"

The snake nodded.

"Woah,"

"Woah indeed. We've never talked to a snake before."

"Where are you from?" Selena asked the python.

The python pointed to a sign nailed to the wall outside the glass. It read: Boa Constrictor, Brazil.

"Was it nice there?" Harry asked.

The snake pointed a bit lower and the twins read the text underneath the first sentence. This one read: This specimen was breed in Captivity.

"Oh, so you've never been to Brazil." Selena uttered, feeling sorry for the snake. "That's like with us, we never knew our parents."

Selena and Harry jumped as the reptile house filled with the excited scream of Dudley. "Mummy! Daddy! Come quick, won't believe what the snake is doing!"

He roughly shoved the twins to the floor, Selena landing on top of Harry. "Outta the way, twerps!"

Selena and Harry sat up on the hard, stone-cold floor, glaring at the glass. Both felt a boiling rage inside their bodies. But what happened next shocked them all. The glass window to the enclosure disappeared and Dudley fell head first into the water inside the enclosure.

The boa constrictor started slithering off the rock and onto the floor, hissing to the stunned Twins. "Thanks, amigos,"

"Anytime," Harry and Selena said as Selena brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.

There was an uproar, as frightened visitors to the Reptile House screamed as the snake slithered out of the reptile house with thousands of people running for their lives.

Dudley stood up shaking and soaked to the bone. But the glass had returned, trapping him inside. "Mummy! Daddy! Help me!" he cried, panicking.

Aunt Petunia screamed, causing an addition to this huge scene. "Oh, my darling boy, how did this happen?!" Selena and Harry started laughing to themselves, until Uncle Vernon eyed them dangerously. It was then they knew, they were in a lot of trouble.

Uncle Vernon was so angry when they got home, he couldn't speak. All he managed to say to the twins was, "Go – cupboard – stay – no meals," before collapsing into a chair, and Aunt Petunia ran to get him a large brandy.

Later that night, Selena and Harry couldn't sleep. They just sat on the edge of their bed, their arms around each other. Selena wouldn't stop crying after they had been locked in this prison cell, Harry let her cry into his shoulder until she stopped.

Selena used an old, chipping hairbrush to brush her thick red locks. "Harry, what do you think that was? That snake, it talked to us!"

"I haven't any idea Lena, but whatever it was it was strange, almost magical."

"Harry, you don't think that that snake talking to us has anything to do with our telepathic powers?"

"I don't know sis, it was weird that's all I can say."

They'd lived with the Dursleys for almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as they could remember, ever since they'd been babies and their parents had died in that car crash. They couldn't remember being in the car when their parents had died.

Sometimes, if they strained their memories during long hours in their cupboard, they came to a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on their foreheads. This, they supposed, was the crash, though neither could figure out where the green light had come from.

They couldn't remember their parents at all. Their aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course they were forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.

When they were younger, Harry and Selena had dreamed and talked of some unknown relation coming to take them away, but it never happened; the Dursleys for their only family. Yet sometimes they thought that strangers in the street perhaps knew them. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to them once in the shop. When Aunt Petunia had asked them furiously if they knew the man, she had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed in all green and waved to them on the bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken their hands in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people, was that they all seemed to disappear as soon as the twins tried to get a better look.

At school, Harry and Selena only had each other. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated the odd Harry and Selena Potter in their old second-hand clothes and in Harry's case, broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.