What the younger twin doesn't know is that his sister has threatened their Aunt and Uncle, telling them that she will give their Headmaster fully detailed accounts of their abuse if they don't treat them civilly. And who knows what the punishment for child abuse is in the wizarding world? Therefore, Dudley and Vernon have taken to staying out of their way while Petunia leaves them food and actually says please when she needs them to do something. Because of this their last month with the Dursley's is probably the best time they've ever had there. Poor Harry is rather frazzled by the change.
Selena, as per usual, spends most of her time at the public library helping out and still saving money even though it turns out she's rich. On the weekends when the library is closed, she stays in her room almost all day reading her textbooks and the three books she bought to help her with pureblood culture. On occasion she delves into the domestic books. Harry has taken to just staying in his room when he isn't in the kitchen eating or doing something for Aunt Petunia. In his room he lays on his and Selena's full-sized bed while reading his school books. His owl Hedwig, a name from the History of Magic book, keeps him company while his sister is out. Once Selena comes home Hedwig swoops out of the window to hunt, often bringing back dead mice. His twin usually comes back home tired from the distance of the library but never fails to cuddle up with him and read their course materials out loud. That's how he found Hedwig's name.
On the late evening of the last day of August, Harry tells Selena that they should talk to their Aunt and Uncle about getting to King's Cross Station the next day. His sister rolls her eyes and flicks his forehead, "I have money saved, we can just take the bus. People might think that Hedwig is a bit strange but they'll just wave it off." They settle into their nightly routine of cuddling and reading.
The arrival of September 1st comes as a shock to him, he hasn't realized that living contently can make time fly by. He wakes up at five in the morning and is too excited to go back to sleep. Selena is jarred awake by her brother's fight to get out of bed and resigns to her fate. They eat breakfast and before they leave Selena makes sure to leave their Aunt a note that says they have left. On the bus people do indeed look at the two skinny preteens with giant trunks and a pet owl strangely but as Harry's sister had predicted they are just ignored. They reach King's Cross around ten and decide to buy some smoothies before getting onto the platform.
Selena had stayed up most of the night reading Hogwarts: A History. Bathilda Bagshot wrote about the formation of Platform 9 and so Selena knows about the barrier one has to go through to get onto the platform. With a smoothie in their hand and a cart the twins run through the barrier with their eyes closed. When they open their eyes a scarlet engine is waiting for them next to the platform. Smoke from the train drifts over the platform swarming with people, cats, and owls. The front carriages are packed with students hanging out of windows talking with their families and fighting for seats. The older twin follows her brother with both of the nearly-empty smoothies in her hand as he pushes the cart down the platform in search of an empty carriage. They pass by a round-faced boy who says he has lost his toad. Selena notes that the older woman, possibly his grandma, calls him Neville. They press on until they find an empty compartment near the end of the train. Selena sits, finishing the rest of Harry's smoothie while watching him struggle with the trunks.
"Aren't you going to help?" He asks.
"They have a feather-light charm on them Prince Harry, you really shouldn't be having so much trouble," she finishes off her statement with a slurp. Hedwig hoots from her cage next to Selena, most likely in laughter.
"Want a hand?" A red-haired fellow asks.
"Yes please, my sister is no help," he responds and sees his sister stick her nose up in the air then turn away from him
"Oi! Fred! C'mere and help!"
Another fellow who looks just like the one before comes. Harry is unshaken as he has a twin himself. With their help Harry and Selena's trunks are tucked away in the corner of the compartment. It seems that even the feather-light charm can't combat the weight of all the books his sister has in her trunk. How she had managed to lug that thing on and off the bus is a mystery to him.
"Thanks," Harry says as he pushes his hair out of his eyes.
"What's that?" One of the twins say pointing to the lightning-bolt scar.
"Blimey George," says the other twin, "are you-"
"He is," says the first twin, "aren't you?"
"What?" Harry asks a bit annoyed.
"Harry Potter," they say.
"Yes," a voice drawls. The twins jump when they see a mirror image of Harry Potter behind Harry Potter. "It's the great Harry Potter, please take a picture if you must but no autographs are given unless you are willing to pay 3 galleons. No? Okay then, thank you for your services." She closes the compartment door on them and the twins can only gawk at it.
Fred turns to George, "I didn't know that Harry Potter-"
"Has a twin!" George finishes.
They grin, "Wicked!" They leave when their mom calls them.
Harry sits in the seat where he's half-hidden from the red-headed family. Selena sits on the other side pretending to be immersed in her copy of Hogwarts: A History. They can hear everything that is being be said. The twins' mom has just taken out a handkerchief in an attempt to rub the dirt off the nose of the youngest boy, she calls him Ron. One of the twins tease Ron until their mom interrupts by asking where Percy is. The oldest boy comes, he has the trademark family hair with his Hogwarts robes on and a shiny silver badge with a P pinned onto it. The twins tease their brother Percy and their mother for a short while. Selena almost regrets being rude to them, they seem like people she could get along with.
"Hey mom, guess who we just met on the train?" George starts.
Just kidding, she regrets nothing.
"You won't believe who that black-haired boy was, the one pulling the trolley with the two trunks?" Continues Fred.
"Who?"
"Harry Potter," they say.
Selena snaps, "I'd very much appreciate it if you didn't talk about my brother as if he was an attraction." The family of red-heads all turn to face her, slightly shocked. Their stares don't affect her as she angrily shuts the compartment window. Her brother sends her a grateful smile that she returns with a slight smirk.
"And that's his twin sister," Fred says joyfully.
"She kicked us out of their compartment earlier," George tells them with inexplicable happiness.
The only girl says, "He has a twin! Oh, Mum, I didn't know that. Can I go on the train and see him, please?"
"Ginny, you already saw him. And his sister is right, he isn't something you ogle at the zoo. Poor dears had to come here all alone."
"We wanted to ask him if he would remember how You-Know-Who looks like-"
"But meeting his sister I think it's best we don't."
The mother looks at the twins sternly, "Fred and George if I-"
"Yes mum," they droll.
A whistle blows signaling that the train is about to leave. Harry feels safe enough to peek his head back out. He watches the mother and little sister of the twins. Their mother waves as their sister runs with the train until it goes too fast and she falls back with a wave. Selena can feel the wistfulness radiating off her brother but says nothing.
The compartment door slides open and Ron comes in. "Err…Is this compartment full?"
They have plenty of seats so Harry and Selena simultaneously shake their head although the older twin hadn't even lifted her eyes from her book. Ron grew up with twins but he still finds the synchronized actions strange so he says nothing as he sits next to Harry and looks around the carriage as if it is immensely interesting. The twins come back to tell Ron that they are going down to the middle of the train where Lee Jordan has a tarantula.
"Harry," says Fred, "Did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is our brother, Ron."
"Yes, I do believe we heard your names earlier," Selena comments idly as she continues to read her book.
"Oh yeah," George says, "Sorry about that. Err...We didn't catch your name."
"That's because it hasn't been said," she drawls, "but if you must know it's Selena Potter." She looks up from her book, "Don't you have a tarantula to ogle at?"
The twins leave with an unsure, "See you later."
"That was bloody brilliant. I don't think I've ever seen Fred and George so put off," Ron exclaims.
Harry grins, "It's a specialty of hers."
Selena doesn't interrupt when Harry moves his hair to show Ron his scar. If he wants to make a friend based off the fact that he's famous then that's on him. She even manages to stop herself from making a snide comment when Ron asks about what Harry remembers from that Halloween night. Ron seems to come from an all wizard family, except for that second cousin accountant who might or might not have been banished for being a squib. Not that Ron would be aware of that. The redhead does get the courage to ask Harry how are the muggles they live with. This time Selena does interrupt, "None of your business." Harry takes that as his reason to not say anything. He can have a rather loose mouth but he doesn't actually want to say anything about what him and Selena have been through.
Ron talks about his life of having six other siblings, being the youngest boy means he gets all the hand-me-downs. Selena doesn't really understand Ron's predicament with his family, her and her brother have always been neglected by adults but they have each other. Still, she supposes that just because she doesn't understand them that doesn't mean that his feelings are wrong. She does think it's wrong though that Ron got a hand-me-down wand, Ollivander said that you won't get the best results with another wizard's wand. Wouldn't that effect his academics?
Harry and Ron have a conversation about their different pets: an owl and a rat. Selena and Harry are able to tell what Ron is about to say before he cuts himself off, but they don't think there's anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. She thinks that talking about being poor with a family of nine is probably a too sensitive topic for Ron. Harry tells Ron that him and his sister hadn't known anything about the wizarding world until Professor McGonagall and Hagrid came.
"I'll probably be the worst one there. I'm not like Selena, I don't have a photographic memory."
Ron scrunches his face, "What's a photographic memory?"
"Well the Doctor called it eidetic but I like photographic. Basically she remembers everything."
"Wicked. She'll be top of the class for sure. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you though, there are loads of people who come from muggle families and they learn quickly enough."
Around twelve in the afternoon a dimpled woman slides back the compartment door, "Anything off the cart dears?" Harry, who always has a craving for sweets, looks pleadingly at his sister. She nods her head while rolling her eyes, only agreeing because she forgot to pack them lunch. Ron is muttering that he has sandwiches while Harry walks into the corridor. Selena never allowed Harry to use their savings to pay for sweets. She insisted on saving every penny in case they needed it. His sister gave him half of the money left over from the savings but he still felt compelled to ask her if it was okay or not seeing as most of the money was earned by her. Now he can buy as many Mars Bars as he can carry without feeling mildly guilty. But the lady doesn't have Mars Bars instead she has Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, and Licorice Wands among other things that Harry has never heard of. Harry grabs a little of everything and pays the woman eleven Sickles and seven Knuts, hardly making a dent into his money.
Ron stares at all the food Harry is carrying into the compartment, "Hungry are you?"
"Starving."
When Ron takes out his four sandwiches and comments that his mother has forgotten he doesn't like corned beef Selena takes them out of Ron's hand and hands two over to Harry. "You don't want those-"
Before he can say more the twins take a bite and hum in satisfaction. They really are quite good, if a bit dry. Selena has the sudden urge to meet his mother and learn all her secrets. "Go on," Harry tells Ron holding up a pasty.
Selena starts taking another bite of her second sandwich, "Ron, this is incredible. Tell your mum she's a goddess." Harry nods in agreement. Once the twins finish eating their sandwiches they join Ron in eating their way through all of the sweets Harry bought. Ron clarifies to them that the Chocolate Frogs aren't real frogs and have collectible cards in them. Harry unwraps the frog and picks up the card:
ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS
Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.
Selena is looking over Harry's shoulder and is just as shocked as Harry is when the man with the silver beard disappears from the card. Harry encourages Ron to eat all the Chocolate Frogs he wants while informing him that muggle photos don't move. Selena stays far away from the every flavor beans, she prefers to laugh at Harry's and Ron's misfortune.
The round-faced boy that Selena remembers as Neville appears in their compartment to ask if they have seen a toad. She advises him to ask Percy, Ron's brother, to help since he is a Prefect. Neville gives Selena a shy, thankful smile before going off- presumably to find Percy. Ron talks about how he attempted to use a spell the day before to make his pet rat Scabbers more interesting. He raises his wand to attempt again when a girl already wearing her Hogwarts robes comes into their compartment, "Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost one." She has a bossy tone, bushy brown hair, and large front teeth.
"Selena already told him to get help from the Prefects," Ron tells her but the girl isn't listening to him.
"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it then."
Selena is not a fan of her almost condescending tone. She can't help but let her face fall into distaste when the girl sits next to her.
"Er- alright. Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow," he waves his wand but nothing happens.
Just as the bushy-haired girl is about to open her mouth Selena speaks, "In our Magical Theory textbook it states that the foundation of all magic is intent. From that I can conclude the wording is to help you focus on what you want and the wand movements are to help channel your magic. So if you are focused enough you can do it without a wand but not many people can do that. Basically, everything can be a real spell. So when you say 'sunshine, daisies, butter mellow' focus on the color yellow and when you say 'turn this stupid fat rat yellow' you have to imagine Scabbers turning yellow. Go on."
Ron looks at the older twin with amazement. He tries again, "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow." He waves his wand and Scabbers hair turns from grey to yellow without disturbing the rat from his sleep.
Ron is about to shower the female twin with thanks and compliments when the bushy-haired girl cuts him off, "Wow, I've tried a few simple spells like that and they've all worked for me. It was such a surprise when I got my letter, nobody in my family is magic at all. But I was ever so pleased, especially when I heard it's the very best school of witchcraft there is. I hope it will be enough that I have learned all of our course books by heart. I'm Hermione Granger by the way, who are you?" She says it all very fast.
Harry knows that his sister has every word from their textbook stored in her brain so he's rather relieved to see Ron's stunned faced. He isn't the only one who hasn't learned the course books by heart.
"I'm Ron Weasley."
"This is my twin sister Selena and I'm Harry Potter," Harry introduces the both of them when he sees his sister's face. Hermione has not made a good impression on her at all. It gets steadily worse as Hermione goes on about knowing all about Harry from three books she's read. Selena is definitely going to look those books up. She blabs on more about Gryffindor being the best house before finally leaving to go check on Neville, telling them to change into their robes before she leaves.
Selena steps out quickly to give the boys time to change and they do the same for her. "Uh, I don't know how to turn your rat back to grey," she informs Ron with slightly pink cheeks. He just waves her off, insisting that he can ask Fred and George to do it.
Ron says that all of his family has been in Gryffindor, "I don't know what they'll say if I'm not sorted into Gryffindor. Ravenclaw wouldn't be so bad, but imagine if they put me into Slytherin."
"Oh heck no!" Harry immediately pushes himself back into his seat at his twin's yell. "You wizards are so freaking ridiculous. So what if Voldemort was in the Slytherin house? That means that all of them are evil? What kind of logic is that! Think what you want Ronald Weasley but Harry Potter don't you dare!"
"O-Of course Moony!" Ron looks at Harry with terrified eyes and Harry shoots him a sympathetic look, being at the end of Selena's ire is something he avoids at all costs. She can be horribly vindictive. "Umm...What do your oldest brothers do?" Harry asks to save Ron. Apparently Ron's brother, Charlie, studies dragons. That definitely peaks the oldest twin's interest but she is still too worked up to be bothered to ask.
The news of Gringotts picks at Selena's mind, what could they possibly try to steal from there? The thought of Voldemort being behind it worries her although she can't really put her finger on why. After all he's dead, right?
While Selena continues to read more about the fascinating history of Hogwarts the boys talk about some sport called quidditch, she figures it's the wizard equivalent of football. Then the compartment door slides open and it takes all of Selena's self-control not to throw her book at the person who opened it. She gets rather angry when her focus on a book is broken. Harry knows this so he had instinctively ducked though she had never hit him before it was just reflex. The one time she had thrown it in Uncle Vernon's face was almost worth the month without food. Three boys enter the compartment and the Potter twins recognize the middle boy from Madam Malkin's. Selena rolls her eyes when she notices the boy's interest in Harry.
"They're saying that Harry Potter is in this compartment. It's you, is it?"
"Yes," Harry says while looking at the other two boys who were standing on either side of the pale boy like bodyguards.
"This is Crabbe and Goyle," he says without care, "And my name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Ron unskillfully hides a snigger with a cough so Draco turns to look at him. "Think my name's funny do you? I don't need to ask who you are. Red hair, freckles, and hand-me-down robes, you must be a Weasley. My father told me all about the family who has more children than they can afford." Draco turns to Harry, "You'll find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He extends his hand to Harry.
Selena knows her brother more than anyone so it's obvious to her that Harry won't take kindly to Draco's comments about Ron. She also knows it's a great offense in the pureblood world to reject a handshake, but then again it is twice as rude to extend a hand to a family member of a pureblood house before extending a hand to the Heir or Head of House. And from the brief family histories in Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy Selena knows that the Malfoy family is very influential and that Lucius Malfoy is an ex-Death Eater who claimed to be under the influence of a mind controlling spell called imperio. That claim is hard to prove, therefore, she thinks it's best to just stay neutral towards the Malfoys until they reveal their true colors. But first she has to turn the tables on the Malfoy Heir.
The oldest twin slips herself in between Draco and Harry before her brother can insult the Malfoy. "Attempting to make a truce between the Malfoys and Potters but not with the Potter Heir? My, my, how unbecoming of the Malfoy Heir."
Draco blinks owlishly at her with his hand still extended, "And who are you?"
She, unashamedly, places her right hand with the two family rings in Draco's Hand. "Selena Potter, older twin sister of Harry Potter, Heiress of the House of Black and the House of Potter."
A pink tinge appears on Draco's cheeks, he realizes where he went wrong and finally recognizes her from the robe shop despite her eye color being different. Just as he has done many times before he bows slightly and places a small kiss on her knuckles. The rings on her finger mocking him. He stands up rod straight, there are so many things she can demand because of his offense.
With a seemingly innocent smile she claps her hands together, "Now I'm sure that this little indiscretion can be forgiven, quite a few people have expressed that they didn't know I existed so I bear no ill will. But maybe you should be a bit politer on how you describe my brother's friends." As she speaks she walks closer toward Draco, causing him and his posse to keep stepping back until they are out of the compartment. "The Potter family wishes to have a peaceful co-existence with the Malfoys but I will not hesitate to protect my brother and his friends." With that she turns around, her school robes dramatically turning with her, enters the compartment and shuts the door behind her. It takes a few seconds for the Malfoy heir to pick up his jaw from the floor and stalk off with embarrassment.
"She's amazing," Ron whispers to Harry. The youngest twin is smiling widely, he has always found his sister's antics amusing and fantastic. "I heard about the Malfoys from dad, they came back to our side when You-Know-Who disappeared, said they'd been bewitched. Dad reckons Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the dark side."
"I see." Selena says snappishly.
To increase Selena's ever pleasant mood Hermione comes back in, "What has been going on? You all haven't been fighting have you? You'll get in trouble before we even get there!"
"Oh for goodness sake! Can people not just come in here like if this was their compartment? Honestly, how rude!" The oldest twin looks at Hermione with an annoyed look before picking up her book to ignore her.
"Hmph! I only came here because people are behaving very childishly," she turns to Ron, "and you've got dirt on your nose, did you know?" Hermione storms out of the compartment.
"It's almost as if they aren't children!" Selena says mockingly once Hermione left. Harry and Ron snigger.
A voice echoes through the train, "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
Ron and Harry get up to stuff the rest of the sweets in their pockets and Selena notices that Ron's robes are too short, his sneakers can be seen underneath them. "Ron, Harry stand up straight." Ron looks paler than he did before and Harry looks like he is going to be sick. They notice with slight jealousy that Selena looks calm and collected although she too is quite nervous. "Now this is my first time trying these spells, I read about them in a book called Practical Household Magic. Scourgify!" Their robes all become clean and freshly pressed, Ron's nose is now clear of dirt. She points at Ron's robes, "Elongare!" Ron's robes elongate until they are the perfect length.
"Thanks," Ron tells her sincerely. Now with the three of them cleaned up and the two boys visibly more confident they join the crowd forming in the corridor.
The train slows down until it comes to a stop, grabbing their hands Selena leads them out onto a dark platform by pushing people out of their way. Ron's cheeks flush but the oldest Potter doesn't notice as she follows a familiar voice, "First' years over here!" Hagrid notices the twins and gives them a beaming smile when they come up to the front along with Ron. "Hiya Harry and Selena! All right now, c'mon, follow me. Mind yer' step now! Firs' years follow me!"
They follow Hagrid down a steep, narrow path that is pitch-black on either side of them, the three do not dare to let each other go. Selena, Harry, and Ron all look at each other with bright smiles when the path opens onto the edge of a black lake. The castle on the other side of the lake with sparkling windows and numerous towers can only be Hogwarts. "No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid yells. They go into a boat and when given a small smile of encouragement by Selena Neville joins them with his toad in his hand. Hermione sticks her nose up and finds another boat. All at once the fleet of boats carry them closer and closer to the cliff that holds the castle. Hagrid screams for them to put their heads down before they are carried through a dark tunnel, it seems like they are being taken underneath the castle. Finally, they reach a harbor where they clamber onto rocks and pebbles. They walk up a passageway to a flight of stone steps around an oak front door.
"Everyone here?" Hagrid raises his fist and knocks on the castle door three times.