BOOM!

They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake "where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.

"What a stupid twat" Selena said.

There was a crash behind them and uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hand 'what idiot gave him that' Selena thought.

Selena was not scared; in fact she has a positive feeling about this. All she could see in her mind was a blurry image of a big hairy guy who is giving them some exciting news. Harry on the other hand was scared wits, he was frighten that someone has come o hurt them, he really didn't care about the Dursley's but really for his sister – the girl who is his only family in his mind, the only one who he cares about and at that moment he was thinking 'must protect Lena...must protect Lena' repeatedly in his mind.

"Who's there" uncle Vernon shouted "I warn you – I'm armed!"

"With what? What is he going to do, sit on them?" Selena said looking at her uncle. He was shaking like a leaf and to be honest he looked like he would jump out of the window and run – if he could fit through the window

SMASH!

The door was hit with such a force by the intruder it broke the hinges and fell to the ground. A giant of a man appeared in the door way. His face was covered with long bushy hair and was wild and out of control. It was what you called a very bad hair day. But through the hair you can see his warm black eyes.

The said giant squeezed through the whole and into the dim lighted hut. He stooped down and picked the door up and fitted it back to its frame. "Wow look how much hair he's got" Selena whispered to he brother "shhh!" he replied back, he didn't want the giant man to hear his sister.

The giant turned around to look at them all "couldn't make us a cup of tea could yeh? It' not been a easy journey..." he said while walking – well stamping by the sound that he makes to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear. "Budge up yeh great lump" said the giant stranger. Selena started to snicker from behind Harry who is standing protectively in front of her. Dudley squeaked and ran –well waddled to his mother, who was behind her beef eater of a husband.

"And here's Harry" he said "and little Selena, my have two grown since I last saw you." It was kinda true, even though they were short for their age, Harry was 4 ft 11'' but Selena stands at 4ft 2''. "Last time I saw you two you guys were only babies." He said "yeh look like your dad but with your mother's eyes" he said looking at Harry. His black eyes moved to Selena who was half covered by Harry's body. "You on the other hand look exactly like your mother, if you two were able to stand next to each other you could be twins" he said to Selena.

"I demand you to leave at once... sir!" uncle Vernon said "you are breaking and entering!"

"Ah shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune" said the giant. He reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of uncle Vernon's hand bent a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber and threw it into the corner of the room.

"whoo I wonder if he could do that to uncle Vernon" Selena said while uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.

"Anyway – Harry, Selena" the stranger said, turning back on the Dursleys "Happy birthday to you. Got something for you here – I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste the same." From inside pocket of his massive overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry tried opening it with trembling fingers. "Give it here" Selena said grabbing the box. She tore the packaging and opened the lid. Inside was a large chocolate cake with happy birthday Harry and Selena written in green icing. Harry looked over to see what it is, his eyes widen his first ever present from someone besides his sister. Every year on their birthday and at Christmas both Harry and Selena used to make their presents with stuff they found at school.

Selena looked up at the giant "who are you?" she said "Selena don't be ride." Harry said thinking that she had offended the giant. Luckily the giant chucked "don't worry Harry" he said "but I haven't introduced myself. Rebeus Hagrid, keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts." 'Hogwarts... the letter' Selena thought. Harry still had no clue what the giant had just said. What about that tea then, eh?" he said rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter sommit stranger if yeh've got it mined."

His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shrivelled crisp packet from before. He bent down over the fir place. The twins couldn't see what he was doing but he drowns back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and the twins felt the warmth wash over them as though they had sunk into a hot bath. A few minutes later a smell of sizzling sausages filled the air and a pot of tea was boiling over the fire. Nobody said anything while the giant was working, but slide the first six fat, juicy slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply "don't touch anything he gives you Dudley."

The giant chuckled darkly "yeh great pudding of a son don't need fattening anymore, Dursley don't worry."

He passed the sausages and a cup of tea to the twins, Harry who was hungry started eating, he never tasted anything so wonderful, but he couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Selena didn't take one she was a vegetarian and refuse to eat the sausages no matter how hungry she was but took the tea. Finally, as nobody seemed to explain anything he said "I'm sorry, but we still don't really know who you are."

The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand "call me Hagrid," he said "everyone does. And like I told you I'm keeper of keys at Hogwarts – yell'll know all about Hogwarts of course."

"Er- no not really only it said on the letter we got – which I didn't get to read all of it" Selena said.

Hagrid look shocked.

"Sorry," Harry said quickly.

"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew you weren't getting your letters but I never thought you wouldn't even know about Hogwarts, fer crying out load! Did yeh never wonder where yeh parents learnt it all?" as soon as he mention their parents Selena was hanging on every word. The one thing that Selena really wanted to know was her parents. She kept pestering the Dursleys for more information about their parents but she was told to shut up and got a beaten out of by uncle Vernon every time she brought the subject up.

"All what?" Asked Harry.

"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait just one second!" he had leapt to feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall. "Do you mean to tell me that the twins – this boy and girl! – knows nothing about – about ANYTHING?" he growled at the Dursleys.

"Hey I do know things" Selena said. "I can do maths and science and play football and..."

Harry thought Selena was correct. Even though he doesn't get perfect grades like Lena he does know stuff.

Selena was cut off by Hagrid. "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Your parent's world."

"What world?" replied Harry?

"DURSLEY!" he boomed.

Uncle Vernon went pale and started shaking. He was whispering to himself which sounded like 'Mimblewimble." "Dudley was right for a once he has gone mad" Selena said to Harry who was trying to hide his smirk. Hagrid stared at the twins; he could really see James and lily in them both.

"But you guys must know about your mum and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You Harry are famous."

"What do you mean Harry's famous, how are parents famous, what about me?" Selena said confused. Wouldn't they know if Harry was famous?

"You don't know... you don't know... you don't know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his knotty hair.

"Yeh don't know what you are?" he said.

"Err a human, you know with two arms and legs, a heart, a brain, a stomach..." Selena trailed on.

However was cut off by uncle Vernon "stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell them anything!"

"Tell us what?" Selena asked.

"You never told them? Never told them what was the letter Dumbledore left for them? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! And you kept it from them all these years?"

"Yet again I ask this question again, tell us what" Selena said getting a bit pissed off with the vague conversation.

"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled uncle Vernon

"Ah, go boil yer heads." Hagrid turned to the siblings. "Harry, Selena -yer a witch and a wizard." The silence was so intense that you could have heard a pin drop, if not for the storm raging outside.

"We're what?" Harry gasped and the silence was broken by Selena laughing at her brother. Trust Harry to replied like that.

"Nice reaction, Harry," she gasped and finally calmed down. Harry just rolled his eyes and smiled.

"A witch and a wizard, o' course," Hagrid said. Hagrid, sitting back down, "an' thumpin' good 'uns, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh two be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letters." He held out two letters and the siblings each took one.

Selena slit hers open and read:

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 Miss. 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

Exactly the same as the letter she read before however making a bit more sense.

Selena looked over at her brother and knew that questions were exploding in his head. Finally, he stammered "What does it mean, they await my owl?"

'Really, the first question you ask is that?' She thought with a smirk on her face. He rolled his eyes and grinned at her.

"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me!" Hagrid slapped his forehead and pulled out a real live owl from another pocket. Selena raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He also pulled out a quill and a roll of parchment. He scribbled a note which the siblings could read upside down:

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

Given Harry and Selena their letters. Taking them to buy their things tomorrow. Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.

Hagrid

Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone.

Selena, although she was a little stunned, smirked and pushed her brother's mouth shut.

"Where was I?" Hagrid said but Uncle Vernon chose that moment to speak.

"They're not going," he said.

Hagrid grunted.

"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop them," he said.

"A what?" asked Selena. Even though she gaining a bit of knowledge on what was going on she still didn't have a clear picture.

"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call non magic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."

"We swore when we took them in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of them! Wizard and witch indeed!"

You knew?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a — a wizard? And that Selena's a witch?"

"Knew?" Aunt Petunia screeched. "Knew? Of course we knew! How could you two not be, my perfect sister being the way she was! Oh yes, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that-that school- and came home every holidays turning cups into rats!" She took a deep breath and Harry was staring at his aunt in shock. So was Selena.

"I was the only one who saw her for what she was- a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family! Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you twins, and of course I knew the both of you would be just the same, just as strange, just as — as —abnormal— and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you two!"

Harry had gone white, while Selena was gritting her teeth and clenching her fists. Harry, sensing his sister's shock, anger and tumble of emotions, gave her a hug and she smiled gratefully, still very angry.

"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their little corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his names!"

"Again why I'm not mention?" Selena said

"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently.

The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.

"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh two, how much the both of yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, Selena, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh — but someone's gotta — yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."

He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys, which Selena mimicked.

"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh — mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…"

He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with — with a person called — but its incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows —"

"Who?" Selena asked

Well — I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."

"Why not?" Harry said.

"Gulpin' gargoyles, you two, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…"

Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.

"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.

"Nah — can't spell it. All right —Voldemort. "

Selena couldn't see what was so bad about a name; in fact it was such an easy name to make fun off MoldyVoldy, but considering how disturbed Hagrid is about the name she didn't say it out load. Maybe later she'll tell Harry about the names she come up with to have a laugh.

Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too — some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches… terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him — an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway."

'Wow, things were that bad' Harry thought.

"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before… probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side."

'Good'Selena thought viciously and as if Harry read her mind nodded to agree with her.

"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em… maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' — an' —"

Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.

"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad — knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find — anyway…

"You-Know-Who killed 'em." Selena's eyes started to tear up and Harry hugged her again.

"An' then — an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing — he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it."

Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh — took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even — but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry."

No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age — the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts— an' you were only babies, an' you lived."

Something very painful was going on in Harry and Selena's minds. As Hagrid's story came to a close, they saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than they had ever remembered it before — and they remembered something else, for the first time in their life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.

Hagrid was watching them sadly.

"But what about me where was I. I got the same scar on my head." Selena asked as she lifted her fringe up to show her scare. Aunt petunia made her get a full fringe to cover her scar however the fringe suited Selena face and she kinda liked having one – not that she would tell her that.

"Ah well you see" he said, "when your mum was pregnant with the two of yeh, she went to a muggle doctor and was told that she was having the one child – a boy which everyone in our world was told. However before you guys were born your parents were told that Voldemort was after them so when you guys were born they kept it quite about you Selena. So in our world no one knows about you besides a few people so don't be surprise when people ask who you are and shock to see you." He said looking at Selena. "and about that scar you were next to Harry in the cot, could never separate you two when you were babies, always following each other."

"Took yeh both from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot…."

"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Selena had been watching them warily, apart from when she had nearly started to cry Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage again. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.

"Now, you listen here, boy, girl," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you two, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured— and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion— asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types — just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -"

But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley — I'm warning you — one more word…"

In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.

"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.

Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them. Selena had questions too but she knew that her brother would burst if he didn't get his questions answered.

"But what happened to Vol-, sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?" Selena inwardly groaned, not her brother! It was just a name!

"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you and yer sister. Makes yeh both even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see… he was gettin' more an' more powerful — why'd he go?

"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who were on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back.

"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on — I dunno what it was, no one does — but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."

Hagrid looked at Harry and Selena with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. Selena, meanwhile, was beginning to put all the pieces together

A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? How could his sister be a witch? They'd spent their life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard and Selena a witch, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock them in their cupboard? If they'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick them around like a football?

"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard and I don't think Selena can be a witch."

To his surprise, Hagrid and Selena chuckled.

"Dear brother, I don't think that's how it quite works," Selena grinned, reading his mind.

"Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you were scared or angry?" Hagrid smiled.

Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it… every odd thing that had ever made their aunt and uncle furious with them had happened when he, Harry, or his sister, Selena, had been upset or angry… chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach… dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back…Selena wanting to go on that excursion and finding Aunt Petunia's signature on the form... and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?

Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him.

"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry and Selena Potter, not a witch and a wizard — you wait, you'll both be right famous at Hogwarts once everyone knows about you Selena."

But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.

"Haven't I told you they're not going?" he hissed. "They're going to Stonewall High and they'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and they needs all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —"

"If they want ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop them," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son an' daughter goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. Their names have been down ever since they were born!

"They're off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and they won't know themselves. They'll be with youngsters of their own sort, fer a change, an' they'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled—"

"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH THEM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.

But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER —" he thundered, "— INSULT — ALBUS — DUMBLEDORE — IN — FRONT — OF — ME!" He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley — there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry and Selena saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.

Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them. Selena was on the floor laughing her head off. It was the funniest thing she ever seen.

Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.

"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do." Selena snorted through her laughter she was still on the floor .

He cast a sideways look at the siblings under his bushy eyebrows.

"Be grateful if yeh two didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm — er — not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff — one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job."

"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.

"Oh, well — I was at Hogwarts myself but I — er — got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."

"Why were you expelled?" Selena elbowed her brother for being rude. She finally got off the floor.

"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town; get all yer books an' that."

He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry, who pulled it over him and his sister.

"You can both kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."

Harry woke up early next morning, while Selena kept on sleeping. Although it was daylight, he kept his eyes closed.

Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.

'It was a dream,' he told himself firmly. 'I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me and Selena we were going to a school for witches and wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard with my sister.'

There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.

'And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door,' Harry thought, his heart sinking.

"Tell her to go away," Selena mumbled, waking up from the noise. Apparently his sister is having the same thought.

But he still didn't open his eyes and neither did Selena. 'It had been such a good dream'Harry thought.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up."

He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him and onto Selena's head, whose shout was muffled in the thick coat. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.

Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him and Selena smiled at him when she finally got the coat off and saw the owl. He went straight to the window and jerked it open.

The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.

"Don't do that."

Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat. Selena smirked at him and stroked the owl, which hooted in pleasure but refused to let the coat go.

"Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl —"

"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.

"What?"

"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets."

Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets — bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags… finally, Selena found a handful of strange-looking coins.

"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.

"Knuts?"

"The little bronze ones."

Harry counted out five little bronze coins from his sister's hand, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window. 'what a wield way to send letters and trusting owls with money – not that the money looks anything like money' Selena thought.

Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.

"Best be off, Harry, Selena, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."

Harry and Selena were examining the strange coins but Harry felt a wave of sadness suddenly. Selena looked up at him, curious as his face changed from being happy to sadnees in less then a second, as he addressed Hagrid.

"Um — Hagrid?"

"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.

"We haven't got any money — and you heard Uncle Vernon last night… he won't pay for us to go and learn magic."

"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh two anything?"

"But if their house was destroyed —" Selena started.

"They didn' keep their gold in the house, girl!" Selena flinch, every time she was called girl she was beaten by her uncle Vernon. This went unnoticed by Hagrid but however harry saw it and knew what she was feeling. He put his arm around her. He feels guilty and angry as he couldn't protect her from uncle Vernon. It was his job to protect her. He was always lock in the cupboard when this happen and swore one day his uncle will feel the pain that his sister felt. Uncle Vernon never hit him; it was always his sister because uncle Vernon knew he would feel the pain from his sister beating, sometime he was tied to the chair so he could watch his uncle Vernon hit his twin. It was the worst punishment he was given by the Dursleys. But when ever this happens aunt Petunia was never there, Harry believes she doesn't know about these punishments, not that he would tell her she wouldn't do anything anyway. "Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold — an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither." Hagrid carried on.

Harry grabbed a sausage while Selena cut a slice of cake.

"Wizards have banks?" Selena said in interest.

"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."

Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding and Selena paused mid-chew of her cake.

"Goblins?" Harry said in alarm.

"As in small midgets with pointy ears with horrible skin" Selena said thinking of that movie she saw Dudley watching a few weeks ago.

"Yeah — so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Harry. And Selena don't say that in front of them, they get offened really easily. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe — 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you — gettin' things from Gringotts — knows he can trust me, see." Selena groaned, knowing that you generally shouldn't say things like that in front of Harry.

"Got everythin'? Come on, then." Harry and Selena followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.

"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat.

"Flew," said Hagrid.

"Flew?" Selena said with a small smile but on the inside she was laughing her head off. She was trying to image Hagrid flying but she couldn't.

"Yeah — but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh."

They settled down in the boat, the twins still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.

"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry and Selena another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter — er — speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"

"Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic and Selena nodded. Hagrid pulled out a pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.

"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked.

"Spells — enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the high security vaults." Selena's mouth dropped.

"And then yeh gotta find yer way — Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."

Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Harry had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life.

"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.

"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself and his sister smirked at him.

"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."

"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?" Selena asked curiously.

"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there are still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."

"Why?"

"Why? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone." Selena thought about that and agreed.

"And then there's also the witch hunts"she whispered to her brother, who nodded.

At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbour wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.

Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. The twins couldn't blame them however Selena started glare at them. Every single one them had look of fear and turn away. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry, Selena? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?"

"Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragon sat Gringotts?"

"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."

"You'd like one? That would be so cool" Sophie said excitedly. Harry just smiled at his sister. She loved animals and is one of the reasons why she is a vegetarian.

"Wanted one ever since I was a kid — here we go."

They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand 'Muggle money,' as he called it, gave the bills to Selena so she could buy their tickets.

People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent. Selena gave them a glare had got the same reactions to the others from before.

"Still got yer letters?" he asked as he counted stitches.

Harry took the parchment envelopes out of his pocket and Selena took hers.

"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need."

Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before, and read with his sister:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set of glass or crystal phials

1 telescope set

1 brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

Selena sighed to herself. She had always wanted a cat but the Dursleys refused to buy her one. She knew she wouldn't get one she never gets what she wanted from the Dursley's.

"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.

"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.

Harry and Selena had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slowly. Selena smirked at his actions, while Harry just said nothing, although she knew that her brother was thinking heaps of things.

"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops.

Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all the twins had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up?

If they hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humour, they might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry and Selena couldn't help trusting him however the latter still bit wary about him she doesn't trust many people however she getting a good vibe about him however getting a vibe on not good at keeping secrets

"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."

It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. Selena however had eyes like a hawk and had wondered why the people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he, Selena and Hagrid could see it. Selena had the same feeling too.

Before they could mention this, Hagrid had steered them inside.

For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"

"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hands on Harry and Selena's shoulders and making their knees buckle.

"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at them, "is this — can this be —?"

The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.

"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter… what an honour."

He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.

"Welcome back, Mr Potter, welcome back."

Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming and Selena was pushed to the side and was starting to feel left out.

Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.

"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."

"So proud, Mr Potter, I'm just so proud."

"Always wanted to shake your hand — I'm all of a flutter."

"Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."

"We've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement.

"Yeah, you bowed to us once in a shop!" Harry continued.

"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle he didn't hear the plural, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remember me!" Harry shook hands again and again — Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.

A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.

"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, Selena, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."

"Finally someone remembers me" Selena muttered to herself. However Harry heard his sister and felt really guilty about it. You could see the sadness in his eyes. He could also see the hurt in his sister's eyes.

"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand and turning his head to Selena. Confusion was written on his face "c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you."

"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?" Selena asked. Professor Quirrell paled when he looked at her."D-Defence Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it."N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously looking at Harry. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.

Selena look at the man before her. She was getting a bad vibe about him. She doesn't trust him. She seeing a mirror, two faces and a red stone in her mind. She also felt something off with him, she met people who stutters and this guy seems to faking it. She must keep an eye on him in the future.

But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep them to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.

"Must get on — lots ter buy. Come on, Harry, come on Selena."

Doris Crockford who still hasn't seen Selena as his eyes were only focusing on harry, shook Harry's hand, one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.

Hagrid grinned at the twins.

"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you were famous Harry. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh — mind you, he's usually tremblin'." If Selena didn't know him already she thought he was rubbing it in that she was pushed aside and being ignored.

"Is he always that nervous?" Harry said while holding his sisters hand trying to comfort her.

"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience… They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag — never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject — now, where's me umbrella?" Selena snorted at that last comment 'defiantly fishy' she thought.

Vampires? Hags? Harry's head was swimming, while Selena had a million questions. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.

"Three up… two across…" he muttered."Right, stand back, you two."

He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.

The brick he had touched quivered — it wriggled — in the middle, a small hole appeared — it grew wider and wider — a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.

"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."

He grinned at Harry and Selena's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.

The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons — All Sizes — Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver — Self-Stirring — Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.

"Yeah, you'll both be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."

Harry wished he had about eight more eyes, while Selena wished she could clone herself, she was jumping in excitement. All previous thoughts about being ignored was forgotten and replaced with excitement.

They turned their heads in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles an ounce, they're mad…"

A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium — Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry and Selena's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand — fastest ever —" Selena smiled.

There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon…

"Gringotts," said Hagrid.

They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was —

"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was a little shorter than Harry and a lot shorter than Selena. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, they noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. It was quite similar to what she pictured them to look like. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

'I like that poem'Selena thought. 'It has meaning.'

"Like I said, yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.

A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid, Harry and Selena made for the counter.

"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr Harry Potter and Miss Selena Potter's safe."

"You have their key, sir?"

"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of mouldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals and Selena watched the one on their left counting gold coins.

"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.

The goblin looked at it closely.

"That seems to be in order."

"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen." Harry groaned to himself.

'Not in front of Selena' Harry thought looking at his sister. He knows how nosy his sister is and will find out stuff she not supposed to know about. Selena looked interested; she wanted to know what it was. 'I'll put on sneaking act on and find out what it is' she thought 'actually I put my puppy dog face on and see if Hagrid will tell me' Hagrid look at her and saw the look. 'The same look she used to give her father when she wanted something' he thought.

The goblin read the letter carefully.

"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"

Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he, Harry and Selena followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.

"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Selena asked and Harry smirked. He knew it wasn't long she'll start asking questions.

"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."

Griphook held the door open for them. Selena, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in — Hagrid with some difficulty — and were off.

At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible.

The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.

Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Selena was having her time of her life. She had her eyes open and arms in the air and screaming her head off, they thought they saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late— they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.

"I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?" Selena opened her mouth to explain but Hagrid beat her to it.

"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid. "An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick."

He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.

Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry and Selena gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.

"All yours," smiled Hagrid.

All the twins' — it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from them faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Harry and Selena cost them to keep? And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to them, buried deep under London. Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag, while Sophie chatted with Griphook about Gringotts. The goblin looked pleased to have someone interesting to talk to and Selena asked plenty of questions.

"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained to Selena, while Hagrid told Harry the same thing. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough.

When it was her turn to get some money she looked at the other to see if they were looking at her. When they weren't she had put twice as much in her pouch and went back to the others.

"Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." Hagrid said, turning to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?"

"One speed only," said Griphook.

They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck, while Selena smirked.

Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.

"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.

"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.

"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Selena asked.

"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin. Harry shuddered; Selena however had also had a smirk on her face. She was thinking different ways to get the Dursleys trapped in one of the vaults.

Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Selena was sure, and she leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least — but at first she thought it was empty. Then she noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor and Harry quietly laughed at his sister, while she glared playfully at him.

Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Selena longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask, while Harry smiled at his twin's curiosity.

"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, its best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid.

One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry and Selena didn't know where to run first now that they had a bag full of money. They didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that they were holding more money than they'd had in their whole life — more money than even Dudley had ever had.

"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, Selena, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick. 'perfect' Selena thought. Before Harry could move Selena said "Wait there Harry, I need to do something back in Gringotts" as she walk to the door. Harry knew she was up to something so he waited there to come out and tell him what she was up to. While he waited he looked around as he didn't get to see everything while he was walking in.

Meanwhile Selena was walking back into the bank. She walked up to one of the desks which had a goblin perched behind it. "Excuse me" Selena said "I am wondering where I could exchange some gallons into muggle money." The goblin looked at her. He was thinking it was weird as it was normally the other way round but replied "you can do that here Miss Potter."

"How much is a galleon in muggle money" she ask while getting some of the coins out of her pouch 'I need a purse' she thought.

"One galleon is worth 50 muggle pounds" he said looking at Selena.

"Ok would you exchange 20 galleons for £1000 please" she said handing the coins over to the goblin. He handed her a pile of crisped 50 and 20 pound notes.

"Thank you" she said while putting the muggle money away in the big pockets in her jogging bottoms which are tied tightly around her waist as they belonged to her fat cousin. She started to walk back out of the bank. She wasn't looking where she was looking and she collided into someone. As Selena was small and was heavily under weight she fell right on her but. She looked up to who she bump into. He was still standing and looking down at her. He was her age; he had tanned skin, black hair and chocolate brown eyes. He didn't have much of his childish fat on him and was very handsome. Selena felt her cheeks turning red as she stared at the boy. He held out his hand to her to help her up. She grabs it and pulled her up to her feet.

"I'm sorry" she said looking in his eyes.

"No problem, it wasn't your fault anyway I wasn't looking where I was going." He said. He turned away and started to walk away but turn his head and stared at her for a minute and walk away.

Selena started to walk away and met her brother outside where she left him.

"So what did you do back in there" Harry said when he realised his sister was back. "Oh when you guys weren't looking I got some extra money for us and exchange it to muggle money. I thought since we have no money in the muggle world so I changed some so we can go shopping to get new clothes and stuff so we don't have to wear Dudley's old clothes. Selena replied.

"How much did you get?"

"£1000. It was one galleon for £50 so I thought we needed quite a bit so I got that much for the both of us." She said. They both walk over to a shop called Madam Malkin's shop. Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop with his sister, both feeling nervous.

Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.

"Hogwarts, dears?" she said, when Harry started to speak and Selena nodded. "Got the lot here — another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."

In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length, while a third witch entered and started on Selena.

"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"

"Yes," said Harry.

"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy.

He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."

Harry and Selena were strongly reminded of Dudley.

"Have any of you got your own broom?" the boy went on.

"No," said Selena. "I waiting for a better broom to come out" acting like she know what he was going on about. Harry seem to caught on what she was doing and didn't comment.

"Play Quidditch at all?"

"No," Harry said, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.

"I do — Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"

"No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute. Selena gave her brother a look and he grimaced.

"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been — imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" Selena disagreed with him. If being in Hufflepuff meant staying away from him, she was content to go to that house.

"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting. Selena rolled her eyes, she REALLY didn't like this kid.

"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and Selena and pointing at three large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.

"That's Hagrid," said Selena, pleased to know something the boy didn't and didn't have to pretend. "He works at Hogwarts."

"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"

"He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. He was liking the boy less and less every second and now he agreed with his sister, Hufflepuff would be better than putting up with this jerk. He knew she thought it, he known he all his sister all his life and knew her better then anyone else.

"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage— lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."

"I think he's brilliant," said Selena coldly and Harry looked worried, if his sister lost her temper...

"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"

"They're dead," said Harry shortly for his sister, whose face was turning red slowly. He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.

"Oh, sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all.

"But they were our kind, weren't they?"

"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean," said Harry.

"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same; they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"

But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool at the same time as his sister, who was finished too.

"Well, I'll see you both at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.

Harry and Selena were rather quiet as they ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts; Selena had flaked chocolate and chocolate chips because Hagrid somehow knew that she was allergic to nuts).

"What's up?" said Hagrid.

"Nothing," Harry lied and Selena rolled her eyes.

"Convincing"she whispered and he grinned slightly.

They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed colour as you wrote and he bought it for Selena, who was thrilled. When they had left the shop, he said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"

"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh both know — not knowin' about Quidditch!"

"Don't make us feel worse," said Selena. She told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's.

"— and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in —"

"Yer not froma Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh both were— he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh Harry. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles — look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"

"So what is Quidditch?" Harry asked.

"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like — like football in the Muggle world — everyone follows Quidditch — played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls — sorta hard ter explain the rules."

"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"

"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but —"

"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff," said Harry gloomily.

"Better Hufflepuff than that boy's house," Selena said, annoyed.

"Yeah, better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."

"Vol-, sorry —You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?" Selena rolled her eyes as her brother still said You-Know-Who.

"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.

They bought their school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of those books. Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Counter curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More)by Professor Vindictus Viridian.

"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."

"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level." When Hagrid was busy looking at Harry, Selena had brought different books that weren't on the list that she saw Harry looking at. She wanted to buy them for his birthday.

Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry and Selena, Selena found herself examining silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each while Harry looked at minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).

Outside the apothecary, Hagrid checked their list again.

"Just yer wand left — A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh both a birthday present."

Harry and Selena felt themselves go red.

"You don't have to —" Harry started.

"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at— an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze." Selena pouted and Hagrid laughed, saying he'd get her one anyway. "I'll get yer an owl, Harry. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."

Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing and Selena was clutching a small black kitten. Harry couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell, while Selena was cooing her new kitten.

"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivanders left now — only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand."

A magic wand… this was what Harry and Selena had been really looking forward to.

The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.

A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of the twins' necks prickled.

The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.

Selena got a vibe on someone was coming from behind and turned around just before an old man came in. He was shock that the girl knew where he was. No one ever did that before."Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped, the kitten meowed in alarm. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.

An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.

"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.

"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you both soon. Harry Potter. And Selena Potter too." It wasn't a question. "You both have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."

Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry and Selena. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.

"Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favoured it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."

Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes and Selena shivered.

"And that's where…"

Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger, then turned to Selena and touched her identical scar. How he knew there was one there was a mystery.

"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did them," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…"

He shook his head and then, to Harry and Selena's relief, spotted Hagrid.

"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again… Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"

"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.

"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.

"Er — yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.

"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.

"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke. Selena noticed too and she smirked knowingly.

"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now — Mr and Miss Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"

"Er — well, I'm right-handed," said Selena. "And my brother is the same."

"Hold out your arms. That's it." He measured Selena from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round her head, then repeated with Harry. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr and Miss Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own and Selena smiled. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.

"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave."

Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once and gave it to Selena but it did nothing too.

"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try —"

Harry tried — but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander and given to Selena but nothing.

"No, no — here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."

Harry tried and then Selena. And tried some more. They had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.

"Tricky customers, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now — yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

Harry took the wand. He felt sudden warmth in his fingers.

He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls.

Hagrid and Selena whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious…"

He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious… curious…" He then seemed to have been struck with a sudden thought and pulled out another wand, giving it to Selena.

"Try this Miss Potter. Ebony and Thestral tail hair, ten inches." She felt a sudden warmth and swished it, producing multi-coloured sparks. Harry clapped for his sister, Hagrid smiled and Ollivander wrapped it up for her and gave it to her, still muttering "Curious..."

"Sorry," said Harry finally, "but what's curious?"

Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry and Selena with his pale stare.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for these wands when their brother — why, their brother gave you that scar."

"Yours Miss Potter well the Thestral that gave it tail hair also gave another which was rumoured to be in the elder wand"

Harry swallowed, while Selena paled.

"Yes, thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Mr and Miss Potter… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great."

Harry and Selena shivered. They weren't sure they liked Mr. Ollivander too much. They paid seven gold Galleons each for their wands, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.

The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry, Selena and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. The twins didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; they didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap and kitten purring on Selena's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; the twins only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped them on the shoulder.

"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.

He bought Harry a hamburger and Selena some chips and they sat down on plastic seats to eat. Harry and Selena kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.

"You all right, you two? Yer both very quiet," said Hagrid.

Harry wasn't sure he could explain, while Selena was deep in thought. They'd just had the best birthday of their life — and yet — he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.

"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last while giving a concern look to his sister. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander… but we don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. We don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry — I mean, the night our parents died." Selena nodded vaguely in agreement. The kitten managed to swipe a chip and she smiled and fed her kitten some more food.

Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.

"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll both learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll both be just fine. Just be yerselves. I know it's hard. Yeh've both been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts — I did — still do, 'smatter of fact."

"Yer tickets fer Hogwarts," he said. "First o' September — King's Cross — it's all on yer tickets. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me…. See yeh soon, Harry and Selena."

Harry and Selena watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; they both decide to go shopping in the muggle world before they got back to the Dusleys for clothes, shoes, new bags and other stuff.

13,476 words my longest chapter. It was my birthday last weekend so I thought I post another chapter for you guys.

Can you guys review please I would love to hear what your thoughts are and any suggestions or if I should carry on.

Kitskat

xxxx