A small, scrawny boy was waiting at the bus stop, his rather large cousin stomping behind him. The elephant, as most kids thought of him, was surrounded by his peers, all sneering as they pointed their pudgy fingers towards the smaller lad in front of them. Harry Potter was his name, and he was tormented every day of his young life by Dudley, his cousin. He was around seven years old, and he lived with his aunt and uncle, because his parents died in a car accident… at least that's what he was told. Then, as the rusty old bus pulled up, Harry felt something hard hit him square in the back. He flinched, looking down to see what the weapon had been this time; a small rock lay next to his left foot. Harry sighed inwardly, and then walked into the bus. It was going to be a morning like it always was on school days: sit alone, get picked on by Dudley and his cronies, and basically be ignored by everyone else. It wasn't even like he had done anything wrong; it was just that Dudley said that Harry was weird, and told their classmates not to socialize with him… And what Dudley said, well, it was considered "law." But, once he took a step onto the 'moving death trap,' he was surprised to find that his seat was occupied. He frowned, but said nothing, because he knew that Dudley would set his friends on him if a word was uttered. But, the girl then smiled.
"You can sit here, if you want…" she said, looking at him with her head cocked to the side. Harry was shocked, and he was gaping at her. The girl's eyebrows rose as he stared, then he finally nodded. "Alright," he muttered quietly, unsure about whether or not it was another one of Dudley's tricks. He turned to face the girl, observing her. She had wavy, dirty blonde hair that was put up in a blue scrunchie. She was wearing denim overall shorts and a white tee shirt underneath. Harry thought she was cute, but was too distracted by Dudley pounding onto the bus, the floor creaking as he walked. He looked over at Harry and the girl, sneered, and then turned to one of his gang. "Oi, look over there. Potter's with a girl." Then, he turned to the girl and addressed her: "You must be new… No one sits with Potty, or talks to him." She frowned, and then seemed insulted as she said, "Are you calling me nobody, mister? Well, I am somebody, and that somebody is Jennifer Serena Entrambi Daniella Mortale." Jennifer finished her last sentence with a proud look on her face. "And Potty's my friend," she stated, oblivious to the fact that Potty was a nickname. Dudley scowled, and then sat down as far away from the two as possible. Jennifer turned back to Harry, red faced and angry.
"So, Potty… I'm Jennifer, but you can call me Jenny. That's what my old friends used to call me, until my mum and dad made me move," she said, trailing off a bit at the end. Harry blushed crimson, then said, "My name's Harry, not Potty… My last name is Potter… That was my cousin Dudley. I live with his mum and dad, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. I live in a cupboard under the staircase… They don't let me have a real room…" Harry frowned, his face full of grief. "My mum and dad died in a car accident when I was one." She smiled kindly, then said, "Well, Harry Potter… Nice to meet you." Jenny would've never admitted it, but his name was strangely familiar, as if it rang a bell in the very back of her head… But, like every foolish child, she forgot and moved on quickly. Harry blushed slightly once more, then muttered, "Nice to meet you, too, Jenny…" Harry could not say more; he was in shock… He had a friend!