It had been almost ten years since the Dursley's found Harry and Rose on the porch of their house, and due to Dumbledore's letter, felt that they were forced to take them in. It was the letter that encouraged them to treat the children more harshly than Dudley had ever been.
Though there were two other children in the Dursley household, the pictures in the house didn't show any sign of that being the case. Dudley Dursley, Harry Potter's cousin, was displayed along with his parents. There was no sign at all that Harry and Rose existed in the house at all. In fact, if an observer were to casually look around the house, they wouldn't find Harry or Rose anywhere. Though there were four bedrooms on the upper level of the house, none belonged to either child. Both were kept in a place that kept them out of the way of the Dursley's in case they were needed, or for the rare, but predictable circumstance of the full moon.
Both Harry and Rose slept curled up against one another, both cramped in the cupboard under the stares. It was a dark place, dusty and with spider webs. Both of them received the same second hand clothes of Dudley's. Oddly, the clothes fit Rose much better than Harry in some ways, as she was taller than he. Aunt Petunia's slight modification to the clothes ensured Rose wouldn't arouse suspicion in Dudley's clothes. After all, the Dursley's didn't want to spend any money on either of them if they didn't have to.
Though both were sleeping, neither were in positions that looked entirely comfortable. Both barely fit inside the cupboard as it was, and both looked quite cramped.
Sunlight streamed in through the windows of the Dursley household and Aunt Petunia's shrill voice was the first sound the pair heard that day, along with her wrapping on the door.
"Up! Get up, now!" She said after wrapping on the door.
Both woke at the same moment from the sound. Neither had ever thought of themselves as individuals, though they put on that appearance for the Dursley's sake, as well as others. They felt, and thought of themselves as one person, but with two bodies. The Harry Potter half of them sat up and the Rose Potter half did the same. Both gazed at each other and saw themselves through their own eyes as well as the others. Both experienced each other's senses, feelings and thoughts at the same moment. For many, that would be rather overwhelming, but both of them had grown up with it and had adapted as a result. Their level of experiencing the other went beyond anything that could entirely be put into words, but even so, they knew which was the Harry Potter half of them and which was the Rose Potter half.
Both coordinated their movements and dressed in silence, remembering the strange dream they'd had. They'd heard a high, cold voice shout something, seen a flash of green light, then had experienced images of different people, the feeling of being passed back and forth. It was an odd dream, but they'd had it for as long as they could remember. After they dressed, they looked at one another again.
Harry Potter was small for his age, though he was fast, too. His black hair was always messy and his green eyes shined with life and emotions that were precisely mirrored in Rose Potter's eyes. A lightning bolt scar was on Harry's forehead, the only thing the Harry half of them liked about their appearance. They didn't care for the glasses he wore or the way his face looked.
Rose Potter was tall and athletic for her age, despite being underfed like the Harry Potter half of them was. Her hair was also black, but was straight and much neater than the Harry Potter half of them. Her blue eyes were pretty and deeper than the ocean, and her face was more elegant in appearance. Her forehead was unmarked and she didn't need glasses, her vision far better than the Harry half.
Both heard the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove and the Rose half opened the cupboard door. She exited first, feeling Harry waiting for her on the cupboard floor, the rough texture of the wood under her hands, seeing the Rose half of them stand in front of the Harry half of them through his eyes, hearing the sounds from the view of the Harry half in the cupboard along with the Rose half, who was standing outside. The Harry half exited next as Aunt Petunia returned and looked at them critically.
"You'll watch the breakfast and make sure nothing burns." She stated in clipped tones. "I want everything to be perfect on Dudley's birthday."
Their emotions and thoughts were more prone to anger and aggression during this time of the month. It was June 23, four days before the day of a full moon. Neither half said anything and they both mentally groaned. They'd forgotten about Dudley's birthday. Well, that was certainly a reminder if any, they mused.
They entered the kitchen and the Rose half moved to the stove as the Harry half looked at the table, both aware of each other's vision. The Harry half saw the presents piled on the kitchen table. It seemed Dudley had gotten the new computer he'd wanted, along with a racing bike. Why was beyond them. Even as the Harry half of them saw Dudley's presents, he also saw what the Rose half saw as she stepped up to the stove and flipped the bacon and eggs, watching them expressionlessly and with a fierce mental frown. It seemed Dudley had received the bike he'd wanted, which seemed odd to them. It was surprising. The only form of exercise Dudley liked was punching someone, preferably the Harry and Rose being. Though he didn't look it, the Harry half was fast, something that helped him escape from his cousin. The Rose half was also fast, far faster than the Harry half was. She was stronger, too, often carrying the Harry half as they escaped Dudley and his group of bullies.
"Comb your hair, boy!" Vernon barked as a greeting as the Harry half of them moved to the Rose half, placing the bacon in a serving dish as the Rose half looked at the eggs. They were nearly done.
Uncle Vernon always seemed to think the Harry half needed a hair cut, perhaps due to his messy hair. He'd likely had more than any boy in his class, though nothing helped. His hair simply grew as it wanted to, wild and in some ways reminding them of the Rose half on the full moon.
As Dudley entered the kitchen with his mother, the Harry and Rose being put the serving dishes on the table, wanting to get the day over with quickly preferably without anything going wrong. The Harry and Rose being was short tempered and volatile at the moment, but had experience controlling their emotions over the years.
Dudley was a rather fat boy. They'd often called him a pig in a wig, but Aunt Petunia called him her baby angel. That was laughable in itself. As the Harry and Rose being served themselves precisely the same amount of food, they noticed Dudley counting his presents. Both ate taking turns, not wishing to taste combinations of different items of food. It was a compromise for the Dursley's, if such a thing was even possible for them to have in the first place. They were already abnormal as it was. Eating in synchronicity wouldn't help them get treated well.
"Thirty-six!" He shouted at his parents in a whiny voice. "That's two less than last year!"
"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see? It's right under this one from Mummy and Daddy." Aunt Petunia said in a placating tone of voice.
Here we go, the Harry and Rose being thought. Yet another Dudley fit coming on. They both began eating quickly, doing so in the same movements and eating the same items. If the table was turned over, they wanted to get their meal, pitiful as it was, eaten.
"All right, thirty-seven then!" Dudley said, going red in the face. Yep, they'd been right. They were quickly finished with their small meal, though, and stood to wash up.
"We'll buy you another two while we're out, how's that sound, popkin?" Aunt Petunia said in a voice that sounded as if she was intimidated by Dudley. No wonder he turned out how he did, they thought. Ridiculous.
"That'll be thirty... Thirty..." Dudley said. Counting looked like hard work for him, the Harry and Rose being thought.
"Thirty-nine." Aunt Petunia said.
"Oh, okay, then." Dudley looked much happier now.
The Harry and Rose being returned and sat as Dudley also took a seat, pulling the nearest present toward him. Uncle Vernon chuckled.
"Little tike wants his money's worth just like his father. That'a boy, Dudley." Uncle Vernon said, ruffling Dudley's hair.
The phone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it. As she did so, Uncle Vernon and the Harry and Rose being watched Dudley unwrap several of his gifts. They had never received anything for Christmas for birthdays that was anything like Dudley. Their presents were limited to something as insignificant as a tissue, old bent coat hanger, or some item that looked as if it had seen much, much better days. They lamented over one such time when the Rose half had asked, "Why don't I get one too!"
"You think of yourself like a single person, so you can share everything else, too! And don't ask questions!" Uncle Vernon had bellowed before slamming the cupboard door.
That was the first rule of living a quiet life with the Dursley's. Don't ask questions. Of course, neither of them cared, so asked them anyway. Aunt Petunia's voice interrupted their reverie.
"Bad news. Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take them." Aunt Petunia looked rather angry and concerned at this.
They were sorry that Mrs. Figg's leg had been broken, but also glad they wouldn't have to spend time at her house. She wasn't as bad as the Dursley's, but she tended to ramble on about her cats and give them old pieces of food to eat. They tasted old, at any rate, and they suspected she wasn't quite there in the head. Perhaps this time they could go out with Dudley on his birthday, they thought. Every year, Dudley had gone out with friends and they had been left in the care of Mrs. Figg.
"So!" Uncle Vernon bellowed and Dudley grinned. Another of his favorite activities was occurring, something he even liked more than television, watching the Harry and Rose being get yelled at by Uncle Vernon.
"Thought you'd plan something to come with us, did you?" Uncle Vernon asked furiously.
It wasn't like he was the most intelligent person, they knew. The Harry and Rose being wanted to lash out in anger but knew that wouldn't do anything but get them into trouble.
"No, Uncle Vernon." The Harry half said. "We didn't do anything."
"Didn't do anything, did you?" Uncle Vernon yelled, his face starting to change color.
"She tripped over a cat, Vernon." Aunt Petunia stated. "But I agree, they still should be punished."
"Don't you worry, Dudley." Uncle Vernon said. "We won't let them ruin your special day."
"What do we do with them, then?" Aunt Petunia said. "I won't leave them here, there's no telling what condition the house would be in when we got back."
"Yeah, I just might make it magically explode." The Rose half said.
Aunt petunia flinched violently, Dudley grinned, and Uncle Vernon leapt to his feet in a towering rage.
"What have we said about using the M word under our roof!" Uncle Vernon roared, flex of spit flying from his mouth on to their faces. It was quite disgusting, they thought as they stood, the Harry and Rose being gripping hands. The Harry half felt the grip of the Rose half's hand, larger than his own with a firm strength and quite a hot grasp. He also felt his own hand through the Rose half, she feeling the same sensations. The Harry and Rose being found the action comforting.
"Not to say it, Uncle Vernon." The Harry half said dutifully.
"And don't you forget it!" Uncle Vernon shouted before retaking his seat heavily. "So, what do we do with them, then?"
"They won't fit in the car so we can't take them with us, not that I'd even consider that." Aunt Petunia said with disdain.
"What about the new neighbors, Pet?" Uncle Vernon asked.
"I'll call them right now." Aunt Petunia said and their hearts leapt.
Before they'd been caught looking out the kitchen window, the Harry and Rose being had spotted two people moving in. One had been a good looking man with what had looked to be a customized suit of some kind. Another had been a woman, who was tall and quite good looking, wearing a very beautiful dress. Uncle Vernon had grabbed them by their shirts and pulled them away from the window, then had shouted at them to get in their cupboard and not to look at such high class people. They had, though hadn't figured out who they'd been. That had been only a few weeks ago. It seemed they were about to find out who the neighbors were, though from what they'd remembered hearing, they were polite people. They would find out if they'd take them in, that is.
The door bell rang at that moment and Aunt Petunia went to answer, dropping the phone that she'd picked up. Dudley's best friend Piers Polkiss walked in with his mother and gave the Rose half a lecherous grin. The Harry and Rose being felt an indignant fury, not wanting to be looked at by him, but knew if the Rose half glared or made any sign she didn't like it other than neutrality, they would get into even more trouble. It had happened before and would likely happen again. Uncle Vernon stood.
Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon spoke with Piers's mother for a few minutes before she left him in their care, then Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia went to another room briefly, likely to talk about what they were going to do with the Harry and Rose being. Finally, Uncle Vernon returned to find Dudley and Piers chasing the Harry and Rose being around the house, grabbing them both.
"Potters!" He said menacingly. "Just what were you doing, huh?" Uncle Vernon shook them.
"Nothing, Uncle Vernon." The Harry half responded demurely.
"Get in here." Uncle Vernon pulled them into the kitchen and closed the door behind them. "Now, this is how it's going to work, and you won't make a seen about it, either. You, boy, will be coming with us. I don't want to put both of you ungrateful people in their care. You, girl, will be staying with the new neighbors, we've just called them up and they're willing to let you stay a while, you hear?"
"Yes, uncle Vernon." The Rose half responded.
The Harry and Rose being had been separated before, so were used to it by now and could act separately to avoid suspicion. Both were still more joyful than they'd been on this day, though, since the Harry half was going to the zoo, the Rose half able to experience it through him. Moments later, Uncle Vernon grabbed the Harry half by the shirt and leaned close.
"I'm warning you, boy, any funny business and you'll be in that cupboard with Rose from now until Christmas." Uncle Vernon said fiercely.
"I'm not going to do anything." The Harry half responded.
"We'll just see about that, boy." Uncle Vernon responded, giving the Harry half a good shake before releasing him. "And that goes for you too, girl."
Strange things inevitably happened around the Harry and Rose being, or either half when separated. When the Harry half had come back from the barber one day, Aunt Petunia, tired of seeing him return as if he'd never had a hair cut, did a job on his hair herself, making him look even worse than he already did. The Harry and Rose being had spent the night in the cupboard thinking how horribly the Harry half would be teased, but the next morning, it was as if it had never been. Then, of course, there were the full moons, where the Rose half would transform in a way and become emotional before and after, though that strange event was predictable and would be coming in four days.
Almost a half hour later, the Rose half stood in front of number two and rang the door bell, gazing at the door and herself from the Harry Half in the car, who was poked by Dudley and given a nasty grin.
"Don't you spoil my special day, Potter." He said, then gave him a punch in the arm hard enough to hurt as the door in front of the Rose half opened, revealing the beautiful woman they'd seen before.
"Good morning." She said politely. "You must be Rose."
"Yes." The Rose half said as she felt the vehicle driving off and looked around from the Harry Half, watching the scenery pass.
"Come in." The woman said and the Rose half stepped over the threshold, the woman closing the door behind her. "My name is Silvia Spenson. My husband is Justin, but he's asleep at the moment. Would you like something to eat?"
"Yes, please." The Rose half replied politely as the Harry half drove to the zoo, the Rose and Harry being feeling a great joy. The Harry half was going to the zoo and the Rose half was getting more to eat, she always the hungrier of them.
"Follow me." Silvia said.
The Rose half sat down in a familiar kitchen. The layout of this house was identical to the Dursley's and they idly wondered if they were going to be punished here, too. As the Rose half watched Silvia moving about the kitchen, she said in as polite a voice as she could, "Can I help you, Silvia? I know how to cook."
"Well, I see you're ahead of me." Silvia said with a smile. "Your Uncle Vernon said that you needed some good, hard work. If you know how to cook, go on and make your own breakfast, then. I'll make sure you don't get hurt."
The Rose half did as she was told in efficient movements, wasting nothing and making the breakfast like an expert, which the Harry and Rose being practically were with the number of times they'd cooked for the Dursley's. Doing such a thing every day since they were five would teach anyone a skill quite well.
"Your Aunt Petunia must be an excellent teacher." Silvia said approvingly as the Rose half placed the dishes of food on the counter, having made enough for not only herself, but the kind neighbors too.
The Rose half nodded and waited demurely next to the counter.
"You can serve yourself something to eat, dear. We're not much for formalities. We may be high class, but we don't conform to all that social nonsense unless we have to." Silvia said with an encouraging smile.
The Rose half grinned and carefully served herself a third of what she'd cooked. Silvia smiled at her and dished the other thirds onto two plates, bringing them to the table as the Rose half sat politely.
"Thank you." She said politely to Silvia, who looked at her somewhat puzzled.
"For what?" She asked. "You made this, so thank you."
The Rose half looked down shyly and blinked several times, the Harry and Rose being raining in their emotions. Dudley pinching the Harry half roughly helped in that regard and the Rose half began eating more than she could ever remember having in one sitting. As she ate, she soon heard someone entering the kitchen. It was the man, who yawned and said, "Who's this we have here?"
"Justin, this is Rose. The Dursley's asked us to watch her and told us hard work would do her good. I must say, she's a great cook, though shy about it." Silvia smiled and ruffled the Rose half's hair, and within their mind, they hungered for the affectionate touches.
"Oh, my." Justin said as he began eating. "This is great, Rose. Thanks a lot!"
"You're welcome." The Rose half muttered, blushing a little before calming so the Dursley's wouldn't notice anything suspicious.
"We've got quite a bit for you to do." Silvia said. "And if you need something to eat, just ask us."
"May I ask what I'll be doing?" The Rose half asked carefully.
"We've got gardening for you to work on according to Silvia's list here." Justin said. The Rose half spotted a list of items for her to do and some beautiful trees as the Harry half passed them in the car. She read the list and saw through the Harry half's eyes as always, remembering the list and the beautiful scenery, though they were approaching the zoo.
"Okay." The Rose half said politely. "I can do these things."
"Good." Silvia said with a smile.
The Rose half got to work after eating, channeling their anger into the physical activities of cutting the grass. There wasn't much, though, and the only anger came from their unique condition, which wasn't directed at the moment and simply a result of it. On the hole, they were joyful, as the Harry half had never been able to go to the zoo or do anything like it before.
The Rose half finished with the yard work quickly, then moved on to the other items on the list. She was efficient but did the jobs well, her face calm as she worked. Unfortunately, as she was painting the fence they had around their back yard, the Harry and Rose being had reason to be angry now, as Dudley shoved the Harry half out of the way of a snake he was having a conversation with. A strange thing to be sure, but nothing out of the ordinary for them. The Harry and Rose being watched the glass keeping the snake in its cage vanish and knew they were going to be punished once again for something they didn't do.
Uncle Vernon didn't look happy at all as he pulled up in his driveway. Aunt Petunia was the one to go to number two where the Rose half was washing the Spenson's car. As she came over, Silvia smiled at her and said, "You both have taught Rose very well, I wouldn't mind to have her over more often. She's quite a polite child."
Aunt Petunia stared as if she didn't quite believe that, then stated, "Well, we have to be going. Come, Rose."
"Yes, Aunt Petunia." The Rose half stated as Silvia came over to her.
"I appreciate all your work." She said, hugging her. The Rose half simply stood, startled by the gesture and moving back uncomfortably when she was released. She said nothing, only hurried after Aunt Petunia and returned to the Dursley's.
"In." Aunt Petunia stated after they were inside the house, pointing at the cupboard.
The Rose half crawled inside without protesting, she and the Harry half hugging each other close. Between them, a hug wasn't awkward, but with others, it wasn't expected since the Dursley's never actually gave them such affection. There was no need for words between them in the silence. Since both thought with a single mind, they both knew what had happened. After all, they were one being, not two.