The Other Cousin

Day One of the End of My Life

I have just gotten home from dinner with mum, dad, and Dudley. I run upstairs to check on Harry, my family doesn't care about him much. But honestly, he's not really that bad. Just because he's a wizard, it does not automatically make him evil, or a freak. I open his bedroom door.

"I'm back Harry," I say. I look around the room. He's not there. His trunk is gone and so is Hedwig. That's funny, I'm positive that the Hogwarts term doesn't start until the first of September, and it was only mid August. I walk around the abandoned room. I see a note laying on his bead.

Dear Diana,

Some members of the ministry have relieved me from here, so don't worry about me. I'll write yoou as soon as I can.

-Harry

At least he got away from here. I love mum and dad to pieces and they love me and Dudley, but they are all truly cruel to Harry. It took loads of begging to convince dad to let Harry and I communicate by owl when Harry was off at Hogwarts. And if you're wondering, no I do not have my own owl, I'm only a muggle, I use Hedwig. I'm the only friend Harry's got in his house. I always get double servings at supper to share with Harry when Mum and Dad aren't looking, since they barely give him enough food to live on willingly. Harry and I also like to study his magic books and things together. It's really quite interesting some of the things that magic people can do. Sometimes, I even wish I was a witch. But I know if I was, mum and dad would hate me forever, so I'm pretty happy with my life now. I exit Harry's room and go to mine and get dressed into my nightgown. After that I straighten Harry's room up, because I know mum would have a cow if she saw he left it like this. I find Harry's old charms book on his dresser top. I quickly hide it in my closet so that mum, dad or Dudley wouldn't come across it if they were ever in Harry's room, since they're never in mine. Once I'm done straightening his room I go downstairs to see the rest of my family. I find mum and dad in the sitting room, watching television. I go to the kitchen for a healthy snack, the restaurant's food was foul, and I barely ate anything there. I find Dudley in the kitchen eating a doughnut.

"Dudley, please don't do this to yourself," I say to him. Dudley's a good amount plumper than me, and most people in general, really. One of his professors at Smeltings had taken notice of this and had brought it up to my parents some time ago. They've had Dudley on a diet ever since.

"But it tastes good, and I'm so hungry" says Dudley.

"You know it's not healthy for you," I tell him. "And if mum finds out--"

"You're not going to tell her are you?" he asks me pleadingly.

"Of course not, Dudley," I say as I give him a hug. I pull away. "Why don't I make us both a healthy snack?" I ask him. He shrugs at me. I take out some salami, some cream cheese, and a butter knife and begin spreading the cream cheese out on the slices of salami and rolling them up. I hand dudley one, and he takes it reluctantly. He snaps a bite and chews with a slightly satisfied look on his face.

"This isn't bad," he tells me.

"Not all healthy things taste bad, Dudley," I tell him.

"They should cut me some slack with this food thing anyways, considering what that bloke did to me the other night," he says to me.

"That wasn't Harry's fault," I say to him firmly.

"You're just saying that because you're his friend," says Dudley.

"Okay, we might be friends, but it's true that it wasn't his fault. The thing that attacked you is called a dementor, they are supposed to only be at the wizard prison in the middle of the ocean, but three came to attack us. You're just lucky Harry sent them away with a spell before it could suck your soul out," I tell him.

"Suck my soul out? That's rubbish! I'm sure Harry was playing some sick game on me!" he tells me.

"Well believe it or not, Harry was actually the one who saved you. I'm done with this conversation," I tell him. I put all of the things I had gotten out away and take the salami rolls I had made and put them in a plastic baggy. "Goodnight!" I spit at Dudley. I bid my goodnight to mum and dad then stomp upstairs to my room. I plop down on my bed and start restlessly chomping on the salami rolls I had made. I get bored so I decide to read Harry's charms book that I had found in his room earlier. I study the first spell that's name looks interesting:

Wingardium Leviosa:

Levitation charm; Practice on following

Beginner: feather

Intermediate: Book

Advanced: Brick

"Hmm", I say. I wonder what would happen if I could try it. I look in the hallway. Coast is clear. I don't have a feather, but a sheet of paper will do. I close my door, then sit down on my bed and place the book and the sheet of paper side by side. I hold my hands above the shhet of paper, palms facing downwards.

"Wingarmium Leviosa, " I say. I slowly raise my hands higher into the air. I stare at the paper. Nothing happens. I heave a sigh and put my hands down. I knew this would happen, I'm just a muggle, why would I be able to do magic? But, one more try wouldn't hurt. I repeat the procedure I did before. This time the paper rises an inch above the bed. As I raise my hands it rises higher, and higher. Mum opens my door.

"Diana honey--" she stops in dead silence once she sees what I'm doing. "AAAAAAHH, Vernon!" she screams in horror. Dad comes rushing in and sees me as well. I let down my hands and the paper falters. Now both of them are are staring at me in horror.

"Go downstairs," says dad. "NOW!" I hurry downstairs in tears. Dudley is down in the sitting room. I sit next to him, still sobbing he comforts me.

"What happened?" he asks me. I shake my head and continue to sob. Mum and dad come down, dad with a large trunk in hand.

"You are to leave this house, and never return," says dad in a firm voice.

"Mummy please," I say to my mum but she turns away.

"Dad, you cant do this," says Dudley.

"Oh yes I can, I will not tolerate another freak in my home and you will be my child no longer. We have already sent in a rewrite of your name to the Minister. Your name is no longer Diana Jade Dursley but Diana Jade Potter. Now leave at once, before I loose my temper," dad says to me. Still in tears, I grab my trunk and hurry out of the house I roam he street until I find a bench to sit on then I sit down and sob. I continued to cry until I felt something on my knee. I look up to see Hedwig perched on my leg with a letter tied to her leg.

Dear Diana,

Mrs. Figg wrote to me about what happened. Hagrid is on his way to pick you up in his motorcycle and bring you to where I am. Don't worry, everything will be fine.

-Harry

I stop crying and feel a surge of gratefulness for Harry. I've heard so many good things about Hagrid but I've never actually met him. But I guess I'll be waiting for a while considering he's traveling by motorcycle. Suddenly I hear a loud roaring sound that sounds a bit like an engine that seems to be coming from the sky. I look up to see a large, and rather hairy guy riding on a flying motorcycle with a side car. I stare in amazement as the man that is most likely Hagrid makes his way down to me. He lands on the ground and gets off of the motor cycle.

"Well I sure hope yer Diana Dursley, otherwise I've got a bit o' explaining teh do teh the ministry," he says to me.

"I am but it's Diana Potter now," I say to him, sadly.

"The old bloke made you change yer name, eh?" he asks me. I sniffle then nod. "Oh, I'm sorry Diana, losing yer family isn't very easy especially if they've kicked yeh out," he says to me. He loads my trunk into the sidecar and boards the motorcycle himself as well. "Well, yeh comin?" he says to me. I nod and get in the sidecar. Hagrid handed me a helmet and I put it on. And then, we were off.