The Otherwordly Cousins

Harry

#4 Privet Drive

'I 'm so excited! I've been waiting for my second year of Hogwarts since the end of his first year! He missed everything there...his best friends, Ron and Hermione, Hagrid, Quidditch (in his opinion, the best sport in the world) and even his arch-enemy Draco Malfoy and his goons Crabbe and Goyle. Anything to show him that what had happened last year had not all been a dream. He remembered Hermione's braininess and Ron's flaming red hair. Speaking of the two, he hadn't gotten any letters from his friends at all. They had promised to write. Did they even remember him? He checked himself. Of course they remembered him! How could they not? Harry sat on his bed, finally mustering the energy to fully wake up.

Finally, he thought about Percy, his twin-but-not-twin, as he had taken to calling him. They had the same birthday, looked exactly alike, and thought the same way. Their few differences included that Harry wore glasses, that Percy's eyes were a different shade of green than Harry's, and that Percy had ADHD and was dyslexic. Like all normal wizarding twins (even though their twin-ship was hardly normal), they shared a twin bond that had caused them to dream about each other and when they slept at the same time be able to have full conversations telepathically. Even when they weren't sleeping at the same time, they could say things and the other would see those things whenever he slept. They had first 'met' when they were five years old. Through this time, the two had grown very close. Percy, although he did not come to Hogwarts during his first year, still knew all the curriculum till fourth year and even some fifth and sixth year things. He had told Harry last year why he had not attended Hogwarts and how he found out his father was Poseidon. He also told about his secret crush on Annabeth. Both the boys had responded to their Hogwarts letters and said that they would come this year. Harry could hardly wait! This was going to be his first time meeting his twin in real life. He had also told Harry, smirking, how his mother had told him how Harry was Percy's twin-come-cousin and how Percy had surprised his mother by already knowing. Finally, to top it all off, Percy had nonchalantly told him how he had finally achieved wandless, wordless, magic, which Harry knew that only his professors could do, as if it were nothing!

Harry realized he had a funny feeling in his stomach and realized that it was finally time to go back to Hogwarts! Then, his stomach swooped. If it was real. Stop it!  he thought. It is real!

Suddenly, everything shook and white dust of the ceiling of the broom closet Harry was forced to use as a room with his younger sister came raining down on him. He had stayed up late working on his Hogwarts summer homework that his professors had given him. His 'family' had locked away all his magical clothing, equipment, textbooks, and homework in a broom closet. When the family had gone to the zoo and left him at their unnaturally pristine house, he had broken into it, stolen all of the supplies that he needed, and had taken to doing his homework at the middle of the night. Afterwards, he talked to Percy in his sleep.

Sighing, Harry pulled himself up, grumbling to himself how his suffering was used as his spoiled pig-like cousin Dudley and woke up his sister, who was sleeping peacefully. "Ivy.." He whispered in her ear. She turned over. He sighed. "Iiiivyyyyy..." He gave up. "IVY!" He yelled in her ear.

"What!" She exclaimed.

"Wake up!"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Ugh! I hate you."

"I love you, too." He kissed her forehead and she huffed but allowed it. Although they were less than a year apart, Ivy was small for her age and Harry was extremely protective of her. "We're going to Hogwarts together this year." Last year had been horrible to her because the only reason she was even bought good clothes was because Harry had demanded for it and had threatened the Dursleys who they had lived with since they babies. Since an early age, they had had to watch their pig of a cousin, Dudley, be showered with love and affection while they were forced into servitude, like slaves or house-elves.

He freshened up while she lay there grumbling. After he was done, it was her turn. He left to make breakfast for everyone and soon she had come down started setting the plates. They both always woke up early because Harry always made extra of whatever he was making and they ate it in secret before the Dursleys came out because they were not allowed to eat as much as any of the others. They ate with their hands, relishing the fact that Aunt Petunia would have had a fit if she had seen this. They quickly finished their extra share and served everything on the plates, set the newspaper down between their aunt and uncle's spots, pushed a few chairs together so Dudley wouldn't fall off and sat down just as Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon walked in.

"Sit." Uncle Vernon said, even though they were already sitting. Harry and Ivy stayed silent as their Aunt and Uncle sat down and waited for a few moments. "We have some people from the company coming down to meet us-" The company was what they called the place where Uncle Vernon worked. It was called Grunnings and it was a company that made drills. "and it would be an amazing opportunity for the company if this went well." Huh. Harry didn't realize that his uncle was capable a pronouncing such large words. "And I expect you two to be on your best behavior. And what will you two be doing?"

"We'll be in our room pretending we don't exist," the siblings chorused together dully.

"Good. The Masons don't know about you and I'd like to keep it that way. Now stay away from your aunt while she cleans."

Harry and Ivy, having finished their breakfast, trudged outside hand-in-hand and sat on the garden bench but soon sat bolt upright in sync. They shared puzzled, wary looks and stared at the bush to find it staring back at them. The green eyes stared back for a moment and were gone. Shaken, the two of them walked back inside.

However, as soon as they walked in, Aunt Petunia swooped down on them, looking flustered.

On top of the fridge stood tonight's pudding: a huge mound of whipped cream and sugared violets. A loin of roast pork was sizzling in the oven.

"Eat quickly! The Masons will be here soon!" snapped Aunt Petunia, pointing to two plates of two slices of bread and a lump of cheese each on the kitchen table. She was already wearing a salmon-pink cocktail dress.

Harry and Ivy washed their hands and bolted down their pitiful supper. The moment he had finished, Aunt Petunia whisked away his plate. "Upstairs! Hurry!"

As he passed the door to the living room, Harry caught a glimpse of Uncle Vernon and Dudley in bow ties and dinner jackets. He had only just reached the upstairs landing and was holding the door open for Ivy when the doorbell rang and Uncle Vernon's furious face appeared at the foot of the stairs.

"Remember, you two - one sound--"

Harry let Ivy in, crossed to his bedroom on tiptoe, slipped inside, closed the door, and turned to collapse on his bed. The trouble was, there was already someone sitting on it. Ivy barely stifled a scream.

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A/N: I am TOO nice to you guys, updating twice in one day. I'm, liking doing this in, like, every little pocket of time, so yaaa.                                                                                                 

Published: 1/10/17