Megan Potter - A saga of the Heart - Book 1 - A Witch's Heart

Chapter 1 - When things seem so low they can't get any worse...

Megan opened her eyes at the rap of the door. She sighed and pulled the switch of her bedside lamp.

"Come on, get up, you need to get to work!"

"Okay, okay... I know..." she said.

She got up and pulled her jeans and favourite jacket on, quickly twisted her hair into a perfect plait and glanced, as she did just about every morning at the scar she had on her forehead using her small mirror. It was shaped like a bolt of lightning and was cleverly hidden by her hair. Megan was ten, but was already promising to be a stunning young woman. She had brown hair with a slight hint of red in it which gave it a very unique colour. Her eyes were a beautiful dark emerald green and had always wondered where she had inherited her features. Certainly not from her aunt, anyway. She was tall, had prominent cheekbones and darker eyes than Megan. As for her uncle... balding, hair of a dull brown, his eyes equally coloured, though he thought of himself as terribly good-looking. And her cousin Nathalie, was the kind of person who looked more like a doll than a person. Tall, wearing push-up bras when she barely had a breast, flashy colours, designer shoes and bags courtesy of her parents, and putting pressure on anyone who got in her way. She refused to eat anything in the world that didn't have "light" or "decaffeinated" on the label. Yet, Megan had seen her head for the ice cream parlour down the street from school with her friends several times as soon as class was over. Megan had lived with her aunt and uncle for as long as she could remember. From what she knew, her parents had died in an accident when she was very small, and she had been dumped on them since then because they were her only living relatives. And whenever she had dared ask about them, she had either been scolded or ignored. When the Dursleys didn't change the subject. And Megan had never understood why. She doubted they were overcome with grief, because they never said anything nice about them. It was something Megan had never understood but knew better than to ask about. She and the Dursleys had never been close. For one thing, she had the name Potter, her father's name. And for another, they never showed her any sign of affection. She'd never done anything wrong, but she supposed having to deal with two children instead of one was complicated, even if part of her thought she might have earned her place by now. She was always quiet, patient, polite, and did everything they told her, even if it was unfair. Nathalie had homework but was tired? Megan would do it. Nathalie was sick? She would go to the teacher and get her homework, then do it so Nathalie didn't exhaust herself. And if she tried to refuse, she was locked in her room without meals until she'd finished. So after a while she had just decide to give in and do what they asked (or rather ordered). As she was very smart, and Nathalie... well, let's say she didn't use her mind the same way, there were a few questions from teachers, but they said Nathalie was bored in class and less inclined to effort. Megan didn't really notice it, because she was modest and had always been treated like nothing, but she was absolutely beautiful. Her eyes reflected all the honesty and goodness you could find. Yet, she had never had a chance to really express herself. Not outside her room. She glanced at her mother's guitar, last thing she had left of her, and pulled open the door and slipped onto the landing. The thick carpet muffled her footsteps and she walked down the stairs with the grace of a princess. She entered the kitchen just as Nathalie sat down on her chair.

"Where are my presents?" she demanded.

"Over here on the table, dear," her mother said sweetly.

"Have your breakfast first, Nathalie," her father added.

"No, I want my presents now!"

"I can get breakfast ready while she opens her presents," Megan intervened politely. "That way, it won't feel like you're waiting."

"Ah, good idea. Get on, then." Vernon said.

"And darling, maybe you can open a few presents and wait for your friends to open the rest?"