Rosabella Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

I: Birthdays and Letters

I always knew my brother and I were different, of course, I hid my differences and tried to be normal. I controlled my temper and feelings, never argued or disagree with my Aunt and Uncle, and belonged to the normal society. On the other hand, Harry, my brother, was the opposite. There was a reason Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon treated me like their daughter and Harry like scum.

"Happy birthday Dudders, Auntie says it's breakfast and present time," I say to Dudley, my cousin, as I fix his bowtie.

"Thanks! Are you excited for the zoo Rosie?!" Dudley asks as we walk out of his room and down the upstairs hallway. Unlike most people, Dudley has two volumes; loud and extra loud.

"Of course. Did you hear that they just got a new-?" Before I can finish, Dudley is stomping down the stairs. He stops about halfway and jumps.

"Wake up cousin! We're going to the zoo!" And he's off again, shoving Harry back into his cupboard. I quietly walk down the stairs and give Harry a nasty look as I push past him to follow Dudley into the kitchen.

"Good morning Uncle, Auntie." I greet.

"Good morning dear," Auntie replies.

Dudley interrupts our conversation by throwing a fit about only having 36 presents when last year he had 37.

"When we go out, we'll buy you two new presents. How's that pumpkin?" asks Auntie.

"Wait, I have three presents for you in my room Dudders. I'll be right back." I run up to my room and grab the presents I got Dudley. There is a large box full of new bowties (Dudley loves them), a book on the history of Smelting's (Dudley's school next year), and a gigantic box of his favourite sweets.

Dudley's eyes widen at the sight of the gifts. Eventually, we leave to go to the zoo. Dudley, Auntie, Uncle, and I are dressed in our nice Sunday clothes, while Harry is wearing a pair of Dudley's old pants and a large, old shirt. My outfit is a silk, mint green day dress with a matching overcoat, heels, and beret, my hair I change to a soft hazelnut; Auntie is wearing the same thing, but in peach and with a different hat. Uncle warns Harry that nothing funny should happen while we're there.

I've always been able to change my appearance. It must be a witch thing I inherited from my parents, because nobody I know can do it. Normally, I don't change anything, just keeping my normal face with strawberry blonde hair, but when we go out I make my hair a brown color to match Auntie and Uncle.

Dudley drags me to see the reptiles as soon as we get there. A large, sleeping, python holds Dudley's attention the longest.

"Move!" Uncle yells while knocking on the glass, trying to wake the snake for Dudley.

"MOVE!!!" Dudley practically screams banging as hard as he can on the glass. "He's boring." We walk away, but Harry stays and talks to it.

"Freak." I mutter.

The snake responds to Harry talking to it and rises up. Their talking about not knowing their parents or where they're from.

"Look Rosie!" Dudley yells and drags me back over to the python. "Mummy, daddy, look at the snake." Dudley pushes Harry to the ground and presses his hands to the glass. Suddenly the glass disappears and Dudley falls in, while the python escapes.

"Dudders!" I scream as the glass reappears and Dudley becomes trapped. Aunties hears me, sees Dudley, and starts freaking out. Uncle glares at Harry, while I run off to find a zookeeper to let Dudley out. I find a zookeeper on the other end of the building.

"Quick my cousin got stuck in an enclosure and the python inside escaped!" The zookeeper and I run back. He releases Dudley and the zoo is closed in order to find the python.