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Bold itallic letters are from the book.
Itallic letters are the listeners reactions.
"Shall we?" McGonagall asked. Despite being emotionally drained everyone nodded and McGonagall started reading.
It had been 10 years since that horrible night. Ten years since a giant brought two children to Number Four Privet Drive. Ten years since an old man with hair and beard as white as stars, also known as Dumbledore, left those children in front of the house with a letter. And ten years since Petunia Dursley
"No" Lilly shouted. "You can't leave them with her. Petunia hates magic and everything to do with it." She continued frantically.
"There must have been a reason behind it." Dumbledore said.
Lilly still didnt look convinced.
found Harry and Hermione at the doorstep of her home.
"Get up! Now!" A shrill voice screeched from outside the door.
Harry Potter woke with a start as his sister kicked him out of the bed.
"Why are they still with her?" Remus wondered after some times. "Shouldn't they be with your parents or me or Sirius?"
James thought about it for a second then shook his head. "I don't know Moony."
"Are you up yet?" Petunia's shrill voice continued.
"Yes Aunt Petunia." Harry replied.
"Good. Change your clothes, then come out." She said and then walked away.
Harry groaned then glared at his still sleeping sister. This was fifth time she had kicked him and he had to get his revenge. A mischievous grin indicated that whatever his revenge was, it was dangerous for the girl sleeping peacefully.
"What do you think he would do?" A curious Hufflepuff asked his friend. His friend shrugged saying that he too doesn't know about it.
He searched for his weapon. "Ah! Found it!" Harry slowly dropped his weapon on her nose. '1...2...3...Now.'
Hermione's eyes flew open. Coughing she threw away the pair of disgusting smelly socks away.
"Socks? Well done Harry." Fleamont said in between his laughs.
"Guess he has some marauder inside him, eh James?" James who was sitting beside Lilly looked at Sirius.
"Of course he would be a marauder. He is my son." He looked offended.
She glared at her laughing brother. "Harry Potter. You are dead." She said in a dangerously calm tone. The amusement in Harry's face replaced fear.
"I can explain Hermione." Harry said, his voice shaking with fear.
"What is there to explain Harry." Hermione replied, her hands on her hips and her eyes blazing with anger.
Arthur chuckled. "Molly is also like this when she is angry." The said woman glared at him.
It seemed like fate didn't want Harry to die today as his Aunt Petunia came back and ordered them to come outside and help her because it's her Duddykins birthday today.
"Duddykins?" Narcissa murmured. "What kind of name is it."
Hearing this Hermione and Harry both groaned. How could they forget this auspicious day. (Note the sarcasm). They started finding some socks to wear. Decent ones. Not the one Harry used to wake up Hermione.
Harry spotted a pair of socks beneath their bed and started pulling out the spiders from them. Neither he nor his sister were afraid of spiders as the cupboard under the stairs had many of them. And that's where they lived.
It was a pin drop silence in the hall. Then. "CUPBOARD UNDER THE STAIRS? HAS SHE GONE MAD." Lilly bellowed. Her face was as red as her hair and she was breathing heavily. She tried to go out but was pushed down by a strong force.
Another letter dropped in. It read-
"We forgot to tell you that magic is prohibited right now and no one can get out from their seats. They could only get up if they don't have wrong or harming intentions towards some one.
We know how you are feeling Lilly but you will have to keep a cool mind. Anger doesn't make us do right things. In our anger, we do things that we regret later. And this is not only for Lilly. It's for all of you.
We hope that you will understand.
Thank you."
Lilly's shoulders were down in defeat and she blinked back her tears. She felt someone arms around her and looked up at the hazel eyes of James Potter. He smiled at her. For an unknown reason her heart stopped beating for a moment, then, she smiles back.
McGonagall continued-
Harry followed Hermione outside the cupboard and made his way towards the kitchen.
"You," Petunia pointed at Harry, " look after the bacon. And you" she now pointed towards Hermione, " make coffee." The twins looked at each other and then sighed. "Any problem with that?"
"Yes." Peter mumbled. "You are treating them like slaves."
"No Aunt Petunia." They chorused. Saying this, they started doing their assigned chores.
Soon, a boy with blonde hair, blue eyes, neck as twice as normal and the weight even twice of neck thundered downstairs.
"Is he a pig?" A boy asked to no one in particular.
"Seems like an elephant actually." Someone else replied.
This boy's name was Dudley Dursley, Petunia and Vernon Dursley's son and Harry and Hermione's cousin.
"Happy birthday Duddykins." Petunia wished Dudley.
"Happy birthday son." Vernon said gruffly while reading a newspaper. Dudley didn't even pay them any attention instead his gaze was on the dining table laid with presents. He counted the presents.
"Thirty seven? I had thirty eight last year." Dudley cried.
"He thinks that thirty seven is less." Lucius Malfoy muttered. "Even I didn't receive this much presents." Others agreed.
"I don't know anything. I want more presents." He continued his tantrum until his parents gave in.
"We will you two more presents when we go out today. Okay, popkins?" Petunia said.
Molly, Andromeda and Euphemia tsked at how spoiled the Dursley's made their child.
Harry and Hermione served breakfast as soon as the table was empty. They were excited today as the Dursley's were going to take them out. It wasn't because they wanted to. No. It was because there was no one to look after them as they didn't believe the twins. They think that Harry and Hermione would blow up their house if they were left alone.
"Well, if they wanted to, they could have done it before no matter if the Dursley's were there or not." Professor Flitwick said from the high table.
Others agreed with the charms professor.
Harry and Hermione along with the Dursleys and Dudley's friend Piers reached zoo. Vernon had taken them aside and warned them before leaving the house. "I am warning you both, any funny business anything at all and you will in that cupboard until Christmas."
"Christmas. Is he joking?" James said incredulously.
"We won't do anything." said Harry.
"Honestly." Hermione continued for him.
"Yes, listen to them." Peter, being the good soul he is, said this. The marauders grinned at their mousy friend and clapped him on the back.
The thing is, strange things often happened around them and it was no good telling their Aunt and Uncle that they didn't make them happen.
"They are doing magic." Professor Slughorn said.
"But they wouldn't know about it, professor. My sister hates magic and it seems that her husband too hates it." Lilly sighed.
The group of six went to the reptiles section because Dudley and Piers wanted to see a big python. Dudley pressed his face to the glass and banged his hand on it yelling, "Move." But when the snake didn't budge, calling it boring Dudley and Piers left.
Only Harry and Hermione were left there. "It would be boring right?" Harry said looking at the snake.
"Sitting in a small place like this-" Hermione continued for him.
"Not going anywhere-"
"And looking at pigs like him." Hermione said indicating towards Dudley.
"It must be a twin thing. Completing each other's sentences." Barty Crouch Jr said with a thoughtful look.
"They did say one thing right." Sirius muttered. "Dudley does look like a pig." The others guffawed and agreed.
The snake lifted his head and winked at them.
"Snake's wink?" A little Hufflepuff asked.
Harry and Hermione looked at each other, shocked.
"Can you understand us?" Harry asked the snake.
The creature inclined his head as to nod.
"But... How could they talk to a snake?" Andromeda asked.
"They could be a parselmouth." Euphemia said. "It may have come from my side of the family." Andromeda nodded.
"Where do you come from?" Harry asked it. The snake pointed his tail towards the end of his glass.
"A boa constrictor?" Hermione read aloud. "From Brazil? Was it nice there?" The snake jabbed it's tail once again.
"This specimen was bred in zoo." Harry read. Just as he finished reading, Hermione was pushed downwards by a very heavy force. He reached behind her to save her from falling hard.
"Such a loving brother." A girl sighed dreamily. "Hope I had a brother like him." She said glaring at her brother who stuck his tongue out at her.
But still, her head hit the floor.
"Ouch" Ted Tonks, Andromeda's husband, muttered rubbing his head.
Harry and Hermione glared at Dudley and Piers who were standing with their bodies pressed agins the glass of the tank. It all happened very fast actually. One moment the bullies were standing and the other moment they were falling inside the tank with cries of horror.
"Serves them right." James muttered. "Hope the snake bites them." Euphemia looked at her son, silently scolding him.
The snake uncoiled itself and slithered its way out. They swore that when the constrictor passed them they heard a slight hiss. "Brazil, here I come. Thankssss, amigo." And the snake slithered away to have his happily ever after.
" He seems happy." Peter said.
"I like the way he went. With style." Sirius chuckled.
"Pity, he didn't bite them." James mourned.
The twins looked at the snake and muttered a weak "bye." Vernon and Petunia marched down the corridor and glared at them. The twins cowered in fear. The keeper of the reptile house helped Dudley and Piers to get out of the tank.
By the time they reached home Vernon was in so foul mood that saying five words were taking his whole ounce of self control. "Cupboard... Now... No meals. Go!"
"No food? I swear I would kill that man one day." Lilly angrily muttered. James nodded his agreement.
"I hope that someone would come for us Harry." Hermione mumbled hugging him.
Harry wrapped his arms around her and sighed. " Me too, Mione. Me too."
"So, who is next?" McGonagall asked.
"Can I?" Arthur asked. Minerva smiled and gave the book to Arthur.
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A/N:- More than hundred views!! Thank you everyone for reading, voting amd commenting.
I won't be able to post regularly as my exams are near. So, maybe once in a week.
Thanks once again!! Keep reading.
See you soon.