I always knew my brother, Harry, and I were different, with abilities other children could only dream of; my shifting features and the 'accidents' that happened around Harry. I had been adopted by Harry's parents and when they passed away shortly after, both Harry and I were taken in by our Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. It was very clear growing up that our aunt and uncle were only happy to have me and their son Dudley in the house, not Harry. Dudley definitely had the most out of all of us, but Harry was given the short end of the stick at every opportunity. Since I was raised from barely a year old by my aunt and uncle, it wasn't for years that I realized how badly Harry was treated. From age 11, things started to change.
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Dudley's birthday was the biggest event in our house; bigger than even Christmas. Aunt Petunia would cook the biggest meals, an even bigger cake, and buy more presents than Dudley and I got for Christmas combined.
"Happy birthday Dudders," I say to Dudley, my cousin, as I fix his bowtie. The last year or so any time Aunt Petunia made us dress up, at church or events, Dudley wore a bowtie but couldn't tie it to save his life.
"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. He was also very dramatic, which always worked great as a diversion when I needed to get away with something.
"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. I look back now and it was a miracle that at any point in the nearly two decades we lived in that house nobody went through the stairs into what was considered Harry's room for half of that.
"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. The mixed smells of breakfast foods waft through the house as Dudley and I walk into the kitchen.
"Good morning Uncle, Auntie." I greet, getting a plate of food and sitting down to watch Dudley open the avalanche of wrapped boxes in the sitting room.
"Good morning dear," Auntie replies, before muttering something to Harry and guiding Dudley over the sitting room. This was quickly followed by a demand to know the number of presents, promptly continuing into Dudley 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, who as much as she loves Dudley, the dramatic tantrums weren't as lovable.
"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, a book on the history of Smelting's (Dudley's school next year), and a gigantic box of his favorite 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. I make my hair shift from the soft strawberry blonde that I like to think is my natural color, to a darker chestnut color that I usually pick when leaving the house.
I've always been able to change my appearance. It must be a witch thing I inherited from my birth parents because nobody I know can do it.
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The drive to the zoo is quiet, broken only by the soft conversation between Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon in the front seat and Dudley whining when the drive was taking too long in his opinion. Dudley drags me to see the reptiles as soon as we get there. A large, sleeping, python holds Dudley's attention the longest despite it not wanting to move or do anything.
"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. The snake seems to respond to what Harry is saying; moving and making gestures. The one-sided, but not really, conversation is about parents and whatnot.
"Freak," I mutter, walking away to go look at some lizards. I don't get very far before my attention is pulled away.
"Look El!" 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.
"Dudley!" I scream as the glass reappears and Dudley becomes trapped. Aunt Petunia hears me, sees Dudley, and starts freaking out. Uncle Vernon 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. Dudley spends the trip home shivering and wrapped up in some blankets the zookeeper found.
We arrive back home, and Auntie has Dudley go upstairs and change. Meanwhile, Uncle shoves Harry into his cupboard and says something about there being no such thing as magic because Harry claims Dudley fell into the enclosure via magic. Auntie and I soon begin making dinner and Dudley's birthday cake.
"This blue isn't turning out right." Auntie huffs. "Eloise, can you hand me the food dye?" She gestures to the bottle of blue food dye sitting on the counter across the kitchen, so I hand it to her. We've been working on getting the frosting the right shade of blue for an hour now. Dudley wants a certain shade of blue and red on his cake. Sometimes Dude is really spoiled. He requested a molten, triple chocolate cake, but with Auntie's buttercream frosting, so baking his cake is a joint effort in order to get it done in a timely manner.
Eventually, we finish the cake. Uncle and Dudley join us for dinner and cake, while Harry is stuck in his cupboard for the series of events that happened at the zoo.
"Well done on dinner and the cake Petunia," Uncle says after we finish eating and are in the sitting room talking.
"Thank you, Vernon, but Eloise actually made the cake. She's been really working hard on improving her baking, and her talent and hard work are showing." Auntie brags about me.
"Well, great job Eloise. Any interest in culinary school after secondary school?"
"Yes, sir," I reply. Conversations continue for another little bit before Aunt Petunia notices the time.
"Children, it's time for bed." Aunt Petunia says looking at the clock. She and Uncle bid Dudley and I good night as we head to bed. Upstairs, Dudley wanders into one of his rooms, while I head to mine. The welcoming mint green walls of my room mixed with the glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceilings quickly lulls me to sleep.
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About a week later, we are eating breakfast when I hear the mail come. Uncle must hear it too because he asks Dudley to get the mail.
"Dudley, go get the mail," Uncle says, not looking up from his morning paper.
"Make Harry do it!" Dudley replies through a mouth full of food.
"Harry, go get the mail." Harry tries to argue, but in the last week Dudley has taken up carrying some stick important to his new school and tends to wack Harry with it. Harry doesn't continue protesting and does as he was asked. He hands a letter to me and gives the rest to Uncle. The letter is addressed to 'Miss E. Potter, The third largest bedroom, 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey '. I quickly open it.
' Dear Miss Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all the necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress '
"Look Harry's got a letter!" Dudley says as he hands Uncle the letter.
"Who'd be writing to you?" Uncle chuckles and flips the letter over to see the seal. It's a match for the one in my hand. We all look up from the letter to see Harry standing there confused.
"Go to your cupboard!" Uncle roars at Harry, who takes off.
"Aunt Petunia, I got a similar letter." I hand it over to her, and she seems almost proud of me as she opens and reads it. Uncle Vernon inspects the letter sent to Harry before turning to my aunt.
"They must be watching the house. They know where he sleeps." Uncle mutters to Aunt Petunia.
"Eloise got a letter too. We can let her go and just keep him here. No need to hinder our brilliant girl." Aunt Petunia responds.
"You're right, no need to hold her back due to him."