Dursleys by Name, Potters by Heart UPDT 5/6

Summary: Lily and James don't die that October night in 1981. Instead, they live on in Godric's Hollow and have three more children after Harry. Now, eight years later, when Dudley Dursley and his little sister Diana Dursley show signs of magic, they are disowned by their parents. Will the Potters take them in? This is my version of what could have happened. (There are inconsistencies with what is showed concerning the Potters' death in Deathly Hallows, because I started this story before DH came out, so please forgive me any mistakes you find irking😳).

Chapter One: A twist in fate

When Dumbledore had informed the Potters eight years ago that someone very close to them was working for Voldemort, and it would be prudent to use the newly created Fidelius Charm and go into hiding, James and Lily Potter along with their nine month old son Harry, made their closest family friend, Sirius Black, their secret keeper, and lived quite happily, feeling for sure that with Sirius as their secret keeper, nothing could happen to them. Then one day, a few months after Harry's first birthday, Sirius came over to Godric's Hollow, worry written all over his face. He told James and Lily that he felt he was too easy of a choice for the secret keeper position. Everyone knew Sirius was James's closest friend, and would expect him to be the secret keeper. Voldemort was no exception. What if Voldemort kidnapped him and forced him to tell the Potters' location? Sirius would never tell willingly, but what if Voldemort used Imperius, Verituserum, or other methods?

James and Lily became worried also after Sirius ended his explanation. It made sense. Then Sirius said they should secretly change the secret keeper to Peter Pettigrew, their other friend, and also a fellow Marauder. James wasn't sure. He trusted Peter with all his heart, but'there was no one he trusted more that Sirius. When James suggested Remus, their third friend, Sirius disagreed. Ever since the war with Voldemort had begun, many werewolves had joined him. What was the proof that Remus didn't? Also, Remus had been very secretive lately and had rarely met with any of his friends. Was he in death eater meetings? James didn't believe Remus was a death eater, but he agreed for Sirius's sake. Lately, Sirius and Remus hadn't been getting along. What James didn't tell Sirius was that yesterday he had gone over to Remus's flat, and Remus had voiced doubts that Sirius was a death eater, because the entire Black family was. It hurt James a lot that both of his closest friends doubted each other. Didn't their seven years together at Hogwarts impact anything?

In the end, Sirius convinced James and Lily to switch to Peter and the very next day, it was done, all very secretly. No one was told about the exchange, not even Remus and Dumbledore. Then a few days later, on Halloween, Sirius went over to check on Peter. He often did, to make sure he was safe and that Voldemort hadn't kidnapped him or anything. This time though, things seemed strange. Peter's two room cottage was in disarray. Everything was thrown about and it looked as if he was in a hurry to go somewhere. Sirius immediately got back on his motorbike and went to Godric's Hollow to tell the Potters that Peter had gone somewhere. When he got there though, he received the shock of his lifetime. Voldemort had just blasted the door open and was walking inside. Swearing underneath his breath and not wasting a minute, Sirius leaped towards the doorway and quietly hid in the front closet. James and Voldemort were battling, and he watched with wide angered eyes. That rat Peter! How dare he? After he somehow saved James and Lily, he was going after Peter. But how would he save them? The fireplace was in the den, and if he contacted Dumbledore through floo, everything would end, but between the den and the front closet, there was the living room, where Voldemort and James were still battling. There would be no way he could get past Voldemort unnoticed. If only he had the invisibility cloak! Sirius knew he couldn't risk being seen by Voldemort, because he was the Potter's only hope now.

"Seems like it's now all over, Potter," hissed Voldemort with a pleased smile on his face. He held James's wand. James glared at him and refused to show his fear. He was a Gryffindor and would die like one.

"You'll never win, Tom," he sneered, "One day, Dumbledore will kill you!"

"DON'T use my hated muggle father's name!" snarled Voldemort, "You foolish boy, don't you realize even now that no one can beat me? I will be the strongest sorcerer in the world! Now bow down to me and ask for mercy, and I may spare you!"

"Never!" shouted James, "I will never bow down to you'Tom Riddle!"

"How dare you," whispered Voldemort with red bloodshot eyes, "You leave me with no choice then. I will kill you, Potter, and then your stupid Mudblood wife!" Voldemort raised his wand and muttered, "Avada'"

Sirius wasted no time. Right before Voldemort finished the curse, he whispered, "Fio Somniculosus!" and pointed his wand at James. It was a new spell Dumbledore had invented only one month ago. No one knew about it except The Order of the Phoenix. The purpose of the spell was to make the person hit asleep for two to three hours, and had proved useful thrice in previous battles with death eaters.

Now, a second before the green light of the killing curse reached him, James slumped to the floor, unconscious. Voldemort, thinking he had killed James, let out a loud cackle and started climbing the stairs to the nursery, where Lily Potter and baby Harry were seeking refuge.

Lily heard Voldemort's evil cackle and felt tears prick her eyes. James was dead, and even if she survived, there would be a huge hole in her life. If only she could somehow escape with Harry'

Sirius quietly ran up the stairs after Voldemort entered the nursery and hid right outside the door, not making a noise. He heard Voldemort arguing with Lily.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"

"Stand aside, you silly girl... stand aside, now..."

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead!"

"I said stand aside, filthy little Mudblood!"

"Not Harry! Please... have mercy... have mercy..."

"Fine then'Avada'"

Sirius did the same to Lily as he had done to James, and she too slumped to the floor. Cackling again, Voldemort stepped over her body and looked at Harry.

"So, Baby Harry Potter'we meet face to face!" sneered Voldemort, "You'll bring about my downfall? Not if I can help it! Avada Kedavra!

Before Sirius could save Harry like he had his parents, Voldemort had shouted the curse and it hit baby Harry square in the forehead. "No!" whispered Sirius to himself, horrified, "Not my little Godson'"

But then, something strange happened. The spell rebounded and hit Voldemort in the chest. He let out a horrible scream and slumped to the floor, mysteriously turning into dust and leaving his black robes behind. Baby Harry sat in his crib giggling. "Pafoo!" he cried gleefully, spotting Sirius. Sirius immediately ran into the room and hugged his godson. Then he noticed a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. "Strange," he murmured.

And thus, Lily and James Potter survived that horrible night, and Harry Potter, a mere baby, became the boy who lived. When Hagrid came to collect Baby Harry on Dumbledore's orders, he found, much to his astonishment, both Lily and James alive, and Harry gurgling happily in the arms of his worried parents. Dumbledore was intrigued about the spell rebounded on Voldemort, but deemed it safe enough for Lily and James to live without the Fidelius Charm since he was gone. The cottage, in permanent ruins because of Voldemort's attack, made living in it out of the question, so the Potters moved into the Potter ancestral manor, which had previously been much too big for only two adults and a baby to live in. However, considering the circumstances, James, Lily, and small Harry went to live in Potter's Place, deciding that buying another smaller cottage would be a waste. Morever, the Potter Manor had protective charms similar to those around Hogwarts, and it was an ideal safe place to raise children in.

Sirius and Remus apologized and forgave each other for thinking the other was a death eater and all was well between the three friends again. Now Peter Pettigrew on the other hand, received a life sentence in Azkaban on the trial given to him a week later. His words, "Save me James! I didn't mean to! The Dark Lord forced me! Please! Please don't let them send me to Azkaban!" didn't make an affect on anyone.

When Voldemort had attacked the Potter house, Lily had been pregnant six months, and three months later, she gave birth to a baby girl they named Annabelle Lily Potter, Anne for short. Remus was named godfather to Anne. Anne had bright red hair like her mother and hazel eyes like her father.

Two days after Anne's first birthday, Lily received devastating news that her parents, William and Audrey Evans, were killed in a car accident. Causing her grief to increase, Petunia sent a hateful letter three days later in which she blamed their parents' deaths on Lily's 'freakishness'. It was a very hurtful letter, especially since no magic was involved in their deaths.

When Harry was three years old and Anne was two, Lily had twins: one boy and one girl. The boy they named William Henry Potter after Lily's and James's fathers and the girl they named Emmeline Audrey Potter, after their mothers. Will had red hair and hazel eyes like Anne and Emma had black hair and hazel eyes like her dad, James. Harry was the only one in the family who inherited Lily's bright emerald eyes. And thus, the Potter family was complete, and now, the real story starts.

Edited by _LalithaJanaki_ - 14 years ago

Chapter Two: Dudley Dursley of #4 Privet Drive

Dudley Dursley, age nine, sighed with pleasure as he licked his large five scooped Rocky Road ice cream, walking home from the park with his mother, Petunia Evans Dursley, his eight year old sister Diana, five year old brother Duncan, and three year old sister Delilah. All the kids were sporting big ice cream cones, because Petunia had taken them to Silly Scoops, the local ice cream parlor, on the way back.

Life was good to Dudley. Spoiled rotten to the core, he and his siblings were bought the most expensive clothes, toys, and anything they wanted. In school, Stonewall Elementary, Dudley was the unofficial chieftain and everyone did what he wanted, or else they would have to answer to his fists. He and his best friend, Piers Polkiss, did whatever they pleased and no one questioned them, not even the teachers.

In looks, Dudley wasn't much. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his neck. Only nine years old, he was already 130 pounds and wore adult sized clothes. His mother Petunia was a blonde, bony woman with a rather horsey face and a long neck which she used to spy on neighbors. Her eyes were large and pale, quite unlike her sister Lily's bright emerald eyes. Vernon Dursley, Dudley's father, looked a lot like Dudley, with smooth blond hair, a fat face, three chins, and not much neck. His eyes were beady and sharp.

Diana Dursley was a very sweet kind girl, quite unlike her siblings, or even her parents. She had silky shiny shoulder length blonde hair and big bright crystal blue eyes. She was the prettiest girl in her class, quite smart, and had a ring of friends around her. Dudley, although not stupid, didn't try at all in school so always received straight Ds and Cs. He even got some Cs because he always bullied the weaker kids in school to do his homework for him. Duncan, although only in kindergarten, was already on his way to becoming another Dudley, meaning he was spoiled, snobby, selfish, and mean. Delilah, only a three year old toddler, obviously didn't go to school yet, but everyone could tell she already had her parents around her little finger and was the most spoiled child of the lot. Duncan looked like Dudley and Delilah like Diana.

As for Vernon and Petunia, they encouraged meanness in their children, because they believed it created strength, individuality, and an ability to stand up for themselves. Also, they never yelled at them when they got bad grades, because they believed grades created jealousy and unrest in children and therefore don't really count except to pass by. And thus, the 4 Ds, as the Dursley children were called in the neighborhood, thrived with their parents' attention and grew more spoiled by the day, except Diana that is.

That night, the family was having extra cheesy sausage pizza, and Dudley, who already had eight slices, was reaching for the last one, when Duncan swatted him on the arm.

"You already had eight, fatty! I only had five! This is mine!" yelled Duncan, although he was sitting only opposite of Dudley.

"Not if I can help it!" yelled Dudley back. As Duncan reached for the pizza slice, it zoomed magically into Dudley's awaiting hand, shocking him so much that he dropped it. Everyone was silent, with wide open mouths. What had happened?

"It…it was probably the wind," stated Petunia, laughing weekly. She got up and shut the window, even though the night air was still and silent.

"Mummy, I'll help you with the dishes," offered Diana, after dinner was over. Petunia looked at her and smiled.

"No pumpkin, you just run along and go play with your dolls," she said warmly.

"It's alright," said Diana cheerfully. Petunia frowned. She didn't like politeness in a child and felt Diana was a downright softie.

"Fine then, if you insist," she said, turning back to the dishes. Humming to herself, Diana happily stacked the plates and bowls on top of each other, making a pile higher than her. Suddenly, one of them wobbled dangerously and Petunia gasped.

"Careful Di, you'll drop them, and they were a wedding gift from your Aunt Marge!" but she was too late. The dishes were about to crash onto the floor when Diana screamed, "Stop!"

As if hearing her command, the dishes flew smoothly into the air and landed neatly into the sink. Petunia gasped again and nearly fainted. Diana had her mouth open and stuttered.

"I…I didn't mean too. I…I don't know what happened!" Diana knew how her mother felt about abnormality. With a sob, she ran out of the kitchen and upstairs to her room.

That night, Petunia addressed a letter to her sister, for the first time since nine years. With an angry frown and bitterness in her manner, she folded the letter and put it into an envelope. Then she wrote the address, glaring at each word.

To: Mrs. Lily Potter

The Potter Manor

121 Godric's Hollow

Glen St. Gryffindor, England

Before falling asleep, Petunia set the envelope on the bedside next to her. Then her thoughts turned unwillingly to the hated sister she hadn't seen for 10 years. Anger and bitterness filled her at the thought of Lily. When her parents had been alive, it had always been Lily this and Lily that: sweet Lily, innocent Lily, honest Lily, beautiful Lily, smart Lily. Lily! Lily! Lily! Just thinking about that name sent resentment down her back.

"I can't have more freaks in this house. I just can't!" thought Petunia with tears in her eyes, when she pictured Dudley and Diana, her freak children. She remembered how she much she had hated it when Lily had brought over her freak friends during summer vacation from Hogwarts: Alice Prewitt, Harriet Potter, Nan Vance, and Serena Takahashi. They weren't particularly nasty or anything, but they were so stuck up and acted all high class, never talking to her and always staring at her when she wasn't looking. In reality though, they were only scared of her.

Petunia remembered how proud her parents were when Lily was made a Prefect in her fifth year and then Head Girl in her seventh. In Stonewall High, Petunia hadn't even been close to being put on the A list, let alone being made prefect and head girl. Each year Lily had been in Hogwarts, Petunia had grown more and more bitter, and had been the happiest when she had married that Potter boy and went to live in the freak world with all her freak friends.

Now, Dudley and Diana, her own children, were freaks. In two more years, Dudley would get a letter from Hogwarts and then…No! She couldn't deal with all that over again! When Petunia had married Vernon, she thought she had escaped everything, and the past 11 years had been the happiest years of her life. Now, Dudley and Diana would ruin everything; maybe even contaminate Duncan and Delilah later on. Who knew if magic was contagious? No! She couldn't risk it! Children or not, she couldn't stand freakishness anymore! Anyway, she still had Duncan and Delilah. They weren't freaks, and she would make sure they never would be. She hadn't been careful enough in Dudley and Diana's case, and was now suffering for it. She would not make that mistake again. Dudley and Diana had to go.

hey really nice parts..............i really ike the story line...plz cont soon

Hey

Thank you guys! That was really nice of you! Here's the next part.

Chapter Four: A decision made

"Stupid Petunia! Stupid, heartless Petunia!" Lily raged, her face becoming pale and her lips throbbing with anger. James silently backed away. An angry Lily was never good to be around.

"How could Petunia and Vernon dislike their own children just because they are magical? It doesn't make any sense!" continued Lily with a deep frown.

"What happened, mum?" asked Anne, who was still on the sofa. Lily and James both jumped and turned around.

"Oh, nothing dear. Don't worry about it. Now, why don't you go upstairs to your room and continue reading your book there? Daddy and I have something important to discuss!"

Anne badly wanted to find out what upset her mother, but she knew better than to argue. Oh well, if it was something big, she would probably find out about it later anyway.

After Anne walked upstairs, Lily turned to James, tears suddenly forming in her beautiful emerald eyes.

"Lils, what's wrong? What happened?" asked James quietly, gathering her into a hug.

"Oh James, I hate Petunia! I hate her so much, more than I ever did, especially after reading this letter!" Lily sobbed into James's shirt.

"What did she do?" asked James softly. He had learned in the past that the best way to deal with Lily's emotions was to comfort her and talk to her slowly.

"Her children'they're wizards, James!" exclaimed Lily, finally drying her tears, "And'Petunia and Vernon'don't want them anymore!"

"What?? That's'completely ridiculous!" said James with shock, "May I see that letter?"

Lily silently handed him the letter and James read it, his face becoming angrier and angrier after each word. After he was done, he threw it down on the table and started pacing.

"How do Vernon and Petunia have the heart to do this?" said James in a loud voice, "Dudley and Diana are their own children!"

"James, Petunia can get pretty nasty when she dislikes something or someone, but I never knew she would be so cruel to her own children! And calling them orphans, that is going too far! As for Vernon, I never liked him from the start! He has no'feelings, and it would be just like him to throw his own children out!" cried Lily.

"What a pair!" thought James heatedly to himself.

"James, we'we have to take them in! Those poor darlings, they need us!" said Lily softly, her motherly instinct taking over. "Please! I can't bear to think of them in an orphanage or even worse, on the streets!"

James turned to her, a hurt look on his face.

"Lily, did you really think I would say no? Of course we're going to adopt them. There's no need to plead like that! No niece or nephew of James Potter is ever going to find themselves in the orphanage!"

"I'm sorry, I guess I got a little carried away. Oh, I'm so happy!" Lily cried out, rushing into James's arms. "We have to tell the kids. They'll be so glad they will have someone else to play with!"

"Yes, but first write a reply to Petunia so she doesn't do anything drastic before we get to Surrey," said James.

"Yes, of course!" said a very relieved Lily. On the way to the owlery, her mind went to her nephew and niece. How did Dudley and Diana look like? What were their personalities like? What were their favorite foods? "We must decorate rooms for them before they get here," thought Lily, her creative mind taking over.

In the owlery, Lily walked over to the little desk in the corner of the room, took out a piece of parchment that had wands as the border (just to bug Petunia), dipped her quill in some royal blue ink, and wrote.

Petunia,

First of all, all the feelings you feel towards me are completely mutual! Second of all, I honestly don't know how much more horrible you can get. What kind of mother gives up her children for such a stupid heartless reason? You seriously have to change your priorities soon! Mum and dad would have been ashamed if they knew what you were doing.

Anyhow, of course I will take in Dudley and Diana as soon as possible, so don't you dare do anything drastic before I come, or you'll have to answer to my wand, or James's for that matter! If you think I'm scary when I'm angry, just wait until you encounter James!

I'm coming tomorrow morning at 8:00, whether you like it or not, so you'd better be ready! Oh, and Dudley and Diana are not orphans, and never will be as long as either James or I are alive! Even if we ever die early, there are plenty of people we know that would take them in and raise them as their own children, something you're not capable of doing! So don't you dare do anything to them before now and 8:00, or else you will have to answer to me, because they are now my children!

Lily

Three hours later, Lily was finished decorating her niece's and nephew's bedrooms. She had just come home from Hogsmeade with Dudley's and Diana's new furniture, and with her wand's aid and the many household spells she knew, it hadn't taken long to finish.

The Potter Manor was five floors high, with six spacious bedrooms each on the second and third floors, and two medium-sized bedrooms on the first floor. The entire fourth floor was the library, and incidentally both Lily's and Anne's favorite room of the house, even including their own bedrooms.

Finally, the fifth floor held the drawing room, an indoor magical swimming pool, and a magical fitness center.

The very large finished attic was the servants' quarters, also called the house elves' quarters. The Potters believed in equal rights for house elves and looked after their own 100 with a lot of kindness and fairness. Other than the luxurious living quarters, the Potter house elves received five galleons a week and one vacation a month (something lots of Wizarding families don't even receive from their jobs). They would have given more, but the house elves threatened to commit suicide if they were more generous. Isabella, the old matronly head house elf, was at first aghast when Lily and James told her and the other 99 house elves that they were paying them, but when James jokingly said he would present them all with clothes if they didn't accept the money and vacations, they quickly accepted, but only to a limit.

The attic was furnished with deep brick red carpet, gold wallpaper, and 100 four poster beds with red and gold curtains (even though the attic was large, it was magically enlarged in the inside so that it would still be spacious even with 100 house elves). Next to each bed was one spacious cherry wood dresser, and on either side of the room was one bathroom.

The house elves were even given nice looking "uniforms", which James strongly told Isabella were NOT clothes. The uniform consisted of different colored pillowcases, embroidered for the females. All of them, both males and females, also got a red and gold badge, which held the Potter crest, to be pinned onto their "uniforms". After awhile, the house elves had to admit that the improved pillowcases were indeed nice, and whenever they went out on errands, they proudly flashed their badges at passersby to show that they belonged to the Potters.

On the second floor, the first bedroom belonged to Lily and James, the second one to Will, the third to Emma, and the fourth and fifth to guests.

On the third floor, the first bedroom belonged to Harry, the second was empty, the third to Anne, and the 4th, 5th, and 6th, were basically for guests, but Lily now decided that the second bedroom would be Dudley's and the 4th would be Diana's.

In Dudley's new bedroom, which was very large and had two big windows with blue velvet curtains (one facing the front and one facing the garden), the wallpaper was royal blue with gold border and the floor had a deep plush midnight blue carpet. Next to the window facing the garden, was a large queen sized bed (that had blue and white bed sheets and quilt, and four fluffy blue and white pillows) with a spacious dresser on its other side. Facing the bed was a walk in closet that was the size of half the room. Next to the closet was Dudley's very own bathroom, which was decorated in blues, whites, and golds also. Taking up half the southern wall was a rich mahogany desk with a cushioned swivel chair. Finally, to the right of the bedroom door was an enormous bookshelf that was currently empty and to the left was a floor to ceiling clothing cabinet.

Diana's bedroom was nearly the same except that it was decorated with pinks, greens, yellows, and whites. Also, the furniture was more girlish and placed in different spots.

After finishing up, Lily sighed with relief and pleasure. She couldn't wait to see Dudley and Diana's expressions when they saw their rooms tomorrow. Hopefully, they would like the colors she chose out for them.

After making sure Will and Emma were asleep, and telling Harry and Anne to put down their books and go to bed, Lily snuggled up in her own bed next to a snoring James with a smile on her face. What surprises would the next day bring? Little did she know that in only 10 hours, her and her family's lives would change forever.

Hey

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Chapter Five: Hurt and Comfort (Part 1)

"Mummy, where are you going?" asked Emma, munching on a banana nut muffin the next day at 7:30 in the morning.

"Your daddy and I are going to Privet Drive," replied Lily promptly, checking herself in the bedroom mirror, "and sweetie, I told you not to bring food into the bedrooms."

"What's Privet Drive?" asked Emma with an innocent face, pretending she hadn't heard her mother's last comment.

"Privet Drive is the street where your cousins live," replied Lily, smiling to herself at her little daughter's antics.

"We have cousins?" asked Will, appearing in the master bedroom, out of breath. He had been running from Harry, because he had stolen Harry's practice snitch.

"Yes, you have cousins. Now, Will and Emma, listen to me carefully. Your cousins, Dudley and Diana Dursley, are magical like all of us, but their parents aren't. They're muggles. Your Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon don't want them, because they hate magic, so we're going to keep them, alright? Your daddy and I are going over there right now to pick them up, and we'll be back in three hours, because we're going to use the car. Uncle Sirius is going to look after all of you, so be on your best behavior, alright?" said Lily sternly, mostly to Will. She knew Emma could behave herself, but Will was another story.

"Mummy, why don't Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon like Dudley and Diana? Aren't they their own children?" asked Emma, quite confused.

"Yes darling, but…there are people like that out there. Even if their own children are different from them, they don't love them," replied Lily sadly.

"If…if we weren't magical, would you…would you still love us?" asked Emma, afraid at the prospect of her parents not loving her.

"Of course sweetheart, we would and still will love all four of you now matter who you turn out to be," replied Lily.

"WILLIAM HENRY POTTER!!" came the angry voice of Harry, as his footsteps neared the bedroom. Will gulped.

"Uh oh, godda run!" he exclaimed, disappearing underneath the bed. Lily laughed and checked herself once more in the mirror, making sure she looked "normal" enough for Petunia. Lily was wearing khaki pants and a green silk top, and her long red hair fell in smooth waves down her back. She wore silver hoop earrings and a matching silver necklace that one of her best friends and sister-in-law, Harriet Potter (James's twin sister) had given her for Christmas. Yup, she was ready.

"James! We have to go!" she called into the bathroom. After grabbing her purse, she went downstairs just in time to answer the doorbell.

"Sirius! Just in time, as always!" she greeted happily, inviting Sirius into the house. Two minutes later, James came downstairs.

"Do I look muggle, Lils?" he asked seriously. James was wearing black pants and a blue casual t-shirt. Lily smiled. She knew how much James was trying to act muggle, so that Petunia wouldn't find any cause to criticize her further, and she appreciated it.

"Yes dear, now let's go!" she said, grabbing his arm and dragging him out the door.

"See you later, Padfoot! Oh, and could you please convince Will to return Harry's snitch to him before Harry murders him?" came the voice of James. Sirius chuckled and went in search of William Potter, who was still hiding underneath the bed in the master bedroom.

Lily and James apparated just outside Magnolia Crescent, in an old abandoned alley. Then James took out a miniature beetle sized blue Mercedes Benz from his pocket, checked to make sure no one was looking, and tapping it with his wand, turned it back to its normal glorious form.

"I'm so glad you forced me to get my license three years ago," he muttered to Lily after they both got in. Not even five minutes later, they drove into the immaculately neat driveway of #4 Privet Drive. Anticipating the meeting they were about to have, both of them walked up to the porch and Lily rang the doorbell.

The past three days had been absolutely horrible for Dudley and Diana Dursley. Their parents hadn't talked to them unless they had to, and their siblings had looked as if they were frightened of them. Dudley just glared the entire time, not showing the hurt and anger he had been feeling, but Diana had let the tears flow. A really sensitive girl, the neglect and hostility her parents had been showing her the past three days were really hurtful to her. The previous night, she had sat on the floor in front of the window, glancing out at the beautiful night sky, with its crescent moon and tiny sparkling stars dotting the sky. With sudden inspiration, Diana had folded her palms and closed her eyes.

"Dear God," she had whispered, "I don't know what I did wrong. If it was making the dishes fly into the sink, I didn't mean to. I honestly didn't. Please forgive me any of the wrongs I did, and please don't let this hurt continue! I know it's only been three days, but it feels more like three years. I love mummy and daddy, but why do they hate us now? I want to feel loved again, and I know Dudley does too, even though he doesn't show it. Please, please dear God, please make our lives like how they were before! Please show me a sign that tells me I didn't do anything wrong!"

Diana didn't know if she imagined it or not, but something like a shooting star had flown past her window.

The next morning at 6:00, Petunia and Vernon had woken up Dudley and Diana, and told them that since they were freaks and didn't deserve their love, they disowned them. It was astonishing how simply and non-caringly they had said this. Diana had burst into tears, and Dudley's face had gone white. He glared at the floor while his parents continued. They told him and his sister that if their Aunt Lily and Uncle James would adopt them, then they would go live with them, but if they didn't come, then they would go to the orphanage. Diana had stared at the parents who had loved her so much with surprise and hurt. So it was true. Her parents didn't love her or her brother, and they never would.

Now, at 7:55, they waited in the living room with one duffel bag each. Their mother had allowed them to take anything that would fit in that bag and that bag only. Everything else would go to Duncan and Delilah. Diana clutched her bag to her chest and waited, trying not to cry. She was leaving the first home she had ever known since she had come home from the hospital eight years ago, and she would never come back. Dudley's glare, which had helped him make it the past three days, was still plastered on his face, but now there was a sign of helplessness and vulnerability on it. Both kids waited, and waited, and waited, for what seemed an eternity, but it was only five minutes. Finally, exactly when the clock struck eight, the doorbell rang, and both kids jumped, along with their so called parents.

The door was opened to reveal a bony woman with a frown on her face. Lily stared at her sister, whom she hadn't seen for nine years, with surprise. Petunia, who had been very bony nine years ago, had gained a little more weight, but not that much. She was still extremely thin, and her mousy blond hair was thinner. Her taste of clothes, however, hadn't changed. She was wearing a ridiculously vibrant salmon colored summer dress with large teal flowers plastered all over it. Lily smiled to herself. "Well," she thought, "I look more "normal" than her then, huh?"

"Come in. They're in the living room," she said stiffly. James put his arm around Lily's shoulders comfortingly and led her into the house. The living room was ridiculously clean just like the garden outside, and two children sat on one of the sofas quietly. When Lily and James entered, they looked up and stared at their aunt and uncle, with whom they were going to live for the rest of their lives.