The Potter Twins

The Vanishing Glass

It was dark and quiet inside our small cupboard. My twin brother, Harry and I, shared a small closet space with a tiny cot inside. This had been our room for nearly eleven years. We lived with our Aunt Petunia, a tall woman, with black hair and a thin face, who always looked angry. Uncle Vernon, a bigger, round fellow, who was most unpleasant. As well as our dreadful cousin, Dudley. The Dursley's were horrible folk, but they were our only family.

I had woken up when Harry shifted on our shared cot and I couldn't go back to sleep. I realized the book I was reading last night, still laid on my stomach. I picked it up and tucked it gently back under the mattress, so my Aunt wouldn't take it away.

I knew soon enough, we'd be woken up by our Aunt Petunia and she'd let us out of the locked cupboard. So, I just laid awake, thinking. Not about anything in particular, since I didn't have anything really to think about. When the light came in from the outside and a loud rapping hit our door.

"Up. Get up." My Aunt's shrill voice flowed through the door. "Now!" She smacked the door again, and the lock I heard was finally unhitched.

Harry's eye's fluttered open, and he reached above our head's for his large round glasses he needed to be able to see. I pulled the rope hanging above our heads to turn on the light.

"Good morning, Harry." I yawned and stretched as I sat up.

"Good morning, Olivia." Harry smiled softly at me.

No sooner than Harry swinging his legs off the end of bed we heard the familiar elephant like footsteps, stomping down the stairway. Our cousin, Dudley, ran halfway back up the stairs and began jumping, making the saw dust from the wood above our heads, fall down onto us. Harry and I both grumbled and we began to get up from the bed to move away from the falling dust. As well as we could anyways, since our cupboard was so small.

"Wake up, cousin's. We're going to the zoo!" Dudley yelled excitedly through the thin barrier between us.

I was quite surprised the stairs hadn't broken on top of us yet. Dudley started laughing as he ran back down the stairway. I tried to climb out of the small space first, but I was quickly met with the hand of my cousin. He shoved my chest and I fell back into the room on Harry. Slightly squishing him with my small body on the bed beneath us. We both groaned and Dudley laughed more, while running into the kitchen.

"Sorry, Harry. It's going to be a very long day." I sighed, moving off my brother.

"It's fine. I do fear you're right." Harry shook his head and adjusted his already partially broken glasses.

We climbed out of our room, just in time to hear our Aunt squeak in delight at the sight of her child.

"Oh, here he comes, the birthday boy!" She giggled, snuggling him.

"Happy Birthday, son." Uncle Vernon called out to him from the dining table he sat at, reading the morning paper as he usually does.

Harry and I walked into the kitchen, wearing our ratty clothing. His were oversized hammy down's from Dudley, while mine were a bit to small from the neighbor girl, Sarah. She was younger than me, but she was just as spoiled by her parents as Dudley. Getting new clothing nearly every year, every time she whined and begged for something. Neither Harry, nor I, were very big in size, since we weren't always treated the best. But we put up with it, because honestly, what other choice did we have?

"Why don't you just cook the breakfast, and try not to burn anything." Aunt Petunia snapped at me as we both entered the kitchen.

    "Yes, Aunt Petunia." I nodded.