The Ultimate Guide to Harry Potter Fanfiction

Harry Potter's Twin

All right, so how this will work is I will give a basic example of this cliche, based on most storied I've read like this. It's not based on any one story, and I promise that any likeness to a story you've read is purely coincidental. This is a cliche, after all, and thus pretty common.

The example is of course going to be much shorter than normal fanfics. I'll probably just write a first chapter for a cliche fanfic, or at least a chapter. Less than 1000 words, which is the average chapter size for Wattpad I'd say. Anyway, feel free to point out cliches as you read this. Just a note, I know there are a lot of ways Harry's twin stories tend to branch off after the beginning, and I could write chapters about each one (and will if I ever get the time) but I'm going to stick with the basics for now.

Harry Potter's Twin

My name is Scarlet Lily Potter, and I'm not exactly normal. At least, my foster family says so. They hate me. All my life, I've been stuck with them. They make me make their meals and clean their house, and sleep in the attic. I don't complain, though. If I do, I'll get a beating.

On a morning just like every other, I woke up and realized it was my birthday. I was eleven today. They wouldn't remember. They probably didn't know what my birthday was. I sighed and got dressed. As I did, I paused for a second to glance down at my wrist and wonder at my flower shaped scar. I didn't know where it'd come from. It had always been there. My foster family said it came in the car crash when my parents died. I shrugged and walked downstairs to start cooking breakfast.

I made eggs and bacon, and set the table, then looked around for some scraps to eat. While I was finishing up the last of last week's bread, I heard my family pound down the stairs. They were four of them: Mr. Cole, a fat, pig-like man who always wore clothes too tight for him; Mrs. Cole, a fat, pig-like lady who always wore clothes too tight for her; Priscilla, a fat, pig-like girl about two years older than me who always wore clothes too tight for her and too much makeup; and Alexander, a fat, pig-like boy my age who always wore clothes too tight for him. They all started chowing down on the food is made, then I heard them screaming my name.

"SCARLET! GET IN HERE!"

I ran in quickly, because if I didn't I'd have gotten a beating. Mr. Cole was holding up a piece of bacon. "You know Priscilla is on a no-meat diet!"

"I-I'm sorry, sir, I for—"

"NO TALKING!" Mr. Cole slapped me so hard that I flew into the wall and crumple over.

"Get up, idiot girl!" Mrs. Cole screamed.

I tried to, but I had cracked a rib when I'd hit the wall and couldn't stand up. Mr. Cole came over and kicked me. I didn't make a sound because that would have made him beat me more. He kept kicking me until something caught his attention.

An owl had flown through the window and landed on Alexander's plate. Alexander and Priscilla were screaming, and Mr. Cole ran to grab a broom to shoo the bird away. I noticed it was holding an envelope and went to get it, because my broken rib had healed.

It said:
Scarlet Lily Potter
The Attic
876 Aspen Drive
London

I'd never gotten mail before. I started to open the envelope but Mr. Cole grabbed it away.

"That's mine!" I shouted.

"It's not!" Mr. Cole read it, then turned purple with rage. "This can't be real! I refuse!"