The Flower and the Badger

Chapter 1

Anna groaned as she heard her Aunt Petunia bang on the door of the cupboard that she and her brother Harry shared.
"Up!" Aunt Petunia said in that shrill voice of hers. "Get up! Now!"
Anna and Harry both dressed, and Petunia rapped on the door again.
"Are you up yet?"
"Nearly." Harry responded.
"Well, get a move on, I want you two to look after the bacon and eggs. And don't you dare let it burn. I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."
Anna and Harry exchanged a look and groaned. Anna sighed as she ran a hand through her unruly red hair. "Better get out there before she throws a fit." She mumbled to Harry, who nodded in response. They opened the cupboard door and went into the kitchen. Harry went to man the bacon frying in the pan, while Anna went over to the refrigerator, taking out the tub of butter and the carton of eggs.
After melting the butter in a pan, she cracked the eggs and began to scramble them. She sighed as she saw the amount of presents that Dudley had received. And yet whenever hers and Harry's birthday came around, all they got was a hanger or a pair of used socks, if they ever got anything at all. Anna and Harry had been living with their Aunt and Uncle ever since Anna could remember. Their parents had both died in a car crash, but Anna didn't know anything else about it. Whenever she tried to find out more about it, Uncle Vernon would hit her and tell her not to ask stupid questions. That was how it was. While they bullied Harry and such, they almost never hit him, that always seem to fall on Anna, even if she had committed the smallest of infractions. This resulted in Anna being very nervous and flinchy, but you couldn't exactly blame her. Once the breakfast was ready, she and Harry scooped it out onto everyone's plates, before feeding themselves. Dudley was counting his presents as they sat down. His face fell and Anna inwardly groaned, fearing the temper tantrum that was sure to come.
"Thirty-six." Dudley said as he looked at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."
"Darling..." Cooed Aunt Petunia. "You haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's right here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."
"Alright, thirty-seven then." By this point Dudley had gone right in the face, and the Potter twins began wolfing down their food before Dudley could start kicking and screaming. Aunt Petunia seemed to sense oncoming danger as well, because she quickly added, "and we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?"
Dudley thought a moment, and Anna thought he might explode from how hard he was trying. "So I'll have thirty....thirty..."
"Thirty-nine." Anna muttered under her breath, and she quickly looked down at her lap as Uncle Vernon glared at her. His glare changed to a grin as he looked at his son. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He chuckled as he fondly ruffled Dudley's hair. While Dudley was opening his presents, the phone rang, and Aunt Petunia went to go answer it. Anna watched Dudley open a new racing bike, a camcorder, an RC airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. Dudley was in the middle of opening a gold wrist watch when Aunt Petunia came back, and Anna shrank back at the look that was on her face.
"Bad news, Vernon. Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take them." She jerked her head in Harry and Anna's direction. Dudley's mouth fell open, but the twins looked at each other a bit excitedly. Every year their aunt, uncle, and Dudley went to summer fun for Dudley's birthday, and every year, Harry and Anna were left behind with their neighbor, Mrs. Figg. Mrs. Figg smelled like stale cabbage and made them look at pictures of her cats.
"We could phone Marge." Uncle Vernon suggested and Aunt Petunia shook her head.
"Don't be silly, Vernon, Marge hates them."
"You could just leave us here." Harry said, and Aunt Petunia give them a look so sour that Anna just wanted to sink into the floor and disappear. She nudged Harry to tell him to shut his mouth before they both got into trouble.
"I suppose we could take them to the zoo..." Aunt Petunia said slowly. "... And leave them both in the car..."
"That car's new!" Uncle Vernon exclaimed. "They're not sitting in it alone."
Anna had to keep from rolling her eyes as Dudley began to cry loudly. Well, it wasn't actually crying, Dudley hadn't cried in years. But that didn't stop Aunt Petunia from wrapping her arms around the boy. "Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy don't let them ruin your special day!" Just then the doorbell rang and Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in. Piers was a skinny boy who resembled a rat. Whenever he saw Anna, he gave her a look creepy enough that you would hide behind Harry, who would wrap his arms around her.

Half an hour later, The Potters found themselves in the back seat of the Dursley's car. Harry made sure that Anna had a window seat and he sat next to her, so Piers couldn't try anything. Uncle Vernon pulled the car out of the driveway and they were on their way.