I sat on a stool flipping the bacon in the frying pan and making sure the bread in the oven wasn't burning. I didn't have time to make the juice before my Aunt came back inside from gardening.

" Harry! Harry! Where are you? I need help!" I yelled out. I didn't know where Harry was so I yelled louder than I usually would.

" No hollering, girl! Shut up, will you? You didn't burn my toast did you?" My uncle walked into the kitchen face purple and prepared to give me a beating for my failures.

" No, sir. No, Uncle Vernon. It's just I feared I wouldn't have enough time to finish cooking your breakfast sir and stir up the juice." I told him my concerns and he didn't look one bit less angry. He slapped me right across the face and it sounded like lightning cracking in the sky. My face stung and I held my hand pressed against it in hopes it would hurt less.

" Hurry up, girl! Dudley wants his breakfast! And that freak of a brother of yours has passed out in the cupboard." He snickered at that last part. Of course he took pleasure in beating poor Harry senseless. I couldn't wait till I was dismissed from the kitchen to go mend Harry's wounds I knew he had. I scooped the bacon out of the frying pan and on to 3 different plates, one for Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley. Harry and I would get nothing to eat until dinner. We get their leftover scraps. I quickly stirred up the juice and poured it in record time. I pulled the bread from the over, burning my finger in the process, but it was cooked just the way Uncle Vernon liked it. Uncle Vernon inspected the food, " Dismissed! Now go, girl, leave!"

I scurried quickly out of the room and to me and Harry's bedroom, the cupboard under the staircase. Harry lay unconscious and appeared to have been tossed into the room after being beaten. I can't believe I didn't hear this while I was cooking. The sizzling of the bacon couldn't have been that loud. He must have held something to Harry's mouth so I wouldn't come to defend him. I sneaked out of the cupboard, I quietly listened to the voices coming from the dining area to make sure everyone was in there. They appeared to be, so I crept into the kitchen to grab a basin of hot water and a rag. I tried to walk as carefully as possible without the water sloshing or spilling.

I fatefully made it back to the cupboard and took his and my own pillow to prop him against the wall. He had a gash about 3 inches on top of his head, it needs stitches. He also has a black eye, bloody nose, bruises that go from his neck to his legs, and cuts from being hit too hard. I wonder what that bloody, old git hit Harry with. He did a mighty fine job hurting him though. I brought the warm cloth to the gash and his eyes fluttered, but he most likely won't fully regain consciousness for a half hour to an hour. I cleaned the cut and the more I did the deeper it looked. I heard a loud knock on the front door and I ignored it as I was tending to my brother's wounds. I heard talking outside my quarters and heard Harry's and my own name. Who could possibly be calling that knows Harry and myself? Maybe Mrs. Figg.

" Anne, dear, please get out of your hiding spot now, please." I heard Aunt Petunia's voice speaking to me, but I couldn't quite grasp the fact she was being polite to me. When I didn't respond to her request she knocked on the cupboard door. I decided that if I didn't want to be beaten bloody after our guest left I should come out and behave myself. I looked down at my apparel, a stained, oversized dress Aunt Petunia didn't want anymore and I only have one other outfit, but it was on the clothesline in the backyard. I flattened my dress as much as I could and brushed my fingers through my jet black hair. I opened the cupboard door and I saw an odd looking man staring down at me.

" Are you Anne Potter?" I nodded. He furrowed his brow as he took in my pitiful appearance. My disgusting hair and oversized clothing. I took in his odd appearance. He had on black billowing robes, quite scary. He had greasy black hair and a long nose. He acted as if he was above the Dursleys and seemed very nonchalant. " Where is your brother, Harry? Your Aunt and Uncle are saying there is no Harry Potter here. Is this true?" He said this to me and I wished he could read my mind and find Harry on his own so he can get the stitches he needs.

I looked to my Aunt and Uncle before answering and they both gave me pointed looks that said I better do as they wish. " Yes, sir. I have no brother." I looked up at him and signaled my eyes toward the cupboard door. He understood my gesture.

" Such a curious place to be hiding, a cupboard. I will just take a quick peek in there if it is alright with you Petunia." Did he already know Aunt Petunia because he spoke her name in disgust?

" You will do no such thing, Severus. This is my house and you will not go lurking around as Lily allowed you to do when we were children. Get out this instance, please! You can see we are all a happy fam-" Severus wasn't waiting for permission and swung the cupboard door open, exposing my unconscious brother. Severus turned back to look at me and there were so many expressions on his face I couldn't comprehend them all. He was mortified and above all surprised. Why would he be surprised? We always get treated this way. Harry got treated worse than often this time.

" What you have done here, Petunia-! This is a crime! Ms. Potter will you collect yours and your brother belongings and come with me, please? I will get your brother."

" But, sir, who are you? Where are we going? The hospital? Harry needs stitches urgently, please!" I begged and pleaded with my eyes.

" I'm Professor Severus Snape and I work at the school your mother and father attended in their youth. The headmaster of the school is a family friend of theirs and I'm taking you to him and you will hopefully be placed in his care. There is a hospital at the school, so your brother will be well taken care of." He sounded genuine enough, so I believed him. I grabbed our revolutionary war figurines off the self and our letter that was left with us when we were left on our Aunt and Uncle's doorstep. " That it?" He asked in disbelief. I nodded my head curious as to why he would think I would have more. He pulled out a wooden stick and muttered something under his breath and suddenly my brother was lifted into the air. I screamed. " It's ok, it's just a bit of magic. You can do it too. The school I work at is a school of witchcraft and wizardry. Your mother and father went there. You're a witch too. I know it's a lot to take in, but you might see more odd things today, so I thought you ought to know." We walked out of the cupboard and Harry floated behind us.

" Good riddance! They won't be coming back! If they leave they can't come back!" Uncle Vernon told Severus.

" Well, I personally would never allowed them to come back to this hell hole!" Snape yelled back. Uncle Vernon glared daggers at him, but also had a hint of fear in his face. We walked out the back door into the backyard. Severus held out his hand for me to take and I didn't understand why, but I did it. He took Harry's floating hand and suddenly everything was shaking and my vision was blurry. I felt as though I would throw up and suddenly we were somewhere else. A small village. " Sorry, I didn't warn you that you might feel sick after that. We just apparated. In muggle term, teleported."

" Muggle? And where are we?" I asked.

" Muggles are non magic people, like your Aunt and Uncle. I believe the reason they mistreat you is because they are jealous. As for where we are, we are in Hogsmeade and we will have to walk the rest of the way to the school. If you want, you can ask me any questions." I contemplated what I would even ask. Today I found out that I'm a witch and Harry probably a wizard. Mum and Dad were, too. We left the Dursley's home and Severus said we would never have to go back.

" How do you know us? Why didn't mum and dad's family friend come get us?" I thought it seemed a reasonable question because he is a stranger that I'm following to who knows where.

" Well, their friend, Albus, is older and he thought it would be a better idea for me, someone younger, to go check on you and your brother. The circumstances were way less than unsatisfactory, so I took matters into my own hands and now I will deliver you to Albus. I did know your mother myself, though. We were the best of friends when we were children and did absolutely everything together. I was distraught when I found out, Lily had passed on. So, Anne, right? How old are you?" I could tell he was changing the subject. I guess talking about my dead mother made him uncomfortable.

" I'm 9. So's Harry if you didn't already know that we were twins. Why did you get mad at Aunt Petunia?" I asked genuinely curious. "We always get punished and Dudley tells us at his school all freaks get sent off to asylums, so we were lucky to be where we were." Severus looked angry and didn't answer for a few minutes. I didn't look away from his face until he answered me and he finally did, " Anne. Kids are NOT supposed to be hit like that! I understand that you didn't know any better and thought that's what is supposed to happen, but it's not. What they were doing to you, what they have done to Harry is abuse. Full fledged child abuse. That is a crime and unlawful. I will have them arrested for this. Don't you worry, I will never let them come near either one of you ever again. I have personal expierence when dealing with child abuse matters, so I will help you both in any way possible!"

" You say you have expierence. How so?" I could tell he was uncomfortable to speak of this, but I guess he did it for my sake. " Well, when I was a boy my father would hurt my mother and I bad. About as bad as Mr and Mrs. Dursley have hurt you and Harry. He was vile and cruel. Once I went to school I learned that wasn't how children are normally treated at home, so I told a teacher and my father got sent to prison for his crimes."

" I'm sorry. You don't have to continue if talking about this makes you uncomfortable, sir." He smiled at me and nodded.

" You don't have to call me 'sir', you can call me Severus." He smiled again and faced forwards.

" So … they were never supposed to hit us? I always thought it odd that they never hit Dudley." He nodded, saying that they weren't. " But this Albus, he'll help us?" I looked up to Severus.

" Well, he doesn't know that you are coming. But he is one of the kindest hearted people I know, so he will help you. Please don't tell him I said that," he laughed. We walked onward, Harry floating behind us. I could see a beautiful, large castle coming up in the distance. I was excited to see what would end up happening to us.