A/N: I'm back to writing after a very, very long break. I've had this story in mind for even longer than my break and I've had the first for chapters written for just as long. They've been constantly reread and rewritten. I've finally gotten inspiration back - so I hope to be updating often. Please review, it really motivates me and helps me improve!

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns everything. The plot and any character you don't recognize are mine.

Prologue:

It was cold and windy; the chilly December air held a silence that could only scream snow. It was getting late but I could still see people walking along the streets from where I was hidden. A few would pause or hesitate awkwardly, having spotted my shadow or a brief moment when the light hit my hair.

I didn't blame them for not stopping – I would do the same. I'm small and insignificant; no one knew who I was.

I had found a good hiding spot for the night, if I said so myself. Tucked away in a small alleyway, hidden mostly from the wind, I sat curled in a ball. My clothes were light, clearly I hadn't planned well for this little expedition of mine. I gathered the flimsy cloth harder against my body, trying to create warmth.

I was cold, I was tired and I was ready to give up.

I could be warm in my bed at school. I could be learning, laughing with my friends – wait, scratch that. I've never had any friends and I doubt that would change now.

I only have one friend, my best friend.

My throat tightened and I could feel the wetness pool in my eyes as I pictured her in my mind. Her eyes alight with excitement, the corners crinkled from years of laughing.

My mother.

The pain of how much I missed her hit me full force, causing me to let out a strangled sob. The sound startled a little boy and his father as they exited a door near the entrance of the alley. They glanced my way but then continued on.

Once I gained control of my emotions, my thoughts wandered back to my mother. I was so much like her. Which probably explains why I'm still huddled in the cold and determined to do not give up, after all, I'm not just doing this for myself, I know it'll help her in the end too.

Pulling an old newspaper out of my pocket, I opened to the centerfold. The page was wrinkled and worn – most likely from me staring at the same picture all night, every night.

And tonight was no different. I stared at the picture in the center; the reason that I ran away, that I'm sitting here, alone in the cold.

I knew that I was getting closer to my destination, to getting my answers. I was closer than I'd ever dreamed of getting – but I was still so far away, I'm not sure if I can make it through this cold. Folding up the paper, I laid on the frozen ground and closed my eyes, it must've started to snow. I could feel the frozen flakes land on my bare skin. I shivered once and drifted off to sleep.