Prologue
She never once sat in one of those strange moving boxes - cars. They looked funny but were also so colorful sometimes. A neighbor once scoffed at the sight of a really colorful one with pretty pictures all over it, but she still found it so pretty.
Her stomach clenched when the car growled, similarly to one of aunt Marge's dogs, but the nervosity of the moment was replaced by excitement when the box actually moved. The outside was still dark and cold with snowflakes slowly creeping towards the ground.
The car gained speed as it left the only place that she had known until now. Cookie-cutter houses also vanished soon enough, leaving the girl's entire known universe behind.
The box was fairly cold and drafty with the only source of light being the large shiny eyes at its front. Light bounced off the few trees as they passed them and bounced right back inside. The girl entertained herself by counting her fingers when she was not looking outside. Another box made a "swoosh" sound as it passed by, illuminating the area before the darkness came back.
The girl held her hands together, hoping to retain some heat, uneasiness which sprang from the feeling of uncertainty and the unknown.
Her Uncle grumbled about something, but it was hard to hear him, not that she could have asked what led to this special occurrence. She is riding in a car! Therefore something must be up! Or so she thought quietly.
Uncle seemed impatient and impatient Uncle is bad news, something almost always happens when he is impatient about something, the car moved faster and faster until... all of the sudden, there was yet another vehicle on the road, a pretty big one by the looks of it and heading towards them. Car horns resonated through the area and her Uncle made a quick movement as he spun around the steering wheel, swearing along the way.
The girl closed her eyes, expecting impact.
...
There was only a 'pop' sound and it was not even that loud.
She looked around, very slowly. Her Uncle was cursing, again. The big car however wasn't there, at all. Where did it go?
"You!"
She immediately straightened in her seat, removing her hands from her head and putting them on her side in an attempt to disappear in the gray seat. He had that impression of an angry bull again and she expected yet another lesson from him but in the end, he just stared at her angrily.
Then he just looked around, started the engine and off they went. She just let out a deep breath she did not even realize that she was holding.
He just left her alone. Something really special must be happening. The girl looked outside hoping to count snowflakes again, except then she realized that it was no longer snowing.
When did it stop snowing? She sighed.
Chapter 1: Winter and gold
She looked down at the small bag in confusion, then back at her uncle... who was not even really paying her any attention as he was going back to his car. "Um..." She considered going after him for a moment but she stopped on spot knowing better than doing something that could disturb the man. The man himself was already stepping inside his car, grumbling something about 'horrid maps', 'cheap workforce' and 'corrupted upper managements'. The usual. He spared her one more glance before finally getting inside.
He made the usual expression: Eyebrows furrowed, nostrils widened and mouth formed into an unpleasant grimace, giving an impression that the owner was looking at something wholly unpleasant, or maybe sniffing some of the food that she usually ate. He hated the smell a lot, she still hasn't figured out why though.
The vehicle started up and she watched as he drove off.
For some reason the man had problems with finding the place where he was supposed to drop her off, then he eventually gave up and that is how she happened to find herself there. It started snowing, not as much as before, but it was still snow. And all that she had on her person was one of her cousin's large shapeless shirts, some thin worn-down footwear, and some shorts that were equally as cold-resistant as the rest of her outfit. So, as a result, the first thing she did on the streets of London before she even looked around was that she shivered, let her hands clap around her small figure, and dropped the small bag.
The little girl went over the bag to check its contents. There was not much, some old socks, an extra shirt (that she quickly threw on top of the one that she already had), and something that vaguely resembled a doll. Upon further examination, she realized that it is one of Dudley's discarded toys rather than a doll.
She placed it back into the bag which she threw over her shoulders and started walking.
The first night was hard. It was cold, even colder than what she usually is, not even the dirty hole-ridden blanket she found discarded in one of the trash heaps located in some dark alley couldn't remedy the brittle cold air. Then there was the hunger. The water she could find a solution for - eat some snow, problem solved even if it made her feel even colder. Food? Ironically, it was much easier to find that blanket than some food.
After a day spent walking around, she finally got lucky when she found an entire burger just lying forgotten on a sidewalk.
Yes.
The next night was a little better because of that.
The third day however was by far the worst: The severity of the situation finally reared its fangs. One meal in two days was even less than she would usually eat and it especially was not enough while her own body worked extra hard to keep her body temperature high. She was sore all over.
It is going to be fine.
Unfortunately, when she asked for something, there was this food stand on one of the corners, the man looked at her once before he told her to get lost. When she insisted, he turned around giving her some hope. "Get out of here you brat!" Only to turn around and have what looked like a long wooden stick in his hand. The stick swished through the air and hit her square in the face. It did not really hurt that much really, but the shock still caused her to turn around on her heel and flee. "Tell your lazy parents to get a job instead of sending out their bastard!"
That was a disaster. After a long day of the search, she has eventually managed to find something, also a new sleeping spot: In an old abandoned building, on the second floor. Windows have been shattered so there could be a draft when the wind picks up but after some time of moving things around, they blocked them off well.
She swept the floor, getting the dirty weird pointy things away.
It wasn't much but it was hers.
It has been two weeks since that day. Cold still bit into her bones like before but this time she had means to warm herself up. Finding old plastic cups, she gathered water which she left in a corner to turn back to the water. Her ability to seek out food has gotten better: now she could find food more reliably than before.
The day before, she picked an odd bottle and gave it a try. It was sweet and made her feel warm, so much so that she ended up drinking the little that was inside that evening. Everything was so fuzzy after. Looking back, it was a bad idea. The headache the next day was not worth it.
She threw the cursed thing out with vengeance.
Never again. What even that thing was, she was never going to touch that stuff ever.
She sighed.
More scavenging today.
Sometime later, she was going through the usual spots.
It was about a month in when she started mentioning other things around her. The month previously was a blur, focused on surviving the cold, maybe that is why she has not seen other things. Like the people. Where were the people? What she honestly that blind? When one says people, it is not like 'people people'. People wearing nice neat clothes, eating nice food and moving around the main streets.
She means people like her, those that sit on the sidewalks in dark corners of the city, eating scraps and hurdling around small fires for warmth.
Not knowing what to really expect, she walked closer towards one of these groups, few heads turned around slightly before most of them went back to staring at the flames or chatting among each other in quiet voices. She was going to leave, she knew better than to force herself to sit among people that don't want her there in the first place. But then... "Hey, kid!" She looked again and indeed there was a change, a small spot opened up, just big enough for her to fit in the circle.
A little braver now, she strode and in joined. It was still smelly but it was warm.
Someone dared to offer her the sweet-smelling demonic water thing. A toothless man who still managed to somehow put all the other smiles to shame. In a good way of course. This act of course made her look at him and furrow her brows in an attempt to replicate his expression whenever he looked at her. "Put that thing away!"
Somehow, the man appeared to be even happier than before. "Jo!" Someone called out to him. "Leave the kid be!" A woman came into her vision and look at the man disappointed. "Really?"
"Just a small welcoming gift to this pipsqueak." He wheezed out. Yes, his voice sounded like a weird mix between coughing and a whistle that was abou to die a horrible death but somehow the result was still hilarious enough that it made her forget the evil water bottle in his hand and crack a smile.
"Ignore him, sweetie, why don't you come and sit with me?"
"Sure?" She said uncertainly. "Miss."
The woman looked down at the mop of black hair for a moment before cracking a smile. "Well, thank you, sweetie! Though I am well past the age to be called Miss, I appreciate the comment!" That lifted her mood as she followed the woman around, the adult in question looked around and sent one more glare towards the toothless man.
"Care to share your name?"
"Ugh..." The girl scratched her head nervously. Her uncle always said that those like her don't deserve a name of their own, which is why she never really got one. This lead to her asking about her parents, however the question only resulted in her getting hit by the newspaper that her aunt was holding at the time and an order to go back to house chores. She did not really mind house chores, it kept her occupied, but she kind of hoped to be called something.
"It's okay if you don't want to say anything." The woman said still smiling. "I am Anna and my friend over there that tried to give you some wine is Jonathan."
"Wine? That is what the evil thing is called? And Jo is short for Jonathan?" She inquired, while the woman, Anna chuckled.
"Yes. That is what it is called. Now, you see you are still a little too young for such a thing so stay away from it, promise?"
"Sure, promise!"
"As for Jo, truth to be told, nobody really knows if Jo goes for Jonathan or Joe and James or something, but nobody really cares, so feel free to call him whatever, he won't mind."
Oh. Oh. Now that sounds like a good solution. "Hello, I am Pipsqueak!"
Anna looked at her for a moment wondering whether the little girl was serious before she burst into full-blown laughter. "Well, you do fit the bill." Embarrassed, the newly named Pipsqueak rubbed the back of her head. Maybe it wasn't such a good pick but it was the best thing she could think of at that moment. Don't judge.
"Pip." That also sounded nice. "My little Pip. Come on, I'll brush your hair, it is unbecoming of a young lady to walk around like that."
There was a sudden noise behind her, causing the girl to jump and hide behind the nearest object. The source was Jo, the toothless man who looked at them all baffled. "Wait. That is not a girl."
Pip's eyebrows rose up in realization, Anna's expression became a frown. "Maybe if you drunk a little less, you might have recognized what sort of incredible beauty is standing here among us."
Both turned behind the corner with Jo still looking after them in quiet disbelief.
"I apologize for asking this, but where are your parents?" The question dropped suddenly, One moment, Anna was brushing her hair (someone brushing her hair!), the next there was this. The girl looked around at the worried-looking woman, in her hands she had a little brush. Scissors lied by her side which she used to cut out some knots earlier. Not a pretty thing. Also, they hurt.
Anna made a comment regarding how she would wash her hair as well if it wasn't so cold and then this.
"They are dead Miss."
A quiet oh escaped her.
For a moment, the Pipsqueak wondered whether she did anything wrong, It wasn't really a secret, though this was the first time someone reacted to this piece of info that way. There was never an issue, Aunt and her group of women always said good riddance before moving onto another topic, likely one that involved some neighbor. She never quite understood that woman but she was her aunt.
Anna finished pulling the hair out of the brush, clumped it together before throwing it into the nearest fire.
"... any relatives or other family?" She asked again, this time her voice was openly filled with worry.
"Uncle left me on one of the streets about a month ago, never came back so I guess I don't have any anymore." The woman covered her mouth in a quiet shock, now making the girl really worried.
"A-are you feeling sick?" She knew the woman for about an hour, but she still likes her way more than all the adults she ever knew. She was nice and gentle and she tried her best not to pull her hair like Aunt who liked to pull on it as much as she could during those odd times that her hair was long enough to be brushed.
"They left you here on Christmas?"
"Ch-smash?" The first thing that occurred to her when hearing that name was one of Dudley's computer games, he had tons of those. Was this woman also interested in games?
"Christmas." She related. "It is a time of the year when families get together to celebrate."
"Oh! That. I guess they wanted to celebrate alone this year. I mean, Uncle never liked having me in the house, especially when things were happening. Do you think that he will come back to pick me up?" With each and every word that she said, the woman seemed more upset to a point that the girl was starting to get really worried. Anna looked at the girl sadly. "I-I mean, it is okay if they don't! I mean, I have survived for a month! I am sure I can manage!" She quickly added, hoping to fix the damage.
Anna pulled her closer and gave her a big hug.
Does that mean that it worked? The pipsqueak was worried for a moment as the older person held her but in the end, she gave in and hugged her back.
Hugs are good, she had just learned. Nice and warm. "From this moment on, I'll be the one looking after you, is that alright?"
Pip looked up at Anna, surprised. "Are you sure?"
"Yes! Absolutely! I'll give you anything you might need!"
Pip still did not know how to react. This kind Miss barely knows her and already wants to look after her? She did not get it. She opened her mouth to reply but was silenced immediately. "Liste, Pip. Little girl. A family is a family no matter what happens, but they are a real family because the relationship goes both ways. What your Uncle did to you was very, very bad. He should have never left you here like that."
The girl closed her mouth, still not knowing what to feel or how to react. Anna put her down, turned around, and reached into the same bag from which she took the hairbrush previously. She did something while there, Pip leaned to the side to get a better look but in the somewhat dark room, it was impossible to guess what is up. Eventually, she decided to walk a little closer, but by the time she could have gotten good luck, Anna pulled out her hands and closed it. A glitter caught Pip's eyes, which widened as she realized what Anna was holding.
"With this, you are going to be mine" In her hand, she held a small glittering gold necklace. It was as out of place as one can imagine - a thin gold chain with the tiniest of hearts, a cross, and another weird cross. All gold and just so small.
It is something her aunt would have never allowed Pip to touch with her 'filthy little hands' even when cleaning around the house.
If she was not speechless before, now she really was.
"I come from a place where it is kind of a tradition that when a child reaches a certain age, they all get this. It is very important!"
"Important?" She inquired.
"Yes! It is like a blessing. The heart is for love, wishing the child to be loved. The cross is for faith and the anchor for good luck." She spoke, enthusiastically. Pip looked at it again before...
"What is an anchor?" The woman laughed. At least she was not sad anymore, she still did not really get what made her so sad. Anna leaned down and showed her the weird cross. "Anchor. Boats use these so they wouldn't be carried away by waves. In some places, they also mean good luck."
With that, Anna leaned forward and put the glittering gold around Pip's neck. The cold metal looked so odd on her, but it was so pretty as well.
Eventually, Pip decided that she liked it. "Thank you, Miss Anna!" This time, Pip hugged her. It was nice and soft.
Things have changed. Ever since Anna took her under her wings, she no longer had to spend the entire day running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Not her expression, Jo said that. The line was followed by an innocent 'do chickens really do that?' question. Anna disapproved of the use of language and Pip protested. Seriously, do chickens really run with their heads cut off? That is so weird!
Anna gave her food, nice food. Food that was way better than what she ever pulled out of the trash heaps or what she ate at her Aunt and Uncle's, it was even warm. She gobbled it up without a second question, partially still worried that Anna might change her mind about the whole 'I will take care of you now'.
The necklace was safely hidden under her shirt and all the other layers of clothes that were protecting her from the British winter. She got a new coat, new shoes so she was no longer sore all over due to the cold. Her feet also appreciated the thicker soles. No longer she was bothered by walking around for too long or that annoying rock sticking out of the ground ready to ruin her entire day the moment she steps on it. Evil evil things.
"What is with him?" Pip asked Anna one time. Jo, the toothless man kept staring their way, looking a little grumpy. With how big of a smile that man usually wore, this was unusual.
"Oh, just ignore him. He is a little jealous." She waved her hand around as if trying to dismiss any further questions regarding that man. This of course made her even more interested in that topic. The interest however vanished with another sentence. "So, is there anything that you like? I saw you looking at some birds earlier today."
And that is how she skilfully redirected the conversation. Pip, being a small kid, took the bait, hook, and sinker.
I know I probably shouldn't be starting another fic at this point. I still have Kingu's fic to work on. To my defense, I tried to finish the latest chapter several times but after not being happy with lots of ideas, I had to put it away and stop for a moment.
I had this idea pretty much since Olympus and It never left me, did some brainstorming and I liked the concept so much that I thought why not? So I am posting this to see whether people are going to like this or not.
If things work out well, this is going to be a fic focused on FGO events, the Lostbelts, possibly with some other worlds mixed in on the side. Just on the side though not to make things all over the place/confusing.
Just a bit of a question: Is it still Harry Potter when the character is completely different from the original book version or an OC? Cause I basically treat any Harry Potter in my ideas (which do not get publish cause those bunnies either run away and lack any semblance of a plot) as an OC most of the time and leave very little from the original. I have been trying to keep some features there lately.
Leave review? Thank you for reading and stay safe.
