Paise rolled over and sat up rubbing her eyes, but the world remained a fuzzy gray. The heavy fog was accompanied by a slow drizzle, which must have been falling for some time, because her clothes were once again wet through. At least her bag was mostly dry, since she'd been sleeping on it to insure it's still being there when she awoke. Rising, she peered cautiously through the polluted fog before leaving her alley. She'd slept late today; while the sun was hiding somewhere above the fog, the traffic was already picking up and shops were opening their doors.
She slipped into a nearby coffee shop so as to change her clothes and brush her teeth in the lou. She decided to wear her looking-for-work clothes, which were only slightly faded and had no holes. There. A smallish, freckled boy of eleven stared back at her from the mirror, dark eyes mismatched with strawberry blond hair. Drying the clothes she'd slept in as best she could, she placed them in her worn duffel. There were already enough people in the coffee shop to escape notice, so she curled up in an inconspicuous corner and opened her worn duffel. Hesitantly, she took out a blue baseball cap and a small, leather bound photo album.
There was Vati, a little younger than she was now, with the strawberry blond girl she thought must be his big sister. And here was what looked like a family picture, when he was maybe thirteen. A tall, red-haired father and a blond mother presided stiffly over Vati and the sister from the previous picture, as well as an older brother and sister and a smaller boy. All flaming redheads, except for the one sister with hair like Paise's own. The oldest boy frowned at the youngest, who was making faces at the camera, but the little one pretended not to notice his brother's disapproval. Paise turned the page again. This picture showed Vati at about sixteen with his arm around a girl of the same age. Maybe, she thought, just maybe, this teenage girl was her mother. She had dark eyes, though that was the only familiar trait she could find. Maybe.
The next page showed Vati holding an infant that Paise knew must be herself. The baby brought a tiny fist to her mouth, giving a great yawn as Vati looked on in adoration. He wasn't much older than in the last picture. The rest of the photographs showed both of them or just Paise alone, including one of herself she'd not been aware of at the time it was taken, wherein her eight-year-old self stood on a chair placed on the kitchen table, painting the ceiling into a heavenscape of constellations and planets. The last in the book showed the two of them on their last Christmas together. Standing before a tiny tree, Vati pulled her into a hug, which quickly dissolved into a tickle war. Her picture self was wearing a brand new baseball cap, the same she now held.
Closing the book, she pulled on the cap and stood. Today was the day. A letter had arrived by owl post, offering her a chance at a new life. She still had no idea how they'd even known she existed, but when the offer of a scholarship to an English wizarding school arrived, she'd jumped at the chance. It was an opportunity to leave behind the streets that had been her only home since Vati died, and she was going to take it.
With the duct-taped duffel over her shoulder, she set out for Kings Cross Station.
