Paper Mache

Chapter Two

Thea hadn’t meant to nearly burn the house down. However, she was in the middle of a book on healing potions when Julia had instructed her to keep an eye on the soup and hadn’t heard a word said to her. When she finally glanced up, her guardian, Minerva McGonagall was putting the stove-fire out, looking exasperated.  It was not the first time she had come home to the kitchen on fire. Noticing the tiny girl in the doorway, Thea bookmarked her page and pushed her orange glasses up her nose to study their new guest. The girl had long black hair and eyes like black coffee. Her skin was like new snow and she had freckles across her nose and cheeks. There was a tiny little owl perched on her shoulder and a small trunk at her feet.
Thea stood up and offered the girl her hand. “Hello, my name is Thea Anderson. What is yours?” The girl smiled shyly and shook Thea’s hand. “My name is Misty.”

Thea helped Misty drag her trunk up the steps to the empty room on the second floor. There wasn’t much in it, but Misty smiled widely and coaxed her owl onto the old perch in the corner. She moved to the window and pulled the curtains back, letting sunlight filter in. “Sorry, we weren’t expecting you.” Thea apologized, noting the dust all over the bed. “It is better than living behind a trash can.” Misty set her trunk down on the bed and propped it open, stacking her school books on the bookshelf. “You lived behind a trash can!?”

***

Later in the day, Misty found herself walking through a muggle mall with Julia Smith and Victoria Rosier, Thea’s adoptive sisters. Both girls were tall and graceful, but Victoria’s hazel eyes and light brown curls made her look more formidable than Julia with her pretty blonde waves and sparkling blue eyes, even though Julia was two years and four inches her senior. Thea (who had dark red hair and green eyes) had stayed back as her friend Luna was visiting for the afternoon and the two would be heading to Diagon Alley for ice cream.

Misty had found that while Victoria was closed off and often snappy, she occasionally showed her soft side. Julia was more bright and smiley, but never overly so. So far, the trio had found a black skirt and jeans for Misty, along with a few sweaters and t-shirts as the girls had noticed Misty’s lack of belongings.

Stopping by the bookstore for Julia, Misty stood with Victoria outside.

“You look familiar.”

Victoria raised her eyebrow skeptically. “How so?”

Misty continued to study the older girl’s face. “I don't know. I didn’t leave the cemetery before today.”

Victoria stiffened slightly. “Which cemetery?” “Godric’s Hollow.” Misty could see shadows gathering in Victoria’s eyes. “My grandmother was buried there in…” Misty interrupted, “1988?” Victoria frowned. “Yeah. You were there weren’t you? While I was waiting for the car.” Misty nodded solemnly. She remembered.

She was just about six, but she stood next to a sobbing girl after the burial of Mrs Hera McDonald while the girl waited for a ride to the orphanage in London seeing as she had lost all of her remaining family.

Having nothing more to say, the girls stood in slightly awkward silent silence until Julia emerged from the shop, waving at two redhead boys as they headed in the opposite direction.

Moving again, Misty almost didn’t catch Victoria’s whisper. “Thanks.”

That night, after showering and changing into new clothes, Misty stared into the mirror, studying her face. She hadn’t seen her reflection much before, besides in the puddles after it rained and the tall windows of the church. She had found some scissors in a drawer and cut her hair neatly, the now-short strands bouncing slightly before stopping at her chin, framing her face. When she finished, she hummed in satisfaction. She had a new life now, she wasn’t the girl who lived behind garbage bins and scavenged scraps for meals. Twirling a strand of hair around her finger, she decided that she was like a butterfly, and this was her chysalis, going from caterpillar to butterfly. She wasn’t there yet, but one day, she would spread her wings and fly.