London, Wool's Orphanage. Last night's rain had drizzled on all night, only gradually stopping near dawn. The sky remained overcast that morning, with lead-gray clouds hanging low and heavily shrouding the orphanage's spires, not allowing even a sliver of sunlight through.
Mia lay alone on the narrow single bed in her little room, tightly covering herself with a thick quilt and curling into a ball, with even half her face buried in the soft bedding.
After the autumn rain, the temperature had plummeted. The chill carrying damp moisture seeped in everywhere, slipping through the cracks around the doors and windows bit by bit, worsening Mia's already frail, illness-ridden body. It was not the weekend, and the entire orphanage was silent at the moment. Mia was the only one lying alone in bed; the other children had long since slung on their schoolbags and headed to the nearby primary school together.
The gloomy weather made Mia, who was already feeling unwell, even more depressed. Her throat was dry and itchy, and her chest felt tight, leaving her short of breath. Ever since Roy had left the orphanage to attend Hogwarts, Mia's days here had been lonely.
Because of her health, Mia often could not go to school with everyone else. Although the other children at the orphanage cared for her dearly, always saving tasty food for her and never letting her do any heavy work, even so, Mia had never had a true friend her own age whom she could talk to.
Mia buried her face in the warm covers. Whenever she thought of Roy, tears streamed down uncontrollably, soaking the pillow beneath her. When Roy had first started school, the orphanage children had still received several letters from him. In them, he had said that he would come back to