St Petersburg
April 1926 - Sinyavino Orphanage, Sinyavino, Russia
"Bye! Goodbye!" Mia calls as she walks out of the state-run orphanage she's spent most of her life in. As of today (ten years to the day that she was put into the care of Madame Skeeter), she's considered an adult. She must be at least eighteen by now, so she can no longer stay in the orphanage.
"Are you listening to me?" Madame Skeeter calls, waving a hand in the young woman's face as she tries once again to get her attention.
"Yes, yes, you said you got me a job at the fish factory and that I need to go right at the fork in the road-"
"Left, you go left at the fork in the road. You never listen! You’ve been a headache since you got here," she shakes her head in contempt at the girl. "For the last ten years, I've fed you and clothed you, and kept a-"
"A roof over my head. I know," Mia grumbles under her breath, sick of hearing the same speech two or three times a week for the last too many years.
"How is it you can remember all that, but you don't have a clue about who you were before you came here?"
"I do have a clue!" Mia declares, pulling her necklace out of her shirt. The one memento she still has from her life before the orphanage. From when she knew who she was.
"Yes, yes," Madame Skeeter speaks with mocking sympathy. "'Together in Paris', I suppose you wish to go to France now that you're an adult. To find your family? Little Miss Mia, it's time to take your place in life. In life and in line. You'll never get out of Russia, so just accept the lot you've been handed and be grateful." The matron declares before shoving the young adult out the front gates and into the world she'll now have to navigate on her own.
"I am grateful!" Mia calls back as Madame Skeeter walks back into the building, "grateful to get away," she complained to herself. She starts walking, her feet following the tire tracks in the snow until she gets to the first fork, a sign on the left pointing towards Kaliningrad where the fish factory is. A sign on the right pointing towards St Petersburg. I know what's to the left... I'll be Mia the Orphan forever. But if I go right... Mia deliberates in her head. "Whoever gave me this necklace must have loved me. They have to be out there somewhere...This is crazy! Me? Go to Paris? I must be losing it," she mumbles under her breath. In a huff she throws her hands up, begging the universe for answers. "Send me a sign! A hint! Anything! Tell me what to do!"
She looks down as she feels a tug on her scarf, a scruffy black dog looks up at her wagging its tail. "Well hi there," she smiles down at the puppy. "I'm sorry, but I don't have time to play right now, ok? I'm waiting for a sign." The dog manages to wrestle the scarf off of her neck. "Hey, give that back!" She chases after the pooch, tripping over her own two feet and falling forward into the snow as the dog trots past the signs and stops, turning to look at her with a serious expression on its face and a wag in its tail.
Oh, great. The dog wants me to go to St Petersburg. She pauses for a moment before gasping. Taking the hint she gets up off the ground to follow it. Heart don't fail me now. Courage don't desert me. Come on Mia, can’t turn back now that we're here. She lets the words echo in her brain as she and her new furry companion set off on the road to town. Somewhere down this road… Someone must be waiting for me. Years of dreaming just can't be wrong. Everyone told me life was full of choices, but no one ever mentioned how vast the world may seem or how scary it could be. Please let this road be correct, let it lead me to my past and bring me home to my family!
They walk for a few days, taking breaks at abandoned houses and once with a nice hunter and his family who let them stay for an evening. Finally, on the third day, they make it into town.
She picks up her puppy (now named Sirius after their other companion in the sky and the expression that often marred the dog's face) as they get further into the hub of the city, following signs for the train station. Mia waits in line for what feels like hours but was probably only thirty minutes before finally making it to the teller window. "One ticket to Paris please," she asks as the man greets her, pulling the crumbled paper bills from her clothes (what little she's managed to save over the years of chores and odd jobs).
"Exit visa?" He asks her boredly.
"Exit visa?" She mimics in a confused voice. "What's an exit visa?"
"No exit visa, no ticket," the man tells her, talking down to her like she's a child not understanding something basic. "Next!" He calls, shooing her out of his line. Mia frowns, unsure of what to do next. She isn't even sure what an exit visa is, no one at the orphanage talked about them before.
"Psst," an older woman waves her over. "Seek out Draco. He'll be able to help you," she explains, clutching Mia's hands between her own in a motherly way.
"Where can I find him?" Mia begs, hopeful for this new lead to work out.
"He spends a lot of time at the old palace," the woman tells her, glancing about to be sure no one is listening to their conversation. "But you didn't hear it from me. Go back towards the outskirts of town and follow the river up the hill. You won't be able to miss it."
"Thank you. Really, thank you so much," Mia shakes the woman's hand gratefully before setting off towards the palace.
April 1926 - St Petersburg, Russia
Draco made his way through the streets of St Petersburg, his coat flapping in the wind behind him as he weaved through the gossiping clusters of people (avoiding the watchful eyes of the patrol man as they went about their business).
"Have you heard?" A cloaked woman asked her friend.
"You mean that rumor going around the street?" The old lady replied.
"We know the Tsar did not survive, but it's possible one of his daughters may still be alive!" The man distributing the underground newspaper whispered to his customers.
"The Princess Hermione," a newsboy provided to the curious gawkers who had gathered around the stall.
"But please do not repeat this in public!" The seller called out, eyeing the constable on his horse nearby, knowing if this gets back to the Red Army he'll be sent to Siberia. Or worse. Draco turned down a thin alleyway, avoiding more gossip mongers and people discussing the history of their young Union.
"Theo!" The blond man calls out as he comes across his comrade standing in front of a Pirozhki stand.
"Listen to this," Theo whispers to the new arrival as they tune in to what the stall owner is telling the people purchasing food.
"They say the Royal Grandmother will pay a royal sum if anyone can bring the Princess back. Ten million roubles!" The men exchange a glance before moving on from the stall. They pass by more merchants hawking their wares (some items have been stolen from the abandoned Hogwarts Palace, and some items are fakes and knockoffs in an attempt to rip off curious customers brave enough to buy something from the lost regime).
"This is real fur!" One man declares.
"This painting is authentic Dumbledore, I promise you. It's come right from Hogwarts Castle!" Another calls as the men pass by. "It could be worth a fortune if it's one of her paintings," he hints to the sucker he's trying to sell to. Draco and Theo exit the ally and come upon an abandoned theatre, forcing their way inside through the side entrance that hasn't been boarded up properly.
"I've spread the word about our auditions in town, everyone we may need has heard and will be here tonight," Theo explains as they begin digging through costumes and walking through the dilapidated building to where they need to start setting up for tonight.
"Perfect, everything is going to plan!" Draco declares with a grin, pushing his platinum hair off of his forehead and readjusting the cap on his head. "All we need now is the girl! Just think about it Theo, no more forging papers! No more pickpocketing. Just three tickets to Paris; one for you, one for me, and one for her - Princess Hermione! Our ticket out of here! We'll find a girl to play the part and teach her what to say, a little dress-up, and maybe a wig. Just imagine that reward her Grandmother will pay! St Petersburg will have some more to talk about, and we'll go down in history as the saviors of the lost Dumbledore!"
"Who else could pull it off, but you and me," Theo smirks as the men fist bump. "We'll be rich!"
"We'll be out of here!" Draco declares, daydreaming about when they'll finally leave this godforsaken country. "Haha, the biggest con in history and no one will be the wiser!" The men chuckle to themselves in excitement as they begin pulling out papers with the names of actresses who will come by to audition to portray the Princess, getting ready for their night. The first part of their plan. The first step towards their destiny.