The prospect of seeing dragons, even in books, was one that Yuri found the most appealing, maybe he should have pilfered the book from the little rich girl that time he had the chance, maybe one of those had had dragons in it. But he couldn't imagine anyone tolerating his presence in thier shop- his sticky fingers aside most of the shopkeeps chased him away with a broom or a bucket of cold water like a stray cat. But maybe he would try again, it wouldn't hurt him to see if he could look at one of the books with dragons.

Unlike the urchin he was speaking to, Yuri had never been a good worker, or rather he had never been taught tthe benefit of work to him, from a self interested perspective. A carpenter had bought him from the workhouse to be his apprentice, if someone had explained the type of life that he might have, hardworking, but honest, food on his table and clothes on his back - He might be a grown man now rather than a petulant, illiterate boy who was dreading the prospect of school. The other boy seemed to have made out better in life by toeing the line and not bucking the system the same way Yuri had, but then as far as Yuro was concerned he had something to be mad about.


'I'm a charity'un at the 'ome*' he muttered, as though trying not to let her hear him. 'But I 'ate it there' his expression twisted in disdain, there were children in the house whose parents and gaurdians paid for them to be cared for they ate with the mistress in the dining room, the charity kids like Yuri ate in a long dining room with the other charity cases, their allowance was paid for by the parish, a meagre amount of knuts per week, and little enough of that was actually spent on the children for whose care it was allotted. ''Ol Bitch 'ho runs it is meaner than a dementor. I try not to stay there too much, better off in the park.'

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*Home for inconvientant children

  

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MJ Made Beautiful Things!

Billie frowned at Yuri's barely audible answer. She knew of the home, of course. It seemed like an alright place if your family had money, but for orphans like Yuri, not so much. She was always thankful she hadn't ended up there. "Oh."

She nodded at his sentiment that it would be better at the park than at the Home. "There's some places to sleep down Scratching Turn where no one lives no more. 'Least there's a roof. An' there's a lady on Hag Corner who'll give ya food if ya do stuff for her. But ya gotta be nice." She suggested, rubbing at the back of her neck. The least she could do was help point him to some of her old haunts that had helped her survive. "Lotsa folks will let ya do small jobs for somethin'."

In fact, she still ran about finding odd jobs. It was amazing Billie had such a great work ethic at all; her mother was the worst example. Then again, she strived to be nothing like her, so that helped. "Maybe try Hogwarts? At least ya will have somewhere to sleep and things to eat for a while. Couldn't hurt none, yeah?"

  

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MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

Yuri spent most of his nights in the park, sleeping in bushes or in the flower beds. He found that there was a big hydrangea near the fountain that he was just small enough to slip inside and sleep on a bed of relatively dry soil, the wide leaves and spreading branches of the bush meant that very little rain made it from the leaves down to where he made his nest in the dirt. On these warmer spring evenings it was actually relatively pleasant - Although there was that time the vampire in the park had threatened to eat him.

’Fanks fer that’ he said, actually genuinely, he wasn’t actually that long in Hogsmeade. He had spent so long in that bloody garden, moss growing on between his arse cheeks, spiders weaving webs in the gap between his ear and his cheek. The world in which he had been a troublesome urchin was very different – 10 years was a good as 50 in the lifetime of a poor child.

He scuffed his toe in the dirt, ’Well you aint rotten, if there are some decent ones there might be all right’ he grudgingly admitted. ’You ever been up to the school?’ gesturing vaguely to the hill atop which sat the imposing castle.

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MJ Made Beautiful Things!

Billie grinned widely, looking pleased that he didn't think she was rotten. Maybe he wasn't such a bad kid, after all. Then again, it was to be expected of many street kids. It was safer to be a bit rougher around the edges than to immediately let one's guard down.

"No, I ain't been. I dunno if you're allowed if you ain't a student yet or nothin'." She shrugged her shoulders, unknowingly. She hadn't really wanted to chance trying to get any sort of sneak peek in case that would disqualify her from being allowed at Hogwarts.

"There''s some kids who live in town who know lots 'bout it. Maybe you could ask around, but a lot of 'em like to make it like some sorta secret and won't tell ya much."

  

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MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

He now wanted to hear all he could about the school, mainly so he could decide if he was going to go or not. Perhaps next time Billie was playing in the prk he might see if he could join - maybe.

Yuri opened his mouth to speak again, to ask if maybe they could bum around together sometime, but as he did he saw the Beadle coming around the corner. ’It’s the beak!’, he hissed. The austere looking man in his smart frock coat and long black cane was coming in their general direction. ’old gits prolly looking for me.’


’I gotta go’ he gasped, his eyes going wide. He started to hurry away from her, putting space between him and Billie and him and the Beadle in one move. ’See you around the park’ he called, before turning his back on Billie and the parish warden, who seemed to have spotted the dark haired orphan. He took off as fast as his skinny legs would carry him.

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MJ Made Beautiful Things!