Dirt clung to Nerissa's pale cheeks in the very way that dust clung to those of a porcelain doll. A doll that had been placed upon a shelf, and had been left there for an eternity to remain on her own. Forgotten and neglected. But Nerissa had been given no such luxury; while that delicate doll sat beneath a roof that would shelter her from rain, from darkness, and from harm, Nerissa had taken shelter on the stoop of one of the Wizarding World's many shops.
Her spine ached from remaining in that same, hunched position against the building's walls, but she did not dare move from where she sat. For an ominous storm cloud hung over that particular street, and Nerissa feared that if she were to step out into the sky's field of vision, that a heavy rain would fall down upon her shoulders. Nerissa shifted in place, so to rest the back of her head against the shop, but she made no move to stand.
Three weeks had passed since the school year had begun without Nerissa Hatts. Under the command of a new leader, Hogwarts had its doors against Nerissa, leaving her on the wrong side of the world. Hadn't she missed the train, she would not have found herself in such a troublesome situation. Had she managed to locate some means of communicating with her uncle without breaking the rules that prohibited underage wizardry, she could have, at the very least, gone home. But Nerissa had never been so lucky.
Somewhere off in the distance, lighting lit up the sky, and was shortly followed by a defeaning crack of thunder. Nerissa flinched, and pulled her knees towards herself in an attempt to avoid the impending rain. But it was only a matter of time before the owner of the store shooed her from his property, and once more Nerissa would be forced to endure the harsh weather that London had been plagued with.