Footfalls

Sunny had dropped one of the gold coins she had stolen from her aunt and it had rolled all the way into the middle of the street. She stood on the sidewalk, peering at it through the countless pairs of legs striding through and across the street. The little redheaded girl stared from the sidewalk, staring intently on the glinting gold coin, filled with exasperation at the task before her. But no amount of money, at six years old, could be overlooked.

With a mighty sigh, she rolled her shoulders back and cracked her knuckles, briefly looking a bit like her current guardian. She took a step into the street. Immediately, she was pushed by the crowd. She rallied and thrust her body onward, squeezing between students, parents, and others. No one seemed to notice the little muggle girl.

She was only a few feet away from the coin, when a very impatient male student pushed into her, sending her sprawling into the dirt. She scowled at him, but flinched as feet fell around her.

As always the Russian transfer student had been watching just enough to see a young girl be knocked over by some inattentive jack-monkey and more feet fall around her. The girl reminded him of his sister when they were younger and always getting into trouble like most kids would do. "Stand up," Oliver said to the young girl holding his hand out to her. He had approached quietly dancing his way through the crowd that now seemed to part and move around him. "We don't want to get stepped on." He offered a kind yet lopsided smile kneeling down to her level and picking up the coin that lay on the ground near by. "Does this belong to you?"

Sunny put an arm up, shielding her face with the crook of her elbow, flinching as each person walked by, sure the lethal blow would surely land at any moment. But instead, she heard a gruff voice, with just a twang of an accent she found even more unfamiliar than the British accent she was not used to. She craned her neck, twisting at her middle to identify the voice.

"Okay," she said. She reached up and grabbed his hand, allowing him to help her up. She swallowed as she stood. She weakly smiled back and nodded as he offered her the coin back.