Chapter 3

                                    

                                          

Ana opened her wardrobe and began going through the clothes she had, looking for something to wear. After an age of looking, she eventually decided on a green shirt dress, with a black and gold belt and heeled black boots. She grabbed a pair of sheer, skin colored tights to go on under the dress. She didn't want to dress down too much, but she also didn't want to look too fancy, not that she had many clothes that were fancy. Looking at her watch, she noticed that she had more than enough time to have a shower and then get ready.
After a quick shower, Ana wrapped a towel round herself and stood in-front of the mirror, examining herself. The mark began on her shoulder and wound down. It was all gold, like the one on her hand, but this was in the shape of a phoenix, wings outstretched, and beak open as if singing. It was one of three physical reminders of what had happened to her. The second was her hair. The glamour was gone now, revealing the highlights to be gold instead of blonde. It actually did look like gold was in her hair. Then there was her voice. Her perfect singing voice which could lift the spirits of the good, and scare the bad. An ability that should only belong to phoenixes. An ability which only Hermione, and now probably Loki, knew about. She dried off and dressed, and then dried her hair, and reapplied the glamour as she brushed her hair, covering her back with glamours.
At twelve on the dot, there was a knock on the door. She quickly went to open it to see Loki was there, a small smile on his lips. "Good afternoon, my lady." He said.
"Good afternoon, Loki. Just let me get my coat and bag, and I'll be right back."
Loki inclined his head and she quickly grabbed her bag and coat from where she had put them on the bed and darted out to join him in the hallway. Loki once again offered her his arm and she accepted it.
"So, what do you like to eat?" He asked.
"Well, I'm quite fond of pasta. There's a small Italian place just around the block that I like to go to when I get the chance."
"Then we can get lunch there." He said.
Ana smiled up at him. "Great! I mean, if you like Italian food yourself."
"I am rather fond of it." He agreed.
They talked idly as they walked, and when they got to the restaurant, Loki held the door open for her. They were able to get a table, as it wasn't busy. Ana ended up ordering a cabonara while Loki had lasagna.
"So, what would you like to do with your life?" Loki asked. "If you had the chance, what would you do?"
"I'd like to become a healer." She said. "I looked at courses at the New York Academy for the magically gifted, which takes both witches and wizards with a magical core, and others, like creatures, who don't, and I'm currently saving up to be able to get myself on a course which will allow me to catch up to the standard needed, and then hopefully I'll be able to get a scholarship for the actual healing course."
"Catch up?"
"I had two years at Hogwarts until my magic… changed. When it did, I was declared a squib and my parents pulled me out of Hogwarts. I taught myself enough that I could get by in the muggle world, and four years ago, I came here. But that is the extent of my education."
"Why did you not tell them your magic had merely changed?"
"A squib in magical Britain is a sub class of citizen as it is. But at least they can escape into the normal world. Had I revealed what had really happened to my magic, the change that had occurred to me, I still would have been pulled from Hogwarts. But I never would have gotten out of that life. As it was, so long as I wasn't seen by guests, or too many people in the wizarding world, I was able to go out and about. I was able to get away from it all. I was the shame they wanted to hide away."