The first Quidditch match of the season wasn't just a sporting event; it was a royal display. The Gryffindor stands were a sea of scarlet, but the center of the fervor was a high, specially cushioned chair where Ana sat.
Because of her petite 4 foot 6 frame, the older students had built a literal platform for her so she wouldn't be blocked by the crowd. She was the unofficial "Team Symbol." The Quidditch team had even commissioned a tiny, custom-made scarlet cloak for her, lined with white fur, which made her look even more like a fragile, ancient queen.
The Circle's VigilHermione sat on her left, clutching a pair of magically enhanced binoculars, while Cho Chang (who was "scouting" for Ravenclaw but really just staying in the Circle) sat on her right, holding a thermos of hot cocoa. Lavender and Cassandra were busy tucking a heavy fur rug around Ana's skinny legs.
"You're shivering, Ana," Cassandra fretted, pressing her hand against Ana's pale cheek. "The wind up here is too biting for someone your size. Maybe we should take you back to the tower?"
"I want to watch Harry, Cass," Ana whispered, her silver eyes fixed on the sky.
"Then stay tucked in," Hermione commanded, wrapping her arm around Ana's narrow shoulders to pull her closer. "If you get a sniffle, I'm holding Harry personally responsible."
The Cursed BroomThe game started in a blur of speed, but midway through, the crowd gasped. Harry's broom wasn't flying anymore—it was bucking. It was trying to throw him off, hundreds of feet in the air.
"He's going to fall!" Ron yelled from the row behind them.
Hermione swung her binoculars around. "It's a jinx! Someone is cursing the broom!" She looked toward the staff stands and saw Snape, his eyes fixed on Harry, his lips moving in a silent, rhythmic chant.
But while the crowd screamed and Hermione prepared to run to the staff stands, Ana felt a different pull. She saw her brother dangling by one hand, his skinny fingers slipping. The terror in the air was cold, but her power was colder.
The Secret CommandAna leaned forward, her tiny hands gripping the edge of her platform. She didn't reach for a wand. She simply fixed her silver gaze on the thrashing wood of Harry's Nimbus 2000.
Under her breath, so low it was almost a hum, she spoke.
"Obey."
It wasn't a spell; it was an override. The "Influence" shot across the pitch like a silver arrow. The cursed broom, which had been fighting Snape's counter-curse and Quirrell's jinx, suddenly froze. It didn't just stop bucking—it became as steady as a mountain.
Harry scrambled back onto the seat, looking bewildered as the broom sat perfectly level in the air, refusing to move even a fraction of an inch until he steered it again.
The RevealAna slumped back against her pillows, her face even paler than usual. The effort of commanding an object from such a distance had left her breathless.
She thought she had been subtle. But she forgot that the four girls around her never took their eyes off her.
Hermione dropped her binoculars, staring at Ana with a look of pure, unadulterated shock. Cho was frozen, her mouth slightly open. Cassandra and Lavender were looking at Ana as if she had just performed a miracle—which, to them, she had.
"Ana..." Hermione breathed, her voice a mix of terror and worship. "You didn't even use your wand. You just... you looked at it."
"I saw your eyes glow, sweetling," Cho whispered, her hand trembling as she reached out to stroke Ana's hair. "You saved him. You commanded the very wood to stop."
"It was just a fluke," Ana tried to murmur, her voice weak.
"It wasn't," Cassandra hissed, her eyes shining with a frightening level of devotion. She threw herself onto her knees in front of Ana's chair, clutching the girl's tiny, cold hands. "You're more than a witch, Ana. You're... you're something else entirely. We saw it. We saw you rule the air."
"Don't tell Harry," Ana pleaded, her petite frame looking smaller than ever as she leaned into Hermione's side. "Please."
"We won't tell a soul," Hermione promised, pulling the fur rug higher to hide Ana's shaking hands from the rest of the stands. She looked at the other girls, a silent pact forming between them. "This is our secret. Our Queen's secret."
As Harry caught the Snitch and the crowd went wild, the four girls didn't look at the game. They huddled around Ana, forming a living wall of silk and fur, guarding the girl who could control the world with a single word—and who was currently too small to even hold up her own head.