Ana Carrow

Even though she was clearly trying quite hard to render herself invisible, it hadn’t worked. Nadia smirked as she sat down across from Ana. Whatever the girl was ‘reading’ could wait. It was hard to keep herself from breaking into a grin, knowing that her very presence was just enough to make the Carrow girl nervous or uneasy. The power trip certainly wasn’t good for Nadia’s ego. “One of the editors wanted to meet here. He has dreadful taste, if you ask me.” Ana’s explanation wasn’t satisfactory for Nadia. The girl couldn’t possibly enjoy food made by Muggles that much. “A human house elf. Interesting – I never thought of it that way,” she offered. “Though I must say, if I’m going to support a business, I’d much rather give my money to our kind.”

“Sure,” Ana said. “Have a seat.” She placed her book in the bag slung around the chair she was sitting in and zipped it up. “Dreadful if you are describing the company, but I do find the aesthetic quite... charming.”

Ana was now beating herself up on the inside for feeling as though her words made no effect on Nadia whatsoever. All her life she had been able to sway people into certain reactions or responses with the choice of her words. Never had she truly met a force to be reckon with -- she had always been that force to other people.

She clenched her jaw, the muscle’s movement visible on the outside of her face. “Well I cannot use muggle money for those goods now can I, dear Nadia?” It was an attempt at a slight stab, but Ana knew deep down it probably wasn’t going to work and it was beginning to frustrate her.

    The truth was that Ivanna didn’t like when people caused a scene over unnecessary things. She had decided to escape to the muggle world because it was the only place that she knew that she would never run into anyone she knew. At least, not within the friend group that her father had formed for her. It was her little secret, she hoped. She had decided to get a coffee at her favorite shop and then go looking around to see what all she could buy.    She knew that her shopping problem was just a way for her to push away that emptiness that she felt inside her heart. Ivy didn’t care. She just wanted to get away. The woman in front of her was making a scene and now Ivy was getting annoyed. “M’am, if you don’t mind we would all like to order so can you please hurry it up?” When she snapped at her, Ivy was half tempted to draw her wand on her but she refrained. She heard someone groan and her attention snapped to them. Ivy was always aware of her surroundings. Great. She recognized the older female, easily. She turned back to the barista, “Can I please just order my drink and go? I suddenly don’t have any desire to be here.” 

As the commotion went on, Ana took her face out of her book and looked up at the blond. It was at the perfect moment, too, because Ana could have sworn she saw Ivy reach toward her pocket as the interaction heated up. Ana licked her lips in anticipation of what was going on, but didn’t budge in her seat. Once the fire subsided and the barista counter emptied of patrons for a moment, she spoke up low enough for only Ivy to hear.

“Do you expect anything less of a shop run by... you know,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “And I bet they would have loved to see your fancy wooden magic stick, too, Ivy.”

What Ana loved most about this situation was that it was offering a bigger power trip than just being a pureblood in a muggle gathering, but she was an Auror who almost witnessed something so dangerous.

There was an unexplainable draw of muggle villages, London especially. It was a way to escape from the madness of the wizarding world, a way to forget who they were, the things they’d done and see and just live in a state of simplicity. After having spent a few hours in Covent Garden, purchasing some of the teas only found on the muggle market, they wandered into a cafe, craving some coffee before they went into work that evening.

But the last thing Nessie expected was to see someone from the “real world” in the cafe, especially a known pureblood. Curiosity itched at the brunette, but for now, they refrained, as they ordered something to eat and a cortado, along with a glass of water. 

“You know, typically, shoving your face into a book does the opposite of redirecting attention.” Nessie suggested as they approached the table, having never had anything against the female, Nessie saw no reason not to sit with them. That, and the curiosity was itching at them. “At least, be less dramatic about it.” 

Ana had chosen to frequent the specific café because it was close to her flat and, admittedly, had a fantastic selection of teas and scones. Even a Carrow could find a reason to let the muggles win, but it would only ever be as serious as baked goods.

Ana was not too familiar with who approached her, but being well in the know of prominent surnames, she knew something. She put her book down and cleared her throat, chewing the inside of her lip. To stall, she brought her tea cup up to her lips and sipped.

“What brings you to this... lesser area, Vanessa?” Ana asked, raising her eyebrows and sitting back with a smirk.

“And if you can’t make a coffee the right way, maybe you shouldn’t be running a coffee shop,” Nadia insisted, taking the refund that the barista had generously offered before turning towards the exit. The coffee was abysmal at best… but Nadia wasn’t sure what she had expected, anyway. She’d come by to meet with an editor – one who seemed to prefer working in muggle London, as if it was some charming get-away and not a complete waste of time. Now that he was gone, Nadia didn’t have to pretend to enjoy it quite as much. As she moved to leave, she happened to recognize a surprising face sitting alone. Instead of ignoring them, Nadia slipped into the seat across from Ana, a smirk on her face. “You really wound up in the worst possible place after you left me the other night, didn’t you? Shame, really. I happen to know I make much better breakfast.”

As soon as she saw Nadia, Ana dug her face harder into her book, almost squashing her eyes inside their lids. After their conversation at the bar the other night, Ana was quite confused, to put it simply. Never had she considered being with a woman, but there was a chance her mind would change. Nonetheless, there was something about Nadia that now scared Ana, but possibly in a good way, she just wasn’t sure at that moment.

Ana released her face from the prison cell of paper and looked up at the looming woman who now stood over her. She reminded herself to keep the same collected demeanor she had the other night when she left with the final word. “I’m surprised to see you in such a location,” she said.

“And perhaps that’s true, but there is just something about eating food made by muggles, knowing how beneath you they are. Almost like a human house elf of sorts,” Ana said.

She settled on a muggle café to spend her time people watching and enjoying her power trip over all who entered her vision. She also didn’t want to run into anybody she knew. Ana pulled a book out of her bag and ordered a tea. A few paragraphs into her reading, she glanced up at somebody who was speaking aggressively loudly and, when recognizing the person, she groaned and shoved her face into the novel, hoping they would go away and not notice her.

After giving the younger woman a moment to contemplate her answer, it was clear that Ana needed something to shove her into making a decision. “While you contemplate…” Nadia got up from her seat, making a point to look around the pub for someone who could take Ana’s place… if it came to that. “Don’t worry if you’re not up for a challenge, tonight. I can help you find someone more tame, if you’d like. Someone more your speed.”

Ana began chewing on the inside of her cheek, a feeling of resentment bubbling in her, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel intrigued by the conversation she and Nadia had just had.

She finished her drink and stood up. “Not to worry,” she said, walking up to her and getting close to her ear. She whispered: “Until you prove it...,” she paused for a couple seconds. “Then you’re not up to my speed.” And with that, Ana disappeared into the crowd of the Hog’s Head bar and stepped out into the breezy night, her heart pounding and her hand clenched tightly around the power she never leaves a conversation without.

Whatever power Ana thought that she was gaining by pausing to slow down their momentum, Nadia was content to give up. The girl could come home with her for some fun… or not. Either way, Nadia was nearly certain that she’d find someone to make her breakfast in the morning. “Me? Serious?” she asked, trying with all of her might not to give in with a chuckle. “And why would I have to prove that? Do you want fun, or a marriage proposal?”

Ana tapped her black-polished nails on the bartop and tilted her head, looking at Nadia. She was at a loss of words which annoyed her to no end, being the one used to having the last word in these sort of situations -- really any situation at that. Instead, she brought her glass up to her lips and looked away.

Nadia could imagine that Ana worked for plenty in her daily life. Still, when it came to flirting, something gave Nadia the impression that Ana didn’t have to do much work at all. Picking up her glass and taking the largest drink that she could muster, she only put it back on the table when it was nearly empty. “So soon? And here I thought we’d have a little fun, first. Make things interesting. Or do you always skip right to propositioning beautiful women the second you sit down with them?”

Ana clenched her jaw at the sudden power struggle between the two, thinking the playing field was even. She cleared her throat and sat up straight, then shrugged. “Not so soon, I suppose,” she said.

She took a second to swirl her drink in its glass, smiling down at it. When she finally spoke again, she looked up at Nadia and said: “Don’t get too ahead of yourself. I have to make sure you’re serious first.”

“You’re excused,” Nadia retorted, her smirk returning against her better judgment. She couldn’t be too stern with Ana; the girl deserved better. “I work for everything. Every single day. Forgive me for wanting a night off for a little fun.”

Ana licked her lips in thought. “Well I can relate to that,” she said. She put her glass up to her lips to stall so she could think for a moment on what to do or say next, having an idea of where the night could end up: in a situation she had never before experienced and, to be honest, was a little unsure of and intimidated by. But Nadia seemed capable, so why not?

“So...,” she said. “Your place?”

With one look, she made sure that the server knew to return with two drinks, not just one. Nadia pouted playfully at her friend’s teasing hit, knowing all too well not to continue the conversation too loudly. “Or what?” Nadia raised an eyebrow. “You can’t read between the lines, Carrow? And here I was thinking I made myself perfectly clear.”

Ana raised an eyebrow and then narrowed her eyes slightly at the sudden dominant tone Nadia had picked up. “Or what?” She laughed. “Well excuse me,” she said, shrugging. “I figured to make you work for it a little bit. What’s wrong with that?”

“Okay, fine. You’re the sergeants. You’re the ones making sure the little guys aren’t running around doing more harm than good. Or… you’re supposed to be. I bet the Ministry’s not happy that you couldn’t stop everything from happening before it did, then.” She stifled a smirk and a laugh before it could escape. Now was not the time or the place. Nadia took another sip to keep up with Ana’s pace. “Oh? You’ll have to come back to my place, later. Help me get a better look at things.”

Ana gasped quietly. “Nadia!” She pretended to swat her a little bit. “Not so loud,” she said, laughing and finishing her drink. She put the glass down and nodded to the barkeep for another.

She smirked a little bit and sized her up. “And what exactly do you want to get a better look at, hm?”

Nadia laughed. The idea of having Aurors on call around the clock, waiting to fight against some threat that the Ministry could hardly see coming, seemed ridiculous to her. It would only exhaust their workforce sooner rather than later… and given the way the world was turning… it seemed like working harder instead of smarter. “Technically,” she countered, keeping her voice low to match Ana’s, “aren’t you the magical law enforcement squad? Isn’t that exactly what you’re supposed to do?”  The drinks came around, and Nadia nodded gratefully to the server. “Poor things. See, that’s why you won’t catch me applying for a Ministry job. More effort than it’s worth.”

She gave Nadia a look and replied: “If you want to speak technically, then we’re the big boys of the law enforcement squad. It’s just that those people in that department are like, what is that muggle word? Cops?” she rolled her eyes a little. “If we were in the same office, they’d be answering to us.”

Ana readjusted in her seat and took a long drink from her glass, almost emptying it. “Let’s just say,” she started, choosing her words carefully. “There’s more in it for me at this moment than the effort I’m putting in.”

Grateful that Ana had the wherewithal to fight for a seat so that Nadia didn’t have to, Nadia followed her friend to the seats at the far end of the pub. “You’re an absolute dream,” she commented, making herself comfortable in the seat without waiting for Ana to sit down first. “Same. Neat. And quickly, please.” She turned to her friend, who she would’ve much rather focused on to begin with.  “The Ministry must be going to shit these days,” she noted, waiting for her friend’s response. “Must be hell working there.”

Once the barkeep accepted their order, Ana sat back in her seat and released the breath she was holding in for some reason. She scanned the restaurant quickly for anybody she may know and could play with during her time there that afternoon. Her attention was taken away from the question asked of her.

Ana laughed and tilted her head back a little bit, “You’re fucking telling me,” she said, leaning into Nadia and dropping her voice slightly. “They have all Aurors on-call right now working something like two days on and two days off as if we’re the magical law enforcement squad or something.” She leaned back, shaking her head, but smirking at the same time.

“They’re all losing their shit,” she took the drink that was handed to her and sipped it.

The Hog’s Head Inn was bustling, busier than it had been any night that week. Nadia found herself to be a frequent patron, there. The whiskey was cheap and the barkeep knew what she wanted before she even had to ask. For the most part, it was the easiest place to go without having to put in more than absolute minimum effort. That had been why she invited Ana to the pub. Unfortunately, however, it seemed that plenty of other people had similar ideas for entertainment that night. “They’re all looking to drown the voices in their heads, just like we are,” she joked, her tone dry. “Does this mean you’d prefer to go somewhere else?”

Ana circled the bar with her eyes to find two empty seats, which she found... close to the small entrance where the servers came out of with drinks for their tables. “Come on,” she said, grabbing the seats before the boy walking toward them could sit down. She shrugged and winked at him before turning her back toward him.

“This is fine,” she said, shuffling in the barstool to get comfortable. Ana leaned over the bar and tapped her nails on the counter until a barkeep looked at her. “Amazing. One double Firewhiskey and, for you, Nadia?”

Ana thought she had heard rumors regarding people beginning to stay off of the streets and at home lately, but the bustling crowd at the inn’s bar was just about the opposite. What was most peculiar was that it was a Wednesday night.

She turned to the person she had gone to the bar with me. “Why in the bloody hell are there so many people here tonight?”