"Well, who'd you expect, smartass? Father Christmas?" Anna cackled for a second, and then her face darkened. "Meghan, why are you pointing that thing at me?"

Meghan realized that she was still brandishing the broken bottle and lowered her arm. The bottle slipped from her fingers and shattered on the ground as she broke into fresh tears and collapsed on the floor.

"Oh my Lord…" Anna bit her lip uncertainly.

Meghan continued sobbing, so Anna stepped into the house and closed the door. Amidst the broken glass she helped Meghan off the floor and to a nearby couch.

"Now get a hold of yourself," Anna snapped, dealing Meghan one of her usual scolding slaps on the face. "Will you stop crying and tell me what's wrong?"

Meghan choked on a few more sobs, but finally calmed down and began to describe the horrible encounter at school.

Anna sat silently through the whole narrative, her eyes growing wider and wider as the story progressed. When it was finished, her mouth was hanging open.

"Oh, come on, did they really do that to you? I don't believe it!"

"You have to believe it," Meghan affirmed, nodding. "I honestly swear that everything I just said to you really happened."

"Oh…well." Anna's mouth formed a tight-lipped smile. "At least you bloodied that one asshole's nose. And you hit that Grace girl in the face with a rock? Good." She patted Meghan reassuringly on the back. "Those stupid pricks deserved every bit of it, and then some. I'm actually glad that you did what you did, because it shows that people from magical families have guts."

"Magical families." Meghan wearily closed her eyes and leaned back on the couch. Suddenly, she sat back up with a start. "Anna, that reminds me! Do you remember when said that I got knocked onto the pavement, and Alec hit the flagpole instead of me?"

Anna nodded.

"Well…" Meghan leaned closer to Anna, as if to confide a secret. "Anna, I don't think that that was, well…you know…natural."

"Really?" Anna's eyes widened in curiosity and, after a moment of thought, she wondered aloud: "Do you really think it was…maybe…your own power?"

"Now don't jump to any conclusions," Meghan backpedaled. "I never actually said I thought that. Just because I fell, it doesn't mean that it's anything out of the ordinary. I could have just tripped…" Meghan paused. "It's just that I don't think I did."

"I don't think so, either," Anna said with a smile. "Do you realize what this means?"

"Anna…"

"It means that you're a real witch!" Anna cried out exuberantly. "Don't you get it? A real person of magic!"

"Are you sure?" Meghan looked at her friend, a little worried. "Are you really, really certain?"

"Absolutely." Anna took Meghan's hands into her own. "Look."

Meghan looked down. "What?"

"Just look at this," Anna instructed, turning the palm of Meghan's right hand upward. "Do you see anything important here?"

Meghan shook her head and stared at her palm, wondering what the point was.

"Just think about all you've done with this hand," said Anna. "You used this hand to wield a glass bottle at an attacker and to throw a rock at some bimbo girl at your school, correct?"

Meghan nodded.

"That's pretty good for one hand." Anna contemplatively shook her head and said, "And to think if Alec and Lila Lyn ever thought to do that, too."

"Laurie Lyn," Meghan corrected her.

Anna paid no attention to this.

"I'm sure those sorry saps could do what you did, if only they had the guts," she continued. "I don't think they ever would, either. But what if they did?"

Meghan shrugged, wondering what Anna was trying to tell her.

"If by some miracle they ever did get these guts, well, that would be something," Anna commented. "And what would you have then, to compete with them?"

Before Meghan could give an answer, Anna provided it again and said, "You, my friend, have magical power. You were born with it, you have it, and it will always be a part of you.

Anna held onto Meghan's hand, stared the latter firmly in the eyes and continued: "You are linked by this ability to all those who came before you, who also had or have this ability. It was a part of them, and now it's a part of you. It will be your companion throughout your lifetime, and should you ever lose anyone or anything you hold special, it will still be with you. It will be with you when you are old, weak, sick, injured, unattractive, unloved, anything at all…it will still be there.

"It will always be what separates you from them…" Anna pointed out the window to indicate the muggles of the world outside, "and links you to us." She drew the pointing hand to her heart. "Even when you have nothing else left, your magic will still be inside you. It will never leave you."

As she whispered these words, Anna gripped onto Meghan's hand even more tightly than before, and then slowly released it when she was done speaking. After a moment of complete silence she said, "Well, what do you think?"

"That was…amazing, Anna, thanks," Meghan breathed, stumbling on her words. "I don't think I'll ever forget what you said. I really-"

"Then don't forget it," Anna confidently interrupted, brushing some flyaway hair strands out of Meghan's face. "Whenever you think that all those stupid things outside, like mean boys, snippy teachers, and stupid, fat-assed headmistresses are getting in the way …just remember what I said. One day you'll rise above them all, I can guarantee it."

Meghan grinned.

"So don't you worry about the snotty, stuck-up kids at school," Anna concluded. "They aren't all that smart, while you, on the other hand, have more brains than they have money in their rich parents' bank accounts. And come to think of it, I don't rate that Alec Pope boy very much, anyway. He's just another useless pretty boy hanging around at school, waiting to come of age so he can work at his father's business. Seriously, I saw him there before I was enrolled at Hogwarts, and he's not nearly as good-looking as my boyfriend. I mean, compared to him, Alec has the face of an ass."

Meghan covered her mouth and giggled. "You have a boyfriend?"

"Oh yes, I do. Like I said, he's not a bad-looking one, either. I didn't tell you that before, because we only had our first kiss right before we went back home for the holidays. That was just this morning, in fact. It's okay, though, because I didn't want to tell anyone else about it before I told you."

"I'm glad to hear it," Meghan said, feeling much better as each moment went by. "I must say, I was so distraught over that fight with Alec that I didn't even ask why you were here. I mean, I'm surprised that you're home so early. We weren't supposed to see each other until this evening."

"Well, that was the original plan." Anna shrugged. "Things changed, though. We were supposed to go to lunch before we came home and unpacked. But I insisted on coming here to see you right away and just unpacking later."

"Oh, that's right, I forgot!" Meghan slapped her forehead. "My mother must be at King's Cross right now!"

"She is," said Anna, "She's going to pick your brother up and then run a few errands before they come home."

"Well, then I suppose I have some time…" Meghan glanced over at the door, and her eyes opened wide in shock. "Oh my goodness! I have to sweep up the glass before they come back! How could I have forgotten?" She jumped up from the couch and went to the kitchen to look for the broom.

Anna smiled in satisfaction and called out to her, "And by the way, as far as my parents know, I am completely single. They think I'm too young to date. Understand? The conversation about my new boyfriend never took place."

"What conversation?" Meghan innocently asked, reappearing in the kitchen doorway with the broom and a dustpan.

"Good girl. Now I'll help you sweep up the glass. Then let's get something to eat, because I am starving. I skipped lunch to be with you, remember?"

"No problem. I'll make us some sandwiches, and you can tell me all about magic school."

The two girls cleaned up the broken glass in a hurry. As Meghan swept the shards into the dustpan, she felt deep inside her a growing sense of belonging and purpose.