Control

Aurors

"You were meant to be here on Monday, it's Friday now," I blurted out. He looked at me sideways.

"With this storm an' all, there was no way to get here," he said gruffly "It's gettin' pretty bad o'er 'ere. Believe me, would'a been here sooner if not for this bloody storm." I nodded.

"Sorry."

"Oh, it's fine, it's fine. Wouldn't mind makin' me a cup o' tea, would ye?" he asked. I nodded again, and headed into the kitchen, making us both a cup of tea. I handed one to him and he sat on the couch. He took a sip of the warm tea, and I set mine on the table. I imagined my magical horse. It was so much easier now to control it, I had been working on it all week whenever I could. I held my hand out and pointed it at the fireplace, and imagined a thin stream of fire. My magic complied, and suddenly there was a warm fire blazing in the hearth.

"Ah, thanks. Ye must be the girl Dumble'ore was talkin' 'bout. Magic 'un. Lot's of potential. Big power. Bigger than He Who Mus' Not Be Named." Hagrid said. I looked down.

"I don't know who that is. But according to Dumbledore, yeah, I'm powerful." I said. I took a sip of my tea.

"Ye don' know who He Who Mus' Not Be Named is?" Hagrid asked, spilling his tea slightly. I shook my head.

"Never heard of him."

"And idda thought yer parents, out of anyone... never told ye what their jobs are, never told ye who he was? Never mentioned him at all, ye sure of it?"

"Positive. My parents never actually told me what their job was, just that they got top-secret assignments and would have to leave for a few weeks at a time before they came back." I said.

"They never told ye their jobs were dangerous? Never told ye they're two of the greatest Aurors we've ever had in the Ministry?" 

"Aurors?" I asked, "What are Aurors, and what is the Ministry?"

"Are ye saying ye parents didn't tell you ANYTHING?" Hagrid demanded.

"On Monday, I had an outburst at school, and after I got expelled my parents brought me home and explained parts of it and then Dumbledore came and explained about me but I never knew that my parents were magical up until that day. So I've known for about four days. And they never explained what their jobs were, or what the Ministry was, or even where Diagon Alley was and why you're meant to take me there. Is it some sort of test?" I asked, folding my arms. Hagrid looked shocked.

"Test? Nah, no test. Unbelievable ... ye parents, most amazing Aurors ... didn't know ... I can't believe them." he mumbled to himself.

"Now can you tell me what Aurors are, and the Ministry?" I asked.

"Look, kid, I dunno the best way ter explain it but I'll try. So ye have ye muggle government ... tha's kinda like what the Ministry is. A magic government with lots o' different departments. Aurors work for the Department o' Magical Law Enforcement. They're Dark Wizard catchers. Inspect anythin' and everythin' to do with the Dark Arts. They got a real dangerous job, ye parents do. Almost die a million times a day. They gotta hunt down them Dark Wizards, and when ye find 'em they can turn very nasty. Ye never saw a cut on them when they come home, a bruise, nothin'?" Hagrid asked. I shook my head.

"They never told me their jobs were dangerous," I said. As my worry started to increase, the storm outside picked up.

"Pretty bad storm, eh?" Hagrid said. I nodded. 

"Think it gathered after ye?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Don't worry about it, kid," he said.

"But what if it is me? This storm is so bad the streets of London are already flooding, freezing winds are blowing things over everywhere, hailstones are falling on things and damaging cars and roofs. And it could all be my fault, because I'm dangerous, I'm cursed!" I exclaimed. His beady black eyes focused on mine.

"I believe Dumbledore did tell ye that ye aren't cursed, Ellie," he said. That was the first time I had heard him use my name whilst talking to me. 

"Okay. So maybe he said that, but he could be wrong. Does this look like magic to you?" I said, gesturing to the consistently growing storm.

"Magic can be used to conjure good and bad things, Miss Bayards. But ye didn't make that storm. Magic gathered round ye, see, and because yer only young and ye dunno how to control it, it has to do somethin' so it made the storm." Hagrid said "And as for Dumbledore, he may be old and forgetful sometimes, and people do make mistakes, but he's not wrong 'bout ye, Ellie. He isn't. Yer gonna be a wonderful young witch. I can feel it in me bones." I gave him a soft smile. I wasn't exactly sure about what he said, but his kindness did reassure me a little bit. As I calmed down a bit, the storm calmed ever so slightly. A tiny bit. But it did. Hagrid smiled at me.

"Alrigh', since we can't go to Diagon Alley today, maybe we should go in the mornin'," Hagrid suggested. I nodded.

"Would you like a pillow, perhaps, and some extra blankets?" I asked him.

"That'd be great," Hagrid admitted. I retrieved a pillow and some spare blankets and gave them to him.

"Ah, yer a good lass," he mumbled "See ye in the morning." I wasn't sure how I felt about a stranger sleeping in my house for the night, but I decided that if he knew my parents, he must be somewhat trustworthy. So I nodded and headed up to my own room where I sat on my bed and stared out the window at the harsh storm until I fell asleep.