Tales from the Auror Office

A Change of Plans

January 30th, 2018

The Ministry lobby was eerily empty as I made my way inside and towards the lifts. With all my traveling, I had forgotten it was probably too early in the morning for anyone to be around. I should have waited a few more hours at least, but the urgency in my chest kept me from turning back. Plus, there was no way I'd be able to get any sleep with all this on my mind.

Despite the hour, the second floor was still buzzing with several voices and scratches of quills on parchment. With little difficulty, I found the auror office and pushed open the wide wooden doors. The room was larger on the inside than it appeared, and the majority of it was filled with cubicles. Here, too, a handful people bustled about, probably finishing up reports or managing security. Posters of known dark wizards lined the walls, giving me tense glares as I walked past to the back office. My nerves must have made it obvious that I'd never been here before, but no one moved to stop me. That is, until someone called out to me.

"Alex?" I turned and was greeted by a sleepy-eyed Charles Nether who looked very confused to see me. I had forgotten he might be here. "I didn't know you were back in London. What are you doing here?"

I smiled back at my friend and prepared to explain how I'd just gotten in that morning when the office door behind me opened. I swung around again. "Alexis Powers?" Professor Potter said, giving me much the same look that Charles was. "What brings you to the auror office at four in the morning?"

"Actually, I was hoping to speak with you, sir," I explained with a tired smile.

He looked back at Charles, perhaps for explanation (which he didn't have), then back at me with no less intrigue. Straightening his glasses, he checked his watch. "Hm, well I was just headed back to Hogwarts, but I can spare a few minutes, seeing as you're already here."

He opened the door to his office again and gestured inside. I turned back to Charles with an apologetic smile. "I'll explain after," I whispered then followed my former professor.

Mr. Potter's office was pretty much how I remembered his office at school: chaotically organized. That is, there were papers covering nearly every surface, stacked high in piles that signified just how busy this man was. A few notes flew around the ceiling light in the middle of the room, perpetually circling until they would eventually be read. The boards behind his desk were covered with more posters of dark wizards, marked maps of several different countries, and what looked like antiques, probably from past missions. It was all these things that I stared at while I waited for a response.

"You're quite a mystery, Ms. Powers." Mr. Potter admitted, several minutes after hearing my request. He leaned back in his chair, frowning at me. "Over a year ago, as a student, you asked me for tips on becoming an auror because that was the only career path you saw as a possibility for yourself. Then, back in June, you deferred your acceptance to test to become an auror because of a single mysterious adventure. And now, only seven months later, you're saying you actually do want to become an auror after all?" He blinked at me, expecting a response.

"Um, yes," I managed. I hadn't even considered that my request would be strange—questionable even. I had just assumed Mr. Potter would understand.

I continued, "I know I haven't exactly been...consistent, and I can't exactly explain my complicated reasoning but I'm certain this is where I need to be." I leaned in an added, in a whisper, "Elinor told me about what's been going on at Hogwarts."

The seasoned auror chuckled. "You know, I'm not surprised she did." He ran a hand through his messy hair and sighed. "But you really believe you need to be here in this office?" I nodded. He narrowed his eyes at me and hummed pensively. I began to feel nervous. Perhaps I didn't think this through as much as I should have.