A Girl and the Aurors

Due to electrical storms over the island, the planned invasion of Sodor by the Ministry was put off nobody dared to Apperate or Portkey through that sort of thing ever since the Great Naked Pizza Incident of 1897 involving the Italian Ministry, four Nuns, a chicken and a small wooden cat. All of this concerned Harry not in the slightest as he had no ideas about what was in store…

"Next" he called and the door opened and in walked a young woman in some sort of uniform. Harry was interviewing people for the position of housekeeper after the sad death of Kreacher a few days before. The poor elf, after suffering years of abuse from the Blacks and from thinking he had not carried out Regulus's last orders, had died in his sleep – Harry sitting by his bedside when he did. He'd buried him in the garden at an angle and facing the manor so that he could always watch over the place.

"Thank you for giving me the opportunity" the young woman said. Harry looked up and saw that the uniform was for the local High School and he wondered if it was a teacher looking to make a bit of extra money.

"Tell me why you think I should give you the position over the other candidates?" Harry asked, offering her a cup of tea which she accepted.

"I'd like to get a job" came the reply.

"Don't you already have one?" Harry frowned, gesturing at the crest on her uniform blazer.

"I don't und…" she paused as she realised what Harry was meaning. "Oh, this…? I'm still at school as a pupil" and Harry's eyebrows went high in disbelief. "I know I look and am young" the girl continued, "But everybody else my age wants to work in burger bars and stuff and I want to be different – I promise I can do the job"

"I'll be the judge of that" said Harry, sipping his tea and regarding the teenager in front of him. "Given your age and the fact that you have school work to do, I think we'll forget the requirement to do the work during the day"

"What would I be expected to do?" asked the girl. "I know what the advert said, but it doesn't say much"

"You would be expected to keep the downstairs area clean, tidy and all the normal rubbish the job entails. I'll do my own clothes washing, naturally, and most of the time I will do my own cooking – except if I am working late and I might call here to get you to put some soup in the microwave. I would appreciate it, though, if you would do the shopping for me as I am out during the day working. Saying that, of course, I would also expect you to do your homework first and, if there is a test you must revise for, I would not be adverse to letting the house get untidy"

"I have the job?" the girl asked and Harry nodded in agreement. "Might I ask how much I will get?"

"You will get £10.50 an hour" Harry replied. "You can have it daily or at the end of the week" and it was arranged that it would be paid in cash at the end of each week. "One thing, though… What is your name?" he asked. "I can't go around calling you 'Girl' or 'Hey You!' can I?"

"Nyssa" the girl replied. "I'm Nyssa Petronella Mayerle"

"Well then, Nyssa Petronella Mayerle, I hope this will be a happy relationship"

"But Mr Potter" she exclaimed with a mock serious look on her face, "This is a strictly business relationship" and Harry burst into laughter.

"I like you already" he said. "Now, would you like a lift home or can you get a bus?"

"I can get a bus, but thank you very much for the offer, Mr Potter" Nyssa said.

"Oh, one other thing…"

"Mmm?"

"Only call me Mr Potter if there is load of company at the house – I hate using titles and prefer my first name to be used"

"I'll remember, Sir" Nyssa said cheekily. After signing a contract to make everything legal, he walked her to the front door and let her out. Once the door was closed once more, he waved his wand whilst thinking hard and all the magical things that could not be explained away floated upstairs and out of the way.

#

As he went about his work, his thoughts turned to what he had had to do for the Dursleys and how Nyssa was doing his old jobs – the difference being that he was actually paying her to do so and had set terms down so she did not overwork herself or get behind in her schooling. Looking at the clock, he poured himself a brandy and settled into his oversized armchair to watch children's television. During his years with the Dursleys, he'd never been allowed to watch TV unless it had been the Queen's Christmas Message, and so he now took the chance in doing so. Watching the show, something about an escape pod from an alien battlecruiser having been discovered by two boys, the former Boy-Who-Lived found himself twirling his wand between his fingers and realised that apart from a few very low level spells and the Healing charms he had used at the derailment, he'd lived life almost completely as a Muggle. He still kept up with the magical world, but it dawned that he had more to offer then it had to offer him. The revelation was startling and caused him to think about living in the Muggle world and only going into the Magical world when he needed to. After he had finished watching his show, he got up to make himself dinner – Roast Beef with all of the trimmings.

#

"Sorry for being late, Sir, but it was raining and I missed the bus..." Nyssa said. She was standing in the kitchen of Harry's house after getting soaked in the downpour that pounded the windows hard. It was a few weeks after Harry had engaged her services, and he could say that he had found no fault with the teen at all.

"You should have gone home and stayed dry" Harry shook his head. "Sit yourself down and I'll make you a cuppa before you even think of working!" and the schoolgirl nodded before dropping her satchel to the floor and sitting on the large settee. "You got any homework to do?" and the girl Nyssa shook her head. As she did so, the wet hair that was plastered to her face fell free and revealed the imprint of a hand mark that looked a little old.

"Whats wrong?" asked Nyssa

"Did you get into a fight or something?" Harry asked as he set the mug in front of the girl.

"Huh...? Oh...!" she gasped as one hand rushed to the spot in a vain attempt to cover it up. "It doesn't matter"

"It matters to me if my employee is injured"

"It didn't happen on your time"

"I thought nothing happened" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"If I tell you what happened will you promise not to get mad?" the girl asked timidly after a while.

"I solemnly promise" Harry raised his right hand as if taking an oath.

"A couple of idiots at school thought that the reason I came here during the week was because you were..." she trailed off.

"I was what?"

"I shouldn't say anything at all" the girl said.

"Let me guess... They said that I was a dirty man for looking at a girl in school uniform? That I was making you take it off for me?" and the girl's blush told him everything he needed to know. "That has to stop... Look, I know what I said, but I'll go up to your school and speak to your Headteacher - that is not just bullying, Nyssa, but an assault for which they have to be punished"

"But they will get away with it" Nyssa said. "Their parents are high ups in the local community"

"Maybe so" Harry said with a smile, "But I out rank them"

"How?"

"I do not use it very much, but my full name is Lord Harry James Potter"

"A Lord...?" Nyssa paled white in horror - she had burdened a member of the Peerage with her small problems.

"As I said" Harry revelled in the emotions that Nyssa was displaying, "I do not use it that much because I am sick and tired of all of the crap that goes with it... Regardless of the fact you are an employee of mine, I do not like bullies in the slightest" and he would have spoken more about the subject except he heard the sound of popping from outside – followed by his front door crashing in and Kingsley Shaklebolt walking inside with a number of Aurors with him with their wands all trained on him. "Well… This ought to be different"

"Yes, people do not normally blow up your front door and march in dressed in large red bed sheets holding wooden sticks" Nyssa said dryly.

"Be quiet, Muggle" Shaklebolt said. "Harry Potter, you are under arrest on charges of Treason, Sedition, Fraud, Deception and anything else I can think of"

"Get stuffed, Shaklebolt…" Harry looked at the Aurors who had all raised their wands to point at him. "Which of you is the senior Auror here?" he asked.

"You, Sir"

"Okay, let me re-phrase the question… Which of you is the Auror in charge?"

"Me, Sir" a young witch raised her hand. "Watch Commander Amy Williams"

"Well, Watch Commander Williams, do you happen to have a search warrant?"

"No, Sir"

"Did you have reason to believe I was under attack?"

"No, Sir"

"Any reason to think I was about to launch an attack"

"Well, not exactly…"

"Oh?" Harry raised a bemused eyebrow. Nyssa sat in her still wet clothes shivering somewhat as she tried to keep up with the discussions that were being held between Harry and the League of Bedsheet Wearers.

"The Minister got information that you were suffering from delayed trauma from the Second Great War, that you were taking substances harmful to your health and making all sorts of charges against him" Williams looked between him and the enraged Kingsley Shaklebolt.

"Who gave you this information?"

"Auror Ronald Weasley"

"That prick…?" Harry swore. "Sorry, Nyssa…" he added to the girl. "Well you can clearly see that I am not causing anybody any harm, although that might change if you don't start leaving my house" and Shaklebolt withdrew his wand and started yelling.

"I am the Minister and I will do what I like… You are just like what Dumbledore said – a selfish and whining little brat son of a bitch" and Harry's eyes flashed green and, before anybody noticed, he withdrawn his own wand and sent Shaklebolt crashing into a wall. The Aurors, bar Williams, trained their wands on him once more.

"Stand down… Aurors, Stand down" Williams took charge of the situation and had her team back down as she'd been at the Battle of Hogwarts and seen Harry singlehandedly take on a dozen Death Eaters – the last two using a knife. Over the years, she'd seen Harry take on the most dangerous challenges including hostage situations and terrorism attacks with ease – no way would she take on him when he was angry like that. "Lord Potter, I regret the actions of my team this evening. Should you wish it to be so, you can file a complaint to the DMLE where an investigation will take place. We had no reason or just cause to enter your property this evening…"

"Just take that idiot and get out" Harry said. Williams nodded and motioned her team to levitate Shaklebolt out of the house.

"What about the Muggle?"

"She's card carrying" Harry lied.

"Really…?" Williams looked faintly bemused at the lie.

"Now come, come, Auror Williams… Do you think I am going to make a lie up like that?"

"I've heard stories"

"Don't believe them – I'm actually a nice guy" Harry shed the anger that had cloaked him.

"Sir" Williams nodded and she followed her team out of the house and popped away. Harry sighed, shook his head and repaired the broken door with a wave of his wand.

"Would you mind telling me what just happened?" asked Nyssa.

"Well I just saved you from having your mind wiped" Harry rubbed the sides of his head, sighed heavily and flopped down into the chair he favoured. "Well, as you may have guessed, I happen to be a wizard"

"The wand gave it away" agreed Nyssa. "What do you mean that I'm a card carrier?" she asked.

"What I am about to tell you can not be told to anybody – not even your family" Harry looked as Nyssa nodded in agreement. "Through the world live thousands and thousands of magical people, creatures and such like. We keep ourselves hidden for the most part, though there are certain groups that do know of our existence such as the police, the army, the Government and the Queen"

"But why hide away?"

"Magic can be used for a great many purposes, Nyssa, but not all of them are good ones… Imagine if you could get a witch or wizard under your power? Think of all the terrible things you could do with just one person – murder, death, rape, theft… Complete takeover of entire countries…" Harry shook his head.

"Why did the Legion of Bedsheet Wearers want you to go with them?"

"Ten years ago there was a war – a big war"

"I never noticed it" said Nyssa carefully.

"You wouldn't have noticed it because the Muggles, that's the term for non magical people, that knew of magic covered it up as gas explosions, natural disasters and major accidents. There was a very bad wizard, what we call a Dark Lord, named Voldemort, who led his followers called Death Eaters on a campaign of terror and destruction"

"Why?"

"Because he believed in Pureblood supremacy, a bit like Hitler but ten times as bad. He took over the magical side of things, put people into work camps, into prisons, killed men and women and children… A few friends of mine managed to escaped and conduct a gorilla war – hitting targets here and there when we could. Problem was, though, that he was after me as much as I was after him"

"Because you stood up to him?"

"If only" Harry smiled sadly. "The war was the second time he had tried to take over… The first time, Voldemort heard of a prophecy… a prediction, if you will… about me and so he came to my house and killed both of my parents and tried to do it to me, but the Killing Curse rebounded and destroyed his body"

"But if it destroyed his body, how did he come back?"

"That's a question which is hard to answer, but suffice to say his soul lived on in many forms. After many years, he managed to get a new body and started his campaign of terror all over again. It took a long time for people to understand what was happening because they were too complacent, too stupid or on his side to do anything. By the time things were put into place to fight him, it was too late and so those that remained free went into hiding and used spells and charms to stay safe"

"Did it work?"

"Yes, but not for everybody… Voldemort had traitors, defectors and all manner of people working for him so he ended up very much in control of all the wards"

"Wards?"

"Special magical spells" Harry replied. "They help to protect the safety of a building or area of land"

"So he wanted you because you defeated him once before?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes… He believed that if I was captured or killed, there would be nobody who could defeat him. He went through a lot to try and get me – whole families in some cases wiped out for one teenager and his two friends"

"And you defeated him"

"At great cost, yes, we did. After the war was over, I joined the Aurors – the idiots who came in earlier. I wanted to make sure that nothing like this could happen again, but there was a minority, albeit a powerful one, that demanded I be locked away for safe keeping for when the next Dark Lord came calling round. I decided that wasn't for me, moved here and got a job on the railways"

"Am I in danger?" asked Nyssa quietly.

"From Voldemort, no… I took care of that myself" and the girl could see the strain, hurt and worry from those times filter through for a few moments. "I can't speak for the Ministry, though word will get around that anybody who messes with you will have to face me. I'll get you a Magic Awareness Card for you to carry should you need it and I guess I don't need to not use magic around you any longer. Just… Just promise me that you will not tell anybody about magic. While people may scoff at you, for me it means a lot of prison time and magical prisons are not very nice places to be"

"What about Church?"

"What about it?"

"I'm Catholic, and Father Patrick might ask me if I have been in league with the devil and used magic"

"Well I've not grown horns and a pointy tail, and as a Muggle you can't use magic, so I think you'll be fine" Harry waved his wand over the girl and her clothes instantly dried and she warmed right back up again. "I guess this has been a culture shock"

"You can say that again"

"I guess this has been a culture shock"

"Harrrrrrry!" Nyssa laughed slightly. "So what happens now?" the girl asked. "Will they come back?"

"They might, although it might not be for some time – got the impression that the good Minister was not telling people the entire truth" and Harry saw her nod before slowly becoming quiet and thoughtful. "Whats wrong?" he asked.

"You said that you wizards and witches wipe people's minds… Have you ever done it to me?"

"No, though you would never know if I had. I saw it happen too many times to feel comfortable about it, though I had to train to use it as well as many other powerful and almost banned spells"

"Why train if they are almost banned?"

"A case of knowing them and yet not using them… Before you ask, yes, I have killed a couple of people" and Nyssa's head shot up in a flash and her eyes widened. "It was only in defence of myself and others… And even then it was the only remaining option left to me to stop the Death Eaters from killing innocent men, women and children – that will live on my mind until the day I die, I suspect, but apart from those eight times, I have never killed a person. During my time in the Aurors, I always stunned, knocked out or otherwise disabled my opponents" and he paused for a long time before letting loose a long sigh. "If you want to no longer work here, I will have to wipe your memory, that is the law, but I would only do it with your verbal and written permission"

"No" Nyssa said slowly, "I want to keep working and I'll keep your secret. But" she asked with a glint of humour in her eyes, "Any chance of working a spell to make the team win?"

"Sorry" Harry burst into laughter, "But trying to make the local footy side win is a magic even I can't do"

"Not much of a bloody wizard then"

# # # # #

Over the course of the following few months, Nyssa was true to her promise and never revealed or spoke about magic unless it was in Harry's home. In turn, Harry allowed her to read some of his old History of Magic texts as he'd found her to be very intelligent and wanted to know some of what magic was. Apart from the books, he'd also loaned her a coat that had been charmed to repel water and keep her warm – something very much needed now it was turning to the coldness of winter. As Harry worked in the yard at Wellsworth, he wondered what to get the girl for Christmas as he figured it was the thing for an employer to do for his work force. After sheeting some trucks down for a freight train, Harry was just walking back to the Gangers cabin when his mobile went off. Looking at an unfamiliar number, he accepted the call and heard the sounds of shouting.

"Hello?"

"Harry…?" it was Nyssa's voice. Harry could tell she was the one being shouted at and sounded frightened and afraid of something. "I need help"

"Whats going on?" he asked as James trundled by with a slow goods.

"Dad's got drunk, come home and found the bo–" suddenly Harry heard a scream, a thud and then the line went dead.

"Nyssa? Nyssa? NYSSA?" and, forgetting that he was a person with the ability to teleport anywhere he wished, he hurried to the cabin to sign out of work as it was the end of his shift anyway. Not stopping to talk to the others about the darts match that night at the Silver Fox, he hurried to the car park and jumped into his Austin Montego and sped out of the yard – hoping he could reach Nyssa in time