The night was cold and windy. Stars blinked in the vast darkness. On the tiny hillock of Prahelika, tiny lights peeked from the hidden canopies of the forests. A wooden stairway climbed up through the clearing among the trees. It led to a three-storied huge manor. Most of the manor was shrouded in darkness. Only a few lights on the ground floor twinkled. The window under the roof was open and a faint light could be seen.
Aurelia Swan, daughter of two of the most influential doctors in the country, was lying wide awake on her round bed as she stared at the night sky through the open window. The room was dimly lit, bathing in blue light. Her eyelids did not twitch for a moment as she stared unblinkingly. Her petite face was bathed under the blue light as her long hair was sprawled across on her pillow like seaweed. She was waiting for the clock to struck midnight.
When the clock would strike midnight, she would turn sixteen. Her wait for so long would be over. She had been patient all these years. She hated looking at the wall clock in her room. She would rather wait for the grandpa clock downstairs for its call.
DONG... DONG...
Aurelia felt her eyes widen. She sat up quickly and the blanket slid down her torso. A victorious smile glowed up her face. Finally. Finally, the wait was over. Now, she was just a step away from becoming the first female Auror the world had yet to see. It was her dream, her only fuel to wake up every day. Her parents were both doctors. They neither discouraged nor encouraged this ambition of hers. But, Grandpa always encouraged her. He fueled her dreams. He was a Healer.
He used to tell her stories about Aurors and Healers. One day, she had realized that Grandpa never mentioned any female Auror. When she asked about it, he had said, "It is not that there was no female who wanted to become Auror. It was just that no girl had enough cheek to become one."
"Why?" she had asked as she nibbled her lower lip.
"For two reasons. First, it takes rigorous training to become an Auror. Rough and rigorous. Most of them don't have the cheek to go through it. Second, those who made it into the school were compelled to leave it halfway because they could not keep up with the training."
Aurelia had only widened her eyes while her mouth formed an O.
"Why? Do you want to become one?" Grandpa had raised his brow with an amused smile. She had nodded furiously at his question.
"Are you sure?" he had chuckled, crinkling his eyes.
"A hundred and ten per cent sure," she had looked at him with determined eyes. Grandpa had petted her head, saying, "All right. I will get you some books about Aurors and their history the next time I am here. Okay?"
Aurelia smiled when she remembered these words. She climbed down the bed and closed the window. She could finally fall asleep, given the fact that she was just a step away from her goal. She climbed up her bed, laid down and pulled the blanket over her. She closed her eyes with a satisfied smile.
°○°
The next morning
Aurelia woke up bright and early. The sky had just begun to brighten up. She had a hard time falling asleep. The excitement this morning would bring to her had made her sleepless. She rubbed her eyes and opened the window that she had closed last night. Diligently, she switched off the dim light. She was wearing a forget-me-not blue nightdress and her morning hair made her look adorable. She rubbed her eyes and opened the door to her room. Party poppers burst in front of her face, making her startled.
"Happy Birthday!" Mom and Dad happily exclaimed- a party popper in each of their hands.
Aurelia smiled brightly before she hugged both of them at the same time. Her Mom was wearing a red kurta with a pair of white trousers while her Dad wore a blue tee and a pair of white jeans. He had a pair of glasses on.
"Thank you so much!" she said with a pursed smile.
"Freshen up and come down for breakfast. Okay?" Mom said as she stroked her cheek. Aurelia nodded.
...
An hour later.
Aurelia hurriedly climbed down the stairs wearing a red top with flounce short sleeves and a pair of black sweat pants and set her feet on the ground floor. The delicious smell of pancakes wafted to her nose. She took a good sniff. She headed towards the kitchen. As expected, Dad was making pancakes while Mom decorated them with whipped cream, strawberries and honey. Aurelia gulped with a smile. But when her eyes fell on the wall clock, her eyes widened.
"Mom!" she exclaimed, "Hurry! I have to submit the registration form today!"
Dad sighed, "It's almost done. Wait at the table. And don't forget to wash your hands." Aurelis gave a solemn nod and made her way to the table.
The moment the pancakes appeared on her plates, magically, she gobbled them hurriedly and washed them down with a glass of milk. Then, she hurried upstairs. After going through a flight of stairs, she concluded that she should use magic to hurry, for now. She never used them at home because her parents wouldn't let her. She stopped to catch her breath. Then, she curled up her right palm into a fist and bring it near her lips, as she closed her eyes.
"Tan Maatras," she murmured and blew on her fist. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes. As expected, she was standing in her bedroom. She smirked before she hurriedly flung the backpack over her shoulders, snatched her bicycle keys and ran out of her room. She was about to run down the stairs before she realized that she leaves in a world where magic and science coexist.
Similarly, she balled her right fist, closed her eyes and blew into it, saying, "Tan Maatras!"
When she opened her eyes, she was standing outside the mansion. She twisted her lips. She was hoping to extend her range a bit further so that she could end up near the garage. The garage was at a lower level. She found it tiresome to run down the seventy-eight wooden steps. But her Grandpa's words echoed in her mind, "Aurors never shy away from hard work."
Aurelia sighed and proceeded to climb down the stairs.