Orla Maguire (2024)

"Attention magical beings of River City. For too long we have been the servants of humans. From today, we will take our rightful place in the world. I'm going to release magical objects from the Library into River City. The humans will be desperate for our help and we will come to their rescue. Humans will realize that we are their superiors. Many challenges lie ahead, and I hope you will join me in helping to usher in a new era of magical supremacy."― Orla in End of the Road: Part 2— Listen (file info)

Orla Maguire is a recurring character and the hidden main antagonist in The Bureau of Magical Things. She is portrayed by Melanie Zanetti.

Summary[]

Orla is an elf. She's bright, tough and charming with an unshakeable belief in her own cleverness. Orla works as an agent for the Department of Magical Intervention (DMI), which is responsible for containing magical outbreaks that might reveal magic to humans. In the human world, Orla is a news reporter. Here she diverts suspicion from magical outbreaks by casting doubt and ridicule upon them.

Biography[]

Early exploits[]

Orla did her graduating thesis on shapeshifting. ("On the Case", "End of the Road: Part 2")

Orla was responsible for dealing with a gargoyle that came to life. Imogen read of this and found it "so cool". ("The Test")

Fake News[]

In a TV RC news report which was watched by Kyra and Steve, Orla covered a couple of pandas, Wah-lan and Goa-Goa, who were settling happily in their new enclosure with zookeepers crossing their fingers for a baby. In local news, Orla claimed that reports of an arm chair taking flight in a local park had been explained by meteorologists as rare form of heat mirage. ("All the World's a Stage")

Within the Museum of Magic, the aforementioned news report was screened to a group of fairy and elf children on a tour led by Ruksy. Following this, Orla addressed the group in a pre-recorded holographic message:

"Hello, everyone. My name is Orla. And some of you may recognize me from my television reports. To humans, I look just like them. But I'm really an elf. And my real job is working for the Department of Magical Intervention. The DMI catches rogue magical objects and locks them up here so they won't do any harm. If you're lucky, some of you may end up working for the DMI. I hope you do. It's an important job. If you want to work for the DMI, you have to study very hard. But even if you don't end up at the DMI, it's the responsibility of all magical beings to keep magic hidden from humans. So if you see anything strange, report it immediately. Thank you for listening."― Orla's message^[source]

Following the loss of Sir Zoltan's armour, Orla arrived at the Museum of Magic in person alongside the DMI director, Sean Reegan. Inspecting the empty case which once contained the armour, Orla discovered signs of magical interference, with Ruksy confessing that the culprit was Leo, an elf boy in her charge.

Eventually, Kyra was able to pacify the rampant armour by reuniting it with its sword, which was hidden within the The Book of Finbar at the Library of Magic. Orla and Sean saw that the armour was returned with its sword to the Museum under lock. At the Museum, Orla and Sean confided that neither was aware that Maxwell was in possession of Sir Zoltan's sword, leading Orla to speculate that it was not the only thing that Maxwell had hidden in the library. Putting the matter inside, Sean instructed Orla to do her job, namely covering up the appearance of the armour. In her report for TV RC, Orla acknowledged reports of the rampaging armour, presenting "exclusive footage" which she had obtained. Orla, however, claimed that the armour was actually a publicity stunt for a medieval music festival which would be arriving next month. ("A Knight to Remember")

The Test[]

Outside Harvey's, Orla was met by Peter, who spoke to her about the suit of armour, recalling that it had knocked me down without even touching him like a taser. Orla suggested to Peter that he contact the City Council to set him straight only find that he already had, and that the City Council knew nothing about the armour. It was at this point that Orla noticed Kyra, a friend of Peter's. Orla proceeded to take her leave as Peter asked her for her sources, which she could not reveal. Peter quickly deduced that Orla was covering something up and, as Orla walked away, accused her of reporting fake news. Soon after, Orla watched from afar as Peter spoke to Steve Glen, a police officer and father of Kyra Glen, regarding his skeptism of the armour as well as other "kooky" stories.

Later that day, Orla entered the Library of Magic. Greeting Professor Maxwell and his students, Orla informed the Professor that she had come to observe his school's test. Orla was introduced to Maxwell's students, including the Blackwell siblings, with Imogen revealing that she was a follower of Orla's work. Orla took notice of Kyra, the Tri-ling. While Orla noted that her appearance in the Magical World had caused some concern, Kyra attempted to assure her that she would keep her secret. Maxwell then sent his students off on their test, the capture and containment of a magical problem, Natalia Petrovich's gloves.

With his students gone, Maxwell voiced his deduction that Orla, who had never appeared at his class before, had not come for his "sparkling wits and repartee", suggesting the Department had a problem with his teaching. Orla denied this, but admitted that she was concerned about the Tri-ling, noting that Kyra's origin was a matter of much debate in the DMI. Maxwell defended Kyra, pointing out that she had done her best to be an excellent student ever since she arrived. Orla asked Maxwell if Kyra displayed any special qualities, only for Maxwell to claim that all his students were excellent. As soon as he spoke, Darra arrived in the library, having been displaced by the magical gloves before promptly taking his leave. Maxwell went on to say that a good education could not be measured only by success and that a student learnt just as much if not more, by their mistakes, to which Orla retorted that his students were learning a great deal.

After the problem was resolved, the students returned to the library, where Orla concurred with Imogen's view that individual abilities were important. Orla suggested that the students who she deemed to be "still in the game", namely Kyra and Imogen, face a real world situation with real consequences to demonstrate their capabilities in the field. With Kyra accepting the challenge, Maxwell reluctantly accepted and so Orla used magic to transport Kyra and Imogen to town. Following their departure, Maxwell told Orla that neither of them were ready. Orla, however, countered that that would only be determined after the test, which she was in the process of choosing. Immediately after, Orla spotted a shadow cloud in containment, which she decided to use to push them. Discretely umping to their location, followed by Maxwell, Orla released the shadow cloud from its container while Maxwell protested.

Noticing Peter on the scene, Orla manipulated the shadow cloud to approach him, leading Kyra to step in to save him. Meanwhile, Imogen's instinct was to employ a potentially risky strategy to keep magic hidden whilst dangerously visible; making a jump to the Museum of Magic, Imogen acquired a magical vacuum cleaner which she used to contain the shadow cloud.

Back at the library, Orla commended Imogen for her actions, describing it as a textbook example of how to contain an outbreak. She went on to say that hers the sort of thinking needed at the DMI, because the work of Department agents entailed making difficult choices. Kyra, however, spoke out, claiming out that Orla irresponsibly risked Peter's life. Orla countered that Kyra chose to help a boy rather than deal with a threat that could have put the entire human world in danger. As a result, Orla was skeptical of Kyra's earlier promise to protect the secret, voicing her belief that she would never truly be part of the magical world due to her human connection. Despite this, Maxwell insisted that Kyra would stay at his school to which Orla, alluding to Maxwell's halfling nature, bitterly remarked that she should have expected this from him. Orla then turned to Imogen, offering to see her later, before leaving the library. ("The Test")

At the DMI, Orla found Maxwell, who explained that he had come for a meeting with Sean. When Orla inquired further, Maxwell claimed it was merely boring academic matters. ("Uncharted Waters")

The Eye of Horus[]

Later, Orla invited Imogen and Darra to accompany her for a day at the DMI, to repay the generosity of their father. Welcoming the Blackwell siblings to the DMI, Orla was impressed as Imogen demonstrated her well-researched knowledge of the DMI which she aspired to serve. Orla asked the two how they felt about having to live their lives in secret; Imogen stated that the system, though not ideal, was necessary to protect magic, while Darra voiced that it would nice not to have to sneak around, to which Imogen insisted that magic had to be kept secret or there would be chaos.

As Imogen and Darra met Sean, high-level magical interference was detected at the container yard. As Orla proceeded to resolve the problem, Imogen requested that she and Darra join her; given the choice by Sean, Orla elected to allow them to accompany her. Arriving at the container yard, Orla instructed the siblings to stay put and safe while she found the source of the interference, which turned out to be the Eye of Horus. Soon after, Orla was joined by Imogen despite her warning. When Orla attempted to use magic to pacify the portal leading to the underworld, she was stunned by a magical blast. Just as Orla came to, Darra entered the scene and was caught in the pull of the portal, which threatened to drag him to the underworld. Fortunately, the portal was closed when the ankh was reunited with the Eye of Horus by way of magic, which neither Orla nor Imogen were responsible for.

Following the incident, Orla reported to Sean that the Eye of Horus was taken to the restricted section of the library. Sean pointed out that only someone with orb magic could have been responsible for closing the Eye of Horus. Orla, however, deemed it imposible as the Orb was lost since Lemurian times. As it transpired, someone had found it again. ("The Eye of Horus")

Finding Orla outside Sean's office, visibly uneasy, Orla assured her that she would get used to it. Correctly deducing that Sean wished to know about Kyra's new orb magic, Orla admitted to Kyra of her doubt that there was anyone who was not aware of it by now. Apologising to Kyra for putting Peter at risk during the shadow cloud test, Orla told her that she had no reason to doubt her loyalty after handling the Eye of Horus. Voicing her prediction that Kyra would be soon be working at the DMI, Orla offered her assistance whenever she needed it. ("Judgment Day")

Prize Day[]

Orla attended the DMI Student Awards at the Library of Magic, warmly embracing Sean's wife Ella and exchanging a look with Imogen. Standing alongside Jared Blackwell, Orla was displeased when Sean gave a special award to Kyra. Soon after, Orla and Jared spoke with Sean just afar from the party. Jared voiced his belief that Kyra's award was an insult to all magical beings. Orla herself told Sean that Jared had a point, that giving the Kyra an award made it appear as if he condoned the situation. They were interrupted by Kyra, who had overheard their conversation. Jared admitted that he feared her, noting that the most powerful being in the Magical World was a human-born teenager, with clear loyalties demonstrated by her prior test. Orla added that they were made uneasy by the fact that Kyra was the only person with orb magic. Kyra, with her fellow Maxwell School students standing beside her, told the DMI representatives that her friends accepted her for who she was and that they already had her loyalty before storming off. ("Prize Day")

Acquiring the Orb[]

Eventually, the DMI found a way to remove the orb power from Kyra, with Orla bring this development to Sean.

While somewhat busy, Orla was met by Trevor, who brought her attention to Darra, who insisted on speaking with her. It was through Darra that Orla learnt that Sean was preparing to retrieve the orb magic from Kyra, with Darra pleading Orla to make him put it off until another solution could be found. Confronting Sean in his office, Orla was informed that the Orb would be destroyed after its magic was returned. Though Orla attempted to protest against it, Sean insisted that his decision was final.

Orla regretfully informed Darra that Sean would not change his mind, learning from him that Sean intended to remove the orb magic in as little as an hour's time. Seeking the Orb for herself, Orla discreetly entered the library to acquire it. Overhearing Professor Maxwell warning Imogen against trying to take the Orb for Kyra's sake, Orla assumed Imogen's form and waited for her to leave before making her move. Approaching Maxwell, Orla used magic to stun him and proceeded to take the Orb. When confronted by Ladder, Orla used magic to singe it before jumping out of the library.

Back in her true form, Orla entered the library alongside Sean, who asked for Imogen's whereabouts. Soon after, Imogen entered the library, having been drawn by an alert. Confronted by Maxwell and Sean, Imogen denied both taking the Orb and having it on her person. Out of fear, Imogen quickly jumped out of the library, with Orla ostensibly making pursuit only to return shortly after, claiming to have lost her. Orla was instructed by Sean to put out an alert for Imogen, and so departed the library. ("Accused", "On the Case")

Receiving Orb Magic[]

Orla and Sean later entered Maxwell's Book Store, confronting Maxwell with the suspicion that he took the Orb for himself, concocting his injury and faking Imogen to that end, with Sean suggesting that Maxwell shared the sentiment of Edward Boynton, a fellow member of the Bureau of Magical Things, that the Orb should be destroyed. Kyra attempted to speak in Maxwell's defense, only for Orla to overrule her before escorting Maxwell to the DMI for questioning. Upon arriving at Sean's office, Orla was dismissed by Sean, ostensibly so he could question Maxwell in private.

Following this, Orla came to the library to address the remaining students. Upon her arrival, Ladder, sporting a visible burn mark, entered the classroom and promptly left after receiving a glare from Orla. Placing Kyra under suspicion, Orla noted that she could have taken the Orb without needing to be within the library before informing that students that Professor Maxwell had been stood down with his school closed and classes suspended until further notice. As such, the students were to depart.

Standing guard at the library, the deliberate sound of the Ill-Tempered Piano and Ulrich's horn led Orla to Imogen. Branding Imogen a thief, Orla attempted to apprehend her only to be distracted by a book which was dropped by way of magic, providing Imogen an opening to escape. Soon after, Orla assumed Kyra's form and approached Darra and Lily outside of Harvey's. Claiming that she found the Orb, which had been stolen by Orla, in the library, "Kyra" enlisted Darra and Lily's aid, ostensibly to destroy the Orb.

Returning to the library, "Kyra" claimed that the Orb had called to her. Though Lily suggested that her father be informed, "Kyra" insisted that it be destroyed immediately, manipulating Darra and Lily by pointing out that the DMI could not send her back to the human world without the Orb. Grasping the Orb, "Kyra" instructed Darra and Lily to provide their elf and fairy magic respectively to destroy the Orb, as it was created from both. Ultimately, they were interrupted by the real Kyra along with Imogen and Ruksy, who had deduced that Orla was the culprit. However, the three arrived to late to stop Orla, who had succeeded in claiming the orb magic directly from Kyra. Forced back to her true form by Imogen, Orla quickly took the Orb in its container and jumped away from the library. ("On the Case")

Rise and Fall[]

On the following day, Orla entered Sean's office at the DMI, accompanied by Jared Blackwell, who was motivated by the prospect of elves taking charge of the DMI. Also present were Maxwell and Lily, the latter of whom branded Orla a thief. Orla allowed the two to stay as she announced Sean's resignation as director of the DMI. Though Sean had no intention of resigning, Orla, having gotten the support of Jared and others, deemed that Sean, no longer the most powerful magical being, was no longer qualified to hold his position. Though Sean requested that Orla return the Orb, Orla asserted that she did not go to the trouble of acquiring it just to return it. Maxwell warily reminded Orla of Lemuria, recalling the destructive war waged over the Orb by the elves and the fairies. Though Orla insisted that she wished for an "orderly transition", Sean refused to leave and produced his wand. Orla, however, used her orb magic to disarm Sean, giving him two hours to decide as she took her leave with Jared.

Following the stand-off, Orla voiced to Jared her prediction that Sean would ultimately realize that he had no choice but to capitulate. Darra arrived, claiming that he wished to join Jared and Orla at the beginning of the new era. Prompted by Darra, Orla accepted him as a witness to the "momentous day" of the elves' victory.

Soon after, Orla, accompanied by Jared and Darra, met with Sean at the DMI to receive his answer publicly. Standing his ground, Sean gave Orla another chance. When Orla refused to give back the Orb, Sean ordered her arrest, but was forced to belay his order when Orla magically duressed him. Observing that Sean was reluctant to see things her way, Orla decided to provide a demonstration of her new power. To that end, Orla used orb magic, to remotely summon the shadow cloud, which threatened to vaporize anything it touched, from the library. This shocked even Orla's ally, Jared, who pointed out that they had not discussed this, with Orla retorting that that was the point of the demonstration. Sean was very quickly forced to concede, but not without telling Orla that she had no idea what she had done.

With Sean having resigned, Orla took his office, where she was congratulated by Jared. To Jared's confusion, Orla stated that she was not interested in the DMI, and that he was to see her true ambition. ("End of the Road: Part 1") Using magic to encase the Orb. Orla recalled Darra's negative attitude to living in secret when Imogen arrived; making it clear that she had no intention to join Orla, Imogen left to reason with her father while Darra refused to hear out, electing to stay with Orla.

Soon after, a dragon alert was sounded within the DMI, with Jared returning to the office. Believing that Sean was testing her, Orla left the director's office with Jared and accused Sean of concocting the "dragon". On her way back to the office, Orla was shocked to walk into Imogen, accompanied by a second Jared. As Orla pointed to the "Jared" at her side, he revealed himself to be Maxwell, who explained that he had read her thesis on shapeshifting, which opined was a "rather simplistic analysis". Returning to her office, Orla found that the Orb was gone, with its protective casing removed.

Using orb magic to look into the library, Orla saw that the Orb had been taken by Darra, joined by Imogen, Lily and Ruksy. As the students intended to destroy the Orb, Orla used her magic to remotely knock Darra out. Entering the library, Orla outmatched Imogen, Lily and Ruksy, displacing them from the library. Orla proceeded create magical barriers to secure both the library and the DMI, preventing the magical beings within from leaving. When Darra came to, Orla effortlessly restrained him when he attempted to stop her, voicing her disappointment in him. Orla made note of Maxwell's collection of magical objects, remarking that they had been locked up for far too long. Soon after, Orla projected her image to the DMI to deliver a message.

"Attention magical beings of River City. For too long we have been the servants of humans. From today, we will take our rightful place in the world. I'm going to release magical objects from the Library into River City. The humans will be desperate for our help and we will come to their rescue. Humans will realize that we are their superiors. Many challenges lie ahead, and I hope you will join me in helping to usher in a new era of magical supremacy."― Orla's message of "magical supremacy".— Listen (file info)

Though Darra ridiculed her intention, Orla reminded him that he said he was tired of living your life in secret, claiming that she would ensure that magic was restored to its rightful place. Taking the ankh from the Eye of Horus, Orla released it into the city centre. Darra protested, noting that Orla was endangering humans, to which Orla callously replied "No pain, no gain."

To Orla's surprise, the library's barrier was penetrated by Peter using Sir Zoltan's armour, allowing Kyra and Ruksy to follow him. Orla, however, quickly disarmed Ruksy of her wand while restraining Kyra. While conceding that Kyra was persistent, Orla asserted that she was simply human girl who had an accident. Orla asked Kyra if she really thought she could defeat her, only for Kyra to tell her that she did not, that it was never going to be just her. As soon as Kyra spoke, Imogen and Lily arrived, providing Kyra an opening to escape from Orla's grasp and grab the Orb. Before Orla could act, Imogen and Lily infused their respective magics into the Orb, resulting in Orla being forcibly deprived of the orb magic. Immediately following this, Darra prompted Kyra to united the ankh with the Eye of Horus, pacifying it before returning it to the library.

As the magical students rejoiced in their success, Orla attempted to claim the Orb only to witness its destruction at the hands of Maxwell, wielding the sword of Sir Zoltan. After the barrier surrounding the DMI was shattered, Maxwell had entered the library alongside Sean. Seeing to Orla, Sean summoned his guards to restrain her. Informing Orla that her position at the DMI had been terminated, Sean had Orla escorted from the library and taken into custody. ("End of the Road: Part 2")

Personality[]

At first, it was thought that she was helpful, informative, and caring. However, her true colors were revealed: she is manipulative and sneaky, one example is when it comes to shapeshifting, she can trick others to get what she wants. One of her other flaws is her reliance on magic, which resulted in some magical troubles in the last few Season 1 episodes. She can be a bit selfish. She can also be unsympathetic. In End of the Road: Part 2, she wanted to release more than one magical object into River City, possibly harming humans. When Darra tried to tell her, she didn't care. She thinks that magical beings are superior to humans.

Powers and Abilities[]

"You're too late, Kyra."― Orla as Kyra— Listen (file info)^[source]

Invisibility-she can hide from human eyes

• Teletransportation
• Shapeshifting: As shown in Accused and On the Case
• Stun Attack: As shown in Accused.
• Telekinesis

Wardrobe[]

Trivia[]

• She used to be one of DMI's top agents.
• She wasImogen's idol up until On the Case.
• She was an old acquaintance of Maxwell's.

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

• The Bureau of Magical Things
  • Season 1
    • All the World's a Stage
    • A Knight to Remember
    • The Test
    • Shortcut
    • Uncharted Waters
    • The Eye of Horus
    • Judgment Day
    • Prize Day
    • Accused
    • On the Case
    • End of the Road: Part 1
    • End of the Road: Part 2

Appearances: 12/20