"Which don't change the fact that I don't like feeling patronized," Lafayette returns, to make his point, though without any heat or offense. He just has expectations, about how he communicates with people, especially when he's in the position he's in. Hermione can't meet them, even if she'd like to, if he doesn't communicate them clearly.

Anything else leads to trifling bullshit, and he isn't interested in trifling bullshit.

He's interested in controlling his magic.

He holds up a hand "Pausing the extended metaphor. What I want is a tool that can protect me. What I decide to do with it afterward is my shit, right? Pretty much the only time I used what's in me is by accident. Once or twice, I had actual intent. But it's not really a tool when you don't use it without intent to begin with. That's what I want to do."