Bagsy Beetlehorn and the Thorned Gauntlet (The Bagsy Chronicles 1)

The Most Important Brick

'Well done, Maisy,' Starrett said happily, praising the Slytherin student's charm work whilst Bagsy watched ruefully, trying her best to cast a spell. It was the following Monday and Bagsy had done little besides practise her work. She'd pushed thoughts of the gauntlet, her matured stampelia, and Mezrielda's wish to become Minister for Magic, far from her mind. She didn't want to deal with them. All Bagsy wanted was to focus on her work and pass the coming exams, but thoughts of easily gaining magical talent through the gauntlet whilst hurting the closest thing to a friend she had were getting in her way. Bagsy was relying on the hope that Tod wouldn't be able to find the gauntlet before she had reached a decision.

'Miss Beetlehorn,' Starrett called suddenly and the class fell silent. They'd been practising the wand lighting charm and specks of light dotted the classroom from the seats sat furthest at the back, high above the others, to the ones nearest the central walkway, and lowest to the ground. Bagsy, sitting to the back right and on her own, was without any light of any kind, and looked at Professor Starrett, gulping. 'Come to the front of the class,' Starrett said, to the sound of hushed whispers. Starrett had taken to making a mockery of Bagsy every chance she got, accusing her of pretending to be bad at magic, and Bagsy suspected it was the highlight of some students' Mondays.

Legs made of jelly, Bagsy stood and walked down the steps to Professor Starrett who swept her skeletal arms out to the rest of the class.

'Observe and see what I mean when I tell you to put your heart and every ounce of effort you have into your spells.' Starrett spun around to look at every student before sweeping back to Bagsy's direction, her red and gold robes glinting in the small specks of light that flickered around the room and her heels clacking on the floor as she moved. 'Miss Beetlehorn show us your wand lighting charm.' Starrett paused, turning her wand over in her hand. 'If you're willing to co-operate, that is,' she added slyly.

Bagsy, hand shaking, raised her hornbeam wand, standing straight and mentally going over the wand movement. She'd spent the whole class listening closely, taking notes, and perfecting the movement and incantation.

'We don't have all day,' Starrett said, clasping her hands in front of her.

Bagsy took in a breath, standing in the perfect position, and began. 'Lumos!' she cast, precisely following the movements she'd been taught. Of course, nothing happened, and a spattering of snickers sounded throughout the class.

Professor Starrett smiled in satisfaction. 'Can anyone tell me what Miss Beetlehorn did wrong?' she asked, hands shooting into the air. 'Yes,' Starrett pointed her wand at a Gryffindor with red hair tied in a bun. Bagsy recognised her as Fiona, one of the Gryffindor's who'd been sending jinxes her way during Herbology in the first term.

'Her wand movement was really bad,' Fiona said. 'No offense.'

Starrett shook her head. 'Wrong.' She turned to the row of seats on her other side. 'Her wand movement was actually perfect. Yet she cast no spell...' Starrett scanned her eyes over the students, settling on the Slytherin girl she'd complimented earlier whose hand was still raised. 'Yes, Maisy?'

'Did she say the incantation wrong, maybe?' Maisy suggested.

Starrett shook her head again. 'Wrong, also! Her incantation was spot on.'

'But then...' Maisy trailed off. The question was on everyone's mind. If the incantation and the wand movement were perfect, what was Bagsy missing?

'Heart and effort,' Starrett proclaimed, walking past Bagsy as she began to pace. 'Bagsy here has no heart in her words, and no effort behind her casting. She is lazy, and inattentive, and expects spells to come to her, rather than going to spells herself. Or, even better put, for whatever reason she is simply choosing not to cast them. Perhaps she does not think us worthy of seeing her talents, or perhaps she wants to mislead us into thinking her weak.'