Bagsy Beetlehorn and the Inferno Conscription (The Bagsy Chronicles 3)

Opius Pepsini

The first thing in the living room that Bagsy's eyes laid themselves upon was the small glass container in the centre. It was half-full of dust, and nothing else, and she couldn't help wondering what a container of dust was doing in the middle of such a luxurious room. The rest of the room was as expensively, and plushily, decorated as the rest with themes of dark brown, white, gold and marble throughout.

'My house elf will apparate some tea in for us,' Pepsini explained. Almost instantly, a full set of tea cups, tea pots, jugs of coconut milk and sugar holders appeared on the coffee table. Mezrielda, seeming right at home in this posh atmosphere, perched herself on one of the armchairs. Bagsy, far more awkward around such lavish, old fashioned decorations, and terrified that she'd ruin them by simply existing, was less graceful as she descended onto a chair. She was also deeply ill from the intruder trap that'd she'd been caught in and was jealous of Mezrielda who'd recovered so quickly.

'In truth,' Mezrielda spoke up, taking a cup and saucer for herself, 'we had no intention of using that... warpdoor, I believe you called it?'

'Indeed.' Opius nodded, reclining in an armchair and crossing one leg over the other. 'An invention of my own creation, naturally. Far more convenient than portkeys, you'll find. Unlike portkeys, they have no schedule, and remain ready to warp someone upon touch whether that be on the day they receive it, or a year later. Even if they remain a one-use object, they are rather ingenious, if I do say so myself. Soon to be on the market, if I have my way.'

'Be that as it may,' Mezrielda breezed on politely, taking a sip of her drink, pinkie finger raised, 'this is all a rather humorous mistake. You see, we need to return to Hogwarts as soon as possible.'

'I see, I see.' Opius nodded, furrowing his brow seriously. He sucked in a breath, rising sharply from his chair. 'Well, good luck with that.' He strode over to a large, long set of purple curtains and threw them open, revealing the glistening lights of a night-time London.

Mezrielda said a bad word.

Bagsy found herself agreeing.

Pepsini pulled the curtains closed again. 'As you can see, we have time to discuss the situation before we decide how to correct this... humorous mistake.'

The three of them sat in silence for a bit as they drank their tea. Bagsy was slowly recovering from the spinning sensation of her head, and the writhing in her belly, as the nausea and dizziness slipped away. Mezrielda, it seemed, was too stunned to speak. Bagsy could guess what was on her mind; they were in a lot of trouble, and if Mezrielda was in trouble, it could reflect poorly on her parents, and if something reflected poorly on her parents, she could be taken away from them.

Guilt festered in Bagsy. It was her recklessness that led them here. Why had her eyes picked the item out like that? If only she hadn't noticed it then she wouldn't have reached out to touch it, and they wouldn't have been teleported here.

'Why did you send Blythurst a warpdoor?' Mezrielda asked, placing her empty teacup down. It refilled instantly. Mezrielda narrowed her eyes at it suspiciously.

'A long and complicated tale, I assure you,' Opius answered. 'It has to do with my dear sister over there.' Pepsini gestured at the glass container of dust.

Bagsy stared at it blankly, before a feeling of revulsion hit her. 'What happened to her?' she asked in a small voice.

'Evaporagriss,' Opius answered matter-of-factly. 'Nasty thing.' He sniffed, drank some tea, and quickly dabbed a handkerchief to each eye.

'What does she have to do with Blythurst?' Mezrielda asked carefully.

'But enough about me,' Pepsini continued, ignoring her question. 'I believe it's high time you introduced yourselves.'