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

Weeping Weeds

Bagsy hadn't planned on becoming an owl for Greenda and Emmeline, but after Monday's quidditch practise that was exactly what she was.

'Bagsy,' Greenda said stiffly one evening in the Hufflepuff common room, 'can you tell Emmeline that Ford asked me to inform her we have a match this weekend.'

'We have a match this weekend!' Bagsy whimpered – she didn't feel nearly ready. Emmeline and Greenda certainly weren't.

Greenda sighed tiredly. 'Yeah. Slytherin had an injury and are busy looking for a sub, so we've been given their slot this weekend against Gryffindor.' With that, Greenda went back to the table she'd been working on and buried herself in books and notes.

Bagsy cautiously approached Emmeline to tell her the news. She wasn't sure why she was doing this for Greenda – she was feeling a little angry at her for telling Ford about her boy troubles when she'd promised she wouldn't – but Bagsy wasn't going to confront her about it.

'Can you tell Greenda,' Emmeline muttered, sitting lazily in an armchair near the fire place, 'that I already knew this because, unlike her, I have friends, some of whom are Gryffindors.'

Bagsy furrowed her brow. To be honest, she'd never seen Emmeline hang out with anyone besides Kat. She didn't strike her as particularly popular. Not any more so than Greenda, anyway. 'Who?' Bagsy found herself asking before she could stop herself – her curiosity winning against her social awkwardness.

Emmeline cast a disapproving glance at Bagsy, who stiffened. 'Why do you care?' she snapped. Bagsy dipped her head apologetically, her throat dry. Emmeline heaved a tired sigh. 'Sorry. Work has me stressed,' she confessed, and Bagsy felt a flash of confusion at the hint of kindness in her words. 'Magnus Alden. You know, the boy who does all the commentary for the games? He told me. He's been complaining all week that he's had to come up with new insults, puns and jokes.'

Bagsy stood still, confusion washing over her. 'B-but...' Bagsy trailed off. 'He's so mean...' Her voice was incredibly quiet, she was half hoping Emmeline hadn't heard her.

Emmeline, not looking like her usual spiteful self at all, shrugged. 'He only says what he says to entertain the crowd.'

'He called you Wirth-less last year!' Bagsy reasoned, not sure why she was still talking, or what had come over her. Emmeline's surname was Wirth and Magnus hadn't missed the opportunity to use that to mock her.

Emmeline cracked a smile. 'Yeah, that was my idea.' She let out a half-laugh. Kat giggled as well. Emmeline's smile died, and her eyes remained trained on the fire, unfocussed.

Bagsy knew she should just turn around and leave, she'd delivered the message she'd needed to, and her job was done, yet something was eating away at her. 'H-how...' Bagsy stuttered, twiddling her thumbs and looking down at her feet.

'What?' Emmeline asked, sounding more tired than annoyed.

'How come Magnus hasn't insulted Greenda, then? If you give him ideas for commentary... don't you... don't you hate Greenda?' Bagsy looked up, her heart in her throat. She knew this was foolish. She was poking a very angry, very aggressive bear, but it was her task to reconcile Emmeline and Greenda and this was the most promising route she'd been presented with so far.

Emmeline shot to her feet, her eyes wild with anger. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

At the same time, Kat shrugged nonchalantly. 'Because Emmeline told Magnus not to.'

Bagsy didn't know who to look at. Emmeline, who felt like a very real threat to her ongoing existence, or Kat, who'd just openly revealed that Emmeline had asked Magnus not to insult Greenda during his commentary.