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

Abundant Energy

Primrose was more insufferable than ever before. In potions, she'd deliberately tipped Bagsy's cauldron over, trusting the for once present Blythurst, who was too busy wheezing, to not bother reprimanding her. In transfiguration, Mezrielda's extension work, that Professor Hilkins set her when she'd inevitably finish the main work in half the time it took the other students, was fixing Bagsy's nose, that Primrose had turned into a mushroom.

Herbology was bad enough already, with Bagsy having to navigate the awkwardness she felt around Arice, and Primrose had taken to loudly suggesting couple names for them during their theoretical lessons.

'Barice, anyone?' Primrose laughed. 'No, no, you're right. Agsy is way better.'

When Winifred giggled along Bagsy shot her a betrayed look. She was still brewing phoenix quell for her and her sister. Winifred, clearly remembering this, stifled her laughter and then told Primrose just where she could shove the snub nose she was sticking in places it didn't belong. When Primrose tried to shoot a bold retort back, as she'd taken to doing far more now, Winifred surprised the entire class by comparing Primrose to a boab.

'The more attention that gets put into you, the more bloated your ego becomes,' Winifred reasoned.

'That's... a very accurate analogy,' Bagsy murmured quietly to her after Primrose had, grumbling, returned to her own work.

Winifred shot Bagsy a happy look. 'I used to think Herbology was stuuupid and for stuuuupid people like you.'

'Thanks,' Bagsy muttered to herself.

'But you showed me it was actually really cool, and defo worth my time.' She paused. 'Also like you.'

'I did that?'

'Yeah! When that stamhelia-'

'Stampelia,' Bagsy added too quietly to be heard.

'–bloomed right in front of our eyes in first year all I could think was woooow! How cool! I realised duelling wasn't the ooonly subject worth learning about.' Winifred pouted suddenly. 'But my popple trees last year were just terrible, so I decided this year I'd put a bit more effort in.'

'Well, I'm glad you are,' Bagsy said as she turned back to her own work. The class was learning about twoogles, a flower with hundreds of different possible colours that had incredibly complex requirements to achieve. Growing gold twoogles, which the textbook said were incredibly valuable, took many years of crossbreeding between different coloured versions, and for golden items to be laid around the budding plants.

Arice, thankfully, was so confused by all the complex tables of flower genetics in front of him that he hadn't seemed to notice Primrose's teasing. Bagsy let out an internal sigh of relief.

Primrose left Bagsy alone during Astronomy, at least. At first, she'd pushed Bagsy's telescope over, but Winifred and her Ravenclaw friends had vouched for Bagsy when she'd, stammering and terrified, told Professor Jones exactly why her lens was shattered. Professor Jones' hour-long rant at Primrose was something to behold, and she had learnt not to mess with Bagsy with Jones around. Unlike other teachers, Professor Jones seemed acutely aware of all the ways bullies tried to hide their behaviour from adults. When Primrose offered Bagsy a compliment that was clearly a veiled insult, it took less than a second for Jones to catch on and threaten her with a letter home.

It was subjects that didn't feature Primrose that Bagsy now found the most relaxing. She didn't need to worry about looking over her shoulder. Thaumathletics was one such class and, to make matters more exciting, Professor Kim announced that, finally, they were reaching the magical component of the subject. There was a buzz of chatter around Bagsy as Kim pulled the dayblua charm off the obstacle course behind them.