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

The Eavesdropper

Mr Mortem had arrived once again for a random inspection. His presence was becoming common place as he watched the students with his beady eyes, looking down his small nose at them all. Bagsy wondered if he'd go as far as to accompany the students to Hogsmeade. The second visit to the wizard town was fast approaching and it was no coincidence that Bagsy was more than ever trying to avoid Arice. Perhaps even more than she was trying to avoid Mr Mortem.

As Arice approached her in the hallway, casting a friendly wave in the busy corridor and moving purposefully towards her, Bagsy quickly showed him the vials in her hands as her excuse. 'I need to make a delivery,' she said awkwardly. 'Sorry!' Quickly, she turned and set off in the opposite direction from him.

Winifred and Robin were just leaving the secret room that had once housed the Eagle Club when Bagsy came across them. 'Two phoenix quells coming right up,' she announced, offering the vials to them, which the two took and immediately drank. For the briefest of moments, she thought about Primrose and her disfigured face. Then she told herself this was different; if Mr Mortem discovered Winifred and Robin's powers he'd take them away. Bagsy didn't have a choice here and, besides, now that they'd solved the issue of the potions making Winifred and Robin explode at random times, there didn't seem to be any other bad side effects.

'Woooonderful.' Winifred beamed, her head freshly bald. She and Robin must have just let out a bunch of fire in the Eagle Club room, Bagsy decided. For a second, she glanced at their scorch free robes. Reading her mind, Winifred did a little twirl. 'Fire proof,' she offered in explanation. 'Handed down in our family from one phoenix borne to the next. Before these were developed it was very awkward to use our family's fiery powers,' she added jokingly. 'Though, if the fire gets really intense, they don't always last.' Robin giggled.

'I had a question, actually,' Bagsy said in a small voice.

Winifred looked overjoyed. 'Shoot! We looove questions. Can't get enough of 'em. All about curiosity, we are. Better to speak up and sound stupid then stay quiet and be stupid.'

Ignoring the feeling she'd been indirectly insulted, Bagsy pushed on. 'Don't answer if it's too personal but... how come your parents let you come back to Hogwarts? Given what's going on, I'd thought they'd want you to stay somewhere out of sight.'

'Well,' Winifred began, only to be cut off.

'Hold it.' Robin held up her hand uncertainly. 'Did you two hear that?'

Winifred and Bagsy looked down at little Robin in confusion.

'Hear what?' Winifred asked.

Robin lowered her hand. 'It's probably nothing,' she muttered.

'Aaanyway,' Winifred continued. 'As I was saying, we didn't exactly tell our parents the Ministry was running searches at the school. They'd sort of assumed we'd be free from prying eyes here – and they're too busy hiding themselves to pay much attention to what's been happening.'

Bagsy gaped. 'You mean... they don't know?'

Robin nodded proudly. 'Yup. Smart deception of ours.'

'Be this as it all may or may not be,' Winifred breezed on as if they were talking about Herbology, 'we better get going. Gotta practise for our match against Slytherin – they're top for points right now and we're going to change that.'

Robin and Winifred waved at Bagsy as they left, before turning to each other and talking eagerly about flying tactics, their faces as animated as the raging fire they were capable of letting lose. Then, they were gone, disappeared around the corner.

'What interesting information indeed...' a voice hissed above Bagsy's head. 'You'd think you'd have learnt your lesson by now – prying ears are everywhere.'