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

Hide and Seek

The spider gloves and spider slippers fit snugly on Bagsy's hands and feet as she hurriedly moved around the castle. She had grown adept at using her inventions and scuttled along swiftly and silently. At the beginning of her search, the castle had been calm, but within a few minutes it was as if an alarm was crying out through every room, corridor and stairwell. Students rushed from one place to another, professors barked hurried orders, and Ministry officials were starting to pour into the bloodstream of the building.

Not a single of these hurrying, distracted people noticed Bagsy as she searched for Winifred and Robin. She was headed straight for where she expected them to be hiding; the Eagle Club room.

Reaching the stairs leading down towards the tapestry that hid the space, Bagsy let go of the ceiling and dropping to the ground deftly.

'You won't find them there,' a pompous voice sounded from behind her. Turning around, Bagsy saw Primrose Vinski leaning against a wall, arms folded and toothy mouth smiling tauntingly at her. 'Did Mr Mortem find you?' she asked. 'He came to the common room. Everyone else refused to tell him where you'd gone but, oops, I just couldn't avoid letting it slip you were taking a letter to the owlery. How unfortunate.'

'I don't have time for this!' Bagsy yelled at Primrose suddenly, who started and pushed herself off the wall in shock. 'Where are they?!'

'Winifred and Robin?' Primrose checked, looking Bagsy up and down uncertainly.

'The Ministry are going to take them in,' Bagsy explained darkly. 'I need to find them.' She took a few steps forward until she was eye to eye with Primrose. She couldn't help but relish in the fact that she was clearly stronger than Primrose – she'd win if Primrose tried to stop her. At this distance, she had no hope of drawing her wand without Bagsy shoving her over first.

Primrose jutted her chin out bravely, staring at Bagsy with her one-snake, one-blue eyes. 'You can't keep them hidden forever.'

'Who says I want them hidden?' Bagsy grit out, her patience fraying. She saw charred skin and mangled flesh in her head; wounds inflicted on her sister by an inferno.

Primrose paused, considering Bagsy again, before her eyes narrowed. 'No, Bagsy,' she said in disapproval. 'This isn't you.' That took Bagsy aback – it hadn't been what she'd expected. 'You're not a villain.' Primrose's voice was quiet, barely audible amongst the chaos reigning in the corridor not far from them.

Bagsy moved backwards, her anger draining like water through a sieve as confusion took its place. 'W-What?'

'I said, you're not a villain.'

Her anger returned. 'Winifred and Robin are the reason-'

Primrose slapped her. Bagsy reeled backwards, barely stopping herself from tumbling down the stairs.

'I'm a villain, Bagsy,' Primrose hissed. 'I do what I do to people because I'm a villain, but at least I have the decency to accept that, and not place the blame of my own actions on others.'

'What are you on about?' Bagsy spat.

'I felt you poke around inside my head,' Primrose hissed, baring her snake-sharp teeth. 'I hate it, but I've accepted it. I know you know why I am the way I am. I know you know about my destiny. I have no choice – I'm a villain. I was born to be a villain, I was raised to be a villain, and I choose to be a villain. But you don't have to do that.'

'You're always talking about how I'm not really nice underneath it all,' Bagsy shot back. 'Shouldn't you be glad?'

'You're not listening to me!' Primrose raged, throwing an arm angrily into the air for emphasis as she gestured at Bagsy. 'I just want people to be honest about who they are and stop pretending they're so nice all the time. But, even if everyone is horrible deep down, only some of us are truly rotten!'