Bagsy Beetlehorn and the Vampire Affairs (The Bagsy Chronicles 4)

The Practise

Starrett had called off their Artifisiary lessons for the time being, so Bagsy had dedicated more time to practising any kind of acting she could. Mezrielda and Bagsy would hang out in the foldable forge, Mezrielda trying her best to understand metal and make something of the objects she was uncoordinatedly chiselling into. Whilst she worked, Bagsy would read aloud from any fiction book she could find in the library, trying to improve her acting skills, or lack thereof.

'Well done,' Mezrielda drawled at one point as she stared in frustration at a button and paperclip she was trying to combine. 'I think you might be the first actor to get worse the more they practise.'

'Oh haha.' Bagsy returned her attention to the story she was reading. Despite Starrett's lessons having been put on hold, she still found herself feeling sore from the Thaumathletics and from the quidditch practise she'd finally been able to attend.

Thaumathletics had been far more fun – only two more students had to meet the time of one minute and thirty second before they could move onto treadmilling – whereas in quidditch everything was a shambles. They were short a chaser, as no one was willing to fill the spot Ford had left behind and, despite his insistence, Jon wasn't good enough to do the work of two players. Plus the relationship between Greenda and Emmeline had deteriorated. This, more than the physical exercise, was what made Bagsy so tired. At quidditch practise on Wednesday, as Greenda and Emmeline were walking back to the castle, they were also having a quiet squabble.

'You've still not learnt your lesson,' Emmeline accused Greenda. 'I can count at least three separate rumours you've spread around the school that you had no business spreading.'

Greenda spluttered indignantly. 'I'm not spreading rumours! I'm talking to my friends about things I've seen. If I thought something was sensitive I wouldn't go telling everyone about it, and at least I'm not sticking my nose in other people's business.'

'Your business is my business when it involves sharing other people's secrets with the rest of the student body. Witchment Enrichment featured at least two stories I know came from your gossip.'

'You don't know that,' Greenda hissed back. 'As I said – I don't spread anything harmful. I tell people that I've noticed someone has a new hairstyle, or that someone joined the choir, or that someone made an interesting contribution in a lesson. There's a huge difference between rumour and plain old ordinary conversation. And I never said it was my business you were sticking your nose into.'

That made Emmeline's face turn a dark red. 'I'm trying to do the right thing.'

'That girl is rotten to the core and you're dumb to try and change her.'

'She's lost. All it takes is one person to reach out and try and help. I know she can change. She's still so young. Even if she is permanently disfigured.'

At that, Greenda scoffed. 'Disfiguration has nothing to do with it. Everyone looks different, that's life, but no one has a personality as wicked as her.'

'I'm just being reasonable. As long as she looks like that people will treat her like she's the bully so she'll never have any motivation to change unless someone pushes her.'

'Some people are never able to use magic,' Greenda offered back. 'That doesn't mean they can't change as a person, even if society may treat them differently. I don't see why physical appearance is any different.'

'You're unbelievable,' Emmeline breathed, stalking ahead and trying to get away.

Greenda, on the other hand, looked deeply hurt. 'You're more concerned about her than you've ever been about me!' she called angrily after Emmeline. 'And I actually was nice to you!'