Carry On, Simon Snow: The Prequel

BAZ

I hate coming out here. It's dark and murky and utterly distasteful.
  
I can't shake this feeling that someone is following me. Watching me. I try to reassure myself that I get this feeling every time I go out. But still...

I almost finish when I hear a voice. "Baz?"
   
It's a familiar voice. I look up, greeted by Agatha Wellbelove standing in the dark, watching me from behind a tree.

Shit.
   
How much did she see? How do I explain this? She couldn't tell what I was doing, right? It's too dark.
   
I stand up slowly from my crouch.
   
"Agatha."
   
She says nothing.

"How long have you been... standing there?"
I start to walk towards her. I approach her as least threatening as possible, trying not to scare her away. She shudders slightly when I take her hands.

"Agatha."

No answer. She shivers.

Now I'm just annoyed. How hard is it to answer such a simple question?

I hear small movement echo in the trees. I hastily look around, still annoyed. Now what?
I look at the edge of the wood just as Penelope Bunce gasps.

She's with Snow.

My eyes meet his. For a moment, it's just him and me. His blue eyes glint, mad with magic. He's glaring at me. It's the look he always gives right before he tries to kill me. I know it all too well. I smirk.

"You're kind of interrupting something here, Snow."

He gets mad at the simplest phrases. I knew this is what would throw him over the edge. Maybe he'll go off again.

Before he has a chance to do me off, he and Bunce vanish. Right in front of us.
   
Bunce isn't powerful enough for that level of magic. And Snow isn't competent enough. Not even the Mage himself can pull something like that off. There's only one thing that could potentially have that ability:

The Humdrum.