With Sunday, and the match, fast approaching, there wasn't a moment of free time Bagsy didn't dedicate to practising with her mag-net bat and ball. Foncée was happy to sit and watch as she walked around the Hogwarts grounds hitting the ball over and over, trying to perfect her aim.
'Let me help,' Foncée called abruptly. She waved her hand, a wand appearing in its grasp, and silvery wisps of mist appeared around the field, each in the rough shape of students on broom sticks. 'Once you hit them they'll disappear. See how quick you can clear them all.'
Bagsy, with a breathless smile of gratitude at Mistress Foncée, who she decided was pretty cool, tried as hard as she could to hit them, grunting with each swing. The first few times it took her a while, but by the time Saturday evening rolled around and Bagsy had a good number of hours of practise behind her, her aim had improved immensely. Now, hitting the targets was a case of focussing her mind and remembering the muscle movements, her eyes easily guiding the rest.
Bagsy cleared the misty silhouettes in a few seconds, tops, whacking the ball this way and that, spinning as it came back towards her and sending it in the other direction. Once the figures had all vanished she caught the ball on the side of the magnetised bat, heaving in breath after breath, a bead of sweat on her forehead. The motions felt thrilling, and it was as if her eyes were designed for the very purpose of working out how to get the ball to exactly where it needed to be.
Foncée clapped her hands together, impressed, and smiled. 'I think you'll do well.'
Bagsy stared at her, dumbfounded. 'You think?' Even if she did well at the exercise, it was still very different from an actual quidditch match.
Foncée nodded. 'I do. If it isn't unfair for me to say so, I consider myself a key component of your practise, and can't help but feel proud.'
'Thanks, mu-' Bagsy stalled. 'M-mistress Foncée,' she corrected herself, her face flushing. If Foncée noticed her slip up, she didn't show it.
'I recommend rest and food before the match tomorrow. I'll be watching, Bagsy, and I know you'll try your best. Remember, that is all that matters.'
When Bagsy lay in bed that night, she wondered if her parents had ever said anything that supportive to her in her whole life.
She didn't think they had.
She woke with a start the next day. The sun had barely over the horizon, so why was she awake?
'Bagsy!' Teresa hissed loudly at her. Bagsy blinked blearily as Teresa hauled her out of bed and thrust her quidditch gear into her arms. Bagsy had raided the lost and found for it – the idea of wearing shiny, expensive quidditch gear bought with her parents' money made her skin crawl, even though she didn't know why. 'Come on! Let's go!' Teresa bounced up and down on her heels as Bagsy hurried into her clothes. Bill and Jill, who'd been woken by Teresa, looked reproachfully at her from their cage. Bagsy, taking Primrose's threat about her cat eating them to heart, had built a network of cages for her rats into her bedside table, the space below her bed, and the space above it so they had ample roaming and climbing space but always had bars between them and sharp, feline claws.
'You've got to make a cage like that for my pets,' Teresa said wistfully as Bagsy pulled the canary yellow quidditch jumper the Hufflepuffs wore over her head.
'I'm stuck!' Bagsy squeaked, her arms jammed in the sleeves.
Teresa tutted and roughly pulled the jumper down. 'Let's go, come on!'
Bagsy blundered through her breakfast, still half asleep. Jon looked just as tired, but Ford and Greenda were annoyingly chipper, chatting excitedly to each other about tactics. Greenda, whose voice was particularly loud, was a nice stream of information to help Bagsy wake up. She comfortably listened in, even if it did make her sad Greenda wasn't talking directly to her.
Emmeline, though, seemed to be finding Greenda's voice far more grating on her ears. 'Pack it in, would you?' she hissed, Kat nodding her agreement. Greenda grew quiet, looking wordlessly down at her food.
When they'd finished their meal, and Ford was drawing up a last-minute recap of everything they'd been practising, Teresa, who'd been sitting opposite Bagsy, went very silent. Bagsy looked over her shoulder and saw Mezrielda walking over.
'Teresa, what happened to your worm farm was terrible,' Mezrielda forced out. To a normal person it was a flat apology at best but Bagsy could sense the sincerity below the surface.
'So, you admit you did it?' Teresa sneered.
'No. I would not admit to something I didn't do, don't be silly. I just wanted to offer my condolences.' Bagsy saw Teresa puff up angrily like one of her pet toads. 'And I wanted to wish you all luck,' Mezrielda got in quickly.
Teresa's anger dissipated in shock. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. 'Luck?'
Mezrielda turned to Bagsy with a slight smile – it looked odd on her face. 'Yes, luck. I'm sure you're all going to do great. I've seen you practise – you have a good team.'
'Whatever double-bluff, psychological tactic this is, it ain't gonna work. Now scram!' Teresa aimed a forkful of pumpkin pastry at Mezrielda's head. With a last encouraging look at Bagsy, and a whispered teporiem that shot happy warmth over her back, Mezrielda walked off to the Slytherin table.
Feeling awake and warm, Bagsy ate more food and paid attention to Ford's instructions.
As they stood up to head for the pitch she heard Mezrielda's voice whispering in her ear. 'Good luck,' she murmured. Bagsy looked over to the Slytherin table where Mezrielda was sitting with her wand gently pressed to her throat, having cast the same long-distance message spell she'd used last year.
Bagsy found that the world's strongest teporiem couldn't keep her nerves at bay as the team walked to the quidditch pitch. Students were excitedly milling towards the stands and taking their seats. She hadn't realised there would be such a big crowd.
The team huddled in the changing room and looked at Ford Krinkle expectantly.
Ford took out the notes he'd been making at breakfast, then crumpled them up. 'I'll be honest with you,' he said, 'we're the strongest team Hufflepuff has had since I've been here, and we're still the weakest in school by far.'
'Great speech,' Teresa grumbled.
'I'd be a much better captain,' Jon said ruefully.
'But what are we Hufflepuffs about?' Ford asked, ignoring them. There was silence. Teresa and Jon shared a confused look. Kat and Emmeline looked just as unsure.
'Loyalty?' Kat offered.
'Fairness?' Emmeline tried. Bagsy thought that was rich.
It was obvious to her, but there was no way she was going to say it.
'Hard work. Patience. Dedication,' Greenda said what Bagsy had been thinking, her voice firm with conviction.
Ford smiled. 'Exactly. The team we had before didn't care for Quidditch the way they did their work or their friends. They didn't have that desire to practise, that passion for victory. But you... I look at this new team and I see nothing but willingness to improve.'
'You do?' Emmeline muttered, glancing in Greenda's direction. Kat held back a snicker.
'I do,' Ford confirmed. 'We have this year and next before I leave. I trust that with practise and, as Greenda said, hard work, patience and dedication, we can snatch a victory for Hufflepuff at last, if not this year, then the next. Now, let's go out there, and let's learn.' Ford spun and marched confidently from their tent onto the pitch, the other players scrambling to follow his unexpected departure. Bagsy's stomach dropped as she stepped into the sunlight of a cold, December's day, and saw the cheering crowd surrounding the pitch. Watching a Quidditch match was one thing but playing it yourself was an entirely different matter.
Ducking low, hoping she could hide behind the other players, Bagsy found herself standing in the middle of the pitch. The Hufflepuffs faced the Ravenclaw team. Last year the Ravenclaws had won, the Hufflepuff team only having managed to score one goal before the Ravenclaw seeker had caught the snitch. Bagsy peered out from behind Teresa, who she was using to hide, to spot that the seeker who'd played last year wasn't standing among the Ravenclaws' numbers.
Winifred, who was there instead, smirked at Bagsy and waved. 'Hey, Baaaagzzz, I got a bet for some salty sugar sticks that Ravenclaw win. Think you can make that happen for me?'
Bagsy shook her head timidly and disappeared behind Teresa again, her apprehension about the match growing.
Professor Kim did her rounds, checking the brooms were all flight worthy and legal, before briefly reminding them of the rules. 'I know we get competitive here at Hogwarts, and believe me, nothing is as electrifying as riding a broom, but please put safety first, alright?' Kim cautioned. The teams nodded. 'Right. Captains shake hands.'
A squat boy with pale skin and broad shoulders strode forward from the Ravenclaw side. Ford, who was equally broad shouldered with dark skin and dark hair, towered over the smaller boy. They shook hands in a not unpleasant fashion before mounting their brooms. Bagsy, heart hammering in her head, saw the other Hufflepuffs around her mounting their own. She gulped, looking down at her broom and forgetting how exactly one flew it.
'Stay calm,' Bagsy heard Mezrielda's voice mutter in her ear. Bagsy's head snapped up and she looked around, but she couldn't spot Mezrielda in the crowd. Nodding her head in understanding, Bagsy swung her leg over her broom and let her modified Fleet Footed Fox hover.
'And...' Kim held a whistle close to her lips, her foot coming to rest on a trunk by her feet. 'Begin!' She blew the whistle and kicked the trunk open. A quaffle was launched into the air, which a Ravenclaw chaser quickly snapped up. The two bludgers shot up too, the sunlight gleaming off their black, metal forms.
Teresa, bat swinging at her side, shot after one of them and hit it straight towards the chaser.
'Another Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw match,' Bagsy heard the commentator, Magnus Alden, Tod's older brother, say. 'Last time it was a complete stomp and Hufflepuff was torn apart by Ravenclaw's superior skills.' Bagsy, who'd taken off with a deep breath, glanced over at Magnus. Professor Blythurst, head of Hufflepuff house, was sitting in a large, fold-out chair next to him. Bagsy didn't think Blythurst would bother to tell Magnus to be civil in his commentary; he looked half-asleep.
'Bagsy, focus!' Mezrielda hissed in Bagsy's ear. Bagsy looked away from Magnus ('Oh, and Ravenclaw score, but no one's really surprised, are they?') and at the players.
Ravenclaw had scored ten points already, and one of their chasers was making a loop for another shot. Bagsy, directing herself swiftly over to the nearest bludger, whacked it down towards the chaser. With swift precision, the chaser dodged and threw the quaffle she was holding at Emmeline, who reached out to grab it, but it slipped through her fingers and into the goal.
'Another ten points for Ravenclaw!' Magnus called. 'Emmeline Wirth really botched that save, what a Wirth-less keeper, and that bludger attempt from Beetlehorn was very lack-luster. Beetle-horn certainly wasn't Beater-born.' A collective groan sounded throughout the crowd. Bagsy nearly fell off her broom she was so embarrassed. Oddly, Emmeline seemed highly amused at Magnus' insulting puns.
'One more rude comment, Magnus. See what happens,' Blythurst's croaky voice growled.
'S-sorry,' Magnus stammered, sounding more shocked that the statue of a man had spoken than scared.
Shaking her head and trying not to be affected by all the noise and comments, Bagsy looked around for another bludger to hit. As she did, she noticed Winifred circling above the others like Greenda was doing. She realised with a start that Winifred, only a second year, was the Ravenclaw team's seeker. She couldn't help thinking that Winifred had better aerodynamics, what with that bald head of hers, when Winifred abruptly dived. Bagsy looked and saw the yellow glint of the snitch far below.
'Oh no, you don't,' Bagsy grit out, speeding towards the nearest bludger. Leaning out as far as she could and winding her arm for a big swing, she smashed the bludger in Winifred's direction. Winifred noticed just as her fingers were closing around the snitch and rolled over with the agility of a bird before looking for the snitch again. Bagsy desperately searched the skies for the other bludger. Seeing her target she zoomed over, bat at the ready, and looked down. Winifred was already soaring up to the other side of the pitch and Bagsy caught another glimpse of yellow.
'Come on,' Bagsy begged, to who she didn't know, and walloped the bludger as hard as she could. It shot straight at Winifred who had to dive down to avoid it, missing out on catching the snitch again.
'And Hufflepuff score, at last!' Magnus called. 'That's thirty points to Ravenclaw, and ten to Hufflepuff!'
Bagsy spotted Greenda, who hadn't made a single attempt for the snitch yet, and zoomed over to her. The Fleet Footed Fox felt good below her hands and, feeling panic at their imminent loss, Bagsy focussed on the feeling of flying to calm her nerves, whilst also ignoring how high up she was. 'Greenda, you've got this!' she encouraged her. Greenda looked at her with nervous eyes, her arms trembling. 'I've seen you fly, you're fantastic, just believe in yourself!' Greenda nodded numbly, forcing her broom into motion, and circled around, looking for the snitch.
Bagsy looked back at Winifred, who'd flown up high and was scanning the ground like a hawk once more. Bagsy held her bat tightly in her hand, looking down at the chasers. Jon was speeding forwards, quaffle in hand, but he wasn't paying any attention to the other players – his own or the enemy – and a bludger was headed straight for him.
Bagsy sent her broom into a dive, but the speed freaked her out and she slowed just that bit too much. Not reaching the bludger in time she saw it seconds from impacting with Jon's shoulder.
Teresa, a blur of yellow and red, practically tackled the bludger away from Jon who, with an admittedly impressive rolling manoeuvre, managed to shoot the quaffle through the goal.
'Another Hufflepuff score,' Magnus breathed in disbelief. 'Who would have thought it.' Blythurst, who seemed to be asleep, didn't reprimand him.
Bagsy's ears heard, and felt, a sudden moving of air. She whipped around to see Winifred diving straight down towards the ground again. She looked and saw the snitch hovering just about the sand of the quidditch pitch floor, then for a bludger – there was one ten feet below her and towards where Winifred was heading. She shot towards it. As Bagsy flew, her mind ran the calculations.
How fast was Winifred going?
Too fast.
How quickly was the ground approaching?
Too quickly.
How close was the snitch to the ground?
Too close.
Bagsy took a quarter of a second to register what make of broom Winifred was flying, wondering what on earth she was thinking pulling a dive like this. When Bagsy saw that Winifred was riding a Flaming Phoenix alarm bells rang in her head.
Between Ford, Greenda and Bagsy's book, Brooms and Their Inner Workings, she had a rough idea of what brooms could and couldn't do. Most regular brooms couldn't shoot as fast as Winifred's was towards the ground and pull out of it unscathed.
Bagsy saw this ending one way – Winifred smeared across the ground.
A greater importance fuelling her next shot, she decided there was something more pressing than stopping Winifred getting the snitch: stopping Winifred hitting the ground.
Winifred, a blue streak, was a second from the ground and hadn't even begun to pull up. All she seemed to care about was the snitch. Bagsy took her shot, aiming at the ground just before Winifred. Once she hit the ball, all she could do was watch, and wait, the result entirely out of her control.
It all happened very quickly.
Winifred, hand inches from the snitch, began to pull up, but it was too late. The end of her broom was pointing towards the ground and about to snap into the dirt, leaving Winifred's body to be crushed against the floor. No amount of soft sand could deal with a speed like that.
Except, Bagsy's bludger hit the ground by Winifred and bounced upwards, towards the front of her broom. With a thud, the bludger hit the tip of Winifred's broom from below, forcing it upwards and parallel with the ground.
Winifred, nearly jerked off her broom by the impact, managed to grab the snitch, righted her broom, and pulled up, avoiding a nasty fall that Bagsy was fairly certain could have killed her.
'Ravenclaw catch the snitch! Ravenclaw win! No one is surprised, of course!' Magnus cried. Blythurst nonchalantly chucked the contents of a vial onto Magnus, who let out a yelp and dropped the microphone as pimples appeared up and down his arm.
'Oops,' Blythurst yawned. 'Silly me.'
Winifred wasn't looking at the snitch, or her teammates swarming her. Her fiery eyes found Bagsy's, who had to look away.
The Hufflepuff team weren't happy once they were back in their tent.
'Greenda, I swear to the stars above, will you ever catch the snitch?' Emmeline hissed, throwing her broom to the ground. Bagsy winced – she'd worked very hard on that broom. 'And you!' Emmeline added, rounding on Bagsy. 'You gave that catch to the Ravenclaw seeker.' Suddenly, a sparkle of hate swarmed Emmeline's eyes. 'Was that deliberate? Was that part of the bet thing she mentioned at the start?'
Bagsy floundered, her mouth falling open and closed.
Kat looked at Bagsy suspiciously. 'That Ravenclaw seeker did ask Bagsy to let them win it as part of a bet,' Kat hummed, narrowing her eyes. 'You a fan of salty sugar sticks, Bagsy?'
'I-I didn't, I swear! Winifred was going so fast I thought she'd die if she hit the ground!'
Teresa scoffed. 'Crows appearing from nowhere, deathly quidditch dives. Honestly, Bagsy, I didn't realize you could be such a liar.' Bagsy looked at her, stunned. She had been called many things. She'd never been called a liar. Feeling stupid and hating herself for her weakness, Bagsy found her vision blurring as tears filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Teresa snorted. 'And, she's crying.'
'It's my fault, not hers. Leave her out of this,' Greenda said quietly. Before anyone could respond, she stomped out of the tent, fists clutching the strap of her quidditch bag tightly.
At the sound of the tent flaps falling closed, and Greenda's receding footsteps, Emmeline sighed. The anger of defeat cooled off of her. 'I hate to say it, but Greenda's right. Let's not be stupid,' she said. Bagsy felt a hand on her shoulder and couldn't believe it was Emmeline's. 'Obviously you wouldn't sell out the team for a few salty sugar sticks, that would be ridiculous, and she was diving way too fast.'
Bagsy sniffled and wiped her eyes and then her nose, looking up to find it was Emmeline who was comforting her.
Teresa nodded begrudgingly. 'Yeah, I guess so. Sorry Bagsy,' she apologized reluctantly. 'I got caught up in the loss. I should have got over it before taking my frustration out on you.'
Kat made a murmured agreement. 'Yeah. Sorry, I was just sad about the loss, too.'
Bagsy shrugged, not looking at them.
'If Greenda had just caught the snitch one of the, oh I don't know, thousand chances she had we wouldn't be in this situation,' Emmeline added, letting go of Bagsy and collecting her things. 'See you guys next practise,' she sighed before she and Kat left. Ford patted Bagsy gently on the shoulder before he left also.
Jon walked over to her. 'If you really were trying to help Winifred avoid a crash, then, that was an amazing shot you made.' Bagsy looked at him in surprise. 'Seriously. That was good aim.'
'I was pretty close,' Bagsy sniffed, wiping her nose again, 'and it was mostly luck, anyway.'
'If you say so.'
Soon, she was alone in the tent, sitting down and miserably listening to the thuds of the student's feet as they left, and their excited chatter about the game.
For a while, it was just her.
Then, it wasn't.
Mezrielda sat down next to Bagsy, who was sniffing and wiping her eyes with her sleeve. Mezrielda waved her wand. 'Medger,' she cast. The ends of Bagsy's shoelaces transformed and four tiny badgers were snuffling around the ends of her boots. Bagsy watched them, feeling slightly better.
'I like badgers,' she said quietly.
'That must be why you're a Hufflepuff,' Mezrielda decided. Bagsy hummed her agreement, reaching down a hand for one of the badgers to sniff.