Bagsy felt her curiosity rise, wondering what the test last week had meant, and waited patiently in the Defence Against the Dark Arts room for Fitzsimmons to speak.

Fitzsimmons conjured a comfortable cushioned stool for Bagsy to sit on, and an armchair for themself. 'I expect you've been wondering what happened last lesson?'

'I only thought about it just now,' Bagsy said honestly.

Fitzsimmons considered her. 'I see.' They frowned. 'Not very inquisitive, then,'

'I guess not,' Bagsy responded glumly.

'Never matter, we work with what we have.'

'Sorry, professor?' Bagsy wasn't sure what they were getting at.

'Last week was indeed a test,' Fitzsimmons admitted. 'In all my years of teaching, no student has made it past the fall. Last week, two managed the feat.'

Bagsy's eyes widened. Mezrielda had been right. 'But, professor, how did I… I mean, I'm not special, professor. I'm not good at magic.'

'There must be something about you.' Fitzsimmons waved away Bagsy's concern. 'Otherwise, you wouldn't have passed the test.'

Now Bagsy's mouth hung open. 'P-Passed!' she repeated. She thought she'd just survived longer than everyone else. Bagsy was so shocked she forgot who she was speaking to. 'Are you lying?'

Fitzsimmons' large eyes became very narrow. 'Don't be rude,' they scolded her harshly.

Bagsy felt a cold chill run down her spine and dipped her head apologetically. 'Sorry.' She was stunned. She'd passed! She was, perhaps, the only student to have ever passed the test. She must have magical abilities – how could she not? Happiness swelled within her.

'Because you have untrained talents, as my test revealed, your personal studies after Defence Against the Dark Arts on Wednesdays will henceforth be extra training sessions with myself.' Fitzsimmons rose from their chair, vanishing it with a wave of their wand before doing the same to Bagsy's stool who, so overloaded with revelation to react, fell on her bottom. Fitzsimmons furrowed their brow disapprovingly. 'You'll need to do better than that. In these sessions you must always be on your toes, Bagsyllia.'

'Just Bagsy, please,' Bagsy asked, getting to her feet and pulling her hornbeam wand from her robe's sleeve.

'Now, Bagsyllia,' Fitzsimmons began, as if she hadn't spoken, 'raise your wand and demonstrate to me what you can do to defend yourself.' Fitzsimmons looked at her expectantly and Bagsy's mind scrambled. She tried a protego charm, something she'd heard Tod talk about last week, but she had little clue what she was doing, and nothing happened.

During the session Fitzsimmons began friendly enough, trying to demonstrate to Bagsy how she should move her wand and say the incantation, but by the end of the session Fitzsimmons was becoming increasingly sharp with her, and had a deepening frown forming on their face.

'Perhaps your test was mistaken,' Bagsy said sullenly as she turned to leave, the session having come to an end. Fitzsimmons had an unnameable look on their face. 'I'm sorry. I tried my best, really.'

'Don't be sorry,' Fitzsimmons snapped at her, then, neutrally. 'I'm not upset with you Bagsyllia – I am just aware now that this may require more work than I'd anticipated. It's lucky you are getting these private sessions – you clearly need them.' Fitzsimmons opened the double doors and ushered Bagsy out before disappearing back into the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Bagsy felt like a bag of rocks sat at the bottom of her stomach.

At lunch the next day Bagsy felt extraordinarily tired. Astronomy had kept the first years up through the night into the early hours of the morning, and the morning lesson of History of Magic had done little to wake her from her tired stupor. She had flying after Lunch, which she was hoping would help jog her mind back to normal, especially given that the weather appeared brisk when Bagsy looked at the bewitched ceiling of the great hall.

Enjoying what remained of her lunch, Bagsy was half way through her pumpkin soup and seeded bread when Tod sat down next to her.

Bagsy looked at him in mild surprise. 'Oh, hi,' she said around a mouthful of bread.

'Close your mouth, please,' Tod laughed, not unkindly. Bagsy apologised and swallowed her food. 'Listen, Bagsy,' he said, leaning in close. 'I noticed you and Mezrielda…' Bagsy's heart sank. Was Mezrielda bad mouthing her to the Slytherins? '…discovered something.'

Bagsy's eyes widened at that. 'Discovered what?'

'A hidden message.'

'A hidden message?' Bagsy echoed. Tod looked at her expectantly as she suddenly remembered the hidden message in the toilets below the vine patterned drains. 'Oh, yeah.' Bagsy nodded. 'Yeah, I remember that.'

'Did you make sense of it?' Tod asked eagerly.

Bagsy shrugged. 'Don't know – Mezrielda tore it away from me before I could read it.'

'Do you know if Mezrielda made sense of it?'

'No,' Bagsy said plainly.

Tod's smile disappeared. 'Damn,' he cursed. 'Thanks anyway, though.'

Bagsy tilted her head. 'Why do you ask?'

'Why were you looking for that message?' Tod answered with a question, pinching a sandwich from the table. A Hufflepuff opposite them shot Tod a glare who smiled and took a brazen bite of the sandwich in response.

'I don't know why Mezrielda was looking for it, to be honest,' Bagsy murmured self-consciously.

'What? She didn't tell you?' Tod gaped. Bagsy shook her head. 'How rude. She's a piece of work, that Mezrielda. I'm not the only Slytherin who thinks so. She's so arrogant, thinks she's so much better than everyone else.' Tod shook his head angrily. 'Now she's using poor Hufflepuffs to do her dirty work and help her look for the gauntlet.'

Bagsy's eyes fixed on to Tod. 'The what?'

'Was that where she was Tuesday afternoon? Forcing you to search the school for her?' Tod asked.

'Wait, what's this about a Gauntlet?'

'Tod!' another Slytherin called as they walked past. 'You coming to Flying or not?'

'Of course, one moment,' Tod responded, then, to Bagsy. 'Nothing to be concerned about, Bagsy. Forget about the gauntlet.' In a hint of cold haze, Bagsy found that she did forget, almost instantly. 'See you at flying, and if you ever need any help practising spells, you know who to ask.'

Bagsy frowned. 'Was Mezrielda not in her class on Tuesday afternoon?'

Tod got up and walked away, leaving a half-eaten sandwich on the table. He shrugged, walking backwards. 'Not as far as I could tell – I assumed she was with you.' He turned around, deciding the conversation was over, and talked to the other Slytherin boy as he exited the great hall. Bagsy looked at her soup bowl, thinking.

She'd had Herbology on Tuesday afternoon.

Professor Kim allowed them to free-fly during double Flying. Bagsy was cautious, but slowly got to grips with how the broom handled. It was a school broom, and you could certainly tell from how it pulled to the left or dipped unexpectedly now and again, but it was oddly soothing, moving about on a broom, turning one way and then the other. The feeling of leaning to the side and arching over the grass was pleasant – especially with a cool breeze in her face and a view of Hogwarts lake to freshen her spirits.

Bagsy was tempted to steal a broom at the end of the lesson again, feeling a deep need to examine one and take it apart to see how it ticked. When the broom shed door closed and the brooms were out of sight she felt disappointed even if she knew she couldn't borrow one.

When the weekend arrived Bagsy was feeling particularly miserable. Transfiguration on Friday had been dreary when the other students were beginning to progress in the subject while Bagsy had yet to make even a lame spark appear from her wand.

The day seemed determined to sour Bagsy's already precarious mood. Personal study had been impossible with all the noise the students made and how little they respected the Library, and the letter Bagsy had written to her sister that night, that she'd spent a very long time on, had been doused in ink when she'd accidentally knocked the pot over. Now she had no letter to send her sister, and no ink for her lessons the next week.

Potions was alright, at least, but Bagsy was in such a poor mood that even two hours of following instructions, selecting ingredients, and methodically preparing and adding them didn't lift her spirits much. At least Professor Blythurst's hands-off approach to teaching left her in peace for the hour.

On Saturday morning, while Bagsy was having breakfast, the ceiling showed snow fall; she shivered at the idea of going outside to give the living stampelia the three hours monitored sunlight it needed.

Once she'd finished eating, Bagsy fetched her cloak, her wand, the box with the living stampelia and the copy of Beyond the Fundamentals: What Makes Potions she'd taken out from the library. She was headed for the Owlery. She had no letter to send, but the steps leading up to the Owlery were outside and had a nice view of the grounds, as well as a good spot in the morning sun.

She sat down to the right side of the steps about half-way up, carefully placed the box with the squirming living stampelia next to her, and cracked open the potions book, hoping to learn about potions that cast spells for you. Sadly, there didn't seem to be any, and she daydreamed about on day creating one. It was a nice idea, even if she knew it was impossible.

Bagsy was just finishing a section on the uses of dead yew leaves when a voice rudely interrupted her.

'My doors will open if you grieve. Laugh with me and you may leave. Bring me what seems ordinary, to transform it back to glory.' Mezrielda's voice carried up to Bagsy from a few steps below. 'It's what the message said,' Mezrielda explained, holding up the scroll Bagsy had provided for her, her breath misting in the cold air. 'Also, I brought you a scarf. It's pretty cold.' Mezrielda took the last few steps separating them and sat down on the other side of the living stampelia from Bagsy, offering her the scarf. Bagsy looked at Mezrielda, her nose bright red against the chill.

'You were outside the greenhouse on Tuesday,' Bagsy said simply. 'You countered those jinxes.'

Mezrielda's eyes widened, then she looked away awkwardly. 'Do you want the scarf or not?

Bagsy smiled, any ill feeling towards Mezrielda forgotten, and took the scarf, wrapping it around herself. 'You don't happen to have any ink, do you?' she asked jokingly.

'Sure.' Mezrielda got out a small empty pot, tapped it with her wand to fill it with ink, and handed it to a bewildered Bagsy.

'Oh. Thank you.'

'Really one for words, aren't you,' Mezrielda scoffed.

'Really one for not being a jerk, aren't you,' Bagsy shot back.

They sat in stiff silence for a second, before Mezrielda broke it. 'What do you think it means?' she hummed, looking out over the grounds. Some brave students were practising Quidditch in the distance, and a few owls were flying in with parcels or letters clutched in their talons. The lake hadn't frozen over and Bagsy wondered if she'd imagined a giant tentacle breaching the surface.

'The message, you mean?'

'Obviously,' Mezrielda scoffed again.

'Maybe if you told me what all your odd behaviour has been about, I'd understand a bit better,' Bagsy retorted.

Mezrielda considered her for a moment. 'Alright, but on two conditions.' She turned towards Bagsy, her gaze intense, and Bagsy nodded, putting on her best serious face. 'One, you are not to tell anyone, and I mean anyone, about this. No matter what they say or do, no matter who they are, this stays between us.' Bagsy nodded. 'I mean it, Bagsy, this is really serious.'

'Of course. I won't tell a soul,' Bagsy swore.

Mezrielda pursed her lips, not looking too comforted by her vow. 'Two, you have to help me.'

'How can I agree to that when I don't know what I'm helping you do?'

Mezrielda shrugged. 'Guess I'm not telling you.'

'Alright, fine,' Bagsy relented. 'Can you tell me, then?'

Mezrielda sniffed importantly. 'My house has a library that I'm, strictly speaking, not allowed in. Unfortunately for my parents, I'm was too clever to be kept out, and in an old book I found a dusty note talking about a powerful item. Few people know about it, even fewer have tried to find it, and those that have must have failed. I'm going to succeed.' Mezrielda sat stiffly and straight, as if she were a high-ranking officer in the Ministry with great authority. Bagsy narrowed her eyes in interest, whilst also folding her arms and fighting off an instinctual shudder against the cold. The snow was dying down, but a few flakes were still falling every now and then.

'Why are you looking for an item if you don't know what it is?' Bagsy asked. 'It could do nothing or be really useless.'

'Those are practically the same thing, Bagsy,' Mezrielda reprimanded, 'and I do know what it is.' She glanced around them, even casting a spell on the living stampelia to check it wasn't bewitched to spy. Once Mezrielda was satisfied she turned back to her. 'It's called the thorned gauntlet.'

For some odd reason, the name didn't jog any memory in Bagsy's mind.

'What does it do?' Bagsy asked, giving in to letting out a shiver.

Mezrielda flicked her wand back out of her robe sleeve. 'Teporiem,'she cast, and Bagsy felt a gentle warmth seep through her robes and wrap around her comfortingly, her clothes seeming bathed in a warm orange glow, and she felt happier and more awake than before.

'Thanks,' Bagsy breathed.

Mezrielda shrugged, tucking her wand back into her robe. 'It grants your deepest wish – supposedly,' she added, seeing Bagsy's eyes light up.

'Your deepest wish?' Bagsy's mind latched onto spell casting. If she found this gauntlet she could wish for skills like Mezrielda had.

Mezrielda narrowed her eyes. 'It only works once.'

Bagsy gulped. 'Oh. I suppose you want to use it, don't you?'

Mezrielda snarled. 'Of course, I do. Are you an imbecile?'

Bagsy shrugged. 'Probably. What would you use it for?'

'The gauntlet?' Mezrielda paused, as if considering whether or not Bagsy was worth telling. 'I'd wish to one day become Minister for Magic.'

Bagsy's eyebrows shot up. Whatever she'd been expecting that wasn't it. 'M-Minister for Magic?' she stuttered.

Mezrielda nodded. 'What's wrong with that?'

'Nothing, it's just… you don't seem the type.' Bagsy had been told Ministers were usually diplomatic.

Mezrielda scoffed disapprovingly. 'And you are?'

'That's not what I meant. I'd hate being Minister for Magic,' said Bagsy, crinkling her nose in disgust.

That ruffled Mezrielda's feathers. 'Something wrong with being Minister for Magic?'

Bagsy was beginning to wonder if they could finish a sentence without aggravating each other, poking the box with the living stampelia in it quietly.

Mezrielda folded her arms. 'The point is, I know you probably have a wish you'd like granted, but if you want to help me out with this gauntlet, when we find it, it's mine.'

'If,' Bagsy corrected her.

'When.'

'Alright, when we find it,' Bagsy relented, leaning back on the steps and looking up at the sky. 'You can wish for anything and you're going to wish to be Minister for Magic? That's a kind of tame wish, if I'm honest. Why not wish for everyone to do what you say all the time. Surely that would be better?'

Mezrielda tutted. 'Of course, you'd say that. Just because something can grant wishes, doesn't mean it can grant any wish. I'd guess that wishing to be Minister for Magic is one of the more powerful wishes the gauntlet is able to grant.'

Bagsy paused. 'Would the gauntlet be able to give someone lots of power? Could it make someone an amazing witch?'

'Of course,' Mezrielda answered, 'but why would I wish for what I already have?'

Bagsy was silent for a while, pushing the thought of using the gauntlet from her mind. Mezrielda had said the wish was for herself, not Bagsy. 'So, besides this message, do you have any other information?'

Mezrielda shook her head. 'No. Except for what I found in the library here at Hogwarts.'

'So, when you said no, you meant yes?' Bagsy teased.

Mezrielda elbowed her and Bagsy let out a surprised yelp. 'Do you want me to tell you or not?'

'Sorry.'

'As I was saying,' Mezrielda continued haughtily. 'I found information in the library. Nothing that mentions the thorned gauntlet by name, but I did find a nursery rhyme about a girl who was very greedy and kept making wishes to a wishing fairy.'

'What's a wishing fairy?'

'I don't know. Shut up and listen.' Mezrielda scowled at Bagsy, who sat up to pay attention. She felt like she was in Professor Starrett's Charms class with how strict she was being. 'The wishing fairy became fed up with the girl's incessant wishes and so trapped her in a gauntlet and hid her away. On discovery she would have to grant her finder one wish before being set free.'

'How did that lead you to the message-'

'I am getting to that, Bagsy,' Mezrielda growled, and Bagsy shrunk back. Mezrielda let out a breath. 'The fairy was fond of rhymes and riddles, so they left a message behind to hint at where they had trapped the girl.' She cleared her throat, pulled out another piece of parchment from her robe and began to read. 'Don't go looking unless you must, where water moves and makes rust. Words shall guide you to the steps, then bring the – It cuts off there,' Mezrielda explained, handing the parchment to Bagsy who inspected it closely. 'The book I found this in had the rest torn out.'

'Hmm.' Bagsy read the passage again, turning the words over in her mind. 'You were looking in the girl's bathroom?'

'I figured where water moves and makes rust could be a bathroom. I was going to investigate the sewage system of the castle after, but…' Mezrielda made a face. 'I didn't really want to, to be quite honest.'

'And the words that guide you to the steps… that has to mean the riddle we found?'.

'Smarter than you look,' Mezrielda admitted.

Bagsy rolled her eyes. 'I'll take that as a compliment,' she said. 'So, the words we found, they're supposed to lead us to the thorned gauntlet?'

'Yes.' Mezrielda pointed at the words on the parchment. 'Hopefully the gauntlet in the legend is the same one I'm looking for. Not many magical items are in the business of granting wishes.'

Bagsy nodded, taking it all in. 'And you found out all this from some random note in a book?'

Mezrielda shrugged. 'I suppose I got lucky. You could call it fate, if you believed in that nonsense. I looked through a lot of books before my parents caught me snooping where I wasn't allowed and locked me out. As far as I could tell, no other books in my home's library have anything on it.'

Bagsy let out a breath. 'I suppose we have some thinking to do.'