Professor Starrett sat at her desk at the other end of the classroom, flicking through scrolls of homework. She tapped a long red wand with a white tip to certain parts and muttered incantations.

Bagsy's feet echoed in the room, her eyes checking the rows of benches towering high above her in case Starrett had hidden some nasty magical traps.

Starrett pushed her chair back and stood, the click clack of her heels joining the air in their own echoes as she walked around her desk, placing the scrolls neatly in a drawer. She flicked her wand and a table appeared in the centre of the room, a purple cover hiding what was on it.

She arrived next to the table and waited with a cold expression for Bagsy to join her. 'Previously I told you I would be teaching you Artifisiary, and that your goal was to stop me,' Starrett began, gently taking some of the purple material into her hand. 'Clearly, my methods were not effective. We're going to start from the beginning. You'll need to listen closely, and you'll need to work hard. Do you understand?'

'Y-yes.'

'Say it with conviction, Miss Beetlehorn.'

Bagsy took a second, hoping her stutter would leave. 'Yes,' she managed.

Starrett frowned. 'I said with conviction. That does not mean lacking a stammer, Miss Beetlehorn. It means, quite simply, with conviction, stutter or not.'

Taking an even longer second, Bagsy thought about that. Her nerves were making her tremble, a stammer was becoming unavoidable.

'Do you work hard?' Starrett asked.

'Yes,' Bagsy confirmed.

'There we are. That was conviction. Now try again. You'll need to listen closely, and you'll need to work hard. Can you do that?'

'Y-yes,' Bagsy answered firmly, nodding her head.

'Good.' Starrett pulled the cover off the table.

Sitting innocently on it was a wooden contraption with moving parts that circled in satisfying rotations, while pullies and levers aided their movement. It let out little sparks from metal tips attached to different joint and a faint blue glow surrounded it like a bubble.

Also on the table was a glass of water with an hole on its rim, a chalice of a tar-like liquid, a few pieces of thin rope and a hammer.

'Artifisiary is a notoriously undefined subject. I'm going to show you one element. Watch closely.' Starrett pointed one skeletal finger at the moving mechanism. 'This device has protective charms cast upon it.' To prove her point, Starrett pressed her fingertip to the wood, only to find the blue light on that side strengthening and pushing her back. 'An enchantment protects this device. If I want to stop its movement, I'll need to be clever and make use of what I have.'

'What do you have?' Bagsy couldn't help asking, interested.

'A good question, and one I hope you'll learn to ask yourself as often as possible.' She moved her hand to rest on the glass of water. 'We have water, we have thickening sludge, some twine and a mundane hammer. My objective is to stop or destroy this device so that it no longer gives off sparks.' Starrett took the hammer in her hand and held it above the device. 'I could destroy it using the hammer, but,' as Starrett weakly tapped the hammer onto the device, the blue protective light flared in response, rebounding the weapon. 'Evidently, that won't work. Now, I could–'

'Wait!' Bagsy cried out, her eyes widening as an idea struck her. 'The protective enchantment,' she said, pressing her own finger to the wooden device. 'When something attempts to interact with the device, the blue light moves to the location the interaction is being made. But!' Bagsy was on the balls of her feet now as she leaned forward to peer closely at the thing. 'When it does that, the blue light on the opposite side grows visibly weaker. I'd guess that, with enough pressure on one side, the other will become venerable.'

Starrett was very quiet, staring at Bagsy with a statue-neutral expression.

Bagsy deflated. 'Sorry.'

'Don't interrupt when I'm speaking,' Starrett said. Then, reluctantly, 'But, yes. You are correct.'

A spark of excitement bloomed in Bagsy. She'd managed to do something half-right, at least. 'Well, then,' she blurted out again, forgetting about not talking over Starrett now she was finally being presenting with a puzzle more her speed. 'If I just put this on here,' Bagsy said, arranging the glass and chalice next to the wooden device. The glass was much smaller than the chalice, and it had a hole on the rim through which Bagsy could thread some of the twine. 'I can balance the hammer on top of the chalice, then place the head of the hammer onto the blue protective field, and then,' she went on, loosing herself in her construction, 'if I tie a loop around the hammer here and pull that down through the hole in the rim of the water cup, I can tighten it to weigh down the hammer so that it applies a steady force to the top side of the device.'

Bagsy worked efficiently and soon her design was brought to life in front of her. 'Now, there are a few pieces of twine left over, so all I have to do is shove them in here,' Bagsy muttered to herself, carefully guiding one end of twine through the small space on the other side of the wooden device where the blue protective light had disappeared, 'and the mechanism should take it up and become so tangled that it stops.'

Watching with satisfaction, Bagsy saw the wooden contraption do just that. The twine pulled into its joints and gears and spun about until, eventually, after enough tension, the device jerked back and forward and was unable to continue anymore.

Starrett was shaking their head in disappointment.

Bagsy looked uncertainly up at her. 'Did I do it wrong?'

Starrett fixed Bagsy with a harsh glare. 'Why in Merlin's name didn't you think like that when you were trying to stop me?'

Confused, Bagsy forgot to feel upset about the lack of appreciation Starrett had shown for her ingenuity. 'Uh… I'm sorry but I don't know what you mean?'

'This exercise is notoriously difficult. You can't hit the field to make it go away, and if you pour the thickening sludge or water over the device it will slide off the protective enchantment and end up useless. Worse, if you pour the water out of the glass you won't have enough force to exert on the hammer to weigh it down as it presses against the field. Even worse is imprecision in construction will mean no twine is left over to stop the device once the hammer is pushing down from the top. I had intended to run you through the mistakes of this exercise, to demonstrate the value of observing closely, of thinking before acting and of making use of everything you have in all the ways you could possibly use it. Such qualities are all you need to figure out how to stop me.'

'But… I did it correctly, then?' Bagsy checked. Nostrils flared, Starrett nodded. 'So… why are you upset?'

'Because, Miss Beetlehorn, it means you've had the ability to stop me this entire time, but simply haven't.'

Bagsy gaped at her. 'What do you mean? How could I stop you? I don't have any good spells and I don't have good enough equipment, either. You counter whatever I throw at you! Your magic is too strong!'

'I might mention here, Bagsy, that in this exercise, the wooden contraption is not just a wooden contraption. It is an analogy.'

Now Bagsy was truly confounded. What on earth was Professor Starrett on about?

With a swish of her wand, Starrett vanished the table and all the objects on it. 'Seeing as you already have all the qualities required to succeed, we shall try this one more time, and I hope you are able to piece them together.' She levelled her wand at Bagsy. 'Stop me.'

Narrowly avoiding being scorched, Bagsy ducked a sparkling red light that zoomed above her head. 'But I don't know how!' she protested, as Starrett enchanted a chandelier above them to stretch down to grab her. Bagsy couldn't see how she would be able to dodge in time, and found herself pinned below the fiery furnishing.

With a sigh, Starrett pointed her wand at the chandelier and sent it back to its home. 'You are dismissed,' she said. 'You made good progress with the contraption. If only you could extend such ingenuity to the real world.'

Dusting herself off, and feeling a little shaken, Bagsy got to her feet and turned to go.

'Beetlehorn,' Starrett said quietly. Bagsy paused, looking back at her. 'We'll have these lessons twice a week. I should imagine someone like yourself could fit quidditch around that if they so wanted.'

Eyes widening, and heart not quite believing her ears, Bagsy stared at Starrett.

'You're dismissed,' Starrett said. 'I suggest you leave before I change my mind. I'm not always so charitable.'

'Yes, professor.' Bagsy practically ran out the doors.

When Bagsy returned to the Hufflepuff common room, checking over her arm where the chandelier had landed, there was a sizable crowd of people around the fireplace. The strangest thing was they were all focussed on Neve who, Bagsy knew, wasn't fond of the limelight.

'Bagsy!' Teresa, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor by Neve, waved her over. Obediently, and with a puzzled expression, Bagsy wandered over. Jon and Itsuki were sitting in the armchairs on either side of Neve and Teresa, who were on the floor, and stood leaning against the mantel piece was Kat. Some younger students who Bagsy didn't know well were gathered around but seemed to be slowly dispersing.

'You just missed it,' Itsuki said as if that explained anything.

'M-missed what?' Bagsy looked at them in confusion.

Expectantly, Jon, Itsuki, Kat and Teresa all looked down at Neve, who was shrinking so far in on herself Bagsy worried she'd disappear.

'Go on,' Teresa urged her. 'I can tell her if you want, but it's your news to share, not mine.'

Neve gulped, looking with big, concerned eyes at Bagsy.

'She won't mind,' Kat added.

'I won't mind what?' Bagsy was growing tired of not knowing what was going on.

'It's just, um…' Neve's voice was tiny.

'You can do it.' Teresa smiled down at her friend.

Neve took in a deep breath. 'The truth is, Bagsy, I'd very much like it if you could possibly, kindly, perhaps, maybe, if it didn't inconvenience you, call me Nevis from now on?'

'Nevis?' Bagsy checked. 'I thought your name was Neve?'

Neve nodded nervously, looking like she was ready to burst into tears.

'I didn't mean to upset you,' Bagsy added, confused by the horrified expression on Neve – no, Nevis' face. 'Of course I'll call you Nevis.'

'And, um,' Nevis continued, rubbing her hands together. 'It's just that, also, on top of that, if it's not too much to ask, of course–'

'It's not too much to ask!' Teresa cut in spiritedly.

'Let Nevis speak,' Kat told Teresa gently.

Nevis fumbled with words, but eventually managed to continue. 'Could, moving forwards, you refer to me as a boy? You know… use he and him instead of she and her? If that's alright, that is…'

Sitting down on the unoccupied sofa, Bagsy took a second to take the request in. 'I mean sure. I can do that. I'm still just a bit confused, if I'm honest.'

Nevis' eyes widened and his eyes darted from Teresa to Kat horribly.

'Would you like me to explain?' Kat asked, putting a hand on Nevis' shoulder. Nevis nodded, keeping his eyes on the ground. Kat began, 'Bagsy, have you read the third book in the Vampire Affairs series?' Bagsy shook her head. 'Oh. That's, uh, unlucky. I've been relying on using a character from that show to help me explain this… I know! Did you read the Wickedest Witch growing up? You know, the children's stories by Triffly Yule?' Bagsy shook her head again. Kat frowned. 'What stuff have you read or watched?'

Bagsy winced. 'Not anything, to be honest.'

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Kat sucked in a breath. 'I guess we're starting from scratch. I'll try and keep this brief. Bagsy, sometimes someone is born and assigned a gender that they don't feel is right. These people are transgender. Nevis, here, was–' Kat paused, seeing the flinch Nevis gave out at the mention of his name. 'Actually, I'll give a different example,' she decided, to a relieved look from Nevis. 'When I was born I was called a boy. Do you follow?' Bagsy nodded slowly, still not entirely following. 'I realised, as I grew up, that being a boy wasn't true for me. I didn't feel happy in who I was, I didn't feel like I was myself. I realised I wanted to be a girl, and so that's exactly what I am now.'

'Oh!' said Bagsy, suddenly understanding. 'So, you were a boy but now you're a girl?'

Kat tilted her head, considering this. 'Yes. That about sums it up. Though, I think I was always a girl. Others think they change, others think they stayed the same but started being who they truly were before, other are simply happier one way instead of another.'

Nevis spoke up, though his voice was still pitifully quiet, 'And I want to be a boy. Am a boy. I realised that I wasn't who I thought I was. It was scary at first, like having the rug pulled out from under you and finding spikes there, or realising you forgot to tie up your stitch when your already halfway through the thread. But then… I spoke to Kat about it, and then Teresa, and I spent a lot of time thinking about it. Maybe I'm mistaken… maybe I am a girl… but for now I want to be a boy.'

'And that's fine, too,' Kat reminded Nevis. 'Life's a journey. Your identity can change as you grow. There's nothing wrong with that, either. Just do what makes you happy, that's what I say.'

Nevis mumbled, 'This has been very scary, but… I do feel better for it.' A small smile crept onto his face.

Teresa gave him a congratulatory pat on the back. 'That wasn't so hard, now, was it?'

Nevis shot her a look that said it very much had been.

Itsuki gestured at Bagsy. 'You're all caught up.'

'Great,' said Bagsy, feeling at peace now she fully understood what Nevis had been talking about. Then she felt herself overcome by a yawn. 'I need some sleep,' she forced out tiredly. 'Thank you for telling me, Nevis,' she added, giving him a pat on the shoulder that he seemed to very much appreciate, before heading towards her hidden room.

'Three, two, one,' she heard Teresa count from behind her, followed by murmurs of surprise and confusion.

'How does she do that?' Jon breathed in annoyance. 'She just up and vanishes, every time!'

'Missing Hufflepuff,' Itsuki chimed.

'Missing Hufflepuff,' the rest of them echoed.

Tired and ready to curl up in bed, the missing Hufflepuff pulled the blankets over herself and left some owl treats out for Eldritch who, when she left one of the small windows high up in her room cracked open, liked to squeeze in and pay her midnight visits.

As Bagsy drifted off, her thoughts were filled with a mixture of things. Animated chandeliers, benches and desks chased after her, clacking their table legs together in anger, or hurling flaming candles.

As she slipped deeper into sleep it grew worse. More and more animated objects rose in a tide of hunger to chase after her as Bagsy sprinted around the corridors of Hogwarts, but the rugs were grabbing at her feet, the paintings were laughing hysterically, and the thaumaturgy she was desperately channelling into her muscles was making her limbs feel as if they were on fire.

Sharply, the floor disappeared, and she was falling in darkness, where rings of deep violet would flicker in and out of existence in the distance. Eyes watching her, waiting to strike.

She landed, sitting on a stool in front of a mirror, the ferns that gave haircuts in the Hufflepuff common room floating around her.

'I realised I wasn't who I thought I was,' Nevis' voice said from nowhere. The noise was distorted and echoed around Bagsy, sounding more and more like her own voice as it repeated. In a storm of tendrils, the ferns attacked Bagsy's scalp. She tried to shoo them away, but her limbs only became tangled in the foliage. When they left her hair alone, she could feel it was all gone. Distraught, she raised her head to look in the mirror.

Staring back at her was a bald face, whose skin was entirely grey.

The ferns gone and no longer restraining her, Bagsy shrieked in horror and moved back. With a dread like a sinking anchor, Bagsy pressed a hand to her cheek. The grey face in the mirror did the same.

Moving like a glacier Bagsy turned her gaze down to her hands. They were grey, too. In fact, her whole body was. Her skin was now a matt colour, like slightly shiny clay. Looking back at the mirror, she saw that her eyes, too, were entirely grey. They looked almost identical to Professor Stery's.

Something nipped at her finger and Bagsy sat straight up, panting and feeling a sweat on her brow. She was back in her room at Hogwarts. The shelves filled with odd bits and bobs from her inventions were coldly frosted in moonlight and empty creaks of the wood gently reminded her that she had only been dreaming.

There was a flapping of wings and Bagsy saw Eldritch, perched on the headboard of her bed, looking at her with his teddy bear eyes.

'Thank you,' Bagsy breathed, realising he must have nipped her finger to wake her up. 'Oh, Merlin. Thank you…' She put her head in her hands, shaking all over.

What on earth had that dream been?