The little urchin struggled in the grip of the broad shoulder gentleman who grabbed him by the arm with such blinding quickness it caught Gwendolyn by surprise. The lad looked no more than 14 – clearly having gone to Hogwarts and having left after his first year the way many of his ilk were want to do. But he had a wand! How capable he was of using it Gwen had no idea – perhaps the wand was another of his stolen treasures.

To her continued surprise the gentleman didn’t respond to the drawing of a wand, perhaps he was brave, but perhaps he was one of the few muggles, with magical family members who had access to Diagon Alley. Gwen wasn’t about to take the risk of her saviour being hexed within an inch of his life by some ragged urchin for saving her bag.

Pulling her own wand from the concealed pocket of her dress she cast a disarming spell -simple but effective. The urchin tried to counter it but Gwen had clearly got the measure of him and his magic barely passed muster. His wand glowed, emitted a sad yellow spark but was then thrown from his hand by her spell. Gwen was no duelist – she had left school at 16 to go to finishing school in France – but she could best an ignorant street boy if no one else.


Djura Crossridge