At a school, a woman from the fallen House Severus is bullied by students who mock her family's decline. Her brother intervenes and is attacked, but she abruptly unleashes powerful magic to drive the assailants away. Her display draws the attention of an authority figure who demands to know her identity. He senses an 'unclean trace of magic' and realizes she is a woman, which violates the city-state's law prohibiting women from using magic on pain of execution. The episode ends with her exposed and facing a deadly accusation.