Greetings fellow readers and writers! This is my 23rd fic and I hope you like it! Okay, we're delving into new territory here, new for this author since it's my first ever 'Worst Witch' story. I first saw the show when it was on H.B.O, then got caught up with it again when I saw it on YouTube. Then I saw what happened when Mildred and Ethel went to high school and got paired as roommates in 'Weirdsister College.' Absolutely magical.
Time wise this fic takes place about 2 months after the last episode of Weirdsister, while partly filling in the gap of Mildred's fourth and fifth year at Cackles, which was never even filmed, unfortunately.
As the norm, I don't own The Worst Witch, Weirdsister College or any of the characters of said shows, so don't sue me, I'm just trying to tell a good story. And now, without further delay, please enjoy…
Unfinished Business
Or
Some Secrets Should Stay Secrets
(they tend to be nasty)
By AndrewK9000
Chapter 1: The Mystery Begins
Once upon a time, there was a girl name Mildred Hubble, who one day discovered she was a witch, and subsequently started going to magic school. No, this is not a Harry Potter rip-off, this is something else. Anyway, Mildred wasn't the best witch at her school. She had such a hard time in her studies, combined with her unfortunate knack for attracting trouble, whether she meant to or not, all of it earned her the rather embarrassing title of The Worst Witch.
But Mildred grew out of her awkwardness and eventually became a better magic user, as well as kept out of too much trouble. Things were looking up for Mildred when she graduated from Cackles Academy for Witches.
But then Mildred started at Weirdsister College for Advanced Magic, and that's when things really got interesting. Aside from having her longtime rival and nemesis Ethel Hallow for a roommate, and cutting and dieing her hair, Mildred also attracted the academic attention of one of her teachers, who was more than a little interested in her ability to bring her drawings to life. Mildred also caught the eye of one Nick Hobbs, a wizard in training who had more than his share of mysterious agendas.
It was about halfway through her first term at Weirdsister, when Mildred discovered that Hobbs was under the influence of a mad wizard who was imprisoned in the school's walls for over 500 years. One thing lead to another, resulting in Mildred, Ethel, and their friends, freeing Hobbs from the thrall of Guy Malfeasance, 'The Whisperer,' who was then forced to retreat from the school.
It had been two months since the defeat of The Whisperer, defeated, but not completely. Mildred Hubble knew that it was only a matter of time before the mad wizard would return to take his revenge.
She also knew that if she and her friends at Weirdsister were going to survive another encounter with The Whisperer, then they had to become much stronger as witches and wizards. On the other hand, Malfeasance had the power to use negative magic, thereby absorbing normal, positive magic.
It was by sheer luck and teamwork that Mildred and her friends forced The Whisperer to retreat. The next time they might not be so lucky. So what's a young witch like Mildred Hubble, who had unfortunately carried the mantle of Worst Witch for so long, to do? Why, learn Karate of course.
Mildred understood the importance of being able to defend oneself, and also knew that she might somehow wind up in a situation where she'll be unable to use her magic. So she decided to take martial arts lessons. Out of the dozens of fighting styles in the world, Karate appealed the most to Mildred.
But where was she going to find the time to learn Karate and keep up with the ever increasing workload that went with being a student at Weirdsister? Not to mention Professor Starfinder's near obsession of figuring out Mildred's ability to bring drawings to life; a power which was slowly gaining strength.
As it turns out, Weirdsister has a wide array of extracurricular activities, among them beginning and intermediate Karate. As for the time, Mildred began noticing that she wasn't sleeping as much as she did when she was younger, much less, about 5 or six hours a night at the most. Yet she still woke up refreshed as if from 8 uninterrupted hours. Professor Thunderblast explained that the need for less sleep was another aspect of growing up as a witch. It wouldn't be long before Mildred could go for days without a full nights sleep, with only an hour or two a night to rest her mind, while making up for it on the weekends.
So Mildred began Karate lessons. She soon discovered that she was a natural at it. Within two weeks she had mastered forms and techniques that would take another months, sometimes years, to learn. Of course, Mildred took to heart the fact that martial arts should only be used for self defense. She wholly agreed that anyone who wanted to learn Karate, or any fighting style, just to learn how to beat people up, didn't deserve to learn in the first place.
But it wasn't long before Mildred found herself side by side with her nemesis Ethel Hallow again. Ethel also wanted to learn how to defend herself should she ever find herself unable to use her magic, and she also agreed with the philosophy of defensive fighting rather than learning to fight just to beat people up. But Mildred knew, or at least thought, that Ethel had a more selfish reason for learning martial arts. It was no secret that Ethel wouldn't allow herself to be outdone at anything 'Hubble-Bubble' would try.
It cane to everyone's surprise that Ethel was also a natural at Karate. In fact, both she and Mildred soon found themselves equally skilled in physical strength. However there were differences.
Ethel was naturally more graceful and balanced than Mildred, allowing her a higher level of agility. She could dodge most enemy attacks with stunning ease.
Mildred on the other hand had a higher level of defense. Having survived more broomstick crashes than she'd like to count, she discovered that she had loads of stamina and was able to withstand more attacks than other fighters her age. She was also able to keep her defensive postures up and stable longer than others.
All in all Mildred and Ethel found themselves more or less equal as fighters, yet as luck would have it, they had never sparred against each other, so they really had no idea which was stronger. But that would soon change.
Now as it turned out, Weirdsister College had just finished its newly updated fitness center, complete with sauna, steam room, and an Olympic sized pool. To celebrate, Professor Thunderblast declared a four-day weekend for the staff and students so they could enjoy the new facilities.
To make the most of the extended weekend, Mildred invited her friends Maud Moonshine and Enid Nightshade. It had been so long since she'd seen them. At the same time, Ethel had invited her BFFL and cohort Drusilla Paddock. And so it is here, as Mildred and Ethel met their friends out on the school courtyard, that this story begins.
"Maud!!" Mildred exclaimed happily as she rushed toward her friend.
"Millie!" exclaimed Maud. But then she paused, a confused look on her face, "Great balls of fire! What have you done to yourself!?"
It took Mildred a second to realize that Maud was asking about her hair, which she cut and dyed when she started at Weirdsisters. "You like it?"
"It's lovely," said Maud, "and surprising."
"I wanted to try something new," said Mildred, "And it looks like you felt like doing something the same."
The only major difference about Maud from the last time Mildred saw her was her glasses, which were now in more stylish frames. Other than that she was the same, a bit taller, but with the same blond hair in pigtails.
Enid and Drusilla hadn't changed that much either; Enid's hair was still in one braid down either her right or left shoulder, while Drusilla's red hair was straight as an arrow.
The girls chatted and caught up with their escapades. Maud and Drusilla were in separate advanced magic colleges, while Enid got kicked out of where she was, but she didn't mind, she had plenty to keep herself occupied with the family business.
It was mid afternoon when Mildred and Enid, who had already introduced Cas to Maud, Drusilla and Enid, decided to show off Weirdsister's new pool. Mildred, Cas and Maud were wearing modest single-piece swimsuits, Mildred's was blue, while Maud's was green and Cas was wearing red.
Ethel and Drusilla, ever at the top of fashion, were wearing very stylish two-piece suits, Ethel's was black and gold while Drusilla was in pink and gold. Currently Mildred and Drusilla were in the pool, Cas and Maud were sitting at the curb with her legs in the water, while Ethel was lounging on an inflatable raft.
Enid, who had just got out of the changing room, was currently heading for the diving board. "Alright, girls," said Enid as she stretched, she was wearing an indigo suit with the top tied behind her neck, "This is going to be a four and a half spin, with a triple twist before I hit the water."
"Impossible," said Drusilla, "You'll never get all that done before you hit the water."
"I beg to differ," said Enid. She climbed up to the high-board, paused for a second, walked to the edge of the board and bounced twice before jumping off. It seemed beyond belief, but Enid really spun in the air for four and a half rotations before beginning her descent to the water. She then spun like a corkscrew for three complete rotations before splashing down.
"All right, Enid!!" cheered Cass, Mildred and Maud.
"Thank you all," said Enid as she came up for air.
"You so used a spell," said Ethel.
"So what if I did?" Enid asked as she headed for the edge of the pool to get ready for another divel, "And if you think that was impressive, wait until you see this."
It was as she climbed out of the pool that Mildred gasped, "Enid! Your back!"
"Huh?" Enid asked in a confused. She then looked over her shoulder, "What's wrong with my back?"
"Are you blind?!" Ethel asked, "Your back looks like it's been shoved through a meat grinder!"
True enough, a large area of Enid's back was covered in scars.
"Oh, that," said Enid in an uncertain tone, "That was…from an accident…when I was little. I don't really remember it much…but it doesn't bother me at all."
"Well, it's just that I've never seen it before," said Mildred who was rather troubled by this, "It must have been an awful accident."
"Yeah, it was," said Enid in a tone that hinted that it really wasn't awful at all.
"Say, Ethel," said Drusilla in a tone that literally shouted that she was purposely trying to change the subject, "What's this I hear about you and Nick?"
"Yeah," said Maud, "Is it possible that you've finally found Mr. Right?"
"Me and Hobbs?" Ethel asked, "Oh, um, well, we're not really dating. I mean, at first I thought we were together, but…it's a long story."
"Do tell!" Drusilla said eagerly, "Do tell!"
Mildred smiled at Ethel spluttering about. Despite that the two of them weren't as big of enemies as they were back at Cackles, it was fun to see her nemesis looking flustered every now and then.
However, there was the fact that Enid had such a horrific looking feature that she'd never noticed before. And though Mildred didn't know that much about medicine, she had her suspicions that those scars weren't all that old.
It was later that night, as the two rival witches turned allied roommates, that Mildred voiced her suspicions.
"I've got the strangest feeling that there's more to Enid's scars than she told us," said Mildred.
"I have that feeling as well," said Ethel, "I've always known when someone is hiding something. But that's not the worst of it."
"What do you mean?" Mildred asked.
Ethel sighed before continuing, "I don't know why I'm telling you, Mildred, but after we all got out of the pool, I talked to Drusilla about Enid. I told her that I thought Enid was not telling the whole truth. And you know what happened?"
"No, what?" Mildred asked, her curiosity perked.
"Drusilla said that I shouldn't worry about it," said Ethel, "That's what she said, Drusilla, my best friend and partner in mischief, she told me not to worry about it. She didn't suggest it, she told me, told me."
"That is strange," said Mildred. Usually, back at Cackles, it was Ethel giving the orders to Drusilla, not the other way around.
"This is a puzzle," said Mildred, "And you know what, for some reason, I keep thinking of something that has nothing to do with Enid."
"What?" Ethel asked.
"It was sometime in April," said Mildred, "During our 4th year at Cackles, that I came down with Pavolian Flu. I remember that Ms. Hardbroom and I were working on a special project for Potions, I remember because it was the first time H.B. said that she was proud of me, that I had made an incredible improvement."
"That is surprising," said Ethel, "And disturbing. Continue, please."
"It was unsettling," said Mildred, "Anyway, we were halfway through the instructions, when I collapsed, or at least that's what Ms. Cackle told me, everything sort of went gray from that point on."
"The next thing I knew, I was in bed, two days later, and no memory of what happened in that time. Ms. Cackle said that I was lucky to have caught Pavolian Flu at such an early age. If I had it later it could have been much worse."
"When in April was this?" Ethel asked, a serious look on her face.
"I think it was around the 11th," said Mildred, "It could have been the 12th. Either a Saturday or a Sunday, it was definitely on the weekend. Like I said, I really don't remember what happened. Come to think of it, I don't remember collapsing, or being sick at all."
"Now I know that something is going on," said Ethel, "Because I also had Pavolian Flu on or around the 11th of April. I remember waking up after losing two days. Drusilla said that I collapsed in the hallway and was unconscious since."
"That is strange," said Mildred, "You know what else, when I woke up, I had also forgotten the formula for the project H.B. and I were working on. I knew it really made me upset, because I had perfected a new means of treating cancer, or I thought I did until I knocked the cauldron over when I collapsed and ruined the potion."
"You mean you can't remember it at all?" Ethel asked, "You discovered a new means of treating cancer and you can't remember it?"
"I wrote it down so I wouldn't have to remember it," said Mildred, "And as if adding insult to injury, the only copy of the recipe was ruined when the cauldron was knocked over. And as if to add insult to injury, Ms. Hardbroom as there the whole time, and even she couldn't remember what I wrote down."
"Now that is depressing," said Ethel.
"Tell me about it," said Mildred She bent down to pick up Tabby, "You know what else? That's also the week that Enid had to go home for a few days, because one of her relatives was ill."
"That's right," said Ethel, "She missed out on all the fun the next Friday. Remember, that's when Ms. Hardbroom and Ms. Drill had this big debate on how the budget for next term should be spent; whether to purchase more potions supplies and equipment, or to have a modern fitness center added to the castle."
"That I remember," said Mildred as she stroked a purring Tabby, "In fact, I believe it's the first time the two of us fully agreed on something."
"That's right," said Ethel, "We both had to listen to Ms. Hardbroom and Ms. Drill shouting at each other on whose subject deserved the funding. I asked to look over the numbers for the budget, and then you saw that there was enough for both."
"I remember the look on Ms. Drill and H.B. when they realized that they were shouting each others heads off for nothing," said Mildred as she smiled, "Good times."
"They were," said Ethel, "Well, we've got three more days until class starts again, so I suggest we enjoy them."
"True," said Mildred. They got ready for bed and wished each other good night. Yet neither of them got much sleep that night; for the events of that weekend of April in their 4th year at Cackle's kept replaying in their minds, or rather, the lack of memories.
The next morning Mildred and Ethel talked with their fellow classmates about what happened yesterday. There listening to Mildred and Ethel was Cas Crowfeather, Nick Hobbs, and the dynamic duo Azmat Madaridi and Tim Wraithewight.
They listened to Mildred and Ethel on how they discovered Enid's scars, how Drusilla told Ethel to let the subject go, and how the two of them kept thinking about the time at Cackles when they were both sick with the same ailment.
"You sure it was Pavolian Flu?" Hobbs asked.
"We told you a dozen times already," an annoyed sounding Ethel said, "Yes, that's what Ms. Cackle told us."
"What is Pavolian Flu?" Cas asked.
"It's like the Chicken Pox," Tim said, "the kind of sickness that's better to catch when young."
"From what I heard," said Azmat, "It could leave a witch completely helpless for up to a month."
"It starts out with dizziness," said Tim, "Followed by fainting. Depending on the girl, she'll be in bed, unconscious for days with high fever, sometimes weeks. Upon recovery, she has no memory of being sick, and sometimes with no memory of a day or so before getting sick."
"I guess you and Ethel were one of the lucky ones," said Cas.
"Lucky them," said Hobbs sarcastically, "Real lucky."
"What's your point, Hobbs?" Mildred asked.
"My point," said Hobbs as he handed the book he was looking at to Ethel, "Is that according to a highly respectable medical journal, one that specializes in magical ailments, there hasn't been a case of Pavolian Flu in over forty years."
"What?!" Ethel asked as she looked at the book, which was opened to an article about said illness. The article, which was dated from 1957, said that the disease which has been afflicting witches for countless generations, had been eradicated from the face of the earth.
"Now either the two of you were the first of an outbreak of a disease that's not supposed to exist any more," said Hobbs, "Or your former headmistress lied to you."
"No," said a shocked Mildred, "No! Ms. Cackle would never lie to us. I mean, why would she?"
"If we weren't ill," said Ethel, "Then why is it that Mildred and I have matching memory gaps from the exact same time?"
"I think I can find out," said Cas. She then put her hand on Mildred's head and whispered a spell. After a minute of closed-eyes concentration, "I thought so. Millie, I'm afraid a memory suppression spell was used on you."
"What?" Mildred asked.
"Yes," said Cas, "And a really powerful one. I can't be sure of when it was cast, or who exactly put it on you, but it's there."
"What about me?" Ethel asked.
"One second," said Cas as she put her hand on Ethel's forehead and whispered the spell. A minute later she opened her eyes, "I'm sorry, Ethel, you've also a memory suppression spell on you."
"This is unbelievable," said Mildred, "Who could have done this to us? And why?"
"I can only postulate," said Hobbs, "But my guess is that your former headmistress and deputy-headmistress are responsible."
"It can't be," said Ethel in a stunned tone, "I feel like a good part of my life has been revealed to be a lie."
"No," Mildred said in a determined voice, "I refuse to believe any of this. There's got to be another explanation."
"Well if you have another theory, I'm all ears," said Hobbs.
"You're not helping, Hobbs," said Ethel, who sounded like she was on the verge of a panic attack, "So either shut up, or you will be all ears."
"Throwing spells at each other isn't going to help either," said Cas, "Mildred's right, there has to be another reason for all of this. I mean, why would Ms. Cackle and Ms. Hardbroom go through all the trouble of suppressing Mildred and Ethel's memories?"
"It would have to be pretty nasty memories in the first place," said Amzat, "If they're somehow connected to how Enid got those scars."
"Maybe Mildred and Ethel are responsible for what happened to Enid," said Tim, "Somehow."
"How can you say that?" Cas asked, "Mildred would never do something like that to a friend."
"And as for Ethel," said Hobbs, "She may be a scheming, manipulative capitalist of a witch, but I honestly doubt she would go as far as permanently hurting someone. Am I right?"
"Of course you're right!" said Ethel in a defensive tone, "I may have done a lot of nasty, rotten things, most of them I truly regret, seriously, I do, but I would never do something like that to Enid, at least I hope so."
"It could have been an accident," said Tim, "One that got Enid hurt unintentionally."
"Or maybe this whole thing is just a bunch of coincidences," said Amzat, "For once."
"Well we're not going to get any answers just sitting here," said Mildred as she headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" Cas asked.
"I'm going to talk to the one person whom I can fully trust," said Mildred.
"And I'm not that person?" Hobbs asked.
"Real funny, Hobbs," said Mildred sarcastically, "Real funny." With that she left the dorm room.
The end of chapter 1. Next chapter, Mildred seeks help from her best friend, only to discover that whatever's going on, it's more serious than she thought. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!