AN: A little AU story based on the Series 2 episode: A new Dawn, where I've changed certain events and added my own little twist. The idea mostly came about in regards to a theory about the rings Pippa, Agatha and Ada wear in the show and how it could be a symbol of their Headmistress status which led to this story being created.

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

...

Five grueling days had passed since the council ruling; the atmosphere at Cackles had changed drastically. After Ada, had informed the staff and girls that she was no longer their Headmistress; gone was the chatter in the corridors to be replaced by silence and apprehension. The thought of a new Headmistress filled Hecate with dread. She had worked alongside Ada for twenty years and she couldn't imagine the school or her life without the smaller woman's gentle, kind and calming presence.

Hecate recalled how she sat for hours that same evening with Ada, simply holding her close as she broke down in her arms. She felt her own heart being torn in two knowing there was nothing she could do to help the woman she had come to love. No potion or spell would be able to help this time. It was one situation that Hecate has never imagined. She had always thought she would be the one to leave in the end. There was always the fear that Ada would tire of her or someone from the council would find out and question their relationship; leaving her no option but to resign. It never once crossed her mind that it would be Ada that would be leaving in the end and there was nothing she could do. She had never felt so useless.

The next day, Hecate had caught Ada countless times staring at the petition that Ursula Hallow and the council had presented to her. She could see the torment and sadness in Ada's eyes, as Hecate watched her read over each of the names with an air of defeat. It took all her self-control to not set the offending scroll of parchment on fire. No amount of reassurance from herself seemed to help. The damage had already been done. It appeared Ursula Hallow still held a personal vendetta against Ada despite it being her own daughter; Ethel and Agatha who had tricked Esmeralda into giving away her magic. A detail which had seemed to have been omitted from the hearing according to Ada. She would never forgive, Mrs Hallow, the Magic Council or his Greatness for causing Ada to become a shell of her former self. Hecate would only be lying to herself if she wasn't starting to become worried about Ada's well being.

The days that followed it seemed her fears were becoming a reality, as Ada refused to leave her office, often skipping meals claiming she wasn't hungry or that she was busy and lost track of time. Hecate saw through the lie, having used a similar excuse in the past. She had tried to get Ada to confide in her, but each time she tried she was met with silence or one-word answers. It hurt to know that Ada didn't seem to trust her, but she refused to be swayed. If Ada wouldn't turn up for meals, she decided to bring the meals to her. It went on for three days, with Hecate trying to coax her to eat, frowning when she only took a few spoonfuls of her soup. It was then she noticed her oval red tourmaline ring missing on Ada's ring finger. The ring itself had always been a permanent fixture as a symbol of her Headmistress status. She had only ever seen it removed if a witch was married or they were no longer Headmistress. Hecate had questioned her about it, but the answer she got made her wish she had kept silent. 'It was a constant reminder of what I've lost' had been Ada's simple reply as she left her office. Hecate had stood frozen, as she watched Ada walk away. It was only when the office door closed that Hecate silently cried for the first time in years.

After that night, Hecate thought life couldn't get any worse for Ada, but it seemed she was proven wrong. The next morning, she had turned up in Ada's office with breakfast, when Ada silently handed her a letter. She noticed it was about the council rulings and quickly scanned over it. Her eyes widened in disbelief with each word she read. She felt a sense of betrayal that Pippa hadn't informed her that she had been offered the title of 'a superhead' to both Cackles and Pentangle's. Hecate was about to query further when Ada handed her another letter. She looked down at it seeing Pippa's familiar scrawl on the pink parchment. She could feel her hands tremble slightly as she read over her friend's words. It was only when she reached the end, that she gave a sigh of relief. It seemed Pippa had declined the council's offer, stating that Cackles belonged to Ada. Her relief was cut short to be replaced by guilt that she could even think Pippa would betray her or Ada. Pippa may have declined the council's offer, but it brought them back to square one; Cackles would still be without a permanent Headmistress.

When she had voiced her concerns, Ada had looked up at her in sadness, and merely told her everything would work out in the end. Hecate wished she could have shared Ada's optimism. She didn't know how to feel about working alongside someone other than Ada. Ada was her constant, the one person who knew everything about her life. She had become Hecate's anchor, the one person who could keep her grounded, and the one person she could trust impeccably. While it had been agreed, she would remain acting Headmistress until a new one could be appointed; it was also known that the Great Wizard could change his mind at any given time. She had always followed and respected the Witches Code and his Greatness, but even she couldn't deny the man was arrogant and patronising. The respect she once had for him had wavered over the past year; especially after the way he had accused Ada of putting the girls in danger; implying she could no longer run the school efficiently.

Hecate had always said men were fools, and the Great Wizard was no exception. The sound of Ada's quill scratching across the parchment made her wonder what Ada was planning. She had waited a few moments, hoping to catch her lover's attention, but it seemed she was so engrossed in whatever she was doing, that Hecate may as well have been invisible. When it was, clear Ada had nothing else to say, she looked down at her pocket watch noticing she had five minutes until her first lesson. With one last look of longing towards Ada, she transferred herself to her potions lab, trying to focus on the day ahead, but even that had proven difficult. After her last lesson for the day was over, she had decided to skip her evening meal and retired to her quarters wanting nothing more than to be alone. A part of Hecate had hoped Ada would visit to check on her like she had always done in the past. As darkness descended and the minutes turned into hours; she knew Ada wouldn't be coming. The silence had never felt so welcoming. She only hoped tomorrow would bring a better day.

When Hecate awoke in the morning, she had been reluctant to leave the safe confines of her bed, wishing the past week was nothing more than a bad dream. She reached out her hand to Ada's side of the bed finding it cold and empty. it had been the same every morning, but it still didn't stop the wave of disappointment that Ada had chosen to distance herself from her. Ever since Ada had shown her the petition; her gut instincts were telling her that something was not quite right in regards to the petition. She had overheard Mildred Hubble the previous day asking Felicity Foxglove if her parents had signed the petition to which the girl was adamant that they would never have signed it. She had merely glanced at it when Ada had originally shown her it, but perhaps it was time to take another look at the offending document that was costing Ada her job. With a new sense of purpose, Hecate got out of bed and quickly got dressed hoping her instincts were right. She was just about to transfer to Ada's office when a letter on her desk caught her attention. Her eyes narrowed as she picked it up seeing her name on the front. Turning it over, she saw the wax seal with an M and C overlapping. She had no idea why the Magic Council would be writing to her, but she decided the letter could wait until later. With the letter, still in her hands, she transferred to Ada's office noticing that Ada appeared to be nowhere in sight. Hecate placed the letter on the desk and located the petition from behind the desk and scanned over the names. It seemed Mildred Hubble may have been on to something, much to Hecate's dismay. It was time to settle this matter once and for all, but she just needed a way to prove it. Placing the petition on the desk, Hecate summoned her maglet and sent a message to one person she knew would be able to help. Once she was sure the message had been sent, Hecate took a seat behind Ada's desk making a start on some paperwork that had been accumulating over the past few days, while the letter sat and stared at her waiting to be opened.

Several hours passed, and the sun had begun to set over Cackles, casting Ada's office in an orange and red glow when Hecate finally checked her maglet seeing that there was still no reply to her message. Trying not to let her disappointment show, she instead finally decided to open the letter with trepidation as a thousand different scenarios flashed through her mind. Would they ask her to leave? Would she too be under scrutiny due to her methods or perhaps they doubted her ability to run the school much like they had done with Ada? Hecate took a deep breath as she read over the contents, and what she read left her in a state of shock. She didn't know how to process the news that a new Headmistress had been appointed and it seemed the ceremony would be taking place at 1800 hours.

Looking at the small clock on Ada's desk, Hecate closed her eyes wondering how she was going to get through the official ceremony knowing that in under an hour Cackles would no longer be Ada's. The thought scared her more than she cared to admit.

A gentle knock at the door, brought her from her thoughts as she watched the door open to reveal Ada standing in the doorway dressed in her ceremonial robes. Hecate stood up, feeling a lump in the back of her throat that Ada felt the need to knock to enter her own office. She had never seen Ada look so small, as she circled the office as if trying to scan every detail into her memory when her eyes landed on the letter in her hands.

"It doesn't matter how many times you read it Hecate, the contents won't change," Ada said looking at her with a gentle smile.

Hecate diverted her eyes and quickly folded the letter placing it back into its envelope. "I just never expected…" the words died in her throat as she heard Ada's footsteps grow closer. She became tense; unsure what to expect. It was the closest Ada had been to her ever since all of this mess had started.

"Hecate, look at me." Ada prompted softly placing a gentle hand on her arm.

The simple action caused Hecate to jump at the contact. She mentally kicked herself for having such a reaction. She finally looked towards Ada, seeing a mix of understanding and sadness in her eyes.

"My apologies, Ada. I don't know what came over me."

"Hecate you have nothing to apologise for. It's me who should be apologising to you."

"Ada…"

"Please, let me finish."

Hecate nodded letting Ada take as long as she needed to collect her thoughts.

"I'm fully aware my behaviour this last week has caused you distress. I never intended to push you away or hurt you in any way. I foolishly thought that if I kept my distance it would be easier to tell you goodbye when the time finally came for me to leave. It was selfish of me, Hecate and for that, I can only apologise."

"I'm not going to lie to you, Ada. This past week I've been worried about you. You refused to eat, refused to leave your office. You even refused to speak to me. I may as well have been invisible whenever I was in your presence. I kept wondering if there was something I could have done differently to stop all of this from happening." Hecate admitted seeing Ada flinch at her words.

"There was nothing you could have done; the council has made their decision. You and the girls managed to keep the school open, that's what's important. Anything else is now irrelevant."

"How can you say that? After everything you've done for this school…"

"Everything we've done, Hecate. You had much a part of the running this school as much as I, in fact even more so. If it wasn't for your input, Cackles wouldn't be the school, it is today." Ada said looking at the envelope. "I only wish we had many more wonderful years working together. We made a great team."

"We still are." Hecate declared fiercely. "But are you sure you've made the right decision?"

Ada reached up a hand to caress her cheek "Oh, I'm quite sure. I can think of no one more suitable for the position; Headmistress Hardbroom."