A/N this is set 1 year BM (before Mildred) when (I'm completely guessing) miss drill starts teaching at Cackles Academy, Constance may be a little OOC but I'm sure I can grasp the hang of it after a few chapters.
The staff room had most certainly, drastically changed, and annoyingly, Constance Hardbroom couldn't quite put her finger on it as she stood stiffly in the doorway, trying hard as she might to distinguish the difference. Miss Cackle hadn't looked up at the potion teachers entrance, too busy sipping her tea etiquettely at the polished oak table, another helping of cheesecake on her plate, as the crumbs trailed an obvious path from her plate onto the table. The day before term starts and already she's gorging on the delicacies. And she's not the only one, as Miss Bat was digging into a lumpy powder, such an ugly shade of green.
"Frogspawn sherbet, Miss Hardbroom" the old witch grinned delighted, answering her unasked question, licking her jade sugared coated fingers as Constance raise her brow to question both her choice on snacks and her eating methods, surely a spoon would... But she didn't raise the point, miss Bat was a 'free spirit' as she had started referring to herself of the late. Her silver hair sat in a clump of wire, like a tangled birds nest on top of her head, obviously she hadn't tended to it yet, still she thought a few new decorations might come into use, no doubt to get lost in the maze of hair. Miss Hardbroom stared coldly around the room, finally able to realise the difference in scenery. The chipped windows had now been draped with a flag-like banner and abrupt colours, with the words "welcome" splashed in ugly, bright bold and very clashing writing, which seemingly looked like wet paint. No denying as she confirmed the table had been spotted with harsh spots of yellow, brown, red, green and blue. The headmistress had taken to hiding her plate under the table as if to avoid her precious pudding painted.
"Oh heavens," she sighed, trying her hardest not to grimace " it's absolutely hideous " she rolled her dark eyes, pulling her own chair out of harms way, the scraping of the wooden legs against the floor joined Davinas squeals, clamping her hand over her mouth as she hurried to imprison and confine herself to the dark cupboard.
"Oh miss Hardbroom, was there really any need? I've been coaxing her out of there all morning! Only managing to avail with a strawberries apple salad and a promise to take her out on thursday!" The old witch huffed shuffling over to try help the over reacting, stressed woman hiding in the cupboard. Her glasses perched dangerously at the tip of her nose, like a vulture on a branch, and constance kept her mouth shut for a small while.
" Well I am sorry, Miss Cackle, but truly, all my years here, we never had such... Display work! We have no need for decorations now, and honestly, I'm abhorred, it's dripping paint all over the tarnish!" She concluded firmly, earning a loud sob from the bat, whilst magicking herself her own cup of tea.
"Constance, Miss Bat has gone to long extents, painting and putting that thing up for the new staff member, not for you, Miss bat was merely being thoughtful," the headmistress had turned back to the tall witch who stood abruptly, causing the chair to fall back, and resulting in another shocked squeal, the deputy head was now blocking out the woman's pestering squeaks. She froze.
"W-What?..." The witch was astonished, not even knowing about such plans.
" We thought it best to tell you at a later note Constance! We do know your unmistakable abilities to stress the situation. " the charms teacher stood next the the cupboard still, with her arms folded.
" Stress the situation!? Miss Cackle, whether or not you thought I would benefit from this, a new staff member should be the first thing I know about! I don't even know what she, or he, is teaching!" She replied quick off the mark, firmly and fiercely, fairly annoyed that this had escaped her attention. Amelia cleared her throat, composing herself.
"That would be... Physical education" Constance Hardbroom had to refrain from spitting her tea, choking it down instead, leaving her with a round of coughing afterwards. "Physical Education miss Cackle -" she paused to regain her breath with watering eyes, threatening to smudge her makeup. " - is the very last thing these girls need. M-more energy? Do you really think this to be wise?" The potions teacher stammered protestingly, more than annoyed.
"Miss Hardbroom, really! She'll be here any minute and you need to make a good impression, be yourself, and be nice"
" which one? I can't very well do both!" She cut across, her dark lips parted with more to say but was silenced, by the head.
"Now now Constance, I need to go see miss Tapioca down in the dungeon, kitchen. We're discussing a new menu, Monday to Saturday and the traditional cackles dish on Sunday. I'm due down there in a few minutes... Originally Davina would see this, miss Drill, safely into the school, but seen as she is..." The headmistress turned her head to the direction of the sulking, hidden witch. "... Currently unavailable, you'll simply have to put aside your differences and make her feel welcomed. Weren't you afraid your first day Constance?" Miss Hardbroom gasped, shocked at the very notion.
" I most certainly was not miss Cackle! I simply strived for the best, and well being of the students!" never was she afraid. The curious part of the tall witch was wondering why she even needed to be greeted at the gates, when she could fly in like the students? But Amelia would class the question as nosey and unnecessary information, so Constance stayed quiet. 'Trust her to trust me with the task, because I was certainly welcoming and approachable, and completely able to make the witch feel at home' She thought regrettingly, but Miss Cackle was already out of the door when she began to have second thoughts, and suddenly she regretted being mean to miss bat.
Constance hurried to the cold courtyard, with her long skirt flapping around her ankles as she unlocked the heavy gates, suddenly surprised by the sight before her. A young woman, smiling pleasantly... Her tanned complexion, smooth and untainted, with long blonde hair tied in a precise plait hanging limply over her shoulder. She had bright green eyes, as if they had been engraved with emeralds. What did puzzle the witch , was her attire and chosen transportation. The blonde witch was dressed in a small, bright orange top with no sleeves and a low neckline, the dark jogging trousers reached all the way to her ankles and decent running footwear. 'Be Polite Constance, be nice and welcome her' she reminded herself, but she couldn't stop taking in how strange the woman was, especially as she was stood, supporting a two wheeled bike, a contraption that she herself wasn't used to seeing with a witch. Finally satisfying her curiosity, the deputy head stood up straight and proudly "...Welcome to Cackles Academy" she force the words through her teeth, not used to this speech, not used to this manner and not used to this bright witch in front of her. " you must be miss..." Curse it, the name had slipped her mind, sure Amelia had mentioned it.
" Imogen Drill" She sounded like a public speaker, with a strong, bright and attention capturing voice. She to, had been sizing up the witch, how very smart she looked compared to herself, who would look more at place in a triathlon not outside the gates of a witch school. Imogen looked up to the woman, there was rather a distinguished height difference and inwardly the new teacher hoped not everyone was as tall, she had had enough of being called an elf in /her/ school, never mind this one as well.
" well then, you'd better come in," Constance even tried to slip the new teacher the smallest of smiles, remembering what the headmistress had told her to do, but her stone features remained cold and hard. Miss Drill's presence was awkward and unnerving to the witch, not to mention the silence apart from the slight squeak of bike wheels against the cobblestones, as she led the way to the broom shed where the bike could temporarily stay. " I must admit, miss Drill, I do find your methods of arrival rather unusual " miss Hardbroom commented, as imogen wheeled the thing among the spare broomsticks.
"Well how else am I supposed to get here? By balloon?" She chuckled and Constance managed to crack a little smile. It would be refreshing to have someone else around, that's not bat-lunatic, or as commanding as miss Cackle. For the second time this morning the witch rolled her eyes picking up an old shabby broomstick.
" By this, miss Drill, even witches from Arabia ride brooms" again she cursed herself mentally, now for using a fact she had sworn never to use after she had unwillingly been taught by miss Bat after her first visit to the place. The new teacher was laughing and the dark haired woman didn't even know what was amusing her, causing her to grit her teeth.
" Oh miss- I never got your name?" The blonde stated, supporting her bike against the wall.
"Hardbroom" she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Miss Hardbroom, I'm not a witch." She froze, not able to believe her. Miss Cackle had hired a woman, without magic, to teach at Cackles Academy.
"You're... Not a witch?" She shook her head and without another word Constance Hardbroom was striding accusingly straight to the former dungeons, where miss cackle was naming a whole variety of deserts. Oh no, this /wouldn't/ be refreshing she'd rather suffer five miss Bats than let standards slip at Cackles academy.
"A non-witch!?" The brunette had given both women a startle as she raised her voice, pausing before continuing. "You could've brought a frog to teach the girls and I wouldn't be half as surprised! Do you know what this means Amelia? She could expose our existence! Endager the students! Besides I doubt she would even be able to handle a group such as them!" She was horrified by the notion, a magic school, for witches!
"If you are quite finished Miss Hardbroom!" The witch was silenced, temporarily, feeling something like anger course through her veins.
"M-miss Cackle, may I remind you that this is Cackles Academy for 'young witches' a 'magic' school. The teachers are supposed to set examples for the students, she can't even fly a broom never mind use magic! We do not need a Dewy eyed, gym version of Rapunzel around the place! Rapunzel Rapunzel let all hell break loose! There's no use for her here she might as well go now!" Constance threw her arms up in harsh disarray and annoyance. She knew she had overdone it when miss cackle gasped and pushed her glasses up on top of her head. She opened her mouth to say something, looking mostly appalled. But instead Miss Bat squealed, flying through the door, and constance was, for the first time in her life, glad she was out of the cupboard
" Constance Hardbroom! I heard that! She hasn't even started yet! And already you're criticising her!" Okay, the potions teacher took back her most recent thought wishing instead /she/ could take residence in her own cupboard right then.
It came quickly but the scene flashed before her eyes. A thirteen year old constance, holding her shaking arms, as she sat in the bottom of her, cupboard, stifling her bitter sobs, lest she give away her hiding spot. " You can never hide from me Constance," then it was gone and the witch was still in the kitchen debating.
Davinas brow furrowed looking very concerned and stressed as she almost collapsed into a chair, lowering her voice dramatically to a whisper " she's just outside the door..." Miss Cackle fixed the fearsome witch with a look she knew far too well, a look she received whenever she caused miss Bat to go hibernate, a look that meant 'well now you've done it.'
"Well now you've done it!" The charms teacher shook her head and fetched the non witch into the kitchen, and there was no mistaking that her eyes had clouded up. The young blonde pursed her lips thinly, obviously controlling the way she looked, not wanting at all to look wounded by the lexical terms. Miss Hardbroom was never one to feel guilty, but to say miss drill had no use, that must've had some effect, but still, her decision hadn't budged, she firmly didn't agree with her being here. Still she knew miss cackle was right, now she /had/ done it. Miss bat, countless times, the students countless times, miss Drill... Maybe she'd have left before she could progress.
"Now, now dearie, you must be Imogen ya?" Miss Tapioca grinned warmly and sat the gym teacher in a chair, everyone, quite startled, having forgotten she was there " You are freezing! I'll make you an 'ot chocolate to warm you up, ya?" The blonde woman nodded stiffly composing herself,
"Th-that would be Lovely," Davina Bat hovered on the woman's left patting her shoulder with a smile, Amelia, on her right, cutting some cheesecake for her as she mumbled.
" We're truly glad that you'll be staying with us, it is just a shock for Constance, we hadn't told her of your arrival until twenty minutes ago" so this had been the reason, the witch realised, why she had been neglected in the conversation of the new teacher, both elder witches knew she wouldn't have a non-witch take the position when there were other candidates. "Constance!" Miss cackle hissed and she looked to the table timidly as she grimly apologised, like a schoolgirl, the thought made her sick almost. Miss drill was trying to brush everything off, smiling coolly.
" No really, everything is okay, I'm fine!" And with that sorted. Hardbroom vanished to her quarters.
Constance stayed clear of everyone for the rest of the stressful day, leaving Amelia to show the new teacher around, making sure she would disappear when she heard their voices nearing the potions classroom. The only teacher she couldn't avoid was Miss Bat, who decided to come out of the cupboard, yet again, when Constance was only in the staffroom to collect the new potion books for the first years tomorrow. Making sure to ignore her, Davina eventually huffed after her un-registered lecture, retreating defiantly back into the cupboard, slamming the doors. And from that moment on, the tall woman was safe in the silence of her room, alone and peaceful, a feeling she knew would be gone tomorrow when the students arrive.
After touring most the school and a brief history lesson of Lucy Fairweather and Barren Overblow, Imogen Drill was shown her assigned chambers. It was a neat, cosy room, with a bed, considerably larger than the students'. Another difference between the staff and pupils rooms, were the dressing tables, equipped with a three piece mirror, and draws, some of which containing extra candles, and matches, and for the last difference, a worn rug, trailing its was from the door, to beside the bed. But everything else was the same, the small wardrobe, the frameless windows... Still it was appealing to the sports woman, and didnt hesitate to flop herself down on the bed enthusiastically, wanting to determine the springiness of the matters, just like a little girl, giving her tour guide a laugh.
" I hope you settle in well, Miss Drill" the headmistress smiled warmly, before bidding the non-witch goodnight, and shut the door behind her. The blondes smile slipped from her lips as she toyed with her plait, looking at her dazed reflection in the mirror. "We do not need a Dewy eyed, gym version of Rapunzel around the place!" Constance Hardbrooms words echoed, vibrating off the walls of her mind. Robotically, the woman sat herself in front of the dressing table, staring at herself, noting her eyes swimming with tears. She was alone now, she was allowed to cry, but she wouldn't let them spill, taking a few staggered breaths before she sat up straight, the posture reminding her of the dark haired witch. "Rapunzel Rapunzel let all hell break loose." The gym teacher bit her lip, still fiddling with her plait. Rummaging quickly through the drawers, Imogen Drill believed she had found an answer to her Rapunzel problem, and determined she would not be put down by anyone,especially not that fierce witch that set her on edge, the blond woman let a tear loose. Her green precious eyes burned softly, finding what she was looking for and after concluding her thoughts, she took the scissors to her hair.