AN: A slightly different take on the season one finale where Agatha decides on a different punishment for Miss Hardbroom.
Hecate held on to Ada's hands tightly, focusing all her concentration on bringing the older woman back to the school, but most importantly to her. She knew as soon as she had started the spell that she was on borrowed time. No sooner had she uttered the first few words of the spell; the room was filled with the sound of Agatha's blazing alarm.
Pulling with all her might, she felt her breathing start to become heavy with the strain and effort involved. She only needed a few more minutes. She was so close in saving Ada, but the sound of Miss Gullet's nasally voice told her; her time had run out.
"Aww, such the best of friends. I think they should be together, forever." Miss Gullet and Agatha finished together.
Hecate felt her heart sink into the pit of her stomach. She had failed; failed to protect the school and the girls, but most importantly she had failed Ada. Her sweet Ada who had so much faith and confidence in her abilities to help her.
"I'm sorry, Ada." Hecate softly whispered feeling her resolve beginning to crack. She didn't care what happened to her, but she couldn't live with the thought of Ada being trapped inside that painting alone forever.
She braced herself for what was about to happen already accepting her fate. Hecate looked over at Agatha out the corner of her eye, seeing Miss Gullet's hand outstretched as the faint purple lightning started to form at the end of her fingertips.
"Stop! I have a better idea." Agatha declared with an evil smile. "Such loyalty should be commemorated; wouldn't you agree Miss Gullet?" The other witch lowered her hand as Agatha kept her attention on Hecate. "I hope my dear sister appreciated you while she had the chance Hecate." Agatha waved her hand, severing Hecate's hold on Ada, watching satisfied as the younger witch was sent flying backwards and Ada once again disappeared into the painting.
Agatha walked up the stairs and turned to see Hecate shakily rising to her feet. "I would stay down if I were you." Agatha taunted, sending three spells in quick succession towards the younger witch, who deflected two but was too late to stop the third which slammed into her chest.
Hecate lay on the floor paralyzed as she struggled to breathe. It felt as if her lungs were being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand. She could feel tears gather in the corners of her eyes from the pain, but she refused to let them fall or give Agatha the satisfaction of seeing her so weak.
Agatha knelt down next to Hecate looking into the younger witch's deep brown eyes, seeing the pain and stubbornness reflecting back at her.
"Don't fight it, Hecate. I can make it stop. You need to swear your allegiance to me, and all this will be forgotten."
"Never." Hecate hissed in pain.
"Then I'm afraid you'll have to suffer the consequences of deceiving me," Agatha replied placing her hand palm down over Hecate's heart.
Beating heart
Flesh and Bone,
Turn this loyal heart to stone!
Hecate bit her lip trying to hold back her screams, as her body involuntary spasmed in pain. She closed her eyes, faintly hearing Agatha's voice repeat the spell through the pain-filled fog, which had encased her mind. Hecate could taste blood in her mouth, and her eyes water as the pain intensified causing her to let out a whimper of excruciating pain. She could feel the coldness slowly creep into her body as the spell poisoned her heart. She had never felt anything like it. It felt like a thousand stabbing knives penetrating her heart all at once. Her breathing became fast and shallow as the life painfully left her body.
With her last remaining strength, Hecate opened her eyes and looked over at the painting where Ada was still trapped, trying to memorise the older woman's face, wanting it to be the last thing she saw before the end. She had to trust that Mildred would find a way to set Ada free where she had ultimately failed.
"Goodbye, Ada." Hecate thought sadly feeling the last of her strength leaving her knowing she had just a few precious moments left. She was about to give up, when the room came alive in a series of red flashes, along with the sound of muffled voices.
Hecate could make out the form of Agatha through her blurred vision and the feel of her hand leaving her chest.
"Well, dear Miss Hardbroom, it seems you will get to live a few moments longer while I take care of a small problem. So, I'll leave you in the company of Miss Gullet until I return. It will allow you to get reacquainted shall we say." Agatha told her sweetly with a cold smile, before transferring from the room.
At the sound of heeled footsteps approaching, Hecate saw Miss Gullet approach with a sadistic, mocking smile as she looked down at her.
"Poor, defenseless Hecate. You know I always thought you were one of the strongest witches in this academy. Always so uptight, and cold-hearted, it made me wonder how anyone could ever love you; I mean the students and the faculty practically hate you. It made me wonder how a kind and warm-hearted woman such as Miss Cackle could love an emotionless and unfeeling witch such as yourself." Miss Gullet taunted kneeling on the spot Agatha was mere seconds ago. "It seems Agatha's spell partly worked, though I'm surprised you even have a heart at all!"
Hecate ignored each hateful remark, not giving Miss Gullet the satisfaction. She already knew what the students thought about her, but she would always protect them. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her magic, trying to dispel the paralysis of her body. She thought about the intimate moments in Ada's office, how the older woman made her feel treasured with her gentle touches, or her caring words as she told Hecate how much she was loved.
"Aww, has little Miss Hardbroom finally given up."
Hecate's eyes snapped open, feeling a surge of magic flow through her encasing her body in a pinkish red glow.
Miss Gullet tried to stand when she was forcibly pushed backwards by an invisible force. She lay on the floor looking over at Hecate in fear, now seeing the other witch on her feet and looking down at her with murderous intent. She waved her hand sending a spell towards Hecate watching in slight fear and awe as her magic seemed to dissolve by a barrier that seemed to have formed around Miss Hardbroom.
"That's impossible." Miss Gullet whispered under her breath as she fired spell after spell watching in horror as nothing happened.
Hecate's brown eyes remained emotionless as she took a few steps towards Miss Gullet watching with mild satisfaction at seeing the fear in her eyes.
"I may be unfeeling; cold-hearted, the teachers and students may despise me, but I am anything but weak! I will defend and protect this school along with its students and Ada until the last breath leaves my body," Hecate told her coldly, as she conjured a ball of purple light in her hand and aimed it towards Miss Gullet.
The light left Hecate's hand and split off into three different balls of light that swirled around Miss Gullet.
"What have you done?" Miss Gullet cried out fearfully, looking down at her hands as they began to change.
"Giving you a taste of your own medicine, only there will be no way for you to revert to your human self."
"Do you honestly think one of your spells will hold me?"
"Oh, I'll ensure it." Hecate hissed clicking her fingers as the three balls of light pierced Miss Gullets chest.
A bright flash of light engulfed the room for a few moments before dissipating. Where Miss Gullet once lay, there was now a silver cage containing a black rat.
She smiled to herself and started to make her way over to the painting when she felt the tower begin to shake, and the stone walls began to crack. She glanced at the portrait torn between saving Ada or saving the children and the school. Hecate could feel her magic already leaving her, knowing she wouldn't be able to do both.
The sound of loud creaking caused Hecate to look up just as one of the wooden supports started to fall from the roof. Quickly raising her hands, the wooden beam became suspended in mid-air. Lowering it to the floor, she stole one last look at the painting and transferred out and into the Great Hall.
She arrived in the Great Hall to the sound of screams, as the girls frantically ran from the castle as dust, stone, and brick fell around them. Hecate scanned the room looking for any sign of Agatha, but the older witch was nowhere in sight.
"HB!"
Hecate turned to see Miss Drill pressed up against one of the stone walls trying to contain Agatha's magic while the students and teachers escaped. Hurrying over, she placed her hands on the stone wall, trying not to flinch as Agatha's dark magic tried to fight her own.
"I need you to leave, Miss Drill. Let me handle this."
"I'm not leaving you in here alone, HB!"
"Dimity, please, you need to protect the children," Hecate ordered her colleague. "I won't be able to hold Agatha's magic for long."
Miss Drill was reluctant to leave Miss Hardbroom alone when the building could collapse any second, but she was right, she had to protect the students."
"Good luck, Hecate."
Hecate glanced over at Miss Drill, her eyes softening as she gave a weak smile, "you too, Dimity. Now, go!"
Miss Drill nodded and ran from the room leaving Hecate alone with the castle crashing around her.
"Do what you will with me, Agatha, but I will not let you destroy this school," Hecate whispered closing her eyes, focusing on eradicating Agatha's magic from the foundations.
We are many,
We are one,
Agatha's spell must be undone!
She felt her arms start to shake with the effort involved as Agatha's magic twisted around her own, slowly killing and attacking it. She reached out her magic to the students in the courtyard, hoping they would heed her call.
We are many,
We are one,
Agatha's spell must be undone!
"No, you will not win!" Hecate shouted in anger, her eyes opening to reveal purple specks amongst the brown.
We are many,
We are one,
Agatha's spell must be undone!
Hecate watched as if time itself was reversing as the cracks on the stone started to seal. She felt Agatha's magic weakening as the castle began to restore and repair itself, but so was her own. The pain in her heart returned causing her to almost black out. With the last of her strength, she repeated the spell one last time.
We are many,
We are one,
Agatha's spell must be undone!
As soon as the last word escaped from her lips, she collapsed to the ground, the glowing light had now extinguished, and her eyes returned to her normal colour. She weakly turned her head to the window, seeing a golden ray of light shine through giving some warmth to her cooling body.
'It is done.' Hecate thought with tears in her eyes, as she felt Ada's magic once again fill the castle. "Farewell, Ada," Hecate whispered, feeling a sense of peace wash over her as she finally closed her eyes and let go.