Griselda Blackwood sat cross-legged in the middle of her bed sobbing. Why did she have to go and ruin everything now? Whatever possessed her to choose today? She should have waited until they'd left the academy and whatever time they had left would have remained untainted. Now she was destined for the silent treatment AND a broken heart. A tentative knock at her door roused her from her wallowing thoughts.
"Fenny?" she called out hopefully. Unfortunately Mildred Hubble opened the door ajar and poked her head round the small gap.
"No, only me...oh Grissy! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, but can you leave me alone please?" Griselda asked as politely as she could muster. Mildred entered the room anyway and shut the door behind her.
"What's happened?" The older girl sighed in defeat, knowing that Mildred wouldn't go away easily.
"Fen and I had a fight, a big one. I'm not sure it can be fixed." It was the truth, just not the whole truth. There was no way she was going to tell anyone the reason for her argument with Fenny.
"I can't believe that, you're best friends, you'll sort it out eventually." Griselda shook her head as she failed to stop a further stream of tears from falling. Mildred sat down on the bed next to her and put a comforting arm around her friend.
"You will, you love each other too much to stay mad for long." Grissy stiffened and shrugged Mildred's arm off her shoulder.
"What did you mean by that?" she shouted defensively.
"What? I only meant..."
"Get out Hubble and leave me alone!" Mildred made a quick escape from her friend's bedroom. She was a little perplexed at Grissy's short temperedness but then again she'd never seen her so upset before. Mildred sure hoped they'd make it up soon.
Two weeks passed and the atmosphere in the school was terrible. By now everyone was aware that Fenny and Gris had had a fight and weren't speaking to each other. The two senior girls were usually responsible for practical jokes, witty remarks and being the font of all knowledge for the younger pupils. It made living and studying in the leaky, draughty castle so much more bearable for everyone else. However, neither Fenny nor Gris had been particularly approachable and things were evidently strained between them.
"I think we need to address the Griselda Blackwood and Fennela Feverfew issue." Headmistress Amelia Cackle suggested to her deputy, Constance Hardbroom, in the staffroom over lunch.
"What issue?" The potions mistress had never been particularly adept at empathy, but Imogen Drill was aghast.
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed?" The PE teacher stood up from her comfortable armchair by the door and walked over to where her colleagues were seated at the table under the window.
"They are clearly not speaking to each other." She explained to her colleague.
"Girls argue; I'm sure it will all blow over eventually." Constance said dismissively.
"Miss Cackle, I'm not so sure. Perhaps someone ought to talk to them, find out what's going on?" Imogen suggested, conscious of the impact it was having on the rest of the pupils in the school. Amelia pondered the suggestion as she finished chomping on her mouthful of cheesecake.
"I'm sure it's over something and nothing, but it can't do any harm to speak to them about it. Miss Drill, would you?" The PE teacher was about to protest, but then acquiesced, realising she was probably the most appropriate member of staff to deal with it.
Fenny had been impossible to talk to. She had point blankly refused to discuss anything with Imogen. She'd let slip that whatever it was it was all Griselda's fault and that she really didn't want to speak to her ever again. Imogen managed to see past the attitude and understood that Fenny was simply hurting. Being defensive was the only way that Fenny could protect herself from further upset.
On the other hand, Imogen wasn't quite prepared for the sudden outpouring of emotion from Griselda.
"Come on Gris, it can't be that bad surely?" The fellow blonde nodded through her sobs.
"I'm a horrible, selfish person and I wish I'd never said anything!" Gris had had enough time to berate herself until she'd put the blame squarely on herself. How she wished she'd never started this in the first place.
"Said anything about what?" Grissy shook her head; there was no way she was going to tell her teacher the truth, even if it was Miss Drill.
"I can't...you'll throw me out of the school." It was Griselda's worst nightmare, and one she'd had several times recently. She'd heard of this happening to girls in the past and knew there had to be some truth in the stories.
"Griselda, have you done something illegal?" Imogen knew both Fenny and Gris took some of their pranks a little too far on occasion, but she didn't think either of them would have been that stupid.
"No, of course not! What sort of person do you think I am?" The gym mistress knew she was clutching at straws, but she was relieved all the same. Now she was more confused than before, none of this really making any sense to her.
"What else am I supposed to think the way you've been talking? Look, I just want to help you and I can't do that until you've told me what happened." Grissy took a deep breath to calm herself down and sighed.
"I told Fenny something personal, something I thought she would understand. But she didn't understand and now she hates me!" Imogen sensed that Griselda truly believed that.
"I'm sure she doesn't hate you." What else could she have said? Even though Fenny had made it clear to Imogen she wasn't going to forgive Griselda over whatever this had all been about, she couldn't have told her that, especially now.
"Yes she does, now she thinks our whole friendship has been based on a lie and that I'm some sort of..." Gris burst into tears once again as it all became too much and everything just started to pour out of her.
"I just fell in love with my best friend, I didn't mean for it to happen!"
The young witch had taken some further convincing but gradually Imogen had coaxed Griselda to talk it all through.
"I think Fenny was just a little shocked that's all. She probably just needs some time to think about how she feels." Imogen would, if that had been her.
"Maybe." Gris was definitely not convinced.
"For what it's worth I don't think any differently of you." And she honestly didn't, it's not like it was the first time it had ever happened to very close friends. It probably wasn't the first time it had happened in this school either.
"Thanks Miss, that means a lot. Thank you for listening and not freaking out."
"Why would I when I've been there myself? But that's a story for another time." Griselda did a double take and then gave Imogen a wide grin.
"I'll hold you to that Miss Drill." The gym mistress grinned back.
"Yes, I rather thought you might."