Chapter 1 – Term Ends
A frost-bitten wind blew relentlessly, a swirling blizzard of snow covering Cackle's Academy in a thickening blanket of snow. The sky was a darkened grey, with no hint of sunlight to break the destructive weather and the trees in the forest surrounding the majestic castle shuddered from the force of the powerful gales. Inside the castle, holly and tinsel hung from the low ceilings and festive music played throughout the halls; Christmas was fast approaching and there was only one more lesson before the girls could finally escape for two weeks of what they considered to be a long overdue break. One hour was all that stood between the pupils of the academy and their winter break, but not everyone was looking forward to the festive season.
The fourth year girls filed into the year's final potions class, sitting at their desks in unusual silence. They were not planning to jeopardise their freedom by angering their deputy headmistress, form tutor and potions teacher and ending up in detention on the last day of term.
'Where's HB?' whispered Maud Moonshine, as she took her place by her friends.
'Dunno, maybe she's...' began Mildred Hubble, a pupil who was infamous throughout the school for her tendency to cause calamity and commotion wherever she went. She did not, however, finish her hushed sentence, as she gave a short gasp. Miss Constance Hardbroom materialised in front of her class from nowhere, her arms folded across her chest and an icy stare on anyone who dared to utter another word.
'Any talking or misbehaviour in this next hour, regardless of the date, will result in two hours of detention this evening and a delayed trip home. Christmas is no excuse to abdicate responsibility for hard work, do I make myself clear?' Her voice was sharp and stern, a warning to any girl who felt an urge to cause trouble in her classroom. Miss Hardbroom's whole demeanour induced fear in the girls sat before her. Her dark hair was tied in a tight, plaited bun which sat unmoving at the top of her head and her eyes were the darkest shade of unyielding black the girls had ever seen, only showing a flicker of emotion when she shouted at her pupils. She wore the same long, black dress with long sleeves and a high neck that she donned every day and although she was thin, some would say too much so, her height and strict features gave her the power and influence to easily dominate the classroom. No student had ever admitted to liking Miss Hardbroom, but each student had confessed their fear as she watched over them with her meticulous hawk-like glare and it was no secret to her that she was widely hated. To her, it was the only way she knew to command a classroom and she had long since learnt that emotions were her amalgamation of weakness. She never smiled, never cried and had the best reputation as a potions teacher in the country.
'Yes Miss Hardbroom,' chorused the girls in reply, sensing the foul mood of their teacher and gritting their teeth, each pupil watching the clock in the corner of their eye.
'As you know, the fourth year mid-year exams will be taking place after the holidays are over and I expect you have all started revising hard.' Mildred shot a look of horror at Enid Nightshade, her trusted friend who sat to her right. It was evident from Enid's glare that the thought had not even crossed her mind.
'The essay I will write on the board is a practice, similar to the one in your potions exam in January, and I expect 2000 words in the next 55 minutes. You may begin.' Miss Hardbroom turned to the blackboard at the front of the classroom and flexed her right hand, causing the title of the essay to appear magically on the board.
Miss Hardbroom sat at the front of the classroom, her head down to allow her to mark the fifth year assignments she had set that morning. They were, even for the last day of term, of a poor standard and she sighed inwardly as she graded the writing. She was also, of course, taking note of the students before her. As she had expected, Ethel Hallow had almost finished with plenty of time to spare, but Mildred was in a state of visible confusion and seemed to have barely written one side. It did not surprise her, but the fact that her efforts to teach the girl seemed to hold no merit in Mildred's eyes filled her with a disapproving dismay. The bell rang to signify the end of the lesson and of the term, and Miss Hardbroom stood up, imposing the silence she had asked for upon her students.
'Time is up, you may leave quietly, placing your essays at the front of the classroom and heading out to the hall where you will be escorted to your brooms so that you are able to leave. That includes you, Mildred Hubble,' warned Miss Hardbroom as Mildred attempted to scribble a few last words onto the page.
'I am nearly done Miss Hardbroom, I just...' in trying to finish her essay, Mildred's elbow knocked over the bottle of ink which she had been using which quickly stained her essay. Mildred got to her feet to try and stem the flow of ink, but caught her foot on the chair and fell backwards into a bookshelf which began to rock menacingly.
The other fourth years watched in horror as the bookshelf began to fall on Mildred, but Miss Hardbroom acted with such speed, the girls did not quite see what happened next. Mildred had closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to come; but it did not. She cautiously opened her eyes to see the bookshelf half fallen but frozen in mid-air, held up by an invisible force controlled by her potions teacher. Terrified, she scurried out from under the bookshelf as Miss Hardbroom restored it to its upright position, without a single book falling on the floor and gave Mildred a look that made the tumultuous gusts outside seem like a light, tender breeze.
'Mildred Hubble, I suggest that you leave this classroom at once before I give you two weeks' worth of detention,' said Miss Hardbroom, her voice quivering with rage as the students exited her classroom quicker than they ever had before.
'You've done it now Mildred,' remarked Maud.
'It was an accident,' explained Mildred hopelessly, knowing that it was, as always, down to her impossibly clumsy nature.
'Never mind, she didn't kill you which is something. Cheer up Millie, two weeks off!' Enid's words brought a sincere smile upon Mildred's face and she joined her friends in the hall where the talk turned to holiday plans.
Miss Amelia Cackle came out from the blizzard brewing outside covered in a layer of snow with her grey bob in tangles and her glasses askew. As headmistress of the academy, she was a kind and caring woman who often took on a maternal role towards the children, never having had any of her own. A thick woollen cardigan covered her black dress and she shuddered from the cold which still lingered inside the castle.
'Miss Cackle, we really must discuss Mildred Hubble once more. I know...'
'Sorry, Constance, but we have bigger problems,' Miss Cackle interrupted. 'The blizzard is too bad to fly through and there can be no means of public transport until Monday morning!' Frustrated by the headmistress' blasé attitude towards what she considered to be the academy's only fundamental problem, Constance marched out into the blizzard where she was greeted by a wind so strong it nearly blew her off her feet. She raised her arms into the air and, without even muttering an incantation, sent a bolt of hot, white energy into the sky where it collided with the clouds, giving off a rumble similar to thunder. Immediately, the wind stopped and the rest of the snow fell gently to the ground. With another sweep of her arms, the snow cleared the courtyard, sorting itself into neat piles around the perimeter and leaving a clear path to the broom shed and Walker's Gate.
Walking back inside, even Miss Cackle was impressed with Constance's command of magic. Weather was one of the most temperamental things to deal with where magic was concerned and was open to the foster's effect, but her deputy had handled it with ease.
'Well done Constance. Come on now girls, the weather has cleared and it is time for the holidays to begin!' The girls cheered at Miss Cackle's address and began to make their way outside to the shed.
Ten minutes later, the last first year had departed on her broomstick, leaving Miss Cackle and Miss Hardbroom alone in the courtyard.
'Now headmistress, can we please discuss Mildred Hubble! She disrupted my potions class again this afternoon and I fear she will simply disregard her studies over the holidays in place of meaningless frivolities,' Miss Hardbroom said voicing her concerns. She followed Miss Cackle as she headed inside the school, walking along side her.
'I see your point Constance, you know I do, however I am afraid there is little we can do now. I suggest we wait until after the holidays until the exams; then we will see whether she is working to her full potential.' Miss Hardbroom followed Miss Cackle into the staffroom, sighing at how she always dismissed Mildred with such hopeful optimism when both parties knew that there would be no change in the girl's behaviour.
Miss Bat and Miss Drill, the chanting and PE teachers at the academy, were both sat in chairs beside the fire taking biscuits from an open tin on the coffee table. Miss Hardbroom resisted arguing further with Amelia, as she knew it would come to no end, and simply checked through her post tray. She had no desire to partake in pointless small-talk with her other colleagues.
'Davina, Imogen, will you join me in a celebratory drink at the village pub? It's not every day that one of Cackles' longest terms ends,' asked Miss Cackle, her smile warm and comforting.
'Definitely, I need a drink. You coming Constance?' inquired Miss Drill, looking over at Miss Hardbroom who was flicking through the letters and publications she had been sent.
'No,' said Miss Hardbroom bluntly. She did not take part in indulgences such as alcohol merely for the sake of pleasure and had no intention of wasting an evening sitting in the corner whilst the other teachers drank and socialised with others.
'Are you going to Mongolia for the holidays, Davina?' asked Imogen, changing the subject swiftly.
'Yes, but I will be back on Christmas Eve, for our usual celebration!' Miss Bat referred, as Constance painstakingly remembered, to one of the two social events which she was always forced to attend: the staff Christmas Eve drink. She had never enjoyed such an evening, and further dreaded the monotony of the following New Years Eve party, if could even be called such an inappropriate thing.
'Are we off?' Miss Bat asked as she unhooked he cloak from the peg by the door.
'You and Imogen go ahead,' replied Miss Cackle, 'I will catch up in a moment.' It was clear to Constance that Miss Cackle wish to talk to her alone, something which made her rather uncomfortable at the best of times. She could always sense when Amelia wished to break the impenetrable fortress which protected her, sealing off her emotions and bare soul to conceal her dignity. It would be the same this year as any other, so why did she try?
Constance continued to work, her head buried deep in a book she was reading to further her knowledge of healing potions, pretending to ignore Miss Cackle who patiently waited.
'Was there something you wanted, headmistress?' she asked, feigning innocence.
'I take it you will be, once again, staying within the castle over Christmas?' Amelia, of course, knew the answer but it was a good way to lead into the conversation she had tried to have so many times with her deputy.
'Yes, Miss Cackle. It is far easier for me here as I have access to more ingredients and the post is delivered daily rather than weekly. You know why I stay,' she said sharply, looking up at Amelia who seemed in a relentless mood.
'I know, Constance, but why do you hide yourself away? Why do you disappear into your room and work for two weeks rather than going home or to visit family or even go on holiday? You constrict your life, Constance, and I hate to see it wasted.'
'So I am wasting my life am I?' Her tone was harsher than Amelia had heard in a long time. She had touched more of a nerve than she had meant to.
'It is my life, Amelia, and I will do with it what I please. Now, if you'll excuse me...' she returned to her book and the silence which lingered seemed to last forever.
'I consider you a true friend, Constance. I hope you know that. I have known you for twenty years, ever since I offered you this position at Cackle's, and I know more about you than any other. I just ask that you trust me, as I trust you. One day, you will want to talk and I want you to know I will always be there. In relation, I expect you to be at The Pondweed at seven sharp on Christmas Eve.' Ending on a lighter note, Amelia hoped as she always did that she would receive any flicker of emotion from Constance. She had seen Constance rise from the ashes, a true fighter coming from a past so dark she had not even confided in her only ally. There were so many mysteries surrounding this woman, but as she left to join her fellow teachers, she knew that the time would soon come where she would have to be there, for Constance to open up to her, and the truth would be revealed.
Constance had not even looked up as Miss Cackle left the room and was left in solidarity, as she liked it. For once she almost wished she had felt something for the woman she could consider a friend, whether it be anger or gratitude, but her heart was cold. There was nothing more to feel.