Runaway

My second fanfiction :) I had rare friday night in and this story had been on my mind a while. Enjoy! all reviews welcome!

"Just another day at Cackles.." Enid whispered to Maud and Mildred as Miss Hardbroom inspected and praised Ethel Hallow's Elixir of life, claiming it to be the best in the class.

Mildred laughed softly. Nothing at cackles would ever change. Two minutes previous HB had inspected their potion and pronounced it to be "the result of careless young witches who were running riot in the corridor instead of doing their homework and learning the potion's recipe before lights out."

"Right" said Miss Hardbroom, magically appearing at the front of the class. "I suppose you all better hurry along to chanting class, Miss Bat will be waiting. Before you go I want everyone's essay on the properties of Dragon's blood."

Mildred felt numb, she had completely forgotten about the essay. Excuses poured into her mind, none of which she felt would stand a chance with the strict potions teacher.

"Thank you Ethel, that looks very neat… Thank you Drucilla… Thank you Maud…. Next time make sure it isn't crumpled Enid, this is your potions homework not a shopping list…Mildred?"

"Ermm the thing is Miss…"

"Say behind at the end Mildred." Miss Hardbroom barked.

Five minutes later the class was filing out of the dreary classroom. Mildred remained seated and watched her potions teacher avidly. The woman was most definitely pretty, with pale white clear skin and contrasting dark hair and dress, but she seemed tired. Her eyes were too dark and her cheekbones were gaunt. She was rifling through some papers, scribbling on one every now and again. This continued for two minutes before she looked up.

"So Mildred Hubble, you decided not to do my homework. This is the fourth time in three weeks. Tell me Mildred, do you have a death wish?" Her voice was soft, yet cold, her most deadly.

"Errrmm the thing is miss… I meant to do it, it's just…"

"Yes?"

"Well I forgot miss."

"You forgot?" glared HB

"Yes." Mildred bit her lip.

Miss Hardbroom paused. A full five seconds which felt like hours. "Mildred Hubble, do you know how lucky you are to still be in this school? If it wasn't for soft subjects such as art and myths and legends you would have failed your first year! As it stands you have very little chance in passing your second year without some drastic change! You think you can do whatever you like because you've saved the school from some mortal peril. It's just not good enough Mildred. I want to see you making more of an effort in future, or I will personally see to it that you are out of this school for good! Now get out of my sight, if that homework isn't in my hands by 9am tomorrow you will be in even more bother than you are now!"

A tear stung Mildred's eye and dripped down her cheek, she quickly grabbed her bag making sure she was faced the other way so Miss Hardbroom wouldn't see. She was hopeless, she acknowledged. The Worst Witch in the whole school. How on earth could she have forgotten the assignment? She speed walked to Chanting class, knowing that her friends would cheer her up.

Constance Hardbroom breathed in slowly; she hated nothing more than young witches not fulfilling their potential; a title of which Mildred Hubble fitted perfectly. Still, she was pretty harsh on the girl. The tear that Mildred had unsuccessfully tried to conceal was etched on Constance's conscience.

"If she tries harder it will all be worth it" she thought, before grabbing the second years' homework to mark.

Mildred forced a smile on her face and pushed the door open. Chanting was in full swing. Enid grinned at her and Maud stepped to the side in order to make room for her on the back row.

"You ok Mils?" Maud whispered.

"Yep of course" Mildred muttered back.

Ethel Hallow had had her eyes firmly on Mildred throughout this exchange. Mildred looked miserable, and that was how Ethel liked it. She hoped HB had really laid into her. Ethel had still not forgotten the pig incident from their first year. Her first attempt at revenge had gone wrong. Perhaps now was a good time for a second attempt?

"Drusilla, we need a plan" she whispered to her one and only friend.

"And so, the ingredients for a disintegrating potion are on your desks. You all need to be especially careful; yes that means you Miss Hubble, for a small amount of the potion can do a lot of damage, thankfully the potion doesn't affect living matter. When your potion is complete, I will be checking its consistency before letting you add a small drop to one of these wooden blocks." Miss Hardbroom nodded her head briskly to some big thick blocks of wood on the front desk. "If brewed correctly you should observe the block fizzing before turning into wood chips. Now begin."

"Add half a bat wing, then stir anti-clockwise until potion becomes dark brown in colour." Maud read the slanting italic instructions from the blackboard.

"OK, maybe you should do this Maud, I'm in enough trouble with HB, and she didn't seem impressed when I gave her my essay this morning. It's bound to go wrong if I do it." Mildred said quietly.

"Fine, read me the instructions" Maud instructed.

Half an hour later the cauldron was bubbling, its consistency was thick and its colour was a strange dark blue, it looked exactly the same as Ethel's, who Miss Hardbroom had already checked and nodded her approval.

"Miss, I think we're done!" Mildred exclaimed.

"Then bring a vial of the potion to my desk Mildred." Said Miss Hardbroom, looking up from the papers she was reading.

"Watch this." Ethel muttered to Drusilla. She flicked her finger and muttered "creo shoelacius metaslacciare immediamenta"

Mildred had carefully poured the potion into a vial and got up to walk to the teacher's desk. Before she reached it however, she shrieked and fell to the floor. The vial of liquid smashed and poured over the potions lab floor. It fizzed and burned leaving gaping holes in the floorboards. It travelled and fizzed on the nearby table legs causing them to collapse and disintegrate into nothingness. Mildred raised her head and watched devastation she had caused but was powerless to stop. The whole classroom was in chaos. She saw Miss Hardbroom, with a face contorted with rage fold her arms and within a millisecond she and the rest of the class were apparated to the safety of the corridor.

"Quiet!" Miss Hardbroom bellowed. The effect was instantaneous. The class, who was excitedly chatting about the events they had just witnessed, stopped and gave their potions mistress their rapt attention.

"I want you all to go to your rooms for the rest of the lesson and finish any work that needs doing, on your own. Anybody out of their room before the hour is up will be in severe trouble. Go" The class moved quickly and silently down the corridor. Maud gave her friend a weak smile as she passed. Miss Hardbroom walked up to Mildred who was still getting up from the floor. She was still shaking in anger; it was common knowledge that her potions lab was her true home. "You will remain in your room for the rest of the day, and report to Miss Cackle's office first thing in the morning where you will be dealt with. Is that understood? I have warned you about your shoelaces time and again, and now you have caused damage to the school building due to your own carelessness." Miss Hardbroom disappeared but her voice seemed to ring in Mildred's ears even after she'd gone.

Mildred ran up the stairs into her bedroom. She threw herself on her bed and began to cry. She had really done it this time. Miss Hardbroom was the deputy head and therefore had a lot of authority. She had already implied that Mildred was on her last warning before today's incident.

"Oh Tabby" She said, nuzzling into her cat's soft fur. "Who knows what they'll do to me."

She leapt from the bed and starting putting her possessions into a duffle bag.

"Come on Tabs, we're running away!"

Mildred tiptoed out of the castle; doing her best to keep quiet so she didn't run into anyone. She sped across the courtyard to the broom shed and found her taped up old broom inside. She set off over the school walls. The broom wobbled but made it. Landing in the midst of the nearby woods, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her, ignoring the meows of protest from Tabby.

"Millie, are you OK?" Maud asked as she slowly pushed to door open to Mildred's room. To her surprise the room was empty. She checked the shower room and the toilets, but they were empty.

"Enid! Enid! Mildred's gone!" Maud knocked on her friend's door.

"What are you talking about Maud?"

"She's gone, I went in her room to see if she was OK but she's missing!"

"What is all this excessive noise?" Miss Hardbroom appeared behind Maud, out of thin air, making the girls jump.

"Mildred's not in her room miss" said Maud, gazing up at her form tutor with urgency.

"I will not ask you how you know this Maud, as you were well aware that I told you all to remain in your own rooms. You all better hurry along to PE."

"But Miss.." began Enid.

"I will deal with this" Miss Hardbroom disappeared before Enid could protest.

"Amelia, it's Mildred, she's gone" Constance apparated into the staffroom.

"Gone where?" Amelia paused, fork still full of the cheesecake she was about to eat.

"I don't know Headmistress. I think she might have run away!"

"Why?"

"I have been harsh on her recently." Constance gazed into Amelia's eyes, a slightly pleading look on her face."

"Well she did ruin your potions lab floor this afternoon, Davina told me. I've been waiting for the girl to arrive in my office all afternoon."

"I sent her to her room. I thought she needed time to think about the consequences of her carelessness"

"An error of judgement, now don't look so stricken Constance, we all make them."

"What do we do now Headmistress?"

"Wait."

"but.. I think.." Constance stuttered."

"Don't tell me your worried about the girl Constance? You've always wanted her to leave." Amelia smiled knowingly.

"I don't want any harm to come to her; she is still my pupil, my responsibility."

"Why wont you just admit to yourself that you care for the girl, it isn't something to be ashamed of."

"I I don't know what you mean Headmistress."

"Mildred will return soon enough. When she is ready."

Night time was drawing closer as the young girl and her cat made their way through endless forests and fields. Mildred didn't have a clue where she was. She was starting to miss her comfy bed at Cackles. Her battered broom was not obeying her instructions so she was left on her feet. She didn't dare cast any spells in case the Dr Foster effect took hold and she couldn't rectify it.

She came to an abrupt halt as she reached the edge of a large rock. Looking down, she realised it was about 30 metres down to the bottom. She had two choices: Double back on herself or climb down.

"I'm a witch aren't I Tabs? If I can't get down there I'm even more useless than HB thinks I am." Tabby purred in reply.

"She will be OK" Constance tried to convince herself. She attempted to grade the fourth year's homework but it was no use. Her mind was on Mildred. She would have to call her parents tomorrow and explain. Mr and Mrs Hubble would be so worried. A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Miss Hardbroom, I have something to confess." Ethel took a deep breath. "The thing is…it was me that made Mildred tip the potion over. I thought it would be funny, perfect revenge for the pig incident last year. I didn't think she would run away. I'm scared Miss Hardbroom, what if she's done something stupid! It's my fault!"

"I will deal with you later Ethel."

Constance made the decision, Amelia might have said to wait for the girl to come back but she didn't know Mildred as well as she did. The girl was a danger to herself; her rotten luck often left her in sticky situations that she needed other people to get her out of. This time, it was Constance's turn to help.

She sped out of her study, grabbing her elegantly long broom and jetted off, keeping at a low enough height in order to see underneath the leaves of the dark trees. It was nearly midnight; Mildred had been gone for hours. "If she has her broom she could be halfway across the country by now." Constance hoped, that the girl's forgetful nature meant she had taken off on foot. She flew over the mountains and forests that surrounded Cackles, keeping her eyes peeled for the young girl.

After what felt like hours, Constance got a tingly feeling down her spine. She knew she had the right place. She could sense magic. At cackles the sheer amount of magic meant that the feelings were blocked out but here in the wilderness her senses were heightened. She slowly descended into a forest clearing and continued to search on foot.

A meow from a nearby tree made her jump. The owner of the sound was a small grey cat. "Tabby" Constance exclaimed. "Where's Mildred?" As if answering the cat sped off, Constance ran to keep up. She came to a halt, panting slightly as she reached the rock face. She looked down and to her horror she saw Mildred sprawled out, not moving and obviously hurt rather badly.

She sprang into action, summoning her broom she mounted and quickly made her way down to her pupil. Luckily the girl was still breathing, just knocked out from what must have been a nasty fall. "Oh goodness Mildred, what on earth were you attempting to do." Constance muttered. "Reversus Healius Totenum". Slowly but surely life seemed to come back into the girl. Her many injuries healed and within two minutes she was just about able to raise her head.

"m m miss Hardbroom?" She said softly.

"Yes it's me Mildred." Constance said dryly, she knew out of all the people in the world she was probably the one the girl would least likely want to see.

"What h h happened?" Mildred stuttered, looking around.

"Well you have been missing for nearly a full day, I found you here. It seems like you attempted to lower yourself down the rock using some sort of spell, but it got the better of you. It's a long way down."

"You came to find me?" Mildred asked, sitting to face her saviour. The sun had truly gone to bed and it was pitch dark, definitely scary for a girl scared of the dark, but weirdly she felt safe with HB there.

"I was worried you would get yourself into bother, as is often the case I was proved right." Constance smiled. "Why did you run away Mildred?"

"I I I thought I was going to be expelled miss. I'm really sorry about the potions lab, truly miss, it was an accident."

"Actually it wasn't an accident Mildred. It might interest you to know that Ethel Hallow visited my study this evening and told me that she was responsible for you falling over. Im guessing she cast a spell so that you would trip over your laces, clever really. Rest assured she will be dealt with severely. Still Mildred running away is never the answer."

"I just think that Cackles will be better without me Miss, after all it's no secret that you think I'm a waste of space." Mildred wept.

"That's not true at all Mildred. Cackles academy would not even be in existence if it wasn't for you and your school saving antics last year. You have potential Mildred, a vast amount; the trouble is you don't apply yourself. I know the school may seem old fashioned at times but it is a good school and it will teach you to be the witch I know you have in you. Running away never solves anything. Don't give up on yourself Mildred, because I haven't."

"Really?" Mildred was shocked to hear this coming from the teacher she usually despised; she had always believed the feeling was mutual.

"I wouldn't shout half as much if I had." Constance laughed; a pretty high pitched laugh that was so different to her usual tones. "Now get on the back of my broom Mildred, and grab hold of Tabby. You've been away from school long enough."

The castle seemed dead as they landed in the courtyard. They entered the hall quietly; enough had been said between the teacher and pupil for one night.

"Bedtime Miss Hubble, lights out was hours ago and you have a potions mock test tomorrow afternoon." Miss Hardbroom broke the silence.

"Night Miss Hardbroom, and thanks, for saving me."

" You are in my debt now Mildred, a good start to repaying me is by revising for the test tomorrow." Miss Hardbroom smiled, crossed her arms and disappeared.

"Come on Tabs, Maud and Enid will want to see me!"

"Half an hour and then I will be checking you are asleep." Said a voice.

Mildred gulped, she never knew when HB had fully gone. She clambered up the stairs and pushed into Maud's room where Maud and Enid were fully awake. They were very happy to see her.

"Oh Millie we've been so worried!" Maud exclaimed.

" What happened?" Enid questioned.

Mildred told them the whole story, although left out the bits of her conversation with her teacher; they felt too private to share.

"Woah HB's quite impressive." Maud whispered.

"Ethel the little sneak! Wait until I get my hands on her tomorrow!" Enid said angrily "I hope she gets kicked out, she deserves it after what she's done."

"I'm sorry Mildred." A girl in a nightdress had appeared at Maud's door. Ethel Hallow had heard Mildred arrive. "I didn't mean for it to go this far."

"Sorry you got caught more like…" Enid muttered.

"I hope you can forgive me Mildred, I'm truly sorry. I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if anything had happened." Ethel burst into tears.

Mildred walked up to her arch enemy and bravely gave her a hug. "It's OK Ethel. I forgive you."

"Lights out! Now!" came a barking voice as HB appeared, her dress had been changed to bright purple pyjamas and her long hair was hanging loose. The girls jumped and sprang apart. "Into your own room's girls, oh and Ethel I've arranged with Miss Cackle that you are to clean out the broom shed tomorrow evening, without magic and I want a five hundred lines of 'I will not in future attempt to frame fellow pupils as I am an adolescent witch and not a pathetic child' on my desk Monday morning. Just be thankful there was no irreversible damage to my potions lab or there would have been grounds for expulsion. Now bed!" Miss Hardbroom held the bedroom door open as the young girls sidled out. Mildred was the last to leave. Before leaving she looked up at her strict and dreaded form mistress. She swore she could see a small smile play across her lips.