Chapter Two

Mildred had spent two hours and 34 minutes in the potions room. She had found one of HB's clocks in her drawer and used it to time herself. She felt completely different, punctual. As if she were half-HB and half-Ethel. It was almost like the spell she had used had transformed herself instead of transforming Miss Hardbroom.

Finally, Mildred's potion was ready. There had been no hair in Miss Hardbroom's brush, but Mildred had found the ends of clipped black fingernails in the trashcan in HB's bathroom. Mildred was fairly certain that her potion would work, but even so, the negative thoughts were still there in the pit of her stomach. She was only Mildred Hubble, after all, how much could she really change.

Taking a deep breath, Mildred tasted the potion. In an instant, Mildred felt herself transform. She looked down at her hands and smiled, releasing relieved laughter. Miss Hardbroom's long, perfect fingers stared up at her, shiny black nail polish, expertly trimmed.

"I'm HB!" Mildred giggled to herself.

Mildred snapped out of her happy state as Miss Pentangle walked in. It seemed that she had timed things perfectly.

"I thought I might find you in here," Pippa said.

Mildred felt a sudden swooping sensation in her stomach and wondered if it was HB's body reacting to Miss Pentangle's or her own. Maybe some strange combination.

"How was it?" Mildred asked. She had never felt this nervous around Pippa before. By Pippa's expression, the pink covered witch hadn't noticed anything amiss yet.

Pippa wrapped her arms around Mildred and Mildred jumped. Oh no, I've blown it now. To Mildred's surprise, Pippa only laughed. "You're so tense." She whispered in Mildred's ear. "The witching walk was fine." Mildred relaxed as Pippa released her and paced around the potions lab, as if she was reenacting the walk. "I saw a lot of creative new spells. You're right, I think Mildred would have loved it! It's too bad you have to be sixteen before you can attend. But, maybe we will be able to take her then, who knows?"

Mildred felt confusion and something more as she listened to Pippa. She didn't know if it was her nerves or what, she just couldn't seem to entirely understand what she was saying, but at the same time, something seemed to be dawning on her.

"Where is Mildred?" Pippa asked.

Mildred mustered as much venom as she could. "The wretched girl is sorting papers." Mildred spat. "She's where she belongs." Mildred found a huge grin coming to her face, which was weirdly twisted by the fact that she only had HB's facial muscles at her disposal. It felt so good and so strange to hear HB's voice emanating from her own throat.

"Hecate, is something wrong?" Pippa asked.

"No, nothing at all. I mean, why would you even think that?" Mildred let out a nervous laugh, which sounded so strange on HB that she let out another.

"Were you having flashbacks to Broomhead?" Pippa's face is full of sympathy. "I know how hard it can be for you to be around students when you have those. You really should consider the modern spelled pastry I can make you. I know I've offered before, but if it's getting so bad that you can't even be around Mildred, your favorite student no less!"

Mildred's mouth dropped open. "What?"

"I'm sorry Hecate. I shouldn't keep badgering you about it. It is your business."

Pippa grabbed her hand. She tugged her away from the potions lab and down the corridor. Pippa seemed even more energetic and happy then Mildred had ever seen her before. Pippa tugged her into her room, closed the door, pressed her against it, and started kissing her.

Mildred gasped. Miss Hardbroom's body responded to the touch with what felt like magic exploding down her chest, past her stomach and into her legs. Mildred instinctively pushed Pippa away. She had never been kissed before. Though admittedly, she hadn't given it much thought, she had still never expected her first kiss to be like this.

"Hecate?"

"I'm sorry, it's my er, allergies." Mildred opened the door that a second ago she had been pressed to, left the room and slammed it behind her.

Mildred snapped her fingers. She was surprised at how much easier a transport spell was in Miss Hardbroom's body. She reappeared in her own room, in Mildred's room, and started pacing the floor, going over where she had been pacing this morning, but in the opposite direction this time.

"Allergies! Really, Mildred? How could you be so stupid?" As Mildred paced she started feeling more and more helpless and she wished she could be back here this morning with her sketchbook, bored and with nothing to do. She even wished that she was sorting papers again. This was a huge mess.

It hadn't been created by Ethel, or Agatha, or HB trying to expel her. This was all her fault.

Mildred sat in the window sill and opened her sketchbook. Of course it had to open to her sketch of HB. Most of her more recent sketches had been of HB. A tear fell onto HB's perfectly sculpted, adequately imitated cheek. Mildred giggled. She imagined that would be how HB would describe it, if she even liked drawing that is, which she didn't. Mildred touched where the tear had been. Then she noticed her fingers. She was Mildred Hubble again.

Mildred sighed. "Well, HB. I've got to help you, don't I?"

There was a knock on Mildred's door. For a moment, her spirits raised, thinking that perhaps it was HB, and she had only imagined the events of the day. Then the voice came through to her. "Mildred, are you in there?"

It was only Pippa. Mildred could never remember being disappointed to hear Pippa's voice. Ever. But now she was.

Mildred wiped off her face. "Yes, I'm here." She said as sweetly as she could. A part of her felt disgusted at how much she reminded herself of Ethel. "Come in, Miss Pentangle."

Miss Pentangle entered with a flourish and a smile. "How are you Mildred? I heard Hecate was a little hard on you today."

"I'm alright. It wasn't so bad. I was just sorting papers. Miss Hardbroom said it would help me with my discipline."

"You've always had such a positive attitude. I admire that about you Mildred. Hecate has been... stressed. I'm sure she'll be happy to work with you on your magic tomorrow."

Mildred swallowed her guilt and managed a smile. "Okay. I look forward to it then."

"Okay, Mildred." Miss Pentangle's smile increased. Mildred thought that she never really stopped smiling, she just smiled extra when she meant to smile, like where a normal person was neutral, she was smiling, and where a normal person would smile, she smiled extra. "I just came up here to remind you that dinner is in ten minutes."

"Okay, I wouldn't miss it." Mildred said.

After Pippa smiled extra again and turned to leave, Mildred bit her lip and forced herself to wait until the door was closed. Then she scrambled off of her bed.

Mildred snapped her fingers and transported herself to the kitchens. She opened and closed cabinets hurriedly, managing to knock over a bag of flower. Mildred jumped back from the spilled mess. Are you a witch, or a fool? Mildred thought. Fool? Do you mean idiot? HB's thoughts must have somehow rubbed off on mine.

Mildred cast a spell and summoned a can of sardines. Then, not allowing herself time to think, she snapped her fingers again.

She was inside the room. The room with all the papers, where she had committed her crime. The room seemed much darker than before, but maybe that was just her stomach. Mildred looked around, expecting to be attacked at any minute. Nothing happened.

Mildred magicked the can open. She did a sloppy job and some of the contents spilled onto the floor.

A cat came out of the shadows. Mildred jumped and dropped the can.

The slender cat sat down and stared at her. Then, she started licking her paw and drawing it over her face. Carefully she stepped forward and started licking up Mildred's mess.

"I'm sorry HB," Mildred said.

The cat looked up. She approached her, and Mildred backed away. The cat advanced forward. Mildred hit the back of a shelf and knocked papers on the floor. The cat had her trapped. She expected it to claw her. Instead, the cat rubbed her legs, purring.

"I'm really sorry HB," Tears fell from Mildred's eyes and onto the cat's fur. The cat growled warningly. Mildred chewed on her nails.

The cat walked away, back to the food, and continued to eat. Mildred remembered that it was time for her dinner. She didn't want to be late. She snapped her fingers.

"Wow Mildred!" Pippa exclaimed.

Mildred was greeted by Miss Pentangle's always enthusiastic face.

"You're getting good at that."

"I am, aren't I?" Mildred sat down at the table.

It was just her and Pippa. Pippa must have made the food. It had a shimmery pink glow about it, even though it was only cheese pizza, Mildred's favorite. Her and Pippa and HB and their cats were the only ones at Cackle's for the summer. When Miss Cackle had heard that Mildred would be staying with HB and Pippa over the summer, she had offered the school up for their use. 'The perfect place for Mildred to learn', according to Miss Cackle, and 'a better place for Mildred to ruin than a personal home', according to Miss Hardbroom.

"Maybe I can surprise Ethel too next year." Mildred frowned. "Though knowing her, she'll have figured out how to do way more impressive things."

"One day, maybe you and Ethel will overcome your differences."

Mildred laughed. She ate a few bites of pizza. She let a concerned expression come to her face, which was full of honest emotion, despite her deceptive use of it. "Where's Miss Hardbroom? She's never late for dinner."

"She wasn't feeling well." Pippa said. "I'll bring food up to her later. Don't worry Mildred. I'm sure she'll feel better tomorrow morning."

Mildred did not have to fake the terror she felt. For a moment, it felt like she was going to be sick. Then the feeling passed, and somehow she felt even more hungry. Perhaps Pippa had spelled the pizza. She loved Pippa's food.

That night, Mildred paced around her room. She was expecting Pippa to burst in at any moment, saying that she couldn't find Hecate. The suspense was killing her. But time kept passing and Pippa made no appearance.

Maybe, Pippa didn't know that anything was wrong. Maybe, it wouldn't be unusual for Miss Hardbroom to just go off on her own without telling anyone. Maybe, Pippa just thought Miss Hardbroom was angry.

Mildred sat on her bed and slumped down. She fiddled with her hands. She desperately wanted to mirror Enid and Maud. The same thing that had stopped her from asking Pippa for help stopped her now.

She didn't want them to see how stupid she really was. Maud was the smart one, and Enid was the fun, cool one. What was she? She was the dumb one. And she hated it. She didn't want to be that anymore. As much as it terrified her, she would have to solve this alone.

Maybe not right now though. She was tired. For now she would sleep. She set her alarm for one hour before when they would usually have breakfast together.

Mildred slept well. She always did after eating Pippa's food. She threw her covers off when her alarm buzzed, forcing herself up. She set the alarm again and paced her room for a half an hour. She wondered how HB had liked her night as a cat. A part of her was happy that HB might be suffering. She never had as much power over her teacher as she did now. And she never would again. But what was she turning into? Was she a dumber version of Ethel now? Would she even survive the morning? She really was sacrificing a lot by helping HB. But she had to. She didn't want HB to stay a cat forever. She missed her. When the alarm went off, she scrunched up her face. Do it, Millie. Do it now or you'll never find the courage.

Mildred snapped her fingers and appeared in the room with the papers. She nearly landed on Miss Hardbroom, who was curled up in the center of the room, and who was still a black cat. The cat uncurled herself and sat, staring at Mildred.

Mildred closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Bring back this witch who is not a bitch, here appear: Hecate Hardbroom!"

The cat transformed and in its place stood the Deputy Headmistress of Cackle's Academy in all her regal glory.

"Your back and you're not a cat!" Mildred jumped up and down in joy and relief, forgetting to be scared and even giggling until she met Miss Hardbroom's eyes.

"Oh, Mildred Hubble. What have you got yourself into now."

Mildred stood perfectly still as HB advanced on her.