Four birthdays later and the fifth is in the process of being planned, providing it meets approval of his uncles employer. Well more her deputy's approval, which as any witch will tell you is extremely hard to gain, especially during Thursday lunch break.

"That boy will be Here?" Constance Hardbroom said, aghast at the latest titbit of news Amelia had told her staff.

"Yes-"

"For a week?" Amelia couldn't help noticing every word at the end of each sentence going up an extra octavie.

"Well plus the weekend before and then he'll head home on the Monday morning." Miss Cackle nodded gesturing to the abandoned correspondence letter. "So a week and an a bit technically."

"Oh it gets better. And during the girls school hours!" Miss Hardbroom snapped "Why?"

"Do you mean why is Charlie choosing to spend time with his uncle and friends the week before his birthday while his mother and father are away having booked a much deservered break not realising that Camelot's half terms are staggered between the year groups until it was too late to do anything or why given the favour we owe Ted I gave permission for Charlie to stay?"

That momentarily put her deputy in her place and she sat backdown being unused to being spoken to like that and Amelia used the silence to sneak a much needed slurp of tea. Drill and Bat exchanged relived looks; One could get a crick in the neck watching the arguments tennis back and forth between Constance and someone else for a change a change. This staff meeting had not gone well and Charlie's stopover wasn't even supposed to have been an item of main concern.

"I think you're far too hard on the boy Constance, Charlie is such a sweet little thing-"

"He isn't."

"He is too-" Miss Bat sniffed, stirring more questionable pink stuff into her tea. "Anyone would think he was a ventdeeta agaisnt them."

"Maybe Mildred Hubble has competition." Drill said with a smirk. This very nearly earned her a swift kick under table, only Imogen never seemed to sit 'properly' on any chair and the unfortunate witch ended up booting the chair leg. If she'd stubbed her toe she covered it well.

"He'll be here for a ten days- or eight and two halves if you're going to be particular." Amelia stated, using the voice that not even HB would interrupt. "Charlie's allowed to study along side the girls when he wants too or stay out of the way while they are in lessons, I don't mind and neither does his mother providing he behaves and gets his homework done. On his birthday, Frank and I will be taking him to Cosies-"

This wasn't so much an interruption but a shared but secret and barely audible titter from the other staff at Amelia's eagerness to volunteer for such a mission.

"Along any his friends of his choosing providing they have permission although depending who he picks I'm afraid your volleyball team might be one or two short for pratice-"

Again not an interruption as such; Miss Drill nodded but muttered something akin to sarcasm and two witches clashed boots under the table both aiming for a shin and both hitting a chair leg. Amelia was an expert at turning a blind eye when telling offs weren't necessary and simply gave her staff the look. Scowls between the three of them where fine, if it got to the point again when someone's chair started levitating or vanished entirely then she'd step in.

"As I was saying, Charlie may invite any of his friends but within reasonable numbers and they've to have my permission- a clean slate for the week I think is fair-"

"Well that's mildred Hubble out of the- OWCH!"

"Don't be rude- Hey!"

"Well she has a point-What was that for?!"

"Who's she, the cat's mother?"

"Only if it's a Hell Cat!"

"Ladies-" Miss Cackle asked, code for Imogen don't curse, Davina put your baton down and Constance, don't even think about it. "It's not a party so won't get out of hand and it won't disturb any of your lessons or eat in to their revision time- I'm sure it'll give Charlie and his friends an extra incentive to study and behave."

There was a sudden hiss pain and the unmistakable sound of leather boots on running trainers.

"I hope…"