Chapter 4

And so Constance began her first year of tutorials with Mistress Broomhead. She quickly learnt that they were more demanding than she could have ever imagined. She had no-one to warn her; she knew Mistress Broomhead had a small number of other students but they never made themselves known to her and Mistress Broomhead certainly did not encourage this. Constance would remain Mistress Broomhead's youngest student for three years, as aside from the day when she had tested Constance and her two classmates, the tutor did not show any further interest in the subsequent intakes of new undergraduates. Once, Constance caught sight of a fourth year wearing a slim silver bracelet a few places ahead of her in the queue at lunchtime and on a few occasions she would arrive at the classroom to find an older girl leaving – usually in tears, but that was the only contact she was ever to have with them.

Just like her fellow classmates, her tutorials appeared as a one hour evening slot on her timetable but the sessions were never shorter than two hours and frequently extended much longer as Mistress Broomhead refused to accept anything short of a perfect performance. After her tutorials, 17 year old Constance had little energy to do anything more than fall into bed. For the first three weeks, she did nothing but summon the light charm in various situations. Mistress Broomhead was determined that all young witches were far too flighty and that Constance must learn to control and focus her magic despite any number of distractions.

At her first tutorial, Constance was instructed to conjure the light before Mistress Broomhead unexpectedly asked her

"What is 12x13?"

As Constance replied "156", Mistress Broomhead angrily slammed her hand against her desk

"Did I say you were to let the light go out girl?"

Constance looked in astonishment at her outstretched palm and realised she had indeed let the light go out.

"Conjure it again!" Mistress Broomhead demanded and Constance quickly complied "Perhaps basic multiplication is a little beyond you. How about "12 plus 13" surely you can manage that?"

Constance flushed with embarrassment as she gave the answer in a voice a little above a whisper. Mistress Broomhead once again conjured her silver hourglass and began to fire a series of sums at Constance, each one getting increasingly more difficult. Five times the hourglass made it to around two thirds of the ten minute total before Constance faltered on a question and allowed the light to go out. Each time Mistress Broomhead ordered her to reconjure the light before delivering a smart tap to the top of the hourglass which began the ten minutes all over again. Finally she achieved the required time and was dismissed after she was given a long list of potions and antidotes to learn by the next tutorial.

Over the next three weeks, Constance grew to loathe the light conjuring charm. She was of course required to maintain the light while recalling the list of potions until she could recite the entire list perfectly. She was made to do so while listening to a high pitched whistling noise conjured by Mistress Broomhead which made her ears throb. She conjured the light while running around the perimeter of the school field, pursued by Mistress Broomhead on her broomstick. She was once even made to stand outside in the rain with her light for a full hour. On her return, she was admonished by Mistress Broomhead for dripping on her classroom floor and ordered to fetch a mop.

During these three weeks, Constance also remained puzzled by the silver bracelet. The thin band did not give her any kind of sign that she could see and as Mistress Broomhead made no mention of it she assumed she had not missed her tutor summoning her. The bracelet was too narrow to be slipped over Constance's hand meaning she could never remove it. On more than one occasion she examined the small pentangle marking the now invisible silver join, tapping and pulling it slightly. She didn't have the courage to do any more and usually gave up after a few minutes. She had a sneaking suspicion that Mistress Broomhead was aware of even these small attempts.

On the first night of her fourth week at the college, she was jolted awake by a sudden pain in her right wrist. Blearily, she looked at the silver bracelet and realised it was growing increasingly hotter, burning slightly against her skin. It dawned on her sleep addled brain that this must be the summoning Mistress Broomhead had warned her of and she leapt from bed in confusion, seizing her black dress from the chair beside her bed and hastily pulling on her boots. She ran down the stairs as silently as she could, pulling her hair into a bun on top of her head as she ran. In the corridor outside Mistress Broomhead's classroom she was greeted by two gleaming eyes as Mistress Broomhead's cat stood waiting for her outside the door. On seeing her approach, the cat turned and stalked silently into the classroom and Constance hurriedly followed.

Mistress Broomhead was seated behind her desk, the silver hourglass before her. She made no movement until Constance had positioned herself in front of her desk.

"Five and a half minutes, Constance. Do you not recall me telling you that when summoned you should come immediately?"

"Yes, Mistress Broomhead, I'm sorry" Constance replied, her voice still hoarse from her disturbed sleep.

"At least you have made one decision for me" Mistress Broomhead mused cryptically "Tonight, is to be your final light conjuring test. Something you will no doubt be delighted to hear. Oh, do not think I have not seen your weariness with the spell each evening in these tutorials. Your opinion of the spell is of no consequence, you are my student and you will do as tell you. But mark my words girl, once we move on to more serious magic you will be earnestly wishing to return to these lessons. You are to conjure a light and maintain it until I come back. Hemlock will see that you do as I ask until I return"

Mistress Broomhead gestured to her cat which had curled up on the front bench, its yellow eyes gleaming at Constance menacingly in the dimly lit classroom. Constance conjured the light and Mistress Broomhead vanished without another word, leaving Constance alone with the nothing but the ever watchful Hemlock and the relentless ticking of the classroom clock for company. Constance, now well trained to maintain her light despite a whole array of distractions, risked a glance at the clock and saw that it was five past midnight.

The night crept by achingly slowly; several times Constance felt her eyelids begin to droop and had to dig her fingernails into the palm of her left hand to keep herself awake. At one point she thought she would walk around the room a little to keep herself alert but she had barely taken a step when Hemlock rose up, his back arched and hissed at her menacingly. Fearful that the cat would fetch his mistress, Constance stepped back to her original position and, after eyeing her suspiciously for several more minutes, the cat curled back up and resumed his watch.

It was half past five when Mistress Broomhead suddenly materialised in front of Constance, causing her to jump in fright, and told her she may stop. Mistress Broomhead promptly picked up Hemlock and disappeared again leaving Constance alone. Through the classroom window she could see the golden pink glow of dawn staining the morning sky and hear the faint strains of bird song which symbolled the dawn chorus. The early morning sunlight drew her eye to the silver hourglass which glimmered slightly in the half light and Constance suddenly understood Mistress Broomhead's earlier cryptic words. Five and a half minutes was how long she had kept Mistress Broomhead waiting and so she Constance had remained there for 5 and a half hours. One minute for every second of her tutor's time wasted. Weary almost to the point of tears, Constance barely remembered the trip back to her room.