Mildred stretched as her alarm clock rang the next morning. Her dark hair was tangled around her head in a mass of knots and Tabby was curled up beside her purring loudly in his sleep. She blinked slowly as the first beams of pale sunlight streamed through her narrow bedroom window, reaching over to switch off her alarm clock.

She could hear the gentle birdsong in the woods. She longed to see the school grounds, craved to hear the rushing of the water in the river near the village.

She climbed out of bed and got dressed into a pink sweater and a pair of thick black leggings. Tabby had woken up and had started nuzzling at Mildred's legs, meowing hoarsely.

"Hungry, Tabs?" Mildred asked as she bent down to scratch behind her cat's ears. He let out a deep purr. Mildred smiled, standing up and going over to the desk in the corner of her room where she had decided to keep the dry cat food. She poured Tabby a bowl of his biscuits and left her room, walking into the deserted corridor and heading towards the pond in the grounds around the school.

The castle was eerily quiet; there were no signs of life except for the black cats belonging to the students returning to their rooms after a long night of hunting mice. If Mildred didn't know any better she would have thought she was the only human in the castle.

A door creaked opened behind Mildred, "Good morning, Miss Drill," she said quickly as the gym mistress emerged from her room wearing a pair of black running shorts, a thin vest and a blue fleece.

"Oh hello, Mildred," Miss Drill cleared her throat, "Up bright and early, I see."

As Miss Drill walked briskly beside her, Mildred could see that her eyes were red and sore-looking. The skin around her eyes was swollen, as though she had crying for most of the night.

"Yes, I thought I'd go for a walk," then without thinking, she asked, "Are you okay?"

Miss Drill let out a deep sigh and sniffed, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She pulled her fleece close around her, "Just trying to get used to this place again. You forget how draughty it is here when you've been away for a few weeks."

Mildred smiled, "I know that feeling," she remembered waking up at three o'clock that morning, shivering, pulling the blankets on her bed close around her. Despite how many throws she put over her duvet, how many hot water bottles she had used, Mildred was still frozen solid.

"I'm going into the village to get the morning paper," Said Miss Drill as they reached Walker's Gate, "Would you like to come?"

Mildred shook her head quickly. She was yearning to explore the forest, to reacquaint herself with the woods she had known so well when she was at school.

"Okay then, well I'll see you later." And with that Miss Drill took off through the overgrown dirt track heading towards the village.

X

"Wake up, Mona!" Henrietta was hammering furiously on her friend's bedroom door.

The door swung open swiftly, revealing the small, wide eyed red head.

"It's not even eight o'clock. What's wrong?" Despite her comment about the time, Mona was already dressed and appeared ready for the day ahead.

Hettie brushed passed her friend and walked into the room. It was smaller than Hettie's room, with posters covering the walls; periodic tables, star charts, pictures of space shuttles.

"About Mildred-"

"Miss Hubble." Corrected Mona, as Hettie sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling the starry throw over her lap.

"-I was thinking about having a walk down to the potions lab. I'm trying to get some ideas about how we could help her to loosen up a bit."

Mona's wide green eyes widened further as her expression changed from annoyance to shock, "Hettie, I am not helping you drug a teacher!"

"You wouldn't need to help me, you would be keeping a look out."

Mona rolled her eyes, "I don't like this, Hettie," she took a deep breath, "But I am your friend..."

"So?" Hettie asked expectantly, leaning forward, pulling the throw closer to her chest.

"Fine, I'll keep a look out. But that's it!" Mona glared at her friend, "If we get in trouble for this, Hettie—"

"We won't. I've got it all taken care of." Said Hettie, throwing the blanket aside and standing up, "So are you coming?"

"Now?! Hettie, it's nearly time for breakfast. There'll be teachers downstairs!"

Mona wasn't wrong. As she and Hettie tiptoed down the creaky wooden staircase they could hear footsteps coming from the entrance hall. They crouched behind the banister to hide from view.

"Miss Cackle!" Mona hissed in Hettie's ear as the short, grey haired headmistress came bobbing into view behind the banister, her bat-like travelling cloak swishing around her ankles as she walked briskly to her office. Mona doubted whether she had seen her headmistress move so quickly.

Hettie hushed her friend, holding a finger to her lips, "She can't see us, Mona. Calm down."

Her friend gulped nervously. Then, nodding to each other, the pair continued to walk quietly down the stairs. Hettie took Mona's hand reassuringly, guiding her friend to the potion lab.

"All you have to do is wait here. If you see any of the teachers just distract them." Hettie whispered as Mona sat down in the inner courtyard, underneath one of the potion lab's windows.

She watched as Hettie opened the potion lab door which creaked ominously. Hettie winced at the sound. Then she closed the door behind her and Mona waited.

She could hear her friend scuttling about in one of Miss Hardbroom's many cabinets, looking for a recipe that Mona doubted the fearsome potions teacher would even own.

She folded her hands in her lap, picking at her cuticles. Her mind moved absently to Miss Cackle. She wondered where the headmistress had been at such an early hour and why she appeared to be in such a hurry to return to the castle. Perhaps she had gone out for a walk and had forgotten something.

"What are you doing out here, girl?" A voice barked from the spiral staircase.

Mona flinched in her seat at the unexpected noise, looking up at the woman who had been occupying her thoughts, "Miss Cackle, I'm-"

Miss Cackle squinted, she wasn't wearing her glasses, "Get out my sight. You're a nuisance!"

Mona didn't have time to argue with Miss Cackle who was now rushing to the potion lab.

"I wouldn't go in there, Miss Cackle!" Mona cried, trying with all her might to come up with a reason as to why the headmistress couldn't go in.

The headmistress turned, her eyes narrowed as she tried to see clearly, "What do you mean?"

"I—err..." Mona stammered, reaching for the door handle of the classroom, "Erm..."

Miss Cackle swatted Mona's hand away from the door handle and stepped in to the classroom just as Hettie pulled a dusty leather-bound book from the top shelf of a dark wooden cabinet.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, GIRL?!" Miss Cackle screeched. Mona had never seen her so wound up.

Hettie jumped, dropping the book which thudded dully on the stone floor. She turned to look at Miss Cackle, "I was just... organising Miss Hardbroom's herbs."

Miss Cackle's eyes narrowed even further as she rounded on Hettie, "I don't know what you're trying to achieve, young lady, but whatever it is you need to forget about it. Do I make myself clear? And that goes for you as well!" She turned, glaring at Mona who was stood in the doorway.

Both girls chorused, "Yes, Miss Cackle." The headmistress escorted them out of the potion lab and returned to wherever she had been before.

The girls headed towards the great hall when they heard the breakfast bell rang, lining up in front of the long table in front of the fireplace. They stood behind a group of second years who were laughing loudly, but no words were exchanged between the two fourth year girls.

"Someone got out of the wrong side of the bed, then," Hettie mumbled after a long silence.

"I've never seen her so wound up." Commented Mona as Miss Bat handed her a bowl of cereal.

Hettie took a plate of pancakes and she sat down at one of the dining tables. Mona looked at her through her long eyelashes as she took a mouthful of her breakfast.

"I told you it was a bad idea and look at what happened," stated Mona, taking a spoonful of her crunchy cereal, "Why couldn't you have just left it alone?"

Hettie shrugged, eyeing some of the students as they walked passed. She glared at a blonde girl; Belladonna Bindweed, one of the only people Hettie could say she truly loathed. Hettie put down her knife and fork as she leant back in her chair, looking at Mona.

"What?" Mona said loudly. She could almost hear the cogs turning in her friend's head as her dark eyes gazed deeply into her own. The words were trembling on her lips, waiting to be said, but then Hettie picked up her knife and fork again, taking another mouthful of her breakfast.


I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Please leave a review