Never fear Scunge I call everyone 'young' so and so, it's a habit of mine. I had assumed that you were somewhere nearer my age than one of the whipper snappers (but sorry if I offended.)
Thanks again guys for the reviews, it's good to know if I'm hitting the right notes and whether anyone is liking the plot or not. I wasn't expecting to post again so soon but as I have a busy week ahead of me, I thought I'd post this now.
I'm really enjoying this, I have to say. It's just so much fun writing for HB and the others. Right, enough waffle, on with the fic.
"Can you imagine what it must be like?" Enid asked the others as they trailed out of the hall following Miss Cackle's announcement regarding Fenella Feverfew.
The girls shook their heads.
"I can't imagine being without magic." Maud confessed with a shiver.
"Do you believe that it's just a virus?"
Jadu turned to look at Ruby who had just asked the question.
"What else could it be?"
Ruby looked around before answering.
"It could be the work of another witch. Remember that you said one of the 3rd years thought that it was HB that did it."
Jadu pulled a face.
"I know I said that but after what Miss Cackle told us, I really don't think that she could do anything that heartless."
"What about Miss Cackle's sister?" Enid suggested but Mildred shook her head.
"She's still banned from coming anywhere near the school."
"You think she'll abide by the witches code?"
Mildred nodded.
"She may want to take over the school but she's loyal to the code." Mildred paused before continuing. "Do you think we should go and see Fenny?"
There was no immediate response from the others.
"I think we should leave her to rest." Maud finally answered, not wanting to give voice to the fact that she really wasn't happy with the idea of talking to anyone who had lost their magic in case it was in some way catching. She wasn't proud of herself for thinking that way but she couldn't help it. Until they knew for sure what had happened to Fenny she didn't want to go anywhere near her.
Mildred looked at the others and realised that none of them seemed particularly keen to pay Fenella a visit.
"What are we going to do this evening then?" She tried to move the conversation onto something less disturbing.
"Ahh." Enid's voice contained more than a trace of guilt. "Haldane's arranged another rehearsal."
Mildred's face dropped.
"I take it that you're all going?"
Enid, Ruby and Jadu nodded.
"Well that's ok." She replied rather too quickly. "I'm sure that Maud and I will find plenty to do."
"Look we're really sorry." Enid tried to explain but Mildred brushed her apologies aside.
"There's nothing to apologise for." She assured them. "If I hadn't of screwed up the audition I'd be as keen as the rest of you to go to rehearsals. You go, you enjoy them."
Enid gave her friend's arm a squeeze.
"Thanks Millie."
Maud watched the girls go before turning to face Mildred.
"I hope you don't mind but I've got some work that I really ought to be getting on with." She looked at Mildred's downcast face. "It's just a little something that I've been working on. I'll only be gone an hour at the most. I'll see you later… yeah?"
Mildred forced a smile to her lips.
"Yeah." She told her friend. "Sure." She watched as Maud disappeared off down the corridor. She fought back against tears that were springing to her eyes. "Not now." She hissed at them but they refused to listen.
There was a definite air of tension in the staff room. Miss Cackle looked from one teacher to the next and wondered just how long it would be until tempers began to be frayed. If there was one problem with living in the place where you worked it was the fact that you never really spent any time apart from each other. Oh they all tried to make time to do things by themselves; Imogen would go out on her long runs, Davina would lock herself away in the cupboard and as for herself, well she always liked to think of an afternoon at Cosie's as being her escape from the pressures of everyday life. She turned her head to look at Constance and the thought suddenly struck her that she really didn't know what it was that Constance did to get away from it all. She was sure that there had to be something. She narrowed her eyes and thought that bit harder.
"Is there something wrong headmistress?"
Amelia looked quickly away as she realised that she'd been staring at her deputy.
"No No." She assured her. "There's nothing wrong." She shook her head as though trying to dislodge the thought that had settled in her mind. When this present crisis was past, she was determined to sit Constance down and tell her that she had to start taking time off and that she had to do something that involved her getting outside the school grounds. She was sure that her advice would be received with polite disinterest but she was determined to try and get Constance out of the rut she perceived her to be in.
She placed her hands on the desk in front of her and rose to her feet.
"I'm going to go and see Fenella." She told the group. "See if she's remembered anything else that might shed some light on what's happened to her."
"Give her my best." Imogen told her and Amelia nodded in return.
"I'll make sure and let her know that everyone's thinking of her." She told them as she headed out of the room.
"Well seeing as no-one else is prepared to say anything." Constance broke the silence that had fallen upon the room and immediately there was a heavy sigh from Imogen, who was seated in one of the armchairs by the fire. Constance glared at her. "Whilst you may be happy to have Haldane cavorting about the place, I say that he's an unnecessary and disruptive influence at this time and he should go."
Imogen clicked her tongue against her teeth.
"I don't see what we can possibly gain by sending Haldane away."
"How about a degree of control?" Constance argued. "It's bad enough at the best of times to maintain discipline amongst this current rabble we like to call the second year."
"Yes but Constance this isn't the best of times. Surely it's better to keep their minds focused on something else until we can sort this out." Imogen argued.
Constance arched an eyebrow at Imogen's choice of words.
"Until WE can sort this out?"
Imogen pulled a face as she tried to keep a lid on her escalating temper.
"Ok Constance, until you and Miss Cackle can sort this out. Satisfied?"
"Not really."
"What a surprise." Imogen muttered under her breath.
"I won't really be satisfied until these actors are out from under our feet and we can return this school to what we laughingly refer to as normal."
"Ohhh." Miss Bat had been listening to the growing argument for as long as she could and now felt that the time was right to stick her twopenneth in. "Ooohhh for heaven's sake Constance, why do you have to always see danger and drama where there isn't any?" Constance turned her attention to Miss Bat but didn't reply, preferring to simply arch an eyebrow and listen to the older teachers rant with barely concealed amusement. "You complain about Haldane upsetting the smooth running of the school but you are doing nothing to calm things down with your constant doom laden warnings. Why don't you just get a straw and suck all the fun out of the room? That should make you happy."
Constance faced Davina Bat, her expression unchanged.
"And who precisely rattled your cage Miss Bat? Did we run out of flowers to eat, or actors to fawn over, or did someone perhaps happen to hide the key to the stationary cupboard?"
There was a sound, which was something like a cross between a sob and a sneeze and Davina Bat dived for the cupboard. She pulled on the door but it refused to open. She pulled on it repeatedly but it still refused to budge. Her sniffles and sobs became more desperate as the door refused to budge.
"Having a little trouble are we?" Constance enquired, amusement plain in her voice.
There was no reply but the door was rattled loudly as Davina tried to get into the cupboard.
Imogen looked from the frantic actions of Miss Bat to the amused expression on Constance Hardbroom's face. She couldn't believe that the woman could be so heartless as to laugh at the distress of another colleague. A thought formed in her mind. There could be only one reason why Constance found the situation so amusing.
"Constance that was an unbelievably cruel thing to do." Imogen rose to her feet and raged at her colleague. "I know you've got a mean streak in you but even I didn't think you'd go that far."
Constance opened her mouth to reply but Davina chose that moment to collapse into a sobbing heap.
"The key Constance. The key." Imogen stormed across the staff room until she was toe to toe with the tall potions teacher.
"I don't have the key." Constance's voice was icy and clipped as she stared down her nose at her colleague.
"Don't lie to me Constance. She didn't lock herself out of that cupboard. I want that key now."
Wordlessly Constance folded her arms and disappeared from the room.
A plaintive wail from Davina dragged Imogen back to the situation at hand and she turned back to the distraught chanting teacher and tried her best to comfort her.
It was several minutes and many unsuccessful attempts later when she heard a quiet tapping on the door.
She looked down at the sobbing mess that was Davina Bat and decided that she needed a little support of her own.
"Come in Haldane." She called out, fairly certain that it was the actor at the door.
Slowly the door opened and sure enough, Haldane was standing there.
"What's going on in here?" He asked gently. He looked towards Imogen. "You're alright aren't you?"
She smiled back at him.
"I'm fine." She reassured him. "It's Miss Bat. Someone locked her out of her cupboard."
Haldane's eyebrows shot up.
"Her cupboard?"
Imogen shrugged her shoulders, wishing for the umpteenth time that the teachers of the academy were a little less eccentric, and smiled in what she hoped was a winning manner.
"Miss Bat likes to seek a little solitude when the world gets too much for her. But it appears that some 'kind' soul has locked her out."
Haldane looked immediately guilty.
"I'm afraid that would be me." He confessed. "I didn't realise that it was used as a… as a…. and well I thought that if I left it open the students might get in and steal things." He moved across to the mantelpiece and picked up a small brass key. "I think this what you're looking for."
"Thank you." Imogen took the key and swiftly unlocked the cupboard door. Davina shot to her feet with a speed that Imogen hadn't thought she was capable of. In a single move, she snatched the key from her hand and pulled the door open. Dropping the key into her mouth she dived into the cupboard and slammed the door shut behind her.
Imogen pushed a hand through her hair and turned to smile at Haldane, hoping that he wouldn't ask her to explain what had just happened.
"I'm sorry for any trouble." He told her sincerely.
"It's ok." She tried to brush the matter under the carpet.
"I didn't know it wasn't meant to be locked."
"That's ok." She smiled again. A thought then flashed through her mind and her face dropped. "Constance?" She closed her eyes and thought back to the accusation she had levelled at her colleague.
"Are you ok?" Haldane inquired, concerned by the way that all the colour had drained from Imogen's face.
"How do you feel about frogs?" She asked him.
Haldane shrugged his shoulders.
"They're fine I guess." He was more than a little confused at what appeared to be an abrupt change of subject.
"If you happen to see one hopping about here this afternoon, you won't stomp on it will you?"
"I'll try my hardest not to." He assured her. "Do you think it's likely that the place will suddenly become a haven for frogs?"
"I hope not." Imogen admitted. "It just depends on what sort of mood Miss Hardbroom is in."
Mildred ducked back into the shadows as she heard the door to the sickbay open. A part of her was afraid that she'd see Haldane emerging from the room. She knew that he was supposed to be engaged elsewhere but there was no guaranteeing that he wouldn't just wonder off and do whatever he wanted. She knew that her friends would cover for him if he did.
She was somewhat relieved to see Miss Cackle emerge from the room and felt a little guilty about hiding from her headmistress. She waited until Miss Cackle was out of sight before stepping out into the light and walking up to the door.
She tapped gently on the wooden door and a part of her hoped that there wouldn't be any answer. Her heart sank as she heard a faint voice telling her to come in. Taking a deep breath, she pushed down on the latch and opened the door.
"Hi." She raised a hand in greeting.
"Hey Mildred." Fenella tried to inject some enthusiasm into her tone but Mildred wasn't fooled.
"I just came to see if you were ok." Mildred hung back by the door.
"It's not catching." Fenny smiled weakly and indicated that Millie should move further into the room.
Reluctantly Mildred crossed the room and sat down on the chair that was placed next to the bed.
"Everyone's been wanting to come and see you." Mildred began.
"Is that why you're the first one in here?"
Mildred stared down at her feet.
"Everyone's been really busy with the play that Haldane's putting on." Her voice tailed off as she realised what she was saying.
Fenella laughed hollowly.
"Trust me Mildred when I say that I've really not thought about the play recently."
"Sorry."
Fenny looked at Mildred and she forced a half-smile onto her face.
"No I'm sorry Mildred. It was good of you to come and see me." She paused. "How is everyone?"
Mildred shrugged her shoulders.
"Ok I guess." She shuffled in her seat. "What does it feel like?"
"What?"
"I'm sorry." Mildred apologised immediately, wishing that she'd never opened her mouth. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to say anything."
Fenella shrugged her shoulders.
"It's ok. I'm guessing you're asking about the whole loss of magic thing?" She looked at Mildred's wide-eyed expression and forced her face into a smile. "It doesn't hurt you know."
"I'm sorry I asked." Mildred apologised again. "I really didn't mean to upset you."
"I know that." Fenella smoothed out the blankets that covered the bed and kept her eyes focussed on them. "It feels as though I've lost a part of myself." She shook her head and let out a half laugh. "Can you remember the first spell that you cast?"
Mildred nodded.
"Can you remember thinking that if one spell was so complicated there was no way that you'd be able to remember a whole load of them?"
Mildred let out a nervous laugh.
"I still feel like that at times." She confessed.
"But you don't have to think about the simple things anymore do you? You do them without really thinking about them don't you? You think about a spell and there it is on the tip of your tongue without you giving it a second thought." Fenella let out a sigh. "I think of a spell and there's nothing there; the words just don't come anymore. That little spark of…something…something magical… it just isn't there."
Mildred looked at Fenella and wished she knew what to say to make the older girl feel better. Fenny and Gris had been practically the only older girls to speak to them when they'd arrived at the school. Since then, the pair of them had always been on hand to help out whenever they'd gotten themselves into situations they couldn't get out of.
"I don't know what to say." She finally confessed.
"Well at least you're honest about it." Fenella forced another smile. "The only other people to visit me so far have been teachers and on the whole they've been unbearable. They're all trying to be so nice about it and yet not mention it at the same time."
"I can't imagine HB being nice." Mildred confessed. Fenny smiled at the comment.
"She's been about the only one who's not lied to me and told me that everything will be ok in the morning. I don't think I like being lied to. I'd rather face up to the facts that I may never be able to practice magic again."
"But…" Mildred was almost at a loss for words; she hadn't thought that things were as bad as that. "Surely you can start learning again?"
Fenella shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know that I can face that." She confessed. "I know that there are witches who don't come from witch families." She smiled at Mildred. "I know that that makes things a little harder but I've always had magic in my life. From the time I was able to speak my mother was teaching me spells and incantations. I can't remember one of them and I don't think that I can go through learning all that again."
Mildred stared down at her boots.
"The place wouldn't be the same without you Fenny." She confessed. "I think you should do whatever it takes to stay here." She looked up in surprise as she heard Fenella laugh. "What's so funny?"
"That's what HB said." Fenella rolled her eyes. "Well she didn't use those exact words but that was the general gist of it."
Mildred wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't used to people comparing her to HB. She was saved from having to say anything by a gentle knock at the door. After a brief pause the door opened and Griselda Blackwood stuck her head around the small gap that she'd made.
"Permission to enter?" She asked nervously.
"Permission granted." Fenella smiled, pleased to see that her friend had finally summoned up the courage to come and see her.
"I'll come and see you again." Mildred told Fenella as she left the room.
"Thanks for coming Mildred." Fenny told her gratefully. "It was good to see you."
Imogen stood and stared down at her feet. She wanted to raise her head and meet the gaze of the person standing in front of her but she found that for some reason she couldn't. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and wished that she was somewhere else entirely.
"Well?" The question was asked and there was an impatient snap in the voice.
Imogen swallowed nervously.
"I'm sorry." Her words came out as more of a whisper than a clear apology and she heard an impatient sigh from the figure in front of her. She shuffled her feet again and suddenly understood why so many of the pupils were in fear of Constance Hardbroom. She didn't have to say anything to let you know that she was displeased, there was just an air that she had that left you in no doubt as to her feelings.
Upon realising that she owed Constance an apology, she'd stood in the centre of the staff room and called out Constance's name but the bemused expression on Haldane's face had made her rethink her approach. Although he'd seen Constance arrive out of thin air once already, she didn't think that he really understood that she could be in the vicinity even when you couldn't see her.
Finally, she settled for sending one of the first years to the potions lab with a note and then paced nervously around the staff room waiting to see what would happen next.
After a few moments of nervous pacing she had settled onto one of the chairs and fixed her eyes on the door. It was whilst she'd been staring at the door that she had heard the impatient sigh from behind her. She'd risen to her feet to see Constance leaning against the fireplace, her lips pursed with obvious displeasure. The way that Haldane had sworn and leapt to his feet had indicated that he was more than a little shocked at her silent entry into the room.
"Look I've said I'm sorry." Imogen finally managed shake the unease that had settled on her shoulders and found her voice again. "I don't know what else to say."
Haldane stepped in.
"I really should take some of the blame. I didn't know about the cupboard and I was only trying to help."
"You were trying to help by being in the staff room?" The question was fired fiercely at Haldane.
"I just popped in to collect a book that I'd left behind.
"You just 'popped in'?"
"Yes."
"And prey tell who gave you the run of the school?"
"That would be me." Imogen took a step forward, wishing that she didn't feel as though she was one of the pupils at that moment.
"Hhmm. I see." Constance turned away from the pair of them and stared into the fire.
Haldane leant over and whispered to Imogen.
"Is she always like this?"
"Sshh." The last thing that Imogen wanted to do was annoy Constance further. Haldane though, wasn't taking the hint. He leant towards her.
"I almost wish that a hole would open up in the ground and just swallow me up." Constance's mouth twitched and she turned her head to face the pair.
"That could be arranged." She told him calmly. Haldane did a perfect double take and then whispered to Imogen.
"Could she really do that?"
Imogen nodded slowly and Haldane's face drained of colour.
"I really am sorry Miss Hardbroom." He tried to assure her.
"Hhmmm."
"Constance, he's said he's sorry, I've said I'm sorry. I don't know what more you expect us to do."
"Get out of my way and let my lessons return to normal." She glared at the pair of them. "But I know that that's not likely to happen any time soon." She leant towards Haldane. "If I were you I'd be more careful with the things that you chose to interfere with in this school. Some things aren't always as benign as they look."
Feeling that she'd made her point, Constance made her way from the room. As the door closed behind her Haldane let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"I really thought that she was going to do something nasty to me."
Imogen grinned at him.
"There are rules against using magic for personal or trivial ends."
"You think me disappearing into the ground would be a trivial thing?" Haldane put on an expression of mock outrage.
"I'm sure Constance would see it as a trivial thing."
"Great!" He looked around at the empty staff room. "So it's just you and me again."
"Don't forget that Miss Bat has shut herself in the cupboard." Imogen pointed out, not sure if she was happy with the way that the conversation appeared to be going.
Haldane smiled at her and she felt her heart flip flop. She shook her head and reminded herself that she was already seeing someone. Perhaps Miss Hardbroom had a point when she said that Haldane's presence in the school was something of a distraction. She had to confess that she rather liked the distraction.
Haldane sat down and indicated that she should join him.
"It's nice to get another chance to talk to you." He told her. "I'm beginning to understand how it feels to be out of place in this school." He jerked a hand towards the fireplace. "Does everyone get off on the vanishing act?"
Imogen shook her head.
"That's just Constance." She reassured him. "It's something of a trademark now."
Haldane frowned.
"But surely any witch can do that… I mean if they all learn the same spells and whatever you call them?"
"Incantations." Imogen supplied the word for him. "All witches are different." She reminded him. "Not all of them are as dedicated and adept at their craft as others." She nodded towards the stationary cupboard and lowered her voice. "I don't think Miss Bat could make herself disappear if her life depended on it." She smiled. "But she does ride her broom with a certain panache."
Haldane shook his head.
"These ladies still ride brooms?"
"Oh yes," Imogen assured him. "They still have cats and they still ride brooms."
Haldane smiled and leant back in his chair.
"It's been a real eye opener coming here." He admitted. "I wonder how many people out there realise just what magic really does still exist in the world?"
"There are more schools than you might expect." Imogen drew her knees up to her chest. "And there are specialist schools for wizards as well, although I'm not allowed to visit those."
"Just because you're not a witch?"
Imogen pulled a face.
"Exactly. The magic community isn't exactly what you could call progressive."
Haldane tapped his fingers together.
"I've half a mind to shake up the whole community."
"What?"
"Oh nothing." He assured Imogen. "I was just thinking out loud."
