"Isn't there something you can do?" Imogen paced back and forth across the staff room, her frustration palpable.

Amelia watched the agitated movements of the P.E teacher and shook her head.

"Hortense is acting strictly within the laws of the Guild. Constance did break the magical lockdown that was placed on the castle."

Imogen stopped her pacing and slammed her hands down on the desk, making Amelia jump.

"But from what I understand, she was preventing Mildred from being hurt."

"I know, I know," Amelia told her. "But she did break the rule."

Imogen shook her head. "This is ridiculous. Constance should be thanked for her actions not taken down to the dungeons as though she was some kind of criminal."

Amelia found that she was hard pushed to argue with Imogen. It was unusual to hear her arguing in favour of Constance and, had the situation not been as serious, Amelia would have made some comment about it.

"I'm afraid that in the circumstances my hands are tied," she explained quietly. "The guild has appointed Hortense as an investigator and so we are bound to follow the decisions that are made."

Imogen shook her head, refusing to accept what was happening. "It's obvious that there's some kind of history between the two. It stopped being an investigation from the moment Hortense Spellbinder got here. Since then it's been little more than an old-fashioned witch hunt."

There was a sudden squeak from Davina and she bolted for the security of the stationary cupboard, the door slamming shut behind her.

Amelia's face darkened. "I won't have you saying things like that within the school Miss Drill. Remember where you are. I want no more mentions of witch-hunting whilst you are within these walls. Am I making myself clear?"

Imogen was more than a little taken aback by the venom in Miss Cackle's voice; it wasn't often that she'd seen her so angry.

"I'm sorry," Imogen apologised quickly. "I didn't mean to upset you; it's just that this whole thing seems to be some kind of personal vendetta on the part of Hortense."

Amelia met the gaze of her colleague and her expression softened. "I know what you mean; Miss Spellbinder does seem remarkably keen to place the blame at Constance's door."

"Have you been able to learn any more about the history between them?"

Amelia shook her head. "I did ask, but you know what Constance is like; any mention of anything personal and she shuts up shop."

"There has to be something you can do?" Imogen persisted. "Some higher authority you can appeal to?"

"The Guild is the highest authority there is," Amelia explained patiently. "We have to go along with Miss Spellbinder for the present time." She saw the exasperated look on Imogen's face. "I will however, compose a letter to the Guild and see if something can't be done."

Imogen remained quiet and wished that she had as much faith in the Guild and letter writing campaigns as Miss Cackle obviously did.

Somewhere nearby, water was dripping; Constance could hear it as it splashed relentlessly down upon the stone floor, tapping out an incessant rhythm and breaking the otherwise silent calm.

She looked around at the damp bare walls and watched tiny rivulets of water as they made their way down the uneven surface of the stone. The room was bare apart from a small iron bed that sat in one corner. Constance had turned her head and raised a questioning eyebrow at Hortense as the door to the dungeon room had been opened.

'How fortuitous,' she had remarked coldly, and received nothing but a smirk from Hortense in return.

Constance had seen the looks on the faces of the girls as Hortense had made her announcement. They had all expected her to do something, to stand against the Guild inspector and tell her that she was out of order. They didn't understand that the word of the Guild had to be respected; however misguided the messenger was.

Constance resumed her pacing of the small room; missing the jangle of keys at her waist. They had been one of the first things that Hortense had ordered her to hand over. She understood their symbolism and couldn't wait to take them away. Constance recalled the way that Hortense's eyes had sparkled with delight as she held her hand out and demanded that the keys be handed over.

She had heard the gasps from the girls as she complied with the demands. Whatever the outcome of Hortense's preposterous plans, Constance knew she had a long way to go to gain back the regard of the pupils.

Maud shook her head and stirred what looked remarkably like grey slop round and round in her bowl.

"I can't believe that HB just caved in like that." She finally gave voice to her thought and let the spoon clatter down onto the side of the bowl, raising her eyes to take in her four classmates.

Enid pushed her own bowl away. "I would have thought that she would have told Miss smarmy pants where to get off."

Mildred looked between her friends. "Perhaps it isn't as simple as all that." She sought for some way to explain HB's lack of action.

"It looked pretty simple to me," Enid snapped. "HB just stood there and let that Spellbinder person walk all over her."

Maud shook her head in disbelief. "She just handed over her keys and let Miss Spellbinder lead her away. I never thought HB would be so spineless."

"I wonder what's going to happen to her now?" Enid questioned. "Who knows Millie; this may work out for the best."

"What?"

"HB could be on her way out of here once and for all." Enid sat back in her chair. "There may be a silver lining to this cloud after all."

"How can you say that Enid?" Mildred scolded her friend.

"Oh come on Millie, you're not going to sit there and say that HB hasn't had it in for you since the day you started here? You of all people should be glad at the prospect of seeing the back of her."

Mildred pulled a face. She had to admit that Enid had a point but there was something about the way that Miss Spellbinder was going about things that she didn't like.

"Do you think that this means that we'll be able to use magic again soon?" Maud asked.

"I hope so," Mildred jumped in quickly. "I'm already feeling as though I'm starting to forget things." A look of fear formed on her face. "What if Tabs forgets all about how he's supposed to balance on my broom?"

Enid rolled her eyes. "From what I've seen he doesn't know how to do that now."

"He's just a little scared of heights," Mildred said defensively."

"Just like someone else here," a voice from behind remarked snidely.

Maud and Mildred turned their heads to see Ethel and Drusilla lurking.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maud once again leapt to the defence of her friend.

Ethel folded her arms and glared at Mildred. "So whose fault was it that HB had to use magic?"

"I never meant…." Mildred stammered but Ethel cut her off.

"No you never do mean Mildred Hubble but somehow you always manage to."

"It wouldn't surprise me if you didn't fall on purpose," Drusilla added. "Everyone knows how you and HB don't get on."

"I wouldn't," Mildred protested. "I couldn't do anything like that."

"How could you think such a thing?" Maud scolded. "None of us would do anything that could damage the school."

"Really?" There was doubt in Ethel's voice. "HB's been trying to get Hubble Bubble out of here since the day she arrived; why is such a great surprise that Mildred takes her chance to get rid of HB?"

"Because we're not all like you Ethel Hallow," Maud's voice rose with her anger. "That might be the sort of mean-spirited thing that you'd do, but Mildred's not like that. She's worth ten of you."

There was the shrill sound of a whistle and moments later Miss Drill appeared at the side of the table.

"Girls, Girls," she chastised them and immediately stepped in between the two warring factions. She looked in turn at the angry faces before asking them what was going on.

Mildred shrugged her shoulders. "It was nothing Miss."

"It didn't sound like nothing," Imogen pointed out. She turned to Ethel. "You seemed to have a lot to say for yourself, would you care to repeat any of it now?"

Ethel folded her arms and glared at Mildred. "No Miss," she replied sullenly.

Imogen thought about trying to press the matter further but she realised that she wasn't going to get any help from the girls in front of her.

"I know these are difficult times," she told them gently. "But we have to stick together as a school if we're going to get through them." She looked round imploringly at the group. "You do understand that, don't you?"

"Yes Miss," the girls chorused as one and, reluctantly, Imogen left them alone and moved back to the side of the hall.

Ethel leant towards Mildred as Miss Drill walked away. "I'm going to see that you get everything that's coming to you," she hissed. "If anything happens to this school because of you, I'm going to make you wish that you'd never been born."

Her piece said, Ethel turned smartly away and walked off arm in arm with Drusilla.

Maud watched her go before turning to console Mildred.

"Don't listen to her," she urged, but Mildred shook her head.

"But she's right. It is all my fault. If anyone should be forced to leave this school, then it's me."

Across the table Jadu suddenly pushed her chair back and rose to her feet. Ruby reached out with an arm, trying to stop her friend, but Jadu stepped away and scurried out of the room, one hand clutched to her face.

"What's that all about?" Maud asked, as she stared after her friend.

Ruby pulled a face. "Jadu received another letter from her mother this morning."

"I take it she's not happy with the whole 'suspension of magic' thing?"

"That's putting it mildly," Ruby admitted. "Look, she asked me not to say anything."

"Don't worry," Enid told her glumly. "I can guess what the letter said. Jadu's mum wants her to move to Pentangles, doesn't she?"

Ruby met the gaze of her friends and nodded slowly. "She says that she's written to Miss Cackle and formally asked for a transfer."

Maud looked down at her hands "I suppose there's no chance of Pentangles turning her down?"

"Jadu says that Salamanders are the next on the list if Pentangles say no."

"That's awful," Enid protested. "There has to be something we can do."

Ruby shook her head. "I get the feeling that we've done enough already."

Mildred had been listening to the exchange between her friends.

"I'll go and see Miss Spellbinder," she told the others, as she pushed her chair away from the table. "I'll tell her that it was all my fault. I'll tell her that I was responsible for everything."

"Millie," Maud tried to stop her friend but Mildred stalked from the room without turning back.

"Oh this is great," Enid remarked sarcastically, looking around at the plates and cups that littered the table. "Anyone else want to storm off in a dramatic fashion and leave me with all the clearing away?"

Maud glared at her and Enid sullenly returned her attention to the contents of her bowl.

"Miss Spellbinder?" Mildred called after the blond-haired witch, as she spotted her making away along the corridor. "Miss Spellbinder!'

When the inspector showed no sign of breaking her pace, Mildred broke into a run in an effort to catch up with her. She was a little out of breath when the older woman finally stopped and turned to face her,

"What is it?" Her voice was cold and Mildred briefly wondered whether or not she was doing the right thing.

"I need to talk to you," Mildred bit back her fear and ploughed straight in. "I really need to talk to you about what really happened during parents' evening."

"Really?" Miss Spellbinder folded her arms and glared down at Mildred. "I suppose you're about to tell me just how wrong I am and how everything is actually your fault."

"Well... er..." Mildred was slightly thrown by the response.

Miss Spellbinder stared down her nose at Mildred. "You are Mildred Hubble, aren't you?"

"Yes Miss."

"You and I do need to have a little chat," she purred. "But I really don't think that bawling at me in the middle of a public thoroughfare is the place, and trust me, this most certainly is not the time."

"But Miss...." Mildred began to protest. Hortense raised a hand to silence her.

"There will be a time Mildred Hubble, when I will wish to hear everything you have to say. Until that time may I suggest that you remain quiet." Her piece said, Hortense turned on her heel and swept off down the corridor.

Mildred watched her go, wondering just what she was planning.

Hortense pushed open the door to her room and tried to wipe the smile off her face. She had finally nailed Constance Hardbroom. She had been hoping that the potions teacher would put up something of a fight but, she reminded herself, Constance was a stickler for the rules. That was going to make the next part of the procedure that much simpler. There was no way that Constance was going to be able to lie. Hortense rubbed her hands together; it finally looked as though she was going to put Constance in her place once and for all.

"What's up with you dear?" Verna asked casually. "You look like the cat that's got the cream."

Hortense scowled, once again wishing that the elderly inspector would stick to her own room.

"It's nothing," she told the older woman coldly as she made her way over to the table. "Nothing that need concern you."

"Sorry dear," Verna's tone was tinged with hurt. "I'm sure I didn't mean intrude."

Hortense clicked her tongue against her teeth and wished for the umpteenth time that she could get rid of the doddery old witch. But then, as she reminded herself, things wouldn't have worked out without her. She forced a concerned expression onto her face and turned to face her colleague.

"I'm sorry; I guess I'm just finding it hard to accept that one of my former classmates has turned out this way."

Verna's face softened. "I'd forgotten that you were at the WTC with Constance. This must have been a terrible experience for you."

Hortense nodded and dabbed at her dry eyes with a handkerchief.

"I never thought that she'd disgrace the Guild in this way. I mean, I tried to look the other way, but when you think of all the things that we've discovered in the past few days…" Hortense let the sentence fade off.

Verna leant across the table and tapped the surface gently. "You've had a hard couple of days but I don't see that you could have acted in any other way."

"Will you act as judge during the trial?"

Verna sat back in her chair, obviously stunned by the request. Hortense seized the moment of silence to apply a little pressure to her colleague.

"There has to be a trial. You do understand that, don't you?"

"It does seem something of an extreme action. I can't recall the last time that the Guild placed one of its own on trial."

"The rules are quite clear," Hortense persisted.

"But a trial," Verna questioned. "You know what that could mean."

"But after what we've discovered here in the past few days," Hortense reminded her. "It's become clear that Constance Hardbroom is acting outside of the accepted rules.

You are one of the most senior members of the Guild. Who else could I ask to preside over the fate of my former classmate?" Hortense sought out the older woman's gaze. "I want her to have someone who I know will make the right decisions; someone who's opinion and judgement I trust implicitly…Will you do it?"

Hortense watched as Verna weighed up the request in her mind. She managed to suppress a smile as Verna nodded slowly.

"I'll do it," she told Hortense. "I'll do it for you."

Amelia sealed the envelope and turned it round so that she could check the details of the address. The letter felt heavy in her hands. All her adult life she'd respected the work of the Witches' Guild. She'd never questioned their motives and had always thought of them as a force of good in a world that was rarely accepting of witches and magic.

She placed the letter on the desk as she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," she called out. The door opened smartly and Hortense entered the room.

Amelia resisted the temptation to quickly hide the letter underneath a stack of files and instead tried to make the movement look casual.

Hortense watched the actions of Amelia and smiled; she had expected the headmistress to back her deputy and, it wasn't much of a stretch of the imagination, to work out exactly who the letter she was clumsily trying to hide was addressed to.

"Do you mind if I take a seat?"

Amelia waved her towards the chair. "Please."

Hortense settled onto the chair and crossed her legs, brushing at the specks of dust that had settled onto her plain black skirt.

"I know that this is something of an awkward situation," she began, raising her eyes to meet Amelia's gaze. "But I hope that we can carry on in a professional manner."

"Of course," Amelia replied quickly. "Although I'd like to put on record the fact that my staff and I object to your treatment of Miss Hardbroom. She was, after all, saving one of the pupils from a nasty fall."

Hortense narrowed her eyes slightly. "I presume that that is what your letter to the Guild will be about?"

Amelia flustered slightly, surprised that Hortense had guessed her actions so quickly.

"Come, come, Miss Cackle," Hortense chided. "Did you think that I wouldn't guess? Your loyalty towards your colleague is quite commendable, although, if you don't mind me saying, a little naïve. As to your protests, I take them on board but I'd like to remind you that the magical lockdown was placed on this school with the full support of the Guild. I am only following their instructions."

Amelia struggled to find something to say by way of reply. Hortense took advantage of the silence to continue with the real purpose for her visit to Amelia.

"I will be sending a report to the Guild, informing them of what I have done and telling them that I will be instigating a formal trial as soon as possible."

"Miss Spellbinder!" Amelia began to protest but Hortense continued talking, not giving Amelia the chance to complain further.

"Constance has, as my recent investigations have revealed, indulged in some highly dubious activities. She has nearly brought disaster upon the school with her lax attitude towards the storing of certain volumes within the school walls. She has also demonstrated an inability to follow an edict issued by the Guild itself. I feel therefore that a more in-depth investigation into her activities is in order. If the Guild finds that such an action is not necessary, then they will reply by return of post and I will duly halt the proceedings."

"But a trial?" Amelia protested.

"Miss Hyssop will preside over the case," Hortense announced. "As a senior member of the Guild, I feel that she is perfectly placed to act as an independent voice of reason."

"But…" Amelia was struggling to take in everything that was being said.

"Constance will remain where she is until this matter is resolved. I don't believe that releasing her on her own recognisance would be a prudent move. The magical lockdown will remain in place; only a truth divining spell will be permitted into the air."

"I really must protest," Amelia finally found her voice. "This is too much."

"I feel that a spell to gauge the truth of what is being said is regrettably essential," Hortense retorted, deliberately misunderstanding the reason for Miss Cackle's protest.

"With a non-magical member of staff involved in the case, we can't rely on her to respect the oath that the rest of us have made to the Guild."

Hortense rose to her feet, pointedly ignoring the protests that Amelia was starting to make.

"If you have any questions then I suggest that you direct them to the Witches' Guild; they have given me full powers in this matter and I'd like to remind you that any action against me will be treated as an action against the Guild. Think carefully about your own Guild status, and that of your pupils, before you do anything hasty."

Amelia was left feeling stunned as Hortense swept out of the room.