Becoming an Enchantress.

Mildred Hubble had discovered she had a gift with enchanting very quickly because she was an imaginative and creative girl. Sure, she could imagine and even picture a witch like Hardbroom telling her the subject was useless simply because it didn't involve making a potion. When she had first begun her schooling at Pentangles, she had quickly learnt Charms was a subform of Enchantment, but where charms explored the spell side enchanting explored the intricacies of magic. It was similar to how alchemy was different from potions, because in alchemy while you used magical ingredients you didn't add magic to the work.

Thinking of Miss Hardbroom made Mildred grimace. It had been two days since she'd mirror-called her mother and she'd been told about what Hardbroom had wanted. But she wasn't likely to contact the woman and confront her. No, Mildred was content where she was. Let Miss Hardbroom and Miss Cackle stay out of her life now, and they could get on with theirs.

Besides she was having too much fun to care about them.

Let Hardbroom believe her subject was the only form of magic that mattered, she was truly feeling like a witch for the first time in her life instead of a little girl who was an outsider.

Working with Miss Bluebell before the other enchanting experts arrived at Pentangles gave the brunette witch a chance to explore the art manipulation gift she had.

Miss Bluebell had told her shortly after she'd revealed this gift about art manipulation. Basically, it was the power to create, shape and manipulate the arts and whatever medium was used to make it. "Some enchantresses are capable of shaping and manipulating art. Because art is a means of expressing oneself, its something an enchantress can manipulate. But don't listen to anything someone says about the magic, that it's meaningless. It's special and its just not very common, many enchanters with imagination can do something with their minds but some enchanters don't have the means to do it," the enchanting mistress explained.

"Why not?" Mildred had asked her curiously.

"I don't know. But I think that has something to do with whatever the witch or wizard is good at themselves; for instance, some people are only able to make potions, others are only good at healing," Miss Bluebell said. "But I know one thing; artists make excellent art manipulators. It's just an uncommon gift, and very rare. Sometimes that's because the enchanter doesn't know anything about art, or hasn't really bothered to see if they're good at it. That's true for dozens of witches and wizards; the old ways of teaching magic - spells, potions, chanting, among other things, could have been broadened by dozens of subjects like what's taught here. Miss Pentangle has offered several scholarships to witches and wizards who didn't fit in at their schools, and they flourished here."

"Are the enchanters who can perform this art magic only able to work with just one part, like charcoal?"

Miss Bluebell had thought about the question and whatever answer she could have given before she chuckled honestly. "I don't know, Mildred," she'd said honestly. "But don't some artists prefer to work with just one medium?"

"Yeah."

"It's the same with enchanters; for some reason, some enchanters may be a 'jack of all trades' while some others are only able to perform practical enchantments that cross several fields," Miss Bluebell went on. "What about you, how are you with art?"

Mildred had puffed her cheeks out thoughtfully before she smiled. "I like painting, drawing, I've worked with clay, charcoal, several kinds of paints, including spray painting. I've also made a few sculptures. But my favourite mediums have to be painting and drawing, but I can work with any kind of art."

Miss Bluebell smiled. "Then I think you would be able to work with it, but I shouldn't worry yourself too much, Mildred. Even if you fail to do something won't mean the end of the world as we know it. Just try to have fun."

"I wish enchanting had been around at Cackles when I was there."

"I know. The problem with enchanting is its a very old art, and there's not much call for its use anymore. But by using that logic, chanting should also be struck off, but so many witches would scream protests." Miss Bluebell had become very sad. "I just don't understand the logic behind the decision to stop enchanting from being a compulsory subject. I'm just relieved the Great Wizard doesn't really care what schools teach so long as they adhere to some of the old ways."

Mildred had had some experience of the Great Wizard, and she wasn't fond of him. They hadn't met under the most pleasant of circumstances since they had both been manipulated by Agatha, but hearing what Miss Bluebell said about him just then made her relieved as well, but it also made her wonder something.

She couldn't help but ask the question. "Miss Bluebell?" When the teacher looked at her questioningly, she'd gone on. "Do you think there are other witches and wizards who could've learnt something about magic and never had a chance because their schools didn't teach the subject?"

"Yes," Miss Bluebell had replied at once, and then they never needed to speak about it because the enchanting mistress sat next to Mildred and the two had begun the lesson. The lessons were simple enough; Mildred and Miss Bluebell would sit in the enchanting classroom whenever the two could get away and Miss Bluebell would watch Mildred draw whatever came to mind.

Miss Bluebell marvelled at Mildred's skill with art, and it wasn't just pencil drawing she was good at. She even went so far as to get her hands on some different forms of paint, from oils, acrylics, watercolours, to inks, to spray paints, and to charcoals. After Mildred had finished with the drawing, she would then try to make whatever was in the picture move.

"Amazing!" The teacher would always gush whenever Mildred made something move. Before the other enchanters came to the school to see Mildred's work and help her with her progress, she had drawn a pod of whales in watercolour before she had spray painted a scene in space where the planets simply moved on their axis and a waterfall surrounded by green grass and trees. When she had made the picture move, the clear sound of the water crashing on the rocks below could be heard, and there was a distinct bird-song after Mildred had thought of birds. When it came to the inks, Mildred decided to try something the teacher hadn't even asked her to try; she splattered the paper with splashes of ink, and very carefully she leaned back and pictured something she had always been amazed of.

Miss Bluebell looked on startled as her pupil splattered the ink onto the table and just sat back in her seat, and for a second she was afraid Mildred was just getting tired of the lessons when she saw the image materialising across the paper. She saw a rolling landscape, high hills, plains, trees. But then she saw a herd of elephants, a few hyenas and some lions. Lexi almost jumped out of her skin when a male lion with lines of ink illustrating its lustrous mane turned to face her and then roared for effect.

"This is amazing!" Lexi had whispered before she laughed almost hysterically, ignoring Mildred's concerned look. "You have no idea how few enchanters I've met with this level of skill."

"How many have you met?"

"Before you, only 3," Miss Bluebell had admitted.

"Why don't you try to see if you've got the gift?" Mildred had asked, pushing some ink and paper to her.

Miss Bluebell had smiled gently and pushed it back. "I've tried," she had admitted. "I have a gift. Music."

"Music?"

"Hmm-mm." Miss Bluebell's eyes twinkled. "I can create music just by thinking about it, so if I wanted to listen to something along the lines of jazz, I can suddenly hear saxophone music, and the same with classical music, but that's all I can do."

Miss Bluebell then closed her eyes and suddenly glowing and flowing musical notes appeared around the two witches and the sound of soft classical music could be heard.

"Wow!" Miss Bluebell had nearly laughed in delight at the look of awe on her student's face. "Fun, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

Mildred and Miss Bluebell had a lot of fun experimenting with their powers before the enchanters came to the school. During one of their lessons, Mildred showed the teacher an animated storyboard. There wasn't really a story to it, with just four boxes showing the story play out, it was just a few witches taking flight on broomsticks. In the first box the three characters talked about flying, in the next they flew on their broomsticks and in the next, they had begun a race before they arrived in potions class where the potion blew up in their faces. In the same box.

The most wonderful thing Miss Bluebell felt was seeing how so much happened in each box like it was seeing the whole thing play out in real life.

"When did you draw this out?" Lexi asked.

"Yesterday, I've been playing with it since i finished," Mildred replied. "But I drew a picture of Tabby and a few other cats, and I did the make them move thing, and then I heard this."

Mildred had been removing a sketch from her portfolio which Miss Bluebell had given to her to store her drawings. Lexi took the drawing, seeing the distinctive image of Tabby and a few other cats and the young witch moved to stand beside her, and she concentrated hard on the picture. The cats in the picture soon played around and Mildred dangled her finger in front of one of them and Lexi almost laughed when the cat took a playful swipe at the finger.

Then Tabby and a few of the cats began meowing. Lexi's eyes shot open in surprise. "Mildred," she gasped, "I've never heard of any enchantress who can do this!"

Mildred was instantly shy. "I-is that a good thing?"

"Mildred, why do you constantly think any magical talent you have is something to be ashamed of?" Lexi whispered as the girl looked down. "Has this got anything to do with Cackles?"

Mildred nodded.

"What happened?"

Mildred sighed. "I don't know," she admitted; she hadn't told any of her new teachers about her time at Cackles and the emotional abuse she'd suffered because of everyone being prejudiced against her simply for coming outside their world. "When I first went to Cackles, I thought I could learn about magic, but when I got there no-one really gave me a chance to catch up and no-one told me that witches and wizards could make their magic perform a spell with just a thought. I just got so used to being patted on the head whenever things turned out right, but more often I became just as used to listen to them yell at me for getting something wrong. I often made a fool of myself because I misunderstood something or said something wrong."

"The Witches' code tells all witches and wizards to give their children hints and tips when they're young that are designed to teach them how to become independent. Even in Pentangles students are encouraged to think on their feet," Miss Bluebell said, "Miss Cackle should have broken with tradition and given you someone to one help you learn the basics. To them, it would be easy, but for you, you are still learning. There's nothing wrong with that."

"You should never be afraid or dismayed to be good at something, Mildred. Ever, and teachers should never get angry at you for not understanding something. True, some of the stuffy witches and wizards I've known over the years would've looked down on people who didn't do well at potions or spells, but that is life."

Mildred didn't look convinced.

The young witch's lack of self-esteem annoyed Miss Bluebell, and she wondered how many times the girl had achieved something that she'd considered to be brilliant only for it to be torn down. "Mildred, don't worry about those witches who seem to think you're useless," she said softly, holding up the now still images of Tabby and the other cats. "This is proof of that, and you're doing brilliantly in other subjects since you're getting tuition and improving."

"I know, but I dunno why I still feel like I'm doing something wrong," Mildred said.

Miss Bluebell wrapped the girl in her arms - she liked giving her students a warm hug and giving them a chance to seek comfort - wondering why the teachers at Cackles couldn't see what they were doing.

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With help from Miss Bluebell, Mildred worked on her art manipulation skills before the enchanters Miss Pentangle summoned to the school to see how her new gift worked. Miss Bluebell had spent many of her lessons experimenting with Mildred in finding out if there was any real limit to her new powers. The enchanting teacher had even brought in lumps of clay, and Mildred and she had spent a good hour having fun making clay sculptures. While they'd worked, Lexi had also watched how skilfully Mildred shaped the clay into a mini version of Pippa. Mildred closed her eyes and the clay changed colour. Lexi blinked in surprise at how detailed the clay sculpture of Pippa was, with the pink robe, the coiffured blond hair, the skin colour. If it wasn't for the fact the enchanting teacher was aware the small version of her friend was actually made of clay, then she would think Pippa had gotten in the way of a shrinking spell.

Lexi had almost laughed out loud how detailed the sculpture was. "How come you're making a sculpture of someone instead of an animal?" Lexi asked.

The girl shrugged sheepishly. "I got tired of animals, I thought I might try something different for a change."

Lexi shrugged herself, accepting the reply. Soon she giggling as the sculpture said, "Can I have a doughnut?"

THAT definitely sounded like Pippa, the woman's love of doughnuts was well known. Mildred grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I couldn't resist," she said.

Lexi shook her head and waved her off. "No," she giggled, "it's okay. I don't know how Pippa would take it."

Mildred suddenly looked horrified at the prospect of the headmistress, but Lexi instantly put her at her ease. "I think she would be flattered, actually," she said.

Mildred still didn't look reassured. Once the clay sculptures were out of the way, they moved onto wood sculptures. By that point, Lexi was wondering if there was any form of art which Mildred couldn't do, but she watched as Mildred tried to experiment on the wood without really touching it.

"I just want to see if I don't have to draw them out," Mildred explained as she closed her eyes while Miss Bluebell watched the piece of wood being chipped methodically so quickly it was like watching time being sped up while the wood was being shaped. The chips of wood disappeared, leaving behind a bird.

Lexi watched in awe as the wood, like the clay, was varnished and then coloured into a genuine-looking bird. The detail was amazing, she could see nearly every feather delicately cut into the wood. Mildred held out her hand, and the bird delicately hopped into her palm before the bird flew around the room, chirping a cheery sounding song before coming to rest in Mildred's palm again.

"You know something, I wish that instead of Cackles you had come to this school from the beginning," Lexi whispered. "It's been a long time since I've encountered any witch being this good in Enchantments."

When the enchanters arrived, they were greeted by Mildred, Pippa and Miss Bluebell in the headmistress's office. By now Mildred had been thoroughly versed in the traditional greeting and she touched her palm to her head, saying in unison with her teachers, "Well met."

The three witches touched their hands to their heads in the same manner.

One of them, a middle-aged woman with her long hair in a plait, studied Mildred with an easy going smile. "You are the young enchantress?" she asked.

Mildred sent a quick look at Lexi, who nodded. "Yes, I'm Mildred Hubble."

The witch smiled kindly. "I'm Tamara Mandragora," she introduced herself. "This is Lindsay Delphinium," she introduced the witch clad in a purple cloak, who also offered a smile to Mildred, leaving a witch clad in a green cloak rimmed in black and silver, "and Belinda Asarum."

Once the greetings were out of the way Mildred and Lexi showed the enchanters and Pippa what they'd learnt about her abilities.

"So, what can you do, Mildred?" Lindsay asked curiously.

Mildred and Lexi both knew the visitors would be more interested in seeing what she could do. They brought in her artwork and even a few supplies to help her make art from scratch. She began with ink ("Don't put ink on my desk!" Pippa said when Mildred splashed some on a piece of paper before she became as amazed as everyone else by what she could do), and after seeing the splashing of ink on the paper change from a boat with a fisherman in it snoozing to a tourist taking a photo over a city, and seeing an African savannah, the two witches showed them the cat picture.

The enchanters were amazed. None of them had seen a display like this before in their lives and careers as enchantresses. Miss Pentangle was embarrassed but flattered when the clay sculpture of her was revealed, and she could honestly say it was disconcerting to have a pseudo-conversation with herself.

After seeing the wooden sculpture of the bird, it was up to Tamara Mandragora to begin the questioning. "When did you discover this ability, Mildred?"

"Only recently," the young witch replied. "I've only recently transferred to Pentangles after being offered a scholarship by Miss Pentangle. Cackles Academy, my old school, didn't offer any facilities for learning enchantments."

"Cackles?" Belinda Asarum repeated with a grimace. "One of the most respected magical schools in the country, and yet they believe their lessons in magic are good enough for all." The woman shook her head.

Mildred was instantly intrigued. "I'm sorry, but why do you say that?"

"The problem is enchanting is not a common subject anymore, and without it being taught in schools anymore, there is a greater dependency on Spells classes to help them with spell casting," Miss Bluebell explained, "but if you learn enchanting then its possible for more powerful spells to be discovered and invented."

"One of the reasons why the Magic Council in this country decided to sideline the subject is because of its complexities, but while enchanting is complex it is still a benefit. What's the most complex form of magic you know, Mildred?" Belinda asked.

Mildred's answer was immediate. "Potions," she said, making both Lexi and Pippa chuckle.

Belinda smiled. "Ah, but potions has hundreds of applications today, so does enchanting and yet many of the spells that come from it because in a way that's all enchanting is, a load of spells, is just called spells. But there are many talents, like your own, Mildred. But if we show your talent to the Magic Council and get the support of the Great Wizard, then we might be able to make it compulsory for magical schools to teach the subject to their students again."

"Enchanting was once taught at magical schools, Millie," Pippa explained, "but over the years, when new standards came out, the demand for it was lessened. Now its only taught in colleges as an elective."

"Many people believe, especially since there are signs that the Craft is in decline, that enchanting should be brought back in order to broaden the minds of the students," Tamara said, "the only problem with that is that some members of the council are not sure if that is a good idea. They believe the subject, being complex, should only be taught at colleges."

"That doesn't seem right," Mildred pointed out, "I've been in the lessons at Pentangles, and Miss Bluebell always makes sure the lessons are fun and as easy as possible."

While Lexi was presently beaming at what Mildred had said, the other enchanters had more to say. "That's only true if you bother to attend a few lessons, Mildred," Belinda said, "but the problem is enchanting has a deserved reputation for being complex in one or two ways, but it's easy if you apply yourself. Unfortunately, with witches like Mrs Hallow," Belinda made a face, "they aren't likely to budge unless they see something good."

Mildred sighed. "Do you think it would work?"

She had never spoken to the woman, but she didn't think the woman was reasonable. Then again she could always live in hope.