Chapter 12- Reconciliation
Miss Hardbroom arrived outside Miss Drill's tent having gone over and over what she intended to say.
'Miss Drill, would you come out please, I wish to talk to you', she said clearly.
Miss Drill unzipped the tent and stepped out looking quite angry.
'It is a bit late now Miss Hardbroom. I came to see you over an hour ago. Did it take you all that time to decide how to organise your thoughts and analyse everything that I had said?' she said impatiently.
'No that only took a moment. It took me longer to find the courage to approach you', Miss Hardbroom said flustered by the retort and unclear what to say in response.
'Oh really! The great Miss Hardbroom afraid to speak her mind. I doubt that very much', Miss Drill said angrily.
'I did not want to get it wrong, this is important to me. I wanted to say the right thing', Miss Hardbroom said defensively, feeling very uncomfortable and under attack.
Miss Drill liked the fact that her colleague was indeed anxious and very much on the back foot. That in itself was a very rare occurrence. She was curious as to what she had come here to say but had been anxiously waiting in her tent for ages without any sign of her.
'Well I am thirsty, a side effect of that potion you gave me earlier. Perhaps when I have had some tea I will be more obliged to listen to you', Miss Drill said feebly, finding it hard to stay mad at the potions teacher who looked so vulnerable and confused right now. She headed off towards the area of the camp that contained the fire and the girls who were sat toasting marshmallows around it.
'Miss Drill, please' Miss Hardbroom protested but had no option than to follow her towards the camp fire.
They got within metres of the girls who had noted their approach when Miss Hardbroom lost her patience with this charade.
'Miss Drill, stop where you are,' she said sharply and the PE instructor stopped immediately. It was practically an involuntary response that she had seen when pupils were stopped in corridors.
Miss Hardbroom walked the few paces to catch up with her. As she turned to face Miss Drill she caught Mildred's stare and the girl smiled as way of support. The other girls were all staring at their marshmallows, too afraid to look in the direction the strict command had come from, as they knew who had mouthed it. She nodded at Mildred briefly to acknowledge the smile and show the girl that she was indeed following through on her advice and going with the moment.
She turned, faced Miss Drill and took her hand. They were transported to the grassy verge on top of the cliff beside the waterfall. She kept Miss Drill's hand in hers and looked at her for a moment, allowing the woman to take in her new surroundings.
'Constance…' Miss Drill mouthed, but was cut off.
'I think it is my turn to talk Imogen', the potions teacher interjected.
There was silence for a moment while Constance collected her thoughts and took in the beauty of the woman before her. As the woman began to speak Imogen noticed her hand was trembling in hers.
'I need you. I need you because I constantly worry that I am becoming like my former tutor. I need you because you remind me that people care about me and I need you because you stand up to me and tell me when I am uncaring and insensitive. If I lost you I would become the person so many people already think I am. I am happy with who I am so long as you are,' Miss Hardbroom said with more feeling than she had ever said anything.
'But your letter, Constance, how can I be sure that you won't change your mind?' Imogen asked tentatively. She so wanted to just kiss the woman and cherish the moment but her head was telling her to be cautious. This woman was capable of hurting her so deeply it filled her with dread.
'Sometimes you have to learn to go with what feels right, Imogen, and I have never been clearer on anything. You were right, I never stopped to think about you, how much you mean to me and how much I wish you could make me more like you. I love you Imogen', she said gently, 'I have always loved you', she said softly and then leaned in slowly until their mouths met.
Both women were overcome with feeling and a small magical shock rippled through them both.
'Sorry Imogen, I have a lot of magic in me and it tends to respond to powerful emotions', Constance said softly.
'It wasn't unpleasant…I quite liked it' Imogen replied looking into the fierce potion teacher's eyes. Constance smirked and wrapped her arm around Imogen's waist, pulling her closer.
'It is not meant to be painful, it is not responding to threat, it is responding to the passion I am feeling', Constance said smiling as she kissed the woman again.
Imogen pulled away for a moment, 'have you done this before?' she asked surprised by how much control Constance was maintaining in this situation.
'So you thought that I was a virgin did you?' Constance replied smugly.
'Ah no, well, it's just you seem….' Imogen was quickly lost for words.
'repressed? Well I wasn't always so restrained. I had a relationship with a woman in my first year at college. It ended badly but the experience left me with certain skills…' she said menacingly and sent a soft ripple of magic through Imogen that made her gasp.
'I am no amateur myself,' Miss Drill said defiantly, though her past experiences had all been with men, she had never had any complaints.
They both smiled at their competitive natures and kissed again, struggling to think of anything other than the sensations that were running through them.
'Shall we see who will gain the upper hand, Imogen' Constance teased softly.
'Let's' Imogen replied with more urgency.
They disappeared from the grassy verge as Constance transported them to her tent which was on the outskirts of the camp, well away from where the girls were currently sitting. They spent the next hour struggling to better each other, letting their passions run free and releasing all of the sexual tension that they had mistaken for genuine dislike of each other for so many years.
Imogen was the first to emerge from the tent looking red faced and extremely content.
'Imogen!' Constance shouted to her.
'What?' she asked peering back into the tent where Constance lay beneath a blanket.
'Let's sleep under the stars tonight! I can magic up blankets so we are comfortable', she said, her face ablaze with excitement.
'Shouldn't we be in the camp?' Miss Drill asked hoping she would say no.
'We can see everything from up there and I will rig an alarm just in case, no intruders or disobedient young witches could slip through that,' she said to Imogen's relief.
'Great, then yes, absolutely. I will go and make sure the girls get their hot chocolates but you best come out to send them to bed since you do it every night,' Imogen said issuing a command to Miss Hardbroom.
'Yes very well, I will get dressed', she said irritated by the inconvenience of it.
'Constance Hardbroom are you reluctant to do your duty!' Imogen teased.
'Oh very funny, get gone before they wonder where we both are,' Constance ordered in return. __________________________________________________________________________________
The evening passed without a single girl detecting anything whatsoever. All except Mildred Hubble who noticed the broad grin on Miss Drill's face and her completely relaxed body language and knew that all must have gone well with Miss Hardbroom.
'You seem very happy, Miss Drill', Mildred commented.
'Yes I am. I have had a good rest this afternoon and that potion has made me feel quite refreshed', she said smiling at Mildred.
'I am glad you are alright Miss,' the girl said merrily.
'It would take more than that to defeat me Mildred' she said casually, 'I think I will have an early night though just to be sure, we have a long walk back to Cackles tomorrow.'
'Time for your bedtime girls', the stern voice of Miss Hardbroom boomed out of the darkness behind them. She marched into the circle of girls to make sure they had all been reading before bed, something she had recommended on the previous night. 'Ah, Ruby Cherrytree I see you are reading more Science books, highly commendable. Maud Moonshine, How to improve your potions, very diligent of you. Ethel I see you are reading a little history, I am sure that a little knowledge of the history of magic will round off your studies nicely. You girls have all made excellent choices. Jadu I am not certain that European politics is particularly relevant unless you wish to begin riot and revolution, do you?'
'No, Miss Hardbroom, I just find it interesting', Jadu replied plainly.
'I see well if that is what you think will benefit you I am not at liberty to question it since it is your leisure time. Enid Nightshade Edible Mushrooms is rather a niche area isn't it?'
'I want to work out which ones I can pick, Miss' Enid said smoothly.
'They do not feature in many potions Enid', Miss Hardbroom said perplexed at the book choice.
'I like to eat them with a little cheese melted on top', Enid replied and the rest of the girls laughed.
'How very interesting', Miss Hardbroom said sarcastically, 'And last but not least, Mildred Hubble, Drawing creatively, a typically soft subject I see.'
'I like drawing and this book shows you how to bring your drawings to life, give them feeling, movement and realism', she said, practically reading the back cover allowed.
'How you will find a use for that is beyond me but as I recently found out art has its charms, see that you study the discipline like any other Mildred', Miss Hardbroom advised. 'Well girls I am happy on the whole that you have followed my advice. Now tidy up your things and get to bed, we have a long day tomorrow!'
The girls started mumbling amongst themselves and tidying their things away.
'This is not summer camp girls. You may be outdoors but that is no reason to let standards drop. Tidy up quickly and make your way to your tents in silence', Miss Hardbroom snapped and the girls groaned quietly.
'Mildred stop dawdling, you're dragging your feet girl!' HB said sharply moments later.
Mildred frowned to herself. So, a happy HB was not necessarily going to make their lives easier. Though she had not shouted at Enid for reading up on mushrooms or her for looking into Art rather than magic. It was hard to tell really, and Miss Drill was her usual smiley but silent self, happy for HB to rule with an iron rod as always.
Miss Drill on the other hand was thinking entirely differently. She liked Constance when she shouted and maintained order, there was something very alluring about her when she was being strict. She knew what she was really like now and enjoyed the two sides to her equally. Then suddenly she realised that she had been far too silent, yes she did not usually interfere but she would probably have made it clear to the girls that their reading choices were suitable if it was what captured their interest.
'Wait a minute girls!' Miss Hardbroom bellowed, 'who has left this here?' she questioned, holding up a drawing. It was a picture of Miss Drill hanging off the cliff on one arm and Mildred dangling from the other.
'It's mine, Miss,' Mildred confessed as HB glared at her.
'I do not think you should be drawing members of staff without their knowledge, Mildred. In future draw something less intrusive', she said sternly and held the picture ready to tear it in two.
'Wait!' Miss Drill exclaimed, 'since the drawing is of me I think I should be the one who says whether it is inappropriate or not', she said bluntly and held out her hand for the piece of paper in question.
Miss Hardbroom looked at Miss Drill furiously and then handed her the image.
'Gosh this is really very good, Mildred. The fear on your face and the way you have drawn the muscles in my arms and captured the urgency of the moment. I am not sure you need a book, you should just keep practising', Miss Drill said sincerely.
'Thanks Miss,' Mildred said smiling and then stopped immediately as she saw HB's expression.
'I hardly think that encouraging drawings of this nature is the correct course of action, Miss Drill. There is plenty to draw without resorting to staff members and scenes that are better off forgotten', Miss Hardbroom announced authoritatively.
'Well I disagree. What moves you to draw is part of the process,' Miss Drill countered.
'Oh very well. Mildred you may draw Miss Drill when the need arises, provided that you respect the fact that she is your teacher. However, you may not draw myself or any other member of staff without their prior consent. Do I make myself clear?' she snapped impatiently.
'Yes, Miss Hardbroom', Mildred answered.
'Good now take your drawing and get off to bed', HB ordered. 'Was that all really necessary?' she muttered testily to Miss Drill.
'I have never supported every order you issue, I am not going to start now', she replied in a hushed, direct tone.
'But to undermine me in front of the girls like that', HB snapped a little louder now that Mildred was in her tent.
'Yes, I enjoyed that part the most', Miss Drill replied calmly, 'you can't have it your own way all of the time, and besides we don't want the girls to suspect anything is going on.'
'Oh so that is why you sided with a pupil over your deputy headmistress', Constance said playing devil's advocate.
'Absolutely not, I meant every word I said. I always do mean what I say. But, you already know that, and are currently trying to undermine my thinking so you can claim an after-the-fact victory', Imogen said and grinned, 'It won't work, you and I think differently. I took a pupil's side above yours because I believed in the principle of it and part of me was content with the fact that it would annoy you.'
'Well allow me to annoy you', Constance said walking away, 'when you're ready to apologise I will be waiting', she said with a smirk.
Imogen ignored her and followed her as she shouted lights out and then checked each tent in turn to make sure she had been obeyed. When she returned to her own tent Imogen caught her arm before she could disappear into it.
'Would you really jeopardise our night together, all for an apology that you know I should not have to give?' Imogen asked a little irritated.
'Well if you don't know the answer to that…' Constance said plainly.
'Yes you would. But, I know that all that anger, frustration and disciplined outlook in life makes you vulnerable to something,' Miss Drill said, suddenly confident and controlled.
'Really? And what might that be?' Constance asked perplexed.
Imogen stepped forward and pulled Constance towards her, wrapping both arms around her waist. She kissed her passionately and then ran one arm softly down the length of her rigid body, feeling her relax and the magic spark within her.
'Once you loose control of all that tension it can only be channelled in one way. You cannot repress it all now, can you?' Imogen teased and then released Constance stepping a few metres back from her.
'Imogen…' Constance moaned.
'I would like an apology from you for nearly ruining our night together. I will come back when I have heard you say it', Imogen toyed.
'I…that is ridiculous, I was only…' Constance said flustered by the fact that she was being manipulated and her body really only want one outcome now, she was not mad, just passionate. Imogen knew far too easily how to get what she wanted.
'…trying to control me. Well I do not respond well to that. I am not a toy Constance!' Imogen said half seriously and half for the fun of it.
'Just come here so I can magic us to the cliff top, the alarm is already in place!' Constance urged small flickers of magical energy sparking from her fingers.
'Only if you admit you were wrong for demanding an apology from me. You have to allow me the upper hand sometimes, or this will never work!' Imogen said stubbornly.
'Oh for the love of…fine…' Constance began as she walked up to Imogen and linked their fingers, 'I was wrong' she said quickly.
Imogen hovered her lips upon Constance's mouth and brushed against it gently. She moved her body so that it was against the other woman's. 'And you are sorry?' Imogen asked softly, seductively.
'I am very sorry indeed,' Constance agreed without question, completely intoxicated by Imogen's presence.
'There now that wasn't hard was it,' Imogen said savouring the moment.
Constance leaned back and observed Imogen, the glint in her eye suddenly turning predatory.
'You are too evil by half, Miss Drill, let us see how you fair when I am calling the shots', she said intensely and transported them to the cliff top where blankets, wine and a clear star-lit night awaited them.