Saturday afternoon was not pleasant. In fact, Mildred was only at the beginning of what would prove to be a very unhappy week. So much had happened at the beginning of that term already that Mildred felt due a summer holiday and they were only three weeks in.
Mildred went to hand in her essay at 11.50am which was comfortably in time for the deadline of midday by an entire ten minutes. She had enjoyed a lie in and then written frantically to finish the 5000 words.
She entirely subconsciously strode into the library where Miss Hardbroom was selecting a small handful of books and presented her essay to her. Miss Hardbroom at first ignored the outstretched arm until she had read the back of a dusty old burgundy book that Mildred couldn't make out the title of. Then she turned and took it in silence.
Mildred kept silent too, turned and went to leave the library.
"You tracked my whereabouts through my aura I presume" Miss Hardbroom said with an aloof tone.
Mildred stopped in her tracks. She hadn't even considered that this was not a place she would usually expect to find Miss Hardbroom or look for her in.
Mildred turned and tried to keep her tone apologetic and modest, "Yes, Miss, I didn't really think about it" she said honestly.
"Effortless" Miss Hardbroom stated to a still room.
Mildred didn't speak. She felt like a spare part stood there awkwardly.
"I have extended your session on Saturdays. You will meet me in the potions lab at 12.30pm. We will be done at 5pm" she stated and Mildred immediately felt deflated. "In light of the Council's expectations, I think a more rigorous timetable is necessary" she added for clarity.
"Yes, Miss" Mildred said and disappeared as quickly as she could.
The news was not well received by her friends who felt growing dislike for HB and even for Mildred's creative powers.
"If you could just draw stuff that didn't come to life you wouldn't be in this mess!" Enid said outraged, "we are going to have to make a Mildred sock puppet to fill in for you."
"Well can you make a better one that can go to this session in my place? I really don't want to go today. I know it is going to be awful!" Mildred said gloomily.
"I am actually quite pleased that I don't have your talents, Millie" Maud confessed. "I mean I would love to have a tutor appointed by the council...but HB...you got the short straw there."
"Well I didn't think I had at first but she has changed again. She is so cold and…" Mildred started.
"HB. This is who she is Millie. She won't change" Enid interrupted.
"You better go Millie. Just don't say anything if you are not sure what to say, okay" Maud said, trying to give her some sound last minute advice.
"Yeah, pretend you have gone mute" Enid said smiling.
"Right okay, thanks!" Mildred said not sounding even remotely convinced by their best advice to get through the afternoon.
Mildred arrived in the potions lab and found an upright, prepared HB stood in front of a series of drawings. There were no formalities, just straight to business.
"Mildred these are the drawings you created last week when we took care of the dark magic in the castle's walls" Miss Hardbroom stated. "I would like to see if we can destroy them. The Council considers them a potential threat that should be disposed of. I have tried potions and concentrated magic but they appear to be protected by their bond to you. So, we need to see if you can destroy them."
"What should I do?" Mildred asked, trying her best to focus but finding the task already somewhat daunting.
"I would like you to think about that. The magic might guide you" Miss Hardbroom said and continued to stare at Mildred without a hint of emotion or...well humanity.
"Tearing them wont work. It just splits them unless I tear them into lots of little fragments" Mildred said thinking aloud. "I could scribble them out...that feels...erm...right" Mildred said feeling more inclined towards this plan.
"Try it then" Miss Hardbroom said somewhat impatiently.
Mildred took a piece of paper and stared at one of her drawings of Miss Hardbroom. She saw feeling and character on the page and thought there might be more in the drawing than there was in the woman stood before her right now. As she held it in her hand and considered her intentions something much clearer came to the fore of her thoughts.
"Oh no, there is an easier way," Mildred mumbled staring at the drawing. She nodded to the drawing that nodded in return "I offer this creation for its final cremation" Mildred uttered and the paper burnt in a bluey purple flame in her hand until it had vanished.
Miss Hardbroom looked stunned.
"I can do that to the rest" Mildred said looking at her tutor directly, "but these two desire to be left in tact," she said pointing to the drawing of the shield and one of the Miss Hardbrooms.
"I see, and you just came to that conclusion now. You have never destroyed any with magical fire before?" Miss Hardbroom asked and though she was trying to stay distant her curiosity was palpable.
"I have never used any fire before, and definitely not magical fire" Mildred said. "I didn't know what to do with them until I picked one up and then the solution came to me quite vividly," she explained.
"Destroy the ones that you wish to" Miss Hardbroom commanded.
She watched Mildred set fire to eight more drawings, uttering the same spell, and using the same magical fire.
"Today we will be looking at whether the drawings can be altered once completed, and to what level, if smaller drawings can stay real for longer periods than larger drawings, and what happens to the drawings if you fall asleep, go unconscious, or move further away from them," Miss Hardbroom explained once Mildred had finished her exceptional display as the fire starter.
Mildred expected her to go on to explain these in more detail but she did not.
"Unconscious?" Mildred asked nervously.
"Yes, it is quite important to know what happens to the drawing if you are rendered unconscious" Miss Hardbroom clarified but she must have known that was not what Mildred was asking.
"How will I become unconscious?" Mildred asked directly.
"A simple spell that is quick to reverse" Miss Hardbroom explained and again chose not to offer any support or assurances.
Mildred knew these hours were going to be long and draining both mentally and emotionally. But, she was certainly interested in what they were going to discover about her abilities.
"First, I want you to draw a stool" Miss Hardbroom requested.
Mildred didn't say anything, she realised this was going to be a formal lesson with very little conversation. She drew a stool as was requested.
"Bring the stool to life" Miss Hardbroom commanded and Mildred did as she was asked.
The stool stood next to Mildred's and was identical in every way.
"Why is the stool that height?" Miss Hardbroom asked.
"Because it matches the others" Mildred said frowning at the obvious response.
"What I mean is. You did not set a height on the paper so at what point was the drawing told to be that height?" Miss Hardbroom clarified.
"I imagined it that way when I pulled it off the page I guess" Mildred assumed out loud.
"We do not guess. Magic is not a toy, it is a deliberate science. You willed the stool to be that height otherwise it would not have been" Miss Hardbroom stated, "I would like you to see if you can make the stool smaller without returning it to the paper."
Mildred focused on the stool and sure enough she was able to shrink it to half its size.
"Now I would like you to see if you can change the material it is made out of" Miss Hardbroom requested plainly.
Mildred focused on the stool but found this much harder. She was trying to imagine a stool made from metal with slender legs and a smooth finish.
"I can't" Mildred said finally.
"Return it to its page and see if you can change the material it is made out of there" Miss Hardbroom suggested.
Mildred returned the stool to the page. She rubbed out a few areas and made the drawing simpler. She then drew it from the page and created a metal stool. She also imagined it smaller than the first stool she created but larger than the second she had transformed it into.
"Good, so size you can control at any point of its lifespan but form has to be dictated on the paper" Miss Hardbroom summarised. "Next I want you to remove one leg, which we already know is possible, and return it to the paper. Then I would like to see if you can replace the missing leg with a wooden one."
Mildred did exactly as she was told to do. She removed a metal leg and returned it to the page. This took more energy out of her again but not as much as when they experimented with the plant. Mildred changed the drawing of the stool leg into a wooden one and returned it to the stool so that the stool was whole once more. She frowned and winced slightly as the stool reclaimed its lost limb.
"Did that feel wrong in any way?" Miss Hardbroom asked, picking up on Mildred's physical response.
"It doesn't feel right. The magic isn't balanced" Mildred said.
"Is it draining to keep the stool around in that state?" Miss Hardbroom asked, curious.
"Yes, it is harder. It would be better if I" Mildred began and then turned the leg metallic, "did that" she said and relaxed on her stool.
"That is interesting, so you can change the form of the drawing as well, but only if part is not fitting neatly with the whole" Miss Hardbroom commented. "How are your energy levels?"
It was the first voice of concern HB had shown but it sounded mechanical. As though Mildred's energy was required for the experiments rather than necessary to keep Mildred healthy and engaged.
"I feel a little drained but nothing I cannot handle" Mildred admitted but she wasn't going to admit that those small alterations had made her feel a touch dizzy.
"We will proceed then. There are a lot of questions unanswered as to how much you can manipulate the drawings. For example, could you remove a limb of a clone, is your connection to real-life stronger in subjects you know or objects you are copying, and could you give different magical auras to different clones. But we will leave that there for now as that is the magic that drains you most. I would like to compare identical objects next and test how long they can exist for. One needs to be very small while the other is quite large. I suggest we take the next experiment outdoors" Miss Hardbroom said and as she finished saying outdoors they materialised in the castle courtyard. The table and stool Mildred was sat on were also relocated with them. "Draw something that is not too complex as the large version will likely take more energy to sustain," she added.
Mildred thought about this one for a little while. There were plenty of things surrounding her but she couldn't think of anything to draw that would look right small and large. Finally, the perfect subject matter came to her.
She drew the fire bucket. It stood out to her with its bright red design.
"Finished, Miss" Mildred said.
"Lift them off the page" Miss Hardbroom commanded.
Mildred lifted off a small fire bucket that was half the size of the one on the wall. She then concentrated hard and lifted off a fire bucket that was the same size as the double door entrance to the castle.
"Reminiscing about the time your imagination got the better of you and you threw the fire bucket over my head were we?" Miss Hardbroom said with derision.
"Errrr no Miss. It was just simple to draw" Mildred said remembering that day acutely now and realising her mistake.
"Of course" Miss Hardbroom added sharply. "We will need to wait to see how long these drawings last. I suggest you copy from your potions book, chapter 28" Miss Hardbroom stated and Mildred's potion's book materialised on the table in front of her.
Mildred rolled her eyes in annoyance. This was such a depressing lesson. The rapport they had built had been smothered. She didn't recognise Miss Hardbroom and she didn't even know why. She had messed up with the project and probably wasted time one too many times but that didn't explain why HB was being so cold and distant. Hadn't they just fought side by side again. Hadn't Mildred risked her life for the school and to protect Miss Hardbroom's colleagues. She had lied to the council, or at least kept back some crucial details to maintain the integrity of the school. Didn't that count for anything?
They sat in silence for forty minutes before the first fire bucket disappeared. The large one went first as HB expected. The small bucket disappeared after 74 minutes.
"We will need to do more experiments involving more sizes if we are going to start to form an idea of how long each drawing will last. It might be possible to correlate size, pencil marks, and complexity to longevity but we are a long way from conclusive proof yet," Miss Hardbroom explained, "we do know that the same object will last longer if it is brought to life in a smaller size which is a good start."
Mildred's interest had waned. They had been sat there for so long. She was looking at the school and her imagination was beginning to run away with her.
"Miss, do you think I could clone the school?" Mildred asked as HB had barely finished her sentence.
"I believe that would be too complex for you to lift off the page" Miss Hardbroom responded but she was clearly annoyed.
"Can I try?" Mildred asked.
"If you wish" Miss Hardbroom replied, much to the complete shock of Mildred, "but I do not expect this to be successful," she added.
Mildred drew the school for the next thirty minutes while Miss Hardbroom occupied herself by reading her book and waiting patiently. She was oddly calm and compliant with this folly. Mildred was engaged again and didn't care why her form tutor was indulging her.
"I've done it, I'm ready" Mildred said excitedly.
"First I would like you to lift off the small fire bucket once more from the page...for comparison" Miss Hardbroom said.
Mildred did that and then considered where the castle would go.
"I suggest you make the castle smaller than it is so that you can fit it into the courtyard" Miss Hardbroom suggested and although Mildred felt a little deflated at that she had to concede it was a smart first step. "Whenever you are ready, Mildred" Miss Hardbroom encouraged.
Mildred stared at the page and considered the castle, trying to imagine it appearing before her in the courtyard. She focused on the detail and tried to lift the castle from the page one area at a time.
Seconds later Mildred passed out. Miss Hardbroom lowered her to the ground gently and observed the fire bucket dematerialise. It did not return to the page, it essentially evaporated one atom at a time into the air and vanished. Miss Hardbroom raised her eyebrows in recognition of an interesting detail observed and then transported them back to the potion's lab.
She left Mildred laid on her side on the floor while she fetched a wide awake potion spray.
She knelt down and sprayed the potion in Mildred's face.
Mildred came round with a start and instinctively wafted the air in front of her face and wiped across the bridge of her nose.
"Welcome back Mildred" Miss Hardbroom said and stepped back to give the girl some space. "It seems the castle was a little too ambitious and unfortunately you passed out before you could lift it from the paper" she explained in a still manner that suggested it had gone the way she had anticipated it would. There was an edge of patronising joy circling her words.
"You knew I was going to pass out that's why you asked me to create the fire bucket again" Mildred said groggily, annoyed that she hadn't been warned of this outcome.
"Yes I did. I used my logic and factored in what has made you pass out previously. I recognised your limitations where you failed to. The fire bucket dematerialised without returning to the paper. It seems that if you fall unconscious the link is broken and the magic is removed from your creations leaving them to disperse" she summarised.
"Couldn't you just have told me!" Mildred said annoyed.
"We are here to experiment. Your ambition and my lesson plan gave us another key finding" Miss Hardbroom said unmoved by Mildred's emotion.
Mildred wanted to scream, anything to make HB mad, or just shake her out of this inhuman state.
"Mildred that is all we will be able to test today and we are nearly at 5pm. I expect you will feel drained and weary for the remainder of the day. Do not give in to sleep until bedtime. I will visit you then with a restorative potion and sleeping potion to make sure you recover fully by morning" Miss Hardbroom requested.
"Yes, Miss" Mildred said.
The silence fell heavy between them and Mildred wanted to speak to make things right. She wanted to apologise but wasn't yet sure how to phrase it or what she had done that was so wrong. So she left it and walked out of the potion's lab with an empty feeling inside of her. She had learnt a lot about her powers that session but she didn't feel happy, excited or competent. She felt lost, lonely and sad.
Miss Hardboom visited her as promised at lights out and gave her the potions. There were no words of wisdom or enquiry into how her student was feeling. Mildred knew whatever had broken was going to take some time to heal, she just wished she knew a way of fixing it.
The week that followed was a montage of HB shouting at her for dawdling to the kitchens for her meals, talking in class, neglecting to tie up her boot laces, answering questions wrong, or knocking things over in the potion's lab. Mildred literally couldn't do anything right.
On Tuesday afternoon as she made her way to dinner she was stood talking to Maud and although she knew HB was about to appear she couldn't move fast enough to avoid her wrath.
"Mildred Hubble. Kitchens, now!" the familiar voice of HB rang through the corridors. Maud gave her friend a flat smile of sympathy.
"Sorry, Miss" Mildred offered as she disappeared down the stairs into the kitchens.
HB had been right about one thing. Even though Mildred could track her she still couldn't move quick enough to avoid her apparating out of thin air.
In potions class on Wednesday Mildred knocked off a jar of sneezing potion and spent the next twenty minutes sneezing her head off. She was sent into the corridor while it wore off.
The detentions in the evening were similar to her sessions with HB and Miss Drill didn't know what to say that could help. Mildred was anxious again so she kept making mistakes, measuring things out wrong, missing vital steps in the process or just being clumsy and knocking things off.
When she walked into her potion session with Miss Drill on Thursday evening she could hear the PE teacher trying to reason with HB.
"You are making her worse. She is so scared of getting something wrong that she makes it happen" Miss Drill had said.
"Preposterous. She isn't concentrating because she is letting her emotions get the better of her instead of rising above them" Miss Hardbroom argued back.
"Then why are you making her more angry, or upset, or frustrated?" Miss Drill asked.
"Because magic is not emotional. It is clinical. She needs to use her head" Miss Hardbroom stated clinically.
"And what you are doing is clinical is it? It looks more like a character assasscination. You are being emotional!" Miss Drill said and instantly regretted how direct it had come out.
"I am following the code. Nothing more" Miss Hardbroom replied in a frosty tone.
"You are pushing her away" Miss Drill said.
"I am building character. She will be a better witch for it" Miss Hardbroom said.
"And what kind of person will she be...will you be!" Miss Drill said softly as the conversation died out.
Miss Hardbroom's eyes widened but she did not reply as she sensed Mildred approaching.
Mildred seized her opportunity that night to secure the final piece of the puzzle she needed for her evasion plan. Miss Hardbroom was clearly not going to show any leniency so Mildred needed an escape plan.
Miss Hardbroom set them making a seeker potion and left them to it while she went to file her report to the Council on Mildred's progress. It was a happy reprieve for Mildred but she wasn't going to waste the only moment she had that week so far to talk to another human being.
"Miss Drill, I need your help with something" Mildred said, wasting no time at all.
"What is it Mildred?" Miss Drill asked.
"I need to make a potion with you, so that Miss Hardbroom doesn't suspect anything. It is for evading her" Mildred talked fast, clearly conscious that she didn't have much time.
"Oh no way Mildred. I cannot get involved" Miss Drill dismissed her out of hand.
"I have to try, Miss, please. I am so trapped. I hate every second of every day" Mildred said honestly.
"I know Mildred. Really I do. I feel for you and I will fight your corner with Miss Cackle...honestly I will. But, I cannot be on the wrong side of this" Miss Drill explained.
"You don't know what it is like though do you. I barely see my friends. Every class I have with HB I am picked on for breathing too loudly. I don't have anyone to talk to, not that I am allowed to talk anymore. I feel like a prisoner!" Mildred reasoned passionately.
"I understand Mildred, really I do. But, now is not the time to be taking chances," Miss Drill urged, "Miss Hardbroom is testing you, you just have to ride it out."
"Why can't I take chances? She isn't being fair. I don't deserve this. I can sense her presence all of the time now. I know where she is and where she will appear when she apparates. All I need is one potion and my spell will do the rest...I think! She wont let me in the potion's lab on my own but if we were practising something together she is bound to let us. She trusts you," Mildred reasoned hard.
"Exactly Mildred, she trusts me! You know how she reacts to betrayal," Miss Drill replied.
Mildred couldn't argue with that but she couldn't survive much more of this week without telling HB what for and that was not advisable.
"How about I wanted to make a potion and you agreed to help. If she asks it was my choice and you just wanted to help and learn a new potion along the way. How were you to know what it was for?" Mildred explained, trying a softer tact.
Miss Drill mulled it over, "well, that is plausible. She doesn't think I know a thing about magic anyway" she said coming round to the idea slightly.
"Please, Miss. I have to try this, I am going insane! I haven't learnt anything this week and I just want to have one moment of freedom" Mildred said wistfully, imagining a moment outside of HB's reach.
Miss Drill looked at Mildred and felt sorry for her. She had tried every single night to talk Miss Hardbroom out of her zero tolerance mindset. "Oh okay Mildred. But this is the very last thing I can help with and if you get caught you are on your own, I had no idea" Miss Drill said decisively.
"Fine! Oh thank you, Miss, thank you" Mildred said, feeling happier than she had for a long time, It might only have been five days of bearing an overzealous overbearing HB, but quite frankly that was a long time when you were being held in solitary confinement.
"Now let's get on with this before HB comes back" Miss Drill said with a short chuckle as Mildred's eyes shot wide with surprise at another teacher calling her HB. "What? She is living up to the nickname this week isn't she" Miss Drill said shrugging it off with a cheeky smile to Mildred.
Mildred felt warmer inside. She had a slither of support and didn't feel quite so alone in the world.
Mildred flung a sprig of holly into the potion they were making and gave it three big stirs.
"That's it Miss, I think we are done" Mildred said with a grin as the potion turned a deep purple as it was supposed to do.
Miss Drill looked at the colour change and smiled brightly, "excellent Mildred, you have done really well tonight, no spillages or dropsy," she added.
"I expect the potion will be perfect then" the boom of Miss Hardbroom announced to the classroom before she appeared before them.
"I am sure it will be" Miss Drill said emphasising her words so Miss Hardbroom noted her tone of defiance at her sudden entry.
Miss Hardbroom shot Miss Drill a stern look and proceeded with her examination of the potion.
"To test the potion we must create the right conditions. This seeker potion is a preventative measure. It is useful for adventurers or for witches intending to fly through changeable weather or over treacherous terrain" Miss Hardbroom explained. "The witch drinks the potion. If they go missing a simple activation spell can be spoken and the potion will light a trail to find the lost witch. It is very powerful and in my opinion not utilised enough. Mildred please take a sip."
Mildred took a sip of the potion and felt a warm liquid fill her.
"It is a warming potion that you can feel flood through the body before it settles. Now walk into another room of the castle please, not too far away" Miss Hardbroom requested.
Mildred walked into the Great Hall. As she entered the quiet hall she remembered Miss Bat and Miss Cackle stood absorbing dark magic from its walls. It was the first time she had flashed back to that event, perhaps now it was empty there were no distractions to prevent the memory coming back. She thought about what happened next and her eyes considered the scene when she stood beside Miss Hardbroom creating clones and removing the threat from the school. It felt like years ago now and rather than scared or worried she felt sad and lost in its significance. There was a warmth to that memory when she was on the same page and fighting shoulder to shoulder with her form tutor.
Suddenly a purple thread shone out of her and wound its way through the door and back towards the potion class.
Miss Hardbroom and Miss Drill soon followed the trail and found her in the Great Hall.
"That would be a perfect potion, then?" Miss Drill asked of Miss Hardbroom.
Miss Hardbroom was looking at Mildred almost as though she could see the thoughts dancing in her eyes. For a moment Mildred thought she was going to comment on that day or ask her what she was thinking about.
"It will suffice" Miss Hardbroom said dismissively and turned to walk back to the potion's lab. "I wish to set you homework this evening."
Miss Drill scrunched up her face in protest at the lack of praise for Mildred on completing a potion successfully but she held her tongue.
When they got back to the potion's lab everything had been cleared away for them and Miss Hardbroom had set them each a piece of paper and a pen.
"One of the biggest lessons any witch must learn is just how powerful magic can be and how impulse and whim can create very different results to the ones we intend. I would like you to write down on the paper in front of you one image that you would like to remove from your memory forever. That will not eliminate the entire memory but you can eliminate a single image, or chain of connected images, from a memory thread. Write them down now" Miss Hardbroom commanded and Miss Drill and Mildred both sat there and thought about the task carefully.
Mildred was the first person to write down the image she would want removing from her memory. Miss Drill followed her a few minutes later.
Miss Hardbroom waved her hand and the paper vanished.
"I will keep those. I would like you to think long and hard about that question again and bring to your next class another image you would like removing. It can match the first or be different. Perhaps you will have changed your mind or decided that image is important for events that preceded it. Consider your memory and what that image means to you. We will cover this tomorrow evening" Miss Hardbroom said authoritatively. "You may go" she said dismissing them both.
"Miss Hardbroom, would it be possible for Mildred and I to use the potions lab in the morning before breakfast. Mildred would like to practice a potion and I have agreed to assist" Miss Drill asked before HB vanished.
"I do not see why not" Miss Hardbroom said plainly and then vanished from the room.
"Tomorrow!" Mildred said half excitedly and half nervously.
"The sooner you practice the better you will feel" Miss Drill said, careful not to discuss anything that the potion teacher could overhear.
"Alright Miss" Mildred said, toning down her excitement. "I will see you first thing then."
"I will come and get you after my morning jog Mildred. I don't think I should leave to chance you getting out of bed early" Miss Drill said.
"You are probably right" Mildred said smiling.
Mildred ended the night on a positive note. She tossed and turned that night though. The empty Great Hall had brought nightmares to the surface. She relived the events at the beginning of term and she also relived the events one year ago. She woke twice in the night and once she found Maud by her bedside, reassuring her that she was awake and safe.
"Mildred it's okay. I am here. You are okay" her best friend was telling her.
"Bad dream" Mildred said when she was cognitive enough to realise what was going on.
"Do you think last week triggered them again. Perhaps you should talk to someone" Maud said gently.
"I am okay, I think something this evening just reminded me of a few things that's all. They will go away again" Mildred said hopefully.
"Okay, I will keep an eye on you though" Maud said in her parental tone.
"Thanks Maud, you're a good friend" Mildred said with a soft smile.
"The best" Maud said as she closed the door gently to Mildred's room.
When Miss Drill woke Mildred up at 6.30am Mildred was not pleased. She was exhausted from the nightmares and less eager to throw herself headlong into trouble. A new day and an early morning had rattled her senses and she realised this was another stupid idea of hers that Miss Drill was actually going along with. She would doom them both!
Mildred had no option but to get out of bed and crack on so that is exactly what she did.
As Mildred was getting ready for the day Miss Hardbroom was pacing in her room trying to resolve a conflict she was having with herself. She was troubled and realised she must take action, but the kind of action required was not something that sat comfortably with her.
She transported herself to the lake to hone her magical ability and put it through the rigorous tests she did each morning, meticulously progressing her skills.
Mildred finally made it to the potion's lab and found Miss Drill sat waiting with everything prepared that she thought they might need.
"Finally, Mildred, we could do with a little more haste this morning if you don't mind" Miss Drill said with an edge of anxiety.
"Sorry Miss, I didn't sleep well" Mildred said.
"I know how you feel!" Miss Drill replied suggesting that they were both nervous about the mornings events.
"Okay I will give you the ingredients to get while I run through what we need to do again" Mildred said strongly.
"Okay, whatever you need, let's just get this done" Miss Drill said as she jumped off her stool and went to fetch all of the ingredients.
Mildred read through the process and felt sure she knew it well enough to create the potion.
"So what are we making?" Miss Drill asked.
"A masking spell to shield a magical aura so a witch can disappear without any magical trace" Mildred said.
"Well that makes sense, but won't that make Miss Hardbroom instantly suspicious?" Miss Drill asked.
"It would if I hadn't created a clone of myself first. The only problem with it is that the only person I can test it on is HB. So, at that point it either works or my life pretty much ends" Mildred said with a shrug that suggested it couldn't really get any worse anyway.
"Rather you than me," Miss Drill said.
They worked quickly and silently then. They were both terrified that Miss Hardbroom would suddenly appear before them and then they would have to explain that they accidentally got the potion wrong or read the wrong page or something ridiculous that HB would know was utter rubbish.
"How long will the potion last?" Miss Drill asked detecting another issue with it.
"I have created a spell so that the potion will activate on the first click of my fingers and stop when I click them again. I tested it with an invisibility potion and it worked so I am hoping it will work for this as well" Mildred explained.
"Well, you certainly get top marks for effort Mildred but your testing is a little risky" Miss Drill said with a grimace.
"There isn't anyone else who will notice that my magical aura has vanished, just Miss Hardbroom" Mildred stated.
"I know Mildred. As long as you think the risks are worth the rewards" Miss Drill said seriously, making sure Mildred had thought this through.
"They are Miss...I think it looks ready" Mildred said staring at the potion.
"Well it looks how it is described. We best bottle it up then since we cannot exactly test it now can we?" Miss Drill part asked and part wondered if there was any possibilities not yet explored.
"I could test it on someone else but that couldn't be a pupil and the only teachers auras I detect are Miss Cackle and Miss Bat's which I am pretty sure Miss Hardbroom would notice if they were to vanish" Mildred said thinking through the options out loud.
"What about cats? Do they have magical auras?" Miss Drill asked.
"A witch's familiar" Mildred said slowly, "now that is an idea," she said as she scooped the potion into vials.
Miss Hardbroom frowned at her problem and paced once more. She usually came outside to be still and connected to her magic. Today had proved frustrating once more.
She had come to a conclusion. She would have to seek help and she had delayed doing so long enough. Miss Hardbroom vanished from the lake side and materialised in Miss Cackle's office just as the headmistress sat down in her chair to start the day.
"I...need...help," Miss Hardbroom said with great difficulty, "my magic has changed. It may have been how the black sphere was removed from my aura. At times my magic is less precise, fades more quickly, or lacks a little power. It might not be noticeable to anyone else...but it is to me."
Miss Cackle was shocked by HB's sudden appearance and equally by her hurried words. She knew Constance Hardbroom and this was her in meltdown.
"Alright Constance, please sit down, we will figure this out together" Miss Cackle said instinctively, making sure her deputy felt heard, supported and had her full attention. "When did you start noticing something was wrong?"
"Almost immediately after the dark magic was removed. I connected to the magic in the walls and as soul magic flowed through me I felt the smallest friction, or resistance to it" she said, but there was raw emotion behind each word spoken.
"Can you see or sense anything wrong in your magical aura?" Miss Cackle asked tentatively and respectfully.
"No nothing, it feels whole," Miss Hardbroom said.
"I know you wont like this Constance but…" Miss Cackle began.
"No...not Mildred Hubble, I do not wish to invite her to analyse my aura at present" Miss Hardbroom interrupted her to say.
"Why Constance? What did Mildred do to hurt you? I have been wanting to broach this all week but I could tell it was sensitive," Miss Cackle said.
"She doesn't deserve her abilities. She hasn't worked for them. She breaks rules, answers back, and acts on a whim and then she by some miracle lands on her feet and looks like the heroine. I don't want her getting everything her own way when she doesn't do the work that other pupils do. Maud Spellbody works hard tirelessly. Ruby Cherrytree is innovative and reads Science books in the evenings. Mildred tries hard when she has to but she doesn't conduct herself like a witch. I don't want her doing the bare minimum anymore. And she sees enough of my aura as it is" Miss Hardbroom spoke in an exasperated and tired tone.
"I don't think this approach is good for you or Mildred, Constance. You will make her more rebellious. She has always been reactive. I have seen her work hard to please you. She may not have Maud's organisation or Ruby's innovation but she is loyal, courageous and selfless. I think you need to ease off Mildred...perhaps" Miss Cackle said as diplomatically as possible, "and I think you need to discuss your aura with her. It is either that or we will have to consult the Council" Miss Cackle added and though she didn't want it to sound like a threat she knew it must come across that way.
"That is your advice?" Miss Hardbroom asked and she looked weary and fragile in that moment which troubled Miss Cackle.
"I think you knew it would be" Miss Cackle said gently. "Do not underestimate what impact you have on Mildred. She challenges you most because she wants your approval and respect most of all. We all make mistakes Constance, you are capable of leniency and compassion where your Mistress was not," Miss Cackle said softly.
Miss Hardbroom looked up as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
"Last week has haunted me somewhat" Constance said distantly, "thank you Amelia," she said as she crossed her arms and vanished from the room.
"I will always be here, Constance, if you wish to talk further" Amelia said aloud so her deputy could hear her final words of support.
Mildred left the potion's lab with Miss Drill full of relief. She had the vials of potion tucked away in her bag and they had cleared everything up after themselves.
As Mildred sat eating her porridge the fun of the morning started to wear off and her sleepless night zapped her energy once more. She felt drained and the thought of the day filled her with dread. If only she could take a sick day.
A sick day! Maybe she could. All of the detentions and HB shouting at her, most of the staff would believe it if she was run down, a headache perhaps. She had double PE first so she could make her excuses then.
Her thoughts suddenly snowballed. What if she could visit Cosies and have a cream tea, then spend the rest of the day in bed recuperating. What could HB do? Nothing! If she went to Miss Cackle and explained then she would be completely safe from the deputy Headmistresses wrath.
Mildred considered the plan. It was reckless, untested, foolhardy and highly unlikely to work. Mildred couldn't help but grin to herself - it was a Hubble plan for sure.
She pulled out a piece of paper and by the time her friends had come to join her she had drawn her aura ready for the great escape.
"How are you doing Millie?" Maud asked as soon as she reached Mildred's table, "you were up early!"
"Yeah, Miss Drill wanted help with a potion. I am pretty tired...and my head is pounding" Mildred said and felt incredibly guilty about lying to her friends. She was tired, drained, fed up and suffocated by HB, but her head wasn't pounding.
"Oh no...you look pale Millie. Do you want me to tell Miss Drill you are not well?" Maud offered.
"Yeah it's not like anyone will blame you and Miss Drill will totally understand" Enid added.
"Well...I suppose I could do with a rest. I will tell her myself though," Mildred said putting on a brave face.
"It's HB's fault, she has worn you into the ground! Maybe you should go and talk to Miss Cackle" Enid said.
"Well she did warn me and I did say way more than I should have. HB can't back down on a promise can she! The week is nearly over, hopefully next week will be better" Mildred hoped.
"Well it can't be any worse" Maud said, really feeling her friend's suffering.
"Erm, Mildred, aren't you meant to be in the kitchens!" Enid said suddenly.
"Oh crap! Well I have had all the porridge I can manage anyway and it doesn't look like HB has noticed for once! I will go and see Miss Drill now," Mildred said as she got up, anxiously looking round for any sign of HB, who didn't appear to be on the school grounds. That in itself was odd but Mildred was too relieved to care about why that was.
"We will come and check on you at break, get some sleep" Maud instructed.
"Thanks guys" Mildred said softly as she disappeared out of the Great Hall to go and find Miss Drill.
Miss Drill was in the courtyard setting out an obstacle course.
"Mildred, are you alright?" Miss Drill asked instinctively.
"I have a pounding head Miss and wondered if I might be excused from PE class this morning. I didn't sleep well and I don't feel very well" Mildred said as honestly as she could.
"Really?" Miss Drill asked, taking a good look at Mildred, "well you do look pale actually" she conceded.
"I had some nightmares last night. Going in the Great Hall when it was empty…" Mildred trailed off. She wanted to explain that she wasn't really faking it because she genuinely had run out of the will to cope. But, she didn't want to get caught and look like a liar either so her commitment was mixed and guilt ridden.
"Oh Mildred. Okay, take the morning. I will come and check on you before lunch and if you need anything just ask. Even if that is just to talk" Miss Drill said sympathetically.
As Mildred turned around Maud and Enid were arriving with some of the other girls. She gave them a hug before setting off to her room. Mildred hid around the corner and rummaged in her bag to find a vile of the potion they had just made that morning. She took out the drawing hastily. She downed the potion in one, brought the drawing to life and then peered around the corner so she could merge her magical aura with Miss Drill and give the drawing of her aura explicit directions all in a matter of moments.
She then said a short spell so the potion could be activated with one click of her fingers. She took a deep breath and clicked them. That should be enough. Her aura was firmly pinned to the physical presence of Miss Drill and Mildred was magically invisible until she clicked her fingers again. It was weeks of study and graft but in action it was simple. It felt too simple.
Was she really going to risk everything for the sake of a cream tea. Just the thought of it warmed Mildred through. Yes she was because she deserved it and she needed some freedom. Miss Hardbroom was in the potion's lab now probably preparing for her first class. Mildred felt her stationary aura. Miss Bat was in her classroom and Miss Cackle was in the Staff room probably getting an extra croissant while nobody was looking, or judging her for it.
Mildred exited the castle through the side entrance that she had seen Mr Blossom use from time to time. She worried it could be locked when she came back, or someone might see her leave or return from one of the bedroom windows. She worried that Miss Drill might check on her early or tell Miss Cackle who might check on her. Then she drew a line. If she spent the whole time worrying, it wouldn't be worth doing at all. Mildred focused on having a relaxing, worry free trip to Cosies.
She walked freely and easily as she left the castle grounds. She brushed leaves as she passed them, breathed in the air and felt the odd ray of sunshine land on her face. She daydreamed and took life at her own pace...it was a slow pace.
When she reached Cosies she ordered a cream tea with extra cream and Mrs Cosie delighted in her visit.
"Ohhh Mildred, you do like taking risks don't you, mum's the word" she said as her banquet was presented to her.
"Well, I have worked really hard, and…" Mildred attempted to explain.
"Oh don't you worry my pet. I was no Saint at school meself!" she said with a knowing wink.
Mildred ate every crumb and drank the fresh pot of tea admiring the traditional look and feel of Cosies. Nothing had changed and that is exactly how she hoped it would always remain.
Mildred turned out her pockets and was counting change out onto the table to pay.
"It's on me Mildred. You were never here you see" Mrs Cosie said with a wide grin and a heartwarming chuckle.
"Oh thank you Mrs Cosie. I will come and help out when term ends" Mildred offered, so grateful for the gesture.
"Yes well, you're welcome o'course, so long as you leave your magic at the door" Mrs Cosy said with a frown.
"Ohh, yes, of course" Mildred said embarrassed and then made her farewells.
She skipped with a new found energy from the scone. It was such a liberating feeling being outside of the castle walls while classes were on. If she pulled this off it wouldn't just be the perfect escape it would be historical. Miss Hardbroom would never know what she had done. She would have pulled off something Cackle's students dreamt of. She smiled to herself and then instantly pulled herself together.
That was enough gallivanting off now. Miss Hardbroom! She needed to get back and concentrate hard on getting her timings right otherwise all of this would have been for nothing. She will just bring more misery to her suffocating life, just as it was about to lift a little. Miss Hardbroom would find out she had been in her room ill and then she would have to put on the performance of a lifetime. This was all suddenly a very bad idea! Of course, it always was after you had indulged in the treat.
Mildred got back into the castle undetected and the teachers were all where she had left them. She even knew where Miss Drill was because she was still wearing Mildred's aura. Mildred sat on the landing so she could survey the corridors and stairs. She needed to walk to Miss Cackle's office at exactly the right moment for her plan to succeed. This part was risky but when she suddenly appeared on the map again she needed to be in a safe place. And she couldn't risk Miss Hardbroom seeing Miss Drill with her aura - that was the last thing she needed to happen in fact.
Mildred moved as soon as the bell rang to signal the first lesson was over. She stood outside Miss Cackle's office and knocked on the door. Miss Cackle came out of the Staff Room seconds later and saw Mildred.
"Oh Mildred, I thought I heard a knock, were you looking for me?" Miss Cackle asked.
"Yes, Miss, I haven't been very well and wanted to talk to you" Mildred said politely.
"Oh dear Mildred. Come into my office in that case, let's have a chat" Miss Cackle said putting a supporting arm around Mildred.
As Mildred stepped into the office she saw Maud enter the Entrance way from the courtyard. Mildred recalled the drawing of her aura so now Miss Drill was undetectable once again and Mildred was magically nowhere to be found in the castle.
"Mildred what is wrong?" Miss Cackle asked with compassion.
"I asked Miss Drill if I could miss PE this morning Miss Cackle because I have a pounding head, and still do. I didn't sleep very well and don't feel much better now" Mildred explained tentatively.
Mildred sensed Miss Hardbroom materialise in the Staff Room, opting to apparate from the potion's lab there. Mildred assumed that she must have bumped into Miss Drill as the next place she visited was Mildred's room.
"Mildred, I know you have had a very difficult week. Maybe it has got on top of you. Do you think you might have done too much this week?" Miss Cackle asked carefully but with conviction.
"I went into the Great Hall last night and I felt a little shook by it. It was empty and I remembered a few things. I had nightmares last night" Mildred said looking at her feet. She actually felt quite tearful all of a sudden.
"That's alright Mildred. That will happen from time to time I am sure. You have been through a lot," Miss Cackle said, handing Mildred a tissue. "I think you should take the rest of the day off," she added.
Mildred looked up grateful for that extension of kindness and saw only warmth and understanding staring back at her.
"Thank you" she said quietly.
Mildred knew that Miss Hardbroom had now visited the kitchens, the library, the Great Hall and finally the courtyard. Mildred moved her chair a fraction so that it scraped on the floor creating a loud enough noise to hide her click her fingers. The potion must have worked because HB had clearly been unable to locate her. As soon as Mildred had lifted the mask her form tutor materialised in Miss Cackle's office looking furious.
"Mildred Hubble, where…" Miss Hardbroom stated powerfully but was cut off instantly by Miss Cackle.
"Miss Hardbroom, Mildred is not well and has been in her room resting. She will be excused for the rest of the day as she needs some time to recover" Miss Cackle said strongly.
"But, where was she during the last ten minutes?" Miss Hardbroom asked in a quieter tone.
"In my office with me. She is not to be disturbed today. Off you go Mildred, I will come and see you before tea time and see how you are feeling. We will send food up from the kitchens in case you are hungry" Miss Cackle said and ushered Mildred gently out of the door.
Mildred went straight to her room, a huge wave of relief washing over her. She could hear the raised voice of Miss Cackle telling HB to give her space and that she didn't care if she couldn't trace her, perhaps her magic was weak.
Mildred got changed into her bed clothes and tucked herself into her warm bed. It was the cosiest thing she had ever felt which was saying something as the beds at Cackle's were far from cosy. Mildred really did need her rest.
Just as Mildred was about to close her eyes HB materialised at the end of her bed giving her a shock.
"You may have convinced everyone else Mildred but I know that you got up to something today. I do not believe you were in your room and I do not believe you are even remotely ill. Let me assure you, I will not rest until I have found out exactly what you have done and how you have done it. And when I do...there will be consequences" she said with her low threatening growl of a tone.
"Yes Miss" Mildred said simply without a single care in the world and Miss Hardbroom's eyes narrowed as she disappeared.
Well she figured something had happened which is what Mildred wanted her to figure out. But, she had no evidence and Miss Cackle was squarely on Mildred's side.
This was undoubtedly, and despite the rather vicious threat, the best day of Mildred's school life to date. Miss Hardbroom had not caught Mildred in the act. She hadn't caught her red handed. She hadn't even caught her in the vicinity of the act. Mildred drifted off into a deep sleep full to the brim of triumph.
Miss Hardbroom was no longer invincible.