Once again I hope you all are staying safe and healthy.

Chapter 10

Everyone was crowding around Mildred's family tree when she walked into Miss Mould's class. Mildred felt an uneasy wave in her stomach knowing that something was very wrong. Maud and Enid followed in behind her as she gathered close and close to her classmates with dread in her step.

"What's going on?" Mildred asked anxiously.

The crowd parted the way so she could see her family tree and who had suddenly appeared on it. Mildred nearly screamed seeing Hermes' face staring at her and smirking as if he had won a massive victory over her. She gulped down the bile that was making its way up her throat. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, but she felt their disgust about her forming in each one of her classmates. One classmate, in particular, she felt smugness off of.

"You did this, didn't you?" Mildred pinned it on Ethel who stood smirking as big as her own biological father on her family tree.

"It's your family tree, Mildred, not mine." Ethel hissed at her, "Goes show everyone just what kind of witch you are."

"He's not a part of my family." Mildred defended not to Ethel, but to the other witches in the room growing weary of her, "He doesn't claim me, nor do I him."

"How can you expect us all to trust you, Mildred, when it's clear that you were keeping such a secret from all of us." Ethel addressed, turning her nose up at Mildred.

A wave of hurt and suspicion arose in the crowd forming around Mildred and her tree.

Maud stepped in for Mildred, "She has a right to her privacy, Ethel."

"Privacy?" Ethel mocked, "It's not private information if the whole witching community knows that Mildred's dad is a wanted criminal."

"He's not my dad, Ethel." Mildred repeated, but it seemed she was only talking to the air, "Miss Hardbroom is my family."

Ethel laughed, "A disgrace of a family."

Mildred wanted nothing more than to punch Ethel in the face, instead, she did something far worse. First, she made everyone else's emotions dimmer so that she could focus solely on Ethel. Second, when Mildred found that sickening confidence and arrogance that she flaunted so easily she manipulated it. Changing her emotion with a flick of the switch. Mildred inflicted all the pain and mockery that Ethel made her feel in the past two years that they had known each other. Ethel's confidence flickered away as she clutched her head in agony. Ethel fell to her knees wincing at the pain she was feeling all over her body. Mildred struck her with many insecurities and scrutinized as she could throw.

"Ethel? What's wrong?" Felicity rushed to her side, and she looked to Mildred, "What are you doing?"

Mildred simply lied, "I haven't done anything." She stood not breaking a sweat as she watched Ethel wither in pain.

"What's going on here?" Miss Mould stomped into the classroom, and one look at Ethel she rushed over to her, "Ethel? What happened?"

Mildred stopped what she was doing, and Ethel was back no longer withering on the ground. Ethel blinked away the tears in her eyes to answer, "I dunno. It was like-It was just miserable."

"What was?" Miss Mould asked.

Mildred waved a feeling of confusion to Ethel before she could reply, "I don't know. I just-I don't know what happened."

"Felicity, what happened?" Miss Mould asked her question again to a different student.

Mildred didn't have time to switch to focus on Felicity in time to catch her from saying, "Mildred and Ethel were arguing, and then all a sudden Ethel just screamed."

"Mildred, do you have anything to say about this?" Miss Mould asked sharply, eyeing her knowing exactly what she did.

"No, Miss Mould, but she did mess with my family tree," Mildred explained by pointing to Hermes on her tree.

"I didn't!" Ethel lied.

"Confess!" Mildred shouted.

Ethel opened her mouth exploding with guilt, "I did. I did put him on your family tree, but everyone deserves to know what a filthy family you come from!"

Ethel's eyes widen and she puts her hand over her mouth as if that wasn't supposed to happen at all. Miss Mould gave a warning glance to Mildred and Mildred yielded for now. She knew she would have a lecture soon from her about this, but for now, she felt proud of what she did.

"Come on, Ethel, I think we should have a talk with Miss Cackle about this." Miss Mould said, helping the girl up to her feet, "The rest of you work on your project due next week. Silently. Not a word until I come back."

"Millie, did you do something to Ethel?" Maud whispered to Mildred, as they took their seats waiting for Miss Mould to come back.

Mildred shook her head, "I was standing right next to you Maud what could I have done?"

Enid chimed in a low voice, "Yeah, but it isn't like Ethel to just come clean about something she's done."

"Maybe it was her own guilt." Mildred shrugged, trying to get them off the subject.

"I'm with Enid, Mildred, it's a bit odd how she acted." Maud continued, "Don't you think so?"

"Maud and Enid are right you know." A new voice entered their conversation. It was Felicity who was craning over her desk to say, "Ethel never would tell on herself."

"See?" Maud gestured to Felicity.

"It's not like Ethel." Felicity said, her eyes narrowed at Mildred, "Why did you hide the fact about your family tree?"

Felicity said it louder for everyone in the class to hear. They all turned their eyes to Mildred and her tree that sat on her desk. Mildred frowned, "How would you like it if you came to find out one of your family members is trying to seek revenge on you? You wouldn't care too much about people knowing after that."

No one said anything in return to her remarks and she was more than happy it was kept that way until Maud interrupted the silence.

"Hey, Millie?"

"Yeah, Maud?" Mildred asked turning to her friend, she looked like she wasn't sure if she could say anything, "Maud?"

"It's just that…Why haven't you changed your last name to Hardbroom?" Maud questioned, "Is it because you're afraid it's associated with Hermes?"

She didn't like his name coming out of her friend's mouth, but she proceeded to explain, "No, no, not because of him. I suppose it's still a piece of my mum that I have with me."

Maud nods thoughtfully, but then asks, "Is HB okay with that?"

"Of course, she is, why wouldn't she be?" Mildred defended; her mother hadn't said that she minded.

Enid chipped in, "What Maud means is that it's customary to take the last name of your witching family."

"What happens if you don't?" Mildred asked.

"It's seen as a disgrace." Maud slowly said, "It's one of those silly traditions, Mildred, don't worry too much about it."

"Yeah, if HB doesn't care then there's nothing to worry about." Enid chimed in again.

Mildred nodded, but her head was reeling another worry onto her many others. Great.

"I should have been sending you as well to Miss Cackle's office, Mildred." Miss Mould said as she closed the door on her classroom for them to talk privately.

"She shouldn't be allowed to get away with all the horrible things she does!" Mildred fired back, "Everyone is so quick to forget the tricks she pulls but if I even try doing what she did I'd be kicked out of Cackle's without any afterthought."

"Perhaps, everyone here holds higher standards for you, Mildred." Miss Mould countered, "I'm very disappointed in you, Mildred."

Mildred's heart sank, "I defended myself."

"A very good job at that indeed you could've killed her, Mildred." Miss Mould reprimanded her, "You're lucky if I don't mention this to your mother."

"I wouldn't kill her, I just wanted her to stop." Mildred attempted to save herself, "I'm sick and tired of the things she says to me."

"That doesn't give you the right to inflict your pain onto her, Mildred." Miss Mould shook her head, "I expect better of you than to go as low as Ethel Hallow has."

That one stung a lot more, Mildred looked down to the ground, "I was just so angry."

"And you have to control your own emotions first before you attempt to control other witches' emotions." Miss Mould sternly said, "If not the consequences will be disastrous."

"I won't do it again," Mildred promised.

"You'd have better not." Miss Mould warned, "If you do Mildred, I might have to rethink about teaching you in your empathy training."

"Yes, Miss Mould, I swear it won't happen again." Mildred assured her, there was a pause as Mildred asked, "Are you going to tell my mum?"

Miss Mould hummed a bit, "I'm going to take you at your word Mildred. I won't say anything, but I can't promise you that she doesn't already have a suspicion as to what happened."

"What do you mean?" Mildred pondered.

"When I took Ethel to Miss Cackle's office it seemed that she and Miss Cackle were already discussing something when we both got there." Miss Mould explained, "Miss Hardbroom expected more than just Ethel confessing it seemed."

Great Mildred thought. Her mother knows something went on. Mildred will have the lecture of a lifetime if she finds out. Best to stay out of the way and invisible as she possibly could from her mother. She chewed her lip, "She definitely knows something is up then."

"I will say though she seemed a bit distracted if I was honest." Miss Mould explained, "As if her mind was elsewhere on the topic of Ethel."

Mildred frowned what could make her mother distracted other than herself?

"I think she might have a bit on her mind." Miss Mould grabbed Mildred's shoulder, "Don't think that you are able to get out of this. You'll be helping me tidy up the classroom this evening since you are so prone to making a mess such as this one."

Mildred tucked her head in shame, "Yes, Miss Mould."

After a grueling session of cleaning up paintbrushes that had paint caked all over them and washing off dried remains of clay off desks. Mildred entered her room sluggish and threw her books and things all over to land on her bed with a thud. She groaned into her pillow with the reminder that she had lantern duties still to attend to. Tabby meowed at her and rubbed his head against her own. She petted him softly, "What a day, Tabby."

Ethel entered the room with a note in her hand, her eyes narrowed at Mildred, "I'm to give this to you and to tell you that Miss Hardbroom needs your attention after your lantern duties." She tossed the note to her.

"What's this?" Mildred pondered, folding it open.

"It's an apology." Ethel announced, looking away from Mildred's eyes and going towards her desk, "I was told I had said sorry to you."

"Oh. You could've just said it." Mildred said.

"But then I wouldn't have meant it would I?" Ethel's voice was like ice, "There's a note of proof that you did get an apology from me, but I certainly didn't say it out loud."

"Not much of an apology then, Ethel." Mildred stated, scrunching the note up in her hand and throwing it at her, "You can have it back then seeing as I don't need it."

Ethel seethed, "What exactly did you do to me in class?"

"I didn't do anything, Ethel." Mildred remarked, "You were the one that said all those things."

"But I didn't want to!" Ethel yelled back, "It was like this force just came upon me and I knew in the back of my head you had something to do with it."

"I was standing in front of you, Ethel, and I didn't do anything. How could I?" Ethel rolled her eyes at Mildred's excuse, and Mildred laughed, "You know I couldn't! I come from a filthy family, don't I? I don't have the same magical potential as you do, so you're suggesting that I am powerful enough to not even be able to cast a spell or use a potion on you. Think about that, Ethel."

Ethel's nose turned up, "That's not what I mean. You are from a filthy family and you should hardly call yourself a witch, but I do know when I'm being played as a fool, Mildred Hubble."

Mildred could scream all night long with Ethel, but that would get her nowhere. Instead, Mildred grabs all her things for the night including Tabby and her broom. Before Mildred leaves, she looks to Ethel one last time, "I really hope one of these days you'll realize how wrong you are about me."

Then Mildred left with Ethel to give no time to respond.

"What happened?" Hecate asked, as soon as Mildred was through the door of Hecate's quarters.

"I just did lantern duties with Tabby." Mildred said, dropping Tabby off into the ground as proof, "So you'll have to be more specific?"

"Why did Ethel Hallow have to come into Miss Cackle's Office?" Hecate droned, as she sipped tea from her favorite black armchair, she pointed at Mildred's usual spot by the fire, "Sit. Explain."

Mildred set her broom aside, her cloak on the rack, and her things by her door. She scurried over to her favorite chair, "You know what she did though?"

"Yes, and she has lines with me every day this week." Miss Hardbroom nodded, eyeing Mildred from her seat. She looked like the mistress of evil sitting in her black nightgown with her curls cascading down off her shoulders and the fire lighting only certain portions of her face. It was enough to make Mildred gulp at the sight of her, but her eyes shone that suspicious she always held for Mildred's antics that she knew she was in for it, "That's not the issue I have currently. Perhaps, I should be clearer in what I'm asking. What did you do to her, Mildred?"

"Why does everyone think I did something to her?" Mildred exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air defeated.

"Well, did you?" Her mother repeated.

"No-Well, yes-Not exactly-But yeah. I did. A bit. Not really anything though." Mildred flubbed out, while Hecate gave a peevish look, "Right, well, yeah I did. I didn't mean too-Well, I did-"

"Which is it, Mildred?" Hecate impatiently asked.

"I did." Mildred said with finality, "But before you get your knickers in a twist no one knew it was me-I mean people think it's me, but they don't have proof-I was angry, okay? She put him on my family tree and then she just wants to constantly punish me in front of everyone-and she gets away with it all. I was fed up with it! I am still fed up with it!"

"Mildred-"

"So, I made her feel guilty. I made her feel all the things I feel every time she says something horrible to me and Miss Mould wants me to feel bad about it-but I don't-and I know I should." Mildred's breath quickened, "But you know I feel everyone's emotions and Ethel Hallow has never felt any remorse for anything she has done! I wanted her to feel something. Anything. And it didn't do anything! Nothing! And I-I-"

She seized up as all her muscles tensed and then she started to shake. And she couldn't control her breath any longer it was shaky just as her muscles were. For a moment it felt like she was lost in the woods at night. Darkness fluttering about her eyes and just as dizzy as trying to find your way out of the woods. There was warmth through a soothing voice telling her to breathe like a wind that howls in your ear or be the softest whisper you've ever heard. Slowly she came out of the woods and back to reality.

"Mildred?" Her mother's voice hovered in her right ear.

"Y-Yeah." Mildred choked out, "I'm-"

"Millie, look at me. Please." Hecate's voice was so soft pleading to her, "That's it. Good."

Her mother's face was outlined with worry, but relief crossed her face as Mildred's tired eyes met hers. Mildred reached out to her mother's face cupping one of her hands to her guardian's cheek, "I didn't make you feel anything, did I?"

Hecate grasped at Mildred's hand at her cheek, "No, Millie, of course not."

"You're sure?" Mildred asked.

Hecate nodded, "Yes. Do you worry about that?"

Mildred shrugged, "It's a possibility now, so I can't help but think it."

Hecate pauses, and takes Mildred's hand away from her face gathering Mildred's other hand to hold pulling it to her heart, "What am I feeling right now?" Mildred tries to pull away afraid, "No, I'm giving you permission, Mildred. Go ahead."

Empathy was like opening a door to Mildred now, but a door that was very hard to close but easy to open. People were an open book to their emotions and her mother was no exception to this, but Mildred knew that Hecate was allowing her full access into her aura. A dangerous place to mess around for an empath, but her mother was trusting her. She could do this, so she shut her eyes and she opened the door.

Hecate on many surfaces showed what she felt on the outside often, but this was different. This felt like a secret or one of the many hidden things that Hecate kept private about. This was a secret that Mildred knew, and Pippa knew, and it was the love that Hecate held inside herself for others. If it was a color it was a rich purple that wrapped around Mildred protectively and if it held a shape it would be the size of a dragon…or the whole universe. This love attached itself to Mildred never wanting to let her go.

Mildred opened her eyes and Hecate was trying to hold the tears back in her eyes, "I will always feel that way about you nothing could change that. Not even you."

Once Mildred had fallen asleep, Hecate opened up a bottle of witches' brew. She hadn't touched the stuff in ages. The last time she had it was a few years ago at one of the staff parties and she swore never to touch the stuff again. She hardly got over the teases of both Ada and Dimity from the last time. She was a bit looser…more relaxed…softer than she cared to admit. But no one was here now, and the day had been incredibly taxing on her. She sat with the bottle of witches' brew and a glass at the kitchen table. She poured herself a hefty amount and drank thinking of the occurrences that happened today.

First, it was telling Ada the news that she had found out from Pippa. Of course, that didn't blow over very well. Now, she could tell Ada was worried about what was going to happen to the school and she was worried just as well. Just as they were discussing a plan of action Miss Mould came in with Ethel in tow leading Hecate to believe that Mildred had done something to the girl. That conversation led to Ethel getting a full week of detention with Hecate and apologizing to both Mildred and herself. Ethel, of course, wasn't sorry at all and now was starting to grow a newfound hatred for Hecate now. If that wasn't enough for a headache then the whole topic of Mildred's empathy skills was causing a full-on migraine now.

Of course, there was a potion that could cure her migraine in an instant, but witches' brew did the trick just fine. She sipped from her glass and drummed her fingers against her armchair. What was she to do? She was at a loss it seemed that things were outside her control and she hated it. She wished she could talk to Pippa….but she held off from mirror calling her up. She was still upset at her and needed some space to allow her to think on the matter. That's all she ever did though. Think. Think. Think.

A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts. At this hour all the girls should be in bed. She sits her witches brew down and swinging the door open with a snare hoping to frighten a first-year who dared woke her up. Instead, she was greeted by Ada who looked rather pale under the lantern glow from out in the hallway. Hecate reached out to place a hand on her friend's shoulder, "Ada? What is it?"

"The stone. It's missing, Hecate." Ada croaked.

Hecate only wished that she had drunk the whole bottle of witches brew.