A Cause for Concern
Disclaimer: I do not own the Worst Witch or Weirdsister College series or any characters associated with them. No money is being made from this story.
Chapter 12: A Curious Incident in the Night
Mildred couldn't believe how quickly time was passing. Her first week as a teacher at Cackle's had dragged, but the second seemed to be racing. It was Thursday afternoon already, with the weekend just around the corner.
She had just called a halt to Shape Changing practice with the Fourth Years. Their progress in just two weeks had been astonishing. All of them could now transform themselves, and more than two thirds were able to reverse the transformation unaided. A couple of the more able girls had even progressed onto other animal forms besides pigs. Jenny Samhain, the Head Girl, could already change into a cat and a falcon.
Mildred was proud of them but she was also relieved. At this rate they would be finished with Shape Changing long before the end of term, which was just as well. They were already starting to fall behind with other parts of the curriculum.
Mildred started teaching the main part of the lesson, continuing with locator spells. They really ought to have finished with this topic in the last lesson but the time they had spent on Shape Changing had caused something of a delay.
"All right, I think that's enough now," Mildred said a few minutes before the end of the lesson. "I'm sure you'll all be relieved to hear that in our next lesson on Monday we will move on to a new topic. Between now and then though, I'd like you to write a five hundred word essay briefly describing the different types of locator spells with their advantages and disadvantages, and outlining for each a situation where they might be used."
The girls all sighed at the assignment, but they nodded in agreement. They were a good bunch really. Mildred actually wished she didn't need to assign the Fourth Years so many essays, but with class time so limited because of Shape Changing practice it was the only means of assessment she had.
After the girls had left, Mildred cleaned the blackboard with a quick spell then walked slowly upstairs to the Staff Room to join her colleagues. Miss Cackle had called for a staff meeting immediately after lessons but she had no idea what it was about.
When she entered the Staff Room Miss Cackle was already there, along with Miss Hardbroom and Miss Crotchet, although there was no sign of Miss Drill.
"Come in and sit down, Mildred," Miss Cackle said. "We're just waiting for Miss Drill now. She had the Third Years for PE."
Miss Drill arrived a couple of minutes later, looking a little out of breath.
"Sorry I'm late," she apologised. "Those Third Years are hopeless. It took forever to clear the gym equipment away."
"Not to worry," Miss Cackle assured her. "We haven't started yet."
As the PE teacher joined the others at the Staff Room table, Miss Cackle explained why she had called the staff meeting.
"For only the third time in the last decade, Cackles has been invited to provide the entertainment at this year's Halloween Meeting."
"Isn't it a bit early to worry about that?" Mildred asked. "Halloween's weeks away yet!"
"It may be a little early but I want everything agreed and sorted in good time," Amelia Cackle replied. "We need to decide well ahead of time what sort of entertainment will most impress the Chief Wizard."
"Helliboring!" Mildred muttered under her breath, to sniggers from Imogen Drill and Lavinia Crotchet.
"Mildred!" Miss Hardbroom looked reprovingly at her young colleague.
"Sorry!" Mildred apologised, although the grin on her face made it obvious she wasn't in the least repentant.
"The last time five years ago Miss Crotchet conducted the school choir in a composition based on traditional witch chants," Miss Cackle continued. "That went down extremely well with the Chief Wizard so the question is, should we repeat that or try something different?"
"I still think…" Miss Hardbroom began, but she was quickly interrupted.
"We know, Constance," Miss Drill said quickly. "We know you want to do another broomstick pageant based on the Ballad of Lucy Fairweather and get it right this time."
"I admit the memory of that disaster still rankles with me," the Potions teacher said. "And no Mildred, you need not look so downcast. I fully accept that was Ethel Hallow's fault rather than yours. But regardless of who was to blame it was still a calamity for the reputation of the school, something I have long desired to set right."
"I'm really not sure that would be wise, Constance." Miss Cackle said thoughtfully. "I'm sure the Chief Wizard hasn't forgotten that Halloween night nine years ago. Presenting exactly the same performance might be a mistake. Perhaps we would be better sticking to Miss Crotchet and the choir."
Constance Hardbroom kept her face impassive but Mildred could tell how disappointed she was and felt a sudden rush of sympathy for the older witch. The memory of that disastrous Halloween night obviously still preyed on her mind and Mildred couldn't help but feel some responsibility for her role in that, no matter how inadvertent. A sudden idea came to her.
"Why don't we do both?" she suggested. "We could do a traditional broomstick display based on the Ballad, but have the choir introduce it and comment between the scenes as well as sum up at the end, like the chorus in a Greek tragedy. That way we could say it's different from what we did nine years ago. I'm sure Lavinia could come up with some suitable music based on traditional chants."
"Why Mildred, what a splendid idea," Miss Cackle said, beaming at her. "What do you think, ladies?"
Miss Hardbroom nodded. "It seems like a very reasonable compromise."
"I already have some ideas for the music," Lavinia Crotchet said enthusiastically. "I'll get started right away."
"We're all agreed then," Miss Cackle asked, looking around at the other teachers and they all nodded. "Then I'll leave all the arrangements up to you. Obviously Miss Hardbroom and Miss Crotchet will need to work closely together."
"I will speak to my Second Years tomorrow morning," Miss Hardbroom declared. "The Ballad is traditionally performed with commentary by a narrator, so those sections are the ones that would most easily be adapted for the choir."
"You're right, Constance," Miss Crotchet agreed. "The words may need a little tweaking, though."
The two of them walked off, deep in discussion and leaving Mildred with Miss Cackle and Miss Drill.
"That was a kind thing you did, Mildred," Miss Cackle said when the pair were gone. "I know you made that suggestion for Miss Hardbroom's benefit."
"It was the least I could do, considering the part I played in that disaster," Mildred replied.
"Mildred, it wasn't your fault," Imogen Drill insisted.
"It was to some extent," Mildred said sadly. "I should have realised Ethel wouldn't lend me her broomstick so readily without an ulterior motive. I ought to have asked Miss Hardbroom to check that broom for jinxes before I flew on it."
"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Mildred," Miss Cackle told her. "You were very young and inexperienced at the time and you did the best you could."
Mildred nodded reluctantly. Logically she knew the Headmistress was right, although sometimes her heart was not so easily convinced.
From that point, the conversation became increasingly nostalgic as they reminisced about some of the more notorious escapades of 'The Worst Witch.' The laughter flowed freely from all three of them, although hearing about these incidents from the perspective of their younger colleague made the two older teachers, especially Amelia Cackle, acutely aware of just how unfairly Mildred had sometimes been treated.
Later, Miss Hardbroom and Miss Crotchet returned for supper in the Staff Room while Miss Drill left to oversee the girl's evening meal in the Great Hall. The talk centred mainly on the forthcoming Halloween celebrations, although as they were all witches they also discussed some of the more recent developments in witchcraft. To her surprise, Mildred found herself enjoying the conversation and for the first time started to feel like a proper part of the teaching staff. Eventually Miss Hardbroom left to supervise lights out and shortly after Mildred excused herself as well, wanting an early night.
She returned to her room and started preparing for bed, removing her make up and then changing into a nightgown. Usually Mildred fell asleep very quickly but tonight she felt unusually restless, changing positions several times as she tried to find the most comfortable one to sleep in.
Although her body was tired, her mind was working overtime and she couldn't help thinking about all the personal and professional problems in her life. The most pressing one of course was her relationship with Ben. They had spoken by 'phone several times since Sunday and Ben had apologised repeatedly for his behaviour. Mildred had forgiven him, but was still very worried at the way things were going between them. They were going to meet again this coming Sunday. Hopefully things would go better, but Mildred knew his hostility to her magic was an issue that would have to be resolved eventually, or they would be doomed as a couple in the long run.
It seemed like hours had passed since she had gone to bed but Mildred still couldn't sleep. It was an unusually warm autumn night and she thought perhaps this was making sleep difficult. Getting up she went over to the window and opened the shutters, allowing the night air into her room.
Cackles Academy at night was as striking as ever. The scene she saw out of her window, with the castle lit ethereally by moonlight was one that had often brought her a measure of peace as a schoolgirl after a trying day. Mildred felt a powerful sense of nostalgia. No matter how hard she had found being a pupil at Cackle's, life had been so much simpler then without all the complications and responsibilities of adulthood. Then she reprimanded herself sternly. There was no point in dwelling on the past and she couldn't have remained a schoolgirl forever, no matter how tempting that might have seemed at times.
Mildred was about to go back to bed when something caught her eye. Had she really seen a glimmer of light in one of the windows on the far side of the castle? At first she thought it must have been her imagination, but then she clearly saw it again.
She felt rather alarmed. The light was coming from the East Wing of the castle, which was out of bounds for pupils and no teacher had any reason to go there. That part of the castle had been abandoned for decades. Mildred remembered all too vividly the events at the end of her First Year at Cackles when Agatha Cackle, impersonating her sister Amelia, had tried to take over the school. It was from the East Wing that she had signalled to her two henchwomen, Bindweed and Coldstone.
She couldn't really believe this was Agatha again, the woman hadn't been heard from in years. More likely it was some adventurous pupils getting a thrill from flouting the rules and exploring out of bounds. But it certainly needed investigating. The East Wing was out of bounds for good reason. The masonry was in a poor state of repair and quite dangerous in some places.
Mildred put on her dressing gown and lit a candle, then left her room and headed for the East Wing. She decided to go there on foot and save her magical reserves, just in case it turned out to be something more dangerous than a few rule-breaking schoolgirls. For a moment she considered waking Miss Cackle or Miss Hardbroom but quickly decided against it. There was no point disturbing their sleep for what was probably a minor disciplinary matter.
As she slowly made her way through the East Wing, looking in each of the long disused rooms, Mildred realised what a bad state this part of the castle was in. The stonework was crumbling in many places and there was dust and cobwebs everywhere.
She noticed a light just ahead of her, coming from a half open door. As she moved closer, Mildred heard the sounds of someone moving about inside the room. When she stepped inside she recognised the occupant immediately.
"Cynthia!"
Cynthia Hazelmere whirled around, almost dropping her candle. She stood in the middle of the room, which was completely empty except for a rickety looking table and a couple of equally dilapidated wooden chairs.
"Miss Hubble!" Cynthia gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"I think I should be asking you that question," Mildred retorted. "The East Wing is out of bounds, Cynthia. Why are you here?"
The girl looked down at the floor but said nothing.
"I asked you a question. Why are you here, Cynthia?"
"Exploring!" The girl said at last, looking at her form tutor defiantly.
"Exploring?" Mildred repeated, looking at the girl sceptically. "There nothing worth seeing in the East Wing. It's been abandoned for years. And where's Annabel?"
"In her room, Miss."
The two of you are usually joined at the hip," Mildred said. "Why leave her out of your exploring?"
"I didn't want her getting into trouble," Cynthia replied. "Are you going to punish me, Miss?"
Mildred was tempted to do exactly that. But if she had caught Bella or Donna at a similar escapade she would probably have let them off with a warning for a first offence, so she ought to do the same with Cynthia. Even if she didn't like the girl, she still ought to treat her fairly.
"No I won't punish you this time. But if I catch you doing this again I will have to hand out a punishment. Now let's get you back to bed."
Mildred accompanied Cynthia all the way back to her room and saw her safely inside before returning to her own. As she got back into bed, Mildred considered the events of the night.
She found it hard to believe the girl had just been exploring as she had claimed. Cynthia Hazelmere was not the sort of girl who broke rules just for the fun of it. And why not involve Annabel? Mildred certainly didn't believe it was just to keep the other girl out of trouble. In fact it suggested Cynthia was up to something she wanted no one else to know about. But what could she possibly have been doing? There was nothing of any interest in the East Wing. It had been abandoned for decades, long before the Academy had even moved to Castle Overblow.
Mildred was still puzzling over Cynthia's strange behaviour when she finally drifted off to sleep.