Rest in Peace Jill Murphy.
Out of respect for Jill Murphy and her struggle with cancer, I don't own The Worst Witch.
Please let me know what you think.
Understanding.
It was her last day at Cackles - soon she would be heading to college to continue with her education, but at the same time Mildred was nervous about the prospect of higher magical education; she felt she had come a long way, far better than what she'd been capable of in her first year at the school, but she was worried about how well it would go.
She might have come a long way from the day where she had made the mistake of taking Ethel's potion ingredients during the Entrance Exam, but a part of Mildred wondered to herself if she had truly stepped up from the girl she had once been. The mess with Agatha towards the end of her first year aside, she had grown as a person even if she genuinely wished the Witching World had a better understanding of psychology rather than simply dismissing everyone who was born second in magical families.
That was one of the reasons why she was disdainful towards the Witches Code, really; the Great Wizard might feel he was honouring magical tradition by keeping the bit of the code which stated clearly only the eldest could inherit the legacies of the family, but in Mildred's eyes all it had done was bring nothing but grief.
Thanks to that part of the Code, Agatha had tried to take the school several times, and it wasn't until she'd found Agatha's birth scroll which was given to the witch herself by Ethel that her claim over the Academy became legitimate.
Thanks to the Code, Ethel had been a nightmare, and while Mildred was thankful the blonde girl had woken up to her shortcomings, there were times where she wondered if Ethel had truly grown herself.
"Milly?" There was a short knock on the door and Mildred turned and smiled at the sight of her friend; she and Maud might have had a few rough patches, but truthfully they had worked through the worst of it.
"Hey, Maud, you okay?" Mildred said with her trademark ready smile which had made her so approachable to the rest of the students, especially to Izzy.
Maud chuckled and strode in, absently stroking Star and Tabby. "Yeah," her smile disappeared from her cherubic face as she looked around the bedroom. Mildred wondered what was going through her mind, but she suspected that Maud was thinking of all the time she and Enid had met in this room just to hang out (the thought of Enid brought a moment of melancholy for Mildred; she knew her friend was reaching out for her dreams, but at the same time for selfish reasons, she genuinely wished Enid hadn't left).
"You are going to miss it, aren't you?"
"What?" Maud blinked at her in confusion, not understanding what she was saying.
Mildred chuckled. "You're gonna miss it, us two in this room, in this school."
"Yeah, but we'll still be in touch-," Maud said, but Mildred waved a hand.
"Oh, I know that, Maud. That's not what I meant," Mildred didn't voice the fear she had, the very real fear she would lose touch with her friends completely. She and Maud were going to different colleges; Maud was going to a university in the South whereas Mildred was heading for Weirdsister's which was closer to mum, but what Mildred was really worried about was how she and her friends would become too busy or they would find new friends to make time for their old ones.
A part of Mildred had the feeling her fears were shared by Maud, but neither girl spoke about it. "I meant," Mildred paused as she tried to recall what they were talking about before her fears got to her, "being in the Academy, old times."
Maud smiled and nodded in understanding. "Yeah, of course. But we'll treasure them for all time, along with other things that we won't, but that's life."
Mildred knew Maud well enough to know she was referring to the times where Agatha kept trying to take over the school with Ethel's unwitting or willing help simply because she didn't see that she could be so much more than Mrs Hallow, the mess with Indy, and so many other things that seemed to part of the course in Cackles.
"You're right there, Maud," Mildred didn't want to think about some of the more painful moments from the past, "we will treasure what happened here, but at the same time I won't miss getting up so early in the mornings."
"Or eat the food," Maud laughed.
"No," Mildred laughed herself as she remembered the unsavoury foods which had screwed her pallet up for the last five years. "No, we won't."
Another knock came from the door.
"Mildred? Are you in there?"
It was Ethel.
"Yeah, come on in," Mildred ignored Maud's curious look as she wondered what the blonde girl wanted and her own concerns. She and Ethel had, more or less, reconciled their differences especially after the disaster with Agatha from last year, but there would always be something about Ethel that set her on edge despite her best efforts.
The blonde witch stepped into the room and spotted Maud instantly. "O-oh, I didn't realise you had company, Mildred. I'll come back later," Ethel said awkwardly before she tried to leave.
"No, Ethel, it's okay. You can stay. Was there something you wanted?" Mildred asked as the blonde came back into the bedroom.
Ethel looked awkward. "I know you and I will be at Weirdsister's together, so I don't have to say anything but at the same time…," the blonde paused and she wore the expression and appearance of a young woman who looked like she was having a hard time finding the right words to express herself - Mildred had always found it ironic that Ethel Hallow, perhaps the best student of the year, had always struggled with her words, but at the same time she had come to the realisation that Ethel was emotionally stunted thanks to her parents - but the blonde recovered, "I hope we'll be more friendly to each other."
Mildred looked closely at the blonde girl. Yes, she and Ethel had both settled the worst of their differences, but the pair of them still quarrelled at times but it was a kind of friendly sniping more than the outright bullying Ethel had once practiced. She hoped Ethel was being sincere. She really did, but she was hoping in a different environment the blonde witch would be the person her sisters wanted.
"So do I, Ethel. I don't want us to fight. There's no point, not anymore. Just be yourself, okay?" Mildred hoped she wasn't giving Ethel permission to return to her bullying ways, but she lived in hope.
Ethel smiled back awkwardly before she muttered a few nothings and she left the bedroom. Maud turned to Mildred, uncertain if she should comment about Ethel's visit or not, but Mildred cut across her.
"Well, shall we go down for the Graduation ceremony?" Mildred asked. She was hoping to see her half-sister and some of the other girls she had befriended for the last few years before they left.
"Sure," Maud and Mildred both left the bedroom and as she closed the door, Mildred felt a kind of nostalgic sadness fill her as she saw the bedroom she had spent the past five years living in. Shortly she and her familiars would be leaving for home and then once summer was over she would head for Weirdsisters.
Mildred closed the door and headed down with Maud, taking the first steps to the rest of her life.