A/N: Yes! Is this my longest chapter yet? I hope it's a good one… I feel like the last one fell a bit flat after a year of waiting. Perhaps this one will make up for it? Would love to hear what you think!
"How's the research going, Milly?" Maud asked, cautiously stirring the unidentified slop in her bowl.
"It's alright… I don't think I've ever read so many books in my life." Mildred admitted. The group chuckled.
"So? Are you any closer to solving the mystery?" Jadu asked, fiddling with her spoon.
"Erm… not really. But we did come across something interesting just before…"
"Interesting? What kind of interesting?" Enid probed.
"Well…"
"Don't tell her, Milly. I don't like that tone. That's Enid's thinking voice." Maud warned.
"Her plotting voice." Ruby added. The girls all laughed again.
"I'm just curious. Honest." Enid snickered, propping her head on her hand. "So what have you got?"
"We read something. That if you try and reverse a spell, the person you cast on has to want the spell to be removed. If they're happy with the spell in place, it could almost impossible to remove."
The girls pondered this. "Morgana's got to be the happiest little girl I've ever seen." Ruby mused.
"I agree," Maud said. "Maybe Miss Hardbroom should just keep her as a girl?"
"Keep her as a girl? She'd be downright miserable. Can you picture Hardbroom as a long-term mummy?" Enid said, raising her eyebrows.
"I think it's cute!" Jadu giggled.
"It's not right." Mildred put in. "If Morgana were meant to be a girl, Miss Hardbroom would've done it herself ages ago. We've got to change her back."
"Well then, that settles it. We'd better get to work on making a little girl cry." Enid said evilly.
"Enid!" Maud scolded.
Mildred rolled her eyes and stood up to bring her tray to the waste bin. Suddenly, she felt a tug at her bootlaces and a very familiar scene began to take place. Caught on something she couldn't see, her laces pulled taught and she found herself crashing to the ground, her tray flying out of her hands. She landed on her side and skidded across the rough stone floor, squeezing her eyes shut and offering a silent prayer to whoever was listening that her leftovers hadn't landed on anyone.
Unfortunately, they had. And that someone was possibly the worst someone that fate could have chosen.
"Look what you've done, Mildred!" Ethel spat, disgusted. Mildred opened her eyes and looked up at her, wincing. It had been a direct hit. Slop dripped from her haughty nose and she folded her arms in fury.
"I'm so sorry!" Mildred called out, jumping to a stand. "I didn't realise my bootlaces were undone…"
"You didn't realise? How could you possibly not realise?" Ethel yelled, "Is there ever a time when they are done up? Do you just roll out of bed and jump into them without even bothering to tie them?" Ethel's temper rose along with her voice. "It's a good thing I've been practising this clean up spell!" She spat, holding out her arms and waving them angrily. She opened her eyes, but was still sodden with slop.
"That's some spell, Ethel." Enid laughed. "Didn't miss a spot!"
The great hall echoed with laughter and Ethel huffed. "Never mind, I wasn't concentrating well, that's all." She waved her arms again, but nothing happened. Just then, she looked up and locked eyes with Miss Hardbroom, who quickly looked away. The angrier you get, the less of your magic will be accessible to you… Miss Hardbroom's voice echoed in her thoughts. Ethel paled, her eyes widening in horror. She was rendered powerless… and the thought truly scared her.
Mildred noticed the complete change in Ethel, and the quick moment between her and Miss Hardbroom. "Is everything alright, Ethel?" She whispered.
Ethel's eyes began to tear, and Constance decided to save the girl from any more humiliation.
"That's enough gawping, girls." She said as she appeared in front of Ethel, sending the audience back to their seats. She waved her hand and had Ethel cleaned up. "Mildred Hubble and Ethel Hallow," she sang impatiently, "Lunch is now over for you. I would wisely suggest that the two of you make your way back to the library immediately, before either of you find yourselves in even deeper trouble."
"Pssst!" Came a hiss in the corridor. Morgana stopped in her tracks and turned to the source of the sound.
"Who's that?"
"It's me," came a distinctly cat voice, its owner padding toward her.
Morgana rolled her eyes, "What do you want Nightstar? Need I remind you that I am a human now? Not to mention I'm about 20 years your senior." She growled, threateningly.
"I need your help." Nightstar said uneasily, "Your mother made my mother sad."
Morgana folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at the cat, "Pfft. Your mother made my mother angry."
Nightstar dipped his head. "I'm sorry for the way she behaved. She's sorry. I've never seen her this sad. You've got to do something." He pleaded.
"What do I owe you, Nightstar?" Morgana hissed, "You haven't exactly made a friend in me."
Nightstar padded about in nervous circles. He'd never expected to have to come to Morgana about anything, but he was beyond desperate. Ethel had been turning into a mere shell of her former self. "I'll do anything, Morgana. Please. I can't continue to see her like this."
Morgana knelt down and looked into Nightstar's eyes. As far as she could tell, he was being sincere – something that genuinely surprised her. She sighed. "All right. I'll speak to her. But I'm not making any promises." She said.
Nightstar nodded appreciatively. "Thank you," he said, dipping his head again. "I really do appreciate it."
The library was slowly making her stir-crazy. Mildred tried to think of something other than the thousands of spines surrounding her. She tried not to see the shelves, feel the paper, smell the musty old library smell. She hadn't spent this much time with books in her entire life combined. It was getting her queasy. She closed the book she'd been reading and looked at Ethel. The girl was hunched over a book, her face worn and tired looking. Throughout the past few days, Mildred had begun to see a side of Ethel that she'd never known existed. Ethel was slowly becoming a soft, damaged, fragile façade of the tough and haughty girl she'd been known as. And the look on Ethel's face after she'd seen Miss Hardbroom… Mildred shuddered at the thought. She'd never seen Ethel look so vulnerable; except for the time when Miss Hardbroom had ridiculed her for thinking she was so advanced….
"Ethel?" Mildred tried.
Ethel heard Mildred's voice, but it didn't elicit the irritation it usually did. Where she'd normally respond with a snappish, "what?", instead she found herself answering with a soft "Hmm?"
"Is everything alright?" Mildred asked cautiously. She twirled her plait nervously. "What happened in there just before? With the spell? And Miss Hardbroom?"
Ethel's eyes snapped to Mildred's at the mention of the deputy's name. "What about Miss Hardbroom?" She asked cautiously.
"Well, er… I saw the way she looked at you after your spell didn't work. Did… did she do something to you? You know, earlier today when she…"
Mildred trailed off as Ethel put her head down on the table. Ethel squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will the tears away… but it only succeeded in bringing them on. "She's taken control of my powers, Mildred." She whispered sadly.
Mildred gasped and brought her hand up to her gaping mouth. "She's what?" She asked, incredulous. "Is that even – how did she…?"
"She's placed a spell on me that… limits my use of magic." Ethel said quietly. Why? Why was she telling the stupid girl all of this? She'd figure that out later. For now, it felt almost therapeutic to talk about it. "That's what happened in there. I tried to cast a cleanup spell, but… I couldn't. My magic was gone."
Mildred saw the girl in an entirely new light. She couldn't help the pity she felt for the battered young girl sitting so vulnerably before her. "I'm so sorry, Ethel. That… that must've been awful. Dreadful, really."
"Yeah…" Ethel sighed, raising her head and fingering the corner of the page she'd been reading. She closed her eyes and let out a long, shuddering breath.
Mildred sat by silently, wondering what to say. It was becoming very difficult to see Ethel this way. She almost wished Ethel would be back to normal so she could go on disliking her again. Almost. "We're going to figure this out, you know." She said at last, causing the once-haughty girl to look up at her in surprise.
"I don't know…" she said, shaking her head in defeat.
"There's got to be a fix. It's in one of these books. And I won't give up until we find it. You have my word."
Ethel looked into the girl's eyes. She'd never realised what a pretty colour they were. Not quite blue, but not quite green either. She looked down again, overcome with emotion. "Thank you, Mildred." She managed, her voice cracking with the weight of the words. "For everything."
"Constance, it's been over a full day now. Don't you think Ethel Hallow and Mildred Hubble ought to get a small break in their research?" Miss Cackle asked, concerned about her students' well-being.
"Small break?" Constance repeated, her eyebrows going up, "One full day of missed lessons is quite a small price to pay for the appalling behaviour they have demonstrated. Let's not forget that my cat is currently a human."
"Oh, yes, Constance. But a cute human!" Miss Bat squealed. Constance ignored her.
"Wasn't it just Ethel?" Imogen spoke up, "Why is Mildred being punished as well?"
"First of all, Miss Drill, Mildred Hubble offered her services - with quite a guilty look on her face I might add."
Imogen rolled her eyes, "I'll bet she had nothing to do with it. You really have something against the poor girl, don't you?"
"Yes, Constance, I agree," Davina chimed in, her mouth half-full. "You certainly have it out for her," she added, taking a big bite of fruit salad.
"Don't be absurd. I serve consequences where consequences are due. Were either of you at the scene of the crime? Believe me, both parties are serving time they deserve."
"To be honest, Constance, Ethel and Mildred are a bit behind in my class now…" Miss Cackle spoke up, peering over her half-moon-shaped glasses. "Would it be so terrible for Morgana to remain human for a bit longer? Until tomorrow perhaps?"
With all eyes on her, Constance deflated. "Tomorrow?" She looked around the room at the rest of the staff, hoping for someone to share her thoughts. She wouldn't find a kindred spirit. Not here. Not ever. She opened her mouth to talk, but no words came out. How could she tell them how uncomfortable the little girl made her? How she'd been avoiding any sort of interaction with her to avoid the discomfort of feeling anything at all? Constance certainly couldn't admit any of it. Perhaps to Amelia alone, but she'd rather die than allow miss non-witch and miss-looney-bin to see a speck of vulnerability soil her unsullied name.
"Yes, tomorrow. Just until tomorrow." Amelia said, adjusting her glasses and standing. "I think it will be positive all around. The girls will get a breather, catch up on lessons, Morgana will have another night as a girl. And tomorrow they'll begin again, hopefully in a more proactive state."
"Y-yes, Headmistress." Constance stuttered quickly. She stole to the corner of the room and busied herself with some important looking paperwork, lest the others spot the tears pricking her eyes or the fear pricking her heart.
"It's no use." Ethel sulked, tossing another book onto the ever-growing pile. It landed with a thud and produced a cloud of dust.
The girls coughed and spluttered. "Nothing in that one?" Mildred asked, "I thought for sure 'Magical Mishaps' would shed some light on this."
Ethel put her head on the desk, "this is hopeless," she complained, "I'll bet Miss Hardbroom knows exactly what's going on and just wants to watch us suffer."
"I haven't the slightest idea what is 'going on,' Ethel, as you so eloquently put it," Miss Hardbroom said sternly as she appeared, "and by the looks of these book towers, neither do either of you."
"No, Miss Hardbroom," the girls said dejectedly.
"Well, for some strange reason, Miss Cackle feels you two should be given the rest of the day off from your research," She said, looking at the ceiling.
The girls looked at each other, relieved.
"But don't act too smug. For now, you'll report straight to your lessons and continue your research tomorrow morning."
"Alright, girls," Miss Drill called, blowing her whistle. "Queue up! Today's our 5 mile run and we don't want to waste a minute!" She said cheerfully. The girls groaned in response.
"I'm not looking forward to this at all," Jadu moaned, stretching her left leg.
"Tell me about it," Enid said, annoyed. "Why do they insist on torturing us like this?"
"I probably wouldn't mind a ten minute run. But Drill has us running for hours." Ruby complained, reaching her arm behind her back.
"At least you guys all finish around the same time. I'm always last – I trip over everything – it always slows me down." Mildred sighed. "Why do you think I volunteered to help Ethel in the library in the first place? At least I would've spent the day sitting down. And safe."
"Speaking of tripping… and Ethel… what on earth happened with her at lunch?" Enid asked, suspiciously. "Since when does Ethel have a hard time with her spells?"
Mildred knelt down to tie her laces, trying to avoid the conversation. Poor Ethel. She'd taken one hit after another to her self-image. And she didn't exactly have a great group of friends to go to about it, either. The girls wondered and theorised, and Mildred slowly tied a third knot on her left trainer.
"Something the matter, Milly?" Maud asked quietly, kneeling next to her.
Mildred shook her head, coming out of her thoughts. "No. Why?"
"You've been doing up your laces for the past five minutes." Maud teased.
Mildred smiled. Her best friend knew her well. "I'm just worried about Ethel." Mildred said quietly as the pair stood up.
"About Ethel?" Maid repeated.
Mildred nodded. "She's breaking down, Maud. Haven't you noticed it? She hasn't been miss bossy boots at all lately."
"Well, you sort of spilled your entire lunch all over her. And she's had to spend all of yesterday and part of today holed up in the library with you." Maud shrugged, trying to come up with an explanation.
"Yeah... I suppose you're right." Mildred replied. She'd just have to leave it at that. After all, she couldn't tell Maud about everything she'd seen. She couldn't add another dagger to Ethel's quickly depleting morale.
"Mildred Hubble and Maud Moonshine! Are you two going to stand around chatting all day? Let's get moving, girls!" Miss Drill called out, already a few paces ahead with the rest of the group.
"And who can tell me what ingredients go into a lightweight potion?" Constance rattled off, expecting no one to offer an answer.
Mildred's mouth parted in awe as each ingredient quickly came to the front of her mind. She raised her hand hesitantly, and the entire class gasped as a unit.
Miss Hardbroom raised an eyebrow. "Mildred?"
"Eye of newt, stinging nettle, thistles picked at dawn, and the feather of a phoenix." She rattled off effortlessly.
"That... is correct." Miss Hardbroom answered slowly, her mouth unused to speaking the words. The class erupted into scattered waves of hushed whispers, wondering how Mildred could've known the answer. "Quiet," Miss Hardbroom intoned, and the chatter instantly ceased. "Dare I ask how you've acquired such sudden knowledge, Mildred?"
"I suppose it's from all the reading we've been doing in the library..." she said shyly.
"Really?" Miss Hardbroom stated, impressed, her eyebrows raising another millimeter. "And let that be a lesson to you, girls." She told the class. "It seems revision is not such a useless idea after all."
Mildred found herself sprawled out on her bed after a long day of catching up on lessons, exhaustion threatening to overwhelm her. She looked up at the plain, peeling ceiling, her mind racing with a million thoughts. This episode had been an outrageous one so far. Miss Hardbroom seemed on edge, and harsher, yet somehow perhaps a bit softer as well? Morgana was adorable, but Mildred had to come up with a way to get her to be a little less content. She didn't want to make the poor girl unhappy, but she really wanted the reversal spell to work. She so badly wanted things to return to normal. Especialy Ethel. Ohhh, Ethel. No change had bothered her more than the glaringly disturbing one occurring in Ethel Hallow. Mildred had never realised how much Ethel depended on her reputation. She didn't just want to be the best. She had to be the best. It hurt Mildred terribly to see someone in such a state. She wondered about the girl. Did her family value her? Did her parents love her? Did anyone give her any sort of positive attention in her life? Or had she always been striving for perfection ever since she'd been in a cot? Lights out had been over two hours ago, but sleep, it seemed, was even further away.
"Shhh..." Morgana cooed quietly. She reached a tiny hand up and brushed her mother's hair out of her face. "Don't be afraid, mummy. It's only a dream." Morgana looked at the woman and frowned. She couldn't remember the last time her mother had had such a vivid nightmare. The woman clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, thrashing about in her sleep.
Morgana sat on her mother's chest, taking her face into her small hands. She waited for a response.
Constance finally relaxed under the little girl's touch, her eyes slowly fluttering open. She struggled to breathe - something heavy was pressing down on her chest. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the moonlight in the room, and the silhouette of little girl sitting on her.
"Morgana?" She asked hoarsely.
"You were having an awful nightmare, mummy. Was it about… her?" Morgana asked, her eyes widening.
Constance stared at the girl. Although she knew that this little stranger was her ever-present and loyal companion - the one being in the world she had shared her deepest secrets with - Constance was unused to discussing these private areas of her life with another person. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Yes," she whispered.
Morgana shook her head sadly. "We've left her mummy," she said, "She can't hurt us here. We're safe now, mummy."
Constance shook her head, her thoughts racing, heart pounding. It had always been so easy to vent her frustrations to her cat, who could do nothing more than mew and cuddle in response. The back and forth of this conversation, the plain as day emotions, reactions, responses... It was too much for her to handle.
Morgana felt her mother's unease. She took the witch's face into her hands again and looked her directly in the eye. "Calm down," she commanded her, attempting to send her calming energies from their new location in her girl body.
Constance felt the energies entering her body, but found it hard to accept them. Something about Morgana being human made each interaction with her that much more intimate. Constance couldn't stomach it.
Morgana felt her attempts being rejected and frowned, slowly lowering her hands. She looked into her mother's eyes sadly. "Let me help you," she said quietly.
"I'm fine," Constance muttered, her throat burning with swallowed emotion. "Thank you," she added, seeing the girl's hurt face.
Morgana leapt down from the bed and straightened her robes. She strode to the door, nose in the air, and tried to reach the handle.
"Where are you off to?"
"I need to take a walk." She said sternly, reaching as high as she could. She gave a tiny jump but still couldn't reach the knob. Defeated, she turned to her mother, raising an eyebrow and folding her arms.
Constance stared at the girl, in a classic Hardbroom stance, emotions playing tug of war with her heart. She wanted nothing more than to hold Morgana and apologise, and reassure her that everything was okay. But at the same time, she felt a strong urge to distance herself from the threat of… feeling anything at all. She took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat, summoning her power to her temples. She narrowed her eyes and clenched her jaw, and the knob clicked, the door creaking loudly as it opened.
Morgana turned to the door and then turned back to the witch. She offered an appreciative look and scampered off down the hall, her tiny robes billowing out behind her.
Constance let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.
A tear rolled down her cheek, and she mopped up the wetness under her nose with her sleeve. This must be what crying feels like, she thought to herself. How dreadful.
A small, distant noise brought her to the alert. She wished she could move her ears toward the source of the sound. Being a girl certainly made things more complicated. She strained to hear, and picked up the sound of boot soles scuffing stone floors. The footsteps grew closer and Morgana grew worried.
"Who is that?!" She whispered, her cries hissing in the dark. Her eyes darted about, but instead of the cat-like-clarity she was used to, she only saw shadows, dark, and thick. Things that swallowed whatever they touched, hiding them from the world. "I'll tell my mummy you're out of bed!" She tried again, hoping to ward off the enemy.
"Morgana?" Came a voice, soft and concerned, though there was definitely fear in it. The figure emerged from the darkened end of the corridor, and Morgana's heart rate quickened.
Frizz was visible first, followed by the plaits that struggled to contain it. Morgana sighed in relief, the defensive reaction fading. "Mummy will not be pleased, Mildred Hubble." She growled threateningly.
"Oh, please don't tell Miss Hardbroom! I... I just... heard someone crying. I wanted to make sure everything was okay."
Morgana continued to glare at the girl, unsure of whether she should be upset with her for trying to meddle into her business, or appreciative of the fact that she cared enough to come and find her.
"Was that you crying?" Mildred tried again.
Morgan's narrowed her eyes, her mother's natural reaction to a personal question. But something in Mildred's face showed her innocence. Was it concern? "'Maybe," Morgana offered, her tone still guarded.
Mildred giggled softly, causing Morgana to grow even more confused. Mildred studied the little girl's face, her tears glistening in the moonlight. "Is everything alright, Morgana?"
Typical Mildred trying to meddle in our personal business, a voice in her head scolded. But she shook it away... "I'm a bit sad." She whispered into the night. "Mummy's not so comfortable with me as a girl." She said softly, staring at the wall. "I mean, I know she still loves me, but it's not like it used to be. Not at all." She said, shaking her head sadly.
"No?" Mildred asked cautiously.
"She used to tell me everything. Her thoughts, worries, fears… really, everything. But she doesn't talk much anymore. And when she looks at me… her trust eyes aren't there. When I tried to help her tonight she…" Morgana let out a small sob. "She rejected my energies. She sent them right back into me." She moaned, devastated.
Mildred was confused. "Sorry, er…. your what?"
Morgana sniffed. "Never mind, Mildred. I'm not even sure why I'm sharing this. Mummy would have my head if she knew." She brought her knees up and rested her head on them. A few minutes of silence passed between the pair, both lost in separate trains of thought. "You're a good person, Mildred Hubble." Morgana said, breaking the silence.
"Oh! I… er… thank you." Mildred shifted uncomfortably.
"No, really. Mummy likes you. She tells me often how it frustrates her that you're so unfocused… she says if only you'd be able to focus you'd be one of the best witches in the school."
"She… Miss Hardbroom said that?!"
"Oh yes, she tells me all the time. She believes you're quite talented. But she says your lack of focus and the fact that you're 'always at the source of the trouble' leads you astray…"
"I never knew Miss Hardbroom had anything but pure hatred for me." Mildred admitted.
"Oh... she's only strict 'cause she's got to be." Morgana shrugged, playing with the hem of her robes. "And you know, she hadn't had the easiest school life either." She added casually.
Mildred raised an eyebrow, and gulped. She didn't want to pry. But it did sound interesting - somehow she'd forgotten that Miss Hardbroom had been young once.
"She'd done great in secondary school. But college… it's hard to go back there. I have some very vivid, very unfortunate memories of my mum at Witch Training College. She had a cruel tutor."
"Mistress Broomhead?"
Morgana arched her back and flashed her fangs. "The name alone infuriates me. That evil witch almost destroyed her. Mummy is tough, strong, and quite powerful, though, so she survived. But I've seen that woman crush young witches who never recovered."
Mildred shivered and pulled the loose grey nightgown more tightly around her. Her mind swirled with curiously unfinished murky images of a young Miss Hardbroom. Should she push her luck? "What… what exactly did she do to her?"
"Well, to start, she'd lock me up any chance she could. Whenever mummy and I weren't training, I'd be stuffed into a cage half my size. Mistress Broomhead knew we could communicate, so she wanted to make sure we couldn't conspire."
"That's awful!"
"That's nothing." Morgana whispered, eyes wide. "I wish I could unsee all of the things I've seen. Mummy still has nightmares…"
Mildred's eyes grew into saucers. "Miss Hardbroom has nightmares?" It was hard to believe the woman even had a fear.
Morgana stiffened suddenly, as though she were first realising that she'd let out too much. She turned to Mildred and smiled. "You know, I've heard a lot about you from Tabby." She said, changing the subject. "Not only are you talented, but you're a good friend, Mildred. Just like Tabs is."
Mildred blushed and picked at the fraying hem of her nightgown. She laughed inwardly – who would ever think she'd be having a midnight heart-to-heart with Miss Hardbroom's cat?
Morgana suddenly jumped up, staring off into space. Mildred watched her in silence, wondering what was going on. Morgana shook her head. "I've got to go. Mum's calling me." She said. Mildred knitted her brows. She hadn't heard anything. "Thanks for listening, Mildred. I feel loads better now. You really are a great friend." She said, standing up and dusting off the seat of her robe.
"Anytime." Mildred managed.
Morgana began to scuttle down the darkened corridor toward the staff wing. She'd only gone a few feet when she turned back to Mildred. "Mildred? This conversation... it never happened."
Mildred nodded and watched the girl scamper off until the dark swallowed her form completely.
She let out a long sigh – with this much to think about, Mildred knew she wouldn't sleep a wink tonight.
A/N: Am I the only one who is melting from the Milly-Gana moment here? Let's go back and enjoy it all over again ^_^ … thanks for the loyalty and follows and favorites – please keep the reviews coming! (And I'll keep the chapters coming) :o)