Chapter Three: The Worst Witch

Merlin the Wizard waited patiently at the appointed spot. While he was wary of the gods at all times, he was not about to refuse a request. He had lived a long and, at times, happy life. And he wished to continue to do so. It was an easy enough task, however. Be one of three to judge the skills of three different witches from three different realms of existence. Decide which one performs magic in the best way. The gods would be amused by this diversion.

Merlin looked up from his thoughts. A fourteen-year-old girl with waist-length brown hair plaited into pigtails had suddenly appeared ten feet from him, looking the other way. She wore her school uniform with cape and hat and shouted as she looked around, her voice pleading.

"Enid Nightshade, what did you do now? Enid?" The girl turned around and jumped in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't see you. Do you know what happened?"

"Do not be alarmed, Mildred Hubble." Merlin smiled. "I apologize for the abrupt change of place but this is supposed to be a surprise. Are you familiar with the multiverse?"

Mildred frowned at the strange question. "Do you mean like group chanting?"

"Not exactly. Mildred, you know about the world you live on."

A hesitant reply. "Yes, Sir."

"Well, there are other worlds as well, and other witches, each world having its own form of magic. Do you follow?"

"Not really, Sir. I'm afraid I've never taken astronomy."

Merlin huffed. This was not what he was expecting. "Mildred. Let me explain this as simply as I can. There are entities so much more powerful than witches and wizards that we call them gods, with a small g. Now, the gods have decided to have a contest of magical skills and you have been chosen as one of the contestants." He smiled. "Isn't that wonderful?"

Mildred looked horrified. "But . . . I can't be in a contest. We're supposed to go back to school today and I know Miss Hardbroom agreed to let me keep Tabby but she tells me all the time that I need to study more and that I'm the worst witch in the school. I can't really." Mildred took a deep breath, then looked at the wizard. "Excuse me, Sir. You look familiar. I don't mean to be rude but who are you?"

"Oh, no. I'm the one who's being rude. I should have introduced myself at once. Merlin Ambrosias at your service."

"The Merlin? With all due respects, Sir. I thought you died a long time ago."

Merlin laughed. "The truth is that I lived a long time ago. I haven't had the time to die yet. And I don't plan on doing so in the near future." He extended his arm. "Shall we go, Mildred?"

"Where, Sir?"

"To meet the other contestants."

"But I can't compete," Mildred insisted. "I told you. I'm not very good at magic."

"But . . . I was told that you were the best witch."

"I'm sorry, Mister Merlin, Sir. I don't know who told you that. If anything, I'm the complete opposite. I never seem to do anything right. Ethel Hallow and her friends even made a poem about me. Mildred Hubble. Nothing but trouble."

Merlin frowned as he looked at the young girl standing downcast next to him. She seemed on the verge of tears. He tried to sound cheerful.

"Then I guess you don't have to worry about winning. I mean, I really can't send you back until after the contest, but since you're here, why don't you compete anyway." He grinned as Mildred looked up. "You'll get to meet some interesting people at the least."

Mildred snorted at his tone. "You mean witches who know ten times the magic that I do?"

"More than that," Merlin said in an expansive voice. "For example. You've already met me. And the other two judges are interesting people as well. Odin, the Norse god is one. And I'm told that Morpheus himself is the other. And who knows whom you'll spy in the viewing stands."

Merlin's words worked. He escorted a much happier Mildred Hubble from the field they were standing in. They went over a low hill to see a creek in the distance with two figures sitting there. And they made off in that direction.

"Please tell me, Mildred," Merlin asked, "what you were doing before you came here. You said you had to return to school."

"We were at Rowan-Webb's Riverside Retreat, Mister Merlin."

"That would be you and the girl you mentioned, Enid."

"All the second year girls, as well as Miss Cackle, she's the headmistress, and Miss Hardbroom."

"Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Um, yeah," Mildred said softly.

Merlin gave a friendly laugh. "I'm not an inquisitor, dear child. I am only trying to make conversation. If you would rather not say anything . . ."

"It's not that, Sir. I . . . I caused a few problems. I took my cat along. I mean, we were supposed to, but they took Tabby away from me and gave me a regular black cat. I was supposed to take my new cat."

"And that is why you came into trouble? For bringing the wrong cat." Merlin kept himself from asking why they gave Mildred a new cat. He had the feeling that her story was going to be too convoluted as it were.

"Well, I didn't really get into trouble for that. I hid Tabby on the boat. Merlin said it would be a safe place. That's Merlin Langspear. He's apprentice to Algernon Rowen-Webb, the wizard."

"I see. And is my namesake your boyfriend?"

Mildred blushed slightly. "Maud and Ruby were teasing me about that. He's a boy who's a friend. We met when he came to visit our school. That was before I found Algernon . . ." Mildred paused. "Should I explain that?"

"Maybe later," Merlin suggested, then prompted her to continue the story. "So Merlin had you hide Tabby on the boat, and you did not get into trouble because of it?"

"Well, Ethel Hallow untied the boat and let it slip down the river. She was trying to get me into trouble. She always does. But I guess she didn't know that Miss Hardbroom was on the boat."

"And why was Miss Hardbroom on the boat?"

"I guess she suspected something. She's always suspicious of me. She thinks I'm always up to something."

"But you were up to something."

Mildred paused. "Uh, yes, but I wanted to keep Tabby. It's not fair to reward me by taking away my cat just because she isn't black like everyone else's cat."

Merlin smiled vacantly. The conversation was not going very well. Did Mildred say they were rewarding her by taking her cat away? Mildred, unaware of the magician's confusion, continued her explanation.

"Merlin suggested I fly Miss Hardbroom's broom out to the boat, but she was unconscious. Then I lost her broom when it came loose from the rope. It kept pulling after the boat had beached on some rocks."

"Ah, I understand. You were using a flying broom to tow the boat back to the dock." Merlin was happy that he had understood at least one part of the story.

Mildred nodded. "Then Maud and Drusilla flew by, and we used their brooms to tow the boat. But we found the Dragon's treasure on the rocks, and it was lucky for us. I ended up wearing the amulet that helped defeat the Dragon Lord. That's why Miss Cackle let me keep Tabby."

Merlin was impressed by this last statement. "And was the Dragon Lord a dangerous foe?"

"Well, he was going to imprison everyone inside the rocks in the cave. I guess he was."

"It seems to me, Mildred, that if the worst witch in your world can defeat a dragon lord, then she is well qualified for this contest. It seems to me that the worst thing about you is that you lack confidence in yourself."

"Hail, Merlin of Anglia," called the boy by the stream.

Merlin turned to the boy. "Odin Stormcrow, greetings to you."

"He's just a boy," Mildred whispered.

"He likes to manifest himself that way. Although I don't know why. No one ever takes him seriously when he's like that."

"I think he's cute," Mildred replied as they stepped up to the other two.

"You see, Hermione," Odin said cheerfully. "Some people do like me the way I am. Hermione, this is Mildred Hubble. Mildred Hubble, this is Hermione Granger, the best student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Merlin gave a broad smile and a wink to Mildred. "It seems that the two of you are well matched, Miss Granger. Mildred is considered the worst student at her school, Miss Cackle's Academy for Young Witches."

Mildred saw the confused look on the other girl's face and had to laugh. "Really, it's true. I'm not very good at being a witch. You don't have to worry about me."

"Unless Dragons are involved," Merlin said, causing Mildred to giggle.

"Dragons?" Hermione asked Mildred.

"I happened to meet a Dragon Lord while I just happened to be wearing a magic amulet that protected me from his power." Mildred smiled ingenuously. "And I thought it was just a nice looking necklace."