Neutral Magic

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 8: Revelations

Mildred reappeared in her bedroom and for several seconds just stood there, trying to control her breathing and calm down. She now realised she had left a huge problem for Cas and Enid to clear up, giving such a dramatic demonstration of magic in front of a crowd of non magical people. But there was nothing she could do about that now.

After slipping out of her stilettos, Mildred sat down at her dressing table and slowly started taking off her make up and jewellery. Then she changed out of her dress into jeans and a tee shirt. Still in her bare feet she made her way to the kitchen and made herself a sandwich and a cup of tea.

As she ate, Mildred tried to come to terms with the events of the evening, especially the unexpected and thoroughly unwelcome return of Charlie Blossom. She supposed that by now both Enid and Cas realised that Charlie was the boy she had enjoyed a secret romance with during her final year at Cackles.

It had actually all started during her third year at the Christmas production of Cinderella. The brief kiss they had exchanged onstage had been spontaneous and not a planned part of the pantomime, and it had awakened feelings neither of them were quite ready to face at the time. But when she and the other Third Years had visited Camelot College later in the school year the attraction between them had been undeniable. They had met a few times in secret during that visit and also met up during the summer, but although things had become increasingly heated between them they had not gone all the way.

That had finally changed at Christmas in her final year, when following the success of Cinderella Miss Cackle had decided to stage Aladdin as the school pantomime. Charlie had been chosen for the lead role with Mildred playing the part of Princess Jasmine, which had allowed ample opportunities for them to sneak away and be alone. Mildred smiled wryly as continued eating. Her first time had been very different from the way she had imagined it, hurried and furtive in a disused classroom. Actually she had found it rather painful and had not really experienced that much pleasure. The love scenes she had read in books had hardly prepared her for the actual reality of losing her virginity; they glossed over what an uncomfortable and messy experience it was and made no mention at all of the awkwardness and embarrassment. It had gotten better of course and after the pantomime they managed to meet up regularly if infrequently for the rest of the school year.

Looking back now, Mildred could still hardly believe she had been involved in an illicit sexual liaison during her final year at Cackles. Of course she had been Head Girl at Cackles, which had made things a little easier. Even so it was still astonishing they had managed to carry on meeting for most of the school year without being caught, right under the eagle eye of Miss Hardbroom.

But of course it hadn't lasted. Mildred's expression hardened as she remembered everything Charlie has said to her, all the words of love and devotion, the promises that they would go to the same college and continue their lives together after school. From her adult perspective it was obvious now these were all lies, a deception to get what he wanted from her, but the naïve sixteen year old she had been then had lapped it all up. It was the day after her last Witches Higher certificate exam that the blow fell. She had overheard Charlie's uncle, the school handyman, telling Miss Cackle that his nephew was leaving school early now his exams were over and going to America with his parents.

Of course she had been devastated and had spend most of the day alone in her room crying. Her friends had noticed there was something wrong at suppertime but she had brushed away their enquiries and left as soon as she could. Alone in her room again, Mildred's feelings soon turned from grief to anger. It was obvious Charlie and his family going to the States must have been planned for some time; you don't make a move like that on the spur of the moment yet he had said nothing to her. Mildred realised then that he had just used her. When a letter from Charlie had arrived for her the next day she had destroyed it in a fit of rage without even bothering to open it.

Feeling alone and abandoned, Mildred had seized eagerly on the unexpected offer of a place at Weirdsister College, hoping for a completely fresh start. But that had led her into equally disastrous relationships, first with Ben Stemson and then later Nick Hobbes, which had cemented her distrust of men and fuelled a desire for revenge.

Mildred wondered how she was going to manage her personal life now. She really didn't want to continue the promiscuous lifestyle she had led over the last few years, but was realistic enough to acknowledge that she was still a young woman with strong physical needs and really couldn't imagine staying celibate for the rest of her life. At the same time, Mildred doubted she could again trust any man enough to commit to a long-term relationship.

Deciding to think about that dilemma later, Mildred finished her sandwich and gulped down the last of her tea. She was about to wash up the dishes when she heard voices coming from the sitting room.

Expecting that Enid had returned and brought Cas back with her, Mildred entered the room preparing to apologize to her friends for leaving them to deal with her very public use of magic. But as soon as she set foot in the room she froze, staring at the people there with disbelief that rapidly turned into anger.

Enid and Cas were there as she had expected, but they were not alone. Standing beside them, as large as life, was her former lover Charlie Blossom.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Mildred screamed.

She raised her hands, which suddenly glowed with an intense white light, vivid blue sparks crackling around them. Charlie stumbled back, his normally pleasant face suddenly distorted by fear.

"Millie, no!" Enid threw her arms around her friend, trying to restrain her.

Mildred struggled to free herself. "Let go of me, Enid!"

"No!" Enid panted. "Millie, blasting Charlie to nothingness won't solve anything!"

Cas rushed to join Enid and together they managed to calm Mildred down a little, although she was still extremely angry.

"All right," Mildred gasped, finally managing to shake off her two friends. "I won't curse him, but just get him out of here right now!"

"Millie, please listen," Cas implored her. "Things aren't the way you think."

"What do you mean?" Mildred demanded. "I suppose by now you've both realised Charlie was the guy I was involved with in my last year at Cackles. He used me then betrayed me!"

"I would never betray you!" Charlie insisted, speaking for the first time. "I love you, Millie!"

"Oh yeah, sure!" Mildred replied sarcastically. "You kept telling me that but it was just a trick to get me to drop my knickers for you. You got what you wanted, then when you were tired of me I was just abandoned while you went swanning off to America!"

"That's not true!" Charlie retorted. "I had to go to America!"

"Then why did you never tell me?" Mildred demanded. "No one makes a move like that without planning it for a long time in advance."

"Not usually," Charlie admitted. "But the circumstances were a bit unusual. Didn't you read my letter?"

"I destroyed it!" Mildred glared at him defiantly. "I puffified it actually. Why should I expose myself to any more of your lies?"

"Well maybe you should de-puffify it then." Enid suggested

"What, after eight years?" Mildred asked incredulously.

Enid shrugged. "If anyone can do it, you can."

"Well I appreciate your confidence in me," Mildred told her friend ruefully. "But why should I even bother trying?"

"Please Millie," Cas implored her. "I think you owe us a favour anyway, after clearing up that mess you left at the club. We had to wipe the memory of everyone who saw you dematerialise!"

Mildred sighed. She did feel guilty for the way Cas and Enid had been forced to cover up for her impulsive demonstration of magic in front of a crowd so that made it difficult for her to refuse.

"Okay, I'll try," she agreed at last. "But even if I succeed I doubt anything I read in that letter could change things."

Taking a deep breath, Mildred did her best to remember the letter, trying to visualise in her mind every detail, from the stamp and postmark to the handwriting. That fact that de-puffification was a Second Year schoolgirl spell did not in any way detract from the magnitude of what she was about to attempt. This spell was normally used only a relatively short time after the object had been transmuted into vapour, certainly not more than a month or so at most, and the longer the delay the harder it was to cast the reversal spell successfully. After eight years this would be a massive test of her abilities as a witch. Slowly and carefully, Mildred intoned the incantation.

Reversus Revolvus
Dispersus Resolvus
Illio Allio
Aetherium Restitutio!

For a moment it seemed as if nothing would happen, then the room was suddenly filled with what looked like swirling greyish motes of dust that swiftly coalesced into a cloud of vapour, hovering over the coffee table. Momentarily it seemed as if it would disperse as quickly as it had formed, but then as Mildred concentrated harder it finally condensed into a small white envelope.

As Mildred wiped the sweat off her brow, Charlie and her two friends broke into sudden applause.

"Great job, Millie!" Enid exclaimed.

Mildred shrugged. "I'm not sure what the point of all that effort was really."

"Don't say that," Cas chided her. "Go on open it."

"I don't see that it'll make any difference," Mildred muttered, but nonetheless she tore open the envelope and started reading.

My Dearest Millie

I hardly know how to tell you this, but all the plans we have made for a future together will have to be put on hold for now. My mother has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Ordinary medical treatment can't help her and none of the spells and potions of the magical healers have been of much use either. But Chief Wizard Hellibore knows a healer in America with an experimental potion that might be able to help. However the treatment may take a year or more so the family has decided to move to the States, at least temporarily.

I know we planned to go to the same college but that's no longer possible. I'll have to enrol at a magical college in America at least for now. I hate to do this to you but I can't just abandon my mother now when she needs all the support of her family. Camelot College has agreed to forward any letters to me so if you write to me at the school I will get it. Maybe though you will decide that we should just break things off and get on with our own lives. If you do feel that way I'll understand but just know that I will always love you.

Charlie

After finishing reading Mildred stood in silence, feeling utterly bewildered. For the last eight years she had blamed Charlie Blossom's betrayal for the miserable way her personal life had turned out, and now it seemed he had not betrayed her after all. If anything she was the one responsible by puffifying his letter without bothering to read it.

"What happened to your mother?" Mildred asked Charlie, managing to speak at last. "Did the treatment she got in America work?"

"It worked for a while," Charlie replied sadly. "She went into remission but after a few years the cancer became resistant to the potion and started growing again. She died six months ago."

Mildred winced. "I'm sorry!"

Charlie shrugged. "Me too, but at least the potion bought us a few extra years with her. Whatever else happened I can't bring myself to regret that."

"But you do regret other things?"

Charlie nodded. "I regret losing you. When I didn't hear from you, I assumed you were no longer interested and just wanted to move on with your life."

Mildred sighed, wondering just how she should respond. She had spent so many years vilifying Charlie Blossom as the cause of all her misfortunes that she wasn't sure they could even be friends again, let alone anything more. Then it suddenly occurred to her to wonder what exactly he was doing in Cambridge.

"Charlie, just why are you here in Cambridge?"

"I've come here to start my new job," he told her, suddenly looking rather nervous.

"And exactly what job is that?" Mildred enquired, having an uneasy feeling she wasn't going to like the answer.

"From next month I'll be the new Beetle at Weirdsister College!"

Mildred stared in disbelief at her former lover. Of course she had known that Veronica Dewdrop had decided to take early retirement and that interviews for her successor had already happened. But she had been so preoccupied with her research and lately the problem of Miss Hardbroom that she had not even bothered to ask who had been appointed to the role. She would never have expected it to be Charlie Blossom; the post was traditionally always held by a witch.

"But you're a man!" She exclaimed in astonishment.

"Glad you've noticed!" Charlie replied with a chuckle.

Mildred frowned at him. "You know what I mean. The college Beetle has always been a woman in the past. How did you end up with the job?"

"To be honest I don't think they realised I was a wizard when they offered me the interview," Charlie admitted with a grin. "My letter of inquiry about the job was just sighed 'Charlie Blossom' and Charlie is sometimes used as a girl's name. I think they just assumed I must be a witch, so it was a bit of a surprise when I turned up. But I suppose none of the other candidates were that impressive because Professor Thunderblast decided to break with tradition and offer me the job."

"And I suppose the fact that I'm a lecturer there played no part in you applying?" Mildred asked sarcastically.

Charlie shrugged. "No, I won't deny there was a part of me hoping we might be able to pick up things where we left off."

Mildred glared at him furiously.

"What if I was already involved with someone else?" She demanded angrily. "And did it never occur to you how awkward it would be for us to be colleagues given our history?"

"I don't see why it should be awkward," Charlie responded with a shrug. "No matter what happened in the past we're adults now. Surely we can act professionally whatever history lies between us?"

"You make it sound so easy!" Mildred said ruefully. "Somehow I think it will be a lot more complicated than that."

"It's only as complicated as you make it, " Charlie told her, grinning in a way that Mildred found absolutely infuriating. "But why don't you have dinner with me tomorrow night at my flat? Then we can discuss how to manage things."

Mildred shook her head. "I don't think that's a very good idea."

"Well I think it's an excellent idea!" Enid told her then turned to face Charlie. "She'll be there!"

"Now hold on a minute!" Mildred exclaimed indignantly. "Shouldn't that be my decision? Who gave you the right to start running my life for me?"

"Well someone has to," Enid retorted. "You're so rubbish at doing it for yourself!"

Mildred was so flabbergasted by this she couldn't even reply. She just watched in stunned disbelief as Enid got Charlie's address and then ushered the young wizard out of their flat, once again promising that Mildred would be there the following evening.

Millie," Cas said hesitantly. "Have you decided what to do about Miss Hardbroom yet?"

Mildred was a bit surprised by the sudden question, then realised Cas was trying to distract her from the situation with Charlie. Although she had only met him tonight, the Canadian witch seemed just as determined as Enid to engineer a reconciliation between her and the young wizard. It took a few seconds for Mildred to gather her wits and reply to her friend's question.

"I have," she answered at last. "I've decided to go ahead with the spell."

"Really?" Cas looked a bit surprised. "You seemed very reluctant before."

"I was," Mildred admitted. "But I've decided the risk is worth taking. The thing is though we'll need someone else to help us. That spell will require at least four magic users to work."

"Well that's no problem," Enid told them as she re-entered the living room "We can get Charlie to help us out."

"Charlie?" Mildred exclaimed.

Enid nodded. "Sure, he is a wizard after all. Anyway it'll give you something else to discuss with him tomorrow evening."

Mildred shook her head in exasperation. "You're really determined I should see him again, aren't you?"

"It's for your own good," Enid told her friend with a smirk. "You'll have to see him at college anyway when he starts his new job, so what difference will having dinner with him make? And you might be lucky tomorrow and get some hot action!"

"There's not going to be anything like that," Mildred replied with a glare at her friend. "Even if I do see him tomorrow I'll be keeping things strictly professional."

"If you say so." Enid looked distinctly sceptical. "So are you really going to help Miss Hardbroom?"

"I am," Mildred confirmed. "If she agrees of course."

Cas gave her a suspicious look. "You're not going to offer to help then try to talk her out of it on the sly, are you?"

"No I am not!" Mildred exclaimed indignantly. "I will explain all the risks honestly, but I'll also tell her I think we should go ahead. In the end though it has to be her decision."

Cas and Enid shared a quick glance then nodded in agreement.

"So when will you talk to her?" Enid asked.

"Tomorrow," Mildred told them. "I'll visit Cackles and speak to Miss Hardbroom tomorrow afternoon."

A/N Once again apologies for being so late with this update. I know it's been more than a month. Unfortunately I had some serious domestic issues when I was flooded out because of a corroded water pipe.