It soon became clear that if given the choice, Fenny and Gris would have happily given the tour just in the library. But with just a little bit of pestering on Mildred's part, they moved on. Once the pair had checked themselves out a small stack of books.
"New term, new reading material." Fenny explained.
They sort of explained the time table to her as well, although it still went over her head. Mildred had sort of gathered some year groups were staggered in their lessons, and that breakfast was more towards when she'd normally have dinner.
And only 'The Vampire' was on time for anything during the first week.
And that while going to bed at 2am most nights seemed fun, the scheduled dawn ingredients gatherings often happened four hours later so that took all that fun out of it.
As for the tour, the trio started at the bottom of the castle, and worked their way up. And by 'starting at the bottom', they meant underground.
Or at least to the bottom of a very dark wide spiral staircase that led to hallways that then led further underground. In one direction were the kitchens. where lots of noise, sounds and smells, (not all of them pleasant,) wafted up to them.
"Foods always cold because it takes ages to get upstairs. Especially if you're Tapioca." Gris explained as they walk past the doors. As if that made complete sense. Some other paths led to storage space, and places for drying ingredients, or where lost and confiscated bits and bobs were kept.
But in other direction were dungeons. Dungeine-dungeons. It had old castle cells, with bars, tiny slit high windows. They had locks, stocks, and chains, and hay on the floor, the lot. Fenny warned her not to come down here without permission. Mildred said she wouldn't like to come down there even with permission thank you.
"Good." Gris nodded. "We're fairly certain there's a crypt down here somewhere too. But we haven't found it yet."
They certainly hadn't mentioned this in the brochure Mildred thought. She'd find out why soon enough though.
But for now, she followed her guides back upstairs. Past the staff room and Miss Cackle's office with its chairs out front. Around the potions lab and the class rooms. The tallest tower and the smallest; (there were only two be fair so that bit didn't take long). The Great Hall, the bathrooms and the sick bay. The battlements and archways that lent out over the caught yards. Anywhere that they could think of. Mildred just knew she was going to get muddled even with the map provided.
In the photos she'd seen, the castle seemed small as if there was only a handful of rooms. Like a fake castle film set almost. It hadn't seemed intimidating just a bit rundown and gloomy.
But in real life, the castle was much bigger. Especially on the inside.
It was gloomy rundown castle sure, but still a fully functional school building with damp creepy corridors a plenty, and most open enough to accommodate those girls of a more unusual size.
Bats and the odd crow fluttered about the rafters. Cats slinked and lazed about, glad to be out of their baskets and able re explore.
And all the while, girls and students filled the hall ways.
Mildred and her chaperones had passed a few in the corridors. And there had been one or two others in the library. But now in the main hub of the school, everywhere Mildred looked, there were monsters. Or creatures. Or beings. Or…ones she didn't even know how to describe. Here, there and all over.
They were coming in from or going out to the yards, choosing to spend their free time outside. They stood about in groups, catching up with friends and pinning things on notice boards.
Some in full uniform right up to the pointy hat. Some only had on certain items of uniform, as if unable to find a blouse or boots that fit. Or, like Fenny and Gris, wore altered gymslips. Some already in their pyjamas.
Some big some small. Some scary looking some not. Some looked fairly normal, till you saw something very un-normal.
Hellos roars squawks shrieks and laughter filled the air. Shouts of names filled Mildred's ears.
"What did you do over hols?" "So good to see you!" and "Have you got your project done?" bounced around the place.
And Mildred saw showing off spells. Of sending bags to their rooms and brooms to the sheds. Sparks of magic and tricks. Fur. Stone. Wings. Eyes. Teeth-!
Monsters everywhere. And Witches, all of them.