As soon as her feet left the ground, Mildred had to force herself to keep her eyes open, not screw them shut. Flying blind with her eyes shut might have helped her fear of heights and Nausea. but as they'd found out while practicing, it had been awful for her fear of the dark and lack of balance! So, Mildred struggled on, reminding herself; be brave. Head up. Look straight ahead, and all that.

As well as to focus on Ruby's voice; "Left, now right a little too line it up straight. up. Left up now straight ahead. Now right again. Gently does it."

It had worked in practice, but it was a lot harder now under the scrutiny of HB and the older girls.

"You're doing great Millie!" She heard Maud chime in as she cleared a post.

"Now into the dip in three, two. slowly, down you come."

"remind her to Make sure to tuck her legs up on the swoop," Jadu hissed. Ruby did and added,

"Mind the wall! Left...your left! …"

"I must say this is quite a remarkably pleasant change." Miss Cackle mused aloud as Mildred approached the half way mark. She'd had no qualms about giving Mildred the scholarship initially. But it would be a lie to say she wasn't worried about Mildred's standards of flying. "Such an improvement is a credit to your lessons Miss Hardbroom."

"I can take no such credit." Miss Hardbroom admitted. And Quashed comment about how yesterday she'd seen Mildred on a broom for lesson. the girl had been hanging on with one hand and a knee. But now, Mildred was doing quite well. Very well in fact, setting a steady, albeit in staccato, pace. And she was tending drift more. But as of yet, she'd missed none of the hoops, and navigated the obstacles. Perhaps Mildred was the sort who did better under pressure of practical exams?

"But, yes. Remarkable." She agreed. Perhaps, Constance thought, Mildred could be taught the craft after all...

On the other side of the yard however, Trouble, (with a capital T,) was brewing. Had Maud and Jadu not been so focused on Mildred, they might have realised that, to the rest of the class, the three of them were obviously up to something. Especially the weird way Ruby was holding up her cloak around her like she was Phantom of the Opera or Nosferatu.

"Lean into the turn," she hissed, keeping the two-way radio from view. "Watch your tail end."

"What are they up too?" Gloria asked the other gaggle of girls.

"Dunno. I would have thought they'd be cheering Mildred on more?" Bryony agreed. As did Ethel. "Not stood with their heads together…"

But the first years were all (bar one), distracted when Mildred perfected another obstacle and approached the half way mark. Gloria forgot her question and joined in the applause. Mildred had even leant into the turn that time, making a much neater job of it. Then she rose up, up-

"Up, up." Ruby directed. Not realising the fairy had slipped a little closer to the trio. So, Ethel saw or rather heard what Mildred's friends were up too. And was very good at putting two and two together.

"Ruby is somehow giving her directions. They're helping Mildred pass the BAT." She realised angrily. But then swapped her nasty little scowl for a doe eyed expression.

With the air that every weasel adopts, Ethel flittered over to where Miss Hardbroom stood. And tugged on the vampire's belt chain.

"Excuse me? Miss Hardbroom?" she asked in a sweet voice. Ethel then turned to point out Mildred's friends. (Her hat almost jabbed Miss Drill in the face. And dislodged Ms Nightingale from her perch. She grumpily settled once again on the start sign. But only Gullet noticed.)

"But are those three supposed to be hiding something? Look, can you see?"

Miss Hardbroom looked from Hubble to Hallow; and then from Hallow to Hubble's little gang. And knowing, how to really trigger HB's ire Ethel added with a sigh, "It sounds as though Ruby's playing music again, Miss."

That did it. Miss Hardbroom's usual frown turn to a full on curl of the lip glare. Then a scoff as she saw that it did indeed look as though Ruby had Yet Another electronic device of some sort in hand. HB shoved the clip board into Miss Gullet's bony hands and strode forward. Girls scuttled out of the vampires way, drawing the crowds attention off one certain first year to another...

"PLUGGED INTO THE BEAT AGAIN ARE WE, GIRLS?" HB barked. Maud and Jadu jumped. Ruby, concentrating on Mildred's performance, missed the rhetoric question. But her head snapped up at her name

"I Have Really Had Enough of This!" HB snarled channelling her anger into a warmed-up hand and now loosened wrist. With a bolt of blue and no way of warning Mildred, the walkie talkie met the same smoking fate as the Marc 3.

"Oh no!"

"But Miss Hardbroom-!" Before Jadu could recover the molten wreck of the two-way radio, HB vanished it completely.

"No buts! It's bad enough you, Miss Cherrytree, bring those THINGS to school but to bring it to your Aptitude test-!" HB said turning on her heel to head back to the start. Only to stop mid threat and midstride at a scream, a crash and a lot of clattering. A problem she'd unknowingly and involuntary caused. One that made Mildred the very centre of attention.