Sorry if you missed the last chpter notication? it did that thing where the chapter was all jargon. fixed it now.
"No," Mildred breathed, tears finally prickling her eyes. Even as her body healed up, even as Miss Cackle also turned away. Not like this. She'd been convinced she wouldn't pass. And then had hope she would. But it was the humiliation that stung. The disappointment. It was the thought of everything she'd worked for, all the friends she'd made, slipping away...
"No." She said again. Adding a please.
Precisely at the same time as someone yelled "NO!"
A gasp and ripple of surprise rippled through the already shooketh crowd. Who was that, publicly disobeying HB and Miss Cackle?!
Already full of fury, their form mistress wheeled on her heel at the insolence, her fangs like pins.
"Maud Moonshine-!" But HB was interrupted before she could rain down hell fire on the were-cub. By Maud herself.
"No Miss Hardbroom! It's not the end!" Maud persisted, pushing through her class mates. Which wasn't hard as they practically leapt out of the way to avoid being between her and the vamp. Maud was the smallest of the first years; even shorter then Baby of the group Bryony. But she drew herself up to her short full height, ears back poking out under her hat with no fear and her own sharp teeth showing and bared. And for the first time, Mildred and her class saw, to the nearest extent possible they could without a full moon; her normally little mouse of a friend for the true she wolf of her ancestry and heritage.
Mildred still stunned, could only watch in awe, pride and embarrassment as Maud stood up for her in front of the entire assembled school. Everyone did in fact. One does not simply walk away from shouting at HB, after all.
"Mildred Hubble wants to be at this school more than anything!" Maud said loudly, a roughness in her voice all bark and bite. "She did all the flying and control by herself. And she can't go back to normal school, she can't! But Mildred couldn't do the course alone because she's afraid of heights! That's why we were helping her!"
"And the dark." Mildred admitted quietly. Or at least she thought she'd been quiet. but the vampire's hearing was excellent. Miss Hardbroom turned sharpish back to her. As did several others with good ears.
Oh well, in for a gobstopper:
"I- I panicked!" Mildred confessed, finally speaking up for herself, scrambling to sit up properly. "When the walkie talkie stopped working I panicked. And then I looked down and got scared! so I closed my eyes by accident but then that- That's why I crashed! They weren't in control I was. I just needed help. Please, don't be mad at Maud's or anyone else."
"If this some silly noble attempt to try and excuse such an appalling crash landing -!" Miss Hardbroom started looking between the two of them. But Maud was backed up by Fenny and Gris from the side lines. Well, an upstairs open-air corridor overlooking the courtyard.
"It's true Miss!" Fenny shouted. "Mildred's been working so hard to be brave!"
And Gris added: "She's new to all of this, she's never had anyone explain!"
The Pair were now leaning quite dangerously out over the frame. And began addressing the other students too.
"It wasn't just that Mildred didn't know she had magic!"
"She doesn't know any of OUR traditions or anything about Life outside the human worlds."
"Mildred had not one but two really big culture shocks."
"AND the heights thing? She's been scared witless for the past fortnight!"
"And not by the rest of us! but every day she's been getting back on the broomstick."
"Do you two had something to do with this?" Miss Hardbroom snapped. If Maud's speech had been brave then Fenny and Griz's was brave but fool hardy.
"Even if we did, Hubble's still been working incredibly hard Miss!"
"AND Mills has only had proper witch teaching for two weeks! It's not fair!"
"Yeah! some of us have been riding brooms for years before we came here!"
"You wouldn't put a baby witch through an Aptitude test-!"
"I do not want to hear it. Not another word!" HB snarled.
Other teachers too were trying to quash the rebellion as other voices joined in.
"Quiet." Miss Cackle said again. But Maud, small timid Maud was not having it.
"We weren't helping her to fly! Mildred got on her broom and flew it herself!" She repeated. "We were just helping her steer and keep calm so she could witch on. Mildred hasn't had as much experience as us, she needs extra help! And as you said, Miss Cackle, we're all afraid of something! we just have to get used to it!"
"I did. I did say that." Miss Cackle admitted, then gestured to the wreck of the course and blackboard. "However, I can't say I thought it would lead to this-!"
"But it is not the end!" Maud repeated and pointed to her human. "look! Mildred feet haven't yet touched the floor."
Mildred had, in the commotion, had been shuffling to the edge of the roof with hopes of climbing down or jumping off. Or better yet hoping one of the staff or big girls would take pity on her and lift her off. At Maud's words she froze, one leg dangling and Bootlaces trailing.
"There's no rules on walkie-talkies during an Broomstick Aptitude Test, even though they are barred from all other verbal exams." Fenny informed everyone, reading from a very large book of rules the pair of summoned. Had they had this researched and prepared, giving they were the ones to provide the first years with the radios? "But look here! Rule fifteen of the school rules in regards to the BAT states if a student makes an illegal dismount or unauthorized landing, the moment any feet, paw, hoof, tentacle, tail fin or any other appendages touch the cobbles of the court yard they are seen to have failed."
Mildred gulped and looked over the edge of a tin roof. It wasn't a big drop, maybe only just six foot. but big enough for Mildred. Now though- if Maud's words were true, she was glad she'd stayed put and scrambled back away from it.
"Mildred crash landed on the shed, not the cobbles. As such her feet aren't on the floor. Nor has there been a formal disqualification." Griz continued. "She still can finish the BAT if you let her Miss Cackle! A student must receive both a verbal and a written disqualification, followed by an escort to their room to pack before being given a verbal and written exclusion from the school. It says there in black and white and purple highlighter!"
"That's right." Maud nodded. Then, turned to Miss Cackle "Please Miss. Millie could attempt to finish the course for a docked mark, like my great gran did! When she stalled her BAT, you let her land then got her to at least try to finish the test, even though she'd technically failed! And when Auntie Mags got blown off coarse and all tangled up in her cloak and nearly came off her broom, you let her carry on! and she passed even with loads of penalties!"
"I did." Miss Cackle agreed kindly. With a smile that then clouded over. "but Moonshine, your great grandmother still failed and instead, returned the next year! Your aunt remained at the hover against the wall till help arrived. Her penalties were discounted and following that the rest the BAT of '79 was postponed due to high winds. Both very different circumstances to today. Besides " she said looking across the yard to where the 'incident' with the sharpened broom handle had occurred. "Mildred's broomstick is broken in two-."
With impeccable awful timing before Miss Cackle could fully finish that sentence, a still one-armed Mr Blossom, (helped by Miss Mould and a grumbling Mr De Bloom) finally yanked the nearly two-foot stake from the black board with a triumph shout and staged back. The impact had left it splintering and whittled, as if someone had tried to have it split a dozen times badly with blunt axe. Any hope of tapping the broom back together with more spell-o-tape was short lived however, as it shuddered violently in Mr Blossom's 'good' remaining hand, shedding bits of enchanted wood. It then bolted, jerking the zombie up off his feet, with a not so triumphant shout. fearing it trying to fly off again, both Miss Mould and Mr De Bloom leapt in to action and seized the handle as well, trying to pull it back down to earth. Well Miss Mould leapt, wings and all. Mr De Bloom sort of shuffled.
Rather than struggle in their grip, the broom handle simply self-combusted above their heads; covering the poor dead fellow, gargoyle and bookish beast in sawdust and shards.
It would have been funny if Miss Cackle hadn't amended, rather sadly. "Was, in twos halves."