A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry for the long absence, I've been very busy getting ahead of myself in this story and working on a few original projects of my own. I'd like to take this opportunity again to say thank you for the continued support and wonderful reviews. You're all so lovely :)

Dizzy x

P.S. As chapters go this was one of my faves to write, long time WW fans look out for a 1998 Worst Witch easter egg. Happy hunting…

Chapter 11: Hell hath no fury like a Hallow scorned

Midnight chimed over Cackle's Academy. Fog had rolled in around the mountain, enveloping the ground in a sea of white. White light also danced around; the moon full in the centre of the sky. All Hallows eve had truly dawned. Inside the castle many groups of young witches were chattering, whispering tales of spirits and ghouls. Others were playing pranks or falling prey of other tricks. Yet one room was quiet, considering, plotting.

For the last two days Ethel Hallow had been embarrassed. She could not bear to look at Mildred or any of her friends in the eyes. Underneath that embarrassment a fire burned. A fire angry enough to explode. This had only been stoked by a conversation Ethel had with Felicity the day before. Ethel had described what she had seen Cordelia Hardbroom do in Miss Cackle's office, before them all. Felicity's immediate gasp had told Ethel all she needed to know. Fliss hurriedly pressed Ethel for more information, agape. Ethel was horrified. Cordelia had not only helped ruin her mother but now she was going to steal her thunder too. She knew she had to get Mildred back but that would be easy. The talented new witch was going to need the utmost effort to bring down.

It was there in bed, on Hallows eve, that Ethel decided on her revenge and immediately sprang into action.

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"I could not believe that wailing," Enid said as Maud, Mildred, Cordelia and herself made their way back to Mildred's room, "Miss Bat honestly sounded like a ghost, I thought I was going to have a heart attack!" The others giggled quietly. As they reached the door, Mildred paused and turned back to her friends. She had a mischievous glint in her eye. All the girls were wide awake from adrenaline and did not feel like sleeping or even returning to the room. But when you were this far from civilisation, options were not plentiful.

"You've given me an idea," Mildred squealed, raising a lantern so she could better see their faces, "Let's go ghost hunting!" Enid and Cordelia instantly snorted with laughter. Maud, however, gave Mildred a sceptical look.

"That doesn't sound like a good idea to me Millie," Maud said, internally willing the group to go to bed.

Enid placed her hands on Maud's shoulders, "Come on, Maud. I bet that the most ghastly and ghoulish thing that we encounter in this whole, entire castle is Miss Tapioca in her pyjamas." This bought a small smile to Maud's face and a round of laughter with the others.

"Or at least what's left over of her cooking," Cordelia added. Maud's shoulders unclenched and Enid released her.

Maud turned to Mildred, "Okay then. Let's go. But if we get in trouble…" The four descended the steps that led to Mildred's room and headed to the first suggested place to look for ghosts. The library.

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Ethel knew that they wouldn't be in their rooms. Rules and routine were not their style. And so, she gently began to pad around the castle. She was heading down one of Cackles' many labyrinth-like corridors when she heard voices and decided to hide. She slipped into one of the small rooms all old buildings just seem to have, like her parents' holiday house by the sea.

She could hear Enid excitedly talking and was pleased. They had come to her. When she was certain they had gone by far enough, she slipped out and followed them carefully. They led her straight to one of the places she had not even considered. Her classmates had gone in and left the door ajar, presumably to listen for approaching teachers with no idea somebody was already lurking. Ethel listened as they pathetically asked for ghosts to appear and giggled about what might happen. Some witches really don't deserve their magic, she thought, well if it's ghosts they want.

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"My mum told me of this story," Maud whispered, holding up her lantern and looking all around the shelves, "about a man called Sir Walter who came to Cackles seeking shelter." Enid, Cordelia and Mildred who had been in the centre of the room, attempting to get an entity to move a table all turned to face her with interest.

"Go on," Enid prompted. They walked over to her and settled in the various nearby armchairs. As Maud continued her story and began to suggest they might actually find something, a book flew off of a shelf narrowly missing Maud's head. Enid jumped up on her chair, while the others' eyes widened in horror. They remained in silence for a few seconds staring at each other before relaxing a little.

"Maybe we should go," Maud said. Mildred nodded enthusiastically. When they stood two more books flew from their places with a lot more force. They froze once more. Three other books sprang from the shelving, flying all the way across the room. Then a pile in the corner fell over and more began to fly.

"Run!" Enid commanded, "But nobody scream, you'll wake everyone up." Maud bit her lip harshly and Mildred clung to Cordy's hand as they rushed from the room. Cordelia shut the door behind her before swiftly being tugged along by Millie. None of them paused to see if the coast was clear, all of them missing their smirking classmate gently pursuing them in the darkness.

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Ethel was glad Enid had told them all to be quiet so she could continue her plan, but not so happy at the speed they were going. She was desperate to make Cordelia pay, glad that she had already freaked out Mildred and the rest. It was a good warm up. She followed the girls back through the maze of corridors.

Oh no, she thought, I've scared them back to their rooms. Well, it's now or never. She would have to do her big finish at this moment or miss her opportunity. So as the girls who had slowed to a walk, a safe way from the library, Ethel muttered the words to a particularly nasty spell. Inspired by her newfound rival. Or at least what half the castle heard of her every other night.

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Cordelia felt an icy blast run through her; her first thought was that the library phantom had followed them. But she was soon corrected. She felt fingers on her shoulder and turned around sharply. Her deep inhale catching the attention of her friends causing them to stop also.

Before her stood a beautiful girl. She had dark skin, a slender figure, amber eyes and hair almost as raven coloured as Cordelia's own. She wore a sunflower yellow dress, her arms laden with golden bangles and one thick woollen friendship bracelet. Both her curly hair and the dress floated as if caught in a breeze. Around her Cordy could smell wet, dewy grass, trees of many varieties and flowers. A single tear ran down the girl's face at the same time one ran down Cordelia's.

But something began to change. The smells became acrid, the breeze more violent. The air all around began to hum with dark vibrations. In the distance a roar sounded. Cordelia, though previously transfixed with the girl before her, felt dread plummet through her. She was about to get ripped away from me once again, Cordelia thought. She wondered how many more times she would see this scene, how many more times would it take to utterly destroy her.

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Maud, Mildred and Enid were all calling her name. Maud had even reached forward to shake her but retracted her hand immediately.

"She feels so cold," Maud said, visibly worried, "She's like ice." The three exchanged looks completely unsure of what to do. The girl was frozen, staring into empty space. They had no idea how to get her out of it.

Enid sighed, "Maybe we should go and get…" She was cut off from her suggestion by Cordelia's scream. A blood-curdling, eardrum splitting scream. Her body was contracting and contorting as if someone held her on a string. A limp puppet screaming for release. Mildred knew there was only one thing she could do.

"Miss Cackle! Miss Hardbroom! Anyone! Help!" She yelled. None of the girls' doors opened. Nobody was in the correct room and the ensuing chaos was sure to bring unwanted attention. Attention that would highlight them breaking the rules.

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Ethel who had been watching from the other end of the corridor now knew that she had to leave. She had known the spell caused the utmost dread but not like this. Her classmates were distracted so she headed forwards and slipped down a side corridor. She chose a slightly longer route hoping to avoid any teachers that were undoubtedly approaching; however, she did not manage this.

"Ethel Hallow," Miss Bat called, emerging from an archway, "What on earth is going on? Show me." Ethel, with Miss Bat at her side, headed back to the scene of her crime. As she hurried back around the corner and got closer to the ongoing screams, she heard other footsteps approaching.

Miss Cackle and Miss Hardbroom, both pyjama clad, rushed up. Ethel saw the concern etched on both of their faces and wondered how long it would take them to figure it all out. To discover who was responsible. Her heart sank. This wasn't what she had wanted.

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Mildred, Maud and Enid were collectively puzzled at Ethel's appearance with Miss Bat and relieved at Miss Cackle and Miss Hardbroom's. As they approached Cordelia's body seemed to lose all its energy and she fell to the floor. Miss Hardbroom knelt beside the girl and placed her head in her lap to prevent further injury. Miss Cackle was horrified to see before her a scene not unlike the one on careers day weeks ago.

"Girls, what happened?" Ada said, "Tell me everything." Miss Hardbroom started uttering all the healing spells that came to mind.

"She was fine then she just stopped and started staring into space," Enid recounted, pulse racing, "then a minute later she was screaming." Ada looked down at Hecate. Both were puzzled. They knew Cordelia suffered nightmares, but they only occurred when the poor girl was asleep.

Gwendoline Bat, who had been deep in thought suddenly reached a conclusion. "A waking nightmare spell," she said, making the gathered crowd look at her. If you remember Ada, that horrid girl, Tabitha Toadstool, used one on that other girl. The quiet one." Ada scarcely remembered the event in question. It had been at least twenty years. She did remember that Hecate had not been teaching by her side for very long at the time. This insight gave Hecate, who had studied many reversals and antidotes since the dreaded Tabitha walked Cackles winding halls, all that she needed to reverse her daughter's spell-based torment.

As Cordelia's body relaxed and her eyes began to focus, Ada turned back to the girls. "Does anybody know how this happened?" she said. Nobody said a word. Cordelia's friends had their suspicions, but each were too shaky to mention it.

Hecate, ignoring all around her, stared down at the head resting in her lap. Very relieved to see her daughter's eyes peering wearily back at her. "Mum?" Cordelia croaked. Hecate smoothed hair out of her face.

"I am here child," Hecate replied. Ethel's heart nearly stopped. Felicity had it wrong. The other girl had been telling everyone that the new girl was only HB's niece. She knew either way she would be in deep trouble if and when the teachers found out. But she also knew that mothers were supposed to be vicious protectors of their children, much more than aunts. And Miss Hardbroom was a stickler for precedents and supposed-to-bes.