Hecate set up the board in silence, stance rigid as always. Ada was looking forward to this duel ending. Hecate had slept badly the night before and nothing Ada could do would make her relax. She knew the history between them, the devastation Hecate had felt when Pippa had always found someone else to dance with at the graduation ball, other than her. It had been the last straw after three years of sitting on the side-lines wanting to bask in her glow. Hecate hated that it was at such an impressionable time in her life. She wouldn't have fallen for it now. Ada told her that everyone had to learn that lesson some time and told her all about her own teenage experience with one heartless Hetty Coldstone.

Pippa looked radiant, fuelled on breakfast and last night's lust. Agatha watched her narrowly. She was hedging her bets that a satisfied Miss Pentangle would be an over-confident Miss Pentangle, prone to slipping up. She wasn't doing too badly at the moment but she had missed an opportunity already.

The sisters busied themselves with admin.

'I hope everything is above board' murmured Ada.

'Of course' whispered Agatha.

They didn't look at each other.

Pippa looked up and saw the two of them side by side and blushed. She made another silly move. Agatha smirked. Pippa was still thinking about the previous night. About the strong fingers working her up to a climax, the way the other woman had wrapped her tongue around her clit, the excitement at having the tables turned on her. She hadn't been pinned down in a while. She hadn't even realised that Agatha had cast a silencing spell, she was too consumed with quenching her thirst. She hadn't realised that she had been played.

Hecate looked at the board for a while, looking but not seeing. She felt a headache coming on.

'Running out of steam already? We could be here all day' purred Pippa. Hecate sighed heavily.

Ada got up to reassure her, looking concerned.

'Are you alright?'

'She's feeling the pressure of wearing all that pink I'm about to offer her' said Pippa cockily.

It would give anyone a headache thought Agatha.

'She can nominate her second if she doesn't feel up to it.'

They all turned to look at her. Agatha looked back with the most innocent manner she could cultivate.

'Her second?'

'Yes. Don't you know that if you propose a duel or a match, you need a second?'

Pippa looked dumbfounded. She hadn't thought about that.

'I take it you didn't bring one' said Agatha, joining them.

'Well, I wasn't thinking about competing between us at the time.'

Weren't you? Thought Agatha sceptically.

'It was a spontaneous suggestion.'

'Hecate can decide' cut in Ada, wanting to get on with it. They knew who the second would be even though Hecate hadn't asked for one. Pippa didn't know that Agatha spent every Friday evening playing chess with Miss Drill. She found it boring at first but it focused her mind and kept her out of trouble. Hecate looked up at her sister-in-law and nodded. She wasn't going to stand in the way of whatever Agatha was planning. So she joined Ada at the desk with some marking and a pain relief potion, watching covertly as Agatha took her place, making eyes at her opponent and confusing her further. It went downhill from there for their guest. She stumbled on an obvious move and Agatha swooped in to damage her chances.

With the end in sight, they were all tense. Dimity popped her head around the door to check up on the day's plans.

'Let Mrs Tapioca know that Pentangles will stay for teatime' instructed Ada.

'Right. Oh.'

Dimity hesitated, wanting to watch.

'I thought you were playing, HB?'

'HB!' Pippa giggled. 'What a droll nickname.'

'Agatha is stepping in for the final round today' said HB curtly.

'Oooh!' said Dimity and settled in to watch.

'Is…?'

'Yes, Miss Bat is entertaining them.'

Pippa looked up and saw her opponent's lascivious grin. Tingles crept up and down her spine. She didn't realise how transparent she was being until Dimity coughed in amusement.

'Your turn.'

'Er. Yes.'

Clumsy move. She winced as one of her major players were whisked off the board by Agatha's nimble fingers. Not long later and it was all over. Agatha's fingers casually stroking the captured white queen chess piece up and down distracted Pippa so much that she hadn't realised that she'd lost.

'Checkmate.'

Agatha sat back, smiling. Dimity didn't know it but a big bottle of scotch was coming her way soon. As a thank you present.

'Well that was fun.'

Pippa blinked.

'Oh, it seems that I've met my match' she said uselessly. All the swagger had gone out of her and she felt silly.

'Next time, you can play against Dimity' Agatha suggested. Dimity perked up.

'Yes, let's do that.'

They bet that Pippa would bring backup next time she darkened their corridors again.

Ada offered more tea and Pippa tried not to imagine how big the potions lab was. She had to clean it by hand. It was a daunting task.

'You don't have to do it' said Ada. 'It was just a game.'

Agatha raised her eyebrows.

'I've no doubt if Miss Pentangle had won, she would have demanded her prize.'

'Well, yes I would' their guest admitted. 'You won fair and square so I'll do it.'

Hardly thought the others as they got up to go. There had been some cheating involved.

'And I was so looking forward to seeing you in my pink dress' Pippa teased, trying to put her hand on Hecate's arm in a friendly way but didn't quite manage it. Hecate ducked back a little and Agatha took her place, steering her hapless prisoner towards her destination.

'You should have learned by now' said Agatha quietly 'that Hecate doesn't like to be touched by anyone she doesn't trust.'

She didn't elaborate that Agatha herself was someone that Hecate didn't entirely trust.

'I'll show you the cleaning cupboard. I hope you're as good with your hands as you pride yourself to be.'

Pippa flushed bright red at the inference. She had greatly enjoyed playing pillow princess last night. Agatha hadn't demanded reciprocation.

'First, Hecate, can we talk for a minute?'

At a nod from the other woman, they were left in the lab to talk.

'Look, I'd like for us to be friends' pleaded Pippa.

Hecate took a deep breath and looked into those sparkling brown eyes. She was glad to acknowledge that they didn't have the same effect on her as before.

'We're adults now, Pippa. I'm not that sad girl tagging after you, being included out of pity.'

Pippa gasped.

'I didn't pity you.'

'The others did. And you were complicit in that. The way they made me the butt of their jokes. That Belladonna Bindweed, I really don't know how you put up with her. She was toxic. And it made you just like them. I won't be able to forget the way you made me feel at the ball.'

Pippa reached out and Hecate drew it back, firmly but politely.

'Please don't.'

'I'm sorry. I didn't realise how you felt. And time just ran away with me that night. Can't we start again?' Unbeknown to both of them, the sisters were listening in. Agatha rolled her eyes. Ada nudged her, wanting them to sort it out between them without intervention.

'Then suggest a chess game without trying to compete with me to prove something' said Hecate softly. 'And don't…flirt with me.' Hecate struggled using that word. She'd never had to say it before.

'That's just my manner.'

'It's not something I'm comfortable with.'

'I thought you wanted to try to be.'

'Yes. I did. I even thought I loved you back then. But now I realise that I loved the thought of you, wanted to love life the way you did. That's what you represented to me. For years I couldn't understand that there would be a different way to get there. Ada's a big part of that.'

Pippa felt stupid. She hadn't picked up on it.

'You and Ada? I never would have thought…'

'Well now you know.'

They stood there in silence for a while.

'Well I suppose I'd better get started' Pippa said. She had a lot to think about in the meantime.

'Next game you play will be with Miss Drill' said Hecate, sweeping out, severe expression reclaimed. 'She'll be much more fun to play against.'

Pippa perked up at the sound of tentative reconciliation.

Outside the others exchanged glances.

'Is she?' Dimity cocked a thumb toward the door, checking that the punishment was thus. Three nods confirmed it.

'Well ok. Rather her than me. Next time, I'll find something better for her to do when she loses against me' she said and ran off to relieve Miss Bat from her cover. Agatha walked into the lab.

'Come back to the office when you're done. There'll be tea and biscuits. I'd magic up an apron if I were you. Protect your pretty frock.'

The look she gave her made it clear that she'd relish the thought of seeing the other woman in just the apron. Pippa felt a treacherous lurch in her nether regions and told herself to buck up. She would rather clean the whole school before she would admit that Agatha had such an effect on her. They left the unfortunate loser to her scrubbing, not wanting to look smug at her downfall. Hecate permitted herself a smile and took her leave. Ada sidled close to her sister and gave her a warning look.

'I don't want to know what you said to her' she said quietly. 'Or what you did to put her off her game. But this is not to happen again.'

Agatha agreed.

'That's why I'm enjoying it so much' she said.

'No. more.' Said Ada.

'It's been fun though' said Agatha. 'She won't try that again in a hurry.'

Ada said nothing. Only raised her eyebrows. Agatha realised that it was an agreement. Furthermore, Ada knew what had transpired between the challengers. Agatha was impressed. She had underestimated her twin. She hadn't realised that Ada had such a good poker face. It made her appreciate her tactics so much more.