"I want to go to the ball. Together, I mean." Hecate said abruptly one night the next week. They were playing chess, not even talking about the ball. Pippa had started coming over most nights, only transferring back to sleep. Their physical relationship had not yet progressed to sex, but it was getting closer, with hands straying further and further afield, and kissing getting more and more heated. Hecate felt like she was nearly ready.
"Openly? To the students and everyone?" Pippa asked curiously. The ball was only a few days away. She had assumed Hecate was not going to be ready to be so open. But the darker witch nodded.
"I'm nearing fifty years old, Pippa, it feels silly to be so concerned. I know my colleagues are supportive, and my students should see that we are not ashamed. Imagine what it might have done for us if we had seen two witches unashamed to be together when we were in school."
Pippa leaned in and kissed her gently. "That is very true, and I love that you care for them so much. It is still something you do not need to do lightly."
"I think I need to do it for myself, too, Pipsqueak. I have been so afraid, so ashamed, for so many years. It kept me from you. It kept me from love. I am a strong witch and I can do this. If it's all right with you, of course."
"I would like nothing more, darling."
So despite it being one of the most uncomfortable things she thought she might ever do, she found herself walking into the hall holding Pippa's hand. She was wearing a dark purple dress that although tasteful, showed more of her arms and back than she was really comfortable with. It had been worth it when she'd seen the look on Pippa's face. She had too much hair to really leave it down, but it was in a less severe updo than its usual tight bun. Pippa was wearing purple as well, a much lighter shade, and her shorter hair was mostly down. Her strapless dress showed more skin than Hecate thought was strictly reasonable for a headmistress, but she had to admit she was hardly complaining.
Most of the girls didn't really notice them come in, but Hecate saw a few eyes widen. Mildred Hubble and Felicity Foxglove seemed especially giddy to see them. Clarice Twigg grinned from ear to ear. Ethel Hallow's eyes widened, but she wisely seemed to be keeping her thoughts to herself.
Hecate belatedly realized she probably should have spoken to her colleagues about this ahead of time, but as they walked towards where the teachers were congregated near the snacks, she saw nothing but acceptance on their faces. Ada in particular was smiling like she had known for awhile.
"Well met, Miss Pentangle. Hecate."
"Oh do call me Pippa, please."
Ada inclined her head. "Only if you call me Ada, of course. I dare say you both look lovely. And happy." She added almost as an afterthought.
"Thank you, Ada. We are, thank you."
Hecate just gripped her hand tightly and smiled thinly. She did feel so exposed, everyone knowing her personal business, but there was the benefit of letting Pippa handle the pleasantries so she didn't have to. She stepped slightly away to grab them both cups of punch, sniffing it slightly first to make sure no young witches had spiked it with anything idiotic.
Pippa was having an animated conversation with Ada about something involving selection procedures, and she contented herself just to stand next to her girlfriend and sip the punch, which was surprisingly tasty. She looked around the room. After all the fuss about dates, it certainly appeared to her that few of the students had them. Most were standing in awkward clumps, a few dancing in groups, especially the younger classes. The few straight couples she saw mostly looked awkward, like they'd rather be with their friends anyway. She rolled her eyes internally. They were so young. Suddenly she realized Pippa was talking to her.
"Hmm?"
"I was just saying I love this song. Will you dance with me?"
Hecate's eyes widened just a bit.
Dimity Drill, who had just joined them, laughed.
Hecate turned wide eyes on the younger witch. "And just why is that so funny?"
Dimity swallowed. "Er, you just don't seem like the dancing type, is all."
The combination of wanting to prove her wrong, as well as seeing the look in her girlfriend's eye, caused Hecate to make a decision she thought she would likely regret later but didn't care at the moment. She took Pippa's cup out of her hand, set them both down on the table, and took the blonde witch's hand, pulling her out onto the dance floor.
The song was upbeat, but the way she held Pippa in her arms, and the way she looked at her, didn't leave much doubt that they were not just two friends dancing together. She twirled Pippa around, remembering how much fun she had always had dancing.
"Holy bat balls, did I miss something? Are they TOGETHER? Also, HB can dance?" Dimity asked.
Ada smiled. "It would appear so, yes. Do be kind about it, Dimity, Hecate is far more fragile about these sorts of things than you might think. I believe it took a lot of courage for her to show this side of herself to us."
A few songs in, the beat changed to a slower song. Hecate barely hesitated, pulling Pippa towards her, her left hand on the small of her back, very little space between their bodies.
"Have I mentioned how very proud I am of you?" Pippa breathed, putting her hand on Hecate's shoulder. "I know this must be hard for you but I'm so very happy."
"It's not as hard as I thought, actually." Hecate admitted. "The benefits are great."
Something caught Pippa's eye.
"Hiccup, the girl who was outed, did you say it was that bright little second year, Clarice?"
"Mm, yes, why?"
Pippa shifted their position slightly. "Because I think one of my girls is asking her to dance."
Hecate glanced over. Indeed, there was a blushing Pentangle's girl talking to Clarice, and she watched as the two walked out onto the dance floor. Both looked around, seeing all the boy-girl couples with the girls' arms around the boys' necks, and looked momentarily flummoxed. Clarice looked over at her potions teacher, and Hecate caught her eye. She looked over at where her right hand was holding Pippa's left, and quirked her eyebrow at her young student. Clarice gave her a grateful grin before shyly taking her partner's hand and then cautiously putting her other hand on her waist.
"Hecate Hardbroom, you are adorable." Pippa said, having watched the interaction.
Hecate rolled her eyes a little. "They're so inept, they do need someone to guide them. I must say, though, young Clarice reminds me a little of myself."
Pippa grinned. "That's funny, because Martha, the girl she's dancing with, reminds me a little of me."
"They are so cute." Martha said, looking over at the teachers.
"I know." Clarice agreed. "Miss Hardbroom has been much nicer lately too. She's always a good teacher, but she seems happier."
"I heard that they have been in love since they were like, our age, but they got in some big fight and haven't spoken for years." Martha said. "But they found each other again and they're still in love."
"That's so romantic." Clarice sighed. "Sad, but romantic."
They danced in silence for a moment, mostly swaying to the music.
"I hope this is okay." Martha blurted suddenly. "I'm not really sure yet, if I like witches or what, but I'm pretty sure I do, and I heard you might too, and I think you're really cute and so smart." She blushed again.
So did Clarice. "I don't really know yet either. But this is nice." She paused. "Nicer than dancing with a boy, I think."
"Me too." Martha grinned. "Maybe we could um, study together sometime, or something?"
The slow song ended, and Hecate, making a decision, quite deliberately leaned in and kissed Pippa lightly on the lips before releasing her. "Shall we go get another drink? All this dancing is making me thirsty." She tried to sound casual, but Pippa knew how hard that must have been. She slid her hand back into Hecate's and squeezed it as they walked back to join the other teachers. Dimity Drill had a look of astonishment on her face.
"Yes, Pippa and I are together. One comment out of you, Miss Drill, and I'll turn you into a broomstick." She said calmly, picking up the cups she had left earlier.
They danced a few times, both together, and as part of larger group dances. Pippa hid a smile when, upon a dance occurring where rings of dancers held hands and moved about, a number of Cackle's students rushed to hold hands with Hecate. Mildred Hubble won the rush, much to the clear consternation of Felicity Foxglove and a number of other girls, who had to console themselves with being close. She found herself holding the hand of young Martha, whose other hand was held by Clarice. These two were just so adorable, she thought.
"Do you remember this song? We learned the Full Moon Fandango to it." Pippa murmured in Hecate's ear. "Do you suppose we could still muddle through?"
Hecate took her hand again. Did she remember this dance? It was only her favorite from when they were young. Stepping back out onto the dance floor, she began the choreographed series of steps to the old dance. She felt eyes on them, as a few girls picked up that it must be a folk dance, and were starting to tentatively copy them. Ada was also watching. After assuring herself that both teachers remembered the dance, she gently interrupted.
"It seems some of our girls might like to learn. Do you think you might teach them?"
Pippa looked at Hecate, who seemed okay with it. "Perhaps we could stop the music, and teach them the moves?" Ada smiled, and went to make that happen.
If there was one thing she was comfortable with, it was teaching, so Hecate was actually quite comfortable with this, but she let Pippa take the lead.
"Everyone, gather round." The headmistress said, quickly getting everyone's attention. "As some of you may know, there are many old folk dances for certain occasions, many of which are rarely learned anymore. The song that was playing just now can be an accompaniment to one called "Full Moon Fandango." This is traditionally a dance done by two witches, performed, as you may have guessed, at the full moon. Since we are a modern group, however, boys may participate, and couples may be of any combination. This dance does not have a "leader" like many dances originally intended for one wizard and one witch, but instead the dancers mirror each other's movements. If anyone who would like to learn would find a partner and a bit of space, Miss Hardbroom and I will show you how it's done."
Students scrambled to find partners. Hecate noticed that a number of the boys chose not to participate, so most of the couples were pairs of witches. Clarice and young Martha were lined up together, along with Mildred and Felicity, and Maud and Enid. Ethel had grabbed her younger sister, and Hecate wondered if she wanted to learn because it was traditional, but wanted to make sure nobody thought it was the least bit gay. That girl. She also noticed that Diminy Drill was paired up with Minerva Moonshine.
"Do you want to explain the steps?" Pippa asked her softly. "You are better at this than me."
Hecate knew she wasn't wrong, so she began walking the girls through the steps. It wasn't an especially complicated dance, only lasting for a short time before repeating. It had been her favorite because it was the one where you were expected to dance with a witch, not a wizard. When done with a full coven, you might switch partners every time the pattern restarted, but it could also be done with a single partner. Once she was sure the students had the basic idea, Ada had the music turned back on.
The rest of the ball passed rather uneventfully. Hecate even chatted with a few of the Pentangle's staff. She had to admit, Pippa had done a good job. Their potions teacher was of course not as good as her, but she was quite good. And she would never say so, but their chanting and spell science instructors were rather more accomplished than Cackle's.
All of the Cackle's girls were staying over at Pentangle's due to the late night. Hecate had been given a room, but she was fairly confident that nobody was going to expect it to have been used, after tonight. After ensuring that all of their charges were where they were supposed to be, Pippa and Hecate finally got back to Pippa's room.
"That was a lovely night, love." Pippa said, stepping into Hecate's personal space to give her a deeper kiss than she could have earlier. "And may I say again how lovely you look in that dress."
"Do you think you might like to see what I look like out of it?" Hecate said, almost immediately regretting how cliché that sounded. But luckily for her, Pippa thought it was adorable.
"Oh, I very much would, but only if you want to, Hiccup."
"I want to. Take me to bed, Pippa."
Pippa grinned. "Trust me on this, then, no magic to get clothes off. Not tonight." She moved behind Hecate and started with her hair. Gently finding all the pins holding it up, she slowly released it, running her hands through it as curls came down. "I do so love your hair down." She pulled the zipper of the dress down, then moved back around, her hand on Hecate's waist as she did so, seeing her girlfriend's eyes close momentarily. Ever so slowly she slid the dress down, leaving Hecate in just lingerie. Pink lingerie. She met Hecate's eyes.
"Did you get this just for me?" Hecate nodded mutely. She could barely form words, with Pippa's hand trailing over her bra. "I love it. I love you. I love that you were thinking about me when you put this on, thinking that I would see it." She tugged them towards the bed.
"Can I…" Hecate's hands hovered over her dress, a little unsure. Pippa turned in her arms to make it easier. Finding a zipper on the side, she slowly slid it down, letting the dress pool at Pippa's feet. No sooner had she done that than Pippa pressed her back onto the bed, climbing on top of her.
"If there's anything…if you feel even a little uncomfortable you tell me, okay? This should only feel good."
"Oh it feels good." Hecate got out. "So. Good."
Pippa grinned. "Okay. But I mean it. I won't be hurt." She met Hecate's eyes, very serious. Hecate made a note to ask about this later – it seemed a little too close to home, and she very much hoped she wasn't reading into this that someone hadn't treated Pippa well.
"For you too, of course." Was all she responded right now. Pippa nodded. "Of course. I trust you."
Then the blonde witch's lips were on the swell of her breast, and with a flick of her wrist, Hecate felt the bra unsnap.
"Thought you said no magic."
"Well, I meant not just disappearing. Too anticlimactic. Unhooking is okay." She amended.
Hecate reached up and unhooked Pippa's bra with one hand, letting the strapless item fall and flicking it to the side. "But I practiced that." She said with a smirk.
Pippa laughed out loud, but Hecate knew she wasn't laughing at her. "I love you, so much, Hecate Hardbroom." She kissed Hecate's nose lightly, then sat up slightly and slid Hecate's bra off as well. Hecate was momentarily distracted by the sudden appearance of Pippa's breasts, but then Pippa was leaning down and kissing her, and oh, their bare chests coming together was almost more than she could take. Pippa started moving down, kissing her neck, her collarbone. Taking her nipple into her mouth. Hecate could feel Pippa's heat where she was straddling her, could feel her nipples pressing against her own stomach, and her hips started pressing up of their own accord. She felt Pippa smile against her skin.
"Bit eager, are we?"
She slid her hand down between Hecate's legs. For now she kept it over her underwear, but the feeling of her fingers there still caused a moan to escape the other witch's mouth. She moved down along Hecate's body and pulled the underwear down, pressing light kisses on her skin as she dragged the fabric down. Once she was rid of the article, she worked her way back up, pausing to kiss far more of Hecate's inner thighs than she thought honestly necessary.
"Pippa, I…"
Just as she felt she might explode if Pippa didn't touch her soon, she felt her tongue. Her mouth. Another gasp escaped her lips. Pippa's tongue explored up and down, circling her clit, dipping slightly inside. She felt fingers join her mouth.
"Can I..I want to, but I don't know if you-"
"Please. Everything. I want all of you." Hecate breathed out.
Pippa slid first one finger, then two inside. Her tongue didn't stop its caresses. All too soon, Hecate felt her orgasm swelling, felt herself squeezing around Pippa's fingers. By the time she fully came down, somehow Pippa was curled up along her side, her fingers still gently coaxing out every drop of pleasure.
Without warning, Hecate suddenly burst into tears.
"Darling, oh, did I, I'm sorry…" Pippa was instantly concerned.
Hecate shook her head slightly. "It's not…it's good, I think. Not entirely, partly it's that it's so frustrating it took us this long, we could have had this years ago? Also just…I love you, so much, it's a little overwhelming. But good, I promise."
Pippa understood. She gently kissed Hecate's face, kissing away the tears. "I know, love. We're both too stubborn for our own good. But we are here now and that's what counts."
Hecate turned in her arms slightly to face her. "I want to…I'm not sure how but…"
"Hecate Hardbroom, you are brilliant, I am confident you will figure it out." Pippa said with a smile. She rolled onto her back, pulling Hecate on top of her. "I promise, whatever you do, if it's done with the love I see on your face right now, it will be wonderful."
Hecate blushed, her long hair falling in her face. One of her legs slid between Pippa's, and she was reminded that the other witch was still wearing underwear. Fighting the urge to simply magic it away, she slowly moved down and slid it off, revealing blonde curls glistening in the dim light. She moved back up, bringing her hand and mouth to Pippa's chest, rolling a nipple between her fingers, feeling it harden and her chest press upwards into the touch. She kept her mouth where it was, but let her hand trail down between Pippa's legs, hesitating only slightly before sliding her fingers through the wetness she found there. Her fingers traced Pippa's entrance.
"Please, Hiccup." The other witch breathed out.
Gently she slid two fingers inside, marveling at the way Pippa felt this way. She felt like she was almost part of the other witch. Pippa was moving with her, pressing down to meet her. She could feel her own arousal growing again just from feeling what she was doing to her girlfriend. She released Pippa's breast and moved her mouth up, to her neck. As she felt her walls fluttering and squeezing around her fingers, Pippa grabbed her head and pulled her into a kiss. Their tongues slid against one another until the blonde witch's head pulled back unconsciously, gasping, as her body went rigid. "Oh HECATE." She breathed, saying the name in an almost reverent way, as she came down from her high. Hecate gently slid her fingers out but didn't disentangle their bodies at all. Her fingers started absentmindedly tracing patterns on Pippa's exposed skin.
Pippa's hand made its way into her hair, gently playing with the strands almost like she had when they were teenagers.
"I love you." They both said, almost simultaneously.