The next morning Hecate has crumbled up into a tiny ball under her blanket. It's still dark, when a soft purr wakes her up, stroking her face and neck. Blinking with heavy eyes, she turns on the light, looking into the green eyes of a dark cat, sitting on her bed. "Oh you must be my familiar!", she pets her head, scratching her behind her ears, receiving another purr and a small bump of a nose against her palm. Getting up, she starts to dress in her school uniform, making sure it's not the stained one from yesterday. With a small movement of her hand music starts to play softly, filling the tiny room. It's a spell she has learned from a young age, to comfort herself. Then she starts to brush her hair, the dark strands falling soft over her shoulder. "It will get into your face, so pin it away.", her mother has told her. "Why can't I cut it?" "It is your only good asset, Hecate. How will you find a man without it." She had tried to cut it a few times, but her mother had regrown it every time. Lost in the memory, she stand still in her room. The cat brushes against her legs, tail stroking her legs. "I know should get ready.", She mumbles, quickly braid inner hair, pinning it into a tight bun. The cat meows again. "You still need a name don't you?", Hecate kneels down, looking into the green eyes for a moment. "I'll call you Minerva, if that's alright." The cat meows again. "I'll take that as a yes." Leaving her room, the cat stays right beside her side. It's very early, and only a few other students are up, quietly enjoying breakfast, no sign of the mean girls, so Hecate grabs a plate and starts eating her porridge in peace. " Maybe this isn't to bad.", she thinks while carefully examining her timetable. For today she will have only charms and potion, two things she has some experience in, from her previous school. She started learning at age 12, like all the other witches, now at age 14, she'd been class best at her old school.
A few minutes later she finds herself in the charms classroom, reading in her book. The teacher,Miss Sanders, is a nice old lady, Hecate had gone up to her, telling her she was late for this school year, asking her not to call her out in front of the class. The elderly women smiles back and strokes her arm. "Who here knows how to turn on the light?" Miss Sanders starts to recall a few spells, Hecate all knows by heart, when the girl group comes in. "Felicity, Gemma, Karin, Pippa? Late as always I see." Miss Sanders shakes her head, writing something down, letting them take a seat. They giggle together, sitting together in a corner in the back. "Will you please be a bit more quiet, dears. Also can you perform a simple charm for me please." Felicity stands up, waving her hands and a vase of flowers flies trough the air, emptying over Hecate head, the water running over her hair. "Oh no.", the readhead presents to be sorry,smiling far to sweetly, " that was an accident." Hecate quietly dries herself, looking down. "Oh it's fine Felicity, that was far more that you could do last year. It's a difficult spell. Hecate dear are you alright? ", Miss Sanders voice is light and she smiles. Hecate just nods and continues to read her charm book. Her hand in her pocket touches the wooden raven. The wood is calming her, and the lesson goes on. Hecate could answer every question, but she would not dare to raise her hand, not in front of the giggling group of girls in the back. She leaves first thing, rushing out of the classroom storming into the potions lab. "And you are?" A stern voice greats her. "Hecate Hardbroom, I'm new here." "Well, Miss Hardbroom. I will hope you will prove yourself worthy of this class. My rules are simple. Don't talk and do as I say. Don't interrupt me. And don't be stupid, understand?"
Hecate straightens up and looks into the dark eyes of her potions teacher. "Yes.", she sits down at a table in the front. Only minutes later, the class is full, but even the mean girl group does not dare to talk or giggle. The classroom is entirely quiet, then a potion recipe appears on the black chalkboard, all of the students start to work, quietly. Hecate feels the glances in her back, as she starts to work. It's a simple potion, for her at least, just a mild sleeping potion, she had made a few times at home. "She's probably as stupid as she looks." A wispers reaches her ears. "Yes", the voice belongs to Gemma, " I'm so happy to sit next to you, you are the best at potions." "Thanks, Gemma sweetie." "QUIET.", dark eyes look furiously at the group, and the whisper quiets down. After half an hour of working on the potion, trying to ignore the slight giggle, Hecate finishes first. A green mist had formed and she bottled a sample. "You finished. Let me see." The boney hands of her teacher grab the sample, shaking it, she smells it. "Good work, this is nearly perfect. Looks like you've got competition this year Felicity." The scratch of her pen echoes trough the room, as all of the students look at Hecate in disbelief.
After the lesson she gets shoved into the wall. The four girls past her. "I can't believe, you are supposed to be competition for me." "Felicity..." Pippa, the blond girl pulls at her friends arm. "Let it be.", her face seems soft, almost like she is sorry. "You don't have to care about her, it probably was pure luck." She pulls again. Felicity lets go of Hecates arm. "Your Right, Pips. It was luck." So they leave her, and as they walk away, Pippa turns around and mouths:"I'm sorry." over her shoulder, but Hecate has turned away, walking the other way, trying not to cry.