Just wanted to say thanks to the two people that have been kind enough to review so far. I really do appreciate it. The story is becoming a bit of a monster I know but I can assure you that it is going somewhere.


"Auditions will be held in the great hall at the end of the day." Imogen told the girls and watched as they immediately burst into excited chattering. She allowed herself a small smile of victory. This was the sort of reaction she had been hoping to achieve. However much Constance tried to tell her that Cackle's girls were different to normal girls, Imogen was never fully convinced. Witches they might be but at the end of the day, when it came down to it, they were still teenage girls. They were interested in extra-curricular activities and she was sure that more than a couple of them were more than a little interested in Haldane. She had to admit that she could understand that. Although she'd never dream of doing anything to jeopardise her relationship, such as it was, with Serge there was no harm in looking.

"What do we have to do for the audition Miss?" Ethel was the first to speak up.

"Haldane hasn't specified anything. Do something that you're good at. It could be a monologue, a scene from a play, a song, anything."

"What about dancing?" Ruby wanted to know.

"I'm sure Haldane can find room in the play for a talented dancer." Imogen assured her.

"Shame we don't know any." Drusilla snapped, earning herself a hard stare from Imogen.

"Do we know what the play's going to be about Miss?" Mildred enquired. "That way we could try and make our audition pieces relevant."

Imogen shook her head.

"Sorry girls, I think Haldane wants to see what you can do before he decides on anything."

Ethel let out a laugh.

"God if he sees Mildred first then it's bound to end up as some sort of disaster movie."

"Ethel that was uncalled for."

"Sorry Miss." Ethel apologised demurely. "But we all know just how clumsy Mildred is. Let her on a stage and she'll bring down half the scenery.

Imogen wanted to reprimand Ethel but alas she knew that the girl was speaking the truth. The one time she'd tried to get the girls into drama, Mildred had only been on the stage for a minute before she'd managed to cause chaos.


Mildred walked gloomily out of the hall.

"I don't think I want to do anything." She told Maud in a serious tone.

"You can't mean that?" Maud was incredulous. It's perhaps the most exciting thing that's happened in this place in years." She turned to face her friend. "Why don't we do something together?"

Mildred pulled a face.

"I'm really not sure."

"Oh come on." Maud urged. "Miss Drill didn't say that the audition couldn't be done in groups."

Mildred thought about Maud's idea for a few minutes.

"I suppose we could do something together." She eventually conceded. "But lets not make it anything too complicated."

Maud smiled.

"As we've only got until the end of the day to get things sorted there's no way that we can do anything too difficult." She squeezed her friend's arm. "You won't regret this Mildred. I promise you."


Mildred fiddled nervously with the book that she held in her hand. Judging by the speed at which the other girls were being auditioned it would only be a matter of minutes before she was due on stage with Maud. She closed her eyes and tried to take a deep breath. Her heart was pounding and she had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Maud had tried to tell her that there was nothing to worry about but she couldn't seem to shake the fear that had gripped her. If she had her way then she'd back out of the whole thing now but she'd promised to help Maud and knew that she couldn't let her friend down.

"What's the matter Mildred Hubble?" Mildred felt her heart sink as she recognised the sneering tones of Ethel Hallow. "Got a case of stage fright have we?"

Mildred opened her eyes and found herself staring into the face of her classmate.

"I'm just a little nervous that's all." She stammered.

Ethel smiled at her before turning to face Drusilla, who stood next to her.

"Poor Mildred. Fancy her worrying about a little audition."

"I don't know why she's nervous." Dru replied. "We all know that she's going to mess it up."

"Am not." Mildred replied hotly, wishing that the pair of them would just go away and leave her alone.

"Come on Dru." Ethel slipped her arm through Drusilla's and led her away. "Mildred failing on the stage is something I just have to see."

"We're not allowed to watch each other's auditions." Mildred protested as the two headed out of the room.

"Haldane's already told us that we're in the play and he says that we can watch everyone else." Ethel called back.

Mildred tilted her head back and tried to take another deep breath.

"It'll be fine." She muttered quietly to herself. "It'll be fine, it'll be fine, it'll be fine."

"Are you alright?" Maud enquired as she entered the room and caught sight of Mildred.

"What? Oh, I'm fine." Mildred lied. "Just trying to remember the words."

"Haldane said we didn't have to memorise all the words." Maud tried to reassure her friend. "You can take the book on with you."

"I know but I'd like to at least get some of them into my head."

"Everything will be fine." Maud told her confidently.

"Mildred, Maud. You're up next." Fenella stuck her head around the door and smiled at the two girls.

"Really?"

"Really." She looked at Mildred's nervous expression. "It's not that bad." She opened the door wider and beckoned them towards her. "Haldane's been really good with everyone so far."

"Have you auditioned?"

Fenny shook her head.

"I thought I'd leave the acting to everyone else. I much prefer backstage work."

"How did you get involved in all of this?" Maud asked as she headed towards the door.

"I bumped into Haldane in the corridor and asked him if I could be his stage manager."

"And he just said yes?"

"Pretty much." Fenella smiled. "It might not be the most glamorous of jobs but it was something I always wanted to do." She leant towards Maud. "It also means that I get to spend a lot of time with Haldane."

Maud shook her head.

"Why didn't I think of that?"

Fenella tapped a finger against the side of her head.

"It takes a little cunning Maud; and that type of cunning only comes with age." She smiled at the two younger pupils and ushered them through the door and onto the stage.


Drusilla and Ethel had already settled themselves onto chairs at the back of the hall and Drusilla nudged Ethel as she spotted Mildred and Maud step out onto the stage.

"This should be fun."

"I think we should make it fun." Ethel whispered back to her friend.

"What are you going to do?"

Ethel thought about it for a moment and then smiled.

"Just watch this."

Dru smiled as she heard Ethel starting to intone a spell. It was, she reflected, always fun to hang around with Ethel. You never quite knew what was going to happen next.


"What are you going to do for me girls?" Haldane asked smoothly. He sat back in his chair and looked up at the two nervous pupils who stood on the stage.

"It's a scene from Hamlet" Maud told him.

Haldane smiled up at her.

"That's quite a serious piece."

"Is that wrong?"

"No no. Not at all." He reassured them. "Please begin."

Maud cleared her throat and turned to Mildred.

"Are you ready Millie?"

Mildred nodded nervously and opened the book to the correct page.

Mildred looked at the words on the page and willed herself to be able to speak them. She knew what they were but for some reason she just couldn't speak them. She shook her head and tried again but no sound would come out of her mouth.

"Come on Millie." Maud hissed at her under her breath. "It's your turn."

Mildred looked at the words again and couldn't understand why she found it impossible to speak.

Haldane sat forward in his seat.

"Come on girls."

"I'm sorry." Maud apologised and nudged Mildred.

Ethel clamped a hand over her mouth and tried to suppress the laugh that was building up inside. She'd learnt the silencing spell when she was younger and had often used it to great effect on her younger sister. This was the first time however that she had used it against a fellow pupil. If she'd cast it properly then Mildred would remain unable to speak for at least another ten minutes. She heard a stifled laugh from Drusilla at her side and nudged her in the ribs. If the plan was going to go off without a hitch then she needed to make sure that they didn't draw attention to themselves.

"If you can't finish the scene girls I'm going to have to ask you to leave the stage." Haldane broke the awkward silence that filled the air.

"Mildred." Maud glared at her friend.

Mildred opened her mouth but no words came out. She turned to face Maud and tried to convey the problem to her but Maud was in no mood to be understanding. Mildred wanted to explain that she wasn't doing this on purpose and that she would complete the scene if she could but she had no way of explaining anything to her friend.

"I'm sorry girls." Haldane told them. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave the stage. Better luck next time."

Mildred closed her book and reluctantly trudged off the stage after Maud. She could sense the anger that was radiating from her friend.

"I'm really sorry." Mildred finally managed to get the words out.

"Oh so you're speaking to me now!" Maud snapped back with more anger in her voice than she intended.

"Don't be like that." Mildred implored her friend. "I didn't do it on purpose."

"Didn't you?" Maud turned to face Mildred. "You said from the start that you didn't want to do the audition."

"But I'd never deliberately mess it up for you. You know that."

Maud looked at her friend and saw the expression on her face. She knew in her heart that Mildred wouldn't deliberately get things wrong but she just couldn't understand what had happened.

"I'm sorry." She finally managed to say.

"No I'm the one that should be sorry." Mildred countered. "I don't know what happened to me out there. I tried and tried but I just couldn't say anything."

"Nerves." Maud told her friend. "That's all it was."

Mildred shook her head.

"I was nervous but not that nervous." She protested.

"Nice performance Mildred." Ethel remarked as she entered the room. "I can honestly say that I've never seen anything like it."

"Shut up Ethel." Mildred snapped back at her.

"Cat got your tongue did it?" Dru wanted to know.

"Why are you two so interested?" Maud muscled her way into the conversation.

"Just wanted to know why Mildred decided to audition by performing a mime act."

"Did you have anything to do with it?" A sudden thought struck Mildred.

Ethel smirked at the pair of them.

"You don't need me to help you make a fool of yourself. You are perfectly capable of doing that all by yourself."

"But you did help didn't you?" Mildred persisted with her thought. "You put some kind of a spell on me didn't you?"

"I did no such thing." Ethel countered. "And unless you have proof that I did do something I'd keep my mouth shut. No-one likes a sore loser Mildred." She smiled smugly at the pair again before heading out of the room.

"She did something." Mildred stared after Ethel. "I just know she did something."

"I wouldn't put it past her." Maud agreed.

"I'm sorry that you won't be in the play Maud."

Maud shrugged her shoulders.

"It's not the end of the world."

"Perhaps you could audition again?" Mildred suggested. "Do something by yourself."

Maud shook her head.

"It's ok. If you're not in the play I don't think I want to be either."

"But that means that you won't get to spend time with Haldane."

Maud shrugged her shoulders again.

"It's not the end of the world." She repeated the phrase but this time it seemed to carry a little less conviction.

"Perhaps we could volunteer to help out backstage in the way that Fenny has?"

Maud turned up her nose at the idea.

"I don't much fancy making sets and running around after the likes of Ethel Hallow." She looked towards Mildred. "Cause you know that that's what would end up happening."

Mildred had to admit that Maud had a point.

"I am sorry." She told her friend again as the two of them left the room.

Outside in the corridor they bumped into Fenny and Gris.

"Sorry to hear about the audition." Fenny told her. "I'm seeing Haldane in a little while to talk about what needs to be done. I could ask him to let the pair of you audition again if you want?"

Both girls shook their heads.

"Thanks for the offer." Maud told Fenny. "But I think I've had my fill of auditions for the time being."

"Ok, but if you decide that you want to get involved with the play in a backstage way then do let me know." Fenny told her.

"She's just showing off because she gets to spend so much time with Haldane." Griselda teased her friend. "I think she's got a soft spot for him."

"She's not the only one." Mildred entered into the conversation. "I get the feeling that half of the school think he's wonderful."

"Only half the school?" Griselda questioned. "I think you'll find it's everyone in the school."

"With the obvious exception of HB." Fenny added.

"And Mildred." Maud pointed out.

Fenny and Gris looked at eachother and then at Mildred and then at Maud.

"Is she quite well?" Fenny wanted to know.

"Does she need glasses?" Griselda inquired.

Mildred frowned at the comments.

"I never said that I didn't like him." She argued. "I just said that I wasn't bonkers over him the same way that you all seem to be."

"Why ever not?" Fenny shook her head. "It's not often we get talent like him in the school. If you're saying that you'd rather look at Mr Blossom than Haldane Harrington then I'm certain that there's something wrong with you."

"There's nothing wrong with me." Mildred protested.

Fenny and Gris exchanged a glance before announcing that they had to be going. The four girls said their goodbyes and Maud watched the older girls as they disappeared down the corridor.

"Lucky Fenella." Maud's tone contained more than a hint of jealousy. "She gets to spend the next couple of hours in the company of Haldane whereas we get to get up close and personal with our homework."

"Well the quicker we can do it the more time you'll have to dream about him." Mildred teased her friend.

Maud punched her playfully on the arm and the two friends headed back towards their rooms.


The peaceful silence of the potions lab was shattered by the arrival of the first class of the day. Constance Hardbroom raised her head from the book that she had been reading as the girls hurried their way into the room. She noted with more than a little irritation that the 3rd years had become almost as noisy as the younger years.

"Do you mind?" She raised her voice and immediately the chatter from the girls died away. She looked round at the flushed faces and could sense the barely concealed excitement that permeated the group. "Is it too much to hope that this sudden enthusiasm for life is in any way connected with the upcoming lesson?"

The only response she heard was muffled mutterings from the girls as they settled into their usual places in the room. She clicked her tongue impatiently against her teeth. No doubt Haldane Harrington was in some way connected to the change in the girl's attitude. She'd warned Miss Cackle that the man would provide a distraction but had Miss Cackle paid her any heed? She sighed again. It was hard enough at the best of times to keep the girls attention focussed on their work; it was going to be even harder now.

"Settle down." She instructed the class and watched as they gradually seemed to settle down. "Let's start where we left off yesterday." She cast her eyes across the rows of faces. "That is assuming that any of you can actually remember that far back." Her eyes settled on Fenella Feverfew. "Fenella tell me what is the first ingredient that you need if you are going to make a levitating potion?"

Fenella looked at the cauldron that sat in front of her and the row of ingredients that were laid out upon the desk. She knew that she should know the answer to the question. She knew that she should know the name of everything that lay in front of her but her mind was completely blank. She raised her head and met the piercing glare of Miss Hardbroom.

"Well?" An eyebrow was raised and Fenella knew that an answer was expected. She shook her head slightly and looked down at the ingredients again.

"Can anyone help Fenella out?" Miss Hardbroom eventually asked and Griselda immediately stepped in to help her friend out and picked up the flax stalks.

"Well I'm glad that at least one of you was paying attention yesterday." Miss Hardbroom snapped, more than a little irritation plain in her voice. "Perhaps you can redeem yourself Fenella by telling me why it's important to make sure that the flax is fresh and not dried?"

Fenella stared at the plant stalks that her friend was holding and shook her head. She searched her memory but found that she couldn't come up with the answer.

She opened and closed her mouth as she realised that there appeared to be a gap in her memory. She tried to articulate what was happening but the words just wouldn't come.

"Fenella Feverfew if this is your idea of a joke then I have to be the one to inform you that it isn't funny." Constance stared at the girl and watched as her eyes widened with what appeared to be fear. The eyes met hers and she watched as Fenella shook her head slightly. It was at that moment that Constance realised that this wasn't a joke; that there was something seriously wrong.

"Come here." She beckoned the girl to the front of the class. "I want the rest of you to lay out in order the ingredients that you will need for the levitation potion."

Fenella rose shakily to her feet and headed to the front of the class. She was aware that the rest of the eyes in the room were on her and following her progress.

"Eyes on your own work." Miss Hardbroom instructed the class. She spotted hands being raised to mouths and whispers passing between the pupils. "No chatter." She warned them. "I want this done in absolute silence."

She turned her eyes back to Fenella as the girl reached her desk.

"I can't…" Fenella began but broke off.

Constance regarded Fenella closely.

"I want you to turn that pencil on my desk into a glass of water. You look like you need one."

Fenella raised her right hand and pointed in the direction of the indicated pencil. She closed her eyes and tried to recall the spell. It was one of the first things they'd been taught in the 1st year and she knew that she should know the spell. Finally she opened her eyes again and shook her head.

"I can't." She half-whispered. "I can't do it. I don't know how." Panic was plain in her voice and it was that edge that attracted the attention of the rest of the room.

"Eyes on your own work girls." Miss Hardbroom instructed the class as she heard the whispering start up again. She looked at the panicked expression on Fenella's face and knew that she wasn't faking.

"Can you remember anything?" She asked as gently as she could.

Fenella's lower lip trembled as she tried to keep her fear in check. Not trusting herself to speak she shook her head and felt the first hot tear trickle down her cheek. She didn't understand what had happened but she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she had lost her magic. She'd lost everything she'd ever been taught about the craft. It had gone. It was as if it had never been there. She knew that she was no longer a witch.