Sorry that this has taken longer than planned to post. Life has been doing that 'busy' thing to me again. Hope that this will tide you guys over for a week until I can post again.


Constance looked from Mildred to Maud and back again. Over the last two years, Mildred Hubble had seemingly been at the centre of everything that had gone wrong in the academy. Constance cast her mind back over her years at Cackle's and couldn't think of a period of time where there had been so much trouble. She was fairly sure that if she added together all the pranks that every other year she had taught had perpetrated, it still couldn't hold a candle to the antics of Mildred Hubble and her cohorts.

However there was something in the expressions on the faces of the two pupils that determined her response.

"If this turns out to be nothing but a wild goose chase then the pair of you will be in detention for so many hours you will forget what free time actually is."

Her warning given she waved her hand and transported the three of them to Mildred's room.

"Blimey!" Mildred gasped as her room materialised around her. Tabby looked up from where he had been sleeping on Mildred's bed and purred as he spotted his owner. She shook her head in disbelief, realising that there were still things that HB could do that astounded her.

"Can you zero in on anywhere in the castle?" Mildred asked without thinking.

"What?"

"Nothing Miss." Mildred hastily assured her teacher but made a mental note to herself to be really careful what she said about HB. There really did seem to be a chance that she could be around any corner.

"So where exactly is Mr Harrington?"

"He's down in the dungeons." Mildred supplied the information. "He's using some of the rooms down there."

"I'm well aware that he was granted access to some of the rooms." Miss Hardbroom replied frostily. "I'm also well aware that none of the pupils were granted access. Pray tell what were you doing down there in the first place?"

Mildred looked suitably guilty.

"I'm sorry Miss Hardbroom but I just knew that Haldane was up to something. I had to check it out."

"And you Maud Moonshine? Did you believe Mildred's tale of intrigue and skulduggery or was it simply blind loyalty that drove you to break school rules?"

Maud shrugged her shoulders nervously.

"Mildred seemed very certain that something was wrong." She finally replied.

"Do you think you could show me to the area in question?"

Mildred nodded.

"You'll have to be quiet though Miss."

Miss Hardbroom sighed heavily.

"I think I can manage that Mildred." She told her pupil wearily as she opened the door to the room.

She stepped out into the corridor and took a few paces along the draughty hallway before stopping.

"Where is everyone?"

"Miss?" Mildred stuck her head around the door.

"It's past curfew and I can tell you that these rooms are empty."

Mildred opened her mouth to ask just how her teacher could tell this but then decided that she really didn't want to know.

"Maybe Haldane has stepped up his plan." She hissed under her breath. "Maybe he decided that it just wasn't worth waiting for the play."

"Maybe." Miss Hardbroom weighed up the options. "But what made him change his plans?"


"This is all your fault." Ethel snapped at Enid.

It had only taken the girls a short while to recover from the effects of Haldane's spray but both Ethel and Drusilla were quick to lay the blame for their predicament at Enid and Ruby's door.

"I don't know how you can blame us." Ruby snapped back before Enid had a chance to draw breath. "We were here before you."

"Well you could have done something to stop him or to warn us." Drusilla argued.

"If the two of you couldn't stop him what makes you think that the two of us stood a better chance?" Ruby tried to reason with them.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up." Enid yelled at the three bickering girls. "I really don't think that sniping at each other is going to help."

"So what do you suggest that we do then Miss Smarty Pants?" Ethel sneered. "Got any bright plans forming in that vacant space between your ears that you laughingly call a brain?"

"Shut up." Enid snapped in reply.

"Well that's constructive I must say!" Ethel moved to stand over the other girl and glared down at her. "You think you're the queen of quick thinking so why don't you come up with a way to get us out of here?"

"We don't have any magic." Enid shouted into her face. "Don't you understand what has happened? We are no longer witches. Everything we ever learnt about magic has gone. I really am not in the mood for your petty bullying right now!"

Ethel was at a complete loss for words, she had been trying hard not to think about what had happened to her and Enid's words really hit the mark. She felt the tears spring to her eyes at the thought that she might not be able to practice the craft again.

"We're all in this together." Ruby tried to act the peacemaker but the bad-tempered expressions on the faces of the other girls in the room told her that it was going to be a long time before any peace was likely to be reached.


"We're getting close to the area now." Mildred whispered, still finding it hard to come to terms with the fact that she was currently sneaking through the corridors of the school with her potions teacher. It wasn't something that she'd ever envisaged doing. There were most definitely people you snuck down corridors with and people that you didn't. Mildred had always assumed that Miss Hardbroom fell into the latter category; she came across as just too strict and stern to ever sneak anywhere. She was someone that always made an impression wherever she went and the thought of her trying not to be noticed wasn't something that Mildred could quite get her head around. She had assumed that once they'd told her what was going on, HB would have dashed off and confronted Haldane. There was a part of Mildred that wondered why she hadn't. HB wasn't discounting their fears regarding Haldane though as she was certainly on the alert. Mildred had noticed that HB's spell-casting fingers were already extended and that did go some way towards giving her confidence a boost. If HB was taking their fears seriously then Mildred was certain that she'd be able to deal with whatever Haldane threw at them.

"I know we're close to the area." Miss Hardbroom's voice betrayed more than a little impatience. "You may find this surprising Mildred Hubble, but I did actually take the trouble to find out exactly what parts of the school Mr Harrington was being given access to."

"Sorry Miss." Mildred began to apologise but a silencing motion from Miss Hardbroom caused her to tail off. "What is it Miss?" She finally whispered.

Constance lowered her hand and turned to face the two girls in front of her.

"Maud Moonshine, I want you to head down the passageway on the left. Halfway down it you will find a heavy wooden door to your right. That is where I believe you will find your friends."

"What?" Maud was open-mouthed at Miss Hardbroom's announcement, wondering how her teacher could possibly know that. As she waited for a response she realised that she could hear a faint knocking and crying noise at the very edge of her hearing.

"Go to them." Constance instructed her. "See if you can get them out and find out exactly what has been going on."

"What should I do?" Mildred asked.

Constance looked at her as though trying to decide whether or not she could rely on her.

"You're with me." She said finally. "I rather think it's safer to have you at my side where I can keep an eye on you."

Constance starred down the passageway. She was fairly certain that Haldane and his team would be gathered in the room at the end. That was the area that had been set aside as a rehearsal area and as such it was the perfect place for the group to meet.

She watched as Maud moved off, following the instructions she had been given and then turned her attention to Mildred.

"We need to find out what they are up to." She told the girl sternly. "We are not going to burst in on them, we are not going to try and make out that we are the invading cavalry and we are not going to turn this into some huge production number. Do I make myself clear?"

Mildred nodded nervously in response.

Constance regarded her for a moment, just to decide for herself whether or not she believed her pupil's quiet nod. If there was one thing Mildred Hubble could be relied upon to do it was make a noise and this was one occasion where noise was to be avoided.

After deciding that perhaps Mildred was going to manage to remain silent for a period of time she moved off down the corridor.

Mildred swallowed nervously and set off after her.

The passageway was poorly lit and it was easy for the pair of them to remain in the shadows. As they neared the room at the end Miss Hardbroom slowed to a halt and motioned for Mildred to stay behind her. Mildred could make out voices but she couldn't work out what they were saying. Curiosity got the better of her after a few moments and she moved to stand next to Miss Hardbroom, trying to get a look at what Haldane and his gang were up to. She could see that the small group were gathered in the middle of the room and they all seemed to be deep in discussion.

"What are they doing?" She hissed.

"I can't tell from here." Constance admitted.

"I could use an eavesdropping spell and find out what they're up to."

"I'm sure you could Mildred." Miss Hardbroom told her dryly. "And I'm sure it would be a spectacular success but perhaps for a moment you will entertain the notion that they have remembered that we are witches and have put some kind of magic sensing spell in operation." She looked down at Mildred's downcast face. "It's what I'd do."

"I hadn't thought about that."

"Well that Mildred Hubble is obvious. It seems prudent at the moment to assume that they have a degree of magic ability and to take things carefully, don't you think?"

"Yes Miss."

"Seeing as we are in agreement, I recommend that you exercise your ears more and your mouth less, that way we may actually be able to discover what they are up to."

"Yes Miss Hardbroom."


"I think we're ready." Haldane told the small group that was gathered round him. He tapped the machine that sat at his side. "By the end of the day this little baby should hold all of the magic in Cackle's Academy."

"You think it'll all fit?" Franklin asked as he stared at the silver box shaped object.

Haldane glared up at the broad-shouldered man.

"Magic isn't a physical thing Franklin; you can't see it, it doesn't take up space the way that a room full of cats would."

"So how do you keep it all in there?" The question had been at the back of Franklin's mind since Haldane had first taken their little group on the road and now he couldn't keep it back any longer.

Haldane scowled at Franklin.

"How many times do I have to go through this?" He shook his head. "Actually, no, I'm not going into this again, not now." He placed a hand on his subordinate's arm. "Just trust me when I say that this is going to work. You understand what I did to the witches at Pentangles Academy?"

Franklin nodded his head slowly for a few seconds.

"No." He finally admitted.

Haldane sighed heavily.

"When we arrived there how many of the witches could cast a spell or two?"

"All of them."

"Good. That's a promising start. Now think about this second question carefully. When we left there how many witches had any magic at all?"

Franklin pulled a face.

"None of them?"

"Exactly." Haldane tapped the machine. "All their magical ability is locked up in here. I can harness it and use it any way that I please. That's all you need to understand."

Franklin stared at the machine for a few seconds.

"So what does it smell like?"

"What!" Haldane shook his head. "Magic doesn't smell of anything Franklin. It's an essence, an aura…" He looked at the expression on Franklin's face. "It's something that I'm never going to be able to put into words that you'll understand."

Haldane walked away from Franklin before he could do anything that might result in bruised knuckles. Another of his colleagues followed him. He was thankful that it was Murphy. Of all the team, Murphy was undoubtedly the brightest. There were times however when he wondered just how strong Murphy's loyalties really were.

"Do you want to deal with the witches in the dungeons now?" Murphy asked, anxious to get Haldane's thoughts away from Franklin. There were times when he wondered why they bothered keeping Franklin around and then he looked at the stature of the man and realised that his sheer size and strength made him an invaluable member of the team. Whilst it was true that physical strength wasn't always the best weapon against a spell-casting harridan it was more than useful when you needed to break down the heavy wooden doors that they seemed insistent on living behind.

"I think it would be better if we were to deal with them sooner rather than later." He paced back and forth. "Are you sure that no-one's missed them?"

Murphy shook his head.

"Everyone knows that certain members of the cast were helping out this evening. They'll just assume that rehearsals are over-running."

"You're probably right." Haldane mused. "We'll deal with the ones we've got first, make sure that the stuff really is working and worry about the others later."


"What have they done to the pupils at Pentangles?" Mildred questioned fearfully.

"I don't know." Constance shook her head. "I've not heard of anything like this happening before."

There was silence for a few moments until Mildred spoke up again.

"I'm scared." She confessed quietly.

Constance looked back and saw the fear that was written across Mildred's face.

"Go and help Maud get the girls out of the dungeons." She whispered.

"What if they come this way?"

"Then I'll hold them off."

"But you heard Haldane. He knows how to use magic."

"And are you implying that I don't?" There was a hint of humour in Constance's voice.

"No Miss." Mildred hastily apologised. "It's just that if he's drained the magic from Pentangles Academy then he must be pretty powerful."

The silence in the passageway was shattered by a piercing klaxon.

"Maud must have tripped some kind of alarm." Constance noted. She pushed Mildred gently in the back. "Go and help her. Get the girls out of here"

"But…"

"Mildred!"

"Miss." Mildred hesitated before doing as she was told.

Constance watched her go and then turned as she head the thundering sound of running footsteps. She cricked her neck and shook out her hands before drawing her strength together and preparing for what was to come.

"You!" Haldane slowed to a halt as he rounded the corner and caught sight of Constance Hardbroom. His voice was a mixture of surprise and pleasure. "I was hoping to avoid a confrontation this early."

Constance tilted her head to one side.

"I'd like to say that I'm sorry to disappoint you but I never was one for lying."

Haldane turned to look at the machine that still sat idle in the centre of the room. He was now bitterly regretting his decision not to get the thing up and running. If there was one witch in the school that he needed back up against, it was most probably this one.

Still it wasn't as though it would take long to get the machine sorted. He motioned towards Franklin and Francesca and they quickly headed towards it. Haldane turned back to face her.

"You can't take us all on at once you know."

Constance arched an eyebrow.

"Can't I?"

Haldane clicked his fingers and was relieved when Murphy responded and threw the right bit of kit at him.

"Have you seen one of these before?" He asked as he began to check the settings on it. He risked a quick glance at her and then shook his head. "What am I saying? Of course you haven't. A few of your pupils have seen a more basic version but I think you deserve the upgrade."

Constance's eyes had been flitting around the room, sizing up the strength of the opposition. She'd run through and discounted a number of spells in seconds. If this team did have the strength to take out the whole of Pentangles then she knew she'd have to be careful what she tried against them. Magic had a nasty way of doing the unexpected when you didn't know exactly what you were casting it against.

Her eyes returned to Haldane as she realised that he'd fallen silent. The object that was levelled at her looked unmistakably like a gun. There was magic in the air that much she could sense. What she couldn't tell was who, if anyone, had control of it. One thing was certain; she couldn't afford to let anyone in the school be affected by this group.

As she saw Haldane's finger squeeze against the trigger she shook her hands and drew her strength together. The only thing to do until the school was clear was hold them back.

As a beam emerged from the end of the gun, she drew her hands apart and erected a barrier that she hoped would be strong enough to contain the magic that was present within the room.


"What's going on?" Maud yelled as she saw her friend sprinting down the corridor towards her.

"Haldane knows more about magic than we realised. He's got some sort of magic draining thing and he's trying to head this way."

"What's stopping him?" Maud was fighting with the lock on the door and wanted some indication on how much longer she might have.

"At the moment, HB." Mildred shouted as the sounds of clashing magic began to reach their ears.

"Come on door." Maud complained as she tried and failed to persuade the heavy door to budge.

"Why don't you just use an opening spell?" Mildred asked her friend as she watched her struggle with the lock.

"That was the first thing I tried." Maud replied in an exasperated tone. "The alarm you can hear is the only thing that I managed to do."

"Perhaps if we both try?" Mildred suggested but Maud shook her head.

"I get the feeling that it's been protected against magical interference in some way. Nothing seems to work on it." She gave the lock another thump.

Mildred glanced briefly back down the corridor as she heard the continuing exchanges of magic.

"Come on Maud." She muttered, more to herself than her friend.

"I've got it." Maud finally exclaimed and lifted the heavy latch. She pulled on the door but it still refused to budge. "What now?"

Mildred stared at the door for a moment before she spotted the problem.

"Bolts." She cried out and reached for the top of the door, where a thick rusted bolt was keeping the door closed. Maud spotted a second bolt at the bottom and dived towards it.

"Come on, come on." Mildred urged the bolt as it steadfastly refused to budge.

She heard the hammering on the other side of the door and knew that her friends were eager to be free from their confinement.

"I'm doing my best." She yelled at them and wrenched at the bolt again. With a squeal of metal upon metal, she finally felt it shift slightly.

Maud grabbed her bolt in both hands and, after seeing the effort that Mildred was putting in, pulled on the bolt with all her might. To her immense surprise, it slid smoothly back and she unceremoniously fell upon the hard stone floor.

Recovering from the surprise, she climbed gingerly to her feet and added her strength to the bolt that Mildred was working on.

Finally, with a loud squeal, it gave up its fight and the two girls managed to draw it back.

"Get everyone out." Mildred instructed her friend and turned back to stare down the corridor. She was beginning to get concerned. Surely HB should have finished dealing with Haldane and his men by now.

"I'm going to get HB." Mildred shouted in Maud's ear as the door opened and their classmates began to emerge.

"What?" Maud called after her friend but Mildred had already disappeared.


"Maud's opened the door and everyone's going to get out." Mildred yelled as she raced towards where Miss Hardbroom appeared to be maintaining a magical barrier. She could see Haldane on the other side of the barrier but she couldn't hear him. He was obviously shouting something though and was throwing magic at the barrier, trying to break through it.

"What are you doing here?" Constance demanded to know as she felt the pressure from the other side of the barrier increase.

"I came to tell you that we can get out of here." Mildred tried to explain. "Maud's freed the others from the dungeons."

Constance pulled a face as she listened to Mildred's take on the situation.

"And supposing I was to leave now." She told Mildred coldly. "Who do you suppose would keep Haldane and his band of happy homicidal maniacs penned in?"

"I hadn't thought of that." Mildred confessed.

"Well I don't have the time for you to stand and ponder the issue now." Constance snapped. "I need you to get back to the others and get them out of here."

"But…"

"Get out of here." Constance hissed. Mildred looked at the strain that was showing on her teachers face and was torn.

"But I can't just leave you here Miss Hardbroom." She protested. "There must be something I can do."

"For once in your life Mildred Hubble, do as you are told." Constance muttered through gritted teeth. "If Mr Harrington's boasts are true then that machine of his could spell the end for us all. Do you want that?"

"No Miss but…"

"Make sure all the girls are safe and get everyone out of the castle as quickly as you can."

"But you'll be…"

"Mildred Hubble I am not in the habit of repeating myself."

"No Miss."

"So do as I say and get out of here." Constance was forced to take a step back as the onslaught of magic became stronger. Mildred gasped as she noticed the flashes of purple and silver that were starting to find their way through the barrier that Miss Hardbroom had thrown up.

"He's starting to get through Miss."

"Yes I'm well aware of that Mildred." Constance took a breath and tried to increase the effort she was putting into maintaining the barrier. "Now I'll not tell you again."

"No Miss." Mildred turned on her heel and took a few paces away. "What are you going to do Miss?"

"300 lines Mildred. I must listen to everything my teachers tell me and not presume to know better." Constance snapped. "I want you to hand them to Miss Cackle at the first available opportunity, assuming that is that you choose to follow my instructions and get everybody out of here now."

"Miss." Reluctantly Mildred turned and began to move away.

"Run Mildred. I do not have all day to wait for you."

Mildred stopped and turned to face her teacher.

"There has to be…" She blinked and looked around in astonishment. "Something I can do." She finished as she tried to work out where she was.

"Come on Millie, where have you been?" Maud admonished her as she ushered Drusilla from the room. "I was beginning to think that they'd got you."

Mildred turned to look back down the corridor, trying to work out how she'd arrived back at the dungeons so quickly.

"Miss Hardbroom." She muttered beneath her breath as she realised what her teacher had just done.

"What about her?" Maud wanted to know; not realising the magic involved in Mildred's sudden arrival.

"HB's holding back Haldane and the others with some sort of barrier but I don't think it's going to hold for much longer. Haldane seems to be throwing some pretty serious magic around."

"Then we better get out of here." Maud grabbed hold of her friend's hand and began pulling her towards the exit. Mildred turned her head back the way she had come.

"What about HB?"

Maud pulled at her friend.

"She'll be ok. She'll just transport herself out of there. Come on Millie."

Reluctantly Mildred allowed herself to be pulled towards the exit. She only hoped that Maud was right.