This is shorter than normal and was due to be part of the last chapter but I thought I'd split the huge chapter into two. Hopefuly this will tide you over until the beginning of next week.

Hope you are still enjoying this, I know that I'm having a blast. Getting near the home straight now though. I think I'm gonna miss it when its gone.

As always I appreciate the reviews you guys have given. It's good to know that people are out there reading this.


Miss Cackle sat down upon a tree stump and placed her head in her hands. She was trying to come to terms with what had just happened. Somehow Haldane Harrington had the ability to overcome the entire school. She shook her head, trying to understand how it would even be possible for him to do something like that. It wasn't as though they were defenceless; they had their magic for heavens sake. But it appeared that Haldane Harrington was responsible for that loss as well.

She lifted her head as a shadow fell over her.

"Sit down Imogen." She invited the gym teacher who was looking decidedly upset.

"I don't know what to say." Her voice was distraught and she seemed on the verge of tears. "I really had no idea…"

"Of course you didn't." Amelia immediately admonished her. "None of us had any idea what Haldane was really up to."

"But I was the one that suggested that he come to the school." Imogen protested.

"And I was the one that agreed with you." Miss Cackle countered. "If you want to play the blame game then I'm sure that I can match you every step of the way. Self recrimination is not going to help us now." She gently chastised her colleague. "What we need now is a plan of action; a means of attack; a clear and decisive plan. We need…"

"Constance Hardbroom." Imogen finished the sentence.

Miss Cackle sighed heavily.

"I rather think you're right," She reluctantly admitted.

Imogen pushed a hand through her hair.

"I can't believe I was so stupid." She told Miss Cackle. "I liked him. I really liked him. I trusted him. I was even beginning to think about how far away Serge was and how difficult it was to keep our relationship going." She shook her head. "Constance was right all along but did we listen to her?"

"Constance would have been against anyone we invited to the school." Amelia tried to reassure her colleague. "She'd have argued against Brad Pitt paying us a visit."

"Yeah but Brad Pitt wouldn't have taken the magic from 5 of our girls." She looked at Miss Cackle. "How do you know about Brad Pitt?"

Amelia smiled.

"I'm a witch not a hermit Imogen. There are bits and pieces from the outside world that reach my ears you know."

"And Brad Pitt was one of those bits and pieces?"

Amelia shrugged.

"I heard the girls talking… endlessly."

Silence fell between the pair for a few moments.

"What do you think happened to her?" Imogen finally asked. She raised her eyes and glanced at Miss Cackle but the head teacher was staring down at her hands. "Do you think she's ok?"

"I think that if she was ok then she'd be here with us now." Amelia finally admitted in a quiet voice.

"Miss Cackle?" Amelia raised her head as she heard the nervous tones of Mildred Hubble at her shoulder. She forced a smile to her face that she didn't believe in and turned to address the girl.

"What can I do for you Mildred?"

"I'm worried about Miss Hardbroom Miss." The words fell from her mouth. "I think we ought to do something."

Miss Cackle sighed.

"And what do you propose that we do Mildred?"

Mildred's face dropped as she heard the defeated tone in her headmistress's voice.

"I thought that you might have an idea miss."

Miss Cackle shook her head.

"I'm fresh out of ideas at the moment Mildred."

"But we must do something." Mildred insisted. The two teachers looked up at her, surprised by the urgency in her voice and Mildred immediately apologised. "I didn't mean to be rude." She tried to assure them. "It's just that Miss Hardbroom did everything she could to get us all out and I think that we should do the same for her."

Miss Cackle was moved to action.

"You're right Mildred. We are witches after all." She glanced at Miss Drill. "And whether we have magic or not we certainly have the guile and the cunning to do something about this. I want you and Maud to tell us everything you overheard Haldane and his gang say. I then want to talk to Ethel Hallow, Drusilla Paddock, Ruby Cherrytree and Enid Nightshade. We need to pool together everything we know about Haldane Harrington." She glanced around the clearing. "Where is Enid?"


Enid kicked out at a pebble that sat in her path. She watched as it tumbled end over end before plopping noisily into a small pond. She looked at the pond and was immediately struck by the thought that on any previous occasion she could have used magic to retrieve the pebble. Her eyes filled with unbidden tears and she angrily wiped them away. There was nothing to say that she couldn't get her magic back again, there was nothing to say that this was the end of the matter. There was always the chance that HB would appear and proclaim that everything was fine; that she had defeated Haldane or whoever he was and was ready to return their magic to them. Enid kicked out at another pebble. If that had been likely then HB would have joined them hours ago. Enid didn't want to face up to the very real possibility that she would never have her magic again.

"Are you ok?" She heard a familiar voice from the edge of the clearing and turned to see Fenella Feverfew standing there.

Enid shrugged her shoulders unsure of what to say. Fenella walked slowly into the clearing and leant up against one of the trees, wrapping her cloak tightly around herself before blowing on her hands.

"I hope that they come up with a plan soon." She said conversationally. "I don't much fancy spending the night out here."

"Hmm."

"It's not going to be that bad." She tried to reassure the younger girl.

"If you try and tell me that it's all going to be ok or that it will all look better in the morning then I'm going to…."

"What? Turn me into a frog" Fenny let the silence fall between them for a few seconds. "You and I both know that neither of us can do that."

"Just shut up." Enid yelled at the older girl. "Just shut up."

Silence fell between them again and Enid wiped angrily at the hot tears that stung her cheeks.

"You're not alone in this Enid." Fenella tried to remind her. "Don't try and handle this all by yourself. I'm not saying that it's going to be easy but it's not the end of your life." She smiled sadly. "Mind you if you'd asked me how I felt yesterday I don't think I'd have responded the same way. It just takes time to adjust that's all. It just takes time." She paused hoping for a response of some kind from Enid but when nothing was said she remained where she was leaning against the tree.

"If you want to talk then I'll be back in the clearing with the others." Fenella eventually broke the silence. "If you don't then I guess I understand that as well."

Fenella turned on her heel and took a couple of slow steps away.

"Don't go." The voice was quiet and hesitant. Fenella allowed herself a small smile and turned back to face Enid.


Haldane opened the door and was surprised to see that the witch was still sitting against the back wall. He took a few paces into the room and regarded her curiously. He knew that the initial cocktail of drugs she had been given would have worn off and that she would now be very aware of his presence.

"Ahh my lady Distain. You seem to be taking this all remarkably calmly."

"I've never seen the point in making a big song and dance out of everything." She replied quietly. "I leave that to others."

"Hmm." Haldane wasn't convinced. "In my short time here you didn't strike me as the type to give up just like that." He paused and thought about things for a second. "Mind you, you didn't strike me as the self-sacrificing type either. I guess we can't all judge people by appearances."

"Oh I wouldn't say that." Constance countered. "I had you pegged as an imbecile the moment I saw you and I'd say that assessment has turned out to be fairly accurate."

"Tut tut." Haldane chastised her. "That wasn't the wisest thing to do."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Maybe this."

Haldane opened up the palm of his hand and a purple ball of energy appeared.

"I wonder just how many times you've tried to use magic to free yourself from the bonds? I'm thinking it's more times than you try and make it look."

He drew back his hand and launched the ball of energy in her direction. He watched as the energy was absorbed by the bands. Moments later a crackling sound emanated from them and he was satisfied to hear her cry out in pain.

"Seems I was right." He walked towards where she sat shaking against the far wall and knelt down beside her. "To receive a shock of that magnitude I'd say you must have tried at least a dozen times to free yourself."

He waited for a few moments.

"No words of defiance, no protests that I don't know what I'm doing. What a shame."

He rose to his feet again and headed for the door.

"I don't know what you think you are going to gain from this but it's obvious that you understand nothing about magic." Constance told Haldane coldly, her words initially uttered with a halting voice. "It isn't something that you can just pick up and play with. It is a craft, an art that has to be practiced and respected. You can't just steal what you want and believe that you're in control. If you are not careful then it will control you."

"You've been drilling that into your students for so long you are really starting to believe it aren't you?" Haldane paced back and forth across the small room. He was really starting to feel the effects of the magic as it flowed into his system. Being near the source of the power seemingly heightened the effect.

"You don't understand the power you are meddling with."

Haldane laughed at the comment.

"I would have expected something a little more original from you Constance." He cupped his hand and after a few moments of concentration managed to conjure up a glowing ball of energy. "I have all the control that I need." He assured her.

"I very much doubt that" She told him coldly, "It may seem easy now but trust me if you misuse it, it will destroy you."

Haldane swept an arm in her direction.

"Don't give me that. I've seen you; I've seen what you can do."

"That may be so but I have dedicated the best part of my life to the craft. A witch is not just what I am it's who I am."

Haldane shook his head as he felt the power flowing into him from the witch in front of him.

"Just how much of you is there left?" He asked her quietly. Constance raised her head and glared tiredly at him.

"What are you babbling about now?"

He smiled at her response. There was no longer any real energy in the delivery but she was still trying to show her distain for him. He cupped his hands and summoned up another ball of energy.

"Is there any part of you that isn't imbued with magic? Any last vestige of who you were before you took up the craft?" He opened his hand and the energy ball fizzled and vanished. "Oh I don't disagree that your magic makes you powerful but what's the cost to you?" He moved to stand in front of her and tried to make eye contact with her. "I saw you going about your work up there." He motioned towards the ceiling. "Always using magic to get you from A to B, no longer needing to utter the words of a spell but simply pointing your two fingers and BAM there you go." He shook his head. "Doesn't it ever scare you?"

"Why should it?"

"When was the last time you had to do anything for yourself?" He asked. "What part of your life can you actually recall where magic didn't play any part?"

Constance remained silent. Her mind was fogged with the drugs that Haldane had pumped into her system. She tried to cast her mind back to a time before magic but found that there was nothing there.