ow Hello I'm back (finally!) i would like to thank those who have read and review my previous work.. I certainly have no idea how to continue this story (which i somehow realized that was boring).. and i apologize to you... and will always keep thanking you for reading my fanfic... :D well everything is in the title so here it is... I hope you'll like it.. :D
The Insult Fest
"How's the Lunch duty, Miss Hardbroom?" Amelia asked the very moment that her deputy headmistress had entered a room with obviously, very obviously actually, a frown on her face as she slammed the staffroom door close and lean her back on it.
"I don't know, Miss Cackle," HB's voice was re-vibrating with rage, her eyes ablaze and her brows had almost meet each other's end."I don't know how long I could put up with this, AMELIA!"
"What's wrong, Constance?" Amelia asked before she took a slice of her beloved caulliflower cheesecake into her mouth and close her eyes to savour the sweet taste that was melting in her mouth.
"That girl-"
"Mildred Hubble?" Imogene guessed knowing that it was always the girl who put Miss Hardbroom in such a terrible mood, what could've that sweet girl did this time?
"Griselda Blackwood." Constance corrected as she dramatically paced toward the staffroom table, "that girl had been the main source of that nonsensical gossip in the Great Hall."
"What gossip?" Amelia shot her eyes open and stared at her deputy whose own face was flushed with anger.
"It's about yesterday, you know, the Icey-Constance romance?" Lavignia replied, her eyes were still fixed within her tarot cards that she kept on shuffling.
Ah... Amelia thought as she made a face and shrugged her shoulders.
"And that sidekick of hers-"
"Griselda Blackwood?" Imogene, once again continued.
"Had been creating stories on how I am so excited with the occasion ." Constance said with pure disgust. Her left arm rested on her wooden chair's backrest while the other was rested on her waist.
"Aren't you? If I was in your shoes i would be excited, its not everyday that you'll have the chance to dine with a good-looking celebrity like Icey Stevens." Lavignia said as she took a side glance at the esteemed potion mistress which in return had earned Constance's death glare.
"Then why don't you go and meet him yourself?" Constance said spitefully, then turn her head towards the direction of the head mistress," Are you even going to allow this Miss Cackle? We are being far too lenient with those girls and their gang, their so-called Dangerous Old Books Society"
"They love it, Miss Hardbroom." Imogene reason out, "they are learning independence, miss hardbroom."
"They are learning willful disobedience! Too much leniency and not enough discipline, If we let this to go on Miss Cackle, those girls will run all over us! And everything we had done for over the years will be ruins! RUINS IN OUR FEET! I wouldn't even be surprised if I learn that it was one of them who had decided to play pranks on me!" She sighed heavily, as she stare up to the ceiling, there is one girl she could think of doing such thing...Mildred Hubble
Imogene sighed, " Dont you think you are just Over-reacting Miss Hardbroom?"
"Over reacting?"Constance dramatically jerked her head towards the direction of the P.E Mistress who was sitting across her. There was ferocity in her voice that made Lavignia cower at her seat, "Certainly, Miss Drill, I may be over reacting, since i am not used hearing other people talking behind my back with such disrespect unlike you who had been walking around, nearly undressed, not caring on what other people might said towards thatprovocative piece of material that you call as your clothing!" Constance pursed her lips, " respect Miss Drill, something that it seems like you hadn't earned even from your own students, and might not earn despite of the fact that you had been tolerating their whims and pranks."
"Miss Hardbroom!" Amelia stood up from her seat trying to stop Constance, but it has been said..
With those she had heard, Imogene rose from her feet, making the chair to creat a creak like noise as a result of friction created by the chair and the cold stone floor,
"And what do you think would do, to earn their respect, Miss Hardbroom?" Imogene folded her arms, but not as uptight as the potion mistress usually do, her left leg quite bent behind the other making her look slanted, " Giving them detentions in every single chance that you had whenever you are in a foul mood, that happens more often than not for some reasons that none of us knows why, or was a mile long essay that they ought to write and passed at any time of the day that you wished to, never considering that they might have some other works and revisions that they ought to be done as well? Or it is RATHER yelling at your own pupils in the midst of the student body, not even trying to empathize whether they were frightened, embarrassed or demoralized! " Imogene Drill closed her eyes for a moment as she clearly saw a vision of Mildred Hubble in her mind, that poor under estimated girl, she deserved much better than that, Imogene thought.
"It is called discipline, Miss Drill, this establishment is being to linient with these girls. You must try it for quite sometime." Constance replied in a matter-of-fact- sort of tone and a little bit (a very very very little bit) of humour. so little that only herself had noticed.
"It seems like we have a different set of dictionary, Miss Hardbroom, and no thank you I had my own means of imposing discipline amongst my student."
"Really." Constance replied flatly and with a drop of sarcasm.
"Ladies, ladies, please, will you please sit down." Amelia pleaded wearily, she had enough of this exchange of spiteful remarks from her colleagues. And for goodness sake, how can she possibly enjoy the munchy taste of her food with this bickering women before her. But it seems like Imogene drill still have fire power against the potion mistress who had already taken her seat.
"Fright and respect were different from one another, Miss Hardbroom, something that most people had mistaken to be one and the same, and in my opinion, it was more of a fright rather than respect that i kept seeing within your students.. our students whenever you're around, Miss Hardbroom."
"Well I would rather earn one of those than nothing at all, Miss Drill." Constance looked sharply at the blonde before her who was also glaring at her just the same, as if they were sending each other some invisible sparks that only the two of them could see, " It seems like your modenistic ideas had been GREATLY affecting the traditional imposition of standards and discipline within this school. Since your arrival, the girls had all gone wild and rebellious!" then she turn head towards the head-mistress' direction, " I did warn you about this Miss Cackle, the possiblities of hiring a non-witch in the school." she gave Imogene a side glance, "Hiring a non-witch is one thing, but letting them affect the traditional standards of learning and parading themselves around the school in their so-called proper clothiing, which i hardly call as a proper at all with almost all of their flesh exposed, its hardly suitable for those promising girls! I no wonder why we were once listed in the Of Witch's watch list! Our standards had been allowed to slipped the moment we took non-witches as part of teaching staff and student body!"
" I hope you are not refering about Mildred Hubble because to tell you this, that girl had been working her head off just to fulfill her duties as headgirl and a student under a taunting teacher. And as of my clothing, Miss Hardbroom, it not indecent as what you are trying to imply, it just fits the line of work i am working on the academy, no Gym mistress could make a cross country run in the woods wearing stilletos and pencil cut skirt,."Imogene took a seat, her hands were resting on the table top, shaking,she is not used in having such terrible argument since she's a child," besides, Serge isn't against about it in the first place, he even told me that it helps the body to breath whilst having a long run."
"Ah! Serge DoOoO-BwAh, " Constance scowled, "The man whom we've met once on that uncharted area in the woods during your so-called Great outdoors, which turned out not to be that great at all, having your students stuck in such terrible storm. I was even surprised when i actually learned that he turned out to be your boyfriend, just a after a year or two of acquaintance-ship with out having much communication.. Honestly, Miss Drill, i have no idea of what have you seen with that man, you modern women often think that you cannot live without men. But the fact is, men would just use you to satisfy their needs and-"
"STOP IT CONSTANCE HARDBROOM! I LOVE SERGE AND HE LOVES ME JUST AS MUCH AS I LOVE HIM AND YOU HAVE NO RIGHT OR WHATSOEVER TO QUESTION THAT!" Imogen balled her fist and pounded it hardly on the table making the teas and platters to make a clattering sound, Amelia and Lavignia stared at the two, neither of them was brave enough to say a word knowing the moods of the two lady was in.. Lavinia didn't even bother to check her scoring sheets and she doubted if she''lll even ever used it at all. Imogene once again stood up the moment that the brunette witch got to her knees.
" I HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR CRITISCISM OF ME BEING A NON-WITCH AND HOW YOU MAKING ME FEEl AS IF I AM A NON-IMPORTANT MEMBER OF THE STAFF, I DO NOT EVEN CARE OF YOU TELLING ME HOW USELESS MY SUBJECT IS IN THIS SCHOOL BUT NEVER QUESTION MY RELATIONSHIP WITH SERGE BECAUSE IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS AND OUT OF YOUR JURIDICAL PREMISES! SERGE AND I KNOW THAT WE WILL LIVE HAPPILY TOGETHER AND THAT IS ENOUGH ASSURANCE FOR ME TO KNOW THAT I WONT HAVE TO MAKE OTHER PEOPLE MISERABLE BECAUSE I AM MISERABLE, AND I WONT HAVE TO LIVE MY LIFE UNHAPPILY JUST LIKE YOU!"
Imogene's words were like a bomb exploded from the world war that made the staffroom dead with silence. Amelia and Lavignia, who were both listening in the argument were both dumbfounded, unable to think of what were appropriate words to say to ease the tension that had suddenly came in the staffroom.
Constance Hardbroom, on the other hand, felt as if her throat were constricting, she was taken aback by the words that the younger woman had said to her, words that Imogene Drill had spitefully spitted out...to her..
...Miserable...
...Unhappy...
those words were ringing inside her head as if it was some sort of a broken record on a radio. Her eyes were wide with embarrassment and shock, not even in her wildest dream that she thought Imogene would say to her... But then again it was not a dream,,, its reality.
Imogene was abashed. What on earth was she thinking when she said those things to this witch? A part of her mind was telling her to apologize, tell Miss Hardbroom that those words just slipped out of her temper, that she didn't mean it, which is partially true since she wasn't thinking very clearly upon the words that she had cried out, but the other part of her tells her that it was the right thing to do,,, and that Constance Hardbroom had paid off all the insults that she had been given to her.. But one thing is sure for her...
She had gone too far.
the blonde's musing was interrupted by the sudden opening of the staffroom door, revealing the worried look upon the care taker's face, Mr. Blossom.
"Is ev'rythin' ol'right?" Frank asked, " A girl came rushin' to me tellin' me that somethings goin' on 'ere" when silence was thereply that he receive, he looked at Miss Hardbroom who always had an answer to every thing he had asked, but even the potion mistress was silent.
and instead of answering his question, the potion mistress left the table and headed towards the door.
"Miss Hardbroom," Amelia called out , which made constance to stop on her tracks, she stare at the headmistress icily which made Amelia to swallow the remaining cheeseplan that rested in her mouth, "your food.." Amelia's voice trailed off as she saw that unfamiliar emotion from her deputy's eyes,.
"I am no longer hungry, Headmistress." with this final reply, she left the staffroom.
"Miss Hardbroom I-" Imogene tried to follow the witch, but even before she reached her Miss Hardbroom turned into a puff of smoke.
That night
Constance stared at her reflection on the mirror as she painstakingly combed her long,long hair.
"I am not miserable and certainly not unhappy." she found herself talking at her very own reflection as if she was rather convincing herself to what she wants to believe, but she cannot even convince herself.
How often did she found herself smiling? Laughing? oh well, Constance thought, happiness is not about how often you laugh or smile but it is rather the sense of stisfaction of doing something right and-
Her musings were interrupted by a knock on her door, however when she opened it, she saw nothing apart from a small red box and a parchment that had been slipped in the tiny opening between the door and the floor. And when she unfold it, she saw the ragged handwritting of the P.E mistress whose room was just across hers.
So she decided to knock on the Miss Drill's door, quick and authorative as always, and after a few seconds the door opened.
Imogene's head poking out.
Constance's face was grim.
"Miss Hardbroom." Imogene breathe out, surprised that the woman was at her door, she opened her door a bit wider, as if telling the potion mistress that she was free to enter the chamber though Imogene know that Constance wont intend to.
But instead, Constance raised her hand that was holding the parchment. Telling Imogene that she ad already read it.
"Oh, that.." Imogene blushed with embarrassment, " well i really wanted to apologize about,... well ... everything that I had said to you in the staff room,, I really didnt mean to say it-" she babled like a petrified pupil caught doing something wrong... Like Mildred Hubble, " it just slipped out I guess, it just came out without me even thinking about it. I am really sorry, though some of them were actually half meant."
Constance was bemused.
"I am sure." HB sighed, handing the box towards Imogene, " But you shouldn't even bothered."
Imogene stared at the box, "that's not from me, actually, the third and fourth years asked me to give it to you, they said it was some sort of a peace offering of all the things that made you mad during their previous years. Those girls were really sweet, have you opened it yet?"
"No."Constance averted her eyes from Miss Drill towards the box that she held in her hands, "Miss Drill, i also well,...I wish to apologize to you as well about what I had said back in the staffroom. I can't say that I didnt mean to say them, however i still have this certain need to apologize as well. I am sorry." there was a moment of silence between the two, however it quickly ended the moment HB exhaled heavily as she shrugged her shoulder, "well there, I said it. See you in the staff room before dinner, i believe Miss Cackle has to say something to us, that is all."
Constance turned her back as if she was going to march to her room when Miss Drill called her out.
"what is it again Miss Drill?" HB asked with exasperation.
"It's turning 7 in the evening."
"so?"
"Are you still going with Stevens?"
"well i dont have any choice now, do I?Besides the school needs the money, the potion lab I mean, with Mildred around, I will be needing spare couldrons and blackboards to replace the broken ones." her face was indifferent but Imogene heard a hint of humor there and she laughed at the thought of Mildred messing with the deputy headmistress.
"I didn't know, you have a sence of humour."
"I didn't," Constance replied shortly, then she paused as if reconsidering, "Do I look like i have a sense of humour?"
"Sometimes, well.. uhm.. ahh... Forget it, any way, do you need help?"
"About what?"
"dressing up, make ups.. you know.. I just wanted to offer help.."
Constance sighed dramatically, rolled her eyes and walk towards her bedroom door.
"Please?" Imogene persisted.
"Alright." Constance said, this time with fake exasperation as Imogene Drill had literally ransacked her room in search of her make up kit.
Constance gave a small, very small smile upon her lips. it was so little that you can hardly notice it in her facade.
"Thank you, Imogene." Constance whispered more to herself just before Imogene went out of her room with the her treasured make up kit.
And then she is back to her usual composed, straight faced self.
A/n well there it is... the next will be the last one,, Stevens date with hardbroom...broom...brooooooooooom.!
thank you for reading and please, feel free to review my work.. thank you! :3