Apologies for taking so long with this—and I haven't even got a great excuse as this has been sitting more or less finished on my iPad for much of the past week as work and general demotivation got in the way.

A HUGE thank you to my three reviewers! Without you, this story would probably die (I did say I was rubbish at writing without feedback).

ZeIncomparableEm: I love your comment about naïveté versus experience because you're absolutely right, and I think as this story continues that theme will evolve. Because naïveté isn't always bad, and there's something sad in the loss of innocence. Minor panic: did I steal the Eternal Sleeping Potion from you? It's quite possible I did–or if not you, someone else! Ooops.

phantomlistener: Another comment I absolutely love. I love how you've homed right into what I'm trying to do with the Constance/Mildred relationship here, and I'm sure you don't need me to tell you it's not going to be an easy ride!

Guest: Hope you enjoy this part too!

Seven

Mildred ran as she'd never run before, head down, body angled forward as she hurtled deeper into the woods. Her need to put as much distance between herself and everyone in the grove overwhelmed everything else, including her fear of the dark.

Branches grabbed and stabbed at her as she past, once even snagging on her unbound hair. Desperate to get away, she yanked the caught lock out by the roots, barely even registering the pain. Her leg muscles burned; despite Miss Drill's efforts Cackle's did not put the emphasis on physical sports that 'normal' schools did and Mildred did not realise how little time she'd spent actually moving until now, when she needed every iota of speed she could muster.

Keep going, keep going, keep going! she chanted inwardly, driving her body on even when she could hear her breath whistling like an old train and her legs shook with every step.

Her breath caught on a sob as a flashback of that cruel little scene with Ethel replayed in her mind's eye: Why would she want anything to do with a freak like you when she killed your mum?

And Maud's refusal to meet her eyes, proving she'd known all along.

Why didn't she tell me?

Miss Cackle must know!

That betrayal hurt almost as much as Maud's did. Mildred had come to secretly think of the headmistress as the grandmother she'd always longed for and never had. The tears fell faster as she remembered Miss Cackle's warm hug earlier that evening, and how safe and loved it had made her feel. How could Miss Cackle be that whilst all the time allowing the woman who'd murdered Mildred's mum to work at her school? And not just work there, but hold power as deputy headmistress?

Miss Hardbroom killed my mum.

That was the thought that, more than any other, kept repeating endlessly. It made both perfect sense and no sense at all. Why would she do it? Maud's explanations (She turned bad, or Maybe they rowed) didn't hold much water. If HB was so evil, why was she allowed to work as a teacher? Mildred remembered the gossip from her first term at the comp when one teacher had to leave for 'inappropriate behaviour' with a sixth former. She knew teachers had rules they had to obey, just like pupils did, and surely not even the magical world could overlook murder. As for the other, Mildred couldn't imagine killing anyone—not even the ever-irritating Ethel Hallow—let alone her best friend just because of some stupid row.

Miss Hardbroom killed my mum.

An involuntary wail escaped, disproportionately loud in the near-quiet of the woods, and Mildred succeeded in scaring herself so badly that she tripped and fell hard, crashing into a mushy gloop composed of mud and damp, decaying leaves. Nature protested as birds escaped their branches in a flapping, rustling, twig-snapping flurry, their raucous cawing broadcasting their indignation at the presence of the alien in their midst.

Mildred froze in her slimy bed, her breath coming in harsh pants. The birds were the last straw; their barely-seen movement and loud cries gave every night terror she'd ever had form and shape. Cold seeped through the wool of her cloak, penetrating deep within her bones, and Mildred's teeth chattered so hard her jaws ached.

Lingering tendrils of common sense told her she should move—but to what end? To rejoin the others? To sit quietly in class while Miss Hardbroom—her mother's murderer—lectured them yet again on carelessness? To see Miss Cackle's kindly smile, knowing the secrets it hid? At this moment the terrors of the nighttime forests were preferable.

Or she could go home, to Uncle John, Aunt Hilda and her diamanté-spangled cupboard under the stairs. She could run away. The thought was appealing until she remembered that would also mean returning to the local comp and her breath hitched. Could she go back to being that girl? At least at Cackle's she would learn how to use her magic and ultimately be able to defend herself.

She should move. She should, but her limbs felt as though they were hung about with weights, keeping her prone. It was too much effort to move; perhaps if she rested her eyes a little she'd know better what to do, where to go. And it wasn't as if she was cold anymore; the shivering had practically stopped.

When sleep beckoned, she went gladly.

'Mildred!' Maud shouted when her friend slipped away from them, disappearing with disconcertating swiftness into the anonymous blackness. 'Mildred, come back!'

'Let her go,' Jadu advised, her eyes shadowed in the moonlight. 'She probably just wants a minute by herself.'

'But—' Maud protested, standing on tippy-toes in an attempt to see beyond the crowd of girls surrounding her. 'She can't go off by herself! Not here! She'll get lost!'

'Yes, Hubble Bubble would do that, wouldn't she,' Ethel sneered and Maud turned on her, her hands going to her hips.

'Shut up, Ethel! This is all your fault! Why do you have to be so ... so mean!'

'How was I to know she didn't know?' Ethel took a step backwards, thereby stamping on someone's toes. Maud heard their cry of pain; Drusilla, perhaps. She hoped so. She deserved it for not choking Ethel off. 'Everyone knows.'

'I didn't,' Ruby piped. 'Nor Jadu, I bet.'

'That's cos you shouldn't even be here, you—' Ethel started before Maud cannoned into her head-first, thus cutting her off. Ethel was the taller of the two, but she was slightly built and taken by surprise—no match for Maud's unbridled fury.

The pair rolled in the mud as Ethel reached for Maud's glasses while Maud hauled on Ethel's blonde hair with a right good will. Maud could feel Ruby and Jadu pulling at her, but weeks of pent-up frustration with Ethel Hallow had finally found a vent and it was too satisfying to stop—until Griselda Blackwood jerked them apart and onto their feet with a firmness worthy of Miss Hardbroom herself.

'D'you want HB down on us?' Fenella Feverfew hissed as Griselda held Ethel and Maud at arm's length by their collars, like a pair of squabbling kittens. 'Cos if so, just carry on!'

'She attacked me!' Ethel cried while Maud spat, 'You started it!'

'Oh, shut up.' Griselda shook them, looking so disgusted that Maud and Ethel found themselves exchanging sheepish glances, much to their mutual horror. 'Keep going like this and we'll all suffer, not just you—and believe me, if that happens HB'll be the least of your worries!'

'Who d'you think you are anyway?' Ethel demanded shrilly, twisting out of the elder girl's grasp. 'You're nobody. You're only a year older than us—'

'Just ignore them, Ethel,' Maud advised, as offended as her form-mate by this affront to their dignity. 'Some people are a bit full of themselves, if you ask me.' Taking Ethel's arm, she deliberately turned her back on the second years and pulled her towards the huddle of first formers staring in frank awe.

Magical spats were not uncommon at Cackle's, but full-on physical fights were. Only Jadu and Ruby, both of whom had come from normal primary schools, were unruffled.

'That was some fight!' Ruby grinned as Maud checked her glasses hadn't suffered unduly in the tussle. She scowled, peering myopically at her friend.

'Never mind us, what about Millie? Did anyone actually think to look for her?' Ruby's grin faded and Maud's scowl turned into a glower. 'So you all just stood there, like—like—'

Drusilla tossed her red head. 'As if a scaredy-baby like Mildred Hubble would go far!' She smirked. 'I bet she's lurking nearby, too wimpy to go anywhere else. Good thing too, we're miles from home. Can you imagine what'd be like to left out here alone?'

Maud sat down hard on a fallen tree trunk. 'What if she's not? Lurking, I mean.'

Ruby shrugged. 'That's easy. We'd have to tell Miss Cackle—'

Maud jerked upright with an emphatic 'No way!' while Ethel seemed the closest to panicked any of them had ever seen her.

'We can't!'

'But why?' Ruby's confusion was plain. 'You said'—she pointed at Ethel—'that everyone knows HB killed Mildred's mum. So what's the big deal?'

Maud and Ethel shared a look, unwillingly united by their shared heritage as the daughters of ancient magical houses.

'Everyone knows,' Maud began slowly. 'But—'

'No-one talks about it,' Ethel whispered as they leaned in to hear her better. She sent an uneasy glance towards the teachers seated around the fire with the Grand Wizard and Maud experienced a flash of understanding: Ethel didn't suck up to HB for the sake of it. She sucked up because she was scared.

Jadu was frowning. 'So nothing's been done about it? She's never been punished?'

Ethel shook her head. 'Would you like to try punishing HB?' She shivered, her sharp features pinched in the flame-light. 'Besides, no-one knows for certain it was her, but ... it couldn't have been anyone else. And we all know how powerful HB is. It takes a special kind of power to be able to actually kill someone—'

'There's a spell,' Gloria Newt added, surprising them. She so rarely spoke. 'But it's like Miss Cackle's always telling us in Charms. Knowing the words isn't enough, you have to feel it. So to kill someone...' Her freckled face was ghostly and the first years huddled together like frightened chicks.

'You'd have to really mean it,' Maud whispered hoarsely as Ethel nodded. 'Which is why she can't know we told Millie. If she got that angry once—' She trailed off, knowing from the aghast faces around her that they understood.

Ethel leaned in once more.

'My dad warned me before I came. He said I wasn't to annoy Constance Hardbroom at all because she was dangerous and—and he couldn't swear he'd be able to rescue me if—if—'

'So why is she our form mistress?' Jadu whispered.

'My Aunt Tilly used to say HB has some sort of hold on Miss Cackle,' Maud said slowly. 'I always thought she was kidding, but now—' She shook her head.

Ruby looked sick. 'But that means ... that means none of us are safe!'

'Exactly,' Ethel nodded. 'And that's why everyone has to promise to keep quiet, no matter what. I'm sorry about Mildred, Maud'—a declaration that made Maud sniff—'but we didn't make her run off. I—I probably shouldn't have said what I did and-and when she comes back I'll apologise. I will,' she added when Maud's shock showed in her dropped jaw. 'I'll even tell HB some excuse—you'll know she'll believe me—if Mildred's not back by the morning. But only if everyone swears.'

The first years went quiet. By this time they could all recite the Witches' Code back-to-front and Ethel's choice of words was not lost on them.

'Really swear?' Maud questioned, her palms clammy at the enormity of what Ethel was asking. 'Like, an oath?' The other girl nodded and Maud moistened her lips, hating herself for what she was about to do but seeing no other way.

'I don't like it, but ... OK.' She sent Jadu and Ruby an imploring look when they physically stepped away from her. 'Please. I don't like it any more than you do but we have to. No-one can talk about this. No-one. And if Millie doesn't get back tonight Ethel's the only one who'd be able to convince HB without telling the real truth.'

'But an oath?' Jadu looked ready to cry. 'Maud, that's not something to mess with! If—if we swear this and one of us breaks it—'

'You'll be forsworn and there'll be penalties.' Ethel sounded pleased. 'Do you have any better ideas?'

'You could just help, like, out of the goodness of your heart,' Ruby suggested. 'Like you said, it was your fault. If you'd kept your big gob shut—'

'I don't have to listen to this!' Ethel hissed, trying to back away, but Ruby grabbed her.

'Yes, you do. If anything happens to Mil it's your fault—'

'If you're that bothered, why aren't you out looking for her?' Drusilla asked, and Ruby shrank back. 'Oooh, look, big bad Ruby isn't quite so big and bad after all, is she?'

'Could we look for her?' Jadu asked, turning to Maud. 'If we all went... Even HB couldn't punish all of us!'

For a moment Maud considered it; her heart lifting ... if they found Mildred everything would be OK. They'd be able to explain and no-one would get into trouble. She was creeping towards the point where Mildred had vanished when their form mistress's voice echoed across the grove.

'Ten minutes, girls! If you're not ready to leave by then you'll have to find your own way back—and good luck to you. Maud Moonshine, where do you think you're going?'

Maud's skin prickled at the sudden increase of volume at her name and she turned slowly, unsurprised to find Miss Hardbroom glaring at her, arms crossed over her chest and fingers at the ready.

An entire bevy of butterflies chased through Maud's tummy and for a second she thought she'd be sick.

'Well?'

'I—I lost my hat,' she gabbled.

'Really.' Miss Hardbroom's voice held the edge the girls hated. 'You must think I was born yesterday. Your hat is on your head, girl, as I suspect you knew. Now get back with the others and let's have no more nonsense!' She vanished on the last word and Maud, thoroughly foiled, returned disconsolately to her peers.

'You idiot, Maud,' Ethel said through her teeth. 'You nearly ruined everything! What if she'd decided to do roll?'

'She didn't,' Maud said, shivering. It was so cold. If Mildred was out there—

'We haven't got time for this,'Ethel was saying. 'Remember what I said earlier. Hardbroom is dangerous and I'm not doing anything that could me in trouble with her—and certainly not for Mildred Hubble. If you want my help with getting her back, you know what you have to do!'

For a split second Maud contemplated telling Ethel she could go hang. She would run to Miss Cackle and tell her everything; the Headmistress would surely protect her. She could—

'Come on, girls!' Miss Hardbroom called, impatience in every note, and Maud realised it was too late. She was out of time and Ethel held the upper hand.

'O-OK.' She swiped at the tears pooling along the bottom rim of her glasses and raised her hand. 'I—I swear on my honour as a witch. I won't tell.'

'And the rest of you?' Ethel prompted, straightening her hat.

'Do it!' Maud hissed, and the others repeated her actions. She could feel Ruby and Jadu staring accusingly, their gazes searing her very soul.

Please be back tomorrow, Millie, she thought when Miss Hardbroom ordered the first years into the air. I don't know what'll happen if you're not.

Amelia poured herself a cup of freshly brewed tea, humming under her breath as she waited for her colleagues to join her for brunch. It was nearly one in the afternoon and the sound of the girls moving overhead as they prepared for their lessons enhanced her feeling of contentment. It was a beautiful autumn day and for once all was well with Cackle's Academy.

The staffroom door opened and she turned with a welcoming smile to face Constance's raised eyebrow.

'You're down early,' the younger woman commented as Amelia poured her a cup. 'Couldn't sleep?'

The Headmistress heaved a happy sigh. 'I slept perfectly, thank you.' She sipped her tea. 'Wasn't last night absolutely splendid?'

'It went better than expected,' Constance said stiffly and Amelia smiled.

'Oh, come now. You have to give Imogen credit where credit's due. Mildred did perfectly.' She pulled her glasses from the top of her head onto her nose and peered through them. 'I hope you're planning on telling her so.'

'Apart from that wobble just before the loop,' Constance pointed out and Amelia hid a smile. The younger woman was trying a little too hard to be impartial, she felt. 'I did wonder then ... However, I admit that she pulled it off in the end.' A pause. 'And don't look at me like that, Amelia. I told her I was ... pleased.'

'And Imogen?' Amelia pressed, looking over the top of her glasses. 'I appreciate the two of you have a difficult history, but still. She's your junior here and for the sake of the school you must make a greater effort to get along.'

Constance looked stiffer than ever. 'If it will please you, Headmistress, I will ... congratulate her too.'

'Excellent! And here they are!' as the door opened to admit the rest of the staff. 'Afternoon, ladies! I hope we're all well rested and ready to take advantage of the good feeling from last night. I suggest—'

'Please don't say a holiday, Miss Cackle,' Constance put in and Amelia shook her head.

'Not at all. In fact, I was going to suggest an afternoon of exams.' She chuckled when Constance's jaw dropped. 'I was joking, Constance. No; no tests or holidays, just an ordinary afternoon of hard work to bring everyone down to earth. A little normality, that's what we need!'

'H'mmm.' The deputy headmistress scowled into her tea.

'The girls should have some kind of reward, Miss Cackle,' Imogen said, blue eyes sparkling. 'They did brilliantly. The Grand Wizard was so impressed, he said it was better than last year's effort.' She sent Constance a triumphant look. 'Even with Mildred Hubble.'

Constance glared. 'Yes, Miss Drill. Mildred did ... exceedingly well last night. Your faith in her was rewarded.'

Imogen feigned a swoon. 'Do my ears deceive me? Is the great Constance Hardboom actually admitting that someone else might know what they're doing?'

Constance's lips pressed together and Amelia said, sharply, 'Imogen, that's enough.' She looked around her staff. 'Mrs Tapioca is laying on a special breakfast. A break from cold porridge will be all the reward the girls need,' she added, grimacing as she remembered the year before when a protest over food resulted in the staff eating the disgusting stuff for an entire week. 'Which reminds me, who's on duty this morning?'

'I am,' Constance acknowledged, her eyes going over Amelia's shoulder to the clock behind her. 'I'm leaving shortly to ensure those girls come downstairs properly, instead of like a herd of rampaging elephants.'

'"Dignity and deportment at all times",' Amelia heard Imogen mock and she sighed inwardly.

She would admit that the games mistress had some right to her resentment and there was no denying Constance Hardbroom could be difficult—but Imogen's deliberate provocation of the deputy headmistress was unprofessional at best and childish at worst. Challenging her would only lead to a confrontation that could result in all sorts of skeletons being let out of their closets—and that was something the Headmistress preferred to avoid as long as she could.

She rose, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. 'I'll come with you, Constance. I'd like to give Mildred my congratulations in any case.'

'I'll be amazed if she's down on time,' Constance observed, leading the way into the corridor as the bell went. 'Punctuality is not one of Mildred Hubble's virtues.'

Amelia smiled. 'Oh, I think we can cut her a little slack this afternoon, don't you.' She put her hand in the crook of the younger woman's arm, ignoring her recoil, and drew her into the Great Hall. They were assaulted by the noise of nearly a hundred excited girls all talking at once, their shrill voices punctuated by the rattle of plates and clacking of cutlery. Constance tensed beneath Amelia's fingers and the Headmistress pressed warningly; she had no desire to spoil the mood with one of her deputy's patented tirades.

Although not everyone seemed to share in the general celebrations, she noted. The first years looked ... glum. Surprisingly so.

'What's—' she started, just as Constance tutted.

'What did I tell you, Headmistress? They're all here—apart from Mildred, naturally.'

The back of Amelia's neck prickled. 'I'm not sure it's that simple.' She removed her hand from Constance's arm and approached the first years' table with a smile she did not feel.

'Good afternoon, girls! Enjoying your breakfast?' She nodded at the plates heaped with bacon, sausages, and soft rolls. Only a few of the girls returned her smile; Maud Moonshine did not even look up from chasing half a sausage around her plate.

'Miss Cackle asked you a question, girls,' Constance said warningly. 'It would be polite to answer it—and to eat your food properly instead of playing with it, Maud Moonshine!'

Amelia's eyes narrowed as she saw Maud flinch. The prickling had turned into certainty.

'Where's Mildred?' she asked as brightly as she could. 'If anyone deserves a special breakfast, she does!'

Amelia could've sworn she saw Maud exchange a look with Ethel Hallow before saying, reluctantly, 'We don't know, Miss Cackle.'

'Don't know?' Constance went rigid. 'What do you mean, don't know? I hope this isn't some ploy on Mildred's part to get a little extra time in bed, because I assure you, Maud Moonshine, it isn't—'

'It's my fault, Miss Hardbroom,' Ethel blurted and Amelia heard her deputy's surprised exhalation. 'I-I was jealous that Mildred got to fly and I ... we argued.' The girl tossed her blonde head. 'And of course Mildred got huffy and ran away.'

'But—she came back with everyone else!' Amelia spluttered. Ethel stared fixedly at the table and the Headmistress shivered. 'Didn't she?'

'We ... didn't take register before we left the grove, Headmistress,' Constance reminded her, her voice unnaturally pitched. 'Or when we returned.'

Amelia winced, remembering how she'd ignored her deputy's suggestion that they do that very thing before sending the girls to bed. She embraced herself with the thick fabric of her teaching gown, her blood chilling as realisation dawned.

'Are you ... Girls, are you saying that Mildred Hubble has been out all night? Alone?'

'We didn't think she'd go far, Miss Cackle!' Maud burst. 'Millie's scared of the dark. We thought she'd ... we thought she'd realise we were coming home and—and—' She covered her face with plump hands and burst into tears.

Amelia could feel fury (and perhaps fear) radiating off her deputy in waves.

'And why, Maud Moonshine,' Constance hissed in her lowest, most dangerous tone, 'did you not tell me this last night?! If something has happened—' She broke off and left the room at a fast clip, leaving Amelia with the girls, as startled as they.

Ruby Cherrytree recovered first, her gaze hard as she turned it on Miss Cackle. 'Are you gonna look for her, miss?'

The Headmistress drew herself up to her full, if limited height, hurt by the girl's cynicism. 'Of course we're going to look for her.' She took a deep breath. 'We'll let you know what's happening,' and left the room as quickly as she could without breaking into a trot.

Once safely out of the Great Hall, she picked up the folds of her gown and frankly ran to the staffroom, her pulse hammering in her ears.

There was a time for dignity and deportment, and this was assuredly not it.

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Next Time: Will Mildred be rescued? Is this the point where Constance and her goddaughter can finally share a few truths? Or will it all go horribly wrong...