"Mildred….Hubble" a familiar voice seeped into the very recesses of Mildred's peaceful dream.
"I didn't do it" Mildred screeched groggily, bolting upright.
"Just because you are the only pupil present does not mean you may sleep in class" the voice continued coming from a bleary black shape that walked toward her with an intimidating click, click, click. Mildred shook herself awake, slapping her cheeks abruptly. Tabby was still snoozing contentedly in her lap.
"What happened you're on first watch" she whispered to the cat, who blinked up at her, then at HB with a guilty expression.
"Today we will begin with a potions outing to the west wood" Miss Hardbroom began sharply, striding to the board and fiercely unrolling a map of Cackle's. "It is clear that you Mildred Hubble, need further support in the foundation of potions. Ingredient identification and cataloguing. Can you tell me what grows in this area?
"Pustule plants" Mildred groaned. "There's a whole big section in the front. I fell in it first term when I was trying to find a nice quiet place to sketch"
"And what are the uses of this plant?" Miss Hardbroom continued.
"Anti-Acne, Anti-inflammatory, mainly it's calming to the skin… so it's used in a lot beauty and health creams" Mildred said. "And…erm…um, something about slipping. A slippery potion?"
"Your first definition is correct, however inarticulately put. The plant is used to calm rashes, remove warts, and remedy most skincare issues when combined properly with other ingredients. It is too strong to be used on it's own. Unless you favor your face being the color of a tomato" she corrected. "The second use is to create a traction potion, which is popularly solidified into a gel, causes substances to retain traction, in other words, remain stable on a slippery surface"
"Oh" Mildred mumbled, sighing. Miss Hardbroom observed her pupil a moment, pausing in her diatribe.
"But obviously my lectures do not work for you" she said briskly. Mildred glanced up at her teacher hesitantly, only to blink in surprise at seeing her teacher now wearing her cloak, a black smock and tight-fitting rubber gloves. "And hands-on experience is the best way for any young witch to learn. Now follow me, unless you'd prefer to remain here" Mildred smiled nervously. "Writing ten thousand lines about how courage is a witch's best asset" Miss Hardbroom finished menacingly. "And why you do not possess it, as a witch or as a chicken"
"Coming, coming, ah, right behind you HB!" Mildred scrambled up from her seat, ousting Tabby who hissed in irritation.
"Good choice, Mildred Hub-ble" she hissed, with hint of a grin.
Squelch. Squelch. Her rain boots sunk into the ground and her reflection wavered and then disappeared in the pockets of water in the road. Mildred was delighted that the recent rain had caused mud puddles, and was enjoying them as vigorously and quietly as she could, tromping behind HB along the path.
"Mildred Hubble!" Miss Hardbroom said, halting yet again. "We shall be at this all day if you keep lollygagging about" Mildred grinned.
"But I'm making important discoveries, erm academic ones" Mildred's eyes darted around. "Like…this…" she grabbed at random plant. "Dulcis plant see? Good for height potions and shrinking potions dependent on the amount added" she said, grunting with the effort of trying to pull the plant out of the ground. "That's funny, I don't remember this plant having such deep…..roots" she gasped.
"Mildred, that is not the dulcis…."
With a yelp, Mildred was yanked forward into the bushes. Inside the reeds, Mildred could see the plant in her hands sprout thorns and a malevolent face etched itself into its stalk. The leaves, Mildred could see up close, were dark green rather than the tell-tale pale green of the dulcis plant. A pale hand grasped panicked at the back of her shirt, but Mildred was too focused on the thorny plant demon that had sunk its thorns painfully into her hand and was moving up her forearm. "M…Miss Hardbroom…." And suddenly a hand was grasping her arm firmly and she whimpered as she heard the swoosh of a knife and she recoiled, feeling sure she had lost her arm. She opened her eyes to see Miss Hardbroom, panting, smock torn and hair mussed holding her bloody arm out as far away from her as possible. The plant lay shriveled and steaming next to her.
"You insolent girl…you…look what you've done. A harvesting wasted" she barked.
"A harvesting of what? My arm?" Mildred shouted, sniffling. "It's not my fault that thing attacked me…."
"Not your fault? If you had paid attention at all, that plant, the uvuam, looks almost identical to the dulchis except for it's leaves. But no you don't listen! You never listen! That plant, though not the dulcis could have yielded it's thorns to nobler cause than yourself" Miss Hardbroom hissed. "Instead I had to sacrifice that to save you from your own idotic ignorance" That last word ignorance was uttered so bitingly that Mildred took a step back. She stared at her teacher in hurt disbelief, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I knew it- I knew it deep down but last night I thought maybe….. " she paused to sob. "You don't want to teach me, I'm just some burden- some stain on your record because I'm not doing well and it makes you look bad. Fine, then you won't have to worry about the worst witch anymore!" Mildred took off then, trees blurring, feet pulsing – heart breaking, tearing through branches and stumbling over rocks. And she didn't look back at her teacher, whose walls had come crumbling down with the overwhelming emotion she felt, and couldn't see the hunched figure let out a gasp and couldn't see the pale hand with those long fingers who at the last second, reached out for her.
The girl couldn't have gone far, Hecate reasoned, trying desperately to ignore the urge to just sit down and sob. She was frustrated- beyond frustrated…she…she…she was so upset she couldn't think of a word beyond frustrated. Mildred had put a cloaking spell on herself, and it was growing dark, and accordingly closer and closer the odds of a hubble related mishap as she tried to save herself. As she tore through the underbrush she tried to rehearse what she would say, but no words came to mind. For once her mind was empty of scolding for Mildred, only an empty guilty echo of Mildred's words. She could not, try as she might push those words out of her head…just like she pushed Mildred away.
"It's what I'm best at….pushing people away" she muttered. "According to Pippa" she muttered. After several tense minutes of searching, Hecate found her curled up underneath a tree, sobbing over a pile of ashes that had once been, Hecate figured, a pile of small sticks. An attempted fire spell. Oh, Mildred.
"Mildred" she called hesitantly. Mildred only cried harder, and Hecate winced. "Mildred, please, I…"
"Go away" she snuffled.
"I cannot abandon you" Hecate said firmly. "It's my job to protect you, as a student of Cackle's" Mildred said nothing, burrowing further into the tree stump. Hecate sighed, and her shoulders slumped. "May I sit?" she said tensely into the silence. Mildred kicked at a rock. Slowly, hesitantly, Hecate sat down beside Mildred and put her face in her hands, unmoving. Curious, Mildred peeped out from behind the tree, inching a bit closer.
"I failed you, Mildred" she said brokenly. "There is no…there is no way to justify the things I said to you" she continued, wiping dirt and ashes off of her dress. "I was wrong" she said, her voice wavering. "The mistake you made was quite commonplace actually. The dulchis and the uvam are almost identical in appearance and the variation in the leaf color is very slight. Many higher level witches would have been similarly duped" Mildred's eyes widened in disbelief. "But I put you on the spot, and did not give you time to observe. I too often forget that you did not grow up with the same advantages as most witches, and that is my failure as your teacher. You need more time Mildred Hubble, and your teacher I should have given it to you and guided you. But instead I got angry with you out of fear for your safety, and angry with myself that I didn't communicate better." She sighed. "You are not the worst witch, Mildred. If anything, I am the worst chaperone" she said with a sad smile, leaning back against the tree trunk and shutting her eyes.
"You're not saying it" snuffled Mildred, giving her a watery smile. "I mean you're saying it but you're not saying it."
"I am….sorry, Mildred Hubble" Hecate said softly. "Most sincerely" And suddenly, her body went rigid at the unexpected little body that tumbled against hers clumsily, fiercely hugging her. Her hands hovered, unsure, and then settled gently on Mildred's back.
"I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have said all that stuff about you but I was angry and hurt…I didn't mean it honest" she babbled still tearful. Hecate rubbed circles made comforting sounds she thought she had forgotten how to make. She held Mildred tightly and tenderly, and Mildred nestled into her neck. "You just want to help me, always, in your own way. I've always known that. I mean if you really wanted me to fail, you'd just leave me alone wouldn't you?" she mumbled. Shocked, Hecate furrowed her brow as she considered. "See, you're the best chaperone. Your heart was in the right place. It just…came out all wrong" Mildred said softly. Shocked at her intuitiveness, Hecate drew back to look her in the eyes. Her black fingernails wiped tenderly at the tears on her cheeks.
"You are very intuitive Mildred" she said slowly. "And I think…I think you're right. I promise you, I shall endeavor to do better"
"I'm right?" Mildred giggled. "I'm dreaming. I've never heard you say that before. Can we go back now? I want to make those flying bat cookies. I could use a pick-I up this was all very stressful" Hecate smirked and drew her cape over both of them, and they appeared back at Cackle's.
"So is that a yes, or a no on the cookies? Cause remember we talked about guidance and if you don't guide me I'm just going to try and make them myself. With no instructions and probably several spell books" Mildred's voice echoed through the foyer.
"Mildred Hubble!" she growled.
"First one to the kitchen decides!"