Ok, so I know it's been years but I wanted to see if I could get any further with this story. I hope I can finish it :)
Disclaimer: I do not own The Worst Witch
At 12:55 am, Miss Drill apprehensively made her way to the kitchen. She knew Miss Hardbroom would be there already, she was always early. On her way to the kitchen, Miss Drill wondered why Miss Hardbroom had chosen the kitchen as their meeting point. Miss Bat and Miss Cackle were both in bed, so they could've used the staffroom. In the unlikely event that either of them woke up, they would not be surprised to find her and Miss Hardbroom awake in the early hours of the morning. Miss Drill often found the castle to be very cold and this disturbed her sleep. It was well known throughout the school that Miss Hardbroom relied more on Wide Awake potion than sleep. The staffroom seemed a more likely place for the two of them to be found but Imogen knew that MIss Hardbroom usually preferred the dungeons as a place of refuge. By the time she reached the kitchen, Imogen had still not figured out why Miss Hardbroom had chosen the kitchen and couldn't stop herself from asking.
"Why the kitchens?"
Miss Hardbroom laughed, not a deep laugh but a small chuckle.
"Because you don't like the dungeons, they're cold."
"That was very thoughtful Constance, thank you."
"You're a non-witch."
"Yes, well-observed. I don't think I'd be any more fond of the cold if I was a witch though."
HB smiled again. "You'd be more used to it but actually that's not what I meant. You're a non-witch, so you probably grew up with electricity and modern appliances."
"Yes ... I suppose. More than there are in this castle anyway."
"So you must be familiar with cheese toasties." For the first time since she'd arrived, Imogen noticed that there was a plate with cheese toasties on it in the middle of the table they were seated at. Imogen laughed.
"As I used magic and not electricity, I could've made them anywhere in the castle. As I said, you don't like the dungeons, we've already seen each other's rooms, I've been in the Potions lab all day and I'd hate to run into Miss Bat sleep walking in the staffroom."
"Wow, you put a lot of thought into this."
"No actually, that was a lie." Miss Drill didn't respond. It seemed like Miss Hardbroom wanted to explain and she didn't want to put HB off by interrupting, so she just watched. HB was smiling, a real smile.
"Cheese toasties are Lily's favourite food. Very, very unhealthy but she loves them. Our parents fought a lot when we were children. I don't mean they just argued. They fought physically, the screamed, they threw furniture. They were brutal with each other. It was impossible to sleep and it upset Carra a great deal. The room furthest away from theirs was the kitchen. Tia and I would take Carra there. The three of us would sit together and eat cheese toasties and laugh with each other, ignoring what was going on in the rest of the house. We still make them whenever Tia and I are home. The first time Lily tried one, she bounced up and down shouting 'yum yum yum'."
Miss Drill was silent for a moment, she didn't know how to respond. The story was so sweet and Constance had shared something of the bond she has with her sisters. It was a warm story and a happy memory but with an unhappy cause. Imogen felt privileged that Constance had shared it with her but she didn't understand why.
"I always thought you were a meat and two veg traditionalist."
"I am but cheese toasties are better comfort food. Don't tell Miss Cackle, I have a bit of a weakness for cheese."
Miss Drill laughed, she couldn't imagine Miss Hardbroom being as fond of cheese as Miss Cackle. Miss Hardbroom smiled too.
"That's actually why I asked you to meet me here."
"I'm glad you did. It's lovely that you have such a bond with your sisters."
Imogen noted that Constance looked sad all of a sudden. "The three of us always had each other, no matter what else was going on. No matter how scared we were or how hurt, everything was ok because we were together."
Imogen studied Constance for a moment, she looked exhausted again. Suddenly Imogen realised. Constance didn't just look tired or sad, she was missing something, or someone.
"You can go and visit them at the weekend. I'll cover your weekend duties for you."
"I can't."
"Really Constance, I don't mind. It'll be good for you to have a break."
"There was a car accident. Carra can't ride a broom and Lily is too young. Their day trips always involved a car. Carra called the car Sophie. It's silly to name a car but I've never been able to say no to Carra."
Constance paused, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Her hands were shaking and Imogen could see that she was struggling to speak.
"The car accident, it was bad wasn't it?"
"Sophie couldn't protect them. I couldn't protect them."
Imogen finally understood what had been troubling her friend. She watched the woman in front of her crumble. She was heartbroken, wracked with guilt and desperately missing two of three people she loved the most. Instead of being with them, she was in a castle with pupils who were afraid of her and colleagues who didn't try to know her. As much as Miss Cackle liked and respected Miss Hardbroom, she never tried to break down her barriers. Imogen could only imagine how lonely she must be feeling. She reached out to stroke the former Ice Queen's hand and Constance finally cracked.
For the first time in a long time Constance cried. She cried for her sister and her niece because they were taken too soon. She cried for her other sister, alone in a different castle and grieving just as she was. She cried for her own loneliness. She cried for the years she'd spent under Mistress Broomhead, for the abuse she suffered at her hands and the hands of her parents. She cried because she hadn't been able to sleep without nightmares since the accident. Without the safety of her sisters and niece, the nightmares had started again and she cried because no one knew she had them or why. Most of all, she cried because Imogen had found her in a dark and lonely place and cared enough to help.