AN: this time we get Mildred back, yay. As always PM's and reviews welcome

Chapter 12

Constance removed the little frog from her knee with surprising gentleness, placing her on the grass by the water's edge, and rising to her maximum height. "No ones told me I was beautiful since." She whispered. Then with a swish of her black cloak she disappeared from sight into the undergrowth, leaving only the indentation in the grass to tell of her presence.

Xxx

Mildred stared into the vast empty space the woman had just occupied, unable to believe what she had just heard.

'Poor HB, no wonder she hates men so much,' she thought with a heavy heart, wanting desperately to tell the witch that she did care for her. Algernon yawned widely and shot out his long sticky tongue to catch breakfast on the wing as it lethargically flew past. "Ah what a night, I haven't slept that well in a long time, did I miss anything?" From the sound Mildred made he guessed the answer was yes but didn't press for details, he could see the look of urgency in her dark eyes and knew that her time with him was to be cut short.

"I'd better get back Algernon, there's probably a search party out for me," she sighed, "if they've even noticed I'm gone that is," she added despondently, " now, now don't say that, of course they'll have noticed you're gone," he reassured her, hopping over to land beside her, "you'd better return to the castle then so they can change you back," he unsuccessfully tried to mask the sadness in his voice as she turned to him and said.

"I won't forget you," she pressed her mouth to his face, an attempt at a goodbye kiss, slightly ruined by the skewed proportions of her new form.

"You're very kind." Algernon croaked, certain that he would have been blushing if that had been at all possible.

Xxx

Indeed Mildred was right, there was a search party looking for her.

First thing after breakfast Maud, Enid, Ruby and Jadu had been summoned to Miss Cackle's office, each as nervous as the next they huddled around the door, none of them wanting to be the first to open it to find what was in store.

"You don't think she thinks we had something to do with her disappearance do you?" Jadu asked worriedly, Enid shrugged, "We won't know until we go in," she said honestly, plucking up courage and opening the door.

Miss Cackle was seated at her desk, her head buried in her paperwork. She looked uo upon their entry and greeted them, "Ah girls, there you are, do sit down." She waved her hand and five chairs appeared. They took their places as prompted, then in unison looked at the empty chair, "Erm Miss Cackle, there's only four of us," Maud pointed out,

"hmm?" Miss Cackle hummed distractedly, "What's that?" she followed their gazes to the unoccupied seat, "Oh yes, sorry, force of habit, normally when you're here, there are five of you." She said apologetically, puffifying the remaining chair with another flick of the wrist.

"Now I suppose you're all wondering why I have called you here," she paused for them to agree, "Well, Miss Drill and I discussed the situation and agreed that you should be called in to find Mildred," The four all looked at each other incredulously, hardly able to believe their luck, "We reckoned that as her friends you would know her habits best and would therefore have the best chance of finding her." She surveyed the faces before her, grins stretching from ear to ear on each, and knew she had made the right decision, though a pang of guilt travelled through her for not letting Constance in on the decision; she had enough on her plate without worrying about Mildred. "I'm counting on you girls, bring Mildred back, take as long as you want just find her." And with these final words she dismissed them, ushering them back out into the corridor to commence their search.

Maud and Enid headed straight for the pond, Ruby and Jadu in their wake. As they walked the two recounted their suspicions to the others. "I wouldn't put it past her," Ruby said in response to their tale," Neither," Jadu agreed, "oh poor Millie."

The group arrived at the pond just as their friend was leaving it, "there it is quick grab it" Enid cried, leaping forward and ensnaring poor Mildred with her outstretched hands.

Xxx

Mildred couldn't have been happier to see her friends, "guys, oh thank god you're here, it's been awful." She croaked,

"save it for a moment Millie we can't understand you," Enid instructed her, holding the croaking animal tightly in her hands, "if indeed you are our good friend Mildred Hubble," she said sceptically, "how will we know?"

Ruby and Jadu bent down , "best way to find out is to try and change her back," the first said, "I know the reversal spell if you want me to give it a try," said the second, standing and stretching out her hands parallel before her. Maud shrugged, "Worth a try, put her on the floor then Enid, don't want her standing on your hands do you."

Enid placed the quivering frog on the grass and watched it, ready to catch it again if so much as thought of fleeing, "why is it shaking?"

"Fear, excitement, doesn't matter, just let Jadu concentrate." Ruby chastised Enid, who shut up resentfully.

"Reversus, revolvus, returnus, resolvus, ileo, aleo, redux, reducio," Jadu chanted, spreading her fingers wide over the frog. For a second nothing happened, then Mildred grew from the tiny creature back to her normal size. "Whoa it feels weird being this size again..." and that was as far as she got before four pairs of arms smothered her, hugging the life out of her ribs in a physical display of how happy they were to have her back.

For a while she recounted what had happened to her, then they explained that Ethel had done this to her and how they had finally worked it out. "So Ethel did this to me, and there I was blaming HB."

The group, now reunited, trudged back through the forest to the school gates where Miss Hardbroom waited with her arms crossed and a look of pure fury on her face. She had not been informed of Amelia's idea and what she saw convinced her that they were all in on the disappearance; probably an attention seeking device cooked up by Mildred.

"Well, well look what the cat dragged in, looks like birds of a feather really do flock together after all, and as for you Mildred I will see you and your friends in Miss Cackle's office in five minutes is that understood," she almost spat the words at Mildred who hung her head submissively and murmured in the time honoured fashion,

"Yes Miss Hardbroom."

Xxx

Constance dematerialised and reappeared in the staffroom causing Miss Bat to shriek in freight, something that never ceased to amuse her, and spoke to the exasperated Miss Cackle in a triumphant tone, "Our little runaway has been found." Amelia sighed in relief, "Well, thank god for that, where is she now?" the head enquired. "On her way to your office, with her little gang." Amelia nodded and rose from her seat, bidding the other teachers good day as she left with Constance in tow for her office.

On the way there Amelia explained her decision to ask Maud and the others to find her, only serving to heighten Miss Hardbroom's already elevated rage.

Constance slammed the door behind her and screamed, "All of you except Mildred GET OUT!" they scurried past her while she ignore the 'did you really have to do that' look from Miss Cackle.

"Mildred, I see you've decided to join us again," she said silkily. Mildred decided undoubtedly that this was her most threatening tone; she really meant business.

"Hope you've had a pleasant time, now would it be too much to ask exactly where you've been?" Constance began her interrogation, deliberately standing behind her student to intimidate her into telling the absolute truth.

"Ethel turned me into that frog and that's where I've been since yesterday, Constance felt like someone had just dropped ice cubes down the back of her dress, she suppressed the impending shudder and continued her abrasive enquiries, "Oh really, and how did she do that I wonder?" she asked, not expecting an answer,

"When I went up to my room after cat training she must have sneaked up and cast a spell on me," Mildred's voice faltered as her teacher loomed above her, "Now why would a girl like Ethel Hallow do a thing like that?" her pitch dangerously low as she asked,

"R...revenge." Mildred squeaked, trying to hold her rapidly fraying composure together.

"Mildred, you will write out five hundred times, in perfect handwriting, I must try to curb my imagination and tell the truth at all times."

"But please Miss Hardbroom I was that frog," Mildred pleaded, envisioning her time at Cackles growing shorter and shorter before her eyes, "I can prove it,"

"How?" Miss Cackle, who had been the silent observer up 'till that point, spoke up,

"I'd like to know that too, go on Mildred, prove it." She said, minimising the smug expression to a thin line,

"Yesterday morning, in potions, you were doing 'Advanced invisibility potions' and you threw me across the room when Miss Bat came in and said you needed to work on your chant as it wasn't one of your best," Mildred recalled, seeing the corner of Miss Cackle's mouth twitch into a smile at the thought of Constance being told to work on something. Miss Hardbroom however wasn't impressed,

"You could've easily found that out from anyone in the class, no that proves nothing." Constance snapped couldly. Mildred floundered then struck upon an idea, "you put me in your bag, I can tell you what you've got in it..." Mildred rattled off the list of items that had joined her in her confinement on that bumpy ride,

"again, that proves nothing other than the fact that you have the audacity to riffle through a member of staff's possessions and Mildred that only serves to strengthen our case against you."

Mildred hung her head, not ready to give up fighting and admit defeat just yet. Time for her last resort. Raising her head and drawing herself up to her full height, she fixed Miss Hardbroom with warm, compassionate eyes and said,

"You're beautiful Miss Hardbroom."

To be continued...