A/N: Okay, so it's been a while. I am still working on this though! Please, accept my apologies and have this - sort of short - update!
Richard Avalon's imminent arrival to the school had stirred the girls into a flurry, the likes of which Constance Hardbroom was not pleased to see at all. It wasn't as though the wizard was anything particularly special. Oh, alright, so he had written the brilliantly informative Treasures of Sorcery, which had been a particular favourite of hers since she had first been given a copy by her sister. The reasonable part of her mind pointed out that this was more due to the fantastic nature of the treasures the book spoke about than the author himself. Yes, he was handsome in what might be called a classical way, and was rumoured to have very pleasing manners, but that was no reason for the girls to act in such an outrageous manner. He was here to teach them, that was all, and currently it was looking as though they would learn nothing other than how to decorate the backs of their workbooks with ridiculous doodle patterns.
"I have considered that very matter myself, Constance," Amelia had assured her when Constance raised her concerns to her in the staff room. She patted her mouth with a napkin, getting rid of the few crumbs of cheesecake that had stuck to the corner of her mouth. "But you could hardly expect me to reject the offer," she said. "Mr. Avalon very rarely offers to come to Witch Schools, let alone teach a week of classes at one."
"I caught a lecture of his in my last year of Weirdsister's," Dee Swoop spoke up happily, a cheery smile on her face as she attended to mending the tennis nets. Constance still didn't see a point for a Sports Mistress in a school of magic, but had at least come to agree that offering a healthy outlet for their pent up energy other than broomstick flying meant that the girls were far less likely to try those silly flying stunts that had become popular in recent years. "He's a fantastic speaker, the girls are in for a real treat," she said, her smile growing at the memory. "And the demonstrations – I've never seen magic like it!"
"Magic like what?" Mildred Hubble came through the staff room door, stumbling and almost dropping her pile of marking. "Sugar," she muttered under her breath, quickly moving her hands to regain her grasp.
"You remember, Millie," Dee took half of the pile from her, and sat it safely on the table. "Richard Avalon's guest lecture?" Mildred continued to look slightly confused, the memory clearly not coming to mind at the current moment. "You remember, a whole group of us went? Ethel took a notebook, she wanted to interview him for her dissertation?" A slowly dawning looking appeared on Mildred's face, and Dee clapped her on the shoulder.
"Oh yes, I couldn't believe it when she managed to do it. I'd heard he didn't give interviews to students," she said, sitting down at the table, and opening one of the workbooks. Picking up a red pen, ready to start her marking, she looked up at the other teachers, a slight frown clear on her face. "Um," she bit her bottom lip, "why were yo... we talking about Richard Avalon?" she asked nervously. Constance fixed her with a hard look, the kind that made anyone quaver under it, no matter how long it had been since they had been a school pupil.
"If you had been paying attention to the Halloween event planning," she said with a haughty sniff, "you would know that Mr. Avalon has very kindly offered to come the week leading up to the holiday, and offer a special course for our girls." There was an impressive silence following this. Mildred's eyes widened.
"Oh, that would explain why they've all been so excited lately," she said almost absent mindedly. Then, as if remembering herself, she quickly added, "well, more than usual I mean. Who wouldn't be excited about a treat like that?" Her enthusiasm was very likely not faked, Constance was aware as she watched the girl back peddle and gabbled about how the lecture she and her friends had attended at Weirdsister's had been a real joy. Still, it would have been preferable if she left the gabbling behind with her younger self.
"Exactly," Amelia's voice cut into Constance's thoughts, and she immediately directed her attention to the headmistress. "Which is why it would be rude to cancel," the words were directly solely at Constance, and Mildred was amazed that the woman's cheeks did not flush with embarrassment the way hers surely would have, had she been the one in that situation. "The girls will no doubt gain a great deal of knowledge from this venture, and if all we have to pay is a little bit of girlish giggling over a handsome wizard, well, I'm sure we can all bear it." Amelia stood.
"Where will he be staying?" Constance's question was pointed, and the underlying meaning was clear to everyone. "I expect he'll have taken lodgings in the village," she continued without a pause. "He can't stay here..."
"Actually, he's expressed interest in the Foxglove-Hairbell room," Amelia said, in a very matter of fact tone. "Historical relevance, you understand," she added, moving quickly towards the door. "I've agreed he can stay there." And with that, she left the staff room. There was half a seconds pause before Constance followed, clearly protesting against this – so very foolish – course of action. Still in the staff room, Dee and Mildred exchanges glances, soft laugh coming from both ladies at the whole situation. They sat in companionable silence, each working on their respective tasks.
"So, what is this Foxglove-Hairbell room?" Dee asked. "Never heard of it myself, we didn't have established rooms like that at Pentangle's," she said. "Too new a building, you understand," she explained, "we were more about looking to the future than keeping to the traditions like here. Still, it's nice for the girls, to have history to their school," Dee's tone was pleasant, and the smile showed that she meant what she said. Mildred nodded, before frowning at she tried to recollect the lessons from her own time of education at Cackle's.
"She was a research witch, I think," she said slowly. "After the Baron's time, but before the castle was really established as a place of education." Mildred worried her bottom lip, deep in thought. "She was one of the witches we had to look at in our last year, for History," this was just conversational, buying her time to think. Eventually she shook her head, shrugging her shoulders. "I can remember reading that she was especially skilled in one area of magic, but I can't remember what it was." She shook her head again. "The room was established due to the fact that she came up with something amazing while staying there, but that's about all I can remember," Mildred said.
"Well, that's something though, isn't it?" Dee set down the tennis nets, pleased with her efforts at repairing them. "History right in your own school!"
"Yes, I suppose so," Mildred picked up the pen again, and set to her marking. "I wonder why he wants to stay there though," she said lightly, "I don't think anyone's been in there in years."