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Chapter 2
"She will have to go!" Constance said melodramatically as she entered the staffroom.
"Mildred I presume?" Imogen Drill smiled softly, knowing too well the complicated relationship between the potions teacher and 'The Worst Witch.'"
"That girl! That clumsy girl... she managed to walk straight into me." Miss Hardbroom stated, anger still bubbling from every pore on her usually impassive face.
"Oh dear, poor Mildred." Amelia Cackle spoke softly; she had a fond spot for the girl that had saved her academy countless times.
"Poor Mildred indeed!" said Miss Hardbroom. "She was daydreaming! After I had already warned her. She does it deliberately!"
"She is a creative soul, she's like myself at her age. I was constantly daydreaming, it never did me any harm!" Miss Bat smiled but this was instantly dropped at the look on Miss Hardbroom's face.
"I'm sure the girl apologised Miss Hardbroom?" Imogen asked politely, trying to keep a straight face.
"Yes…but that is not the point is it Miss Drill? She continues to ignore my warnings and causes calamity at every possible moment! The girl is a disaster, she might have saved the school from a peril once or twice but she has a bad attitude that has no place at this esteemed school of witchcraft… furthermore she.."
Imogen smiled as Constance continued her rant. She knew that deep down the woman didn't believe any of the words she was saying.
Xx
Mildred entered her freezing bedroom, lit a candle, placed the pile of books she had been carrying on her desk and threw herself on her bed, instantly joined by Tabby.
"I'm a disaster aren't I tabs? No wonder Miss Hardbroom hates me so much! I bet she's never had so much as one daydream in her entire life…Not that she probably ever needed to. I bet she was just like Ethel Hallow at school; little miss perfect. Whereas I cannot seem to do anything right! Four-hundred lines! On the last week of term… it was an accident too! You know what Maud and Enid are right about her... she is a bitch."
Mildred jumped off her bed and rooted through the pile of books and paper trying to find a notepad so she could begin her lines. Before she could find one a small purple tartan notebook caught her eye.
"This isn't mine Tabs.." Mildred raised an eyebrow. "It's probably Mauds." She chucked the book to one side and finally finding her notepad got to work.
The first lot of lines took her until supper where cold liver and onions were on the menu. After attempting to swallow the foul-food Mildred made her excuses to her friends and went back to her bedroom in order to get the second lot done.
"LIGHTS OUT" came the bellow from Miss Hardbroom. Mildred scrambled to finish her last line before her door was pushed open. Miss Hardbroom stood in the doorway, a black cloak concealing her purple silk pyjamas and her long thick hair hanging loose instead of restrained in her customary tight bun. The tall imposing witch glared at Mildred.
"I believe Mildred that lights out has been at the same time every night for the four years you have been at this school has it not?" She spoke sarcastically.
"Yes Miss Hardbroom." Mildred mumbled.
"-In which case you should be in bed. I hope your behaviour improves dramatically tomorrow Mildred, although I am not holding my breath. Goodnight." With that the potion's mistress closed the door and Mildred was left alone.
Xx
The wind howled and whirled around the great turrets of Castle Overblow. Mildred shivered in bed, freezing and quite unable to sleep. She still carried the childish trait of being afraid of the dark and the spooky noises of the wind battering the sleeping castle were not helping matters. Finally giving up she checked the time, 12.01am. Miss Hardbroom was bound to be in deep slumber by now. She hastily lit the candle by her bedside and looked around the room, looking for something to distract her. Her eyes fell on the little purple book that lay on her desk, perhaps she could read some of Maud's notes. The girl wrote down everything in lessons, revising was sure to send her straight to sleep…
Mildred grabbed the book from her desk and settled back down in her covers.
Checking she was still alone Mildred flicked open the purple tartan notebook, gasping with realisation as she recognised the old-fashioned slanting handwriting, so very different from Maud's large unjoined letters. She snapped the book shut in horror.
It was the same writing that sprawled criticism across her every potion's assignment; the writing of her strict form-tutor, Constance Hardbroom.
Excitement getting the better of her Mildred flicked the book open to the first page.
Diary of Miss. Constance Anne Hardbroom. Private and Confidential.
Xx