Hey! Hope there's still people reading this story- I know I've been ridiculous with updating... Anyways, I got insomnia last night and so ended up writing for a bit! I checked it for spelling issues today and hopefully caught them all.
I cannot believe I started this story nearly a year ago and have managed so few chapters!.. Hopefully that will change soon enough :).
I hope you enjoy this update.. As you can tell from the character description I'm basing it on Miss Hardbroom (The beautiful Kate Duchene) in the TV series rather than the book.. I dislike the ugly illustrations of her in the books!..
Enjoy... and please review! It will let me know if there's still interest...
Chapter 4
Mildred entered the gate with trepidation, and found herself in some kind of bleak-looking paved courtyard full of school-aged teenaged girls, all wearing black witches' robes and hats emblazoned with a 'WTC' emblem in deep purple. Nobody looked at Mildred as she entered despite her being in bedtime attire, which Mildred found strange.
Odd, Mildred thought to herself, it's like they can't see me.
"HELLO?" She shouted, as loud as she could… But the sound seemed just echoed around the courtyard, seemingly without reaching any of the girls. I think I'm invisible.. She realised with dread.. If no one could see her how could she find out what was going on?
She saw the man and the girl whom she had seen flying overhead dismounting their broomsticks. She didn't know where she had seen her before but the girl seemed vaguely familiar; she approached them in order to get a closer look.
The first thing Mildred noticed was just how beautiful the girl was. She had porcelain skin which contrasted with her dark hair, high cheekbones and a slight, willowy figure. Her intense brown eyes looked at Mildred for a moment, as if she could see her.. her stare laser-like and burning, but they quickly shifted to the door leading into the school which opened briskly, revealing a woman Mildred recognised…
"Heckitty Broomhead," Mildred gasped.
Xxx
Constance hesitated for a moment before pushing Mildred's bedroom door open. She knew that Mildred often had trouble sleeping on noisy nights and that her friends would often sneak into her room to comfort her. Part of Constance pitied the girl and begged her to let the night-time gatherings go unnoticed, but rules were rules… and Constance Hardbroom knew it was her duty to enforce such rules.
As the door opened she expected to find Mildred, Maud and perhaps Enid cowering by a prohibited candle, ready to splutter their explanations in a hope of getting out of a double detention... but the room was completely empty of any of her pupils.
She knew then by the jolt that her stomach gave that something was very wrong.
She vanished and appeared in both Maud and Enid's rooms… She wasn't usually in the habit of entering the girls' bedrooms out of school hours without knocking, but this seemed an emergency. She found both Maud and Enid sleeping peacefully, but no Mildred.
She re-entered Mildred's room, hoping to find clues as to whether the girl had attempted to run away again. Constance knew of her attempt in her first-year, despite Mildred's efforts to hide it. I have been hard on the girl recently, she thought guiltily. Despite many appearances, Miss Hardbroom did care for the 'Worst Witch', who although made her lose her temper on many occasions, had also saved her life and shown bravery and loyalty to her form-mistress.
She saw Tabby sprawled over the foot of the bed, purring contentedly. Constance's cat Morgana would spend the night exploring and hunting.. like a true witches' cat, but didn't enjoy cuddling like Tabby seemed to with Mildred. She had to suppress a pang of jealousy at that.
"Where's your mistress Tabby?" Constance asked the sleeping animal, "She wouldn't have left without you."
Xxx
As Heckitty Broomhead made her way down the smooth stone steps all of the girls instantly hushed their conversations looking apprehensive...As if a tiger had entered a the room and nobody wanted to be its first victim. Heckitty looked exactly as Mildred remembered her, from the times she had visited Cackles: stern and toadlike. She had an unconvincing smile on her face as she approach the man with her claw-like hand outstretched for a handshake.
"Good morning Mr Hardbroom," Heckitty greeted the man briskly.
Hardbroom?, Mildred thought with wonder… until it hit her suddenly. The girl, she looks familiar… because she is! That's Miss Hardbroom! Shes a TEENAGER! Mildred though breathlessly, Then..Oh no… I think I'm somehow stuck in her diary… I'm in HB's memories! She's going to murder me… That's if I can find a way out first...Oh gosh.. I'm in so much trouble!...
"and this must be young Constance, how very charming," Heckitty rested her hawk-like gaze onto the girl, who didn't look convinced at her faux-friendliness. "Now don't feel the need to hang around Mr Hardbroom, Constance will be just fine."
Mr Hardbroom looked at his daughter for a moment, who slowly nodded her approval. "Goodbye Connie, work hard and write to me often won't you?" Mr Hardbroom said caringly.
"We put special time aside for the girls to write home every fortnight," Heckitty assured the man. She was being truthful, but she failed to mention that she read every letter thoroughly before allowing it to be dispatched.
"Excellent.. I cannot wait to hear how everything goes," Mr Hardbroom smiled at his daughter. " Behave Con and I will see you soon." He kissed the girl on the head before exiting the courtyard, out of sight. The girl stared longingly at the gate for a moment.
Heckitty's friendly demeanour instantly changed as soon as he had left, "follow me," she barked at the young girl, who looked instantly taken aback and hastened to obey by following the woman who was making her way into the school building.
Mildred had been listening to this exchange with rapt attention, Miss Hardbroom went to a school ran by Mistress Broomhead?!
Suddenly the hurtling feeling returned and she found herself falling into blackness again…
xxx