Chapter Seven
Exiting the potions lab after another awful potions lesson, Ruby folded her arms as she spoke.
"This is awful, we have the most important exams of our lives at the end of this year, that we need to pass to get into college, and our potions teacher spends lessons crying in the storeroom" Ruby exclamied, worried.
"Yes, HB is strict but at least she can actually teach us and help us pass" Maud replied. Mildred sighed.
"Just my rotten luck, this is meant to be the best year, what with being headgirl, yet so far we have no Cackle or HB, and a supply that makes the first years seem confident" Mildred said miserably.
"Can't you do something Millie? As headgirl can't you complain to Cackle?" Enid questioned.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt if we asked if there was another supply" Jadu said looking at Mildred, who shurgged, sadly.
"I guess...come on, let's get PE out the way and then Jadu and I can go see her at lunch" Mildred said not wanting to get in trouble for been late for PE on top of everything else.
Amelia hid a yawn, feeling an ache in her neck caused by the bad sleeping conditions. She had briefly seen Luna yesterday when leaving the school, and the night had seemed to pass smoothly at least.
The headmistress jumped in shock though, waking up fully, as suddenly a loud alarm rang out throughout the school. With a gasp, realising it was the emergency alarm, Amelia leaped out of her chair and left her office. Knowing there would be students without a teacher to guide them, who were on free periods, she made her way to the places the unsupervised students would be. In the library, she saw a bunch of third years running around screaming.
"GIRLS, CALM DOWN" Amelia shouted to be heard over the alarm, leading them out. As she did so she saw Imogen leading her class out and told the girls to tag on the end with her class, so they didn't get lost.
Once that was done she went to the bedrooms, knowing many girls went to their rooms when not in lessons. She was glad she did as she found some more third years, gathered in their friends room, with headphones on, who had not even heard the alarm.
"Girls, remove them things, there emergency alarm is going off" she told them, quickly leading them out the bedroom and telling them to go to the courtyard. She did another quick check of the rooms before heading outside to the courtyard. She saw Imogen and Lavinia standing with the girls and taking the register.
"Where is Winnie and her class?" Amelia asked Lavinia.
"I don't know, I haven't seen them" Lavinia replied, only half listening as she did the register.
"I will go find them" Amelia said, not seeing any sign of smoke or fire so figuring it was safe to enter. She made her way to the potions lab and opened the door, shocked at the sight she was met with.
The second years, who were Winnie's students, were stood on top of their desks, and Winnie was stood on top of hers sobbing, Amelia entered to ask what was going on, when Winnie yelled.
"WATCH YOUR FEET" the teacher shouted. Amelia looked down and saw what the problem was. A bright green potion was slowly spreading towards her and had already spread over half the floor, with the amount there was it clearly came from more than one potion.
Amelia mentally cursed, it was times like this she needed Constance who could vanish the potion in seconds, but Amelia knew she couldn't just go stand on the desk with the rest and hope for the best, so she did a spell, and was glad when the potion started to vanish.
It took a few minutes but the potion disappeared. Amelia told everyone to get of their desks and go outside, so she could check there was no other dangers.
Ten minutes later, everyone trailed back inside, when the alarm had been switched off after no other emergency had been found. Amelia asked to see Winnie in her office so she could find out what had happened.
"It's my fault Miss Cackle!" Winnie said sobbing "I fell over and knocked over the first row's cauldrons, they went into a domino affect before I could stop them, that potion was an invisibility one, I didn't want the whole school to disappear" Winnie admitted through tears.
"Winnie, you evacuated the entire school!" Amelia replied, amazed. She was hopeless but even she had not expected her to manage to cause an emergency through her clumsiness.
"I am ever so sorry Miss Cackle" Winnie replied as she did what she always did and sobbed.
"Winnie" Amelia said trying not to fly off the handle at her "This isn't working out very well is it?" Amelia stated.
"I try Miss Cackle, I'm sorry!" Winnie replied.
Amelia had a problem. She couldn't fire Winnie as she needed a potions teacher, and she would rather stick needles in her eyes than resort to Broomhead. She knew she had to keep Winnie.
"Miss Softbrush, I am going to make sure your classes are supervised, either myself or another member of staff will be sitting in on your classes" Amelia explained. She knew Lavinia and Imogen would hate her for it, but she had to make her students the priority.
"Really? You aren't getting ready of me?" Winnie replied shocked.
"My deputy is still not able to teach" Amelia replied, revealing that was the only reason she was still being allowed to stay.
"I am so sorry Miss Cackle" Winnie said again. Amelia sighed.
Mildred saw her headmistress look completely at the end of her rope when she walked down the corridor. Having heard that Winnie was behind the emergency, as it was going round the school, her and Jadu rushed to her, hoping she listened despite her bad mood.
"Miss Cackle, we don't mean to complain, as HB is sick and can't teach us" Jadu said
"But we need another teacher, Miss Softbrush is not teaching us anything, and we can't past our exams without a teacher" Mildred told her.
"Plus she's dangerous" Jadu replied.
Amelia sighed. She was glad the girls were concerned but knew she couldn't do anything.
"Sorry girls, I agree with everything you said, but sadly only Mistress Broomhead is available to supply and...well we can't have her back can we?" Amelia replied.
"There has to be someone else surely" Mildred said.
"There isn't according to Mr Hallow" Amelia replied, still wondering if it was true or he was being spiteful for not getting his way of Broomhead taking over permanently.
"I am sorry girls, I am rushing off, Winnie's classes will be supervised, but I can't do much else" Amelia said.
"Of course Miss, say hi to HB" Mildred said, ignoring Jadu's look aimed to her.
"I will do...goodnight girls" Amelia told them. Mildred watched her leave then saw the look Jadu was giving her.
"What?" Mildred asked confused.
"Say hi to HB?" Jadu asked thinking it was a strange request.
"You have no idea what I would do for her to come back right now" Mildred told her.
"Let's take Broomhead for a bit, least she can teach" Enid said once her friends revealed what had happened.
"Yes...through torture, with Cackle and HB gone it will be physical next!" Mildred replied, she would never understand how Enid's mind worked.
"Softbrush pushed me into that wall when she fell yesterday, I am being physically tortured anyway" Enid replied with a shrug.
"Enid...Broomhead is about ten times worst than HB, we are not going to try convince Cackle to bring her in, not even for a day" Maud replied.
Enid thought about it for a minute then nodded "Yeah actually you are right, at least the place isn't a prison like it was when she was in charge" Enid replied.
"We need someone else, NOT Broomhead...it's Mr Hallow, he is doing this on purpose because Cackle and HB embarrassed him...I think we should go talk to Ethel...see if she can get him to give us another teacher" Mildred replied. Ethel had been strangely quiet so far, maybe she was finally trying to be civil. Somehow though Mildred knew Ethel would be the key to helping them deal with her waste of space father.