Chapter Text
Pippa squeezed Hecate's hand. "This is not how I imagined us saying it, my love," she shut her eyes for a moment, "But I really do. I always have."
Hecate silently vanished the tears from her eyes. "I always have too. I believe that is why our distance over the years has hurt so much." She said. "What matters is that we have each other now."
Two bubble doves fluttered between the two witches, swooping up around their heads and diving down before combining into an iridescent spherical bubble that floated delicately to the ground.
"And we'll still have each other in the future." Pippa said with hope in her voice.
"Indeed, we will have each other now and forever." Hecate whispered.
Dinner after exam day was always a subdued affair at Cackle's Academy. Students were exhausted after weeks of revision and a long day of challenging exams. Teachers were weary after the months spent planning the exams and the long day on their feet invigilating. Not to mention the anticipation of an incredibly long night marking exam papers and cross referencing grades.
After Miss Tapioca's usual disappointing special of watery soup for dinner, the girls were sent to bed early. For once, there were no complaints, the girls were glad to fall asleep on beds that were not surrounded by revision papers. After lights out checks, the teachers congregated in the staff room to begin the long and arduous process of marking the exams.
Ada welcomed the tired teachers with open arms. "Thank you all for yet another exemplary examination day at Cackle's. We have seen the hard work the girls have put in, even if their results may not reflect that."
Hecate harrumphed. Exam results were everything. Especially for a specific student who had poured so much work into her revision. She felt her emotions running high with the fear that she had failed to help Mildred.
"Thank you Hecate," Ada continued, dismissing Hecate's interruption. "I think we can all agree that not every student is capable of one hundred percent, but can still demonstrate their learning."
"I do feel for the less academically inclined..." Algernon started, but a strong look of disapproval from Hecate cut him short.
"This is an academy. What else do we have if we do not have academia?" Hecate snapped.
Pippa softly placed her hand on Hecate's shoulder. "It's okay Hecate, I know these exam results mean a lot to you. They mean a lot to everyone else here too," she gently affirmed. "Everyone at Cackle's has worked so hard, let's do this one last task together and get it over with. Then we can relax and celebrate!" She clapped her hands and beamed at the other teachers.
"Thank you Miss Pentangle," Ada said. "I wish we all had your energy and enthusiasm for marking."
The group of teachers tittered.
"As Miss Pentangle says, let's get started!" Ada said, taking a seat next to a precarious stack of exam papers.
"Why don't you two lovebirds sit together?" Dimity suggested, eyeing Hecate for her reaction. To her delight, Hecate turned such a dark shade of crimson, that her faced matched her rouged lips.
Unperturbed, Pippa pulled her girlfriend to a threadbare but comfortable looking beige armchair trimmed with fraying tassels. The worry in Hecate's eyes had not gone unnoticed by the perceptive witch. Pippa sat on the arm of the armchair with her legs hooked over Hecate's. Absent-mindedly, she stroked her girlfriends lace covered arm, feeling the texture of the black weblike threads beneath her fingertips.
"Where do you normally begin with marking?" she asked the room.
The teachers began to offer up contrasting advice, making it clear that no one was at all aligned with their approach.
Dimity surrounded herself with papers, haphazardly picking up pages and assigning a score based on the teacher's flying notes. She scrawled the final score on the back of a scrap piece of paper.
Gwen was already halfway to dozing off into a pile of Witch History papers. Algernon prodded her to keep her awake.
Pippa grimaced. "Please let me know if I'm being too bossy, but I do think we could do this in a better way. If we pair up, we can get each subject done quickly. In our pairs we can cross reference results to make sure no student is subjected to any unconscious bias."
Hecate's eyes widened at her girlfriend. Since the Spelling Bee, where Pippa had called out paragraph four clause five of the rule book, Hecate had a sneaking suspicion Pippa preferred rules and order much more than she would ever care to admit.
"I'll pair up with Hecate, we can mark potions and witch history. Dimity, could you and Gwen take chanting? That leaves Algernon and Ada to cover spell science and broomstick flying. If you finish early, you can help the rest of us with anything we have left."
The teachers gawked, taken aback by Pippa's authority. Hecate looked at her girlfriend in awe.
"I'm so sorry Ada. Please don't think I'm trying to tread on your toes." Pippa apologised to the elderly headmisstress, blushing. She realised she might have indeed been too bossy.
Ada smiled a charming smile. "Not at all dear I think it's a good idea."
The teachers moved to sit in their marking pairs and divvied up the papers.
"Here you go Hecate," Pippa passed Hecate a witch history paper to mark, and took one for herself. She made sure to not use the pet name of Hiccup to address her girlfriend, she wasn't sure Hecate would survive any more teasing from Dimity.
They silently worked through the exams, swapping them once marked to check that nothing had been missed. "I concur with your marking." Hecate told Pippa, encircling the grade with green ink, and noting it next to the student's name on her list. Realising that they had finished marking the witch history papers, she took the first paper off the pile of unmarked potions exams.
Hecate stalled. In rushed inky handwriting, the name Mildred Hubble was scribbled across the top. She hardly dared to open it, Mildred had a habit of crumbling under pressure. She breathed a sigh of relief when Mildred got the first few questions correct. Curious of her mentee's answer to a specific question, Hecate rushed through the remainder of the paper, surprised at how much Mildred had managed to pick up in her studies. Finally, she turned to the last page.
"The responsibility of a witch is to brew potions using her head and not her heart. She must make sure that the potions she brews are not intended to harm or cause any lasting inconvenience for other witches. When I brew a potion, I always think what would Miss Hardbroom do because she would make sure she was being responsible."
Hecate closed the exam paper weakly and wrote a number neatly on the front page.
"Is everything okay?" Pippa whispered, glancing at the name on the front page.
Hecate closed her eyes, "I think Mildred Hubble might just succeed as a witch after all." She said this softly so the other teachers wouldn't hear.
Pippa grinned. Keeping her voice low, she said "Does this mean she's done well? I'm so pleased Hecate! I knew you would come round to the idea of her being a great witch the moment I saw your face when she won the Spelling Bee for Cackle's."
Hecate scrunched up her face. "Mildred is more difficult than any witch I have ever taught, and her fundamental magical knowledge is lacking if at all present. However, there is something undeniably intuitive about her magic, almost as if she has power beyond her years." She frowned, complementing students did not come easily to her.
Pippa squeezed her hand knowingly.
Hecate pushed the paper towards Pippa. "Can you check my marking? I don't trust myself to mark it fairly. I want her to succeed too much." She said this under her breath, hardly daring to speak it out loud. Pippa accepted the paper without question, swapping it with Ethel Hallow's script. Hecate rolled her eyes at how obnoxious the girl could be, even in her writing.
Using Pippa's paired up method, it didn't take much longer for the marking to be completed. Too tired to even celebrate finishing marking, the teachers made their weary way to bed.
Always an early riser, Hecate awoke with the sun. She lazily traced the lines between the smattering of freckles between Pippa's shoulder blades, creating a her own version of a dot to dot. She marvelled at how soft Pippa's skin was. "I like it when you do that Hiccup." Pippa sighed contently. "It tickles, but it strangely feels really nice."
Hecate arched her eyebrows curiously, "Are you ticklish?" she asked, a hit of mischief in her voice.
Pippa shook her head, pressing her lips together in an attempt to hide from Hecate that she was in fact incredibly ticklish.
This was fruitless and Hecate launched an attack on her ribs, causing Pippa to cry out in breathless laughter. She shrieked, but this only made Hecate tickle her more. Pippa squirmed under her girlfriend's hands before managing to locate Hecate's ribs with her fingertips, gently brushing them across Hecate's pale body. Hecate gasped, arching her body away from her girlfriend and bringing her lips close to Pippa's neck. "So you are ticklish then?" She whispered into Pippa's ear, relishing that the hairs on her neck stood on end.
Pippa laughed "I'm only ticklish when you tickle me, my love." She pulled Hecate into a kiss. "And I think you might be just as ticklish as I am."
Hecate huffed. "I am not ticklish. You just took me by surprise."
"Is that so?" Pippa arched an eyebrow playfully. "It's a shame we have to go to breakfast soon, if not I would be testing that."
At breakfast, Ada stood at the front of the dining hall, wearing a particularly lumpy red cardigan. It was wrapped around her tightly, despite the warm weather. She clinked her teaspoon against her coffee cup and coughed gently. The whole school turned away from their bowls of flavourless grey porridge to give her their undivided attention. "Good morning everyone. I would like to say a big well done for completing your examinations yesterday. Please give yourselves a round of applause."
The girls politely clapped at one another, cringing at the action.
"You will receive your results tomorrow before you go home for the summer, but first, today will be a day of fun."
Mildred grinned at Maud and Enid. A fun day was exactly what they needed to recover from the long weeks of revision. She couldn't wait to find out what the teachers had in store for them.
"Miss Pentangle will be running some modern witching workshops today, and I believe Miss Hardbroom will also be running a creative potion making class too."
Pippa smiled grandly at the students. "I look forward to seeing all of you on the witchball field after breakfast. Bring hats and gloves and something warm."
Whispers rose among the girls. Warm clothes? It was July after all, how much of the warm summer weather was Miss Pentangle going to spoil with her spells this week?
The girls soon found out. Decked in warm woolly jumpers and pointed hats, they stood sweltering under the hot July sun. The group stared expectantly at the field, waiting for an explantation from Miss Pentangle.
As if on cue, a pink figure in a rose coloured leotard and tutu appeared at the other end of the witch ball pitch. She seemed to float effortlessly over the field on a stream of silvery blue magic emanating from her fuchsia fingertips. Pippa glided closer and it became apparent to the girls the activity they would be undertaking. A delicate pair of pale pink ice skates adorned the end of her tights clad legs. Elegantly, she cast a glittering pathway of ice in front of her, forging a route across the grass pitch. The ice melted the instant she skated over it, leaving behind no trace of the frozen magic. She smiled pleasantly at the crowd.
The girls cheered. Ice skating seemed fun, but magical ice skating? That looked much more exciting!
Pippa stopped in front of the girls, the last of the ice melting below her skates, causing her to sink onto the dry cracked earth below. She rested her hands on top of her hips, smoothing the fabric of her leotard where it met the tutu.
"As I'm sure you have worked out, we will be doing magical ice skating this morning," she said. "Before we begin, there are a few safety rules I would like to run through." Pippa glanced at Hecate with a coy smile, she knew how much the dark haired witch enjoyed rules and regulations.
"Firstly, as I imagine this is your first time skating magically, we will only be skating forward. You must be able to see the ice at all times, I don't want to see anyone attempt backwards skating for now, it is very complex."
The girls stared in awe. Most of the girls had never even tried regular ice skating and were trying to work out how they would be able to balance on the tiny silver blades, let alone move in any direction.
"Secondly, you must look out for your fellow witches. Please try to skate away from other skaters to avoid any collisions."
The girls nodded in unison.
"Lastly - and this is the most important rule - you must have fun!"
Pippa snapped her fingers and a pair of ice skates appeared at each student's feet.
"Once you have your skates on, the incantation really is very simple. Crystals form and fade away, let me forge my icy way. Then you must simply channel the ice from your fingertips in the direction you wish to skate."
Pippa demonstrated effortlessly.
Ethel was first to pull on her skates. She chanted the spell and pushed her hand forward. A sputter of hailstones and blue sparks showered onto the floor. Disappointed, she tried again, creating a thin icy path through which the grass of the field could still be seen. It cracked and melted before she could skate on it. She stared moodily at the ground, unused to failure.
"Oh Ethel," Pippa said kindly, noticing the girl's glumness. "You have to visualise a continuous stream of ice, really picture it leaving your hand and forming on the ground."
Ethel did as she was told and managed to cast a semi-satisfactory ice path. She swung her free arm wildly in the air to try to keep her balance as she gingerly attempted to travel along the ice. The field was soon awash with stripes of silvery ice as the students wobbled their way along. To everyone's surprise, including Mildred's, Mildred was actually very good. It took her no time to work out how to cast the ice so she could change direction, and she was soon skating rings around her friends. She mentally thanked her mum for taking her ice skating at the Christmas market the year before.
"Great job Mildred!" Pippa praised. With a touch of jealously, Hecate noticed that Mildred practically glowed in response to Pippa's words. Pippa seemed to effortlessly win over every student. Pippa skated cheerfully over to her girlfriend dangling a pair of onyx coloured skates by their laces. "Come on Hecate dear, show us your skills." However, her attempts to entice Hecate onto the ice were futile.
The deputy head pursed her lips and checked her pocket watch. "I do not think it would be suitable for me to join in with such frivolities."
Overhearing the conversation, Mildred caught Pippa's eye. Pippa smiled knowingly, Mildred was thinking exactly the same thing as she was.
The student stealthily skated behind Hecate, a cheeky grin across her face. She hooked her hand under the chain of the watch's pendant and deftly slipped it over her teacher's head. Mildred skated backwards, keeping her eyes on her furious teacher with a huge smile. In one hand she dangled Hecate's prized timepiece, and from the other she cast the ice crystals behind her into a jagged path.
Hecate took the ice skates from Pippa's outstretched hand and laced them with a spell. She cast a pathway of glacier blue ice towards Mildred and threw herself onto the ice after the impertinent student. She skated elegantly after the girl, finding that the smooth glides from each foot came naturally to her long legs. Surprised, Hecate discovered that she was enjoying herself, and a small smile appeared on her lips.
Pippa joined the raven witch on the field, pushing her skates forward quickly to keep up with her. She giggled as Hecate successfully attempted a loop, the icy magic glinting a reflection of the sun.
Hecate skated parallel to Mildred, "How dare you steal my jewellery," she shouted, causing the girl to break concentration from her ice casting. Hecate snatched the pocket watch back and secured it around her neck. In shock, Mildred's hand moved from directing the ice downwards at the floor to casting a sheet of frozen water behind her.
Mildred's face turned white in fear as the ice piled up high behind her and formed a treacherous slope. Unable to stop due to the momentum she had built up, she flew up the gradient. At the end of which, she lost contact with the ice and tumbled through the air, trying in vain to cast an icy platform to arrest her fall. She screamed in terror as she crashed to the ground.
"Watch out!" Felicity shouted as she hurtled past, barely missing Mildred's plaits with her skates.
Transfixed, Hecate found herself unable to save her student. "Mildred Hubble!" she cried in panic. The older witch skated to Mildred's curled up body with a concerned look in her eyes. She snapped her fingers, transferring herself and a still fallen Mildred to the edge of the field, away from the danger of any other unwieldy skaters. "Are you hurt?" Hecate asked. Her face was tense with concern. Usually Hecate would chastise the girl for disobeying the rules laid out at the beginning of the class, but for some reason, rules didn't seem as important as Mildred's well-being did.
Mildred attempted to push herself up into a seated position, but whimpered in pain. Hecate put a protective arm around her shoulder. "I think I'll be okay," Mildred said bravely.
Hecate lifted an eyebrow, still cradling the girl. "Mildred, you cannot even sit up, you are not okay."
"I'm fine Miss Hardbroom. I think I've just winded myself, and my wrist is a bit sore, but I'm okay." She held out her arm for her teacher to inspect.
Gently, Hecate examined the injury. "I think you are correct, Mildred Hubble. It seems you have just landed on it strangely. I imagine you will be recovered by the end of the day." She breathed out a sigh of relief. "Regardless, I will cast a simple healing spell on it to ensure that it heals well." She closed her eyes and hovered her hands above the wrist. Mildred felt a warm tingling as the pain subsided. "Perhaps I will have to teach you this particular spell, young lady. I hope you do not cause me this much worry in this afternoon's potion class."
Mildred gazed at her teacher. "You're worried about me?"
Pink tinged Hecate's cheeks. "Yes Mildred. I care for all of my students, and that fall was spectacularly dangerous. Of course I was worried."
"I'm sorry I took your watch, I just thought maybe you would enjoy skating when you were on the ice." Mildred apologised.
Silence fell between the two witches for a moment.
Hecate pensively plucked at a strand of grass. "Mildred, it takes a very perceptive witch to understand what another witch may need. You were correct in your thinking that I might enjoy today's activity. As the best witch in the school, and quite possibly the country, it is very rare that I am granted the opportunity to learn something new. You have taught me many things since you enrolled at Cackle's Academy. I thank you for that."
Mildred leaned against her teacher affectionately. "Are you saying I have taught the teacher?" She teased. "I feel a lot better now, thank you for looking after me. I'll race you back to everyone else if you like?"
She stood up, using her uninjured wrist to support herself. Brushing blades of grass from her school uniform, she cast out some fresh ice and started skating towards the hive of activity of her classmates. "Come on Miss Hardbroom, don't be such a spoilsport!"
Hecate soon overtook Mildred, and the two witches raced across the field. Pippa beamed at them, and the other students stopped skating to watch the race. It was a strange sight, seeing the two gangly witches flying so effortlessly forward on the ice. Hecate's usually strict and uptight demeanour had been replaced by a determined competitive streak. She had an almost smile on her face. Mildred had seemed to shrug off her injuries completely and was almost elegant in her movements.
"Go on Millie!" Enid shouted, "You've nearly overtaken her." She started to chant "Millie! Millie!" encouraging her classmates to join in. Even Ethel found herself taken up in the excitement and joined the cheers.
The girls clapped and whistled as the two witches skated closer, Mildred had drawn herself level with the potions teacher and it looked like it was neck and neck. Suddenly, Hecate appeared to have an issue with her ice skates, and Mildred soared forwards to victory.
"Congratulations Mildred!" Pippa said. "Now girls, it is nearly lunchtime, so unfortunately we must end our lesson here. While you unlace your skates, I'd like to have a brief discussion about everything we have learned today."
The girls crowded around the teacher to hear what she had to say.
"First of all, I would like to congratulate you on how well you have all picked up magical ice skating. It takes lots of skill and practise to be able to do it well. Can anyone tell me something that they learned?"
Felicity's hand shot into the air. "I learned that glamorous skating is really difficult, it's actually really difficult to skate at all."
Pippa laughed, "Yes, for magical skating to look truly effortless, it takes years of practise and honing of magical talent. Anyone else?"
Maud shyly lifted her hand. "I learned that when you cast the ice further in front of you, you can go faster."
"Very good Maud!" Pippa exclaimed. "And by that logic, how do you slow down?"
"By casting the ice closer to you?"
"Exactly, very pointy work." Pippa smiled. "Mildred, you certainly surprised us all with you skating skills. Did you learn anything?"
Mildred blushed. "I learned that skating backwards is really dangerous if you aren't focusing on the ice."
Pippa nodded solemnly. "It is one of the reasons I forbade it at the beginning of our class. However, luckily no damage seems to have been done. In the future, you must ensure that all of your focus is on the magic you are using, not just with ice, but with any spells you use. Distracted spell casting is a recipe for disaster. You are all dismissed for lunch."
A sea of smiling girls rushed towards the castle. Skating had built up their appetites hugely and they were excited for lunch. As they left the ice behind, they removed their extra layers, it was far too hot to be wearing hats under the sun. Mildred turned and shot a grateful smile and a thumbs up at the two witches.
Hecate waited until it was just her and Pippa on the field, and turned to her girlfriend. "Pippa, I was skeptical about the concept of this class. However, I was wrong. Magical ice skating is a remarkable way to bring in many teaching moments. I should not have called it frivolous. The way you brought in serious learning points and related it to the activities was exceptional. The tutu is also certainly something." She eyed Pippa's skating outfit with a smirk. "I even found myself having... fun. It seems that there are many things I am learning this term."
Surprised at her girlfriend's revelation, Pippa was momentarily speechless. She giggled. "Thank you, Hecate. You were wonderful responding how you did when Mildred was injured, and I saw what you did in the race, it was very sweet of you. Is she alright now?"
"She has some minor injuries, but nothing outside of the norm for her usual ungainly self. I do not know what you mean about the race, Mildred won on her own merit." Hecate attempted a wink which sent Pippa into peals of laughter. Hecate felt her stomach rumble. "Shall we join the girls for lunch, Pipsqueak?"
With Pippa's hungry agreement, Hecate transferred the two witches to the door of the dining hall. "I can't wait for your lesson this afternoon Hiccup." Pippa said excitedly.