Well finally, here we go. The last part of Closure. I know I've said it before, but huge thanks to those who have had the patience to stay with this and taken the time to review; I really have appreciated the feedback.
The story was a little longer than I intended, but I think it serves as a good point to sign off. I've enjoyed writing WW, but I think it's time for a break.
And to all those who stayed with it, but didn't review...well I hope you enjoyed it...It's been nice having you along for the ride as well :)
SD signing off.
"She's gone," Miss Cackle announced softly as she closed Verna's open unseeing eyes with the tips of her fingers. She raised her gaze slowly to meet Imogen's. "Just what happened in here?"
Imogen shook her head. "I can't begin to imagine."
There was the slightest of groans from the still form of Constance, and Amelia was quickly to her feet; scurrying over to her deputy's side.
"Constance…" her tone was hesitant, questioning.
She watched as Constance struggled to open her eyes.
"It's gone," Constance breathed, her voice barely audible. "Miss Hyssop?"
Amelia grimaced. "She's gone as well I'm afraid."
Constance's eyes closed again and she let out a slow shuddering breath.
"Constance?" there was a trace of panic in Amelia's voice.
Imogen moved to Amelia's side and knelt down next to her, reaching out with shaking fingers to check for a pulse.
A smile sprang to her lips as she felt a steady thump beneath her fingers.
"She's indestructible," she whispered and heard a short laugh from Amelia.
"We'd best get her to her room before anyone sees her. She'd be mortified to be seen like this in front of the girls."
Imogen paused as a thought struck her. "She is alright, isn't she?"
The two women looked down at the motionless figure in front of them and then exchanged glances; both of them sharing the same worrying thought.
Imogen rose and turned quickly as she heard a sound behind her. A part of her was expecting the entity to be there, crackling ominously.
She was somewhat relieved when she realised that it was only Mildred. She dropped out of the defensive posture she'd adopted, hoping that Mildred hadn't spotted it. Quite what she thought she was going to be able to do had it been the entity wasn't something she wanted to dwell on. All that she knew at that moment was that she felt more than a little foolish.
"You're supposed to be outside with the others," she reminded Mildred.
"I had to see..." Mildred tailed off as she took in the two prone figures.
Imogen was at her side a moment later, an arm wrapping around her shoulder, pulling her away from the sight.
"Miss Hardbroom's going to be fine," she told the young girl with more belief than she felt.
"And Miss Hyssop?" Imogen heard the quaver in the young girl's voice and knew that there was no point in trying to deceive her.
"She's gone," she whispered and guided Mildred away from the body and towards the door.
Mildred tried to twist away but Imogen held her firm.
"Please Mildred."
"She didn't have to try and take it on by herself," Mildred protested, giving in and letting Imogen direct her towards the door.
"She was obviously trying to save you…and the rest of the school."
"But she didn't have to do it on her own," Mildred fought against the tears that were beginning to form.
Imogen turned her head as she walked, glancing down at the prone figure of Constance. "I get the feeling that she wasn't completely on her own," she told Mildred quietly as she led her from the hall.
"Miss Cackle,"
Amelia turned her head as she heard the hesitant tones of Hortense. The Guild Inspector was standing next to Verna's body, looking uncharacteristically lost.
"I think you and I should have a talk," she suggested quietly.
"And so we shall," Amelia agreed. "But I have a more pressing concern to attend to for the moment."
Hortense glanced around at the state of the hall and then down at the two figures lying prone on the ground. "What are the Guild going to say?" she asked plaintively.
Amelia straightened up and glared at Hortense. "I can honestly say that I don't care one way or the other what the Guild has to say. Three witches worked very hard today to make sure that the rest of us survived a particularly nasty magical onslaught. I for one think that they deserve nothing but the grateful thanks of everyone here. What the Guild has to say on the matter is of little consequence."
Turning her back on Hortense, Amelia knelt back down by Constance's side.
Hortense could only watch her; finding that she couldn't in any way disagree with the angry words that had been spoken.
An eerie silence fell upon the whole school. The usual rumour mill failed to get into gear, and the girls waited patiently to be told what had happened. Every one of them knew that something major had happened, and something in the air told them that the outcome of the events in the hall had not been entirely successful.
They gathered together quietly in small groups and waited to be told what was happening.
Hortense stood at the window and looked out at the girls who were walking slowly across the courtyard; the early evening light making them look like shadows as they passed by the window.
"Do you think they'll be ok?"
"What?" Amelia raised her head from the cup of tea she had been staring into and glanced in the direction of Hortense. After a few moments she worked out what the inspector was referring to. She nodded. "They're pretty resilient at that age. It's when you get to our age that things like this really hit home."
Hortense watched as the girls disappeared around the corner of the building. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Thank you for not telling them the truth."
Amelia brushed the thanks away. "Verna did what was right in the end...that's all that's important."
"But Mildred Hubble..."
Amelia smiled softly. "Trust me, she won't say anything...I think she was rather fond of Verna. I don't imagine for one minute that she would want to tarnish the memory of such a fine witch."
Hortense smiled thinly and turned away from the window. "I think perhaps it's best if I don't stay here. I believe that there is a small cafe a short distance away?"
Amelia nodded. "Cosies...I'm sure Mrs Cosie will put you up...if you're certain that you won't stay..."
"I should go...There is enough of an unsettled feeling about the place without me adding to it."
She moved away from the window and made her way across the room.
"I'll send a message to the Guild from the cafe...let them know what's been going on before the rumours start to fly." Hortense caught the concern that glanced across Amelia's face. "After what I've seen today, I think that this school needs its magic rights returning right away." She let out a small smile. "If the Guild have any complaints then they can take them up with me."
"Thank you," Amelia said quietly and returned her attention to the cup that was clasped within her hands.
Hortense nodded in her direction and swept silently from the room.
Imogen took a deep breath, knocked gently on the door to Constance's room and waited to be given permission to enter. She had to confess that she felt more than a little nervous about doing so and not just because it was Constance. The door to Constance's room had remained locked for the past four days and no-one but Miss Cackle had been permitted to enter. She had reported that Constance was recovering well but had remained quiet when pressed for more details.
Eventually Imogen had decided that enough was enough and that Constance needed to face the world. Licking her lips nervously she pushed open the door and stepped over the threshold. Constance was sitting propped up in her bed, the covers impossibly straight and smooth. She looked frailer somehow, not something that Imogen would ever tell her of course, and she noted the way that the witch's hands seemed to tremble slightly.
"Um…" Imogen struggled to find the right words to open the conversation. Constance was usually the one to dominate the proceedings and Imogen had to admit that she found it more than a little unnerving to see her looking so pale and withdrawn.
"What is it that I can do for you?" Constance asked; the quiet tone of her voice emphasising her weakened state.
Imogen raised the cat basket that she was carrying and tried to ignore the low hiss that came from within.
"I thought I'd bring Morgana back," she explained. "Whilst you….well that is…whilst you were…"
"Thank you for looking after her," Constance saved Imogen from struggling any further. "I'm sure she was trouble."
"No trouble at all," Imogen lied through her teeth and hoped that Constance couldn't see the scratch marks that covered her hands. She placed the basket on the floor and lifted the catch. Morgana stalked haughtily out of the cramped basket, relieved to be back in familiar surroundings.
She'd sensed her owner's presence from the moment that the door to the room had opened; now she just had to determine whether it was the Constance she knew or not.
Imogen watched as the cat padded slowly forward and sniffed the air; her tail twitching from side to side as she explored her surroundings.
Imogen couldn't suppress a smile as the sleek black cat mewed and then hopped up onto the bed without waiting for an invitation; her loud purr making it obvious that she was happy that Constance was back to normal.
"Thank you," Constance repeated, finding it hard to maintain an air of dignity as Morgana gently head-butted her in her search of attention. She noticed that Imogen wasn't making any effort to leave. "Was there perhaps something else?"
Imogen shifted her weight from one foot to the other, and for a moment, Constance was reminded of Mildred.
"There was just one thing," Imogen finally spoke up and took a pace further into the room. "About the memory erase spell…" She paused.
"Yes?"
"Well…." Imogen wanted nothing more than to be somewhere else but she knew that she had to clear the matter up once and for all. "I just want to know…did I ask you to cast the spell?"
Constance raised an eyebrow and Imogen felt obliged to explain further.
"Did I ask you to cast the spell after I'd looked in your file?"
Constance nodded. "You did."
"Then I want you to leave it as it is." Imogen noted the slight surprise on Constance's face. "I know what the Witches Guild will rule but surely I have the right to decide whether or not the spell is reversed. If you cast it, then you cast it for a reason and that's good enough for me. I don't need to know anymore."
Imogen didn't wait for an answer from Constance but simply turned on her heel and left the room, closing the door silently behind her.
Had Imogen turned to look, she would have seen a slightly puzzled expression on Constance's face. That certainly hadn't been what she had been expecting. She shook her head in mild disbelief and turned her attention to Morgana who was now curled up next to her mistress and purring like an engine. She scratched the cat behind her ears and listened as the purr grew even louder.
The sunlight danced through the branches of the trees and made patterns on the weather-beaten tombstones that filled the small churchyard. Squirrels darted through the overgrown grass and fallen leaves that surrounded the plots, and foraged for food, oblivious to the events that were taking place around them.
The churchyard itself was filled with figures, all dressed in formal robes, all standing sombrely as the service was concluded.
"I think she'll like it here," Hortense said softly, her breath appearing as tiny white puffs on the frigid cold air. "She always said just how much she loved this part of the world."
"I'm sorry that it had to come to this," Amelia confessed.
"It was a very brave thing that she did," a voice from behind them announced.
Amelia spun round, surprised to see Constance standing behind her.
"I thought you were…."
"I wasn't going to miss paying my respects," Constance explained quietly.
Amelia looked at the deep black rings that underlined her deputy's eyes and the way that her hands still trembled slightly, and resolved that, no matter what the protests, Constance was going straight back to her room once the ceremony was concluded and she was not going to be allowed out until at least a little colour had returned.
"I really should be going," Hortense held out a hand to Amelia. "I can promise you that my full report to the Guild will be a fair one. I'll stress just how powerful the entity was, and how everything was done to prevent it getting a hold within the school."
"Thank you," Amelia smiled in return, accepting the proffered hand and shaking it warmly.
"And I'll make sure that the Guild are aware of the part that you played in saving the school," Hortense turned to face Constance.
"All credit should go to Miss Hyssop," Constance insisted, shrugging off Hortense's offer. "After all, she was the one who made the sacrifice."
"No false modesty Constance," Hortense began to argue as Constance turned and walked away but her words were halted by Miss Cackle's hand on her arm.
"I'd let Constance have things her own way," Amelia told her quietly. "I rather think she prefers to stay out of the spotlight."
"She does like getting her own way," Hortense remarked quietly, but let the matter drop.
She glanced up at the clear blue sky and let out a long breath.
"I suppose I did come here with a very definite agenda," she paused and watched a blackbird as it arced across the sky. "It's just that the stories that reach the Guild about this place are, quite frankly, unbelievable."
Amelia's face relaxed into a wry smile. "You know what young witches are."
Hortense raised an eyebrow. "I know exactly what young witches are capable of, and yet I'm still at something of a loss to explain the happenings that take place within these castle walls."
Amelia smiled quietly to herself and gestured back towards the castle. "Before you go, I think perhaps we should discuss a few things...in my office...over a slice of cheesecake perhaps?"
Hortense nodded her assent. "Lead the way."
The two witches set of through the long damp grass, leaving the others to finish paying their respects.
Mildred stood at the graveside and wiped a tear away from her eye.
"She died doing something good," a voice at her shoulder told her. "That's what you should remember."
Mildred turned to see Miss Hardbroom standing silently at her side.
"There should have been another way," she protested, trying not to notice the way that her form teacher seemed unsteady on her feet.
"Perhaps," Constance agreed. "But life is seldom a fairytale, with neat precise endings where everyone gets to live happily ever after."
Mildred shuffled her weight from one foot to the other.
"It is all over though, isn't it?" She paused. "I mean really over."
Constance nodded and pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders as though trying to keep out the chill in the air.
"It's gone. Miss Hyssop saw to that."
Mildred shivered. "When I saw it again in the hall..." she tailed off, realising that perhaps Miss Hardbroom wouldn't want to relive the events of the past few days.
"You did a very foolhardy thing," Constance broke the silence. "...Charging into the hall like that."
Mildred's head dropped.
"But I should thank you for helping Miss Hyssop to realise what was really going on," Constance's voice softened as she spoke.
Mildred shuffled nervously again.
"...And I should also thank you for helping to save my life."
Mildred raised her head; a look of surprise on her face.
"Just don't make a habit out of flying blindly into danger," Constance continued, her voice switching back to its usual hard tone. "You could land yourself in real trouble that way. And let's not get into the subject of stealing other people's brooms...."
In the far corner of the churchyard, Enid pulled on Maud's arm and nodded in the direction of the two figures standing by the grave.
"That's a sight I don't think I'll ever get used to," she admitted. "It almost looks as though they're friends."
Maud shook her head. "I think it'd take the end of the world to make HB friends with anyone; she's probably telling Mildred off for wearing her hat at the wrong angle."
Enid smiled briefly and continued to watch the conversation that was taking place.
"Did you see HB?" she finally asked Maud. "Up close I mean."
Her friend nodded. "I thought at one point that Miss Cackle was going to offer her a chair."
The two girls exchanged glances, both of them imagining HB's reaction to such a suggestion.
"What are you two smiling at?"
The two girls turned around guiltily, only to relax when they realised that the voice belonged to Jadu.
"I could ask you the same question," Enid remarked, noticing the smile that was ghosting at the edges of her friend's mouth.
"I had a note from my dad this morning," she told the others. "It seems he's persuaded my mum that moving me at this stage would be a bad thing."
"That's great," Maud enthused, clutching her friend's arm. "What brought about the change of heart?"
Jadu shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I get the feeling that someone from the Guild contacted them."
Enid and Maud exchanged glances.
"So it looks as though Cackle's is in the clear?"
Jadu nodded. "Miss Spellbinder does seem to have experienced something of a change of heart."
"I wonder what happened in the Great Hall?" Maud wondered.
Enid shook her head. "I bet that that's something else we never get to hear about."
"Well I for one don't care," Jadu announced, placing her arms around her friend's shoulders. "Just as long as I can stay here at Cackles."
Amelia shook Hortense's hand for the final time and watched as the Guild Inspector headed across the courtyard in search of her broom.
She turned her head, knowing that Constance would be there; her deputy had the unerring ability to appear at just the right moment.
"I don't think we'll be getting any more trouble with the Guild," she remarked.
"Playing the political game are we?" Constance enquired.
Amelia smiled. "Let's just say that we came to a little arrangement."
Constance frowned. "Are you sure that that's wise?"
"Rest assured that everything will be squared away. Magic has officially returned to Cackles as of today and all the recent unpleasantness has been ascribed to the influence of the entity."
"With Miss Hyssop gaining the credit for the entity's final defeat?"
Amelia nodded. "I'm sure that some award will be announced for her selfless act." She risked a glance out of the corner of her eye. "Are you sure that you're ready to return to work?"
Constance stiffened. "Of course."
"It's just that you..." she tailed off, not certain of how to explain herself without upsetting Constance.
"I am more than capable of returning to work," Constance replied coldly. "There is a mess in the Great Hall that needs sorting out...not to mention the state that the girls' rooms are in...."
Amelia smiled, relieved to hear the frustration in Constance's tone. "So is everything resolved between the two of you?" she asked nervously as she watched Hortense Spellbinder's broom circle gently around the castle battlements before carrying its passenger up and away into the fading sunlight.
Constance smiled faintly. "Of course not."
She moved away from Amelia's side before another question could be asked, leaving Amelia shaking her head and wondering if she'd ever truly understand her deputy.