Mildred had actually made a potion correctly. It worked. Her invigorating potion had left her feeling full of life and bouncing with energy.

"Miss! Miss!"

"Yes Mildred, I can see you have finally made the potion properly, well done. Now please try to sit down until the large part of the effects wear off."

Mildred sat bursting with pride, hardly able to contain herself, she had revised hard for this potion after her first failed attempt on Monday. Now she had made it correctly and before the rest of the class, including Ethel, and Miss Hardbroom had actually said "Well Done." She sat on her stool and waited. Ethel turned around and threw her a look of pure venom. Mildred couldn't care less, her hard work had got her in this situation and even her arch enemy couldn't destroy her elation in this moment.

Her day got better, in chanting class she remembered every word and note of the chant they had been working on earning praise from Miss Bat. By the time morning break came Mildred was the happiest she had been all term. Even the thought of broomstick flying next couldn't dampen her spirits. With 5 minutes until they were due out in the courtyard she told her friends she was just going to dump her bag in her locker and would meet them outside. Whilst attempting to squeeze her bag into the rather messy locker she made a mental note to clean it out at lunch before incurring the wrath following of one of Miss Hardbroom's spot inspections.

"You think you're so clever Hubble Bubble." Mildred span around to see Ethel in the doorway. "You may have got two measly things right today but tomorrow you'll be back to being the Worst Witch in the Academy who can't even get a C in most subjects."

"Oh, Ethel just drop it, just because for once you weren't the best in the class. Jealousy is not attractive."

"How dare you insult me!" Ethel pointed her fingers at Mildred and muttered something Mildred couldn't quite catch before darkness surrounded her and she felt herself begin to fall.

Ethel murmured another spell at Mildred and left to head out to courtyard, a smug grin on her face.

Mildred slowly pushed through the haze into consciousness. The first thing she became aware of was a pounding headache, then a very hard surface beneath her. Opening her eyes, the light made her head sear in agony. She lay for a few minutes fighting the nausea from the pain. She gently raised herself up to a sitting position managing to get her eyes fully open. She was on the locker room floor. How she had ended up there though was a mystery to her. Maybe she'd passed out, or tripped and fell over. Even she knew she was clumsy. Suddenly she remembered she was supposed to be in the courtyard for flying. Pulling herself to her feet she swayed, grasped an open locker door and waited out the dizzyness before heading outside.

Constance noticed Mildred stumbling out the doors into the courtyard. The rest of the class were already in the air practicing turning corners whilst attempting to maintain some small amount of poise.

"Mildred I do not even want an explanation for your lateness, get your broom, get in the air and practice cornering without that ridiculous leaning motion you manage to achieve, and I want 500 lines from you by tomorrow morning 'I will not be late for broomstick flying or any other class as it is rude towards my teachers and other classmates.' Do I make myself clear?"

"No Miss Hardbroom, I mean yes, Miss Hardbroom, I mean..."

Constance narrowed her eyes, unable to believe this child was not literally running across the courtyard to retrieve her broomstick already. "You had better make your mind up what you mean Mildred, and quickly."

"I-I-I mean Miss Hardbroom, that I will have the lines on your desk in the morning and I understand lateness is not acceptable but I don't think I should fly today."

"And why on earth not?" Her tone was pure ice.

"I feel really dizzy Miss, and a bit sick. I think if I fly I may have an accident."

Constance studied the pupil before her, despite her tardiness the girl was usually truthful and she did look a little pale. "Very well Mildred, you shall instead attempt to get that cat of yours to finally balance on your broom for more than 5 seconds." She pointed her casting fingers at the ground where Mildred's tabby cat appeared yeowling in protest at having been transported from where he had likely been curled up asleep. Then she turned away and cast her gaze back towards the other pupils in the air monitoring their progress.

"Ruby! You are a witch, not on a motorcycle, straighten your back girl!"

Mildred picked up Tabby and headed over to grab her broom from the shed, her head was still swimming from what had happened and the dizzyness was not going away. Miss Hardbroom glaring at her hadn't helped. She never even had a chance to explain why she had been late and now her evening was going to be spent writing more lines. What was the sentence she had to write out again? Moving back towards the middle of the courtyard she commanded her banana-broom to hover and sat Tabby on the bristles very aware Miss Hardbroom was watching her out of the corner of her eye. When Tabby ended up on the ground a few seconds later there was an audible "Tsk" from her form mistress.

This carried on for the next half hour. Mildred could feel her headache getting worse. She bent down to pick Tabby up for the umteenth time when a wave of dizzyness hit her. She grabbed her still hovering broomstick to stay upright, breathing heavily, eyes closed. Next thing she felt was a hand grasp her arm pulling her up.

"Sit on the broom Mildred. Take deep breaths."

Obediently sitting on the broom, Mildred concentrated on not being sick and trying to make the darkness disappear. When she could open her eyes she saw Miss Hardbroom shouting at the girls to come down from the sky. Recovering, she watched them elegantly float downwards in front on their teacher, glancing at Mildred still sitting on her broom apart from the rest of them. Ethel gave her a sneer obviously knowing Mildred was being punished for being late to class, but there was something else in that gaze, Mildred's head just wasn't clear enough to figure out what. Turning her gaze towards the ground she noticed Tabby was still sitting there. Scooping him up she heard Miss Hardbroom telling the class to head along to their next class early and wait on Miss Cackle without noise or disruption. Mildred moved get off her broomstick as Miss Hardbroom strode back towards her.

"You were told to sit Mildred." Mildred took a step back towards her broom. "Never mind now, Maud can you come here please". Maud hurried over. " Maud can you please put Mildred's broom away and tell Miss Cackle that Mildred will not be attending her class on my orders."

Maud looked at Mildred, trying to mentally ask her what was going on, she noticed how pale her best friend was. "Millie are you alright?"

"She will be fine Maud, run along now."

"Yes Miss Hardbroom."

Mildred felt HB's hand on her shoulder and was then sucked the void of magical transportation.

AN: Hey, this is my first attempt at ever writing fanfiction and I would really appreciate any feedback that you would care to offer. If you didn't like it please tell me why constructively, and I would really appreciate any good feedback just as a confident boost. This will obviously be a multi chapter fiction which I have written most of, just tweaking some things.

I should probably clarify, this is set early on during Mildred's third year. I have decided to keep Miss Bat purely because she is so much fun to write for although I do love Lavinia Crotchet.

Thanks!