Chapter 2
Now that Miss Cackle is a person again (as HB could turn her back after Mildred ordered mother to lose the duel) and Mildred and her mother are talking privately, Miss Cackle, HB and I are talking about what I did and revealed. "So, you really are Agatha's daughter?" HB asked and I winced. I could feel my panic rising again so I took my tube out of my pocket, took another Anxiety Pill and put the tube back in my pocket. "What was that?" She used her Magic to make my pills appear in her hand. "Enchanted Anxiety Pills prescribed to Cassiopeia A. Black. Why do you have these?"
"I... I should probably start at the beginning," I sighed. "So for the first five years of my life, my mother was really hard on me. She had me learning everything I could and she'd yell at me if I got the slightest thing wrong. But a few days after my fifth birthday she did another of her surprise tests and I got 99%. She wasn't happy that I didn't get 100% and she whipped me for the first time. She'd hit me for my mistakes before but she'd only ever used her hand. After a few weeks, it got worse and worse so I started hurting myself. She never noticed. She always assumed every mark I had came from her. Three years later, it got so bad that I tried to kill myself." The two Witches gasped.
"Really?" Miss Cackle asked and I nodded my head.
"Luckily for me, I'd forgotten that I'd scheduled a visit with my dad at that time and he showed up just in time to save me. Even then it was close. I was in a Magical Coma for two months. My mother showed up a few days after I woke up, she hadn't been to visit me once when I was in the Coma despite being notified. She only stayed long enough to berate me for embarrassing her and making her a laughingstock. She said she was ashamed to have me as her daughter. That I was too emotional. Weak. Fragile. Pathetic... That I didn't deserve to be a Witch... She told me she wished I'd never been born. That she regretted having me... After she left, I tried to kill myself again but the Healers showed up. I was put on Suicide Watch in the Hospital for two months and diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I have those Enchanted Anxiety Pills for my anxiety and Depression Potions for my depression."
"I'm sure whatever school you attend will find a way to accommodate your prescriptions," Miss Cackle said.
"I still hurt myself sometimes but mainly just after mother's visits and when I'm really stressed or emotional. After what happened, Dad managed to get custody so mother could only come visit once a week for an hour under the supervision of my dad and at least two social workers. She still managed to influence them enough to not let me visit you. She claimed you'd be a bad influence on me." HB made a noise of disbelief.
"She is clearly the bad influence," HB said.
"She wanted me to go to Pentangle's because she didn't want me coming here if it wasn't her in charge but dad convinced the social workers, without mother knowing, for me to come here for school. He told them you wouldn't be able to be a bad influence on me, even though he didn't think you were a bad influence, because I wouldn't be around you enough for you to influence me. He said coming here and being around my family history would be good for me. That I might finally make a friend because I've never had one before. Of course, after what mother did earlier, I have no chance of that now. I want to stay but if you don't want me here, I'll leave." Miss Cackle and HB looked at each other before looking back at me.
"Of course, you can stay," Miss Cackle said and I hugged her.
"Thank you."
...
"House sashes," Esmerelda said as she passed me, Maud, Mildred and Felicity our sashes. I got green with some weird sort of sparkle lines on it, Maud was yellow, Mildred was red and Felicity was purple. "Er, the colour shows you which corridor your rooms are." Mildred and Maud's faces fell as they noticed the colour difference.
"Oh, we're not together," Maud said.
"Sorry, HB decides who goes where," Esmerelda said.
"Hey, on the plus side, Ethel got purple so the three of us aren't with Ethel," I told Mildred and Maud. Hopefully, that'll shut them up. They grinned at each other.
"See your sash?" Esmerelda asked as she pointed at my sash.
"Yeah! What does it mean?"
"It means you came top in the entrance exam and so you're Head of Year One," Esmerelda said. "I'm not surprised given that you got 100% on your written exam and brewed a Wisdom Spell correctly."
"To be slightly more accurate," HB said as she approached. "You were the least worst." She stopped just ahead of me. "But yes. You equalled the school record in the written exam and surpassed it in the practical exam. The Great Wizard was told of you brewing the Wisdom Spell and creating a reversal. He decided you deserved 105% on your practical exam for creating a brand-new, working Wisdom Spell Reversal. I highly doubt anyone will ever break or even equal your record, Miss Black."
"Well done, Cassiopeia!" Esmerelda said and everyone started clapping.
"Cassie," I said and she nodded in acceptance. I gave Ethel a smug smile as she glared at me.
"Enough," HB said and the clapping stopped. "It's time you were assigned your Familiars."
"Familiars?" Mildred asked.
"Our cats!" Maud exclaimed and everyone seemed super excited.
...
"Cassiopeia Black?" HB called. I made my way over to her from behind Ethel and Drusilla, who had pushed me out of the way the moment we arrived outside the Kitten Room. "As Head of Year, you may have first choice!" I walked into the room after throwing a quick smirk at Ethel. All the cats were meowing.
"Choose wisely, little one," Miss Cackle said. I noticed she referred to everyone else as dear but she referred to me as little one but I'm fine with that. All the cats all looked the same. I want a cat that stands out.
"Meow." A cat started rubbing against my leg. Unlike the other cats in the room that were all shades of black and most had yellow eyes, this cat was pure white with its left eye a bright red and its right eye a bright blue. I picked the cat up.
"I choose this one."
"And her name?" Miss Cackle asked. Any other girl would probably call her Snowy but I think that's stupid.
"Starfire." Starfire means 'destiny', 'personality', 'heart's desire' and 'Gift of God'. I wanted a cat that stood out from the others and I got her.
"A great name," Miss Cackle said as she smiled at me. I'm sure I even caught a small smile from HB before she caught me looking at her.
...
I stopped talking to Esmerelda (Esme as she said to call her) about my duties as Head of Year One when I saw a group of my yearmates. What's going on here then, huh? Looks like Mildred and the new girl (Enid?) are squaring off against Drusilla, Ethel, Maud and Ethel's friends. "Actually, I'm a bit busy right now. Cassie, I need to talk to you about some Head of Year business. Esmerelda, you'd probably be able to help too if you have the time," Maud said as we walked past. Esme was all for helping Maud.
"Sure! Anything we can do to help," Esme said. We walked away from the other first-years as Maud tried to tell us about what Miss Cackle had suggested about our place under the stairs... Well, the other first-years' place under the stairs. I spend almost all of my free time in the library or my room by myself.
...
"Actually, she thinks it's brilliant," Maud said as she walked towards Ethel and held her hand out. "And I'll have my Maglet back now, thanks!" Maud looked really nervous as Ethel handed it back.
"Why did she have your Maglet, Maud?" I asked and Maud explained that Ethel had stolen her Maglet and replaced it with her own to cause problems between Mildred and Maud.
"Where's mine?" Ethel asked after Maud sat down. Maud took it out of her bag and I took it off of her.
"I'm confiscating it. You're clearly not responsible enough to have one yet."
"You can't!" Ethel complained.
"I'm Head of Year, so yes, I can." All the other girls snickered and laughed.
...
All the girls chuckled when Ethel was turned into a pig but now they're full-on laughing as she's a girl with a pig nose. Even I have to admit Ethel kind of deserves this.
...
Something's wrong with Miss Cackle and I'm going to find out what. "Miss Drill? I don't feel good. Can I go to my room to get one of my Potions?" Miss Cackle had made sure all the staff knew of my Depression Potions and Enchanted Anxiety Pills.
"Quickly, Miss Black. You're our best flyer. We need you here." I nodded and ran inside. I bumped into Miss Cackle on my way to her office.
"Now, what are you doing running about inside instead of practicing for the broomstick display?"
"I was just going to get one of my Depression Potions to make me feel a little better before the display, Miss Cackle."
"Now, it's kind of a pathetic excuse, don't you think?"
"Miss Cackle?"
"A real Witch doesn't rely on Potions to be able to do some basic Witching things. Go back outside, child." Child? Miss Cackle always calls me 'little one'. The only person who refers to me as 'child' is... Mother. Now, now, Cassie. Don't let her know you're on to her. I need to find HB now.
"Okay, but, I have to ask Miss Hardbroom something really important about my duties as Head of Year. She told me to go to her if I have any questions. Do you know where I can find her?"
"She's seeing to the bat problem in the West Turret. It'll take you a while to get there and back. You'll miss the broomstick display."
"I'm sure they'll do fine without me, Miss Cackle." I transferred myself to the West Turret. "Miss Hardbroom, Miss Cackle's really my mother. She's done something bad to the real Miss Cackle and she's put Mildred in charge to try to get the Great Wizard to fire Miss Cackle so she can take control of the school. We have to do something!"
"Miss Black, are you sure?"
"Miss Cackle calls me 'little one'. The only person who has ever called me 'child' is my mother. She's done something to Miss Cackle!"
"That's why she wanted me out of the way of the display," HB said. "Right." She transferred us outside and we saw mother sitting next to the Great Wizard as the real Miss Cackle saved Enid and Mildred. "It appears you were right, Miss Black."
...
"Ah, Esmerelda, do you know anything about... Wisdom Spells?" Maud asked.
"A little bit, yes."
"We're doing a... Project on them."
"Since when?" I asked as I walked over to them.
"You must not have been paying attention in class."
"I always pay attention in class. Maybe you misheard, Maud. Besides, I did a Wisdom Spell for my practical entrance exam, remember?"
"Right. And you came up with a reversal... Is that the only reversal there is?"
"Yes," Esme said.
"How did it go again?"
"I'm not telling you until you prove this is a real project, by which I mean you have a teacher tell me," I said.