Lovesick Witches

Future Plans

The wind brushed past my face as I danced through the sky on my broomstick in flying class a few days later. 

"I'm going to overtake you Ana," Mildred called from behind me. 

"Go for it," I said, smiling as I took in the pleasant warmth within the breeze. Mildred flew swiftly in front of me, her familiar, Tabby, on the back of her broomstick clinging on for dear life. 

"Hi Ana," Maud said as she swooped down from above me and slowed her pace, now flying by my side. 

"Hey Maud," I replied, "I'm just enjoying the good weather. It's quite peaceful up here, isn't it?" 

"Yes, I suppose it is," Maud said before flying off in front of me. 

After flying class finished, Mildred, Maud, Enid and I made our way through the lively school corridors to the potions lab. I beamed as we walked there, my friends fairly confused about my radiant excitement for potions class. It was still a secret that Hecate and I were dating, and I very much intended to keep it that way. 

"Quiet girls," Miss Hardbroom said, her jaw tensed and hand clenched, "sit down please." Hecate sat down at her desk as we entered and took our seats. "Right. Today, I would like you to make a digestion potion please." 

As usual, we all got up and walked over to the shelves to collect our ingredients. My eyes were fixed on Hecate as I walked past her and as I did, I noticed the corners of her eyes staring back at me, Hecate trying her best to make our eye contact not obvious. 

I brewed my potion with a big smile pasted across my face and it wasn't long before my friends picked up on my joyful mood. 

"Why are you so smiley, Ana?" Mildred giggled as she stirred through the green mixture in her cauldron. 

"I'm just looking forward to the end of year exams, that's all." 

"What?" Enid exclaimed, supposably louder than intended. After receiving a few strange looks from other witches around the classroom, Enid lowered her volume and elaborated. 

"How are you excited for final exams? No one is excited for exams. Not even Maud and she loves studying." Enid, Mildred and I turned to Maud and she nodded in agreement. 

"But I'm sure Ethel is excited for them," said Maud. 

"Probably," I said, looking over my shoulder at Ethel who was mixing up her potion whilst chatting to Felicity. "I'm just excited to get them over with I suppose." 

"Do you guys know what you're going to do when we leave here?" asked Mildred. 

"I'm going to be an athlete. I've already been guaranteed a place at the world witch games next year. So I'll have a career in running," said Enid. "Magical running, of course," she added. "With speed potions." 

"Interesting," I replied, contemplating on Enid's unusual but quite fascinating career choice. 

"I think I want to be a teacher when I'm older," Maud said. "At a witching academy." 

"Like Miss Hardbroom?" I asked, excited about the idea of my friend following the excellent career path of my lover. 

"I guess," Maud said with a shrug of her shoulders, unsure on why I'd brought Hecate into the conversation but not questioning it. "But not as strict," she whispered, thinking Miss Hardbroom wouldn't be able to hear her. But I knew that Hecate was listening to our conversation. I could feel her presence next to me, even though she was sat at her desk at the front of the classroom. 

"I think Miss Hardbroom is the most brilliant teacher," I said, knowing that Hecate was listening and smiling with pride. Making it almost unnoticeable, I let myself glimpse at Hecate from the corner of my eye and I saw that she was doing the same thing to me. I beamed at her before turning back around to my friends. I wondered if Mildred knew we were back together. I assumed she had figured it out. She was intelligent and she could see how happy I was around Miss Hardbroom. But I didn't mind if Mildred knew because I trusted her and I knew she would keep it a secret. 

"I still don't understand why you like HB so much," Enid whispered, causing me to giggle. 

"I don't know what I'll do when I leave here," said Mildred. "I mean, none of my family are magical. So I'll probably just get a job in the non-magical world." 

I looked at Mildred and noticed her eyebrows dip and eyes dim. Her pupils fixed themselves on the potion she was brewing and I watched with sympathy as she frowned. I couldn't imagine living in the non-magical world. When I thought about life without magic, I just could never picture it. It wouldn't be right. It would be like life with all the colours drained away. I'd always felt bad for Mildred that she grew up in the non-magical world and that non of her family were magical aside from her. I knew how much she loved being a witch and I couldn't bare to see my best friend have to go back to life without its colours. 

"You don't have to do that," I said. "You can stay a witch, Mildred. I know how much you adore the magical world. You are a witch. You don't belong in the normal world. You belong here. And I know you know that." 

I gave my friend a smile and she smiled back at me, appreciating my words to her. 

"What about you Ana?" Mildred asked. "What are you going to do when you leave this place?" 

I paused for a moment to think about Mildred's question. "Well, I'll stay best friends with you three, of course. And I'll stay in touch with all of my family here at Cackle's." I took another pause and reconsidered that fairly untrue second statement. "I mean, maybe not Ethel," I whispered with a laugh. "But I don't really know, honestly. I have no idea what the future holds." 

"That's it girls," Miss Hardbroom announced in her usual, sharp tone, interrupting our conversation. "Class is dismissed." 

As students began to pour out of the classroom and into the hustling corridors at the end of the school day, I intentionally took my time to pack up my things as I knew I was staying in the potions lab. 

"You coming, Ana?" asked Mildred as she, Maud and Enid stood up to leave. "I..." I tried to think of an excuse for why I would need to stay in the classroom, "I have a detention. Yes. I was running in the corridors after Miss Hardbroom had told me not to." I looked at Hecate for her agreement and she nodded at my friends. 

"Anastasia will catch up with you later, girls," she said. As Maud and Enid ran into the busy corridors, Mildred turned back at me and I caught a glimpse of a smile on her lips. She definitely knew I was back together with Hecate. 

After Mildred left, I closed the door, leaving just Hecate and I in the classroom for our study session. I checked that the blinds were closed over the windows and that no one would be able to see in before walking over to my gorgeous girlfriend who stood up from her seat and beamed at me.