𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝐻𝑢𝑏𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝐴𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒

4: 𝚃𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜

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"𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎
𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝,

𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍"

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ˢᵗⁱˡˡ ᵗʰᵉ
🅕︎🅘︎🅝︎🅐︎🅛︎ 🅜︎🅞︎🅝︎🅣︎🅗︎
🅞︎🅕︎ 🅨︎🅔︎🅐︎🅡︎ 🅣︎🅦︎🅞︎
☾︎
ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᵈᵉᵖᵗʰˢ ᵒᶠ ᶜᵃᶜᵏˡᵉ'ˢ ᵃᶜᵃᵈᵉᵐʸ

Mildred Hubble was notorious for being a trouble magnet, not surprising Julie Hubble when she received ambivalent comments about her daughter from Cackle's Academy. The blonde woman had to have a few, or a lot, of talks with the little witch, but she loved her no matter what. From the last mirror call she had with Mildred, she perceived everything to be fine. Hence, it confused Julie when a knock came upon her door on an unsuspecting day. It was surely well after class hours for Mildred, and she was about to clean up after a painting she just finished to prepare dinner.

Maybe it was a neighbor? Or someone whose package is going to be delivered to the wrong lady in a few seconds. Undoing the lock on her door and opening it, the one thing she did not expect to see was one of her daughter's teachers.

"Miss Hardbroom?" Julie asked, her head tilted in puzzlement and concern, "What are you doing here? Is Millie okay? Oh, what did she do now-"

Hecate coughed awkwardly, interrupting the mother, "Mildred is quite alright, Miss Hubble. I- uh, came here to discuss an important matter."

At this, Julie let Hecate in, closing the door and offering tea to the witch. She had declined politely, knowing she did not need to spend anymore time in the place Mildred was raised in. Hecate took a seat on the beige sofa, Julie sitting across her in a wooden chair. 'Her first word, walk, laugh.. was all here, stop it! Focus.'

"If Mildred is alright, then what is it that's so important you came here?"

"Well, this is about Mildred, but not of any troubles she has caused, Miss Hubble."

Julie nodded, gesturing for the nervous witch to go on with what she wanted to say.

Although Hecate had confirmed her suspicions, the first person that needed to confirm further was the troublemaker's mother herself.
Gathering all her courage and stuffing aside her anxiety, she mustered up a single question, "Is Mildred perhaps adopted, Miss Hubble?"

Julie may not be a witch, but she was as sharp as a dagger when she wanted. An abrupt visit from Miss Hardbroom who was concerned about Mildred's birth parents? Taking in how she still had no clue of Mildred's magical origins, she pieced a picture in her head. She took in the distinct features of the witch, comparing it to her adopted daughter. If what she was thinking could be true, this would also explain Mildred's magical origins.

Waiting for her response, Hecate did not even notice herself internally spiraling. Her breathing turned uneven and her posture became stiff.

"Miss... Hubble?"

"Yes? Oh, yes," Julie responded out of her momentary daze, "Yes, Mildred is adopted. However, she doesn't know, and I don't intend for her to know."