Love Potion

"We need to intervene; we have to reconcile them!" Mildred had insisted last night after witnessing a quarrel between Miss Bat and Mister Rowan - Webb.

"A witch doesn't meddle in matters of the heart..." Maud replied skeptically.

"Miss Bat was so happy to reunite with Mister Rowan - Webb, and he - despite his faulty memory - hadn't forgotten how much he cared for her. We will help Miss Bat!"

Mildred bitterly regretted her words as she stumbled while stepping down from the teachers' table. Her plan had failed; Miss Bat had refused her porridge, her heartbreak having killed her appetite. But instead of simply returning to her seat, she managed to trip over her own feet.

She ended up sprawled on the floor as the 'Love Potion' potion that Enid had borrowed spilled into the green liquid carried by Miss Drill. Unfortunately, the teacher noticed nothing unusual and continued on her way to the teachers' table.

The two girls, wide - eyed, watched their potion mix with the contents of the pitchers being distributed to the teachers: Miss Cackle, Drill, Hardbroom, Mould, Bat, and even Mister Rowan - Webb.

"Happy Halloween!" called Miss Cackle, raising her glass of Slime - Ade. The teachers toasted, unaware of the subtle magic infused into their drinks.

But once the potion was completely consumed, nothing happened. The women continued to discuss Halloween preparations without showing any signs of enchantment or odd behavior.

"It looks like it's not working," murmured Mildred, her heart sinking. She had expected one of the teachers to suddenly get up and kiss Mister Rowan - Webb, but nothing of the sort happened.

"Maybe the potion wasn't fresh anymore?"

"Or perhaps I mixed up the formula?"

"In any case, it's not working! It should've caused sparks by now," Enid added, watching Miss Drill, who still held hope for a reconciliation between Miss Bat and Mister Rowan - Webb. Yet the teacher merely made a brief gesture before leaving, her gaze cold. Mister Rowan - Webb, for his part, walked away in frustration.

Mildred sighed in discouragement. Their potion seemed to be a complete failure, and it had nearly created an emotional mess among all the teachers of the Academy. They headed to class, letting the tension of their failure slowly dissipate as an art lesson was about to begin.

Later, during Miss Mould's class, the unthinkable happened. While the students were busy preparing Halloween decorations, Mildred couldn't stop thinking about the 'Love Potion' and what she might have done wrong. Suddenly, she pulled from her thoughts by a voice coming from the hallway.

"I was expecting a very special delivery, and it has just arrived!" their teacher exclaimed.

The door opened to reveal Mister Rowan - Webb, carrying several pumpkins in front of his face. He walked in, pulling a cart loaded with more pumpkins for the class.

"I hope you like carving," she announced cheerfully. They were going to carve pumpkins for Halloween, which lifted Mildred's spirits.

The witch picked up the first pumpkin, revealing Mister Rowan - Webb's face.

As she turned, her body froze mid - movement, and her eyes lit up with a deep red glow. She stared at Mister Rowan - Webb, suddenly overcome with intense admiration... no, it was more than that... it was pure fascination.

"What a magnificent creature!" she exclaimed, pulling out a sketchbook to immortalize his "extraordinary face".

Mildred's eyes widened as she immediately realized the potion had finally taken effect, though with an unexpected delay.