Nars

By Angora

Note from the Author: This actually didn't start out to end up like this, but the story sort of took on a life of it's own. I was just gonna write a nice little story about a demon, and look at the evil it has become.

-Hellibore's drunken pal unleashes a demon on the school. But it has a cute name (Nars) so it's all good.

Maud ducked as Mildred swooped over her head again. The yowling of the Tabby cat made her ears ache. "You're doing fine, Millie!" Maud called, munching on the last of her sweets. She had collected them from Ruby that morning, along with a sympathetic smile as her friend learned her plans for the afternoon.

Mildred's broomstick came in for another pass, and seemed to stop of it's own accord, tossing the young witch to the ground. Maud rushed to her side a few seconds slower than usual and helped her back on to her feet. "You're getting better at that," Maud said, brushing the dirt off of Mildred's back. "I don't think Tabby is though." The cat, who had never been overly fond of flying to begin with, was still clinging to the hovering broom with his eyes screwed shut.

"Thanks, Maud," Mildred said, collecting her flying companion from her broom. "I'm afraid we're rather hopeless."

"Don't say that," Maud chastised. "Do you remember our first year? You're a lot better now than you were then."

"I suppose," Mildred agreed, making her way inside the school. "It was very kind of you to try and help me."

"I'm you're friend, Millie," Maud said.

No sooner had they stepped inside the school than they were accosted by Enid Nightshade. "I've been looking all over for you two!" she declared. "You've got to see what's going on upstairs." The two hurried to follow her. "Ethel cast the wrong spell and she's gotten herself stuck to the ceiling!" Mildred and Maud looked at each other in disbelieving excitement, and ran up the remaining stairs to join the gawking crowd outside the door.

"I'll go and get help, Ethel," Drusilla was saying. She was the only person who had dared venture into Ethel's room without being bidden to do so.

"Don't you dare," Ethel said. She didn't look quite so frightening as usual. She had gotten herself wedged into a corner and was just hanging there with her arms folded and her trademark scowl on her face. "The last thing I need is for Miss Hardbroom to find out about this." There were a few giggles from the crowd. "Oh, what are you lot looking at?" The giggling stopped abruptly at that, but quiet whispers took it's place shortly after.

"Well, what do you want me to do, Ethel?" Drusilla asked desperatly.

Ethel pointed to a book lying near her bed. "See that book?" Drusilla nodded. "Alright, that's the book that got me up here, and there ought to be a spell to get me down." Drusilla started thumbing through the book.

"What's going on?" the second years and the handful of first years in the doorway stepped aside to let the much older-looking third years see. Fenella Feverfew and Griselda Blackwood were speechless.

"Well, I know that's a position I'd hate to be in," Fenella said. Mildred and Maud exchanged a look, each knowing that the third years could get Ethel down immediately if they deemed it necessary.

"There's nothing in the book, Ethel!" Drusilla exclaimed. "I can't even find the spell you used in the first place!"

"Oh, you're so stupid!" Ethel exclaimed. She moved to stomp her feet, but found herself unable to.

"I'm sorry, Ethel," Drusilla said.

Apparently having enjoyed the spectacle long enough, the third years stepped forward. "It's the anti-levitation spell," Griselda explained.

"It's on page sixty-seven of the text," Fenella added, once again demonstrating her natural talents as a librarian.

"Well, if you know so much, why don't you get me down?" Ethel exclaimed.

"What do you think, Gris?" Fenella asked.

"I don't know. I sort of like her up there," Griselda answered. Ethel seethed with anger, but didn't manage to look any more frightening. "Oh, very well."

"Since you've been so polite to us," Fenella added. The two wove their fingers dramatically and recited the incantation from memory. There was a sudden popping sound and Ethel dropped to the floor a bit more quickly than she would have liked. There were more snickers from everyone involved.

"Oh, shut up!" Ethel said vehemently, once she had righted herself again with the help of Drusilla. "You did that on purpose!" She accused the third years.

"If you'd like us to stick you back up..."

Ethel's eyes narrowed, but before she could utter a single threat there was a murmuring from the back of the congregation. "Stop it, Miss Hardbroom's coming!"

In the split second it took for everyone to scatter in an attempt to look normal, their terrifying deputy-headmistress strode around the corner, looking (thankfully) preoccupied. Everyone watched her out of the corner of their eyes as her teacher senses apparently kicked in and she slowed to a stop in front of them. She fixed each pupil with a slightly perplexed and slightly irate look, as though she had just noticed them and was angry for it. "What's going on, girls?" The tone could almost be described as friendly, which was never a good sign in Miss Hardbroom's case.

"Nothing, miss," Fenella answered quickly. It was only fitting, as she was the eldest.

"Ethel was just telling us about levitation," Griselda put in with a small smile. There were many small smiles in the hallway, and a very angry glare on Ethel's face, all of which disappeared as quickly as they had come.

"Is that true, Ethel?" Miss Hardbroom asked. Everyone could practically hear the wheels in her head turning while she attempted to figure out what was really going on.

There was a brief moment of silence; just long enough for everyone to look at Ethel. "Yes, Miss Hardbroom," Ethel said sweetly. "I'm afraid some of them haven't gotten the hang of it yet."

"Very well," Miss Hardbroom said, casting a suspicious glance around the hall once again. "I trust you shall all be on time in the dining hall."

A chorus of "Yes, miss," resounded around the hall as their teacher continued on her way. Everyone stood like statues for a few moments, afraid that she had turned herself invisible in hopes of spying on them.

"Well done, Fenny," Maud said. "I was afraid no one would say anything." The silence broken, the crowd started to disperse.

"Don't worry about it," Fenella replied as she and Griselda took off again. "We'll see you in the dining hall?"

"Of course," Enid said. "We wouldn't want to miss any of that food, would we?"

Mildred took a last look in Ethel's room, where she was already glowering at Drusilla and complaining about how everyone had treated her. "Better luck next time," Mildred said cheerfully. "It was a good try, though."

Before Ethel could say anything, Mildred and her friends retreated down the hall to kill some time before dinner.

"I just think it's a bad idea."

Amelia Cackle buried her face in her hands and wondered if there was a spell for patience. "I know that, Constance," she said calmly. "But there's nothing I can do about it. He is the Grand Wizard."

"Yes, but-"

"The matter is closed." More than a touch of iciness crept into her voice. Her deputy-headmistress was right about one thing; sometimes she indulged people too much. This was one of those times.

Miss Hardbroom reluctantly submitted in her usual fashion. She immediately changed the subject as though she no longer cared. "The last I heard of Rupert Spellbody, he was trying to launder money from the witches council."

"That's the last anyone heard of Rupert Spellbody," Amelia agreed. "But apparently he's kept in touch with his old friends."

"Criminals always do."

Amelia began to consider ways to keep Miss Hardbroom from interacting with Mr. Spellbody. "Be that as it may, he happens to be a friend of The Grand Wizard, and if we want him to give his presentation-"

"Yes, yes, we have to allow his guest to visit with him." Miss Hardbroom rolled her eyes.

"I know you'll do everything in your power to make sure that Mr. Spellbody is received kindly," Amelia said. "I don't need to tell you how important it is to be on good terms with The Grand Wizard."

"No, headmistress, you don't." Miss Hardbroom looked as though she was surrendering a great battle. "I shall be nothing but polite to Mr. Spellbody."

"That's all I'm asking."

"That's all you'll get."

The dining hall was crowded and very busy. Ms. Tapioca was doing her best to get everyone fed, as was the rest of the disgruntled looking kitchen staff.

"It's not worth standing in line for this stuff," Enid complained.

"Would you rather starve?" Jadu asked. The group shuffled up two steps as the line progressed.

"I'd have to think about that," Enid replied.

"It's like we're in prison or something," Mildred added.

"I'll bet the inmates get better food than us," Enid said. The line pushed forward a few steps again.

"Enid," Ruby called from the back of their entourage. "Move up."

Enid started to walk forward but stopped just short of it. "I don't think I'm going to," she said. She got a host of puzzled looks. "It's only a couple centimeters, and I don't know about you guys, but this is already a little closer than I'd like to be to my fellow students."

Everyone wanted to say something, but there was nothing to be said. Moving with the line was just the way things were done. "Hey, you up there!" Ethel Hallow leaned out of the line about six people behind them. "Move on!"

"Are you in a hurry?" Mildred asked.

Ethel snarled. "I might have known it would be you lot!" she cried. "Whenever something's wrong, there's always Mildred Hubble to blame."

Enid decided there was enough room to move, and the line once again lurched forward. "I swear, I'm going to get her one of these days," Enid said.

"Yes," Mildred said half heatedly. "Be sure to give me a call if you do."

"Come on," Maud interrupted. "We're almost up."

Somehow, it almost felt good to get their food, even though eating would surely be an experience for the ages. Mildred's group ended up sitting at the table right next to Ethel's. Fenella and Griselda had just joined them when Miss Hardbroom appeared out of thin air.

She looked more perturbed than normal, but wasted no time in addressing the suddenly silenced student body. "As I'm sure you've all heard, his honor, Lord Hellibore is due to arrive in an hour. I'm sure there is no need to remind you of how important it is to be on your best behavior." She shot a glance in Mildred's direction. "We don't want to have an unfortunate incidents, do we?" There was no answer except for wide-eyed silence. "That is all." She waved her hands dramatically and disappeared once more.

"I hate it when she does that," Mildred said as everyone gradually went back to their conversations.

There was a burst of light as Chief Wizard Hellibore stepped through the doorway. Miss Cackle, as well as the other two witches present plastered false smiles on their faces as he greeted them. "Good evening ladies!" he exclaimed. "It's always such a pleasure to be invited to Cackle's!"

"It's always a pleasure to have you here, your honor," Miss Cackle said. Miss Drill, who wasn't too fond of Mr. Hellibore, had been assigned to supervise preparations in the great hall.

"Don't forget me, Egbert." The voice came from out of sight behind The Grand Wizard. It grated and drawled, as the highly upper class (or those who wish to imitate them) are sometimes want to speak.

"Oh course," Hellibore said, stepping dramatically to the side. "May I present my dear friend, Rupert Spellbody!" The light dimmed and vanished as a short, stout and bald man stepped through the doorway. He was clad in ostentatious green and orange robes, and adorned in a variety of expensive looking rings and other trinkets. In his right hand, he held the remnants of a half-smoked cigar. There is only one word to describe what he looked like, and it was this word that leaped to everyone's mind with the exception of Hellibore; pimp. The appearance wasn't helped by the fact that he was accompanied very closely by a tall blond who was decidedly not English.

"Wow," she said, bouncing up and down in rhythm with the number of times she chomped on her gum. "This is like a castle or something."

"Yes... or something," Spellbody drawled. He was in the habit of dragging every syllable out in his speech, so that it sounded like, "Yyyyyes... orrrr sommmething." He looked at the school critically for a moment before taking notice of anyone else.

"Good evening, Mr. Spellbody," Miss Cackle volunteered. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Amelia Cackle, the principal of Cackle's Academy."

"How interesting," Spellbody answered absently. He puffed on his cigar, seemingly fixated on something on the wall which no one else could see.

"There's no smoking in the academy," Miss Hardbroom said crisply. Spellbody turned around with ten times the speed he had shown thus far in his action or speech.

He looked as though he was about to say something decidedly unkind, but thought better of it. "I don't believe we've been introduced," he said in the same dry, slightly amused sounding tone.

"This is Miss Hardbroom," Miss Cackle said, wishing she had sent an extra person to supervise in the great hall. "My deputy headmistress."

"Well, then," Spellbody said, "I'd better do what you say." Somehow, the small man made the statement sound more menacing that one would have thought possible. He took a last drag of his cigar and waved his hand, causing the object to disappear. He raised an eyebrow as much to say, "Satisfied?"

Before Miss Hardbroom could answer, Hellibore took his friend by the arm and started to lead him toward the staff room. "They always have the most excellent food at Cackle's, Rupert," he said tactfully. "I'm sure we have time to eat before the presentation... Miss Cackle?" Miss Cackle smiled again and nodded as the two started off, with the blond practically skipping along behind them.

"Well," Miss Bat said, sounding as though she would like to go back in her closet for the evening, "he was an interesting man." Without further comment, she turned abruptly and followed the pair to the staff room, and Miss Cackle supposed she would try to sneak into the closet when they weren't looking.

Miss Cackle had but a moment to communicate, so she chose only to glare at her friend, who had a self-satisfied smile on her face. "I was nothing but polite," Miss Hardbroom said innocently. "There is no smoking at Cackle's."

"Perhaps Miss Drill could use some help setting up," Miss Cackle suggested.

"Nothing would make me happier, headmistress."

The school had assembled in the great hall, and all the witches were awaiting (if not anxiously awaiting) the presentation of The Grand Wizard. He had agreed to return and give another lecture, this time on the subject of historical magic. It promised to be far less interesting than the one or restoresussitation.

"Who's that?" Maud asked. The group craned their necks to see the front of the room, where the teachers and The Grand Wizard were talking.

"Who?" Enid asked finally.

"Oh, I see," Mildred said. "That man there, and that woman. I've never seen them before."

"Them?" Enid asked. "That's a good question."

"Maybe they're part of the presentation," Maud suggested. All the chatter died down as The Grand Wizard stood.

"It's enchanting to be here at Cackle's again, "Hellibore said. "This evening I hope to both educate and entertain you, as I speak on the topic of historical magic." He continued on that bead for a while, talking about ancient magic in India and China and so on and so forth.

Mildred suddenly got an elbow in the side. "Look at that." She followed Enid's gaze through the slouched pupils to where Miss Hardbroom was drumming her fingers in irritation on the empty chair beside her. Looking a little to the left, Mildred saw the stranger having a quiet conversation with Miss Cackle, who bore a smile resembling a grimace. Every now and again, they noticed Hellibore look over at them reproachfully.

The lecture continued this way for the better part of an hour until Hellibore got up exorcism. He described it as a crude and impossible form of magic preformed by stage magicians who "Couldn't cast a proper spell if they tried". There were some chuckles from his audience. Hellibore smiled. "I don't think it's even worth discussing, except to say that it was an unfortunate-"

He was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. The hand belonged to the stranger, who stood with a perturbed look on his face. "If I may interrupt, Egbert," the stranger said in a pretentious drawl, "you seem to have forgotten that I am an expert in such historical forms of magic."

"I haven't forgotten," Hellibore said with false gaiety. He carefully moved forward so as to free his shoulder. The teachers were exchanging a look, and the students got the feeling that perhaps this assembly would be called short.

"Well, then," the stranger continued, "as an expert, let me assure you that exorcism," which came out as the longest word yet "exorrrcisssmmm", "is a legitimate form of magic."

"Whatever, Rupert," Hellibore said through a toothy smile reserved for the drunk or insane. He dropped his voice a few decibels, but Mildred, who was sitting between Enid and Maud in the fourth row, could still hear him. "When you're giving a lecture, you can talk about it."

"Get out of my way," Rupert, the stranger, said, giving Hellibore a little push out of center stage. "I'll talk about it now, if you don't mind."

"Actually, I do mind," Hellibore countered, realizing a moment too late that there were hundreds of eyes trained on him as he shoved Rupert back.

"Gentlemen," Miss Cackle said, getting to her feet. "Perhaps the presentation would be best continued tomorrow."

"I think that's a very good idea," Miss Hardbroom agreed, leaping to her feet.

"Who cares what you think?" the stranger snapped in an almost normal sounding voice.

Miss Hardbroom ignored him. She directed her attention toward the students. "Exit through the back doors in an orderly fashion, girls." It took a moment, but everyone collectively stood up.

As Mildred waited for her row to file out, she kept her attention keyed on Hellibore and the stranger. Hellibore had caught hold of his arm and was talking rapidly in a low voice, but apparently with little effect.

The last two rows of students had made their way out the door and the next was well on it's way, but the stranger took no note of this. "Tanya!" he said as if having a sudden inspiration. "Tanya, come here!" Not waiting for compliance, he pulled the blond woman to her feet.

"Is this one of your magician things?" she asked.

"Wizard, dear," he said.

"Rupert, please don't do this," Hellibore said coaxingly. "You're making an idiot out of yourself."

The next row was on it's way out the door. Miss Hardbroom and Miss Cackle were devoting their full attention to the situation at hand. "Mr. Spellbody," Miss Cackle said, joining in the pleading. "Perhaps if we all got some sleep..."

"Stand here," Spellbody directed Tanya without paying any mind to anyone else. He looked around like a man possessed (ironic, really) and nodded to himself. "Very good."

"Rupert..."

"Mr. Spellbody..."

Two rows to go before Mildred's.

"What do you think's wrong with him?" Enid asked.

"Retrievous, dontatus, internus, pregnatus, escates, lebates, magnetus, attractus!" Spellbody recited and moved his arms with great dramatics, but other than everyone pausing in their conversation to look at him, nothing happened.

"There, you see, Rupert?"

"That was very interesting Mr. Spellbody..."

The row behind Mildred began to file out, more than a few of the girls looking over their shoulders like motorists at a highway accident.

The group of teachers were so immersed in talking to Spellbody, that they ignored Tanya as she wandered away, looking distractedly at the ceiling in the peculiar way she often did. Even Mildred and her friends took no notice. They started to file out, but came to a dead stop as a scream rang out across the great hall.

All conversation died, and all heads turned to Ethel Hallow. She screamed again as Tanya loomed over her, shooting a claw-like hand to silence the sound, and letting out an inhuman, cat-like wail.

"Jesus Christ!" Spellbody seemed like a man suddenly come alive. Not a trace of his strange accent or mannerisms remained. "Tanya!" he raced toward her just in time to get a claw in the face and an angry snarl.

Screams were erupting all around the great hall, and the students had decided to give their orderly exit a miss. Finished with Spellbody, and leaving a bloody trail running down his face, the Tanya-creature turned it's attention on the running students.

For the first time, Mildred got a clear look at her face. It had turned gray, and the eyes had dilated and brightened. A cloven tongue snapped out and licked cracked lips before the creature howled again and ran for the students scrambling to get out of the great hall.

"What did you do? What did you do?" Hellibore kept repeating it as he pulled Spellbody to his feet.

"I don't know!" the man exclaimed.

"Reversus, revolvus, returnus, resolvus, illio, allio, detract, fracturio!" Miss Hardbroom's spell and impressive light show got the creature's attention, even if it didn't stop her.

It stopped where it was, hunched in front of the door, blocking anyone's exit, and looked at the teachers as if it hadn't seen them before. It snarled and cat-growled again before charging forward. The remainder of the students rushed out the door, with the exception of Sybil Hallow and Clarice Crow, who had hidden under their chairs.

Mildred arrived in the crowded hallway quite out of breath. Miss Drill was just arriving from upstairs and trying to make her way to the doors to the great hall.

"That was terrible," Maud said. "Do you think Miss Hardbroom's alright?"

"I hope so," Mildred said.

There was a frantic screaming from the other end of the foyer. "My sister! My sister! Miss Drill, my sister's still in there!" Ethel Hallow was running through the crowd attempting to catch the teacher, showing what was, for her, a rare amount of concern for anyone other than herself.

"I'm doing my best, Ethel!" Miss Drill said, shoving her way to the doors. She peered in and turned around again just as quickly. "Alright. Someone find Miss Bat and make sure everyone gets out of here." She turned and ran into the great hall, though it was unclear exactly what she planned to do.

Mildred ran to get Miss Bat, as it was apparent that no one else in the crowded hallway was about to move. Maud and Enid opened the door a crack once she had gone and looked inside the great hall. Miss Drill had joined the scuffle at the front of the great hall, which mostly involved having everyone lined up against the wall, with the creature pacing back and forth in front of them while everyone tried reversing spells on it. It seemed to be trying to decide what to do. Spellbody was still bleeding from the side of his head, and was doing the majority of the talking.

A small sound drew their attention to Sybil and Clarice, who were crouched under some chairs about three rows in. Sybil was, of course crying, but trying to do so quietly. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Maud asked, afraid to breathe too loudly. Enid nodded, and the two carefully made their way in the door.

"Sybil," Maud whispered, taking up a hiding place behind the back most chairs. It took the girl a moment to locate her. "You've got to go out the door," Maud said, motioning toward the doors behind her, which had been left open a crack. Sybil shook her head. Clarice was saying something to her that they couldn't hear. Sybil kept shaking her head and looking fearfully to the front of the hall, where the creature would alternately howl, and check it's blind spot. Thus far, it hadn't seen them.

"Go open the door, Enid," Maud said, remembering how quickly the creature had run before. "I'm going to go get her." Enid hesitated only a moment before nodding, and silently making her way over to the door, which she opened. The students were well on their way to being completely evacuated.

Maud held her breath as the creature lifted it's head. It's attention was taken up again with Spellbody, who was trying to explain to it about how they didn't want to hurt it. It was now or never. She scurried quickly across to Sybil and roughly yanked her out from her hiding place. Unfortunately a chair tumbled to the floor in the process.

Clarice, who had cooperated, grabbed Sybil's arm and started for the door. Maud barely had time to turn around before she was hit head on by the hurtling beast. There was a loud howl, and the creature recoiled as though burned and Maud closed her eyes, prepared for the next attack.

Suddenly, everything was painfully still. When she ventured to sit up, she saw her teachers and the two wizards staring down at the thing, which lay unconscious or even dead on the floor. They looked at her collectively and she thought that perhaps she was in such a state as Mr. Spellbody had been when he was attacked.

Spellbody took a tentative step toward her and looked back at Tanya before speaking. "How did you do that?" His question was echoed in the faces of everyone present.

"Christ! My fucking head, Rupert!" Tanya winced and lay back down on the staff room couch, clutching the magically enhanced ice pack to her forehead. "Give me my money. I quit."

"Tanya," Spellbody said pleadingly, "you don't mean that." They had fixed the wound on his head, but he hadn't bothered to wash his face, and some of the dried blood caked off as he screwed his face up.

Miss Drill and Miss Bat were seeing that the students were all all right. Miss Hardbroom was slumped in a chair, watching the scene unfold with practiced indifference, and Miss Cackle leaned against the wall with an array of emotions from anger to confusion to more anger, playing across her face.

"Oh, I mean it, Rupert!" she winced again.

Hellibore entered the staff room. "I must apologize again," he said for the umpteenth time. "I had no idea that Rupert was such a... such a..." he glowered in disgust at his old friend as he tried to think of a suitable word.

"Simpleton?" Miss Hardbroom asked.

"Quite so."

Spellbody took no notice of this. "Tanya, baby, you can't do this to me. We're a team!"

"Go fuck yourself, Rupert. Really."

"This is all very interesting," Amelia interrupted, "but what exactly happened?"

"That's precisely what I would like to know!" Hellibore exclaimed. "I'm so, very sorry."

Miss Cackle held up a hand for silence. "I think this makes us even for the Halloween celebration last year."

"That's very kind of you," Hellibore said, "but your disaster wasn't nearly fatal."

"None of the girls were hurt," Miss Cackle said soothingly. "Only Mr. Spellbody."

"If that is his real name," Miss Hardbroom added dryly.

"Of course that's my name!" Spellbody exclaimed. He leapt to his feet to defend himself.

"Perhaps you ought to tell us a little about yourself, Rupert," Hellibore said patiently. "You don't seem to have been completely honest."

"The last time I checked," Spellbody said evenly, "it wasn't a crime to annunciate clearly."

"Why don't you tell them about yourself, Rupert?" Tanya said, clever enough not to sit up this time. "Or maybe I could tell them for you?"

"Shut up," Spellbody snapped.

Tanya did nothing of the kind. "You're looking at a second rate stage magician who rips tricks off of his competitors." She snorted with laughter. "He can't even do them properly. He has to pay me to fake the results. Oh..." she grabbed her head again and stopped laughing abruptly. "He doesn't pay me enough for this."

"I told you," Spellbody said. "I don't know what that was."

"That was another fuck-up from The Amazing Spellbody, that's what it was," Tanya informed him.

"A stage magician, Rupert?" Hellibore asked reproachfully. "I thought you were better than that."

"I am better than that!" Spellbody declared. "Or at least I was." He sighed and took a seat in one of the vacant chairs, all of the fight having left him. "I really was."

"You have no idea what that spell you cast did?" Miss Cackle asked. Spellbody shook his head. "Well, except for a headache on the part of your assistant, I don't think you've done any real damage. I would appreciate it, Mr. Spellbody, if you stayed away from my school in the future."

"I understand," Spellbody said remorsefully.

Seeming satisfied with this Miss Cackle excused herself to go to bed. There was still the matter of Maud Moonshine to sort out, but that could wait for the morning.

Maud Moonshine swallowed the lump in her throat again and knocked on the door to Miss Cackle's office. She wasn't sure about the sense of trepidation she felt, but it seemed that the feeling had been there all morning. She didn't know what she was going to say, or even what she was expected to say.

"Come in," Miss Cackle called.

Maud reluctantly entered the office and was greeted with the expected sight. Miss Cackle was sitting thoughtfully at her desk, with Miss Hardbroom hovering about behind her shoulder, as though the two were always posing for some sort of frightening portrait.

"Have a seat," Miss Cackle said motioning to the chair in front of her desk. Maud sat down and the three stared at each other for a few moments. Seeming to suddenly realize she was expected to speak, Miss Cackle did so. "Now, let me first say that you did an admirable job last evening. But..."

"Would it be too much to ask exactly what you did?" Miss Hardbroom interrupted crisply.

"I wish I knew, Miss Hardbroom," Maud said truthfully.

"Well, you must have done something," Miss Cackle said coaxingly.

"I don't know," Maud said, wishing that she had an answer for them, as they obviously didn't believe her. She could tell that her refusal to answer was making Miss Hardbroom suspicious as it was.

Thankfully, there was a knock at the door. Miss Hardbroom's face darkened, and Maud didn't envy the unfortunate soul who had chosen that moment to visit. Miss Cackle continued to stare at her intently as her form teacher walked behind her to answer the door. Thankful for an excuse to avoid everyone's gaze, Maud turned to see who it was.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Miss Hardbroom," Fenella said.

"But we think we might know what happened to Maud," Griselda continued. Between the two of them, they were able to talk circles around anyone simply by changing speakers.

Miss Hardbroom glanced over her shoulder briefly, and then stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind her. "You know," Miss Cackle said, getting Maud's full attention once more, "I shan't be angry with you if you've been studying on your own. What you did was quite miraculous and you might have saved all of our lives, not to mention that of the young woman involved. If she'd carried on much longer, Miss Hardbroom was going to..." Miss Cackle's eyes refocused a little, and she apparently became aware of who she was speaking to for the first time. "But, that didn't happen, and it's because of you that it didn't have to."

"I wish I knew what I did, Miss Cackle," Maud said earnestly. "But I really don't."

The door clicked, and Miss Hardbroom returned looking a little shaken. "I hate to interrupt, headmistress, but may I speak to you for a moment?"

Miss Cackle slowly sat upright at her desk. "Of course, Miss Hardbroom. Maud, I think we're done for today, but I'll want to talk to you later."

"Yes, Miss Cackle." Maud sullenly returned to her class, which was in chanting at the time. She didn't know what they expected her to say.

"Well, I certainly wish I knew what you did," Enid said seriously. "I thought that thing had you for sure."

Mildred looked up from her plate long enough to agree. "Yes, Maud. I heard all about it as soon as I got back. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you."

"It's alright," Maud replied. She shrugged and looked down at what was supposed to be lunch. "I suppose it's just as well I don't know what I did. I just wish Miss Cackle would believe me."

Fenella and Griselda plopped down across from her and watched her expectantly for a moment before speaking. "Did they tell you?" Fenella asked suddenly.

"Tell me what?" Maud asked.

Both girls looked around for Miss Hardbroom before continuing. "That you're the Vicess!" Griselda exclaimed as quietly as she could.

"The what?" Enid asked. She tried a bite of her food and quickly decided to give the rest a miss.

"We've been doing some reading," Griselda said. "Well, Fenella, mostly. Anyway, there's this old book in the library about ancient myths and legends of sorcery."

"Most of them turn out to be nothing," Fenella explained. "But once in a while there's really something to them."

"How does this make me Isis?" Maud asked with a touch of trepidation.

"Vicess," Fenella corrected. "It's an ancient legend that started some time in the Middle Ages."

"It says that once every hundred years a witch is born with the natural ability to wield magic," Griselda continued. Meeting confused stares, she continued. "Without school, I mean. She just thinks something and it happens. No spells, no potions."

"But, it's never happened before," Maud persisted.

"Maybe something traumatic had to trigger it," Fenella suggested. "How else do you explain last night?"

"I don't know..."

"Come on, Maud," Enid said cheerfully. "If you're the Vicess you can do anything you want. I bet you could even get us some decent food."

"That would be a miracle," Ruby agreed.

Everyone laughed, but it was cut short as Sybil Hallow appeared at Maud's side. "I just wanted to thank you again," she said rapturously. "That was really amazing how you saved us from that monster."

"Don't worry about it," Maud replied, hoping the girl would go away.

"Sybil!" Clarice was calling her from the other side of the dining hall, and the girl skittered away.

"It was really something, Maud," Jadu said.

"I wish she'd just forget about it," Maud replied glumly.

"We can't be sure!"

Amelia sighed glumly. This was too much. She wanted to call an early term break, fly home, and stay in bed for the rest of the year. "I know that, Constance, but it's the best explanation I've heard so far."

"It's a fairytale."

"You saw what that thing did when we tried to stop it, didn't you?" She realized an instant too late that she had raised her voice loudly enough for it to be heard in the hallway. Calming herself she continued. "I'm not saying anything for certain. I just think that we should keep an eye on it."

"Something isn't right," Miss Hardbroom said thoughtfully. "I can feel it in my bones."

"I agree," Cackle replied. "We'll find out soon enough what it is. For the moment..."

"Keep an eye on things," Miss Hardbroom interrupted. "I heard you. And I shall do just that... as I endeavor to find the true cause of this."

"Whatever you say."

Mildred was late for potions class. This was a dreadfully unfortunate happening, but it couldn't be helped. She had been pulled aside in the hallway by Miss Cackle and grilled on weather or not she knew anything about Maud's sudden, supernatural exertion of power. The answer had been no, and she had been sent back to class with a note for Miss Hardbroom. Of course, Miss Hardbroom wouldn't actually read the note. She would just assume it said something derogatory about Mildred and tuck it away.

She was almost to the door when she was accosted again by Fenella and Griselda. "We've just been talking to Clarice," Fenella said urgently. "You won't believe this, but she thinks Sybil has temporary amnesia."

"I suppose that's possible," Mildred said. "Maybe she should go see Miss Cackle."

"She's going to," Griselda continued. "But don't you remember at lunch? Maud said she hoped Sybil would forget all about last night... and now she has!"

"I'm sure it was just a coincidence," Mildred said, although she was not sure at all. The other two looked doubtful, but allowed her to return to class without further tales of Maud's magic.

Miss Hardbroom didn't even bat an eyelash as Mildred entered the classroom and took her seat. HB was probably behind the inquisition in the first place.

The lesson passed without incident, but Mildred didn't bother to mention her conversation with Fenella and Griselda to anyone.

Spells class was next. Ethel made quite a shining example of herself as always, and, as always, everyone wanted to hit her.

There was a surprise test half way through class, which made Mildred virtually quake with dread beside Maud. "I just know she's going to ask me something dreadfully hard," Mildred whispered. At the moment, Ruby Cherrytree, the last student before her, was answering her question; the spell for lighting a near by candle.

Ruby did wonderfully. "Mildred Hubble," Miss Cackle called. Mildred got to her feet shakily and somewhat more slowly than the others had.

"It'll be alright, Millie," Maud assured her. There were similar murmerings from her other friends.

"How about a nice, easy question?" Miss Cackle said. She smiled, and although Mildred knew her teacher was doing this to make her feel better, it didn't help ease the absolute dread that was rendering her incapable of speech. "Alright, Ruby was so kind as to tell us the spell for candle lighting. Who was the wizard who first discovered it?"

"Um..." Mildred stuttered, "Regenald somthing... um... Regenald Morter?"

"You're very close," Miss Cackle said pleasantly. Mildred sunk back down in her chair again and hid her face in her hands. This always happened during a surprise quiz. "Can anyone tell me the answer?"

To no one's surprise, Ethel Hallow stood and folded her hands demurely. "Master Regenald Potter, Miss," Ethel said. She smiled around the classroom and was rewarded with hateful glances.

"Thank you, Ethel," Miss Cackle said. Ethel took her seat and whispered something (no doubt about Mildred) to Drusilla. "I can see all your studying has paid off."

"If only Cackle knew she stuck herself to the ceiling," Enid whispered.

"No one ever knows when Ethel does something wrong," Mildred replied.

"Well, you never know," Maud joked. "She might just admit it." Everyone had only just began to smile, when Ethel spoke once more.

"Actually, Miss Cackle," Ethel said, "I accidentally got stuck to the ceiling yesterday. I couldn't get down for nearly half an hour." She clamped her hand over her mouth as soon as she had finished, and began shaking her head earnestly at something Drusilla said to her.

"Well," Miss Cackle said, not entirely sure what to do with this volunteered information, "just the same, I think we could all benefit from more study."

"That was weird," Enid said again as they sat down at dinner. There were sounds of agreement from around the table.

"I don't know what you did," came the unfriendly voice of Ethel Hallow from behind them, "but you'll pay for it. Do you understand?"

"We didn't do anything Ethel," Maud said irritably. "So just shove off."

Ethel turned and stomped away, seeming to have better things to do all of a sudden. "Say, Maud," said Ruby. "How about magicing us some spaghetti?"

"Or maybe a chocolate cake," Jadu suggested.

"I'm not Vicess, you guys," Maud insisted. "What happened with Ethel was a coincidence."

"Um..." Mildred said uncertainly, "I probably should have told you this... but I forgot. Today Sybil Hallow developed a peculiar form of temporary amnesia."

"Well, that settles it then," Enid said certainly. Maud made a disbelieving face. "Alright then. Try and magic us some spaghetti. They never taught us how to do that in class, and if you can't, then we'll never mention it to you again." She looked around the table for support and found it.

"No," Maud said firmly. "I'm not going to play this silly game."

"Come on, Maud," Jadu pleaded. "Just try."

"Think of the spaghetti," Ruby added. "All warm and fresh..."

"You promise to stop bothering me?" Maud asked.

"If you don't get some spaghetti," Enid corrected.

"Alright," Maud said reluctantly. She paused dramatically. "There. I tried and nothing happened. Are you all satisfied?"

The nods of assent broke off as Jadu caught sight of something on the other side of the dining hall. "Look at that," she said, smiling.

It was at this moment that Ethel Hallow, covered in Spaghetti, jumped to her feet screeching bloody murder. It took only this long for Miss Bat, who was supposed to be supervising, to run back into the dining hall with a dismayed look on her face.

"Good job, Maud," Enid said. She grinned as she watched the spectacle unfold.

"It wasn't me," Maud said. Drusilla was trying to help Ethel wipe the spaghetti sauce off of her face, while the angry girl busily explained to Miss Bat that someone had magiced spaghetti on her. "It couldn't have been."

Ethel and Drusilla were excused to dispose of the mess, and they just happened to pass Mildred's table on the way out. "I'll get you for this, Mildred Hubble," Ethel hissed as she walked by.

"Sorry, Millie," Maud said sincerely. "I didn't mean to do that."

"She's always angry with me anyway," Mildred said. "Come on. You did promise to help me practice today."

Glad to be out of the spotlight, Maud joined Mildred in the courtyard, stopping off long enough to collect Midnight and Tabby.

Mildred let out a shriek as she almost crashed into Maud. "Watch out!" Maud said a little too sharply.

"Sorry," Mildred said. "I'm a little distracted today."

"You're a little distracted every day!" Funny how it hadn't sounded cruel in her head.

Mildred seemed to consider this for a moment before continuing. "I think maybe we'd better stop for today," she said in a casual manor. She landed with some amount of grace and pried Tabby off of her broomstick. Maud followed suit.

They had just entered the school when there was a shout from the top of the stairs. The woodworm infecting Cackle's had finally taken it's toll on the banister, part of which came tumbling down.

There was a third year girl standing directly under it, who barely had time to look up as it came hurtling towards her. "Look out!" Maud exclaimed. No sooner had the words escaped her lips than the wood stopped abruptly in the air and stayed there.

The terrified girl opened her eyes, wondering why she hadn't been flattened. In an instant, Mildred and Maud were at her side, moving her gently out of the way. "Are you alright?" Mildred asked kindly.

"Oh, thank you!" exclaimed the girl, looking directly at Maud.

"It wasn't me!" Maud exclaimed. As if to confirm this, now that everyone was out of the way, the piece of banister completed it's journey to the earth with a loud thud and a burst of dust.

"Oh, but it must have been!" exclaimed the girl, ignoring the interruption. "You're the one who's the Vices, aren't you?"

"Word gets around fast, doesn't it?" Maud asked coldly. "Excuse me," she said in the same manor. Hefting her broom and cat anew, she brushed past the crowd that had gathered and made her way toward her room.

"She's had a bad day," Mildred lied to the crestfallen third year.

"What is going on here?" Of course, Miss Hardbroom would choose that moment to show up, directly behind Mildred Hubble who was always the first on her list of suspects when something went wrong. Luckily for Mildred, she had a host of witnesses, and HB seemed uninterested in persecuting her after Maud's name was mentioned.

Maud had just finished folding and refolding her cape for the sixth time when there was a knock at the door. She had been obsessively fussing over it while muttering to herself under her breath about "those stupid third years", so much so that Midnight had retreated to the opposite side of the room and was regarding her with a note of caution.

"Who is it?" Maud called over her shoulder, making an effort not to snap at the intruder.

"It's Enid," came Enid's reply.

"Come in," Maud said, dropping pretenses of being pleasant. The lovely thing about having friends is that one must not feel obliged to put on a smile for them.

There was a creaking sound as Enid made her way through the door, long enough to stand fold her arms and look at Maud in approval. "I heard about the third year."

"Well," said Maud quickly, "you can just forget about the third year!"

"Are you trying to witch me like you did Sybil?" Enid asked playfully. Maud wasn't in the mood for jokes and made this known by a particularly nasty glare over her shoulder, as she continued to compulsively refold her cape. "Honestly, Maudie, it was just a joke." There was no forthcoming response. "Alright, but you have to admit, the... things you've been doing have been pretty impressive."

"I don't want everyone to treat me differently because..." Enid raised her eyebrows in a prompting way. "Well, because..." Maud suddenly seemed to get an inspiration. "Because they think I'm something I'm not."

"Okay," Enid said, never one to turn down a debate where she saw one. "What if they 'think' you're something you are?"

"I'm not."

"But what if you are?"

"I'm not."

"Do you really believe that?" Enid asked.

Maud opened her mouth to shout, "Yes!" and put an end to the argument, but no sound came out. She opened her mouth again to say "No" but again couldn't make the words come. "I don't know," she said finally, looking a little defeated.

"Well, then," Enid said, pleased with herself. "I don't see any point of turning down your fifteen minutes of fame until you figure it out."

So it was that the next week flew by as a blur for Maud Moonshine. It seemed that strange things happened whenever she was around, and that she became everyone's personal hero. Enid had taken on the roll of her manager, clearing a path for her through the crowds of students, telling them that Maud wanted to talk to them all, but would like to have her dinner first, and relaying messages.

At first she had still found time to help Mildred with her broomstick flying, but, as Enid put it, her schedule was "just too full" by the end of the week. Maud had started performing what would almost be considered magic shows after school hours. She could do inventive things that weren't taught in any of the classes, and even Drusilla Paddock had turned up once or twice to cheer her on. Everyone was surprised that HB hadn't put a stop to it (she must have known) but they supposed that when you were Vices, you could do whatever you wanted.

"We have another petition from the student body at large," Enid announced, displaying a group of papers with signatures on it and laying it dramatically on the table, "asking for you to do something about school dinners."

"I'll look into it," Maud said, barely looking up from her soup.

"Hi, Maud!" a fourth year student called as she walked by the table. Maud, who was swallowing her soup at the moment waved half-heartedly and the girl went off with her friends whispering, "She waved to me. Maud Moonshine waved to me. Did you see?"

"That was kind of you," Enid said. She moved on to the next business. "I was thinking that for your show tonight you might do something with fire. They seem to like that."

Maud sighed. She didn't feel like doing a show that evening. "Alright," she agreed. "But it's hard to be inventive if I've got to do the same thing all the time."

"It's hard to perform if you don't have an audience," Enid pointed out.

"Maud," Mildred said cautiously, (she had been so quiet during the past week that Maud realized with a jolt that she hadn't known Mildred was even there), "so you think we might all go for a walk today like we used to do? It's a lovely day."

"Don't have time," Enid answered at once. "Maud's got to give some first year a pep talk about how wonderful she is. Got to keep up relations," she added importantly, as though she knew all about this sort of thing.

"What's her name again?" asked Maud.

"Hmmm," Enid puzzled. She riffled through her notes (she had gotten a separate notebook just to organize Maud's day). "Virginia something... just call her by her first name, it sounds more personal that way."

"Virginia," Maud repeated to herself.

"I've got to go," Ruby announced presently. "I promised Jadu I'd meet her in the courtyard. I'll see you in chanting."

"No you wont," Maud replied, still not deeming it necessary to look up from her meal as she spoke. "I've been let off."

"For what?" Enid asked in alarm. Apparently this was news to her.

"I told Miss Bat I had a bit of a cough, and after having found her some rare fungus..."

"You mean magicing her some rare fungus," Enid corrected.

"Same thing. Anyway, she thinks I should stay in my room and rest for that class. Doesn't want me to be ill. That reminds me Ruby, can I borrow your Discman?"

"Sure," Ruby said, grabbing her satchel as she prepared to leave. "It's in my room, you can just take it."

"Thanks," Maud called as she left.

It was perhaps a coincidence that at this exact time, Rupert Spellbody (who, after watching several afternoon talk shows and deciding to "take control" of his life) was rifling through his old notes from wizard college, trying to see if he remembered enough to apply to get his license back. It had definitely been ten years, and another twenty at least on top of that which were due to his snubbery of the magic community.

Unfortunately, Spellbody hadn't kept very good notes. Most of his paper had been spent on zapping notes to Egbert (who had chastised him for not paying attention in class) and Algernon (who had written back with giddy enthusiasm only to go missing and leave him with no one to play with).

Sighing, he opened his last binder. There was a drawing of a snake on the front of it, and he distinctly remembered his teacher looming over him demanding to know what he was doing whilst he was drawing it. "Self portrait," he had said before being sent to the head master's office.

He didn't really expect to find anything in it. Tanya had been right when she had collected her check and stormed out the door. He was a total failure.

To his great surprise he found that he had actually taken some notes, and as he strained to recall, he remembered that he had spent three hours in the library one day (and missed two classes) when he had found a very interesting book. His teachers had been so happy that he was reading, that they almost forgave him for skipping class.

The book had been of fairytale enchantments. Demon summoning and the like. He had copied down each of the enchantments and all the relevant information in his best handwriting, and as he recalled, he had often tried to curse his classmates from the back of the room. None of them had ever worked, but he hadn't quite had time to try them all. After Algy went missing, he had sat up front with Egbert, and under the watchful eyes of the teachers.

He chuckled to himself as he skimmed through them. The pages were adorned by hand drawn lithographs of hideous beasts and monsters, and it brought back fond memories for a few moments.

That was, it brought back fond memories until he managed to turn to one of the last pages, containing an enchantment he had never worked. He remembered memorizing it for use the next day, but then with Algy and everything... well, he had forgotten all about it.

Under a drawing of a particularly nasty figure named Narcissism was a paragraph detailing the demon's folklore history. He was the son of Envy and Conceit, the brother of Contumacion, and the Father of Lies. It was a very obscure family of demon-gods, which had originated in Gisborn, and had disappeared (everywhere save the most ancient texts) just as quickly. Narcissism, like the entire set of demons was said to need a human host in order to survive as a parasite. Once having adjusted sufficiently to the body, the demon would remodel the DNA to suit it's tastes and have itself a new human form with which to wield it's power.

There were a few obscure circumstances that could banish it from a host, but it would immediately move onto the nearest living being.

It was not this information that so disturbed Rupert Spellbody, but the summoning spell written underneath it. Retrievous, dontatus, internus, pregnatus, escates, lebates, magnetus, attractus. It was a standard spell, that would call upon the nearest of the Gisbornian demon-gods. A spell he had thought sounded more familiar than his usual made-up jargon when he had recited it to the students of Cackle's Academy.

Everyone cheered loudly as Maud's brilliant ring of fire disappeared once more. She smiled and bowed. Everyone was completely enraptured. She had taken Enid's advice, and allowed volunteers from the audience to assist her.

The only faces missing from the crowd were Mildred, who was quietly studying in her room, and Ethel Hallow, who had quickly (and more than a little spitefully) made her way to Miss Hardbroom's study to complain to her, and was at that very moment saying with the most innocent expression you please, "She's playing with fire and I'm afraid she'll hurt herself... or someone else."

Maud was thusly, just about to start her new trick, when Miss Hardbroom arrived. The crowd parted like the Red Sea to let her through. "What is the meaning of this?" she asked. She had, of course, known about Maud's performance all along, and had watched some of them in disguise, trying to figure out what had happened to the girl to make her suddenly a showman.

"Nothing, Miss Hardbroom," Maud answered, without a trace of the usual fear that accompanied HB's unscheduled arrivals. "I was just practicing my magic, and these people happened to stop by."

"You were practicing in the middle of the hallway?"

"Yes," Maud said with the same, slightly patronizing, fake smile.

"Perhaps you could practice in your room from now on," Miss Hardbroom suggested.

"Whatever you like, Miss Hardbroom."

HB went on her way, almost appearing that she was fooled by Maud's false courtesy. Ethel stood stammering in the middle of the crowd, disappointed to say the least.

"Don't do that again," Maud said severely. It was clear to everyone to whom she was speaking.

"Just what're you going to do about it, Moonface?" Ethel demanded crossly.

Maud looked at her evenly. "I've warned you Ethel."

"Oh, well," Ethel said sarcastically, "I'd better watch out then, hadn't I?" She looked at Drusilla to back her up, but even the school bully was willing Ethel to shut up.

Maud didn't say anything. She just hauled back and blasted Ethel with a fireball. During the collected gasps of the crowd, Ethel slammed into the wall behind her with enough force to make a loud thump. She was a little singed, though not on fire. "You'll pay for that," she wheezed, still making an attempt at bravery.

Everyone stood stark still except for Drusilla, who ran over to Ethel and looked back at Maud with concern. "I think you've really hurt her," she said.

"That was the idea," Maud replied. "So good of you to catch on." She looked around at the crowd angrily. "I think the show's over for today. If any of you breath a word of this..." she didn't have to finish. Everyone was already imagining what it would be like to be in Ethel's place.

"I'm telling Miss Hardbroom!" Drusilla cried after her as Maud returned to her room.

"Go ahead."

She hadn't been in her room for thirty seconds when the door opened anew. "You've really done it this time!" Enid exclaimed, entering without knocking. "Drusilla will tell HB!"

"So let her," Maud said, looking in the mirror. She had the most peculiar feeling. She frowned as she saw a thin vein of blood making it's way out of her nose. She grabbed a handkerchief and held it over the offending occurrence. "I wonder how long it's been doing that?" she asked no one in particular. She suddenly had the grisly image of herself blasting Ethel with blood running down her face. That couldn't be good for "keeping up relations".

"I don't know," Enid said. "But this is serious!"

"I get them all the time," Maud said distractedly. "Must be something about the air pressure. See? There. It's stopped." She carefully whipped the remaining blood off her face, not wanting to disturb her nose and cause it to erupt anew.

"Not that!" Enid exclaimed. "Don't you care about being expelled?"

"I wont be expelled," Maud replied simply. The door opened again. "Doesn't anyone knock?"

"I just saw Ethel," Mildred said, closing the door behind her. "She's on her way to see Hardbroom."

"I really don't see what you're all so concerned about," Maud said again. "I can handle Hardbroom."

"You're mad!" Enid exclaimed.

"Am I?" Maud asked. She removed her glasses and rubbed at her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Mildred asked. She had her I'm-very-worried expression on.

"I'm fine," Maud said. "My eyes've been hurting me all day." She blinked at them thoughtfully and set her glasses down on a shelf.

"Don't you think you ought to be able to see HB while you're talking to her?" Enid asked. "Or is that your secret to not being afraid of her?"

"I can see fine without them," Maud replied.

Before they could argue, Miss Hardbroom appeared behind them with a scowl on her face. The others were startled to say the least, but Maud didn't bat an eyelash. "I've really got to put up a sign or something," she said thoughtfully. "'Please knock before entering' or something like that, don't you think?"

Miss Hardbroom interrupted. "Mildred, Enid, would you excuse us for a moment."

There were murmured "Yes, Miss Hardbroom's and the two were on their way.

"I've just spoken to Ethel Hallow," Miss Hardbroom said when they had gone. Maud looked uninterested, but the teacher managed to keep her temper under control and continue in a conversational voice. "She says you 'blasted' her with a fire ball."

"Fire bolt, actually," Maud corrected. "Not that it makes much difference. I probably should've used the ball. It would've been more impressive, I suppose."

"I suppose," Miss Hardbroom said, inviting herself into taking a seat on the bed. "I'm curious, Maud, exactly what new spells have you learned besides fire bolt?"

"I haven't learned any," Maud replied. "I just know them."

"Without picking up a textbook?"

"Yes!" Maud exclaimed. "Do you have to question every bloody thing I say?"

Miss Hardbroom flinched (precisely the way she always did when she argued with Miss Cackle or Hellibore). "It just seems unusual to me," she said simply. "What do you think might be causing it?"

"I don't know," Maud said irritably. "Aren't you supposed to be the expert on magic?"

"I can't give you a prognosis if I don't know the symptoms, can I?" This seemed to pacify the young witch for the moment. "Other than the sudden knowledge in spells, has there been anything else unusual?"

"No."

"I notice you're not wearing your glasses."

"I don't bloody need them!" Maud had reached the end of her thinning patience. "If you haven't got any more useful questions, I'd appreciate it if you'd just shove off!"

"Very well," Miss Hardbroom said evenly. The words seemed to grate through her teeth. "I'd appreciate it, in that case, if you didn't zap any other pupils with fire bolts."

"She was asking for it," Maud said. Aware that this was not a promise to abide by the agreement, Miss Hardbroom took her leave, magically locking the door behind her.

Egbert Hellibore was, understandably, more than a little upset to be awakened in the middle of the night by the arrival of Spellbody.

He was even more irked to see that his old friend (who he was still on slightly bad terms with) was drunken out of his mind as he stumbled through the school doors. Hellibore waved away one of the other wizards and shown his torch light directly in the man's face. "What are you doing here, Rupert? And I warn you, it had better be good."

Rupert stumbled forward, nearly tackling Hellibore in the process. "Remember when we wus in the 'cademy?" he grabbed Hellibore's shoulder to stop himself from falling down.

"Get off!" Egbert exclaimed, roughly removing Rupert's hand from his shoulder. The other fell to the floor immediately. "I'm not up to reminiscing with you when you're like this... and my head still aches to think about what you did at Cackle's!"

Rupert shook his head. "Not about reminiscing," he said. "Sobering spell... can't remember it."

"I'm not here to cure your hangovers," Egbert said curtly. He was reminded a little too much of Ruperts later years at college.

"Egbert," Rupert said, staring up at him as though he was a million miles away. "Egbert, Egbert, Egbert... ha! Sounds like Egg and Burt. Could call you Burt... or Eggs... think I did that once."

"Get out," Hellibore snapped. He propelled the man to his feet and made to shove him right back out the door before he could awaken the students.

"Wait!" Rupert protested, seeming to get back on track. "S'about the little girl."

"What?" Hellibore asked impatiently.

Rupert gestured her at her height with his hand. "The little girl... one with them glasses."

"You're not making any sense," Egbert said, trying to remember if Rupert had ever fancied a girl with glasses.

"What'd you expect?" he asked indignantly. "Sobering spell." Egbert huffed, but preformed the spell. "Thanks," Rupert said. "I stopped in at a tavern on the way here... I guess I stayed a little too long."

"You have thirty seconds."

"Okay," Rupert said, explaining quickly. "When we were in Wizard College I skipped off from class and copied some fake charms out of a book, right?" Hellibore looked unimpressed thus far. "Anyway, I recited one of them when we were at Cackle's and I didn't think anything would come of it... I wasn't quite myself at the time..."

"Stopped off at the tavern, eh?"

"You might say that. Anyhow, I recited it and it worked. It summoned a demon... I mean, you saw what happened to Tanya!"

"Mmm hmmm."

"Well, the thing is that this particular demon is passed on. It's a parasite and I think it might have gotten into that little girl. I mean, we were all yelling spells at her, Tanya, I mean, and one of them must have been the right one to drive the demon onto it's next victim."

"You know," said Egbert, his steely glare not softening in the slightest, "you don't make any more sense when you're sober. Demon summoning... really, Rupert. Do you do that in your sideshow too?"

Spellbody bristled but wasn't about to give up. "Okay, Egbert, I've done some stupid shit, but I'm right about this. Even if there's a chance I'm right about this, Egbert, we have to check."

Hellibore reluctantly was forced to agree. "I'll mail the school tomorrow, if it makes you happy," he said.

"It does," Spellbody agreed.

"Fine," Hellibore said, turning his back on his friend. "I'm going to bed. You're welcome to sleep in one of the empty rooms upstairs if you like."

"Egbert?" Spellbody said as the other started away. He paused on the stairs, not bothering to turn around. "You remember at college... you and me and Algy..? And how we were all going to be great wizards someday? Find the fountain of youth and tame dragons? What ever happened to that?"

"Algy got turned into a frog," Hellibore said, resuming his journey up the stairs. "And you... you got turned into you, Rupert. That's all there is to it."

"We have a serious problem."

"Is she the Vices, or whatever nonsense this is?" Miss Cackle asked, peering over her glasses at Miss Hardbroom. She, like Hellibore had been awakened to listen to the mad ravings of another.

"That's exactly the thing," Miss Hardbroom explained. "I don't think she is, but I can't account for any of this!"

"Well, she is exhibiting an extraordinary ability with magic," Miss Cackle pointed out.

"Yes," Miss Hardbroom agreed. "For a second year student. This mystical Vices is supposed to be completely superior to anything we've ever seen."

"You know how legends get twisted out of proportion, Constance. Look at Jack and The Beanstalk. A perfectly normal case of a magical robbery gets turned into a poor boy with magic beans."

"Still, there is the matter of Ethel Hallow."

"A matter which disturbs me greatly, I assure you," Miss Cackle said seriously. "Whatever is happening to Maud, she's well on her way to being out of control." She paused answering the unstated question. "We can't send her home in this condition."

"Certainly not."

"Where is she now?" Miss Cackle asked thoughtfully.

"I've locked her in her room."

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"It's the best I could come up with for now."

"Let me out!" There was another loud thump against the door.

"We're doing our best," Enid lied. She and Mildred stood looking fearfully at the door, along with a handful of other students who had gathered. "She's gone mad," Enid said for about the fifth time.

Mildred nodded in agreement. "Maybe we can talk to her," she said hopefully.

"There's no talking to that!" Ethel exclaimed. She stood hunched in the doorway to her room, with Drusilla half holding her up.

"Oh, shove off, Ethel," Jadu said. "If Maud was herself she wouldn't have done that."

"But she's not herself anymore, is she?" Drusilla demanded.

"Maud?" Mildred asked tentatively, knocking softly on the door, which had apparently stopped being attacked from the opposite side. "Maud, we're doing our best to get you out. I think Ruby's gone to fetch a key." Ruby looked up worriedly behind them, but said nothing. "Maud? Are you there?"

"Oh course I'm here! Where else would I be?"

"Sorry," Mildred said sweetly. "It was a stupid question. Are you alright?"

"No, Mildred, I'm not alright! I'm locked in a stuffy room with no way out and a cat that wont shut up!"

It was true that Midnight was howling alternately. Mildred supposed that if she was locked in there with Maud, she might be screaming as well. "Do you think that maybe you're ill?" Mildred asked as gently as possible.

There was a pause from the other side of the door. "Oh, so that's what this is about, is it?"

Enid exchanged a look with Mildred and mouthed the words "you shouldn't have said that".

"When I do something right I have to be under the weather, is that it?"

"That's not what I said," Mildred said diplomatically. "Besides, you do everything right. You're a far better witch than I am."

"Oh, everyone's a better witch than you are! Charlie Blossom's a better witch than you are!" Mildred involuntarily took a step away from the door. This wasn't exactly how she'd planned this conversation. "You ought to've been expelled from the academy by now, but noooo! Mildred Hubble's a great hero! She saves the school from disaster! She's Miss Cackle's favorite! And who's that girl beside her? Oh, that's just Maud what's-her-name. She's never done anything particularly special, has she?"

"It's not like that, Maud," Mildred said meekly.

"You're right," Maud hollered back, she kept shouting louder, although they hadn't thought it possible for her to do so. "It's not like that. Not any more. Now Mildred Hubble's the little nobody in the background and you don't like it, do you?"

"Maud," Enid said, taking over. "We all think you're great."

"Well, that really helps Enid!" cried Maud sarcastically. "Thanks heaps for that endorsement. Coming from someone who leaches onto everyone else's success, that really means a lot."

"What?" Enid asked, starting to get angry herself.

There was another howl from Midnight. "Oh, shut up!" Maud exclaimed. Just then, there was a blood-curdling scream from the other side of the door, and everything went a little too silent.

When her eyes opened again, Maud felt very strange. She was lying on the floor, and she could feel that. She could feel that her face was in a puddle of something cold. And she could see the world through her fluttering eyelashes. Midnight was crouched under her bed, staring at her in fascination and terror.

She tried to raise her head, but found that she couldn't. How did she get on the floor? She puzzled over this for a moment, as her mind frantically searched for it's last memory. Like a dream, she recalled snippets of what had happened over the last week, but her last clear memory was Enid standing in her room and telling her to enjoy her fifteen minutes of fame.

Suddenly, she felt herself smiling. Her head raised a little without her bidding it to do so, and only one coherent thought managed to grace her mind. I'm dying.

Midnight skittered backward a few steps under the bed. Maud felt a thrill of fear race threw her as she spoke, but in a voice that was not her own. It was the voice of the Tanya-demon. She had heard it growling to itself that horrible night, and recognized the timbre, even though it formed words this time. Words from within her throat! "It's not quite me, is it Midnight?"

The cat hissed and bolted out the battered window that she had managed to open. Maud felt a chuckle ripple through her, and she was quickly on her feet again. The puddle her face had been in was composed of blood, she realized with shock.

The next thing she knew, she was looking herself in the face, in the mirror. At least, it would be her face, if it wasn't for the stranger's eyes that looked back at her as her hands expertly preened. Straitening her hair, and whipping the rest of the blood off her face, Maud felt herself humming, and wished that she would stop. She noticed that she had grown about four inches taller. The image of herself in the glass winked eerily and spoke in the same, husky demon voice. "Let's go play, shall we?"

Maud couldn't respond, but could only feel fear grip her again. She walked to the window and looked down. No. That was a long drop. Too long for anyone to survive, for certain. And yet she was climbing out the window as if the ground were an inch below it, and she was plummeting through the air... and she was landing upright on her feet and smiling again in the darkness. "This is going to be fun," she heard her new voice say. "I like games."

Miss Hardbroom was, needless to say, more than a little upset to discover the next morning that her prisoner had gone missing. Miss Cackle was standing with her in the hallway as the two gaped at the empty room. "Impossible to jump from that height," Cackle said. "You're certain she didn't have a broomstick?"

Miss Hardbroom shrugged helplessly. "I didn't see one, but who knows what she can conjure up?"

Miss Cackle absently handed her a folded letter. "I got this in the post this morning. First thing. It was magiced over."

"What's the emergency?" Miss Hardbroom asked, wondering if it was another of Hellibore's apologies. He had sent more than a couple during the past week.

She unfolded the letter and read.

Dear Miss Cackle,

I must apologize once more for the actions of my friend, Mr. Spellbody, when last we met.

I'm afraid I have more news of him. Rupert has, I'm afraid, gotten it into his head that he has unleashed a demon on your school. This is, to the best of my recollection, the only time he has ever thought of anyone besides himself, so he is quite incensed about it.

I would be very grateful if you could find the time to reply to this letter, and put his mind at ease. If at all possible, you ought to mention that the young girl with the glasses, specifically, is all right.

Regards, and most sincere apologies,

Egbert Hellibore.

Miss Hardbroom frowned. "A demon?" she asked. "What utter nonsense."

"I know," Miss Cackle agreed, looking once more at the ransacked bedroom. "But you have to admit that it would explain a lot."

"A demon, Miss Cackle?" Miss Hardbroom demanded again. "You can't honestly believe that one of our students has been possessed by a demon! In all the history of-"

"I know, I know," Miss Cackle said quickly. "But we shouldn't discount the possibility."

"Should we also consider the possibility that she's being controlled by an alien space ship?"

"For now, Constance," Miss Cackle said with an air of finality, "we shall consider everything."

"I can't believe they've cancelled classes this morning."

"Well, it is a school emergency."

Maud watched along with Nars (this was what the demon seemed to think of itself as) as Mildred and Enid wandered around the courtyard with Ruby and Jadu trailing a little behind them.

"Poor Maud," Jadu said. "What do you think happened to her?"

"She's gone mad," Enid said. "That's what."

"Stop saying that," Mildred said curtly. "She hasn't gone mad."

"Yeah?" Enid demanded, "what's happened to her then?"

"I don't know," Mildred admitted.

Maud felt herself sink lower into the tree she was perched in. There was almost no chance of them seeing her here. She was so far away that they looked about two feet tall. She had realized with a start during the events of the previous night that all her senses had been heightened, and now she was able to see and hear from a good distance away. She had reluctantly allowed herself to sleep whilst the demon did, huddled on the forest floor just outside the academy.

"Well, whatever's happened to her," Enid said casually, "we'd better find a way to stop it before she does something really terrible."

Maud's mind gave a little burst of glee. Enid and Mildred would find a way to help her. They had to! Her four friends glumly nodded to one another and looked over their shoulders as Ethel and Drusilla wandered out of the school. The two groups of students exchanged a look and Mildred's group retreated for the other side of the courtyard, just as Ethel's drifted near enough for her to make out what they were saying.

"Well, if you ask me," Ethel was saying, "they ought to just lock her up somewhere."

Maud felt herself growl low in her throat, as her eyes narrowed to focus in on Ethel.

"Are you alright?" Drusilla was asking. "You still don't look too well, Ethel."

"No, I'm not alright," Ethel said, suddenly seeming to remember her injuries. As Ethel began sulking, Maud felt herself virtually flying into another tree, without even thinking about it. The only sound was the smallest rustling of leaves. "Did you hear that?" Ethel asked presently.

"Hear what?" Drusilla replied, looking around as though that would help her find the sound. Ethel held up her hand for silence precisely as Maud went flying through the air again. She landed high, but directly above Ethel. She noticed in her peripheral vision that her friends had gone back inside.

"That!" Ethel cried. "The trees."

"It's probably just a bird, Ethel," Drusilla said reassuringly. "I know you're wigged out about Moonface, but she's not going to attack you in broad daylight." Maud felt Nars' mirth at this as she felt herself begin to crouch in a pouncing position. "Look, I'll go check if you like. Alright." Drusilla walked towards the woods and passed under Maud's tree. "See? Nothing here. Nothing here. Nothing over here either."

Ethel let out a screech as she was knocked into the cobblestone ground by the soaring form of Maud Moonshine. "Ethel?" came a holler. There was a rustling of brush as Drusilla ran back to the courtyard. "It's you! Get off her!" Maud vaguely felt Nars knock Drusilla backward into a tree.

Her nose was bleeding again. This realization was brought on by the blood dripping onto Ethel's terrified face. "I'll tell M-M-Miss-"

Nars roared in the same wounded cat way it had when it was inhabiting Tanya, cutting Ethel's threat short. The horrible demon voice boiled it's way out of her throat as it had before. "It'll be hard to tell anyone anything without your larynx."

While Ethel's frightened mind was grappling to remember what a larynx was (although she was certain she didn't want to lose hers), Drusilla had managed to pick herself up, and began screaming at the top of her lungs. Almost instantaneously, the front door of the school burst open and a barrage of twenty or more people rushed out, only to stop immediately as Nars looked up at them. "That was very foolish," Nars grated. Never the less, Maud felt herself fly back up into the trees in a single leap, and quickly Tarzan away from the people behind her.

By the time Spellbody and Hellibore arrived, there wasn't a single soul in Cackle's who wasn't convinced that Maud Moonshine was possessed by a demon. That includes Miss Hardbroom.

The real blow, however, came when Spellbody informed them that according to his notes, there was no way to banish the demon. It simply had to find a willing host and live there forever.

After lamenting about this for a while, everyone decided to try and take a look through the library (and Fenella Feverfew's room) for the book that Spellbody had copied the enchantment out of, whilst he thumbed through his other notes of the book, looking for an answer to the problem at hand.

It so came to pass that as darkness fell, Rupert Spellbody was once again alone. He was seated in the staff room, reading his notebook through for the second time. "I've really done it this time," he said to himself, wishing he had something to drink.

"Excuse me, Mr. Spellbody?" He looked up to see one of the students fidgeting nervously in the doorway.

"What?"

"I was just wondering if you've found anything to help Maud. I'm her friend. Mildred Hubble."

"No, Mildred," Spellbody said. "I haven't. It appears that once a demon is here, it's here to stay. It just has to find a host it likes well enough to live in."

"Oh," said Mildred. Before he could ask her politely to go on her way, there was a loud crash and the staff room window was broken. Standing just inside it was Maud, though her face was somewhat obscured due to the perpetual nosebleed. "Maud!"

Spellbody got to his feet. The demon paid no mind to the schoolgirl as it made it's way toward him. "You," it said accusingly. "The magician." It suddenly lurched forward, putting it's face very close to his. It's eyes were wild, and partly obstructed by loose pieces of hair. It gestured to it's nose and snarled. "Fix this."

"Um... um... um..." Spellbody stammered. "Um... I... erm... can't. I mean, not now. I don't think so anyway. Um..." The demon roared angrily. Spellbody backed into the wall behind him and closed his eyes expecting the worst.

"Maud," came a timid voice on the other side of the room. He opened his left eye just wide enough to see that the creature had turned it's attention on Mildred. "Do you remember me?"

The demon howled again and Spellbody glanced down at his notes for help, whilst it was distracted. He found nothing save the passage he had been reading and rereading all evening. The demon must find a willing host.

"Maud," Mildred was saying. "We'll find a way to take this demon off you... you just have to be patient."

Could he do it? Could he take the demon himself? The untimely end of Rupert Spellbody. There was no way that anyone would ever find a means of banishing the creature. There was no way he'd ever be a great wizard.

The creature was advancing on Mildred.

He could hit it over the head with a book. It was Hellibore's problem now. He was supposed to be the grand wizard. He could fix it and then Spellbody could go home and sit in his house. If he never bothered the magic community again, they'd leave him alone for certain.

"Maud," continued Mildred, bravely standing her ground. "I never got a chance to say anything before... but, um, I'm awfully sorry you felt so left out. I had no idea. I wish I had half the ability you have."

Mildred kept talking, and Spellbody was greeted with the clear memory of Maud Moonshine running in behind the demon and rushing that crying girl toward the door. She didn't deserve to die with a demon taking over her body.

"You need a willing host!" Spellbody exclaimed, pushing off the wall. The demon turned to look at him curiously. "Take me instead." Still not a brave man, he heard the demon howl and closed his eyes anew.

"Maud!" he heard Mildred exclaim. Opening his eyes he saw the girl had collapsed on the floor, with no trace of the demon around.

It was at that exact second that Egbert burst through the open door, with an ancient tomb in his hands. "Egbert!" exclaimed Spellbody. "You've got to lock me up, quick! I've taken the demon!"

"No you haven't," Egbert said. He handed Spellbody the book in his hands, opened to the correct page. "You forgot to copy down the reverse side, you great idiot." It was a good-natured comment, and as Spellbody read the page, he realized why. "The banishment of the demon occurs when the summoner, that's you Rupert, has more concern for others than himself."

Spellbody let out a great breath and sunk down to the floor. That had been far too close for comfort. He was almost a demon!

"She's coming around," Mildred announced, just as Miss Cackle, and Miss Hardbroom appeared in the doorway.

Maud blinked a couple times and rubbed her head. "Millie, is that you?" she asked weakly.

"Yes, it is," Mildred said happily. "Do you remember me?"

"Of course I remember you," Maud said squinting. "You know I can't see very well without my glasses." Hellibore smiled and waved his hand, Maud's glasses appearing instantaneously. He handed them to her and she put them on. "Thanks." It was then that she got a good look at the group of people staring at her. "What's going on?" she asked cautiously.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Mildred asked.

"I don't know," Maud replied. She sat up, thinking. "I guess the assembly? I had the strangest dream though." She looked confused as everyone exchanged a look. "What?"

"We'll explain later," Miss Cackle answered for everyone. "For now, I think it would be best if you got some rest."

"Come on," Mildred said, helping her to her feet. They walked out into the hall, only to see a terrified Ethel Hallow, who had followed her sprinting teachers down the stairs, turn and bolt the other direction.

"What was that about?" Maud asked in bewilderment.

"It's a long story," Mildred answered. "And I'm not sure you'll believe me when I tell you."

The End