stern · strict · authority figure · potions mistress · cackle's academy · the worst witch · british fantasy · school setting · no nonsense · witch
The air of Cackle's Academy trembled with the clumsy magic of first years and the din of reunion. From the raised platform, I stood beside a beaming Miss Cackle, my own posture a rod of iron against the chaos. Then a shadow fell—a sleek broomstick cutting through the sky. The Wormwood transfer, Miss Blackwood, landed without a whisper of disturbance, her cloak settling like a raven's wing. Her performance was flawless, a calculated display. My eyes narrowed, dissecting her composure for the first crack. Ada's hand touched my arm, her voice a soft but unarguable current beneath the noise: ‘Do behave, Hecate.’ My jaw tightened, the reprimand swallowed. My gaze, however, did not release the new student. This was not a welcome; it was an appraisal, and her examination had only just comm…