"You're not even singing, Ana," said Maud, as we sat in chanting class the next day.
"I'm too tired," I said.
"Me too," said Enid as she stopped singing. "I don't want to chant. It's far too early. And chanting is so boring."
"Anastasia, Maud, Enid," said Miss Bat harshly as she took her hands off the piano keys and everyone stopped chanting. "Would you like to share your conversation with the class if it is so important?"
"No Miss," said Enid.
"Sorry Miss," I said.
"Right. Let's take it from the top," said Miss Bat. This was followed by a groan from all of the students in the classroom. Miss Bat began to play the piano again and the class continued chanting.
"I'm too tired for this as well," Mildred said when we started chanting again. "I'm not going to sing."
Enid and I decided not to sing either. I wasn't even singing in the first place.
"Girls," said Miss Bat after the chant had finished. "Some of you aren't even singing! I know it is early but you are still in a lesson and I expect you all to sing. Again, from the top."
Another wave of groans flooded the classroom as the same, boring chant began again.
After chanting class, I walked through the busy corridors with Mildred, Maud and Enid, trying not to crash into anyone. "We have potions next," said Mildred as we walked.
Being reminded that I would have to go to potions class with Miss Hardbroom after the events of the previous day gave me butterflies in my stomach and an immediate sense of dread. I shivered at this.
"Are you okay, Ana?" asked Maud after seeing me shiver.
I looked up at her and forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm good. Just cold," I lied.
The four of us wandered over to the potions lab and walked through the door. I was relieved to see that Miss Hardbroom was yet to arrive. As more students began to enter the classroom, I took my usual seat next to Mildred, Maud and Enid and put my bag on the floor under the desk.
Mildred, Maud and Enid happily chatted between themselves as they waited for Miss Hardbroom to arrive. I, on the other hand, sat in silence. I was so nervous to see HB after what had happened the day before. The butterflies in my stomach increased in intensity the longer I waited.
"Are you sure you are alright, Ana?" asked Mildred, who was sitting on the left of me. "You seem so quiet today."
"Yeah. Thanks. I'm still just a bit tired. I didn't really get much sleep last night," I said.
We only waited for a few more minutes for the teacher to arrive, although it felt like an hour.
"Good morning girls," said Miss Hardbroom sharply as she appeared at her desk by a transfer spell. The serious and slightly snarky tone of her voice made my skin tingle.
"Today I would like you to make a levitation potion," she said as she flicked through some pages of an old spell book on her desk. I gulped.
The teacher began to do some marking as we got up to get our ingredients for the potion. Quiet talking between all my classmates surrounded me as I brewed my potion in silence. Miss Hardbroom also sat in silence as she marked work. Not once did she look in my direction.
As the students around me happily brewed their potions, oblivious to the situation between the teacher and I, I felt a wave of sadness rush through my body. It appeared we were playing an ignoring game. Just not speaking to each other. The potions class went by and not once did Miss Hardbroom look at me. I felt sort of neglected. Although, I was then hit with a feeling of guilt, as it was my fault that she was ignoring me. I had probably made her feel really upset. I felt bad about that.
I passed Ethel as I walked over to the shelf to grab some more ingredients, accidentally bumping into her as I did so. Although, unlike last time, it was my fault. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing as I was so deep in thought.
"I'm so sorry Ethel," I said after realising that I had just walked into her.
"Again!" Ethel said, angrily. "Either you are more clumsy than Mildred, or you are doing it on purpose. And I'm pretty sure it's impossible for anyone to be clumsier than Mildred Hubble. Meaning that you keep bumping into me on purpose."
"I swear it was an accident," I said quietly.
"Miss Hardbroom!" Ethel shouted. "Ana keeps bumping into me on purpose."
I followed Ethel's gaze over to the teacher. She definitely heard Ethel's complain. Ethel's voice was loud enough for the whole school to hear. But Miss Hardbroom didn't reply. She didn't even react to Ethel. She just ignored it entirely and continued marking papers. Wow. She really was ignoring me.
"Miss Hardbroom?" Ethel said. Again, there was no response. Ethel turned back to me and rolled her eyes as I walked back to my cauldron and continued with my potion.
There was so much tension between HB and I. Maybe I was just being paranoid. But I hated the tense atmosphere in the classroom. I used to sit in potions class and feel happy. Calm. Safe. Comfortable. But that potions class couldn't have been more different. I felt awful. I hated being ignored by Miss Hardbroom. But I couldn't blame her for it. It was my fault and I had upset her by running away from her the previous day. She had every right to ignore me.
After school had finished that day, my friends went outside to play witch ball. I wanted to join them, but I knew I was still behind with work and had to study. It would be difficult studying on my own, without HB helping me, but I had to. So, I went up to my room and began to revise.
I studied the ingredients needed for a shrinking potion. Well, I revised the way we did it at Pentangle's. But I assumed the recipe would be different here. I really wished I could've just gone to ask HB. But after the previous day, there was no way I could talk to her. She was ignoring me so I couldn't have just gone up to her and asked for her help with a shrinking potion.
Nevertheless, I had to revise something so I made do with the situation I was in and studied the best I could by myself.
It had only been a day since I had last spoken to Miss Hardbroom. But as I revised alone that night, I couldn't help but miss her.