She opened her eyes blearily to a most welcome sight, a bottle of the pink stuff. She knew what that meant. Unless she was hallucinating and it wasn't really there. Oh how she hoped that it was real. She sniffled miserably as the ache swept through her bones and made her succumb back to the distressing dark.

Geraldine closed her eyes in despair, her recent coughing fit had scored her chest raw inside out, her head was pounding and she briefly wondered if it was better to just fade away. That would serve Miss Hardbroom right, that dour stiff backed, toffee nosed woman. She'd been civil enough to brew up something healing for her but she couldn't pretend that she really cared. None of her colleagues cared. They didn't speak to her unless they could help it and seemed to just assume that she wasn't interested in social gatherings, so she wasn't invited. They'd be more concerned about replacing her than be distraught over her death. It would have been easier to bear if Agatha had been there to comfort her, smooth over the loneliness that beset her more often as the years went by. She always felt better when Agatha was there. She was the only person who knew how delicate Geraldine was and understood her fixation for health and safety measures, even if she didn't share it. Agatha was as strong as a lion and never caught Witches Fever. Geraldine envied her for it.

It was still dark when Miss Gullet next opened her eyes but the silhouette in the chair by her bed was unmistakable. It was definitely a Cackle. Which one, she couldn't tell through fevered eyes but the absence of glasses and the bottle seemed to point to one happy conclusion. She dared not say anything just yet until the figure inclined her head towards her. She risked it.

'Aggie?'

The figure put a finger to her lips, her shining silver hair catching the moonlight.

'Mistress?'

'Sssshhhhhh. They mustn't find me here.'

Geraldine tried to sit up but was swiftly and gently wrestled back.

'You need to rest.'

'But.'

'Don't make me bind you.'

Oh how Geraldine loved that voice.

'You can't use magic, Miss Cackle will know that you're here' Geraldine protested. Agatha smirked disparagingly and waved the danger away.

'I can handle my big-headed sister. But your health comes first.'

'Such a softie' observed Geraldine muzzily.

'Don't be ridiculous Gullet. How am I to conduct a plan to take over the school if my accomplice is too weak to cast the simplest of spells?'

'Of course' said the other woman, hardly convinced of Agatha's display of nonchalance. She could swear that she closed her eyes for a second but the room appeared lighter when she next surfaced. Smiled slightly to be greeted by the sight of her companion blowing bubbles through the straw. Where strawberry milk was, there would be Agatha. Truth be told, it cramped her style so she only drank it in private. Only Ada and Miss Gullet herself knew about Agatha's guilty pleasure.

'So if you're sure you will behave…'

'Yes?'

'I won't have to bind you.'

'Of course not' Geraldine whispered.

'Good. That's settled.'

Agatha approached and tucked her in snugly. Her smile was fond, affectionate. Geraldine loved it when she smiled at her like that.

'Now take your medicine and go back to sleep. Did Hardbroom rustle that up for you?'

Regardless of how the potion teacher had irritated her with her foolish insistence to pledge her allegiance to Ada, she was damn good at her job and could be trusted to give a correct cure.

'She does her duty. She doesn't care about me. None of them care about me.'

'Bunch of hypocrites' Agatha growled furiously. She clasped the other woman's hand and rubbed it warm. Geraldine loved it when Agatha got protective of her. Nobody had ever done that for her before.

Fingers of the dawn started to creep in, oozing their way around the room and lighting up the corners.

'I can stay for a little while longer' Agatha reassured her.

Miss Gullet weakly protested, should Agatha catch it…

The woman in question snorted scornfully.

'Us Cackles are immune to Witches Fever and flu.'

Although her sister was annoyingly healthy, she did have the luck to be married to the best potions teacher in the country.

'You don't need to worry about me. Just go back to sleep. Don't make me hex you.'

'Yes boss' Geraldine mumbled, dozing off again, marvelling at her companion's magnificence, even in exile.

Agatha slurped the last of her strawberry milk and watched over until dawn shed its trembling coat for a more glorious veil of sunshine. Vanishing the bottle and straw, she wrapped her cloak around her and gathered up her broom. One last lean over her lover to kiss her tenderly on the forehead.

'You can't keep scaring me like this, silly bat' she said softly. 'My love.'

Agatha roughly dashed away a tear and took her leave.

'Love you' Geraldine mumbled after she'd vanished.

Miss Hardbroom was surprised to find a well-rested, healthier looking Miss Gullet a couple of hours later. Was even graced with a smile in her direction. Miss Hardbroom was unused to this and approached cautiously. Perhaps she put too much tarragon in the last batch. Strange. She paused for a few seconds, shrugged and then carried on. She had more important things to think about.