Note: This is it. The end of the line. I'm going to miss Pandora's Box. Before I crack on with the epi, I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed, favourited and/or put this on alert; your support and words of encouragement have helped me through a rather stressy time in my life. Especially NCD, whose fantastic 'accompanying series' has been admired on all sides, not least by me!

Pandora's Box

Epilogue

Mildred licked her lips nervously as she cast her gaze over the sea of faces in front of her. The audience was looking at her expectantly: students, both past and present; wizards and other guests. She smiled weakly as she caught a glimpse of Maud and Enid waving at her minutely from the front row, and looked beyond them to the back, where the Chief Wizard and Mr Rowan-Webb were squeezed onto the end of a row next to Della and her mother, the former sporting a brightly patterned headscarf to disguise her impressive bandage. Next to them were Fenny and Griz, both waving madly and grinning like Cheshire cats.

Mildred opened her mouth to begin her speech, but no words came out. She closed it again and risked a quick glance at the teachers behind her.

"You'll be fine," mouthed Miss Drill, who looked as if she wanted nothing more than to go to bed and forget her stressful day of travelling and finding demons in the dungeons.

Miss Bat gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up, a stray piece of strawberry from her latest 'nerve-calming' fruit salad lodged in her hair above her ear

"Go on, dear," said Miss Cackle softly. "There's nothing to worry about." It was hard to believe that forty-eight hours previously she had been at death's door; she looked to be her usual, unrufflable self.

Finally she looked to Miss Hardbroom, her already dramatic appearance heightened by the addition of her hat to the stunning dress. The formidable woman had refused to attend the proceedings without some visible manifestation of her witch's ensemble, even if she had not had time to change completely. The deputy-head merely nodded, and Mildred turned back to face the front, and she began to speak.

"Pupils, ex-pupils, staff and friends of Cackle's Academy." So far, so good. "Today I've graduated after four years of, quite frankly, astounding magical education. I'm not going to pretend it was not tough at times. I'm not going to pretend that Miss Hardbroom didn't scare the living daylights out of me for my first three years, and the majority of my fourth in fact. I'm not going to pretend that I liked PE or that chanting wasn't sometimes boring or that the Foster's Effect isn't a real pain in the unmentionables." She paused. "But I am going to say that I will never regret anything that's happened here, the good and the bad. I come from a non-witch background, one of very few, and throughout my four years here I have always felt so lucky at being gifted in the way I have been.

"But all you girls who still have your years here ahead of you, you should feel lucky too. I would certainly feel lucky if I found myself in your position again. You have so much waiting for you. You have this beautiful building to explore."

She nodded to Maud and Enid.

"You have a library full of mysterious secrets waiting for you to uncover."

A nod to Fenny and Griz, who cheered at their almost name-drop until a glare from Miss Hardbroom (or at least Mildred guessed it was a glare from Miss Hardbroom) made them quieten instantly.

She continued. "You have some truly awe-inspiring allies to fly to your assistance in an emergency."

The wizards nodded their acknowledgement and Della blushed bright scarlet.

"And finally, you have the teachers sitting behind me. Yes, they're a little odd, a little forceful, a little scary, but they're also willing to do absolutely anything to see you succeed, to help you out of tight spots, and even to save your lives."

She paused, onto the final stretch now.

"So never forget, when the going gets rough, never forget how lucky you are to be here at Cackle's."

The hall erupted in applause and Mildred, glad to have finished her speech, ran down the steps off the stage and into the waiting arms of Maud and Enid, accepting cheers and congratulations as the newly-graduated Fourth-Years threw their mortarboards in the air as a single wave. The next few moments were a blur, everyone wanting to speak to her, to wish her well, to say what they thought of her speech, all good things. She was being herded towards the back of the hall in the crowd of chatter, and she managed to snatch a couple of words with Della and Fenny and Griz as she went past before she was pressed into a handshake with the wizards. The impromptu party was beginning; Miss Bat playing a newly-composed 'jazzed-up' version of the school song on the harmonium, and Mildred could just imagine Miss Hardbroom's reaction. She looked around for her form-mistress but she was nowhere to be seen. Mildred jumped out of her skin when she heard a familiar voice in her ear.

"Thank you, Mildred."

Mildred spun round, but the voice's owner had already disappeared, and she was being accosted on all sides. She smiled at the simple sentence, and plunged headlong into the fray.

XXX

The year was over. The students had left for the summer a few days previously, some not to return. The Fourth-Years had graduated, all with flying colours, ready to head off to their respective destinations, where Constance was sure that they would shine. She was in the lab, saying goodbye to all the bottles and jars and cauldrons before she was parted with them for the long holiday, not that she would admit this frivolous procedure to anyone. There was nothing left to do now except lock the lab and pack her own possessions. Constance thought of Della's dress, hanging on the back of her door in its carrier, cleaned and repaired by magic and waiting for… Waiting for what? Della had said that she was never going to wear it, and Constance was certain that she was never going to find a use for the gown again.

A knock on the lab door brought her sharply out of her reverie and Constance looked up to see Davina outside the door carrying a large parcel that was wrapped in brown paper and tied up with what looked to be an entire roll of 'fragile, handle with care' tape. She opened the door and Davina handed over her delivery gratefully.

"This just arrived for you," she said, a little breathlessly. "No wonder the postman was late, trying to lug that up the mountain. What is it?" she asked eagerly.

"I have no idea." Constance was completely at a loss, and she tentatively shot a spell at the package to unravel its wrappings. Left leaning against the doorframe was a single rectangular pane of glass.

"What…" Davina began, but then Constance noticed the envelope attached to one corner of the glass in a familiar script, and she pulled it off.

Constance, it read. This is the glass (or ice, whatever you want to call it) from my mirror – I had it taken out of the cheval frame and ordinary glass put in; I was not exceedingly comfortable about having a gateway to the Devil's domain in my bedroom. So I've given it to you for safekeeping. You know, just in case.

I'm off to Glamorgan… well, now actually, I'll probably be on the road by the time you get this.

Have a (hopefully) peaceful and prosperous year, and I've no doubt that our paths will cross again.

Best wishes, Della

PS: Keep the dress. You never know when it might come in handy.

Constance looked at the glass, seeming to be so innocent, yet she knew of its true potential. Now it was in her hands, under her guardianship, and the prospect was more than a little daunting. She cast a spell and the mirror disappeared off to a safe and hidden location, away from inquisitive eyes, and she thought about Della's words.

She too had no doubt that their paths would cross again.

XXX

The Devil was at a loss. This was a most unusual circumstance for him. Being without a plan was not something that a demon could afford to do for long. His temporary limbo had been destroyed and he was back to using his base of operations in the ninth circle, now cut off from Cackle's as it had been as soon as he had closed the Void.

He thought back to that fateful night, to all the many varied events that had occurred in the space of just a few short hours. To him, of course, time meant nothing. It was so relative to his immortal state that it was almost malleable.

So close. He had come so close to having his ultimate desire, and she had ruined everything. Well, he had to concede, he could not solely blame her for the Void, that was of his own doing. But everything else… If only she had not followed her friend into the Void. If only she had not forced his hand in that way, albeit unknowingly. If only he had not let his damned human side get the better of him once again. What was it about this woman that made him prey to such weakness? The Devil knew the answer, of course he did, but he was loathe to admit it even to himself.

He smiled. A plan was forming in the back of his mind.

Note2: Yes folks, this does mean what you think it means. Kimmeth is proud to announce that this is not the end. This series, entitled The Devil in the Details, is in fact a trilogy.

The tale will continue in The Last Stand...

Coming soon to a computer screen near you.

(Review for old times' sake?)