Lock and Key (novel)
After her drug and alcohol addicted mother abandons her, child services forces 17-year-old Ruby Cooper to move in with her sister, Cora, who had left for college when Ruby was young. Ruby is upset about this arrangement and continues to wear the key to her old home on a chain around her neck. After learning she will be transferring to a new high school, Ruby attempts to run away but is found out. Nate Cross, Jamie and Cora's next-door neighbor, covers for her. Over the span of the story, Ruby slowly becomes closer to Nate.
List of minor The Worst Witch characters
Ruby, along with Jadu Wali, is a TV-only character who doesn't appear in the books. Ruby is depicted as a tall black girl with frizzy hair worn in pigtails and an inventive personality. Ruby is like the mad scientist of the group. She invents a number of whacky inventions that almost always go wrong. She is very loyal to her friends and keen to learn at Cackle's Academy. Like Jadu, she is often dragged along on whatever crazy crusade Mildred and co. are going on, though there are times when she and Jadu are absent (in the episode "The Inspector Calls" she and Jadu are completely absent when Mildred, Maud and Enid are trying to stop Mistress Hecketty Broomhead from closing the academy down and the two have only minor roles in the episode "Power Drill" when Mildred, Maud and Enid are trying to give Miss Drill magic powers). Ruby was portrayed by Joanna Dyce.