A/N: Has anyone ever noticed how Ethel always seems to be awake for some reason? Someone like me who thinks way to much in to things came up with this idea. Takes place during Mildred and Ethel's first year. Enjoy.

The Hallows Nightly Ritual

Mildred Hubble shot awake after a nightmare and turned over to look at her bedside clock seeing it was two in the morning. The young first year got up and made her way our of her room heading to the bathroom and when she was coming out she spotted something.

Esmerelda Hallow was sneaking into her sister's bedroom and Mildred stopped to watch her. Mildred had been at this school a few months now and this was not the first time she had saw this happening but the young girl had always ignored it, Esmerelda was always nice to her when she did not have to be so she was not about to go telling on her to HB but that did not mean the girl was not curious.

Mildred suspected two things: the girls were either having some sort of feast or the elder sister was going to check on Ethel. Mildred knew when she was at home her mother always checked on her before she went to bed herself and Mildred knowing how much Esmerelda cared about her sister suspected that was what the elder was doing but she wanted to know for sure.

Mildred ran into her bedroom and grabbed a tiny bottle on her bedside table, that was the potion she had made that day in her potions class with Maud and Enid and it just so happened to be a invisibility potion, the girl knew how wrong it was but she was just so curious she drank the potion and left knowing she had a good hour before it wore off.

Mildred was just about to try figure out a way to sneak in Ethel's closed door when as luck would have it Nightstar ran into her mistresses room and Mildred ran in behind before Esmerelda who was near the door closed it. Mildred went and stood in the middle of the room to watch what the sisters were doing.

The young girl watched the two sisters and that was when she realised whatever the girls were doing was not what she had suspected because Ethel was wide awake and talking to her sister quietly.

"Are you sure this one was not real?" Ethel was asking Esmerelda panic evident in her voice.

"Of course not Ethie it was just a nightmare" Esmerelda replied kindly.

Mildred then thought maybe that was what they were going to do just talk and feeling like sisters needed time by themselves Mildred was about to leave when Esmerelda started to walk in her direction and Mildred panicked thinking she was coming towards her.

Mildred let go of the breathe she had been holding when she realised Esmerelda was not walking towards her but walking to the other side of her sisters bed for some reason and Mildred wondered what on earth the girl was doing and peered closer as she saw the girl open a drawer of her sisters bedside table and take out a book.

Esmerelda then sat on the bed and lay next to her sister Mildred watching beyond confused as to what they were actually doing, it was after all two in the morning could whatever they were doing not wait?. Esmie smiled at her little sister before putting her arm around her and Ethel leaned her head on the elder girl's shoulder instinctively as Esmerelda opened the book she had taken from her sisters drawer.

"I just wanted to say I am sorry father but I will not do it" Esmerelda read aloud from the book well loud enough for Ethel to hear anyway. "I do not love him and that is something I can not change Gretchen told her father admitting she did not want to marry Ellis." Esmerelda read to her sister.

Mildred zoned out not interested in the story at all but watched the two girls in fascination, Mildred of course had been read stories by her mother when she was younger as had most children she had known but now that she was eleven it didn't happen anymore but by how causal both girls were Mildred suspected this happened every night if not very often.

That was the moment Mildred started to wonder something. Had Ethel ever being read a story by her mother? Mildred really suspected she hadn't and suddenly she felt really sad, most children would be read to by their parents or run to them at night when they were scared but somehow Mildred could not imagine that having of her happened with her mother. Mildred suspected Ethel would go to her sister instead though why Esmerelda was risking reading to her sister with HB in the school Mildred did not understand. Esmerelda was after all famous for following the rules.

It was only then Mildred really started to think, maybe Esmerelda had no choice. When Mildred had entered the room Ethel seemed wide awake unlike her sister who seemed to be tired...did Ethel actually have trouble sleeping?

"You can't be serious, that can't be true" Esmerelda read interrupting Mildred's thoughts and she watched the sisters properly. Ethel cuddling into her sister hanging on every word.

Mildred listened for a good half an hour struggling to stay awake and was just about to think of a way to go when she heard gentle snoring and realised Ethel had fallen asleep on her sister's shoulder.

This was the proper moment Mildred realised this was a regular occurrence because Esmerelda had clearly mastered the way of moving without waking her sister, the elder girl gentle stood up before lowering her sister onto the pillows gently and Ethel did not even flinch. Esmerelda then walked around to the other side of the bed yawning herself but she pulled on the covers of her sisters bed making sure her little sister was covered properly.

"Night Ethie, I love you" the girl said kissing her cheek and stroking her face twice before she waved her hand over her sister causing a white light to eliminate her for a few seconds and Mildred suspected it was some sort of spell to prevent nightmares. The girl then headed for the door and Mildred ran out after her being careful not to walk into her as she watched the girl walking down the corridors wondering how she had not yet being caught and with that thought Mildred ran back to her room.

There in the safety of her bedroom Mildred felt a sadness in her stomach. Ethel Hallow: a bully, whiny, annoying, a brat and acted so tough yet it was clear to Mildred the young girl could not sleep without Esmerelda reading to her because if she could the older girl would not risk being caught by HB, Mildred was not sure what was causing Ethel to lack sleep, was it nightmares? Mildred had no idea but it was still quite sad that a eleven year old could not sleep through the night, maybe that was the reason Ethel could never quite reach her sister's level...she was tired as struggled with sleep so her work suffered and it could also be why the girl always seemed so stressed and Mildred now understood why the girl always seemed to be sneaking out at night, it is because it is so easy for the girl as she is not able to sleep.

That was also the moment Mildred decided never to talk to anyone about what she had seen...not even Maud or Enid, she had a feeling people would make fun of Ethel for needing to be read a story by her sister in order to be able to sleep and she might not like the girl but she really didn't want that to happen.

Mildred got back into her bed sadly thinking of the nightly ritual she had just witnessed wondering just how much Ethel had suffered in order to be sleep deprived, it was something most children took for granted being able to sleep soundless in their beds without worry of their minds being plagued by nightmares and Mildred knew then that no matter what the blonde said the treatment by her mother had mentally affected her and scared her to the point where the girl could not sleep. Mildred only hoped HB never noticed Esmerelda's night-time wanderings and with that thought the girl fell asleep promising to keep what she had witnessed a secret from that moment on. So the Hallows nightime ritual remained a secret because Mildred kept her promise and kept it to herself.