A/N: I love the 2017 series and Esmeralda's character and her relationship with Ethel. I have wanted to write this for a while so hope you all enjoy. All chapters are beta edited by my friend Joey.

If You Only Stopped To Look You Would See The Hurt Within

Chapter One

It was a very hot day, well at least it was by British weather standards. All the houses in the streets had windows fully open as the residents tried to get some relief from the scorching heat and everyone was out enjoying the sunshine in shorts and t-shirts secretly hoping they got tanned and not burned.

In a posh neighbourhood stood a mansion with beautiful gardens and a fountain outside. There was over twenty rooms in the mansion and it housed the richest family in the neighbourhood. This mansion housed the Hallow family which consisted of Mr and Mrs Hallow and their three daughters. Esmeralda, Ethel and Sybil.

The middle daughter was currently in her bedroom which was fairly large for a bedroom. The blonde was sat on the floor lost in concentration as her eyes darted across the words on the page of the book she was reading. The young girl had been so engrossed in her book that when she heard a knocking noise she jumped, causing her cat Nightstar who had been sleeping next to her to meow at her.

She looked around for a few seconds confused as to what the noise could have been. Then she realised someone was knocking on her bedroom door.

Ethel positioned her book back onto her lap and called her cat over again now that she realised there was no threat before answering to the knock.

"Come in" the young girl said without glancing up from her book.

Ethel heard her bedroom door open slowly but whoever it was at the door did not enter her bedroom. Ethel waited a few moments for the person to tell her what they wanted but she could sense whoever it was was still stood in the doorway.

The blonde girl slowly looked up from her book and raised her eyebrows at the person who was distracting her.

"Yes?" Ethel said kind of rudely. She did not like to be disturbed whilst reading her book.

"Ethie" a girl who was taller than her said as she finally stepped into her room.

Esmeralda was the eldest Hallow sister. She had blonde hair too but it was a darker shade than Ethel's and brown eyes as well as a sweet face. She was two years older than Ethel and would be in year four when they returned to school as Ethel was going to be in year two and Sybil in year one.

"What is it Esmeralda?" Ethel asked as she looked at her older sister.

"I came to see if you were okay...you are not seriously studying are you?" Esmie said surprised to see that she was studying during the holidays.

"Yes I am studying" Ethel replied simply.

"But...it's the holidays we have only been off a few days, you have six weeks before you need to worry about that stuff." Esmeralda said as she went and sat on the floor next to her younger sister.

"Well unlike some people I have to study, I am not perfect at everything." Ethel replied snapping at her perfect older sister.

The younger sister had light blonde hair and blue eyes and braces. The girl was normally getting into trouble unlike her sister.

"I am not perfect Ethel." Esmie replied not understanding why her sister was always so insistent that she was.

Before Ethel had started at school the fact that her sister was older had not been such a big issue but last year Ethel had started to resent her sister. The witches code was a code all witches had to follow and one thing the witches code said was the eldest daughter inherited everything. This would not have annoyed Ethel so much if her sister was not seemingly perfect at everything.

Ethel clearly did not believe her sister because she looked back at her book without replying to her sister's statement.

"You can not stay in your room all day with weather like this." Esmie said trying to coax her out.

"Oh really?" Ethel asked saracatically.

"I know why don't we do something? We can go to the cinema, or a museum or go and get an ice cream, we can even just go to the library if you insist on studying." Esmie suggested wanting to get her sister out of the house in the nice weather.

"I am perfectly fine here" Ethel replied content in sitting on her floor and reading all day.

"If this is about last year...I told you I have forgiven you for that." Esmeralda told her honestly over that issue now.

At the end of last year Ethel had tricked her sister into giving her powers to the evil Agatha Cackle because she had thought if she was not a witch she would get the attention. Esmie had lost her powers and Agatha had taken over the school but things did not go to plan. Miss Gullet who was working with Agatha turned Esmeralda into a trophy and when the school was about to collapse Ethel had gone to rescue her sister. Once Ada Cackle the headmistress and Hecate Hardbroom were free from the painting Agatha had trapped them in they had turned Esmeralda back and her powers were returned. For a few days after this incident Esmeralda had thought Ethel would stop pushing her away but once they had returned home Ethel closed off again.

"It is not about last year" Ethel said growing annoyed.

"Then stop shutting me out, I am trying to help you, we don't have to go out anywhere far or anything." Esmie replied just wanting her sister to be her friend and do something with her.

Ethel had a short temper and was already annoyed at her sisters nagging to go out and do something.

"Grr I don't want to go out anywhere and I don't want to do anything, if you are so desperate to go out take Sybil for ice cream, oh wait." Ethel said pausing for a moment "Mum and dad would never let you take their precious little darling baby girl out if it was only you two, I mean what if she scraped her knee, that would be the end of the world for them." Ethel replied angrily regarding her younger sister.

"But Ethie" Esmie started but was cut off by her sister.

"Can you please just go? I am busy" Ethel said turning back to her book, done with this discussion.

Esmeralda sat there for a few seconds not knowing how to respond before she stood up.

"Alright but if you change your mind." Esmie replied telling her she still had the option to do something if she chose too.

"I won't" Ethel said. Esme nodded a little and walked to her sisters door before walking out and closing it behind her.

Esmeralda was worried about her little sister. The younger girl had locked herself in her room since they finished school and had only come out for mealtimes or if their parents forced them to go out somewhere. The rest of the time she was studying alone.

"Esmie, Esmie" someone was saying as the oldest girl was lost in thought.

"ESMIE" someone shouted waving their hand in front of her face. The girl came out of her trance and looked down seeing an even younger girl looking at her.

Sybil was the youngest Hallow girl. She had darker blonde hair like her elder sister but blue eyes like her older sister.

"Oh you alright Sybil?" Esmie asked her youngest sister kindly.

"I am okay, are you?" Sybil asked as she realised her sister had been lost in thought.

"Yes, I was just thinking about Ethel." Esmie admitted to her.

"She seems to be acting the same to me." Sybil said having not noticed anything different.

Esmeralda smiled slightly at that. Sybil had not seen her in nearly a year so she would not notice a change like Esmie did.

"I am just worried she is getting isolated that is all, did you need help with something?" Esmeralda asked offering to help her youngest sister if she needed it.

"Yes, can you help me study for the entrance exam tomorrow?" Sybil asked knowing her eldest sister still held the highest score for her entrance exam and her help would guarantee her place at the school.

"Okay sure" Esmeralda replied willingly happy to help her.

Esmeralda followed the youngest girl into her bedroom and sat down on the bed with her. She knew the youngest was nervous about her entrance exam.

"Right so which part do you want help with, the potion part or the written exam?" Esmeralda asked wanting to know which area was needed to help her with.

"Both" Sybil replied as she sat next to her sister, wanting to get as much help as she could in every area.

The two girls studied for hours making sure that Sybil was ready for her entrance exam tomorrow morning but at the back of her mind Esmeralda was worrying about Ethel. She could not help feeling Ethel was going further downhill. She was going to do something to help her ,to find out what is going on. She had the whole summer to figure it out and to do something about it.