A/N: If Esmeralda seems out of chracter in this I am sorry but I thought this would be an interesting ideas. Only Esmeralda calls Ethel by her nickname and I have a feeling she would be quite senstive about someone else using it so I wrote a story where just that happens. I do not own the WW or the characters.
The Golden Rules Of The Hallows
There was a new student at Cackle's Academy. Cynthia Summerbreeze was short with ginger hair cut into a bob and freckles on her face. She had brown eyes and a pair of glasses on her face and was starting as a second year that day.
Hecate Hardbroom had given Ethel Hallow the job of showing the student around the school and Ethel was currently given her the tour.
"That is the charms classroom and the library is through that door there" Ethel said pointing to the door she was talking about. She kept explaining everything until she had finally finished showing her everything and then they stopped in a corridor to talk.
"It seems great here, much better than my last school" Cynthia replied happily as she looked around the building "I love old buildings thinking of the mystery of who has been here before you" Cynthia carried on beaming, liking the school already.
"Cackle's is a great school, my family has attended this school for three generations" Ethel told her proudly.
"Oh yes I have heard of the Hallows, though I have never met one until now" Cynthia told Ethel seeming if anything a bit nervous at meeting someone from such a famous witching family.
"Well you will be meeting three, my sisters attend this school too, Esmeralda and Sybil" Ethel told her happy she was excited at meeting Hallows and smirking about it.
"Oh cool, you said your name was Ethel didn't you?" Cynthia asked wanting to make sure she had got it right knowing she was really bad with names sometimes. It sometimes took her a while to remember names.
"Correct, Ethel, Ethel Hallow" the blonde replied smugly. Ethel happened to look over and see her older sister walking down the corridor and smiled.
"Oh you wanted to meet Hallows? Ethel smiled at Cynthia before moving her vision to the direction of her sister. "Esmie come here a second" Ethel said calling her over.
"You alright Ethie?" Esmeralda asked smiling at her sister using the nickname she used so often when talking to her sister.
Most people knew that Esmeralda usually called Ethel that name but most people were smart enough not to dare to use it themselves. True none of the sisters had actually told other people but people were just smart enough to know it was a special thing for them. Sadly Cynthia was not one of those people.
"Ethie was just giving me a tour, right Ethie?" Cynthia replied stupidly using the nickname and not realising her mistake.
People often wondered how the two sisters were related. People always said the girls were as different as chalk and cheese but in that moment there similarities were striking. Both girls had been smiling politely at the new pupil but at the exact same time their smiles dropped as they heard what the girl had just called Ethel...twice!
"What?" Cynthia asked not sure why the girls were no longer smiling.
Both of the blonde girls glared at Cynthia neither saying anything for a minute just glaring. Esmeralda's glare was just as deadly as her sisters people just never really got to see it, not unless they really annoyed her which took a lot of effort. But there was only one way that the calm girl's demeanour changed instantly...using the nickname Ethie. That was her thing and she could not stand it when someone else called her precious sister by that name. To her it was much more than a nickname.
"Don't call her Ethie" Esmeralda said to Cynthia still glaring at the girl.
"But you just called her it" Cynthia replied not understanding what was going on. The girl had just used the name so what was the problem.
"I don't care if I just called her it, don't ever use that name again" Esmeralda said meanly to the girl "Ethie is my name and mine alone so don't you ever let me hear you call her that again!"Esmeralda said telling the girl of looking incredibly just like Ethel in that moment.
"Are you really that upset over a stupid name?" Cynthia asked amazed these girls were making such a big deal over a stupid nickname.
"Ethie is not a stupid name your name is stupid" Ethel replied harshly "And as my sister just said don't you dare ever call me that name again, you do not have that right, my name is Ethel and that is what you will call me, are we clear?" Ethel asked glaring at the girl and getting close to her. Ethel would never allow anyone who was not her sister to use the name.
"Okay okay sorry" Cynthia said shaking her head at how unreasonable the sisters were being.
Esmie placed her hand on Ethie's shoulder finally starting to calm down. She breathed in and out slowly telling herself to calm.
"Come on let's go" Esmeralda told her with one last glare to Cynthia before the sisters walked off leaving Cynthia stood there actually more confused than shook up. Mildred and her friends happened to walk past at that moment.
"Hey there, Cynthia wasn't it?" Mildred Hubble said from behind her.
"Yes that is right, Cynthia Summerbreeze" the girl nodded "Erm well met" she said introducing herself as she touched the back of he hand to her forehead.
The three girls she was face to face with gestured back before Mildred introduced them.
"I am Mildred Hubble, and this is Maud Spellbody and Enid Nightshade, we are second years too" Mildred said with a smile to the girl who still looked confused.
"Are you okay? You seem a little lost" Maud asked concerned.
"I am just a little confused by what just happened, you three know The Hallows right?" Cynthia asked the three girls who looked at each other.
"Unfortunately yes, well when I say unfortunately I mean that about Ethel, Esmeralda is really nice" Maud replied.
"Nice? She just yelled at me!" Cynthia said looking a little sad as she told the friends what had happened.
Mildred, Maud and Enid looked at each other confused as to why Esmeralda had yelled at her. Ethel they understood as she had such a short temper but what must the girl have done to anger the down to earth Esmeralda Hallow?
"What on earth did you do?" Maud asked impressed the girl had managed to get yelled at by Esmeralda Hallow on her first day when they still had not ever being yelled at by her and they were second years.
"All I did was call Ethel, Ethie" Cynthia replied simply. The three friends gasped wondering how the girl could think that was a good idea. She must have realised that no-one else had dared to utter the name.
"Yes never do that again unless you have a death wish" Enid replied knowing Cynthia was going to have trouble if she did that.
"But I don't understand, it is just a nickname what is the big deal?" Cynthia asked more confused than ever.
"Golden rules of the Hallows: Only Esmeralda can get away with calling Ethel, Ethie, it is her own personal thing with Ethel" Mildred told Cynthia. Of course the girl could not tell her the history of the name or why it was special because only Esmeralda and Ethel knew that but she could warn her against using it.
"Yes, and only Esmeralda can get away with it and only she gets away with touching her shoulder and hugging her and stuff, if I touched her shoulder she would probably throw me out a window for invading her personal space" Enid replied seriously knowing the girl would probably actually do that.
"Exactly, Ethel's friend Drusilla touched her arm once and Ethel yelled at her for half an hour" Enid replied with a laugh remembering that moment.
"That girl can get away with anything when it comes to Ethel, things if the rest of us tried we would be turned into a rat for" Maud replied seriously knowing it was true. She had no idea how Esmeralda managed it.
"So what is her secret?" Cynthia asked being a person who hates not knowing.
"No idea" Maud replied honestly clueless. No-one had ever figured out how Esmeralda got away with half of the things she did.
"But a little bit of advice...don't call Ethel that name again if you want to stay on Esmeralda's good side" Enid replied warning the girl not to do it.
"I think it is a little late for that" Cynthia replied knowing she was probably one of Esmeralda's least favourite people at that moment.
"Oh and don't mention anything about their parents in front of Ethel either" Maud replied remembering to advice the girl about it.
"Yes especially in front of Esmeralda, that will really make you go onto her bad side" Mildred replied knowing if Cynthia spoke about their parents and upset Ethel, Esmeralda would really not like the girl.
"Why not?" Cynthia asked curiously.
"Trust me just don't do it, it is a sensitive subject" Maud replied knowing the girl will learn soon enough.
"So don't touch Ethel, don't call her Ethie, don't mention their parents..." Cynthia said counting them off on her fingers "Anything else I should know?" the girl asked them.
"I would not insult Ethel in front of Esmeralda either so be careful of that, and be nice to Sybil too" Mildred replied thinking of something else. Cynthia stood there for a few seconds staring blanking ahead.
"Right...I think I can remember that" Cynthia said her head hurting with all this new information.
"Good, do what we said and your life here should be fairly easy" Enid told her with a smile.
"Actually there is one last thing if you want to succeed in this school" Maud replied thinking of another rule.
"Don't tell me there is a certain time I have to curtsey to Ethel or something" Cynthia replied trying to remember everything. The three girls laughed at how serious the girl was.
"No, the last piece of advice is don't annoy HB, Miss Hardbroom, our potions teacher, we can make sure not to do that by going to lesson now so we are not late" Maud replied explaining about HB.
Cynthia nodded but gulped. She was not so sure about this school anymore with all the school rules and the rules about the Hallows and the rule about HB. She sighed annoyed she had made such a bad impression on her first day.
"Come on then" Mildred said leading her to the potions lab.
That is how Cynthia met the Hallow sisters, a meeting she would never forget. One thing was for sure...the Hallow family was just as scary as she had been told and Cynthia learned from her mistake...she never again called the girl Ethie.