A/N: I hope you all like the idea of this chapter, thanks for the support!

Chapter Twenty-Four

A Lost Love

Ethel looked at the time knowing it was early before sitting down and holding up the card to the mirror and looked around nervously as the call connected, it rang quite a few times before an older woman, who looked quite tired answered.

"Ethel, it is three in the morning," Josephine Hallow said hiding a yawn. The woman's hair was greying, but she still had distinct blonde pieces throughout her hair that her family was famous for, and she looked so much like Ethel if someone didn't know they would think it was her from the future.

"Oops sorry Gran, I forgot about the time difference," Ethel said forgetting how early it was in Australia.

"Clearly," the woman said annoyed as she had had to get out of bed, but Ethel ringing her alone was rare, the sisters normally rang together so the woman was growing concerned. "What is going on darling?" the woman asked worried.

"I need some advice, I am sorry it can't wait," Ethel said her eyes red from crying so much.

"You have been crying...what is going on are you hurt?" Jo asked fearing the worst.

"Gran...I am worried about...a friend...she is in a bit of trouble" Ethel said trying to brace the subject without telling her it was her.

"What kind of trouble?" the woman asked concerned.

"She has fallen in love," Ethel told the woman and Jo yawned, wondering why that mattered.

"So? What is the problem? The person is already in a relationship, she has landed herself pregnant, she is only a first-year?" Jo asked trying to think of reasons why it would matter.

"Her crush is a student" Ethel revealed, explaining the whole problem to her Gran, obviously Cackles was a girls school so she would realise what she meant.

"Ahh, so it is another girl?" Jo asked understanding instantly

"Yes," Ethel said "But her family is super strict if they find out they will disown her and she will lose everything" Ethel went on. Jo frowned suspiciously.

"Your friend, who is she?" Jo asked. Ethel looked up hoping she didn't notice her trying to think of a name on the top of her head.

"Katrina," Ethel said "She has brown hair," Ethel said being very vague, Jo though looked at Ethel and just knew, why would Ethel be so upset her friend was in this situation? It didn't affect her personally but Jo could see how red her eyes were and knew the true problem.

"You have never mentioned her" Jo went on playing along

"She just moved here" Ethel counted back

"Then she fell in love very quickly," Jo said knowing she couldn't have had long to have her feelings change if she had just moved. "What about her crush, what is she like?" Jo asked her, Ethel looked at her taken aback.

"What?" she said surprised

"Her crush, what is she like, is she a good person?" Jo asked

"To good a person who has treated her right after so many years of her hurting her and forgiven her mistakes, she wears her hair in long messy plaits, hair dark and chocolate coloured eyes," Ethel said going into love mode and talking about her crush, not realising her big slip up.

"How could there be problems between the girls for years if she had just moved there?" Jo asked knowing now she was right by the way she was talking, her granddaughter was very much in love. "Ethel...this friend...she wouldn't be you would she?" Jo asked. Ethel looked at her lip quivering before she lost it and burst into tears, crying into her hands.

"Mum and dad are going to bury me alive when they find out, I will be homeless and have no-one, there must be something you can do, a spell, a potion, just get rid of these feelings I hate them," Ethel said touching her head as her voice got louder with each word.

"Ethel you know I can't, there is a reason there are no spells and enchantments that permanently change the feelings of love, love is too strong even for magic to change," Jo told her.

"But I need to get rid of it before someone finds out!" Ethel cried badly. "I don't want anyone else to hate me," Ethel said crying more.

"I am not angry at you hun, not at all," she said knowing Ethel needed reassurance she wasn't a bad person for this "You are in a pickle but happiness is more important than what other people think" Jo explained to her.

"I am only fifteen, I don't want to end up homeless" Ethel said not able to even visualize how her parents would react only it would be terrible.

"Ethel, you are not the first person at Cackles to fall in love and certainly won't be the last, you go to a high school even if it is a witching all-girls one, how many relationships do you think are happening right now?" Jo asked knowing as they spoke girls were together, it was stupid to deny it. "I have experience with this trust me, Ethel," Jo told her. Ethel shot her head up she couldn't possibly mean...

"You...at Cackles...had a girlfriend?" Ethel asked unable to believe it. Jo sighed and nodded, she had never told her granddaughters because there had never been a need but Ethel needed support right now.

"Griselda Lightbank," the woman said "In my last year she moved to Cackles from another school after her parents divorced, I fell hard for her and we started dating," the woman said.

"What happened?" Ethel asked shocked and surprised

"My parents found out, now they weren't as strict as yours, they didn't throw me out or disown me, but they made me break up with her, I met your grandfather the year later in college, still heartbroken over losing her," Jo said wiping a stray tear as she spoke about the painful memories.

"I am truly sorry Gran," Ethel said knowing how much it must have hurt her to lose her first love.

"I don't want the same to happen to you, you need to decide what you want, don't let others sway your thoughts or decisions Ethel," Jo told her sadly.

"But mum and dad..." Ehtel said

"Have never given you anything, you don't owe them anything Ethie, for once you need to put your happiness first if you love her...never be ashamed of that" Jo told her trying to advise her as best as she can.

"Whatever you decide I think you should tell your sisters," Jo said knowing Ethel needed support right now.

"I don't want them to be disappointed" Ethel admitted why she had put it off.

"They love you and always will I promise, no matter what happens I love and support you always and so do they, nothing in this world, no feelings in this world will ever change that, I will always be proud to call you my granddaughter and they will always be proud to call you their sister" Jo explained. Ethel sat there with tears streaming, touched by her Gran's word, deep down she had been worried she would end the call and never talk to her again.

"Thanks, Gran, I really miss you and love you," Ethel said

"I miss you too honey and love you always, I am always here to talk," Jo said. Ethel nodded making a choice.

"I will tell Esmie and Sybie, they need to know, they are the two most important people in my life, you can go back to bed now, I will be okay," Ethel said blowing her a kiss as she said goodbye. She could have sworn she heard her Gran cry as she left, deep down in her heart missing the love she had been forced to give up.