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Chapter Three
The day after her breakdown in PE was about to prove to Esmerelda that her time at Cackles was not going to be easy. After her first successful potion Esmerelda knew that everyone was waiting for her to mess up but she had being practising these potions for years, she knew how to do them. So in her next lesson when she once again made the right potion her classmates glared at her.
Esmerelda wished they wouldn't. It wasn't her fault she was a Hallow and expected to achieve high grades, and it was not her fault she could make it and they couldn't. When she left her second potion lesson that day she saw the two girls she had sat with in Chanting the day prior Wendy Woodstone and Millicent Craftwood, were speaking and laughing with the two girls who had bullied her in PE. She walked past them quickly, hanging her head, hoping they didn't see her.
Even older pupils seemed to be giving her dirty looks, word had obviously spread about her doing well in potions and the older pupils were clearly not happy that a first year was already beating them academically. She walked quickly heading to the library, hoping she could get some more peace there.
There was only a few pupils there as it was breaktime so most would not spend their time in a library when they could be chatting and having fun. She took a seat and got out her book of choice for that time, deciding to read a chapter or two before her next class.
She was therefore glad when the day ended. She could go to her room and away from prying eyes in peace. She was sitting on her bed, doing homework and stroking Morgana when she heard her door open and the four girls she had seen after potions walk in.
"You can't just walk in here" Esmerelda told them wondering how they had the cheek to do that.
"Well I just did" the tallest girl said. She was skinny with chestnut coloured hair, blue eyes and a smirk on her face. She was stood with the other bully from yesterday who was chubby, had glasses and black hair and Millicent and Wendy.
"What do you want?" Esmerelda asked annoyed
"You are a teacher's pet, so we want you to do our homework for us" the other bully said and Esmie scoffed in response.
"In your dreams" she told them wondering how they would force her to do that.
"If you don't do what we say I will put my fist in your face" the girl who had been smirking said. Esmerelda thought she had heard someone call her Delilah and her friend she was sure was called Gretel.
"Oh what you can't do spells well enough to inure me you have to fight like you aren't a witch? How pathetic" Esmerelda replied. She saw she had hit a nerve as the girls opened their mouth and glared at her. Clearly they had not expected her to answer back.
"There is four of us and one of you, do you want us to teach you a lesson?" Gretel asked Esmerelda.
"Do what you want, I don't really care to be honest" Esmerelda told them. She was not afraid of them. She was after all the daughter of Triton and Ursula Hallow, she wouldn't fear a bunch of eleven year olds who couldn't even use magic to fight.
Esmerelda thought her standing up to them would cause them to leave, realising she was not going to fight with them, but as she wrote her essay, waiting for them to leave she felt one of the girls reach around her and take something of her desk. She looked over and her eyes went wide as she saw what she was holding.
"GIVE THAT BACK" Esmerelda shouted as she saw the girl was holding the picture of Ethel and Sybil. She only had one at school with her so it was a huge deal.
"Are these your sisters? Are they geeks too?" one of the girls laughed. Esmerelda lunged forward to get it.
"Did your parents never teach you not to grab stuff?" Deliah said moving it out of her grasp.
"Please give it back" Esmerelda said feeling herself becoming panicked.
"Aww she said please, maybe I should" Delilah said holding it as if she was deciding. "Na" she said before laughing and walking to her window.
"Do you think it would break if I drop it" she said and smiled as she saw Esmerelda was sweating. Esmerelda couldn't help it. She was reacting how they wanted her to, she was panicking so much about the photo.
"No please don't" Esmerelda said feeling herself about to tear up.
"Maybe I will, maybe I won't" she said chuckling. "Why do you care so much? It is nothing good to look at anyway" the girl said not realising how dangerous the words she were saying were.
Esmerelda was a Hallow. She had Hallow blood running through her veins, but she was not violent or cruel, she constantly had to tell Ethel of for her temper but she was normally able to control hers but not when someone insulted her precious sisters, she could feel her temper rising as the girl spoke about them.
"They are pretty ugly, it might help if the picture cracks" Delilah said chuckling again as she looked at her friends. That though was the moment Esmerelda realised she was not going to be able to control her temper, no-one spoke about her sisters. No-one.
Before she could think about it she was lunging forward and attacking Delilah who gasped in shock. Esmerelda felt her slap her face so Esmerelda reacted by casting a spell that gave the girl an electric shock. She screamed and Esmerelda grabbed her photo frame clutching it to her chest safety. She could sense Deliah about to attack her again so she slapped her before she got the chance just as Miss Hardbroom appeared from thin air.
"WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON?" She said casting a spell to separate the two girls
"SHE STARTED IT" Esmerelda shouted
"NO SHE DID" Delilah shouted back
"I DO NOT CARE WHO STARTED IT, BOTH OF YOU GET TO MISS CACKLE'S OFFICE NOW" she told them as she transferred them to see the headmistress.
"Really girls, it is only your second day" Miss Cackle told them shaking her head as she was told about the fight.
"She attacked me first!" Delilah said not wanting to get in trouble for defending herself.
"Esmerelda you shouldn't of attacked her, if there was a problem you should have gone to see one of the teachers" she told the blonde as Delilah smirked.
"But you knew you were winding her up, and I will not tolerate this behaviour Delilah, if you have problems with each other I don't care, stay away from each other if you really can't stand one another but I will not tolerate fighting" she told the girls. Neither girl was badly injured. Both had a red cheek from where they had slapped each other but that was it.
"You will both receive a detention, as it is your first week I will not inform your parents but I don't want either of you in here again" she told them before pointing her hand at the door and using a spell to open it. "You may go Delilah, Esmerelda I want to have another word" she told her as Delilah smirked and left.
"Esmerelda, you are head of year, you are meant to be setting an example" Ada told her not shouting at her though.
"She insulted my sisters and was going to throw my photo of them out the window!" Esmerelda replied explaining herself.
"Esmerelda I know you are homesick but you can't lash out at everyone who insults your sisters" she told the girl, knowing she was wound up and it was not all her fault but she had to learn not to take it so seriously.
"I am sorry Miss Cackle" Esmerelda said feeling teary again. She missed her sisters more than ever, all she felt was homesickness.
"I am going to sign you up for a club, I think it might take your mind of your homesickness and you might make some more friends, I expect you to go, this is to help you Esmerelda" Ada told her and Esmie sighed not really wanting to go to a club but she nodded.
"Yes Miss Cackle" she told her with a sigh
"We don't want you in here again unless it is for a good reason, now go and stay away from Delilah and her friends, if she enters your room again go and find a teacher" Ada told her trying to help the girl. Everyone was still trying to settle but she hoped this silly fighting would cease.
"I will, sorry Miss Cackle" Esmerelda told her before she left the room. From that day on she broke a school rule and used magic to lock her bedroom door. They weren't supposed to lock them but she didn't care. Her photo frame was to precious to leave easy access for.