A/N: I have timeskipped a little in this chapter just to move things furthur alone I hope you don't mind!

Chapter Seventeen

Cravings And Kicks

The day had finally come where the sisters were returning to school. Esmie was already there when Ethel arrived and she hugged her tightly, Sybil hugged her two sisters before they even could catch their breath and the three girls were so happy to be together again. They were glad to all be back and away from their horrible foster homes.

"So good to be back" Sybil said smiling at the other blondes.

"I couldn't agree more" Esmerelda replied as she smiled hugging them both.

It was the monthly staff meeting at Cackles and Hecate arrived armed with papers and gave Ada an essay.

"What grade would you give this?" she asked the woman. Ada flicked through the twelve pages seeing the detail and knowledge involved in it. Ada looked at her colleague confused before replying.

"Top grade, this is exceptional" Ada told Hecate wondering why she would give it anything less.

"What about this?" Hecate asked the woman giving the woman another essay.

Barely a page long, the detail was lacking, it was rambling and looked like it had been put together in five minutes. Ada lowered her eyebrows and then looked at Hecate.

"I am not sure I would even let it scrape a pass" Ada admitted. The work was awful and Hecate sighed expecting that.

"This first essay is Esmerelda's from before her year's absence, that second one is from last week" Hecate told Ada. She was so worried about Esmerelda. She now knew aiming for top grades did not seen to bother Esmie as much but she had exams coming up and she had to pass them if she hoped to get anywhere. She knew her sisters pregnancy was taking a lot of her time up but her studies was important too. Ada sighed in response.

"I am worried after everything the girl is going to fail her exams, she seems to have lost any sense of concentration" Ada told Hecate as the other teachers around the table looked worried.

"That is the thing, she is not listening anymore, she just daydreams, I can't get her to focus on her work anymore" Miss Bat told the other teachers. Ada looked around the table before asking a question.

"Has anyone else had problems with her?" Ada asked the teachers. All of them nodded or said yes and Ada took another look at her latest work before speaking.

"I want you all to do everything you can to engage her more in her work, if her grades don't improve she won't be ready for her exams and I will have no choice but to make her repeat year four" Ada told the teachers who gasped.

"You want to hold her back a year?" Miss Drill asked upset to hear it as Esmerelda was such a good student who had being determined not to be held back. Ada nodded.

"I don't want her leaving here with nothing, it might benefit her to repeat the year she missed, as from right now she is on trial" Ada told the staff who all looked at each other upset things had gotten to this point.

Ethel was now sixteen weeks or four months pregnant. Luckily for her the sickness had stopped now and she had finally gained a small bump that could be seen which she spend most of her days with her hands clutched around. She was quite insecure about her extra weight gain but she did like that it meant her baby was growing, and she had done a three sixty. Before she had not being able to eat anything without throwing it up, now she was eating loads and had disgusting cravings.

"Can you pass me the ketchup Sybil?" Ethel asked her not quite able to reach it on the other side of the table they were sat at. Ada had told the kitchens Ethel had to have special food because of the pregnancy and she had a simple rice dish today which was still much better than what her sisters were eating. Sybil looked at her sister confused but passed her the bottle of sauce. Ethel opened it, squeezed a large amount onto her rice and then started to eat it.

"I think I am going to be sick" Esmerelda commented as she saw how disgusting the food looked.

"I don't even like ketchup, but baby wants it on everything right now" Ethel commented with a laugh towards her sisters expression as she spooned the rice into her mouth.

"Well you don't like a lot of food, you are picky, trust you to have odd cravings, the worst one was the cornflakes in soup" Esmerelda commented as she shuddered remembering that one from the other day.

"No the worse was the strawberry jam on the pizza" Sybil commented as she watched her sister tuck into her rice covered in ketchup.

Felicity walked over to the table at that moment and smiled at the sisters before taking a seat to talk to her friend. They spoke for a few minutes until Felicity asked a question.

"Can I feel the baby?" she asked seeing Ethel with her hands on her bump. Ethel shook her head turning away and covering her stomach. She had never really being very overprotective before but now she was giving Esmerelda a run for her money. She would not let anyone whatsoever touch her bump except her sisters. She knew someone like Felicity would not hurt her baby but it was her job to protect the baby and she just couldn't bring herself to allow anyone near them.

"See you in lesson" Felicity said with a smile standing up and walking off not wanting to upset Ethel even more.

"Mmm Chanting….I think it bores the baby to death" Ethel told her sisters as she remembered what lesson she had next.

"It is alright for the baby they can sleep through it" Sybil replied and Ethel laughed thinking her sister had a point. Ethel stood up and started to leave the hall with her sisters.

"Hi Ethel, are you okay? I saw you were upset yesterday" Mildred commented as the girl stood up to go to lesson and walked into Mildred. Ethel had indeed being upset. She was just emotional all the time. Ethel covered her bump, she didn't trust Mildred not to trip over something and hurt her. She wanted Mildred nowhere near her little darling baby, she was the last person she would let near it.

"I am fine" Ethel replied rudely before walking off as Sybil walked past given her a sympathetic smile and Esmie gave Mildred a look warning her against upsetting Ethel. Mildred sighed. Julie had become a foster carer a few months ago, as she couldn't stand to be in the house by herself but she thought taking on three children and a baby was much to much and was not hearing it about fostering the sisters. Mildred did not know why but she wanted her to foster them, she would just have to keep nagging.

"I told you it was a waste of time" Enid told Mildred as she joined them telling by the look on her face the talk with the Hallows had not gone well. Mildred nodded in agreement, not wanting to admit it even if she knew it had not gone well at all.

After lessons that day the three sisters were sat in the elder sisters room. Ethel was sitting up on her sisters bed with her head against the pillows. She had a potions book balanced on her knee and her other hand on her precious bump. Esmie was sitting at the end of the bed, squished into a corner with Sybil next to her but neither of them minded, they wanted Ethel to be comfortable. Esmerelda was helping Sybil study for her history of magic test the following week.

"Why am I so bad with dates!" Sybil said growing upset as she messed up a date again. Esmie cuddled her close with a smile.

"Don't get upset Sybil you will get there, dates are hard to remember" Esmerelda told the youngest blond as she stroked her hair gently.

Ethel was half listening to her sisters as she tried to remember the last ingredient for an invisibility potion when she suddenly felt a strange sensation in her stomach, like something pushing against her. She gasped and let go of her book, clutching her stomach with her other hand.

"Ethie!" Esmerelda said worried seeing her clutch her stomach. Esmerelda felt her heart drop to her stomach in that moment. Was her sister in pain? After everything Merlin would not be so cruel as to make her have the baby so early it had no hope of survival would he?

"I…..I think they just kicked" Ethel said touching her stomach more. Esmerelda let out a breath of relief. Kicking was normal, in fact it was good. Ethel smiled and gasped as the baby kicked again.

"Let me feel!" Sybil said rushing away from Esmerelda's side to Ethel's. Ethel took her sister's hand gently placing it on her stomach as the baby kicked at her stomach.

"Oooo, it feels weird" Sybil said. Sybil being the youngest had never felt a baby kick before. Of course she was the last to come out of her mother so she didn't feel her siblings kick.

Esmerelda walked over then giving Sybil time to feel it even if she knew the baby might stop kicking and she would miss it. But she would get to feel it at some other point, even if she would be more upset that she would let on if she missed it. Sybil removed her hand then and Esmerelda took her place.

"Sorry Esmie, I think they have stopped for now" Ethel said sadly as Esmie kept her hand on her sisters stomach but felt nothing until suddenly the baby gave an almighty kick and Esmerelda beamed, glad she had not missed the special moment.

"I think Miss Drill will be proud, seems they have a good kick for sports" Esmerelda commented making Ethel laugh before the younger girl suddenly burst into tears.

"Ethie….did I say the wrong thing?" Esmie asked wondering if Ethel had taken her joke wrong. Ethel cried much more but shook her head.

"No….I am just so happy...happy I know my baby is okay and happy something is going right for once in my life" Ethel admitted and Esmerelda took her hand of her sisters stomach and put an arm around her instead. Sybil went and cuddled her at the other side.

"It feels more real now" Ethel commented as she hugged both her sisters.

"How much longer until it comes?" Sybil asked not exactly sure. Esmerelda beamed at her before replying.

"A while yet, patience Sybil" Esmie laughed as she cuddled both her sisters lovingly and kissed their heads as Ethel was still teary from the fact baby Hallow had made their presence known.