A/N: Another story finished, hoped everyone liked.
Chapter Eighteen
There was a knock on the door and Josephine Hallow went and opened the door, curious as to who it was as she was not expecting any visitors. She opened the door and found Julie Hubble standing on the doorstep.
"Hello!" the woman said cheerily, she had not expected to see her.
"Hi there, I hope I am not intruding, I just thought we should come check on Ethel" Julie told the older woman.
The girls had lived with their grandmother for a week now since Ethel had finally being discharged from the hospital after two months, she was still on crutches right now but she had not had any fits or nosebleeds since and was having therapy still to try get of the crutches.
"Oh thank you, come in!" the woman told her standing aside to let the curly haired woman into her house. Julie stepped in the reasonable size house, it was no mansion but comfortable for the four of them to live in. There place was decorated simply but in a comfortable homey way and Julie knew this house was starting to already become more than a building, but it was becoming a proper home.
"How are things going?" Julie asked the woman.
"Brilliant, the girls have settled already and Ethel is doing just fine, I had forgotten how noisy children are though" Josephine commented with a chuckle and it was then Julie heard how noisy it was in the house, It literally sounded like they were in a zoo and Julie wondered where the girls were when Ethel and Sybil ran out of a room on the far right, Ethel chasing her sister. She might be on crutches but she was still making a good effort of running. Esmerelda ran past Ethel and hid in a doorway as Ethel started to catch up to Sybil. Ethel smirked, lifted her lift crutch, and touched Sybil on the arm with the end of it.
"TAG YOU'RE IT!" Ethel said as she laughed. Sybil turned around looking unhappy.
"That is cheating!" Sybil commented folding her arms.
"I can't run properly so I should be allowed to use my crutches to my advantage" Ethel replied as Esmie walked up to them to stop the fight.
"Tell her Esmie, she cheated!" Sybil complained pouting her lip.
"No tell her Esmie, she has an advantage in the fact she can run" Ethel replied both looking at Esmerelda. The eldest bit her lip as if trying to decide who was right. Ethel turned her gaze to Julie.
"You choose, should it count or not, you will remain impartial" Ethel told Julie knowing she wouldn't side with one of them just to please them. Julie thought about it for a while and then made her decision.
"I think we should let Ethel have it, she is right she has a disadvantage because she can't run, and it was a clever idea" Julie replied and Ethel stuck her tongue out of her sister.
"Ethie...she is it...so run!" Esmerelda told her sister who was just stood there but the girl came to her senses and started to run away. In her distraction, Esmerelda allowed herself to be caught.
"Aww great" the eldest blonde said with a smile.
The girls eventually got bored of their game and Ethel rushed over to Esmerelda, her clutches clanging on the floor.
"Can you do my hair now?" Ethel asked her and Esmie looked around with a smile but agreed.
"Sure Ethie, I did promise after all" Esmerelda told her as she led her over to a corner of the room and told her to sit down in one of the chairs around the kitchen table.
Ethel really liked Esmie's curly hair and when the girl had being powerless she had had to do it the old fashioned way: a normal curler and Esmie had told Ethel she would do it for her when she was out of the hospital but things had been so crazy she had not gotten the chance. Esmerelda set up the curler and started to brush Ethel's hair.
"How did you learn how to do this again?" Ethel asked her sister.
"The library had one of them computer things, and I was messing around and found a video on how to do it, it was on tube or something" Esmerelda commented in response as she took a section of Ethel's hair and started to curl it.
"YouTube?" Julie commented helpfully.
"That is the one" Esmerelda replied as the name rang a bell now she heard it and she started to move around Ethel's hair curling the sections.
"Please don't burn me" Ethel said not liking the curling iron so close to her neck. Esmerelda took a towel, put it over her shoulders, and then replied.
"I won't, just keep still" Esmerelda told her sister. Ethel obeyed and stayed still, she needed to sit down anyway, she always found herself tired after walking to much.
"Done" Esmerelda told her forty minutes later and Ethel admired her curls in the mirror, smiled, stood up, and hugged Esmerelda.
"Thank you, I love it" the girl told her really liking the new look she was wearing.
"You look cute" Esmerelda replied as Sybil ran over and plonked herself down on the chair.
"Me next!" she said and Esmerelda chuckled as she started on Sybil's.
"I should start charging" Esmerelda joked as she did her other sister's hair.
Julie smiled over at the three girls. Ethel was watching what Esmerelda was doing and talking to her sisters as she did so. Julie knew then she had outstayed her welcome. She knew it was time to go and give the family a bit of space.
"Well I best be going, I am glad everything seems to be going so well" Julie told Josephine.
"Thanks for visiting" Josephine told her as she saw Julie out and looked over at her granddaughters happily.
They were all talking happily to each other as Esmerelda curled Sybil's hair, enjoying spending time with her sisters.
The trial for Mr and Mrs Hallow had not happened yet, it would be a few months for it to happen but Josephine had already being checked over by social services and they were more than satisfied with the care the sisters were receiving so she had been granted temporary custody and this will change to full custody once Mr and Mrs Hallow's trial was finished.
The girls were already a lot happier than they had been at home. Mr and Mrs Hallow did not like noise and they did not like their girls to make noise so for the first few days the girls had been dead quiet, until they realised their grandmother did not mind them making noise so they started to play more games and run around more.
"You are all done Sybie" Esmerelda told her youngest sister as the younger girl jumped up to admire her new hair in the mirror. Josephine rushed over to them with a camera.
"You three could be triplets" she told them as she looked at them all with their hair styled in the same way. "Let me take a picture" Josephine said as all three girls stood together and smiled for the camera. Josephine took a few snaps and then lowered the camera.
"Let me see" Ethel said wanting to have a look at the pictures she took. Josephine showed her the pictures on the camera and the middle granddaughter smiled.
"I like them" she told her grandmother, liking the way the pictures had come out.
"Can we get them printed grandma?" Esmerelda asked her wanting to get them printed so they could put them in an album and frame some of them.
"Of course we can darling, I will do it next time we go shopping" she told Esmerelda as something came to her then.
"Oh yes speaking of shopping you all go back to school next week" Josephine commented. School had of course already started but with Ethel in hospital and so ill neither Esmerelda or Sybil wanted to go in case something happened to her so they had all being sent their work and had done it at home but they were about to return to school. "We better make sure we get everything you need by Saturday" Josephine commented.
"Okay Grandma" Sybil said with a smile. The woman smiled back happy, Esmerelda was able to return to school now she had magic again too, and she wasn't to worried, her granddaughters were all smart, they would catch up.
"I am scared about starting" Sybil said as she was going to be a first year and had missed the start of term and the time when everyone found their friendship groups.
"Don't be Sybie, Ethie and I will look after you" Esmerelda told her lovingly.
Josephine smiled at that. She knew things would be somewhat difficult for the girls, Ethel as she had to learn to walk properly again and the fact they had a whole new home and it would take them a while to truly settle, but the girls had each other, they were together and that is how Josephine knew they would all be okay.