A/N: I wrote this after seeing the series two trailer but never got a chance to upload. Hope you enjoy. I do not own the Worst Witch or the characters.
Most Important Thing
Ethel walked past her elder sister's room stifling a yawn as she was tired after spending the whole day shopping with her parents and little sister, Sybil, for school supplies, Esmerelda had not gone with them not able to face it.
Esmerelda was not going to be returning to Cackles for her forth year, the girl was no longer a witch, her powers had not being returned to her after she gave them to Agatha in place of Ethel so there was no possible way she could return to the school as a student. Despite Esmie telling Ethel she was fine about it Ethel knew she was anything but, it might be different for someone like Mildred who spent their majority of their life without powers but Esmie had always had powers and came form a whole family of witches, adjusting to life without powers was much harder than the girl led on and Ethel knew the girl was struggling with it.
Ethel felt guilty as after all it was her fault her sister had no powers for doing the unthinkable and tricking her into giving them to Agatha Cackle, but the last few weeks as she had been at home Ethel had been really thinking things through and had come to a decision. Ethel knocked on Esmie's door, alerting her to her presence.
"Come in" Esmerelda said more quietly than normal, Ethel opened the door and walked in before shutting the door behind her, Esmerelda was lying on her bed not doing anything but staring into space but when Ethel walked in the elder girl made a grab for a book and opened it to fool Ethel into thinking she was fine.
"Esmie" Ethel said quietly as she walked towards her sister Esmerelda lowered the book which was upside down and looked at Ethel.
"Hey Ethie" Esmerelda replied beaming at her. Ethel wondered how her sister could still beam at her like that when she should hate her but she carried on walked to her and smiled.
"Esmie I want to say something" Ethel said knowing the hardest part of her plan would be getting Esmerelda to listen to her.
Esmerelda moved to sit up and patted the space next to her, Ethel smiled and went and sat next to her.
"What's up Ethie?" Esmerelda said sounding concerned and Ethel had to blink back tears. Why did Esmerelda have to be so nice? She would rather her be horrible to her after what she did.
"I have being thinking a lot about what happened last year" Ethel said quietly as she looked at her hands as she spoke like she had never seen them before.
Esmerelda gulped not really wanting to talk about her non-existing powers but she still wanted to know what Ethel had to say.
"Go on" Esmerelda said encouraging Ethel to carry on talking. Ethel sighed but started talking.
"What I did...I don't know why I even did it...it was evil of me and I am sorry..." Ethel started of by saying to her sister.
"I know you are Ethel, but I chose to give my powers away, we are both to blame" Esmerelda explained to Ethel.
"It isn't your fault, I tricked you, I thought you without powers would make me happy but it didn't" Ethel told her sister explaining herself.
"Ethie...we have spoke about this before...it is done we have to try move forward" Esmerelda explained to Ethel knowing her sister apologising wont change what happened.
"The thing is Esmie I have being thinking since the start of the summer about everything and I have come to a decision" Ethel told her sister seriously.
"A decision on what?" Esmerelda asked her sister narrowing her eyebrows in confusion.
"I want to give you my powers Esmie" Ethel said as she looked at her sister wearing one of the most serious expressions Esmie had ever seen on her sister and she knew she was deadly serious about this.
"No way Ethie" Esmerelda said without even considering it.
"Please listen, I want to give you my powers because you deserve them much more than I do, I only ever use my powers for the wrong reasons, you use yours for the right reasons and you deserve to be at Cackles more than I do, I know I am younger so they won't be quite as powerful but you are smart you can make them work and..." Ethel went on and on about it, clearly having of put a lot of thought into it.
"Ethie" Esmerelda said cutting her off before she could finish "Thank you for the offer but I won't take your powers" Esmerelda told her refusing the offer.
"But Esmie listen.." Ethel tried to say before she was cut off again.
"No...I would never take your powers, I couldn't do it, I gave my powers to Agatha because I would rather I lose my powers than you lose yours" Esmerelda told Ethel and Ethel looked at her as Esmie gave her a look saying she could not convince her and she must as well give up.
"Please let me give you my powers, I deserve to not have any so please" Ethel said putting her hands together and begging her sister but Esmerelda shook her head.
"Give it up Ethie, I will never agree to it" Esmerelda told Ethel who looked at her letting her blue eyes meet Esmie's brown ones and out of nowhere Ethel burst into tears. Esmie sat there for a few seconds in shock until she came to her senses and wrapped her arm around her sister pulling her close.
"Hey don't cry, it's okay" Esmerelda told Ethel trying to soothe her.
"No it isn't, I wish you would yell at me and treat me badly because you shouldn't be nice to me, you should hate me" Ethel said through her sobs moving closer to her sister.
"Ethie, don't be silly I would never hate you, I can never hate you, you are my sister" Esmerelda told Ethel stoking her blonde hair.
"Well I haven't acted very much like a sister" Ethel replied as she cried more her body shaking from sobs.
"I still don't hate you Ethel" Esmerelda replied as she comforted her sister more.
"I ruined your life..." Ethel went on choking on her sobs "I took the most important thing in your life away from you ...I don't understand how you can just forgive me for that" Ethel told her sister sadly.
Esmerelda sat there, her arm around her crying sister as she listened to what Ethel was saying and knew that was the exact reason Ethel had come to the decision she had come to, she seriously believed being a witch and having powers was Esmerelda's favourite thing in life.
"When Agatha asked who wanted to give their powers away and you put your hand up I jumped in for a reason" Esmerelda explained to Ethel.
"Yes because you thought you were helping Ada" Ethel replied sitting comfortable cuddled up to Esmerelda.
"You are so far of the mark it is not even funny" Esmerelda replied "You want to know the real reasons I did what I did?" Esmerelda asked Ethel.
Ethel sat there opened mouthed. When she had tricked Esmie, she had been convinced she would accept if it meant saving the precious academy, another reason did not enter her mind. Ethel nodded slowly giving her sister permission to explain.
"The thing is Ethel I had to think fast in that moment, but when I saw you with your hand up offering your powers to Agatha, my decision was already made" Esmerelda told Ethel stroking her hair as she spoke.
"I don't understand" Ethel replied at a loss as to what Ethel meant.
"Well I had to think, you or me, one of us had to lose our powers and I could not let it be you" Esmerelda explained to Ethel her reasoning. "You see Ethel you are wrong" Esmerelda went on before Ethel had a chance to comment.
"Wrong about what?" Ethel asked her sister upset.
"You did not ruin my life, you made my life more difficult yes but you didn't ruin it and you certainty are wrong about my powers being the most important thing to me" Esmerelda went on explaining more to Ethel.
"But being a witch is everything to you!" Ethel replied thinking her sister was just trying to make her feel better.
"No Ethie...it isn't everything, I loved being a witch yes, but it wasn't everything to me, there is something else that is much more important to me than magic" Esmerelda told Ethel trying to hint to Ethel it was her without saying it, wanting Ethel to finally figure it out.
"What is that then?" Ethel asked still not catching on to what her sister was saying.
"For goodness sake Ethel how can you not know? I love both you and Sybil much more than my powers" Esmerelda told her sister squeezing her more. Ethel stared at Esmerelda in pure amazement.
"When I saw you raise your hand to offer your powers in that moment I came to the realisation I can cope without my powers, the thing is Ethel I can live without my powers but I can not live without you and Sybil, losing your powers would be more devastating for you and your happiness is much more important to me than magic which is why I offered" Esmerelda told Ethel as the girl fell silent.
"I never realised" Ethel admitted as she looked at the ground.
"You chose to see what you want Ethel, my love for you is nothing to do with pity or feeling like I have to be nice to you" Esmerelda admitted to Ethel.
It hit Ethel like a ton of bricks then. Ethel did not know many people who would give up their powers for anybody, heck she doubted her parents would even do it for Esmie even if she was their golden girl. Ethel tried to think of anyone she knew who would do it but she was convinced that was the last thing anyone would be willing to give up, powers to a witch made them who they were after all.
Ethel leaned into Esmie but did not speak for a while trying to decide what to say.
"Thank you for always being so loving to me, I do love you too" Ethel told her sister honestly.
"I know that, you offered to give me your powers which proves you do" Esmerelda told Ethel leaning her chin on her shoulder.
Ethel realised then too that Esmerelda was the most important thing to her, she was upset she had made her sister give up her powers and that she would not be returning to Cackles but if her sister had died during the wreckage of the castle Ethel would of gave her powers up to get her sister back as she really did love her sister much more than being a witch and Ethel was reassured then that whether Esmie found her powers again or not it didn't matter for their relationship because their love was the thing that kept both of them happy and alive.