A/N: Long time no see, I was taking a break because life got in the way but am coming back to writing. I am startting with a one-shot. This is based on Series 4 Episode 6 Maud's Magical Make-Over with the storyline with the mind reading potion, I hope you all enjoy it!
The Truth
The Hallow sisters were fighting. It had all started that morning when Ethel had proudly presented her history of magic essay to her sisters.
"We had to write about the witch that inspires us the most and is our favourite witch, I have never been more proud of a piece of work," Ethel said having spend hours upon hours perfecting the work. Esmerelda and Sybil leaned forward, to read over it.
"It is about mother..." Sybil said sadly, she didn´t know why that hurt her chest, only it did.
"Of course she is only the most important powerful witch I know," Ethel said surprised her sister thought it would be about someone else.
Esmerelda though seemed to not be in a good mood. She flicked the pages of the essay so hard she almost tore the paper.
"Watch it," Ethel said removing it from her grip "What is up with you?" Ethel asked, able to tell by that small action her sister was annoyed.
"Nothing!" The girl shouted out, clearly edgy before standing up and getting up so aggressively she almost sent the table flying.
"She is so weird sometimes," Ethel said. Sybil said nothing, not knowing how Ethel could not realise what made their elder sister upset. Sybil glared at Ethel and left the table too. Ethel smelled herself, wondering if she smelled funny or something. She realised she smelled the same as always and stood up with her essay, trying not to think about the strangeness of her sisters.
An hour later, Ethel made her way to Esmerelda´s room. Each week they tried to have a catch-up, all three of them and they were doing that today, she walked in without knocking as she normally did when it came to her sisters.
"Top grade for my essay" Ethel said smiling as she entered the room. Sybil was sitting on the bed and Esmerelda was putting some books on the bookshelf, which she slammed down on her desk when she heard that.
"Are you still in a strop? What is with you today?" Ethel asked knowing Esmerelda was normally the calmer of the three.
"Well you are such a genius, you should know that already," Esmerelda told her annoyed.
"Well I can´t read minds Esmie, Sybil are you going to tell me what I am supposed to of done now?" Ethel asked her.
"You are so insensitive to people´s feelings!" Sybil said angrily towards her sister. Ethel was highly confused.
"I didn´t say anything, you two are the ones being strange" Ethel said wondering if they were under the effects of a spell or potion she didn´t know about.
"I have homework," Esmerelda said, cutting short the catch up and telling them she wanted them to go. Ethel rolled her eyes and left, not knowing what she is supposed to of done this time.
"This is not a good idea Ethel, this potion is illegal," Felicity said as she was stood in Ethel´s room alongside the blonde, as she made a mind-reading potion.
"I need to know what is wrong with Esmie and Sybil, they have been in a strop with me and before you say it, I haven´t even done anything this time," Ethel said.
"It is an invasion of privacy," Felicity said concerned.
"They don´t want to talk then I will have to do it the hard way, better make reversal for after too," Ethel said, making the potions.
After the potions were made she made her way to Esmerelda´s room, she had seen Sybil enter there, properly to talk about the problem and walked in annoyed.
"Ethel can you not knock? Esmerelda asked annoyed as she looked up from talking to Sybil. Ethel walked over to them, the test tube with the potion in her pocket, and waited until she was close enough.
"You asked for it," Ethel said revealing the test tube and removing the stopper before they could stop her.
"What are you doing!?" Sybil asked. Ethel only smiled.
"Are you going to tell me what you are annoyed about now?" Ethel asked.
They both said nothing but suddenly, from her mind, Esmerelda spoke.
"You made that stupid essay about mum," the girl said before realising and covering her head to try to stop it.
"Ethel, stop reading our thoughts!" Sybil said but not in her mind, she was annoyed.
"I had to do something, you two were been off and I had to know why, that is what this is about, the fact I didn´t choose you for the essay," Ethel said shocked that was the reason.
"Talking about how mum is so powerful and great when in reality she is an uncaring, cold-hearted bitch," Esmerelda´s mind said, even Ethel was taken aback by that one.
"ESMERELDA!" Ethel said surprised at her sister thinking like that.
"She is always horrible to you and you still appreciate her more than us," Sybil´s mind said next. Ethel looked at the youngest confused.
"I appreciate you!" Ethel said and her sister´s only looked at her as if telling her not to lie to herself. Esmerelda´s mind was revealed next.
"It is like no matter what that woman does she will still be your number one," she said, her thoughts leaking out.
"She is my mum, she is meant to be," Ethel said
"Well she doesn´t act like it, she always hurts you" Sybil´s thoughts now said.
"It is alright for you two, she loves you without you doing anything, don´t pretend to know how I feel!" Ethel replied becoming annoyed.
"She buys us off with presents and fancy trips, she doesn´t love us, money can´t buy love you idiot, you have to show it you feel it physically, which she never has" Esmerelda´s mind now said.
"But if I don´t have her I have no-one" Ethel now said feeling tears pricking at her eyes.
"For someone smart you are brainless," Sybil said in her thoughts
"Hey!" Ethel said insulted
"You have us, Ethel, why can´t you see we love you and always have, and I know you are scared that will change one day but it never will," Esmerelda's thoughts said next.
"Yes Ethel, we both love you so so much, you just won't accept the love from us, we will never stop loving you, it will always be there inside us no matter what," Sybil's thoughts said next.
That was the moment it hit Ethel like a brick. She now knew her sisters truly did love her and we're not just pretending because they were sister's and felt they had too. They were under a spell, their true thoughts, all of them were leaking out, of course, they could be thinking what they want Ethel to think and not what they really think, but that is incredibly hard, if not impossible to do, thoughts didn't work that way.
"You are going to regret this later Ethel," she said to herself as she took out the potion and used it on herself, opening her mind and thoughts. She knew what she wanted to say to her sister's but her pride and her way of not being able to admit her true feelings meant she couldn't just speak it.
"It is true you two are not my favourite witches" Ethel let her mind say. Esmerelda looked about to burst into tears at that and Sybil's lip quivered.
"I didn't write about you because I didn't want to leave one of you out and I didn't want people to laugh at me for picking my sister" Ethel carried on before anyone could start crying.
"Why would they laugh at you?" Esmerelda asked next
"I don't know, I just had it in my head they would, but the truth of the matter is you are not my favourite witches," Ethel said again. Tears fell for Sybil this time.
"We know it is mum..." Sybil said sadly
"You are more than that...you are my two favourite people in the world" Ethel let herself thinking, finally revealing how she truly felt about her sisters. They were more than her favourite witches, they were her favourite people.
"Wheather you are magical or non-magical, you are still my favourite people in the world," Ethel said turning bright red from embarrassment as her deepest thoughts about her sisters were revealed.
At that moment, Esmerelda made a noise such like a wounded animal Ethel was honestly surprised no-one appeared at the door to see if one of the cats was injured. But she had no time to think about this because she was suddenly in the eldest's girl's arm being squeezed as she hears her sob and Sybil sobbing softly.
"You are welcome Esmie but you are squeezing my ribs" the girl complained, her sister ignored her and squeezed harder as Sybil joined the hug making it a group hug.
"Well now you know, Ethel Hallow has soppy feeling's who knew?" Ethel thought wishing her mind would shut up now.
"Well I am glad she does, I like when she is honest," Sybil said smiling as she squeezed her sister's more. After a few moments, Ethel pulled away and pulled out the antidote.
"We better do this now before I forget and we end up insulting everyone in the school. She said removing the stopper.
"Minds that are open shall now be sealed, let thoughts be private and never revealed," Ethel said letting the magic hit them all and seal of their minds.
Ethel smiled looking at her sister's. So now they knew how she felt, maybe she shouldn't push them away as much as she did, after all, they are her favourite people in the world. She looked at her sister's crying and remembered why that was true at that moment, maybe being honest wasn't as bad as she thought after all.