Yay!!! Miss me? ^.^ *ducks head*

Now i'm back in action! I've been thinking about finishing this fic for a very long time, but never had the a) inspiration and b) the time. But now after watching Half-Blood Prince, I realised I still have 2 more books to cover. As eager as I was, there was so much that needed to be done in the story, and the Charmed Ones have more danger on their hands.

So now, im more determined to get this story finished :) Maybe not in the same time-frame as i'd hoped, but I hope none of you have abandoned me yet!!!


Chapter 9: Extreme Measures

"I am so glad Harry decided not to take those private lessons again..." Phoebe mentioned, "I swear, my head was going to explode."

"I'd hate to say it sis, but I think it's going to get worse. Especially with Voldemorts rise to power and all...Might get messy, "The eldest sister, Piper replied. They were on their way to the Room of Requirement where Harry would teach them how to cast a Patronus. Frankly, none of the sisters knew what it was, except for the fact it was a form of defence from the Dementors and a way the Order members could communicate.

But since the last few days have been hectic, taking these lessons were getting more and more difficult. Umbridge on the other hand, set up the Inquisitorial Squad consisting of mainly Slytherins, and began to question students about any secret organisation. This was getting rather serious, and they were having bad feelings about the entire thing. Soon, they would be questioning whether or not continuing with these lessons were a good idea.

However, the Charmed Ones decided to take that risk.

They walked on through the familiar seventh corridor towards the Roon, and entered ever so carefully. All the students were present, except for one most noticably as Cho Chang. But, as they entered, the room went silent and Harry started the lesson.

"Okay, I need you all to think of a good memory. A powerful, happy memory and think of nothing else, "Harry began, "Then when you are ready, say 'Expecto Patronum'. "

To show them how to do it, he retrieved his wand from his robes and casted the spell almost immediatly. Maybe he already had a powerful memory, and must have performed the spell many times before. As he cast the spell, a substance neither gas nor liquid came out from the ip of his wand, and immediatly took the form of a silvery stag, which pranced around the room. Students were at awe, and the Charmed Ones were definatly impressed.

"You may find that at first, your Patronus does not take a distinct form. That's okay, because it is equally as useful against Dementors. Each Patronus is a representation of you, and may change. Now, give it ago."

Immediatly, students began casting the spell without really much thought. But it was harder than it looked.

Piper shrugged and retrieved her wand. She struggled to find a memory. A happy memory, that hopefully didn't involve some ultimate power. These days, it was difficult to find a great memory when not plagued by evil. But, she didn't spend too much time with that. She though immediatly of her wedding. Oh, how she missed Leo. She would give anything to see him again. Then without another lingering thought, she cast the Patronus. At first the spell sort of delayed, but then it hovered in the air above her in a great mass. She focused harder and the form changed, to take the shape of....an eagle. The bird soared above the students with a echoing cry. Watchful. Domineering. Protector. That pretty much represents the eldest witch. She was rather happy with that. She peered beside her as she watched her sisters, just as curious to see what they would get.

Paige seemed to struggle, however. Piper could tell how impatient she was getting. She seemed to have tried several times, but perhaps her memory wasn't the best one she could think of. Eventually, the half-witch found one that satisfied her. The moment she met her mother for the first time, and knowing her secret. She cast the spell, and immediatly, the Patronus had taken an immediate form. A small housecat, one that oddly resembles Kit, pounced out from her wand. She was exstatic; totally suprised. She always had a fondness for cats. Independant. Mischevious. Always curious. Yup, that was definatly the stubborn Paige Matthews.

Now for Phoebe's. This one, was quite nerve-racking to watch. Especially given her history being tempted by evil so many times, and being influenced by Cole certanly didn't help either. She sure hoped it all depends on the person she is now. But she realised that she was the most happiest when she was with her sisters. If it weren't for their dedication and love, she may as well remain as Elvira of the Underworld. It gave her shudders just thinking about it. But it turns out her Patronus was unexpected by not only her, but her sisters as well. When she cast the spell, she was relieved, content, that her Patronus turned out to be a dolphin. Energetic. Loving. Free. And here she thought she'd get some sort or bat, or snake. The funny thing was, she was turned into a mermaid a few years back. The past does come back to bite you in the ass.

Satisfied with their accomplishments, they looked around the room at the various forms of Patronus'. Luna with the hare. Hermione with the otter. Ginny with the horse. Crystal with her lion. Ron with the dog. It all seemed like one big zoo. A madhouse of sorts.

That is, if the faint sounds of explosions could be heard. Way to crash the party.

Then all was silent. The students, vanished their Patronus, and stopped to listen. Faint sounds of some sort of blast could be heard. Then it seemed to get louder and louder. The lights in the room dimmed at each blast, and the mirror-like walls began to tremble. The sisters shot warning glances at each other, but there was nothing else they could do but wait in anticipation.

They didn't have to wait long, as in one final blast, the entrance wall exploded to form a small hole. Paige, as curious as her cat, stepped towards the wall, where she stopped, horrified at what she saw - The ugly face of Dolores Umbridge.

The pink witch cried out another spell, where Paige had to jump back to avoid another blast. This time, a large man-sized hole formed in the wall. They were discovered.


The next thing they knew, the Charmed Ones were being sent to Dolores' office. They were not happy about it, and they had a feeling it would not end well. They still had much to do here at Hogwarts and they'll be dammed if they weren't allowed to stay. Surely Albus would not allow such things.

But, the Halliwells walked rather glumly after the pink-clad woman, with the Inquisitorial Squad sniggering behind them. Phoebe had the urge to turn back and punch Draco in the face, but Piper firmly placed her hand on hers to keep her from doing so. Draco was still just a kid, despite how much he looks like his father.

"Now," Dolores took a seat in her office behind her desk, while she motioned for the Halliwells to take a seat. Piper rolled her eyes, as she stared in utter annoyance at the kitten photos purring at her from the wall. She was just about ready to blow them all up, one by one, but she decided otherwise, "Under the Ministry rules of conduct, i'm afraid I will have to dismiss you from your teaching duties. This had gotten far enough, especially when you, as professors, have been teaching the students in a secret organisation. That was specifically one of the rules I set, and you broke them."

Piper sighed. She had seriously had enough of this woman, and frankly she didn't care if she left. She just wanted to see her family again. The eldest sister rubbed her temples, "Oh...okay. Can we at least remain at the school? Albus said the same thing with Sybill - "

"Yeah, i'm sure we heard Albus specifically say that you can't expell us from the grounds. You can't deny that, "Paige smirked. She loved ticking the woman off. Beside, they had the whole school as witnesses.

"As long as he is Headmaster, then yes, "Dolores gave a small, high-pitched giggle. Immediatly, Piper rose from her seat, ready to take her out. But Phoebe grabbed her arm.

"Let's go..." Phoebe gave her an understanding nod, then left the office without another word. They had better things to deal with her high-pitched squeel of delight. They did not get far, when Dolores already exited her office, and began to head down the corridor in a very speedy pace. The Halliwells were quite curious as what she was up too, so they followed her in hot pursuit. Eventually, they were led all the way to Dumbledore's office. Surely, she couldn't leave the poor man in peace?

So they followed the witch right in, where they stopped in their tracks. Several others were there too, talking to Albus who was smiling at their defeat. They also saw one of the Order members there, Kingsley Shaklebolt, who was also an Auror. A redhead, who beared a very close resemblance to Ronald Weasley, and a few others they had never seen before. Although, they heard Dolores' call one of them 'Minister', so they immediatly figured that he was the one she was always boasting about. The Minister of Magic.

The sisters slunk back in the corner of the office to watch the events unfold. So far, no-one had seen them yet. They watched as Albus was accused of Harry's organisation, but decided to take the blame for it. Phoebe was just about to jump to his defence, but decided to keep quiet and watched.

But just as the meeting had begun, Albus disappeared with his Phoenix, who was undoubtably Crystal, in a blast of flames. At least she was there to watch his back. The Minister was outraged, but they notice Dolores giggle happily. They could only guess what would happen next. Without a second though, Paige grabbed the hands of her sisters, and orbed into her own sleeping quarters.

"Hey! I thought you couldn't orb in Hogwarts..." Piper exclaimed, purely suprised.

"No - I can't orb [i]away[/i] from Hogwarts. Pity Dolores doesn't know that, "Paige said with a smirk. Always the one to find loopholes in every rule.

"Very smart, sis, "Now Phoebe turned serious, "What are we going to do about her? We've just been kicked off-duty; Albus has gone, no doubt with Crystal; and Dolores is probably going to take his place as Headmaster. This isn't good."

"Not to mention that Harry is left unprotected. Without Albus, the whole school is in trouble, "Piper brushed away a stray strand of hair from her face.

"What can we do? We can't stay here! The Minister will kick us out for good, especially if we finds out we are not the professors he thought we were, "Paige said.

"Where else can we go? We can't go back home. There is still so much we have to do, "Phoebe explained. She took a deep breath, as a thought came to her head, "Unless, we stay at Grimmauld Place, where we can be closer to Harry."

"It's not a bad idea - Although, one of us needs to stay here and keep an eye on everything. Pity Crystal wasn't still wasn't still with us, "The eldest sister tried to come up with a better plan. But that would just have to do.

"Unless we can try and delay, "Paige had a curious glimmer in her eyes, She was up to something, "And we can get the Weasley twins to help."

Piper raised her eyebrow, "How so?"

"Easy. They always said they wanted to give Dolores a taste of her own medicine. I overheard the pair talking about the uncoming exams the other day. They wanted to screw it up and piss Dolores off."

"Make the exams hell?"

"Pretty much."

"But, the students need to pass the year. They can't mess up that chance, knowing that Dolores is now Headmaster..."

"Who cares? I doubt they do. Besides, it's the twins last year. They already have their future's set, "Paige grinned.

Phoebe clapped her hands together, "I like it. But what did you want us to do?"

Paige couldn't supress her smile, "Join in. I have a few ideas of my own, so I may pop out of Hogwarts a few times."

"What if if make an excuse to Dolores, that we stay? Just until exams, and hope for the best Albus comes back before then, "Piper was still unsure of the idea. It had its pros, but it still had its cons.

"I dunno - 'We need to finish the term, so the students get adequate notes for their exams?' It's only a week from now, "Phoebe shrugged.

"Meh - Good enough. If she doesn't like it she can stick it, "Piper blew another strand of hair from her face, "Right now, anything'll do."


The next day, the Charmed Ones have been trying to avoid Dolores' wrath, since she became Headmistress. Either she was too impatient to chase them around the school, or she had other things on her mind. Like, giving those poor DA students detention on a saturday. That really ticked the sisters off, but what could they do? Dolores had the authority and the upper hand. Right now, they just needed to stay out of trouble and out of her way.

Phoebe wanted to see Minerva, and get a few opinions from her. After all, she despised the woman just as much as she did. She strolled over to her office, and knocked softly on the door a few times. She heard chattering inside. Minerva was not alone, and she could sware the other voice sounded just as familiar.

Eager to know more, she knocked again, and this time she was greeted by the stern face of Minerva.

"Ah, Phoebe - " She motioned for her to come inside. But the middle sister recieved a shock when she discovered another person there. Wearing familiar white and gold robes.

Her brown eyes widened in suprise, "Odin?! What the hell are you doing here?"

The Elder Odin, raised a hand to silence Phoebe. He had a somewhat, calming demeanor about him, but also had a sign of desperation in his eyes. Why was he here?

"Greetings, Phoebe, "Odin clasped his hands, "I have come with some...news."

Phoebe raised her eyesbrow, bracing for his next words, "I'm listening."

Odin took a deep breath, "Leo and the children were attacked. By Barbas, no less."

She almost forgot about Barbas. The color drained from her face, and a hand flew to her mouth in suprise, "MY GOD, are they okay? Please tell me they are okay..."

"They are perfectly fine."

She sighed in relief, "Good. Where are they now?"

"At the moment, they are at the Manor. But, i've just been speaking to Minerva, and we are coming to the idea of bringing them here for safe-keeping. After the attack, we couldn't risk them being left alone with the absense of the Charmed Ones. Especially now that Barbas is back, and working for the Dark Lord."

"Barbas? That name is rather unfamiliar to me, "Minerva questioned.

Phoebe turned to her, "It's...a demon of ours. One that we've vanquished about three times now. He is the Demon of Fear, and now he's back. Paige saw him at the Astronomy Tower a while back...."

"Oh dear, he was here? In the school? How is that possible?" The elder witch gasped, with a hand to her chest.

"Our magic is different to yours. So is his, and the rest of his demonic followers. However, I doubt he'll enter again on his own, now knowing the three of us are here, "Phoebe answered. She paused for a moment, and swung her head around to face Odin, "How do you know about Hogwarts? Another secret you kept from us? Nothing new."

The Elder sighed, and continued, "I've known Albus for decades. We met when a Necromancer summoned a Death Eater, not realising what kind of wizard he was. The Necromancer was a dark witch from our magical realm. The Wiccan world. After me and Albus dealt with it, we promised to keep our distance to avoid the same mistake tearing apart both worlds. But yes, I knew of Hogwarts. Now, the matter cannot easily be resolved. Now with a powerful demon, and the Dark Lord at bay, we must combine forces once again."

Phoebe was still furious he hadn't alerted them earlier. They could have been better prepared for it, otherwise, "So, when is Leo meant to arrive? Piper is eager to see her sons."

"Since they can remain in Piper's quarters, they can be sent notice by owl to arrive sometime today, "Minerva smiled, "We can offer that much protection."

Then Phoebe remembered something, "What about Dolores?"

"That wretched woman does not need to know, "Minerva said with much distaste.

With a grin, Phoebe left the office and headed straight towards Piper's quarters to tell her the news, and practically everything that Odin told her. She hoped Piper wouldn't get angry at Odin's sudden appearence, but at least her family was safe.

That was all that mattered.


Notes:

- In actual fact, I had this chapter written out months ago...maybe even a year ago. But, my computer screwed up and I lost everything. The dialogue was perfect then, and I had much more juicy information to give you about the demons. So, after that I kinda gave up a bit and forgot the story. After still getting reviews, I managed to get the motivation to re-write the chapter. Not as good as it once was, but at least it's up.

- I also have the next chapter planned out, and should be fun to write :)