The Boy who Lived
By Jerle Shannara
Chapter 10: A Charmed Christmas
Christmas Eve dawned crisp and cold. On the outside, the Halliwell Manor was aglow with multicolored Christmas lights that Leo had spent hours putting up. The inside was just as colorful, with all manner of ornaments decorating the walls and the sizeable tree in the living room. And even with the threat of a demon attack on the horizon, the atmosphere inside the house was one of pleasant anticipation. The Charmed Ones would have this time of peace to spend with those they loved, and it was that, more than anything, that made it possible for them to look forward to Christmas. Even Harry was greatly looking forward to it, not the least because of the impending birth of his and Paige's first child.
Harry was just snuggling closer to Paige when there came a commotion from downstairs.
"Uh---Darryl?" Leo said.
"Quiet." Darryl replied irritably. He was in the act of attempting to telekinetically maneuver a large cyramic Santa Claus into a corner near the Christmas tree. He'd discovered quite by accident that he had a nack for Telekinesis. The incident had occurred at Magic School during a rather boring lecture on Darklighters. On the verge of dozing off, Darryl had inadvertently levitated Sigmund's lecture notes to the ceiling. Since that day he'd been trying to gain more control over his new poer.
"Darryl?" Leo said, his tone a bit more urgent. "You might not want---" Darryl glared at Leo, but in that instant his concentration was broken. The large statue came crashing down...on Darryl's poor unsuspecting right foot. It was that crash and Darryl's subsequent howl of pain that brought Paige and Harry running, not to mention the rest of the family.
"What is going on in here?" Piper demanded. She had quite obviously been in the shower when the commotion had started. Her long brown hair was quite wet, and her upper half was completely unclad. unfortunately for her, the particular shorts she'd thrown on at the sound of the racket downstairs were particularly revealing.
"uh Piper?" Leo pointed delicately at his wife's bare skin, but she didn't seem to notice. She kept glaring at Darryl who, at the sight of an almost totally naked Piper, had fallen into a stupified silence.
"I'm waiting." Piper said primly.
"Let's just say Darryl was practicing Telekinesis again." Leo explained. "Unfortunately the object he was trying to move turned out to be a wee bit too heavy."
"And here I am thinking it was some demon!" Piper snapped. "I interrupt a nice hot shower thinking the house is being attacked and it's only Darryl fooling around with his powers!"
"Nice view." Darryl remarked without thinking. Piper moved right up in front of him, her eyes flashing.
"And what, pray tell, was that?" she demanded in a dangerously quiet voice.
"Uh---n-nothing." Darryl stammered.
"He said something about how he likes the uh--view." Harry supplied helpfully.
"You stay out of this, young man." Piper warned. "And don't let Paige catch you staring at another woman!" Harry blushed.
"Y'know," Paige remarked mildly, "It's kinda hard not to stare. You are almost completely naked, or have you forgotten that?" Piper glared at her youngest sister and stalked out of the living room.
"My my," observed Phoebe dryly, "aren't we cheerful today?"
"Would you like me to remove that statue or were you planning to stand there with it all day?" Leo asked mildly. Darryl gave him a murderous glare. Grinning to himself, Leo magicked the statue off Darryl's foot and set it in the spot Darryl had originally been aiming for.
"We're not normally supposed to do this seeing as it wasn't a Demonic attack," Leo said, "but---"
Christmas day dawned just as bright and cold as Christmas Eve. Harry was awakened by Paige, who employed the flawless tactic of kissing her husband awake.
"Merry Christmas to you too." Harry said, pulling Paige closer to him.
"At least Darryl didn't drop anymore Santa Clauses on his feet this morning." Paige remarked. "It would ruin the mood."
"What mood are we talking about?" Harry asked.
"The one where I give you the first part of your Christmas present." Paige replied.
A few hours later after they'd had their fun and showered, the couple made their way downstairs to the living room. The rest of the family had already gathered around the tree.
"About time!" Darryl remarked. "I swear I could almost feel my hair turning gray."
"Oh stop it." his wife Sheila teased. "I'd imagine Paige wanted to give Harry her present in private." Several eyebrows rose at that comment, but thankfully there was no follow-up.
Harry hadn't known what to expect as far as his first Christmas with the Halliwells, but it wasn't what he actually got. For starters, Phoebe had given him a copy of The Silmarillion, the prehistory to The Lord of the Rings.
"It's a little difficult to get into if you haven't read Tolkien for a while," she admitted, "but once you do it's actuallt pretty interesting." Obviously taking a leaf out of Phoebe's book, Darryl had given him Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth. Piper and Leo had gone in together to buy Harry his own Lord of the Rings trilogy on DVD.
"These are the extended editions." Leo explained. "We already have those but we didn't figure your aunt and uncle ever let you start your own movie collection. Seeing as how you liked the Lord of the Rings we figured you could start your collection with those three."
"Thanks." Harry replied sincerely.
Presents from Harry's other friends arrived later that same day. Ron gave Harry a set of real Quidditch balls and also sent along Mrs. Weasley's usual sweater. There was also one for Paige in the package. Ron, who had of course met Paige several times, was able to give his mother a good idea of the colors Paige liked to wear. Though surprised that a total stranger should want to give her any kind of gift, Paige was just as obviously happy with it. Mrs. Weasley also sent a large tin of her homemade fudge, which got excellent reviews from everyone.
Taking a leaf out of Ron's book, Hermione also sent a small gift for Paige. Harry opened Hermione's present to find a book on American Quidditchh teams and a silver amulet. Curious, Harry read Hermione's letter and learned that the amulet was Paige's gift.
"your friend Aedrus gave it to me and asked me to make sure Paige gets it." Harry examined the amulet and discovered it had an engraving of a lightning bolt on its front face. Paige was delighted with the amulet, though she admitted she was a little annoyed at not being given an explanation. Even so, the medallion went about her neck immediately.
The most surprising of Harry's gifts was the one from Cho Chang. It consisted of a photograph of him and Paige on the night of their wedding. It was an ordinary Muggle photo, but Cho had somehow charmed it so that it moved like any Wizarding picture. There was also an article taken from the Daily Profit. When Harry saw the name of the reporter who had written the article, his first inclination was not to read it, but Cho's letter was very reassuring. So Harry opened the paper and began to read.
"The Boy who Lived Married at Last
It seems that good things really do come to those who endure great hardship, writes Rita Skeeter, Daily Profit Reporter. On Monday last, Harry Potter, the Boy who Lived, officially married Miss Paige Matthews, an American witch from the city of San Francisco, California. Startling information recently came to light with regard to Miss Matthews. The Daily Profit can exclusively reveal that Paige Matthews is none other than one of the legendary Charmed Ones, a team of three sister witches who protect the innocent from the demons who walk among us. Respecting the couple's likely wish for privacy, no interviews will yet be conducted. However the general opinion seems to be that Mr. Potter is extremely lucky to have Paige Matthews for a wife, as her reputation suggests that she is a very courageous and kind person who will not hesitate to risk everything to stand beside those she loves." Harry stared at the article in amazement. Though Rita Skeeter had changed a great deal since the war against Voldemort, Harry would never have expected her to write an article that was completely free of horrible lies and speculations. Then again, she was one of those who had barely escaped Voldemort with her life, and very few people can have a near death experience and not be changed by it.
That night the family sat down for an excellent Christmas dinner. Piper had, in Harry's opinion at least, outdone herself in the kitchen. He helped himself to a bit of everything. The conversation was pleasant and there was much laughter. The main topic seemed to be Harry and Paige's child. Phoebe hoped that it would be a girl, since they needed more of those around the house. Inspector Sheridan, who had "mysteriously" forgotten that she had any reason to be suspicious of the Halliwells, had become quite a good friend of the family and had joined the gathering at Piper's invitation. She said she had a feeling it might be twins.
"God I hope not." Piper remarked. Paige, however, smiled at the idea. none of the others knew that she had already chosen names for the child, whatever its gender and whether or not it turned out to be twins. These were very special names though, and Paige had no intention of spilling the beans until the time was right.
Much later, Harry and Paige nestled close in the velvety darkness of their room. Harry, full of food, was pleasantly drowsy. Paige also had a pleasant smile playing across her full lips.
"So," she said, "how was your Christmas?"
"Great." replied Harry. "How about yours?"
"I doubt it could've been much better." was Paige's reply. Then she sobered a bit. "I had a talk with our friend the Elder."
"What did he have to say?" Harry asked.
"He told me about that amulet." Paige replied. "It's a Paladin's amulet." Harry gaped.
"You're going to become a---"
"You don't think I'm just going to let you and Darryl fight alone, do you?" Paige asked.
"I'm just a little surprised is all." Harry replied. "You're not at all worried about the baby?"
"I am," Paige admitted, "but I've got the feeling you boys are going to need me before this is all over."
"Knowing me," Harry admitted with a slight smile, "you're probably right. It's like I told Ron on the train to school when I was thirteen. I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me."
"There's something else." Paige said. "Cole's going to make his move sometime after New Year's."
"That's not all that far off." Harry observed.
"No," Paige agreed, "but we at least have this time to prepare. That means that however much we both might want to spend all our time getting into mischief, we really should train up as much as we can."
"You'll need to learn how to fight hand to hand." Harry observed. He paused and then plunged ahead. "I'll have you know I don't entirely agree with this."
"Oh?" Paige asked. "Are you thinking I might get myself killed and you'll survive?"
"There is that." Harry admitted.
"Look at the other side of the coin." Paige pointed out. "Let's say you don't survive and I do. We know one thing for sure, and it's that only your power can vanquish Cole for good, especially if he's receiving aid from someone else. If you die, it's all over. Would you want our kids to grow up in that future?"
"You've made your point." Harry finally replied. "Just be careful, all right?"
"I could say the same to you." Paige replied. They both smiled at that thought. So it was that secure in the knowledge that they would be together whatever came their way, they drifted into contented sleep.
Author's Note
First of all I want to say sorry for the long delay. I had a seasonal job and then some writer's block. Well, now here's another chapter. You'll also notice I've been polishing up this fic quite a bit. While I know some of you may not like these changes, I just wasn't quite satisfied with it as it was. I think I've got it the way I want it now, but we'll see. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter.