All I had to do was go up and talk to him. It wasn't so hard. I had to find out what was going on with him. One minute he was showering me with affection, the next minute he was saying that he wasn't sure about how he felt. It was unacceptable. I would have never tolerated it before. "Just go up to him and tell him that we need to talk. Go now," I ordered myself quietly. I took one step and stopped. "Go."
Reluctantly, I went up to Sirius. I had been planning to confront him in my usual brazen fashion, but the look on James's face told me not too. I also felt a twinge of fear from James. I had no clue why he'd fear me. Perhaps it had something to do with his mysterious vision. Paige had only told me that James had had a vision and that it had inspired great fear in him. She wouldn't tell me what he had seen. "Sirius, I'd like to talk with you." I was wondering which Sirius I would get, the affectionate one or the distant one.
It turned out to be the latter. "Phoebe, I'm not sure we should talk."
"If you have ever felt anything for me, you will talk to me now."
He looked to James, who looked away. I pulled him off to the side. "I don't know what's going on, but I want to hear the truth from you."
My eyes bore into him. I could sense his discomfort even before he turned away. "I'm not sure of anything, Phoebe. James has been telling me to stay away from you, and I don't know what to do."
Who was this person before me? How could this be the same boy who had held me when I had feared expulsion and had listened when I wondered about Paige? Had it all been a lie?
"Why does he want us apart? What did he tell you?" My voice was growing softer. If I didn't stop myself, I would burst out crying. I wouldn't let him see me cry.
"He told me not to tell you," Sirius said.
"Sirius, I don't know what to do. Sometimes you aren't afraid to show that you love me. Other times you ignore me. Other times you spread rumors about me. Still other times you say you liked me better a different way. I am tired of this guessing game and I'm tired of you treating me like I'm nothing. I'm a damn human being and I deserved to be treated like one!" I forced back a sob. "I never took anything lying down before. I do it for you because I'm falling for you. If you feel that we can't be together, come out and say it. I deserve that much." Tears began to spill from my eyes. I kept my head down low so that he couldn't see them.
"Phoebe, I'm not sure that this is going work out," Sirius said. "If we spent some time apart, we might figure it out."
I calmed the tears and looked up, forcing a miserable smile. "You're right. We should spend some t-time apart." I sobbed loudly, the tears starting anew. "Don't look at me!" I cried and ran away.
I ended up in one of the secret passageways. Even though it was freezing in the passageway, I stayed there for several hours. My tears didn't last long; I had never been one to cry much.
I highly suspected that several spells had been used on Sirius. Not even he could change his mind so quickly. I also suspected that James had something to do with it. He was trying to sever the ties between Sirius and I… but why? No vision could make him feel so afraid.
"Or could it?" I questioned. I didn't know. I had never heard of anyone having any visions, save for mom. She had seen her death. She hadn't tried to do anything about it, though. Yet she had been made for premonitions. It was a part of who she was.
"In many old stories," I mused to myself, "people try to escape fate. They never succeed. And… none of them actually see it. Others see it." Then it all clicked together. "James wasn't meant to see what he saw. Someone else was meant to." It was a bit far-fetched, hardly reliable, but it was the only thing I had. I frowned. Who was meant for the vision? It was impossible to discover. So many spells had been cast on James, most of them by Lily and me.
It's the only theory I've got. I have to go through the spells, no matter how long it takes.
A blue light illuminated the darkness of the tunnel. "Phoebe, we've been so worried about you. We have something to tell you. It has to do with Sirius."
My heart leapt up, but I quickly quelled my eagerness. "This is something that I have to do on my own."
"We decided to tell you what James's vision was about."
"No sisters! This is something I have to do alone. It's important to me."
"I know that."
"Then you'll understand and you'll let me do what I have to do."
"His vision shows—"
"Don't interfere," I said. "I can do this and I'm going to."
We stared each other down. Paige gave in. "Are you going to at least let me orb you to the Gryffindor tower?"
"That's one offer I can't turn down."
Orbing was an odd thing. It always made me feel like I was being broken up into tiny pieces. While we swirled through space, I realized that hadn't told Paige that I was sorry. "Paige, sorry for trying to stun you."
"It's okay."
"I don't know what came over me. I was just so angry."
"Don't give it a second thought. Sisters always fight."
I briefly considered asking her if she felt like we were sisters, but her feelings told me that she starting to feel comfortable calling me sister. "Good night," I said instead.
"I hope that you find what you're looking for."
Alone again, I got the book out from the hiding place Piper had created (Piper was brilliant with hiding charms. Once, when she found out I had defied Grams by making an invisibility potion, she hid my personal spell book. I only got it back when she decided I had learned my lesson). To find the Book, you had to sink your arms into the wall and pull it out. It was accessible from the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor common rooms. Prue had made it impossible for anyone else to get it by putting a hex on the portal. If any other person found it, their arms would get stuck. I kept waiting for someone to try it.
"Mom, if you're here, help me out, okay?"
The Book pages flipped as though being moved by an unseen hand.
"Thanks. Show Me Spell. Show me, show me, I want to see, show me, show me, what it may be."
At first, it seemed that nothing was going to happen. Then, with a crack of light, a list appeared in the air.
Tongue-tied spell. Back at you spell. Thoughtless spell.
The list just kept growing and growing. At some point, I dozed off. I had a short dream in which Sirius cursed me with power stealing spell. He had a third power, though, the power of precognition. I tried to get back my powers, but he just kept laughing.
"Come one, Sirius. Don't do that," I muttered in my sleep.
"She's awake! She said your name."
"She's asleep. She talks in her sleep all the time."
"I don't want to know how you know that."
"Moony, Phoebe is much more classy than that."
"So why'd you break up with her?"
"I don't know."
"What is all this?"
There was a long pause. "Wait! I know what this is. These are all the spells that have been cast on Prongs."
"You're right. And look, that book is open to a show me spell."
I stood up, though I was still asleep. The book tumbled from my lap as I stood up. "I know. The vision was… oh, no." I sat back down. "Lost it." I slumped to the side.
"She sleepwalks too?"
"That I didn't know."
"Hold it. What is this spell?"
"That's the one that caused Phoebe and Prongs to switch bodies."
"But what's that attachment to it?"
"Looks like a time jolt spell."
"Did she accidentally add that?"
"I doubt it. They're not related at all."
"Sirius! Come here." I walked over to him without knowing where I was going. My dream was still going. "Thought you could pull this off? I know what I have to do to get my powers back." I pulled him close and kissed him. "Ha!"
"The ladies chase after you even in their sleep."
"We'd back get back. Somebody's coming."
"Phoebe, wake up. It's noon and you need to be up," Piper's voice called from far away.
I moaned and curled up in a ball.
"Wake up!"
"Nope. Sirius broke up with me. I'm sleeping for the rest of my life."
"What the heck is all this stuff?"
My eyes snapped open. I looked around. The room was filled with writing. "It worked! Now for the tedious task of going through it."
"Phoebe, do you think I'm going to have a future?"
"Of course," I said. "You're the smartest person I've met. You're always at the top of the class. There is no way your future isn't going to be bright."
"You give me a run for my money in academics."
"Don't be silly. You know I never come even close to your grades."
"You could if you wanted to."
I shrugged. "Maybe. Piper, I have a question. Why did you feel so calm in detention? I couldn't quite understand that."
"I did something wrong. I deserved the punishment. I did a lot of panicking before and after it, though." She stopped, which was good, because I chose that moment to stop listening. It wasn't a personal thing against Piper, but I had to concentrate on a more pressing subject. I had located an unusual listing. A switching spell with an attachment? How had that happened?
I prodded the words with my wand. They shivered and made room for a new phrase, the words 'preformed by Phoebe Halliwell and Lily Evans'. That explained it. Lily and I must have unintentionally put spells on James at the same time. So why had she used a time jolt spell?
"Piper, what can time jolt spells do?" I asked.
"Usually they force a person's body ahead in time. The body takes on that amount of time while remaining in its own time," she said, sounding as though she had memorized it from a book. "Not many people know that time jolt spells also cause the recipient to temporarily lose his or her powers."
Another question answered. "But why would he temporarily gain a power?"
"Who?"
"No one. Because we switched bodies, the time jolt must've done something to me," I reasoned. "That would mean that the premonition was mine. The power jumped from me to James. Therefore, I have a third power. I have three powers?"
"You're babbling to yourself," Piper interrupted. "Explain what you're talking about."
I ran my theory by Piper. She agreed with my thought.
"Shoot, I forgot to put away the Book." I moved to pick it up from the table on which I thought I had put it. My blood ran cold as I realized that it wasn't there. I couldn't have lost the Book. I just couldn't have. I sank my hands into the wall, but there was nothing there. "Piper, do you know where the Book is?"
"Do you mean to say you don't know where it is?"
I nodded meekly.
"Accio Book of Shadows!"
But the Book didn't come to us. Someone already had the Book. That somebody was standing in front of us.
"You shouldn't leave this kind of book lying around," James said.
"Piper, leave."
She did.
"Hand over the Book, James," I commanded.
"Here." He gave me the Book. "I don't want it."
My anger faded away as I felt what he was feeling. "But you're hurting. Your fear is haunting you."
"You're a pretty good empath."
I cringed as another wave of his feelings hit me. "I know why you had that vision. You weren't meant to see it, though. I was meant to."
He was understandably confused.
I touched his arm lightly. "James—"
I gasped as a strange new feeling took over. I saw a flash of two people being struck down by a man, Voldemort. I had seen him in the parallel reality. The two people, as whatever I was seeing revealed, were Sirius and Remus.
I couldn't shake the cold feeling that had invaded my body. "Did you see them dying?"
"But how could you know that if…"
"You thought I was going to kill them?" I had never expected that. It hurt me deeply. How could James think that I was capable of murder?
"That's what I saw."
Words failed me. What could you say to someone who thought you could kill?
We were silent for a long time.
"I was wrong," James said at last. "I'm sorry."
Was that all he could say?
"Phoebe, I should have known that you are a good person. I have to tell you something." He sighed. "I put a thoughtless spell on Sirius. He wouldn't break up with you."
"That's why he said all those things?"
He nodded. "I'm really sorry. I thought that it was the only way."
I could feel my heart breaking yet again. "He hurt me for no good reason? He did those things because you put a spell on him?" I got up and made to leave. "No, he didn't. I know why he did it. It's not just because you put a spell on him. It's because you're far more important to him than I am. He broke my heart because you felt so strongly about it. I shouldn't be hurt by it. But I am." With that, I left.
Piper
I was in an unusually good mood. It was a beautiful Sunday. Remus and I had decided to take a walk along the grounds. He was such a sweet boy and a good friend. I wasn't sure if he hadn't heard what Paige had said or if he had just chosen to ignore it. Either way, our friendship was just as strong as it had been before Paige's outburst.
"Shall we?" he said, offering his arm. I took it.
"It's so gorgeous today," I sighed contentedly.
"Yeah." He wasn't looking at the scenery, though.
"I see Lupin's taking his half breed girlfriend around," Malfoy said loudly.
Remus flicked his wand. In place of a mouth, Malfoy now had a zipper. I laughed.
"He's such a fool. He'll never change. I just hope he never has kids," he said.
We were getting farther away from the crowd.
"I can tell you're in a good mood. I have to say this, though," Remus started. "I assume your sister told you about James's vision. He's made a mess of everything. I want you to know that I'm going to try to sort this out."
"Good. This whole Sirius/Phoebe situation gives me a headache. They're made for each other and everyone should accept it."
He stopped.
"What is it?"
"I've wanted to do this for a while." He leaned in to kiss me.
I panicked and flicked my fingers. I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted to be his girlfriend. I had to relax and let unplanned things happen. I was so used to planning every detail of my life. I had to get involved with other people. I flicked my fingers again and received my very first kiss.
"Piper, you two will make an adorable couple. I can't believe that he just kissed you right there. He's such a sweetie!" Paige gushed.
"He is, isn't he?" I sank down into a chair in the Room of Requirement. "Where are the others?"
"It usually takes a while to find this room."
"What are we going to discuss with everyone?"
"Relations."
"Ah, an ever changing subject."
There was a long silence. This was, I believed, the most Paige and I had ever said to each other. I couldn't believe that Paige was being so nice to me after what I had said to her. I wanted to work through this, but I couldn't seem to bring myself to bring up the subject.
You have to, I told myself. "Paige." Where was I going to begin? An apology seemed most appropriate. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for things I said to you and for ignoring you… and for trying to blow you up. I blamed you for my problems, but it isn't your fault. I'm just… I'm just really sorry."
"Piper, it's all right," she said.
"No, it isn't," I said. "You're not to blame for anything that's going on right now."
"Maybe I did help mess up your family, though," Paige murmured.
"You heard that?" I asked, stunned.
She nodded. "Piper, I know where you're coming from, and—"
"I was wrong," I said. "I was wrong about everything. You're my sister, and you don't deserve any contempt because of that. The choices mom made were her choices, not yours. I hope that someday I can make this up to you."
"There's no need," Paige said. "I know that you were hurting, and I forgive you for what you said. Let's just let this go and move on."
"But—"
"Agonizing over this won't heal any wounds," Paige said. "Healing can only come from the hope that things will get better."
I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. "Thank you, Paige. And this is our messed up family. It's not just mine."
She smiled a little. "New subject. I still don't understand why James didn't think about talking to us."
"Fear for another's life tends to make people rash," I said. "I don't really blame him for what he did, although the situation could have been dealt with better."
The door opened. "Phoebe, honey, just come in with me. If he shows up, I'll have Paige orb you out, okay?" Prue promised an overwrought Phoebe.
Phoebe mumbled something and curled up in a chair.
Remus, Sirius, and James walked in. Phoebe grabbed Paige. "I want to leave," she said urgently.
"You have to stay," Paige said.
"I'd like to see you make me."
"As your older sister, I command you to stay here," Prue said.
Phoebe stuck out her tongue at her.
"Where's Peter?" I asked, noticing his absence.
"We couldn't find him anywhere," James responded.
"Ah." I found it a little odd that Peter wasn't with them. He seemed to greatly admire James and Sirius, and it seemed that he was always with them.
Once everyone had gotten settled, we began.
"Well, we all know why we're here. We have to set the record straight," Prue said, taking charge. "First, James's vision. That vision was meant for Phoebe. She has developed another power. I suppose Lily's time jolt spell not only caused her power to advance before it was meant to, but also caused her to pass it on to James temporarily. You should know," she said to James, "that the person who had those two killed in the vision was not Phoebe. It was Voldemort."
"Don't you dare feel so shocked over there," Phoebe snapped at the boys. "I'm not that much of a bitch."
"Phoebe," I said sternly.
"Whatever."
"I don't know if James has told you, Sirius," Prue went on, "but he cast a thoughtless spell on you. He believed it was the best thing to do."
Sirius looked at James with an incredulous look on his face. James looked away.
"That, however, is not the issue," Prue said. "The issue is whether or not you all trust Phoebe. Phoebe was meant to have that vision because she is meant to change that. In order to do that, she needs your trust. We need to know the truth. Do you trust her? And don't lie. She can feel when people are lying to her."
Phoebe had withdrawn from the conversation and from reality, so I doubted that she would make a good lie detector.
"I've trusted Phoebe all along," Sirius said.
"I never had any reason not to trust her," Remus said.
"James?"
"I do trust her," James said. "That vision is the only reason why I wouldn't. I was—"
"Afraid. I know you were," Phoebe said suddenly.
"Well, now that that is settled, you two will shake hands and move on," Prue said.
Phoebe didn't move. Prue encouraged along by using her power to get her up.
"No fair," she muttered but did shake James's hand. "I'll forgive you for what you made Sirius do."
James now turned to Sirius. Neither of them spoke, but I sensed that everything was forgiven. Men are so weird, I thought to myself.
"If you'll excuse us, gentlemen, we have to meet a whitelighter." We orbed out and then walked to the classroom. We had been asked to refrain from using our powers, and Dumbledore probably wouldn't be happy if he found out we were orbing everywhere.
Dumbledore had told us that Leo Wyatt had arrived. I wasn't sure about Leo. I'd never met a whitelighter. What would he be like?
When we walked in, we saw a very cute man talking with Dumbledore. The two stopped their conversation when they noticed us.
"Ah, here they are. Girls, I would like you to meet your whitelighter, Leo Wyatt. He will be teaching you about your unique magical abilities."
We exchanged looks. I knew we were all thinking the same thing: Leo was HOT.
"Hi, Leo," we all chorused and just barely stopped ourselves from laughing.