"Engaged?" I asked.
"Engaged," Piper said, a smile upon her lips.
"Wow. Congratulations!" I hugged her.
She felt so happy. I could feel it within me. How her happiness pained me. I didn't want to feel anything, but she was my sister. I couldn't let my self-pity ruin her day. Why did Leo have to pull back my happiness? I knew why. I didn't want to accept it, though.
"When is the wedding going to be?" Paige asked.
"I just found out last night."
Paige gave her a look.
Piper smiled guiltily. "August. I want a nice summer wedding."
I didn't bother to deny my own feelings. I was jealous. She had gotten a second chance. She could give it another try. I couldn't. Sirius was dead. He was gone forever. I wasn't going to get any second chances at happiness with him.
"Is Grams going to perform the ceremony again?"
"I think I'll have a nice, normal wedding," Piper said.
"That usually doesn't happen in this family," Prue said.
"This time, I'm going to make sure that it is completely normal."
"Well, good luck on that," Prue said. "We need to get going. I wonder what this ceremony is going to be like."
"We'll just have to find out," Paige said. "Piper, invisibility."
In order to not be noticed, we had to orb instead of apparate. We were silent as we waited for the building to appear. Finally it did and we knocked on the door.
"Oh, hello. Come in, come in." A redheaded woman ushered us in. "You must be the Charmed Ones. We're so pleased that you're joining the Order. I'm Molly Weasley. You've already met my husband."
A terrible screeching filled the halls. It was coming from the portrait of a woman. She was very familiar…
"Oh no!" Molly seized the cord that led to the curtains.
"Hello, Mrs. Black," I said calmly.
Mrs. Black stopped and stared at me. "You!" she shrieked.
"Yes, it is I."
"You filthy, dirty—"
"I wouldn't start that again," I interrupted. "Remember the last time?"
She stopped again, giving Prue an opportunity to telekinetically shut the curtains.
"So this is the Black house?" Piper said.
"Yes, it is. Is Kreacher still hanging around here?" I asked Molly.
"No. He finally died."
"Phoebe, how do you know Mrs. Black?" Piper asked me.
"Ah, the sisters have arrived," Dumbledore said, getting me off the hook.
"Hello, sir."
"We can begin, then. Follow me."
In the kitchen, the other members of the Order were waiting. I felt a wave of warmth from Piper as she made eye contact with Remus. I angrily pushed it away. I didn't want to know love again.
The table in the kitchen had a pentacle drawn on it. I assumed that this was going to be part of the ritual.
The general mood was rather tense. Everyone in the Order was feeling nervous about Voldemort.
"Charmed Ones, you have chosen to join the Order of the Phoenix. Our mission is to stop Voldemort."
I had forgotten how serious Dumbledore could look.
"Today you join a great power. Place your hand on a point of the pentacle."
Sounds familiar. I placed my hand on one of the points.
"Piper Halliwell, Phoebe Halliwell, Prue Halliwell, and Paige Matthews, you are now a part of the Order of the Phoenix. Welcome."
An odd current passed through our bodies. I could sense that we were not only bound to the Order by our word but also through our spirits. We were in it for the long haul. I knew that we could handle it.
Flashback
"Sirius, I want to meet your parents," I said as we walked through Diagon Alley.
He shook his head. "That's really not a good idea. My parents are terrible people."
"How could they be so horrible with a son like you?"
"Trust me. You do not want to meet them."
"I do."
"I haven't seen them in a long time."
"Please?" I put my head on his shoulder and made puppy eyes at him.
He looked at me grimly, but he couldn't stand up to the puppy eyes. "Fine. But I warned you."
"Thank you!"
Over the next few days, Sirius constantly reminded me that his parents were evil.
"I can handle myself. How do I look?" I asked, smoothing out my dress nervously.
"You look great, as usual. But that won't matter to them."
"All I need is one meeting. Come on, let's go."
As it turned out, Sirius was right. I had never felt such intense hatred from anyone before.
"Are your parents of pure blood?" his mother asked bluntly.
"My father's a muggle," I responded, my annoyance immediately flaring up. I tried to snuff it out. I was the one who had asked for this meeting. I was going to tough it out.
"Typical of you to pick a mudblood," his father said.
"How—" Sirius started to snarl.
"No," I said quickly. "It's acceptable for people to differ on their views." I had worked very hard to overcome my anger. I wouldn't let one meeting with Sirius's parents change that.
"I'm going to make this very clear to you. We do not like our son. We don't care about what happens to him. So if you came here in hopes of receiving our approval, you were sorely mistaken," his mother said.
"How dare you talk about Sirius like that," I said in a cool, even voice. "He is a wonderful person." My anger had become something else. I believe that is what allowed me to do something I had never done before and never did again. I forced my empathy into Sirius's mother. "That anger that you now feel is unfamiliar because it is righteous anger." I pulled back my empathy and we left.
End flashback
How I had been able to do what I had done was a mystery to me. I had never asked Leo, mostly because I doubted he knew. It wasn't another power. It had felt more like possession. Yet I was in control then, more in control than I thought I could ever be. It was power, but it was also control.
I pondered the event in the hotel room while my sisters slept. Suddenly, someone grabbed me. I had a minor heart attack before I realized that Paige had grabbed me. While I was trying to get out of her grip, she orbed us to the roof and back again. So Paige orbs in her sleep. Strange.
"Piper," Prue said suddenly, making both Piper and I jump.
"What?"
"There's a demon in the corner. Go blow it up," Prue said and rolled over. She was asleep.
Piper peered at the corner. "Phoebe, is there a demon in the corner?"
"No. She's just dreaming."
"I don't think I can take another night of this."
"Neither can I."
BEEP. BEEP. I groped around to find the alarm clock. I found it and banged on it.
"OW! Young lady, you should have more respect for alarm clocks."
I jumped up, wide-awake. "What?"
"Magical alarm clocks have feelings too, you know," the alarm clock sniffed.
I groaned. "Piper, did you have to bring the magical alarm clock? It's so annoying."
"I forgot that it talked," she replied with a great yawn.
"You two seem awfully tired," Paige said, looking way too cheerful.
"That's because you orbed me to the roof."
"Oh. Sorry about that."
"And Prue told me that there was a demon in the corner," Piper added. "She hasn't sleep-talked in a long time."
"Where is Prue?" I asked.
"She went for a walk," Paige replied.
"I see," I said.
"Do we get to go home yet? I miss Wyatt."
"No, we can't go back yet," Paige said. "We have a meeting tonight. We probably should consider moving to England."
"You know, you're right," I said.
My sisters looked at me like I was crazy.
"Are you serious?" Paige asked.
"Yes. England is the center of magical activity. Since we're getting back into the wizarding world, it only makes sense that we should move here."
"Okay. Sounds good to me. Piper?"
"Definitely."
"We'll have to quit our jobs and find new ones here. I'll have to sell the club," Piper said. "That's going to take a while."
"Well, magic might help a bit," I said.
"I don't know about that," Piper responded. "But we should probably start that stuff when we get back."
"What are we doing today, then?" I said, leaning back against the headboard of the bed.
"We could look at houses."
"Eager?"
Paige shrugged. "A little."
"You two do that. I have something to take care of," I said. "I'll be back soon."
It took me only a short time to get ready. When I was ready, I disapparated. I appeared in a cemetery. Ever since I had found out about Sirius's death, I had wanted to see his grave. I needed that closure.
I knew exactly where to go.
Sirius Daniel Black. The cold words taunted me. I stared at them for a long time before I started to cry. This is wrong. He can't be dead. "We were supposed to spend our lives together," I wept. "Why did you have to leave me? I want you back! I want you back." He wasn't supposed to be dead. "I love you, Sirius."
I spent a while there. Everything that I had suppressed before rose up in me. I felt just as I had when mom had died. "Why?"
Someone orbed in behind me.
"Leo?"
The person didn't answer.
"Chris?" My heart filled with an odd joy. I quickly turned around.
There was no one there.
Paige
"Giants and dementors, eh?"
"Yes," Dumbledore confirmed. "He plans to bring them to his side."
"And Harry too?"
The other members of the Order looked at Prue.
"Don't mind her. She reads minds," Piper explained.
"Yes, that is his plan. Of course, we won't let him do that. We're guarding him very well." Dumbledore paused.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Voldemort is also searching for two other children. We have reason to believe that those children will be yours. After all, you are the Charmed Ones."
"Is Wyatt in danger?" Piper asked urgently.
"Not while he is with Leo. He is perfectly safe in the heavens."
"But how do you know that Wyatt is one of the ones he wants?"
"Wyatt has the sword. He is the most powerful force in the world. Voldemort will want him on his side."
"And the other child?" Prue asked.
"Not yet born. The aid of a psychic would be useful."
Phoebe looked up. She had been spacing out throughout the meeting. "I'd need something to get a vision from."
"Not a problem." He swished his wand. A small globe appeared on the table. "A prophecy concerning the Charmed Ones and the three."
Phoebe cautiously picked up the prophecy. A moment later, she gasped and closed her eyes. "It's definitely Wyatt and Harry. The third one." She stopped, then continued more slowly. "The other one is my son."
We all took a moment to process this. Phoebe was going to have a son? When? With whom?
"I must ask something of you four," Dumbledore said.
"Anything."
"Will you help us train Harry? Your extensive knowledge of battle will help him greatly."
"We'd love to," Piper said.
"Also, I know that you have all mastered Occlumency. Harry started to learn Occlumency from Severus Snape, but that was interrupted. We'd like you to continue it."
My sisters and I froze.
"Snape? Severus Snape?" Phoebe asked incredulously.
"Yes. He is the potions master at Hogwarts. He couldn't attend tonight's meeting," Dumbledore said.
I held up my hand. "Hold it. When did he join us?"
"A while ago. He has truly reformed."
"Ah. See, I find that hard to believe. Plus, there's the fact that he hates the Charmed Ones, especially me. I can't work with him," Phoebe said.
"You two are no longer sixteen. I daresay that you'll be able to overcome the feuds of the past. And I trust him."
"Well, if you trust him, I suppose I can too," Phoebe grudgingly said. "As for the feud, I doubt that he'll let it go."
Dumbledore gave Phoebe a look.
"I'm just saying that I'll believe when I see it."
Phoebe never lost her brazen personality.
"That is all for tonight."
Out in the hall, we discussed the meeting.
"I can't believe that Snape is in the Order. He always had a dark wizard feel about him," I commented.
"People can change. You have wonder, though, if he is a person."
I had to agree with Piper there. We all only had bad memories of Snape.
"What about training Harry?"
"I think it'll be very interesting. Phoebe will—"
Phoebe was spacing again.
"Phoebe?" Piper asked.
"His room is just up there. I remember." She was smiling.
"Phoebe, let's go," Prue said. She took a hold of Phoebe's arm. Phoebe wrenched free.
"I just need to see it once more. Just this once." She climbed the stairs, looking mesmerized.
We followed her, not wanting to let her do something she'd regret. We stopped at the door, allowing her to be alone. After a few minutes, we entered.
"Pheebs, come on," Prue said. "We need to get home."
Phoebe was on the bed, holding a letter. "He wrote to me before he died. He kept the ring. He even kept the photo album."
"We're going now." I took her hand and orbed her home.
We all kept a close eye on Phoebe, but she seemed to be getting better. True, she did walk around in a daze, but she was making progress. I was sure that her progress had to do with the letter. I was quite curious about what he had written.
"He was going to try to contact me. He never got a chance," Phoebe said quietly one rainy day. "He's dead. I've lost him forever. But my love for him can never die. Look what he wrote." She handed me the letter.
Dearest Phoebe,
I know that you asked me to not contact you, but I can't lose you. I've lost everything in my life. I'm trapped by my past. I have nowhere to turn. I have to let you know that I am still in love with you. There hasn't been any other woman in my life since you. You are the one I was meant to be with. I know that you don't believe that, but I do. I still remember what we had. You can't tell me that you've forgotten. I know you couldn't have. You kept me going in Azkaban. I would dream of you, and I would feel your presence. You are with me even though we're apart. I can't live without you anymore. Please, tell me how you feel about me. I need to know at least that. I love you, Phoebe Halliwell, and I always will.
With all my love,
Sirius
"We're soul mates. His soul is with me. It's a part of mine. We're joined forever, and nothing can change that."
I noticed that she was wearing the engagement ring.
"He kept the album." She motioned towards it. Inside there were pictures of Phoebe at different stages of her life. In each one, she looked so happy. Her happiness was kept in those photos. If I looked closely into Phoebe's eyes, I could almost see that happiness in her. "It's always going to hurt, but now that I know our love will never die…" She sucked in a breath. "It's easier. But it's still hard."
I wasn't quite sure of what to say.
"Tomorrow will come," she said. "It will come again."