"Wait a minute," said Piper. "Are you telling us that Melinda Warren had a son?"
"Yes," said Leo. "He was Melinda Warren's second child. He was born a couple of years after Prudence was born."
"Why is there no mention of him in the Book of Shadows?" Prue asked.
"Maybe he wasn't a witch," suggested Phoebe. "It's usually passed down through the females of the line. That would explain why he wasn't listed."
"No, that's not the reason," said Leo. "From all indications, Patrick was going to be a very powerful witch. Nearly as powerful as Melinda herself. Even at his young age he was exhibiting all of Melinda's powers. He wasn't able to control them as I'm sure you can imagine."
"So what happened?" asked Prue. "And why would the Elders want any record of him expunged?"
"That's a little hard to explain," said Leo. "Ordinarily I wouldn't say anything about it. But he was one of your ancestors. I guess you have a right to know about him. Besides, I need Phoebe to tell me where she found his name so it can be expunged. And I know you'll insist on knowing why before you do."
"Well, you're right about that," said Phoebe. "It was just one entry in an old Bible. I doubt anyone else would even make a connection with it, assuming they even found it."
"Demons might," said Leo. "That's one of the reasons any records of him were expunged."
"So the elders are trying to remove any evidence he existed," said Piper. "You still haven't explained why they would do such a thing."
"Well, as unlikely as it might be," continued Leo, "it is possible that some demon might be able to use the information to find a way to use it against you. If they don't know he ever existed there's not much chance of that happening."
"You still haven't explained why," said Piper.
"Like I said," said Leo, "it's a bit complicated. A lot of it stemmed from the lack of medical knowledge in those days. Many illnesses and afflictions were attributed to supernatural causes. Today most of those can be explained medically or scientifically."
"So Patrick had some kind of illness," said Prue.
"Actually it was more of a disorder," said Leo. "It's a rare condition called xeroderma pigmentosum, usually referred to as simply X.P. It's a genetic condition that in effect makes the victim allergic to the sun."
"Allergic to the sun?" Phoebe questioned.
"Well, that's the easiest way to explain it," said Leo. "In actuality, it's an ultra-sensitivity to ultraviolet light. The sun produces huge amounts of ultraviolet light. That's what causes suntans and sunburns. A lot of people don't know you can get a sunburn even on a cloudy day because the ultraviolet light still comes through the clouds."
"So what does this X.P. do?" Prue asked.
"In a normal, healthy person," said Leo, "damaged cells are excised by the body's immune system. The damaged cells are excised and healthy cells replace them. In a person with X.P. the immune system malfunctions. The damaged cells aren't excised."
"That sounds dangerous," said Phoebe.
"It is," said Leo. "The victim develops sores on their body that are extremely painful. In most cases those suffering from X.P. don't live long enough to reach their teenage years. Most die at a very young age. If I remember correctly, the condition is so rare that there are less than one thousand known cases in the United States."
"And you said Patrick had this X.P.?" Piper questioned.
"Yes," said Leo. "Of course, X.P. wasn't even diagnosed until, I think, the 1960s. Before that, not even doctors knew what they were dealing with. And, of course, three hundred years ago, anyone who had it was considered cursed. They felt the child was being punished for some sins of the parents."
"Is that why Melinda was accused of being a witch?" Piper asked. "Because her son was 'cursed' with this disorder?"
"Not directly," said Leo, "but it didn't help matters much."
"That doesn't sound like a reason to eradicate all evidence that Patrick existed," said Phoebe. "Just because he had some rare genetic disorder."
"That wasn't the reason," said Leo. "It was the catalyst for what happened but if that had been all there was to it the Elders would never have become involved."
"So why the eradication?" Prue asked. "What was this X.P. the catalyst for?"
"For what Melinda Warren finally did about it," said Leo. "What happened would be difficult for a lot of people to understand. I'm not sure if the three of you would be able to understand it. But Melinda felt she had no other choice. That there was no other way to protect Patrick."
"She didn't kill him?" Piper asked, somewhat in shock. "To protect him from this X.P. or something?"
"Oh, no," said Leo. "Melinda doted on Patrick. She did everything she could to help and protect him. In the end, she honestly felt she had no other choice for what she did."
"That sounds ominous," said Prue. "Just what did Melinda do to Patrick?"
"Not ominous really," said Leo. "Some would consider it drastic. The three of you might even think it was drastic but Melinda felt it was the only option left to her. I guess in order to understand what she did and why it would probably be best if you knew everything that led up to it. So that you know the whole story behind what eventually happened."
"We're all ears," said Phoebe. "I'm guessing this little story isn't something I'll be able to use for my paper."
"I doubt it," said Leo. "Anyway, I guess it all started when Patrick was about two years old. Melinda was fighting a particularly powerful warlock named Sebastian Craggen. At the time he was the most powerful warlock in the world."
