SIX

"Wait a minute," said Prue. "Are you saying that Melinda transformed Patrick into the Book of Shadows?"

"That's exactly what happened," said Leo. "That's when the Elders realized just how powerful Melinda really was. That's when the decision was made to begin grooming her descendents for the Power of Three. It was only a few short weeks later that the witch hunts began and you know the rest."

"Yes," said Piper. "Matthew denounced her as a witch and she was burned."

"Yes," said Leo. "She hadn't fully recovered from transforming Patrick and wasn't at full power. That's part of the reason the villagers were able to keep her prisoner. You know that the Book of Shadows can protect itself from evil. That wouldn't be possible if it were just an ordinary book. But it has Patrick's power in it. The power of Melinda Warren. It's the same power that gave you three your powers."

"How horrible," Phoebe said. "I can't even imagine what she must have felt like having to do that."

"She felt it was the only way to save Patrick," said Leo. "There was no medical treatment for what Patrick had. And he was dying before her eyes. She did what any mother would have done. Used everything at her disposal to save her child. Now you know why there's no mention of Patrick anywhere. If evil should discover what happened, they might be able to find a way to undo what Melinda did. If that should happen, there's no telling what affect it might have on the three of you. Or future descendents of Melinda's."

"Is that possible?" Piper asked. "To undo the magic Melinda used to transform Patrick?"

"Frankly," said Leo, "no one knows. Not even the Elders are sure exactly how Melinda was able to cause the transformation. But Matthew apparently never said anything about it to anyone. And Melinda was able to imprison him in her locket before he did say anything. They told Amanda and everyone else that Patrick had been sent to family members who were better equipped to tend to him."

"And they believed it?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, Melinda was still grieving from what she had done," said Leo. "The villagers just assumed it was grief from having sent her son away. No one was suspicious. So the Elders decided to remove all reference to Patrick so there would be no indication he ever existed. If no one knew about him they wouldn't go looking for him or any records of him. And there would be no chance of them finding out what had happened to him."

"I'll see if I can get that Bible out of the library," said Phoebe. "It's in the reference section so I can't check it out. But I'll figure out someway to sneak it out."

"We'll orb in after the library closes for the night," said Leo. "You can find it and we can leave with it. That way there won't be any indication of what happened to it."

"That's a good idea," said Prue. "And Phoebe. See if you can find any more references to Patrick no matter how small. If there's more out there we need to find them so they can be removed."

"I'm glad you guys understand," said Leo. "Some people would think what Melinda did was drastic."

"It was," said Piper. "But from the sounds of it, she didn't have any other choice. She had tried everything and nothing seemed to work. She did the only thing left to her."

"Leo," said Phoebe, "couldn't a Whitelighter have healed Patrick?"

"It was tried," said Leo. "But it doesn't work that way. X.P. is a genetic disorder which means that it's part of what that person is. A Whitelighters' healing power can't change a person's genetic makeup. The healing didn't work. It would be like trying to use the healing power to change your hair color or how tall you are. It really only works on diseases or disorders that are external to someone's genetic code."

"That makes sense," said Prue. "Still, for a mother to have to make that sort of decision. I'm not sure I could do something like that."

"Mothers can make impossible decisions when they have to," said Leo. "It goes with the territory, so to speak."

"About the Book of Shadows," said Phoebe. "If it was actually Patrick before, does he know he's a book now? I mean, is it a cognizant book or something like that?"

"I honestly don't know," said Leo. "Neither the Elders nor the Whitelighters ever mention it. We just accept it for what it is now. One of the most powerful forms of magic there is."

"Well, that answers some nagging questions I've had," said Prue. "Like how the Book of Shadows seems to have a mind of its own sometimes. I know that grams and even mom have manipulated the book from time to time. But I've often wondered how it could protect itself from evil if it were just an ordinary book."

"It's far from ordinary," said Leo. "It's helped generations of Warrens since Melinda's time."

"Well," said Piper, "thanks for telling us, Leo. It helps us understand Melinda a little better. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Why doesn't everyone get ready?"

"Good idea," said Phoebe. "The library should be closed in about an hour or so. Leo and I can orb in and get the Bible then."

"I can't imagine what Melinda must have been thinking," said Prue as they went to get cleaned up for dinner. "It must have been a terrible choice knowing that if you didn't your child would die a horrible death like that."

"Melinda had a rough life," said Leo. "But her legacy lives on in the three of you. I'm sure she'd be very proud of what you've been able to accomplish."

"We know she is," said Phoebe. "Remember, we did meet her. When Prue accidentally released Matthew Tate from her locket."

"I hope we never have to go through anything like that," said Prue. "You did say this X.P. was genetic. It's possible it could surface again at sometime in the future."

"It's also extremely rare," said Leo. "Both parents must carry the gene for it to surface. I wouldn't worry a great deal about it. It's extremely unlikely it will ever happen again."

"I hope you're right," said Phoebe. "I don't want to be put in a position to have to make the same decision Melinda was put in."

"I'm sure that will never happen," said Leo.

As the others went upstairs Piper continued to finish supper.