A/N: Yay! A chapter in three days! Actually, I wrote this all today so I rock. It's sorta short but oh well. Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers, you all make my day! I don't really know what else to say…this chapter isn't very eventful but it explains some things and yea. So read on!

Oh, and meagan, I expect to be done with this story by then, I think. Though, I'm not EXACTLY sure. But, don't worry; there will be a sequel. I think. If people want one.

Anyway, on with the chapter! OH!

HAPPY SEVEN MONTH ANNIVERSARY TO MY STORY! This thing has taken up the past 7 months of my life…wow, I'm a loser.

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Chapter Forty-One

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"She isn't waking up," Phoebe said nervously. "Why isn't she waking up?

They had all been in the Hogwarts hospital for over an hour. Leo had tried healing Pepper numerous times but only her cuts and bruises had disappeared and she was still unconscious. At current, Madam Pomfrey had Pepper's bed enclosed in a curtain so she could run some magical tests. Piper, Paige, Phoebe, Leo, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Cole (who had shimmered from the club by himself) and Professor Dumbledore were waiting anxiously. They had already established that Malfoy had most likely gone back to Death Eater headquarters so he wouldn't get caught fighting on the side of good. But Dumbledore was beginning to worry about him.

Madam Pomfrey emerged from behind the curtain. "May I see Miss Halliwell, Mrs. Halliwell, Mr. Turner, Mr. Wyatt and Miss Matthews, please," she requested, moving to a more secluded spot of the hospital wing. Pepper's aunts and uncles followed the mediwitch to the other side of the room, identical worried looks on all of their faces. Madam Pomfrey gave them a consoling look before she began. "It appears that Miss Halliwell was hit with a very powerful spell containing some Dark Magic that had some sort of reaction with a complicated potion she seems to have consumed. That was also mixed with being thrown against a wall, so, in result, she lost her baby and she'll be asleep for a few days. She also might have some brain damage."

The family stood there in shock. "She consumed a very complicated potion?" Paige said, confused.

"She was PREGNANT?" Phoebe cried.

"Brain damage!" Piper exclaimed. Leo put a comforting arm around his wife.

Madam Pomfrey looked slightly puzzled. "You didn't know she was pregnant?"

"But Pepper said that she wasn't pregnant, Voldemort just thought she was," Cole reminded them.

Madam Pomfrey decided not to get in to this; she knew what she knew, so she left to go talk to Professor Dumbledore.

"What potion could she have drunk?" Piper wondered, trying to stay calm. She wasn't sure who to believe on the issue of Pepper's pregnancy – her niece or the mediwitch.

"Could it have been that potion that could help bring Sirius back to life?" Phoebe suggested.

"She said she and Harry weren't going to do it because it was too dangerous—"

"But what other explanation could there be?"

"Why don't we ask Harry, he would know," Leo said. Liking the idea, Paige beckoned Harry over to them. Concerned and confused, he came over to the group.

"Is Pepper going to be all right?" he asked.

"Harry," Piper said, avoiding his question, "we were wondering if you and Pepper tried that curse to bring Sirius back to life."

Harry knitted his eyebrows together. "No, we didn't. Why do you ask?"

"You didn't even drink the potion?" Paige said.

"No," Harry replied. "Why, is something wrong?"

Phoebe bit the side of her lip. "Well Madam Pomfrey says that Pepper consumed a complicated potion. It was mixed with a powerful spell full of Dark Magic and her collision with the wall so the result was that she may be asleep for a few days. And she lost her baby that she never had. And…and she might have some brain damage."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise at this news. "Brain damage?"

Phoebe nodded. "Yes, but Madam Pomfrey said it's a maybe that she has any. There are a lot worse things that could happen."

"I suppose," Harry said.

"So do you have any idea what the complicated potion could be, Harry?" Paige asked.

Harry shook his head. "You'll probably have to talk to Malfoy about that. If he'll even talk to you, that is…"

"What do you want to know?" Malfoy appeared in the hospital wing. He didn't look too good. He was paler than normal, the usual drawl in his voice wasn't as prominent, and there were traces of bruises on his face, though he had used numerous Concealment Charms on the bruises.

The assembled group turned to look at him. "Harry says you'd know something about a complicated potion Pepper drank," Piper said.

"And perhaps you'll know something about her pregnancy as well," Paige said, none too friendly.

Phoebe shot Paige a glare. "Sorry, I don't think we've been properly introduced, I'm—"

"Phoebe, Paige, Piper, Leo…yea, I know," Malfoy said.

Phoebe was a bit taken aback by his curtness. She was also curious as to know how he knew their names. Were he and Pepper friends now…? No, because at P3 Pepper had said she needed to introduce them…

"Look," said Malfoy, "the Dark Lord had wanted me to get Halliwell pregnant so he could have an heir. To her I made it look like we'd shagged but we really didn't. I gave her a potion so Madam Pomfrey would think that she was pregnant for a few months and then it would seem like she had a miscarriage, just so the Dark Lord wouldn't know I hadn't done his bidding. I thought there would be at least eight months before he came to claim the baby, but obviously his plans changed. He wanted his heir to grow up in an evil body. There, is that all you needed to know?" That last sentence dripped with sarcasm.

"No," said Piper, not at all appreciating the tone he was taking with them. "I'd also like you know why Pepper trusts you."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow in nonchalance. "You'll have to ask her," he said. And at that, he went to get Madam Pomfrey, his bruises becoming apparent now. Dumbledore caught him as he collapsed, whisking him to a bed behind a curtain, Madam Pomfrey in tow.

Ron and Hermione came over to the Charmed Ones, Leo and Cole, leaving Pepper's clones to sit in the waiting chairs. "Is Pepper going to be all right?" Hermione asked, obviously very worried. Ron grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"She'll be asleep for a few days," Paige said. "And she may have some brain damage."

Hermione had a sharp intake of breath. "Brain damage?" Her reaction was the same as Harry's had been.

"Madam Pomfrey's not sure if she'll have any, there's just a chance that she will," Leo said. "I'm sure she'll be okay, Pepper's strong."

"Harry, do you think Voldemort will be back?" Paige asked, wanting to change the subject, as Hermione's lip was starting to wobble.

"No, Dumbledore's the only one Voldemort has ever been afraid of," Harry said. "So I don't think he'll be back. Not for a while, anyway. Do you think the demons will be back?"

"They could be," Piper said, "especially if the Seer knows that Pepper's defenseless."

"But she's not defenseless," Cole said. "Her four clones are still here."

"Oh yea! And we know from experience that they're definitely not defenseless," said Hermione. "So if something does attack here then there will be three times Pepper's regular power…"

"Yes, but are they still powerful with Pepper unconscious?" Paige wondered.

"And how do we know they won't disappear?"

"Or they might just Mirror away…"

"And what are we going to do? We can't just go back to the Manor with Pepper here in danger…"

"But we can't leave the Manor prone to demon attack, can we?"

"I think the demons are focused on the destruction of Pepper, right now, as much as we may dislike it."

"So should we stay here to protect her?"

"But what if demons do attack innocents and we're needed in San Francisco?"

"Then Leo can call us…we can send Leo and Cole back there or something."

"If Cole's sticking around on the side of Good, that is…"

"I am."

"So we should stay here?"

"Shouldn't we talk to Professor Dumbledore first? We can't just invite ourselves to stay here. There might not even be any room for us."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind. He'll understand that you want to stay here to protect Pepper. Besides, I'll bet that there are millions of unused rooms here."

"Would it be best for us to stay here, though? I mean, Dumbledore's warned us about revealing ourselves to the Death Eaters and Voldemort before it's necessary—"

"They already know about us! Don't you recall that battle that happened earlier tonight? I don't think there will be any harm in it."

Professor Dumbledore made his way over to the large group discussing the plans of the Charmed Ones.

"I trust you five will want to stay here at Hogwarts until your niece wakes up," he said.

They were all a little surprised that Dumbledore had known exactly what they had been discussing. "Yes, if it's not too much trouble," Piper said.

"Actually, we were going to send Leo and Cole back to the Manor and the three of us were going to stay here…if that's alright," said Phoebe.

"Perfectly fine," Dumbledore smiled. "I'll see if I can get you a room right away. If you'll follow me to my office please, you can wait in there while I find some accommodations, I'm sure you're tired after the day's events."

"Thank you, sir," Piper said. Then she turned to Leo. "Leo, you and Cole go back to live at the Manor while we're here, okay? Call us if we're needed." She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Watch out for Cole," she murmured into his lips. Leo nodded before grabbing Cole's arm and orbing from the hospital wing.

"Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, will you kindly take one of Pepper's clones back to your dormitory?" Dumbledore requested. "We can pretend that one of them is the real Pepper. You may tell the students that Pepper has been away at her aunts' house, visiting because her aunt was in the hospital for a time. We mustn't let anyone know the truth. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Hermione said. She beckoned to one of Pepper's clones. "Come on, erm…Pepper," she said and, to her slight surprise, the clone followed her. She, Harry, Ron and the Pepper double left the hospital wing to go back to Gryffindor Tower.

"Miss Halliwell, Mrs. Halliwell, Miss Matthews, will you kindly follow me to my office? We'll have to devise a way to bring the other three of Pepper's clones as well…"

"I could orb them to your office, professor," Paige suggested.

Dumbledore smiled. "Thank you, Miss Matthews."

Paige grabbed the other three clones and orbed to Dumbledore's office while Piper and Phoebe followed him out of the hospital wing. They were both wondering what was going to happen – to themselves and Pepper – and they both figured it probably wasn't going to be good.