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A/N: Another CHAPTER! ONLY ONE MORE TO GO! It's sort of funny how I update the day before big things happen…before I went to camp, before my foreign exchange student came (that was two updates ago), and now, the day before school starts. I'm not sure when the next update will be…probably next weekend. And then the sequel shall start…I signed up for so many things this year, so I have no idea how frequent my updates will be on that. I'll try to do it as often as possible, if my sophomore year doesn't turn out to be as busy as I think it will be. Oh, also, I think I will be revising this story, maybe before the sequel starts. There are some things I need to cut out of this that are just dumb and pointless.

THANK YOU to the people who participated in the contest. Lady Emerald Black and goldengirl14 were both right! Therefore, can you two email me (at flyingchipmunk613 AT or just IM me (at Twizzlergal613) if you come up with a title? I would prefer IMing but whatever you wish!

Pipercharmed, thanks for participating. You gave two really good reasons. I wish I'd thought of them but mine weren't that complicated…hehe.

So here it is! CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO!

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Chapter Fifty-Two

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"Welcome home, Hermione," Phoebe said as they opened the Manor's front door.

Hermione smiled. "This is so great of you. I just can't thank you enough," she said.

"You don't have to," said Piper. "You're part of the family now." The baby Wyatt in her arms started to fuss.

Pepper took Hermione up to the room that they shared to find it completely transformed from Pepper's old room.

There were two single beds in the room, one against a wall and the other against the adjacent wall. The heads of the two beds were against each other. There were two dressers, set side-by-side, and Pepper's vanity and desk remained.

Pepper dropped her small bag on her bed and wheeled her trunk into the room. "Wow, they've really done a number on my room," she said.

"It would look that way," said Hermione. Then she turned to her friend. "Pepper, this is so bloody amazing!" she gushed. "We're going to be living together! We're going to be sisters!"

Pepper beamed. "Yes we are," she said. "Let's just hope we don't get tired of each other.

"GIRLS!" called Phoebe's voice from downstairs. "We're going out for a celebratory dinner! If you'd like to come, be downstairs in five minutes!"

When the family, returning from the restaurant, pulled into the Manor's driveway, Pepper driving Leo and Hermione, Phoebe taking Piper, Paige and the baby, they spotted the moving van across the street. And Pepper spotted the one person that was going to help her get over Harry this summer.

"Hermione," she hissed, pulling her friend by the arm so Hermione wouldn't go inside the house with everyone else. To her aunts and uncle, she called, "We'll be right in!" They closed the front door, leaving Hermione and Pepper outside.

Across the street, a white moving van was parked outside the house and there were movers in uniforms unloading the back of the vehicle. They were carrying furniture into the house. A woman in a sundress was standing by the front door of the house, directing the men. And coming out of the back of the moving van was…

"Hermione, look," Pepper said, pointing to the boy coming out of the back of the truck.

"He's gorgeous," said Hermione, eyeing him as well.

He had the bad boy look going for him; that much was obvious. He had dark, messy hair, a very nice body, (even through his t-shirt you could see that), a shadow of hair growing on his chin, and he was wearing dark sunglasses.

"Do you want to go say hello?" Pepper asked. "We could introduce ourselves…"

"You just want to snog him," said Hermione, turning to face her friend. Pepper looked back innocently and shrugged.

"C'mon, Hermione, let's go say hi," she smiled. Before Hermione could protest, she was being dragged across the street by the arm.

The boy (Man is more like it, Pepper thought), turned to look at him as they went to stand next the moving van.

"Hello," Pepper said, smiling. She had let go of Hermione's arm by this point, and was using her hand to send him a little wave. "We seem to be neighbors."

He jumped down from the van and stood in front of them. He was even better looking up close. "Hello," he greeted. He removed the sunglasses from his face. Pepper had to stifle a gasp at the dazzling blue-green swirls that were his eyes.

"I'm Pepper," said Pepper, "and this is my friend Hermione."

"Hi," said Hermione.

"Are you British?" he asked. Hermione nodded, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "Hello Pepper and Hermione, it's nice to meet you," he said. "I'm Raphael. Do you live across the street?"

"Yup," said Pepper, the smile still on her face. "We just got home from school this afternoon."

"Really?" said Raphael. "I got back a few days ago. You two look a bit too young to be in college. Where do you go to school? I go to California University."

Pepper was about to make up a college she and Hermione went to, just to impress the very attractive Raphael, but before she could, Hermione said, "Oh we're not in college. We go to boarding school."

That was when his face fell a little bit. Pepper fought the urge to death-glare her friend. "But we're graduating next year," Pepper recovered quickly. "So are you a freshman or a sophomore?"

"I'll be a sophomore next year," replied Raphael.

"Raphael! Help the movers put the couch in!" a female voice yelled from behind the truck. Pepper guessed it was the woman they had seen in the sundress.

He looked up somewhat and yelled, "Coming mom!" He looked back at Pepper and Hermione. "Well, it was nice meeting you. I've got to go. See you around." And with that, he walked around the van.

The two girls headed back to the Manor. "Wow," Pepper sighed. "He's amazing."

"And at least two years older than you," cautioned Hermione. "Plus, he probably has a girlfriend at university."

"But you don't know that," Pepper said, opening the house's front door.

"Not yet," said Hermione. "Just don't be too quick to snog him, that's all. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Don't worry about me, Hermione. Just worry about getting used to life in San Francisco," said Pepper. "Especially San Francisco life in the Halliwell house."

The family was gathered in the living room. When Pepper and Hermione entered, Piper said, "Ah, Hermione, we need to discuss a few things with you. Have a seat."

Hermione took a seat on the couch in between Paige and Phoebe. Piper was seated in an armchair across from the couch, Leo was in the one next to it, and Pepper sat on the arm of Piper's chair.

"We wanted to talk about the demon attacks with you, Hermione," Piper said. "When you were here last, I recall you trying to help us defeat a demon. We found out then that wand magic doesn't really do much to demons, and it might do less to warlocks. Therefore, we've come to the agreement that we'd like you to stay out of the way when a demon attacks. None of us want you to get hurt."

"But—" began Hermione, though she wasn't sure what she was going to say in protest, seeing as Piper was right. She knew that she hadn't really been much help the last time she was here and a demon attacked, but she wanted to help. She hated sitting around doing nothing, especially when there was danger. Though, she figured, if she couldn't do anything to the demon, it was better to stay out of the way than to put the Halliwells in even more danger. "Alright," she agreed with Piper. "I'll stay out of the way."

Piper smiled at her. "We also wanted to talk about house rules and such," she said.

"I'm going to see Wyatt," Pepper said, slipping out of the living room and heading upstairs. She'd heard "rules and such" too many times, so she left Hermione to hear it for the first time and to hear whatever else her aunts wanted to discuss.

Her cousin was asleep in his crib. His nursery was Piper and Leo's old walk-in closet. Leo had cleared it out, painted it pink (they had definitely been expecting a girl, seeing as all the Halliwells were women), and added a window to lighten it up.

Wyatt squirmed in his sleep. Pepper sat in the rocking chair by his crib and watched him. She wondered if her Aunt Piper would have two more boys and they would be the next Power of Three. Sadly, she finally admitted that she would never be apart of the Power of Three. She would never have any brothers or sisters that could complete the Power of Three.

And then Pepper wondered what would happen if each of her aunts had three children. Would there be three separate trios and then Pepper, the lone child? Though, though Pepper, aren't I supposed to be the most powerful witch in the world? She figured, however, that she would seem very inferior to nine witches all going by the last name of Halliwell.

Wyatt made a whining sound and stirred from sleep. His eyes opened and he stared at the ceiling. Pepper went over and plucked him from the crib. She returned to the rocking chair and rocked him so he wouldn't start crying.

"Will you stop loving me if you have two brothers and six other cousins that are all part of the Power of Three?" Pepper asked her tiny cousin. "Though, by the time you, the rest of Aunt Piper, Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe's kids are my age, I'll be old." Wyatt's eyelids were beginning to droop closed. Still, Pepper went on, "I'll be your mom's age by the time your brothers and cousins are teenagers, Wyatt. How's that for something scary? By that time I may even be a mother myself. And still, I won't have ever been part of the Power of Three."

"Pepper," said a voice from the doorway. It came so suddenly that Pepper jumped, disturbing Wyatt into full wakefulness again. She turned her head to see her Aunt Phoebe. "Don't you get it, Pep?" Phoebe said, coming into the nursery.

"Get what?" Pepper asked.

"That you're your own Power of Three," said Phoebe.

"What are you talking about?" Pepper asked. "I can't be the Power of Three when I'm one person."

"You're as powerful as us Charmed Ones, Pep," Phoebe said. "You may not know it now, and you may not be able to control all of that power yet, but you really are."

"You're kidding," said Pepper in disbelief. "But the Halliwells have been waiting for the Charmed Ones for centuries…"

"Yes, well, you were a bit of a surprise," Phoebe said, chuckling. "It's true, though: you're more powerful than your three aunts. And I'm sure you'll learn that soon enough." She took a seat in a chair on the side of the room opposite from Pepper.

"So what are you plans for this summer?" Phoebe enquired.

Pepper debated for a moment whether or not to tell her Aunt Phoebe about their new neighor, Raphael, and the fact that she wanted him to be a large part of her summer. She decided against the second half.

"Well, I'd like to get a job," said Pepper, "since I'm old enough and all. And a tan would be nice. And…I'd really like to get over Harry."

Pepper had always been able to talk to her Aunt Phoebe more easily than her other aunts, or even her mother. One of the reasons was probably because, while Prue had been alive, Phoebe was the youngest. She was only fourteen years older than Pepper was, and it seemed that she could relate more to her niece than Piper, Prue, or Paige could. However, Phoebe always encouraged Pepper to talk to her mother. She said that she should cherish the time she had with Prue, because she didn't know how much time that would be.

Even when Paige showed up, Pepper still found it easier to talk to Aunt Phoebe, even though Paige was only twelve years older than herself. It seemed to Pepper that Phoebe understood things more, and she was more open to what a teenager had to say.

"Why do you have to get over Harry?" Phoebe asked. "I thought things were going well between you two…I thought you were just friends."

"Well, we were," said Pepper. "And then I found out Ginny liked him…I thought Harry was completely over me and I thought I was over him so I suggested to Ginny that she tell Harry that she liked him. Anyway, they started dating and it was then that I realized how jealous I was of Ginny. It's my fault; I know it is, for waiting too long. Harry told me that he had been waiting for me, but I was too dumb to realize I still liked him…OH! Aunt Phoebe, that reminds me of something," she said suddenly, recalling the realization on the train that she'd had a premonition.

"What is it?"

"I had a premonition!" said Pepper.

"Are you serious?" said a very surprised Phoebe.

"Yep," Pepper nodded vigorously. "A while back is when I had it…when I got my memory back. I was having all these flashes of things that have happened in the past, and then there was something I'd never seen before…and instead of color, it was in black in white. Then it happened on the train: what I'd seen. It was Harry telling me something…"

"Wow, Pep, this is amazing," Phoebe said. "How many powers do you have now?"

Pepper actually had to count them before replying. "Six," she said. "And now that I think about it…I now have all three of the Charmed Ones' powers. Well, the original Charmed Ones anyway. I have telepathy, the freezing thing, and now I'm clairvoyant. You know, they really need to come up with a proper name for freezing."

"See, I told you that you were more powerful than us. You have as many powers as the three of us had put together when Prue was alive," said Phoebe. "Now all you have to do is learn to control them all.

"But back to the other subject. You were telling me why you have to get over Harry," Phoebe added.

"I didn't realize that I liked him until it was too late," Pepper summarized the point of the story she had told a few minutes ago. "The two of us were talking on the train on the way home about it." Pepper looked down at Wyatt, who was now sleeping in her arms, before continuing. "I asked him if he was happy with Ginny and assured me that he was. He made it pretty clear that he's over me. Though he did give me this odd look after the whole thing…anyway, my point is that he's with Ginny now and it looks like their relationship will last a fairly long time. Therefore, I must get over him."

"It sounds like you have someone in mind to help you forget about Harry," Phoebe said, her eyebrow cocked.

Pepper took her time getting out of the rocking chair and putting her cousin in his crib before she answered. She turned, still standing next to the crib, to look at her aunt. "Did you see the moving van across the street when we came home tonight?" she wondered.

"Yes…oh Pepper, it's not our new neighbor, is it?" Phoebe asked.

Pepper blushed slightly and looked away. "I dunno if you saw him but…oh god is he gorgeous. Hermione and I went over to meet him."

"Did you find out his name at least?" asked Phoebe.

Pepper looked back at her aunt somewhat disbelievingly. "Yes," Pepper said, as if making a point that she didn't just like to stare at guys. "Of course I learned his name."

"Well are you going to share it?" said Phoebe, teasing.

"Raphael," Pepper said. "He's so good looking."

"You can't really base a relationship off of looks, Pepper," said Phoebe. "Is he your age?"

"Not exactly," Pepper said, letting her eyes wander from Phoebe's face again.

"What do you mean, not exactly?" said Phoebe. "How much older is he, Pepper?"

"He'll be a sophomore at college next year," said Pepper, daring a glance at her aunt. "He's not that much older…only two or three years. You've dated older men before, Aunt Phoebe. Cole was older than you."

"Don't go getting defensive on me, Pep, I didn't say anything against it," Phoebe said, smiling at her niece's quick reaction. "That wasn't a very good parallel, either. It's different when I date older men. I'm an adult and age doesn't matter as much as it does when you're a teenager. Just be careful, that's all I have to say."

"That's what Hermione said," Pepper half-mumbled.

"Then maybe you should listen to her," said Phoebe, raising her eyebrow again; this time as more of a warning than a question. "I think Piper's done talking to Hermione about living here now. Maybe the two of you should go unpack and then head off to bed; you both must be exhausted."

Pepper nodded. She stared to leave the room but Phoebe caught her wrist as she headed through the door. Pepper looked down at Aunt Phoebe, who was still sitting in the wooden chair. "Tell me if anything goes wrong with Hermione living here or if anything's awkward," Phoebe said.

"Okay," Pepper nodded again.

"Oh, and keep me posted on the Raphael situation," Phoebe added. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"Thanks, Aunt Phoebe. For being there and everything," said Pepper. "I wouldn't be able to talk to Aunt Paige or Aunt Piper about any of this."

"I'm here for you sweetie," Phoebe grinned.

Pepper grinned back before leaving the nursery. She was ready to begin her summer with her best friend, now her roommate, her new little cousin, and her new love interest.

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