Talia: Hello everyone! Cinammon's conveniently, err... I meant to say… unfortunately… tied up right now. [Insert maniacal laughter here]
/Muffled screams of rage explode from a tied up and gagged Cinammon in the corner/
Talia: So, it falls to me, as the star of this show, to use her notes and thank you all for your wonderful reviews.
Sweetone41185: Yes, I am rather proud of Wyatt's and Talia's wands! And don't worry about Mr Olivander. He's a wizard and he'll soon have his shop back to the way I was. As for what's next for Talia and Wyatt… well, you might have to wait 'till next chapter to find out!
Winter Blaze: Flattery will get you everywhere… Thanks for the brilliant comments. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Barb6: I always hated having to shop for school shoes too! I went to one of these prissy, 'private' schools and they were pretty strict when it came to school shoes. They had to be brown and, because for public schools shoes had to be either black or blue, we had to literally scour the shops in search of the occasional, invariably ugly, brown shoe. According to school rules, the shoes also had to have a 4cm heel or less. Any more heel and we ended up with detention! And yes, the teachers did go around carrying rulers, measuring the heel of our shoe. Go figure!
Roby Murphy: Err… incredible intuition?
Frances: Well… /grins sheepishly/ I did read the books, but I don't actually own them, and it was a long time ago. I saw the films a lot more recently. I guess I'll have to go by my rather unreliable memory. Well done for spotting it though. Thanks for the 'good job'!
Ori: Yes, Wyatt and his Gryphon core wand play a small part in the plot. More of an indication really of what's to come. And now that I've given that particular little titbit away, I'll just shut up on the hints or I might as well give the entire story away!
I'm glad you got the right hand/left hand thing. No one else did. In olden times, left handed people were considered evil. In the HP books, Draco Malfoy is left handed and, although I'm not sure, I think Tom Riddle is too.
And as for ebony… In some cultures, types of wood have certain meanings. Ebony is the darkest wood and is often considered to have the greatest affinity for evil. As Mr Olivander pointed out, Talia's magic is rather dark and so she needs a wand to match her. No unicorn hair cores for Talia! Unless I'm mistaken, an ebony wand with a dragon heartstring is also mentioned in the HP books. Could this be a hint as to what lies ahead for Talia? And Talia's phoenix feather core did not come from Fawkes. You are absolutely right. Fawkes only gave two feathers: Harry's and Voldie's. But I couldn't have Talia's wand without something from a Phoenix!
You'll have to wait and see about the Hogwarts houses that Wyatt and Talia are going to be sorted into. You might have forced certain hints out of me in this review response, but I'm NOT giving that away!
Mickis: I can't wait to put them in Hogwarts either. Unfortunately, we'll both have to wait 'till next chapter for that.
Svata2004: I don't know about that... Talia and Wyatt are going to school with some of the most powerful witches and wizards the Wizarding World has seen in decades! It's true, wiccan magic is more powerful in a raw-sort-of-way than wizarding magic, but, just think of Wyatt's and Talia's classmates! They're not the type that can be easily dismissed. It'll be a while before we can see them all properly, but I can't wait!
Songwithoutwordz: Ask and ye shall receive! You are now on my update email list thingy! Thank you very much for your kind words. /Wipes tear from eye/ Where would I be without you guys?!
Charmedchick11: I'm glad the previous chapter made you laugh. That was the point of it. The story was getting a little serious for my liking. I do try and insert a little humour here and there, but I'm afraid I'm not usually very good at it.
Chantedly: /Squeals with pleasure/ You're back!! No need to apologise. If you are busy, you're busy. Life has a way of doing that. Thanks for your lovely comments. I was flattered to hear that I made your day. I live for comments like that.
Bob-the-bear: Thanks for the compliment, but I had a little bit of help with the wands. I looked up types of wood on the internet to make sure that I didn't actually make any horrible mistakes that you brilliant people could catch me out on. Which reminds me, did Talia's official head cheerleader come up with any new cheers? I love reading them… /Hint! Hint!/
Mcgirl: Will do! Keep reading and I'll keep writing!
Charmedfanatic3000: Hope I haven't kept you waiting too long, Alex! I love you to bits, do you know that?
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/Cinammon finaly manages to untie herself and remove the gag/
Mutiny! Mutiny I say!
Ernie: Mutiny. Only. Happens. At. Sea.
Whose side are you on, Ernie?!
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And I hope you all know by now, that I would be nothing without my brilliant and wonderful beta reader Nightcrawler! His poignant observations and superior grammar knowledge keeps me on my toes. Chapters wouldn't be half as wonderful without him!
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Why, Talia, why?
Talia (looking properly chastised): Because I wanted to do the thank yous to our reviewers…
/Cinammon sighs/
Ask next time, will you?
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Don't forget to review, everyone!
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Chapter 7: A Father's touch
In the deepest, darkest, recesses of the Underworld, the Source sat on his magnificent, black marble throne. He had his eyes shut. His attention lay not in the dimly lit throne room. His consciousness travelled thousands of miles away to a little country called, Iraq.
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In Baghdad, the dark-skinned man licked his chapped lips one last time, mentally sending his last prayers to his god. He was a man with a mission. Had been, ever since his young wife and son had been run over by the cruel, faceless, American tanks; a little more than a year ago. But today, he would finally get his retribution. He gave the explosives strapped to his chest one last, cursory, check, and looked up one last time at the clear blue sky. An unearthly scream tore from his throat as he charged into the tall building. Was it born of fear, holy rage, or exultation at finally getting to see his dead family once again...? No one knew, least of all him.
That evening, the news would report yet another terrorist attack in Iraq against NATO. The explosion would claim twelve dead. Among the dead would be a British mother and her five-year-old daughter. They had arrived in Iraq that very morning, to visit the little girl's father, a British major who had not been in the building at the time of the explosion. Consequentially, the British major in question, would survive. And so would his newly-found hate for anything Islamic.
The hate in him would grow, and fester, and consume everything in its path. Major Arthur McCormick would ruthlessly devote himself to the cruelties of war. The Major had always been good at his job...too good. And with all mercy and humanity stripped from him in one senseless piece of seemingly random violence, the British soldier would be all the more terrible!
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The all-encompassing black eyes of the Source glinted maliciously in the darkness at the evil that had been achieved.
The man that had once been Cole Turner had to consciously ignore the little voice in his head telling him that what he had just done was wrong, but the switching off of the remnant of his conscience was done with practised ease, and his face betrayed no reaction to it. No Source before him had ever had to worry about a conscience, and there were times that Cole would gladly have exchanged what little humanity he had left in him, to never hear that little voice again. Its lilting tones were still much too familiar however, and they couldn't help but bring to mind the large brown eyes of his favourite Charmed witch.
But Cole Turner and the Source were one now...had been for years. The Dark Side had changed him. The Power had changed him.
No one could have wielded, and with so much success, might he add proudly, the amount of Dark magic that he did, day after day, and not have it alter him to the very core. Risking his life doing good, helping the Charmed Ones save innocents the way he once had... The very thought of it now, made him sick. He had lost that part of him for good.
Yes, being Ruler of the Underworld came with a high price. But he had known that before he took the job.
He knew what he was doing when he chose to come back to the Underworld. It was true that he and Talia needed a home and a future at the time, but, deciding to go after the throne, knowing the risks he would have to take to achieve it, had filled him with excitement. No Source had ever lost the throne and lived. No old Source had ever claimed the throne a second time. His reputation with the demonic world had been in tatters, his one time allies had all turned their backs on him. The challenge was one that Cole Turner hadn't been able to refuse.
He looked at the large silver ring that adorned his middle finger and smiled in the darkness. And he'd be lying if he didn't admit that he enjoyed the power he had as the Source of All Evil, the Supreme Ruler of the Underworld. He looked around him in appreciation of the majestic room, the opulent throne, the exquisite sceptre by his side, and the beautiful cloak that was draped elegantly over his wide shoulders. The eyes that surveyed all this were not the sinister black that had been passed on to him through a dynasty of Evil. They were the ice blue eyes Phoebe Halliwell had once fallen in love with; the ice blue eyes that Talia was most familiar with. Even his brief time as an ordinary human had not quenched, or even dimmed, the thirst of his ambition. Hadn't he been a lawyer even then after all?
Talia and Phoebe...the only two people he had ever given a damn about...
Talia understood him in a way Phoebe never could. Phoebe always insisted that Belthazor, Cole Turner, and the Source, were different entities. Talia knew that he was all, rolled into one. Phoebe had tried to change him into who she wanted him to be. Talia had simply accepted him for who he was, in a way only one's child could. There was one thing that Phoebe could never understand. Cole Turner was not possessed by the Source, he was the Source.
There is no Good or Evil. There is only Power, and those too weak to seek it.
That was the Underworld's favourite saying, and it summed the people and creatures that associated themselves with it, to perfection.
Talia had it too, he knew. That ruthless ambition, the determination of getting what she wanted by any means possible. He was glad really that she had managed to escape the Underworld before the desire for Power had become too powerful in her, to resist. People – mortals, demons, and witches alike – did terrible things for Power. And there were, always, consequences to that. If anything, at least his little girl would escape the torments of her own mind, the invariable guilt her actions would have caused her. He knew from experience that, because of her humanity, the guilt would have only increased exponentially, 'til it drove her mad!
And that was certainly not a nice mental place to be. He knew.
He wondered if she still had nightmares. He still did. And probably would 'til the day he died. It was the price for keeping his humanity. But if having the horrendous nightmares he did, meant retaining that little part of him that allowed him to love his daughter, then he could handle all the nightmares that Morpheus, vindictive as he sometimes could be, threw at him.
Perhaps Talia, in choosing her own path, would have better luck. The Source wished it with all the father's love most speculated he could never feel.
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But the Source's musings were cut short by the very person whose fate he was currently pondering. Talia's soft voice echoed in his mind. His daughter was calling him.
Cole closed his eyes and used his inner sense to locate her. She was on their little island; their haven; neutral ground. He opened his eyes and smiled in the darkness before flaming to her.
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"You can't keep doing this, you know."
Talia turned to face him with a smile.
"It's not like I do it all the time. I haven't seen you since..." her smile ran away from her face, "...Christmas."
Cole knew exactly what had caused her change in mood. Last Christmas hadn't been very happy, but at least he had managed to be there for her when she needed him. It had meant defying practically every rule he had sworn to abide by when he had become the Source, but it had revealed to them both that their bizarre relationship could survive anything. Outwardly his expression betrayed nothing. Talia wouldn't call him without reason, and he was curious as to why he was here.
"So," she started awkwardly, "how is everything? Back at the Underworld, I mean."
He raised a single eyebrow at her. This was not what she had called him for. She was stalling and they both knew it. She smiled sheepishly at being caught. Seeing the amused expression on his face, she decided to just come out and say it.
"Wyatt and I are planning to disappear for a while. I just thought you might like to know," she said, all business.
"Disappear?" he asked, obviously willing her to elaborate further.
She smirked.
"Off the record, think of owls and pointy hats."
A fleeting look of surprise momentarily flashed across the Source's handsome face. Anyone else would have missed it, but Talia simply noted it with a little bit of satisfaction for having caught it in the first place.
"Anything particularly dangerous?" he enquired, trying to sound nonchalant. He would have succeeded too, if he were speaking with anyone other than his daughter.
She shook her head.
"More of an educational trip actually," she answered, unable to completely hide the excitement in her voice.
The Source looked pleased for her.
"It sounds fascinating."
Her twinkling eyes agreed.
"That's my point of view exactly."
For a few seconds, father and daughter dropped all pretences and grinned unabashedly at each other. Gods he missed her!
Almost before he realised he was doing it, Cole started to leisurely walk along the beach. Talia walked beside him with practised ease. How many times had the two of them done this on this very same beach in summers past?
"How's your mother taking it?" he asked.
Talia picked up on the slight hesitation in his voice. She suppressed a sigh. There was no doubt in her mind that her parents loved each other still. Life was so unfair sometimes!
"She doesn't like me leaving," Talia admitted, "but I'm afraid I didn't give her much of a choice."
Cole smiled wryly.
"No, you wouldn't, would you? Go easy on her. She doesn't see things the way we do. She means well though."
It was unlike Cole to be so open about her mother. Talia didn't dare comment on it, but she took his words to heart as she always did.
"This trip, it should also provide a bit of a break from...routine," he said thoughtfully.
Talia nodded.
"Leo seems to think so."
"I'm glad," he said firmly. He wrestled with himself for a while before admitting, "I was beginning to worry."
It was Talia's turn to raise an eyebrow at him.
"Don't get me wrong, Talia. I know you can handle yourself." He smirked. "I taught you everything you know, after all. But you can't keep going the way you have been these past few months." He allowed his concern to show through his eyes. "In fact, I'm pleasantly surprised that you managed to keep it up for as long as you have."
Talia smiled. Praise from her father was rare.
"I had help," she admitted.
"Wyatt."
It wasn't a question.
"We make a good team."
"So I hear," he added shrewdly. "I'm glad he's going with you. The wizarding world is a rather eventful place, nowadays."
"Really?"
Again, he seemed briefly surprised.
"Hasn't Leo mentioned anything?"
"No, he hasn't," she answered, suddenly stone-faced.
Talia looked at her father, obviously expecting him to go on. Strangely, he seemed reluctant to do so.
"There's a war brewing." He sighed tiredly. "And knowing you, you'll get yourself caught right in the middle of it all."
They stayed silent for a while. Cole did not expand on the subject any further, and Talia didn't ask him to.
"Kinda makes you wonder what those Elders are up to," Talia said softly, frowning slightly.
With the exception of Leo, Talia didn't have much respect for Elders. Leo was the only Elder she knew to actually get off his high and mighty seat and contribute in the war the other Elders felt happy to simply watch from afar. She didn't blame Leo for not being completely honest with them. Even Elders had to follow rules sometimes.
"The situation in the wizarding world may have nothing to do with why you and Wyatt are going there," Cole said.
Father and daughter turned to look at each other. They both recognised the untruthfulness of his statement.
"I'll just have to keep my eyes open," Talia said.
"The whole thing is still a wonderful opportunity," the Source added in attempt to raise her spirits.
It worked. She couldn't help but smile.
"Yes it is. I can't wait, and neither can Wyatt!"
Cole couldn't help but smile at her infectious enthusiasm. There were so few things the Princess of All Evil allowed herself to become excited about...
"Don't just look for demons and evil wizards, Talia. Learn as much as you can, but make sure you enjoy yourself, too. The wizarding world is a fascinating place and I never got the chance to show it to you properly." He grinned uncharacteristically. He was with the only person he ever allowed himself to be seen by, like this. "Have some fun for once!"
The Source's daughter had had to grow up too quickly for her father's peace of mind. At Hogwarts she could reclaim a little of her lost childhood before having to give it up forever...if the ancient school actually survived the Phoenix's arrival that is.
"I have to go, Father," Talia finally said, sadly, interrupting her father's thoughts. "I'll be missed."
She said it with regret. Part of her didn't want to go. She missed him more than she could ever say. Cole met his daughter's eyes and nodded solemnly. It wouldn't do for the Charmed Ones to know that she had forewarned him of her plans.
Talia reached out to touch her father's rough cheek with her soft palm in an affectionate gesture of farewell, before flaming out to leave him standing alone on the sandy beach.
"Be careful, Talia," Cole whispered to the wind, before he too flamed out, back to the Underworld.
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A/N: In case you haven't picked up on it yet, because the people at have decided that - for some strange reason I don't understand - asterisks are evil, I have decided to retaliate by using / instead. Next chapter shouldn't be too long in coming!