A/N: Hello everyone!
I have good news and I have bad news.
Good new is, that I've updated! And it took me less than a week to do it! Aren't you proud of me?
Bad news is that I'm going on holiday as of tomorrow, and I'll have absolutely no internet access until the end o the month. Isn't that terrible? It'll take at least two weeks 'till the next update, but I promise to make up for that then.
Ernie: Time. For. Thanks.
Of course it is Ernie.
Ernie: Thanks. Go. To. Frances.
It's bit difficult to keep everyone happy. I've got people calling for more Charmed,then I've got you wanting more Harry Potter! I'm doing my best here! I sure am glad you're sticking with the story though! At least the update was fast, right?
Ernie: Winter. Blaze.
A couple more chapters for that, I'm afraid! Keep guessing though. Update fast enough?
Ernie: Songwithoutwordz.
No I haven't gotten your previous review, but thanks for the effort! You don't ever have to apologise for reviewing any of my stories twice! I can relate and sympathise though. I've written strangely insightful, hopefully helpful, witty reviews before, only to have them swallowed up by the monster that is ff . net! And then of course I can't be bothered to write the whole thing all over again, which is always much harder than the first time round, and I usually don't even bother writing a review after that. So I really appreciate you reviewing at all! Thank you.
Ernie: Mickis.
Thanks, doll, you made my day! I was rather reluctant adding that scene, but I'm glad I did. Cole's come a long way, in my story.
Ernie: Svata2004.
Thanks hon. Here's the update you wanted!
Ernie: Mcgirl.
I can but try. And I'm glad you think so! Here's the next chapter. No Cole though.
Ernie: Chantedly.
Does this answer your question darling? Of course sucking up means you'll get the next chapter faster! As long as I have computer access that is!
Ernie: Ori1.
Blushes madly! Wow! No one's called me a deity before!
Actually, I'm pretty envious of Cole and Talia's relationship too. They understand each other so well, that things don't need to be told and named between them, for one of them to understand what the other means. Their closeness is more evident between the lines, than in what they actually say. shrugs That's what I was going for anyway!
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And, as always, many, many, many thanks go to Nightcrawler, the world's best beta reader!
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Enjoy this next chapter, everyone. And don't forget to review!
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Chapter 8: Moving Pictures
"Talia?" called Wyatt after having orbed into Professor Dumbledore's office.
"I'm right here," Talia said from behind him and they both put down the trunks they were carrying.
"Wyatt, come see!"
"It's a phoenix!"
"Yes."
"Must be nice to have another one around..."
Wyatt got slapped on the back of the head for his comment. People weren't supposed to know of his cousin's ability to transform into the mythical fire-bird. The Charmed Ones themselves had only known for a couple of months, although Talia had told him ages ago.
The seventeen-year-old witch fawned over the phoenix. She stroked the rich plumage of the bird and it nuzzled her hand gently in affection. Fawkes knew his own kind when he met any, even if they did come in strange shapes and sizes.
Wyatt in the meantime scanned the strange room they found themselves in. All sorts of strange objects caught his eye and he stared in amazement.
"Wow! Tal, look at those pictures. They're moving!"
Talia nodded excitedly, abandoning the bird that had been making cooing noises at her to walk next to the blond boy.
"Yeah, I heard about that, but I've never actually seen wizarding pictures before," she said, leaning over to look at the pictures of past headmasters that adorned Dumbledore's office.
The old headmasters looked back at the two teenagers with interest.
"Aborigines," Talia said, "believe that a picture or a photograph of a person, will steal part of their soul. Wizard pictures work similarly. They capture and imprint the person's essence at the time the picture was taken without actually taking anything from their subjects. Watch this.
"Good morning," she said to one of the wizard paintings.
"Good morning," answered the old man in the painting politely.
"I'm terribly sorry to bother you, but we have an appointment with Professor Dumbledore. You wouldn't happen to know where we could find him, would you?"
The painting seemed flattered that she would address him.
"I'm afraid not, dear lady. Are you a student here?"
"I'm sorry!" she smiled disarmingly, "We hadn't meant to be rude by not introducing ourselves. My name is Talia Turner, and this is my cousin Wyatt Halliwell. We'll be starting Hogwarts in September."
"Hello," greeted Wyatt with a smile, feeling foolish talking to a painting.
"My name is Professor Orion Montgarne. I was a Headmaster of Hogwarts nearly four hundred years ago. I must say, it's a pleasure to meet some polite young people for once. Hardly any students ever talk to us these days!"
Wyatt desperately wanted to make a biting remark regarding the fact that Professor Montgarne was now in all probability dead, and a painting, and perhaps that had something to do with why it was so hard for him to find people to talk to, but one look at Talia silenced him.
"Would it be alright if we waited for Professor Dumbledore here, do you think?" she enquired.
"You are more than welcome dears," answered another portrait of an elderly, kindly-looking witch. "My name is Professor Amelia Fleance and I too was a headmistress of Hogwarts in the past. Most of us here were. As my predecessor has told you, we hardly ever have much company these days."
"And besides," added another painting, "I'm sure Dumbledore won't mind in the slightest."
Talia and Wyatt turned to face the wizard that had just spoken.
"Professor Dippet," he said by way of an introduction. "Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry before Professor Dumbledore," he bowed, "at your service."
Talia smiled politely and Wyatt nodded bemusedly as they each took a seat facing the headmaster's desk and the paintings on the wall behind it. Wyatt was timid at first, but seeing the ease with which Talia talked to the portraits of the dead headmasters, he soon joined in.
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The fact of the matter was that when Professor Dumbledore arrived at his office ten minutes later, he found the two teenagers in deep conversation with the many portraits. His eyes twinkled in amusement as he watched the scene, unnoticed, from the entrance of the room.
"So there were four founders," stated Wyatt with a furrowed brow, "but they argued and one of them-"
"Slytherin," provided Professor Montgarne.
"Slytherin," agreed Wyatt, "left."
The portraits nodded.
"So what did they argue about?" asked Talia.
The headmasters shared a look, but it was the kindly Professor Fleance that answered the question.
"Slytherin believed that the school should be open only to pure-blooded witches and wizards."
An unreadable expression passed over Talia's face and Wyatt looked at her worriedly.
"Are you a muggleborn, dear?" asked the elderly witch.
"No, I'm not."
But the strange expression didn't leave Talia's face. For too long she had had to contend with not being a pure-blooded demon in the Underworld. She hated the idea that she would probably be discriminated against, again, for the same reason.
"What does muggleborn mean?" asked Wyatt.
"A muggle, my lad," answered Professor Dippet, "is a non-magical person. A muggle-born, is a witch or wizard born to muggle parents. It's relatively rare. Some wizards believe that muggleborns aren't as worthy of magic as pure-blooded witches and wizards. All rubbish of course."
"I see that you've been catching up on Hogwarts history," interrupted Dumbledore's kindly voice.
Talia and Wyatt turned round to face the old man that filled the door frame of the office. Politely they both rose out of their chairs, but he motioned for them to sit back down as he took his own seat behind the large mahogany desk.
"I'm terribly sorry to have kept you waiting, but I'm afraid there was quite a ruckus at the Great Hall with our resident poltergeist, and I had to deal with the situation. Lemon drop?" he offered, holding a crystal bowl of yellow coloured sweets towards them.
Wyatt leant forwards to take one of the proffered sweets.
"No need to apologize sir, we can understand that a ghost banishing takes priority over most things."
"Oh, no! No one would ever banish Peeves!" said Dumbledore cheerfully, now offering the sweets to Talia, "he's part of the Hogwarts family!"
Talia popped the lemon drop in her mouth and tried to get her head round the fact of considering a poltergeist as part of the family.
"Right, shall we get down to business?" asked Dumbledore beaming at them. "I believe you now know a little bit about the four houses of Hogwarts, courtesy of my predecessors. At the beginning of the new school year, you will be sorted along with the other new students into your houses, but for now we have prepared other rooms for you two. I will have someone show you to them, as soon as we're finished here.
"Until then, we need to discuss your lessons.
"Wiccan magic is very different to the kind we have here. I hope you've read the subject list and chosen your subjects...?"
The two teenagers nodded.
"May I see your options?"
He extended his hand to take the leaf of paper that Wyatt was already passing to him.
"Hmm, Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Charms, and I see that Wyatt's chosen Care of Magical Creatures while Talia, you've chosen... Ancient Runes? That's good," he mumbled, "well it looks like you have quite some studying to do this summer. More for some subjects than others, I presume," he mused.
Dumbledore seemed to be thinking for a while. Talia and Wyatt waited politely.
"In Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts you will be tutored by Professor Snape," he finally said, "I have already requested that he remain at Hogwarts throughout these summer holidays. Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick will tutor you in Herbology and Charms and I'm sure that Hagrid will love to have you around for Care of Magical Creatures, Mr. Halliwell. Miss Turner, I'm not sure if Professor Leontes is available to tutor you in Ancient Runes over the summer, but I'll see what I can do.
"Alright then, I presume you already have your school supplies?"
Talia and Wyatt nodded.
Wyatt's hand went to his back pocket where the willow wand with the gryphon's claw for its core, rested. The idea of using a 'stick' to do magic still seemed absurd to him. He had a feeling that waving the stick around shouting 'Abracadabra!' at the top of his voice would do nothing but make him look foolish.
Dumbledore clapped his hands and a strange creature with eyes like dinner plates dressed in bright yellow shorts, a green t-shirt and what appeared to be a tea-cosy on his head, appeared in front of them with a soft pop.
The two children watched in amazement as the short creature bowed in front of the headmaster respectfully.
"How can Dobby help Professor Dumbledore sir?"
Dumbledore smiled benignly.
"Dobby, please take Miss Turner and Mr Halliwell to their rooms. I'll take care of their trunks."
Dobby bowed once again. The two cousins bid their goodbyes to the headmaster and rose to follow the creature whose face seemed about to split from the wide smile that grazed his leathery features.
Once they were gone, Dumbledore took out his wand and aimed it carelessly at the two trunks. A muttered incantation and a soft pop later, and the trunks vanished form the headmaster's office to appear in Wyatt and Talia's new rooms.
"Lovely children," mused the painting of Professor Fleance fondly.
"Good upbringing," agreed Professor Dippet's gruff voice.
"I'm glad you approve," said Dumbledore. "They are Wiccan witches. That's why they are here so early. They have to catch up on our way of doing magic before they join their classmates."
"Wiccans?" asked Professor Dippet. "We haven't had any of those for quite a while, right Albus? Not since Amelia's time."
Professor Fleance nodded.
"His name was Ronar. He never did manage to get the hang of most subjects...wonderful in Potions and Herbology of course, but not much good in anything else. Wiccan powers are too raw, too connected with the Earth itself, to channel through a wand."
Professor Montgarne though, didn't seem to share their opinions.
"Those two are very powerful. Couldn't you feel the magic flowing out of them? I have a feeling that these aren't just any Wiccans, am I right Albus?"
Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully.
"They are the children of the Charmed Ones."
Gasps of excitement could be heard from the paintings.
"The boy's father is an Elder, and the girl's is the Source himself."
Professor Dippet whistled softly.
"My, my, what a combination!" exclaimed Professor Fleance, flushed with the excitement of it all.
"It should be interesting having them at Hogwarts," Professor Dumbledore agreed, his eyes twinkling as he looked speculatively at the door from which Wyatt and Talia had exited.
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Wyatt and Talia still followed Dobby through the winding corridors of Hogwarts. They looked at the little creature in amazement and when Wyatt could take it no longer, he cleared his throat with a dry cough, before asking the question that had plagued him for a while now.
"I'm sorry if I'm being rude," asked Wyatt, "but what kind of creature are you?"
Dobby turned round to look at them.
"Dobby is a house elf!" he announced proudly.
"An elf...? But, I've met elves before..." Wyatt's brow furrowed, "they didn't look like you. They looked more like humans really, only shorter, and with pointy ears."
"Not an elf, Master Halliwell sir...a house elf!"
"Oh," said Wyatt, not really seeing the difference.
Talia stifled a laugh.
"So, what do you actually do around here Dobby?"
"Dobby is a house elf, missus. Dobby works," Dobby answered uncomprehendingly.
"Dobby, you don't have to call me Missus. My name is Talia, and this is my cousin, Wyatt."
Dobby seemed to blush under Talia's direct gaze.
"Dobby can't do that missus. Dobby is a house elf."
It was Wyatt's turn to stifle a laugh. Was the small creature's answer to everything the fact that he was a house elf?
Talia stopped abruptly and her two companions followed suit.
"Dobby, surely you don't call everyone master and missus. What about your friends? You do have friends, don't you?"
Talia herself was really rather reluctant to trust people. She was raised in the Underworld after all! If she was honest with herself, there were only three people she trusted fully in the entire world. First and foremost, she trusted herself and her own powers; Wyatt was the second person she trusted, Cole the third. But friends were convenient. They were fun to have. They were people you could trust to a certain extend, and have fun with. Talia had spent the last year making 'friends' left, right, and centre. Wyatt had been amused, but she was only making up for lost time.
Dobby smiled.
"Oh yes, Missus Turner. Dobby has friends. Dobby is friends with Harry Potter sir. Harry Potter is a great wizard! And Dobby is friends with Harry Potter's Wheezy and with Missus Hermione. They give Dobby socks."
Wyatt's eye fell on Dobby's small feet and once again he felt a laughing fit coming on. Dobby wore one bright green sock with pink spots on his left foot, and a blue sock with yellow stars on his right foot.
Talia seemed unfazed.
"Well Dobby," she said, "Wyatt and I want to be your friends too. Would you like that?"
Dobby's dinner-plate eyes widened to the size of carriage wheels. They glistened suspiciously. Talia desperately hoped that the little creature wouldn't start crying. She wasn't good with crying people...or creatures.
"Yous want to be friends with Dobby?" he asked amazed.
The two cousins shared a look and nodded emphatically.
Dobby's mouth hung open in disbelief.
"Dobby would be honoured to call Missus Turner and Master Halliwell friends!"
Talia grinned.
"In that case Dobby, please call us by our first names. I'm Talia and this is Wyatt."
Dobby looked at Talia as if she was the centre of his universe.
"Lead us to our rooms Dobby!" commanded a grinning Wyatt cheerfully.
And with that, the small group continued on their walk through the corridors of Hogwarts. Dobby was practically skipping with joy and the wide smile he wore, seemed as if it would never leave his face!
"I would have thought you'd be used to servants," whispered Wyatt to Talia, "you being a princess and all..."
Talia's lips formed into a thin, tight line.
"I'd be lying if I said that having servants wasn't fun. None of this 'clean your room' business! But I was never much for being waited on hand and foot." She smiled. "It gets damn annoying after a while!"
She chuckled.
"I rocked quite a few boats in my time," said the seventeen-year-old witch with a smug air that indicated immeasurable adventures in her past.
"I bet you have," answered Wyatt, good-naturedly, with a chuckle of his own.
And that's how it all started, remembered Wyatt; their summer in the wizarding world and at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
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A/N: Is it just me, or are asterisks back? Review!