Err... I guess it's been a while, right? I feel like I owe you an apology. Other than my two week holiday without internet access, there was no real reason for taking a month-long break. Forgive me?
But I haven't been a complete waste of space. This is the longest chapter I have ever written! It really should be two or three different chapters, but I really couldn't work out where to cut it off. I also felt like I owed it to you after my absence.
So, in return of your loyalty (and if you're still reading this, you must be loyal), I hereby present nearly fifteen pages for your reading pleasure.
Ernie: Do. We. Have. Time. For. Thank. Yous?
A smidgen of time Ernie, but we'll do our best.
Ernie: Thank. Yous. Goes. To. Charmedfanatic3000.
Hey Alex! You're only too kind! I know all about mean computers.
Ernie: Cough. Cough.
Present company excluded of course.
Ernie: Winter. Blaze.
The trip was simply fantastic! Very relaxing. Is it any wonder that I've managed to knock up this monster of a chapter? I like Dobby too. He may make future appearances because of that.
Ernie: Our. Old. Friend. Ori
Knowledge is power. One of my favourite quotes and entirely true. I believe it was Katherine Baker who said it. You've hit the nail on the head though. That's how Cole and Talia see it. And that's why Talia would be more than willing to learn all she can in the wizarding world. Talia and Wyatt are different. But I like seeing them together. They understand each other and watch each other's backs. Talia teaches Wyatt all sorts of stuff about magic, combat, and shares her worldly wisdom with him, and he keeps her on the straight and narrow. Phoenixes are great, aren't they? I think it must be rather lonely for Fawkes sometimes. I thought it be rather nice to give him a new playmate.
Ernie: Mcgirl
Thank you. I hope you like this next chapter. Not much happens in terms of storyline, but I had a blast writing it.
Ernie: Charmed. Rox. And. Her. Very. Good. Question.
Ah, I was waiting for someone to ask me that.
What happened to Chris? Well, you obviously haven't read the prequel to this then (it's called Talia and you can find it in my author's account). When I started Talia, I had only watched up to Season 5 of the Charmed Series (Episodes Oh My Goddess 1&2). I hadn't known that Chris was Wyatt's brother then, so I kinda... got rid of him. It's worse than it sounds I'm afraid. It only took one little sentence in the second or third chapter claiming that the Charmed Ones, did not have a whitelighter anymore. With two half-whitelighters and an Elder in the family, they didn't need one. Leo checks in frequently with them. He felt it was the least he could do after the "Chris fiasco". I assumed that Chris was some sort of bad guy and had been dealt with, by then, and that was the end of that. It's a horrible inaccuracy and I hate myself for it. I suppose this makes the Talia Chronicles AU in very big way. Sorry!
Ernie: Bob-the-bear.
A short review is better than no review at all. can be... capricious, but it's letting us have fun with all these fandoms, and I can't help but feel grateful sometimes.
Ernie: Frances
A love of bullies, huh? I don't know about that, but I'll have to agree in the case of Draco. Whether or not Talia ends up in Slytherin, there should be plenty of Draco involved. If I have any say in it at least.
Ernie: Melinda. Halliwell.
I just have to say that I love you name! If you've read Talia, then I hope you enjoyed it just as much as this one. I know it's precisely one month since I updated... cringes! but I'm trying to make up for it with an extra long chapter. And as for Talia not trusting her mother, aunts and uncle... Well, she trusts them, just not as much as Wyatt or Cole.
They don't understand her you see. Leo and the Charmed Ones are great, but sometimes, it upsets me how they refuse to see that the world isn't made up by black and white, but shades of grey. Talia is as grey as you can get. Other than her knowledge of demons, they don't like any reference to her evil past. Much like when Cole was good. They'd rather turn a blind eye to it and believe that Talia was young and misguided when it all happened. They refuse to believe that darkness is part of her, just like they refused to see that Cole's demon side was part of what made him... well, Cole. Talia is one of them, and the knowledge that she's also part dark... it makes them uncomfortable, so they ignore her dark side. Take another look at the first chapter, I tried to show that in there. And being good all the time, well, it would drive Talia crazy! When she's in one of her 'moods', Talia disappears for few hours and does something wild. Nothing intrinsically evil of course, but something slightly bad that no goody-two-shoes would ever do: pick a fight with a bunch of tough guy bikers, drink in a rough bar, snog a stranger... But that is nothing to what she really feels like doing sometimes. The urge to kill when she's angry is pretty strong and it takes a lot of strong will to overcome it. Can you imagine what the Halliwells' reaction would be to knowing something like that? Or the fact that sometimes she simply can't be bothered to help an innocent at all and only Wyatt convinces her otherwise? Talia is and always will be tempted by the dark side. Wyatt knows that and is probably the only one that at times can hold her back. That's why she feels that she can't trust them completely. Definitely not with the full details of her past or her true feelings about certain things.
Ernie: Barb6.
Rollercoaster ride? Trouble? You've no idea darling!
Ernie: Svata2004
Tire of servants? Well, there are certainly times when I don't think it'd be possible either, but what about when you just want to be left alone? And I happen to find the total-servitude attitude of house elves in the Harry Potter books rather annoying. It is very probable that Talia would have had servants like Kreacher when she was younger. Some of them would probably be a tad more dignified of course, but wouldn't you be tired after a while too?
Ernie: Chantedly
Engaging writing style? There you go with the adjectives again! I'm flattered. I hope this rather large dose helps curb your withdrawal symptoms.
Ernie: Charmedchick11.
Well... it depends what you mean by soon. Is a month too long to qualify as soon? Enjoy!
Ernie: Charmed148.
I know what you mean. This story is a cross of two of my favourite things too. Harry Potter and Charmed.
Ernie: Mixer. The. Wonderful. Wonderful. Reviewer. That. Appreciates. Me.
Hey! You are absolutely right about the siren's call dark magic is to Talia. Check out my answer to Melinda Halliwell if you need further confirmation.
Ernie: And. Last. But. Certainly. Not. Least... Songwithoutwordz
I'm very pleasantly surprised with the response I got for Dobby. In all honesty, the conversation between Talia, Wyatt and him was a last minute addition. I would have had him take them silently to their rooms and described their rooms instead, but I'm glad I changed it. But I'm still not giving anything away when it comes to the houses Tal and Wyatt will be sorted into!
-o()o-
An extra special thanks goes to... drum roll, please ...Nightcrawler of course! Thank you darling for a fantastically well done job, once again.
-o()o-
And now, I finally leave you with this marathon of a chapter.
-o()o-
Chapter 9: Summer at Hogwarts
Their summer lessons started the very next day, and Talia and Wyatt were shocked to find out just how many things they still had to learn about magic.
Following Dumbledore's instructions they kept their powers a secret even from the Professors. The Professors knew that they were Wiccans of course, but the exact nature of their powers and parentage was a secret that the headmaster, with Wyatt and Talia's consent, wasn't ready to share just yet. It made for a rather interesting first day, since, neither the students, nor the Professors, really knew quite what to expect. On one hand, the Professors were fascinated by the opportunity of teaching two Wiccans, and the two teenagers in turn, were fascinated with the magic world unfurled before them.
"And these are mandrake roots?" yelled Wyatt above the screeching of the bizarre plants Professor Sprout was handling.
"Yes," the Professor answered and was barely heard with all the noise the seedlings were making, "magical mandrake roots. Rather loud aren't they? They're too young to require us wearing ear muffs but, when fully grown, the screeching of these little things can prove quite lethal!"
"What do I do Professor?" asked a nearly panicking Talia who was holding an uprooted, particularly loud, mandrake root as far away from her as possible.
"Replant it, Miss Turner. Simply put it into the pot next to you and cover the root with ground!"
"Ouch!" yelled the brunette, dropping the mandrake.
"Careful!" cried Professor Sprout, her concern for the plant apparently greater than for her student.
Wyatt, in a spectacular display of excellent reflexes, caught the plant before it hit the ground.
"Well done, Mr. Halliwell," praised Professor Sprout, but her attention was entirely focused on examining the young plant for damage.
"The stupid thing bit me!" Talia said examining her painful finger.
Professor Sprout moved away from the plant to assume the classic telling off stance mothers and teachers around the world used when scolding their children or students.
"Miss Turner! Language please! And mandrake roots don't bite!"
Talia couldn't help but whine childishly.
"Well, it did!"
"Mandrake roots are second year material Miss Turner. You will have to do better than that if you plan to take Herbology at N.E.W.T. level."
Talia glared at a quietly sniggering Wyatt over Professor Sprout's shoulder.
"Yes Professor," she said resignedly, hoping that not all plants in Herbology were as hard to handle as Mandrake roots.
-o()o-
Talia decided that she liked Charms!
Wyatt most certainly agreed.
Professor Flitwick was positively delighted with his new students! They both seemed to have a tremendous affinity for Charms and that made the tiny professor almost giddy with joy. Their inane magical abilities ensured an extremely fast learning pace, the kind of which he had never seen before! Their fascination, delight and excitement, helped of course. Their first lesson was only supposed to last an hour and a half. It was already three hours after the lesson had started and to Professor Flitwick's amazement, Talia and Wyatt showed no signs of the exhaustion they should be showing after the torrent of magic they had performed in one afternoon. In fact, they seemed to be having so much fun trying out each and every spell, that Flitwick didn't have the heart to stop them!
Charm after charm, they performed them all to perfection after having witnessed only one, or at the most two, correct demonstrations. If one of them had a bit of trouble performing a certain charm, the other one immediately pointed out where they had gone wrong and helped them perfect it. Professor Flitwick hadn't seen anything quite like it before. He realised with a start that they had already finished the first four lessons he had planned for that summer, in a single time slot. Only then, when he had run out of planned lessons, did he bring their session to a close.
Talia and Wyatt thanked the tiny Professor profusely, telling him that they hadn't had so much fun in a long time. They walked out of the classroom laughing and joking with each other, leaving behind an utterly bemused Professor.
-o()o-
The door slammed open and Professor Snape burst into the classroom in his most dramatic entrance, his robes billowing around him.
Talia and Wyatt smiled at their new Professor, but it seemed to have no effect on the scowling Potions Master as he advanced to the head of the classroom before he turned to face them. His eyes were cold as he studied his two new students.
"My name is Professor Snape, and I am the Potions Master at Hogwarts. This summer I will be tutoring you in both Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts," he finally said.
Talia blinked. There was something strangely familiar about the man before her. Professor Snape's deep, velvety voice washed over her and despite its superior and cold tone, its vague familiarity had a soothingly effect on her.
"I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…"
And then it hit her! She knew exactly who Professor Snape reminded her of! Xander, the upper level demon who, along with her father, had helped raise her in the Underworld.
She almost smiled with satisfaction at having made the connection.
The two men were practically opposites of each other in appearance. Xander's, aristocratic, grey hair, were in stark contrast to Snape's dark, lank and greasy, own. The demon that was her father's most trusted servant had cruel blue eyes, while Snape's were deep ebony. But something about Snape's gruffness, his demand of excellence, and the silky dangerous threat that underlined heavily his every word, greatly reminded her of her old teacher.
"Might I remind you that I am using up my entire summer holidays for your sake, so will you kindly not waste my time?" His words were clipped, precise. He didn't waste his breath. "I expect all assignments to be done and handed in at the appropriate times. I also expect you to carry out large amounts of background reading. From what I understand, you have many things to learn about the wizarding world, and I, for one, do not intend to waste my valuable time, teaching you things that most children in year four already know, when you are supposed to join years six and seven in September!"
Silence followed his speech. Wyatt threw Talia a rather fearful look, but the Princess of the Underworld was determined not to let this new, certainly formidable, teacher, intimidate her.
"Sir...?" Talia started, even as she raised her hand in the air. She wanted to tell him that they did in fact have an extensive knowledge in potions, courtesy of Piper and the constant demon fighting they had been subjected to, back home.
"If you need the bathroom Miss Turner," Professor Snape smirked, "you should have gone before the lesson started. As it is, it appears that you have to exercise some control over your bowels until the end of this lesson."
Talia put her hand down with a disbelieving look on her face. Wyatt looked at her with a strange mixture of sympathy and amusement.
"We are going to start this lesson with a written test to show me what exactly it is, if anything, that you know with regards to Potions."
Talia glared at the Potions Master, not having forgiven him for his previous insult. Wyatt simply looked resigned. With a careless wave of his wand, the tests appeared on Snape's two newest students' desks. With one, last, shared, miserable look, Talia and Wyatt bent over their tests.
Watching them frantically scribble on their parchments with their quills, Professor Snape allowed himself a self-satisfied, rather smug, smirk.
-o()o-
"I used to like Potions," confessed Wyatt over his Potions homework, "I'm not sure I do anymore."
Talia wasn't quite so quick to judge by first appearances. She frowned, biting the end of her quill thoughtfully before speaking. Quill-chewing was a brand new, and strangely satisfying, habit of hers.
"I admit that Professor Snape's not exactly the most pleasant of men..."
Wyatt threw her a look of disbelief. Talia ignored him.
"...but he seemed to at least know what he was talking about. He may have a rather unorthodox way of teaching, but it might actually be seriously worth paying attention in his class," she finished determinately.
"I don't care what you say," whined Wyatt, throwing his own quill hard on top of his half filled parchment. "This homework's impossible! If it wasn't for Mom's lessons and the Book of Shadows, I'd have never been able to follow a single thing today in class! And this was only the first lesson!" complained the blond boy.
Talia looked appropriately sympathetic. She sighed in resignation and scooted over to look at his parchment.
"I've already done my Potions homework. Maybe I can help. Where are you stuck?"
-o()o-
"Good morning Miss Turner," said Professor Dumbledore cheerfully, as he breezed into the brightly lit classroom.
"Good morning Professor," greeted Talia with a grin.
"I assume Mr. Halliwell is currently at his Care of Magical Creatures lesson with Hagrid?"
"Yes sir, he is. Are you going to be tutoring me in Ancient Runes then, sir?" Talia asked as the old wizard settled himself at the teacher's desk in front of her.
"I am, Miss Turner. Unfortunately, Professor Leontes is currently somewhere in Mesopotamia tracking down some artefact or other, and cannot be reached. He will be back by September, of course. Meanwhile, I will do my best to be of service." He smiled and his blue eyes twinkled.
-o()o-
But as it turned out, contrary to numerous books in the Hogwarts library, and the speculation of the entire wizarding world, there was something that Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was not very good at. And it just so happened that that something happened to be, Ancient Runes.
-o()o-
"Err... Professor, I think those runes mean 'green pasture', not 'spleen rapture'..." said Talia. She thanked her lucky stars for her previous education in Ancient Runes at Xander's more capable hands.
"Are you sure Miss Turner?" asked Dumbledore, scratching his head under his wizard's hat and tilting the book to the side, hoping perhaps that this would help clarify things for him.
Thankfully, his abysmal skills at reading the difficult script did little to dampen his spirits.
"I'm pretty sure Professor," Talia said amusedly. "The passage is written in runes based on ancient Greek. You see that little symbol there? It means 'livadi' which is translated in English as-"
"Pasture," he finished for her. "Yes of course, I see it now. How silly of me…" His lips twitched in a sheepish grin. "And here I thought I was the teacher here..."
"I was just lucky, sir," Talia said graciously. "I happen to speak Greek. It's easier when one knows the language."
"You speak Greek? Really...? How fascinating! So do I. Do you read and write it too?" Dumbledore seemed positively delighted.
Talia nodded.
"My father taught me when I was little," she said it cautiously, checking to see Dumbledore's reaction. Dumbledore knew exactly who her father was, but would he, like the Halliwells, feel uncomfortable at her mentioning him? This was her test for him.
Dumbledore passed it with flying colours. There was no awkwardness like there was with her aunts, no pitying looks like there were with Leo, and she didn't feel guilty mentioning Cole to him, as she did with her mother. He didn't even seem to have any questions about the Ruler of the Underworld, like Wyatt did! Dumbledore simply nodded in understanding, seemingly seeing nothing out of the ordinary with her statement. He continued on with the conversation, unperturbed.
"Everything you ever learn will come in useful at some time or other in your life. I speak from experience. Learning how to speak different languages has always been easy for me, but learning how to read and write those languages was a whole different matter. I can speak 183 different languages, but I've only ever learnt how to read and write English, Latin and a rather rare form of Ancient Celtic."
It was later decided that Talia would be better off if Dumbledore simply gave her a list of topics he had intended to cover, and she just got on with studying Ancient Runes on her own. The headmaster promised her that he would arrange things with Madam Pince so that Talia could take any book she wanted from the library, even if that book belonged in the Restricted Section. Dumbledore secretly doubted that the Phoenix would find there anything worse than what she'd already seen in her short life. Madam Pince was a bit of a stickler for these kinds of things, but even she couldn't argue with a note personally signed by the Headmaster.
-o()o-
Talia knocked gently on the opened door.
"Professor McGonagall?" she enquired politely.
Professor McGonagall abandoned the quill she had been writing with, and looked up to meet Talia's eager eyes.
"Come in Miss Turner. What can I do for you?"
"Professor, I know I've decided not take Transfiguration, but I found something in one of the library books and I was wondering if you could help me understand it a little better."
Professor McGonagall smiled encouragingly at the brunette.
"Of course, Miss Turner."
Talia spread a book open on Professor McGonagall's desk. The book was open on the first page of the chapter on animagi.
"From what I understand, Professor, animagi are witches or wizards that can take some sort of animal form at will."
"That's correct Miss Turner."
"Can anyone become an animagus?"
McGonagall narrowed her eyes at the girl before her.
"No. It is rather rare in fact. For a wizard to become an animagus, they must have considerable magical ability, and in particular, a talent for transfiguration. Even then, only after gruelling training are they likely to get anywhere. The whole process has been known to last years."
Talia looked very thoughtful at that.
"So, nobody could just, lets say, stumble on to it, could they?"
She had been hoping to find out more about her own alter ego, the Phoenix.
Talia hadn't come to this world like every other little boy and girl. Talia had gone on her first great adventure while Phoebe was still pregnant with her. During that adventure, and in a subconscious response to outside threat, the unborn Talia had destroyed the entire hierarchy of the Underworld and, very nearly, herself.
It was Cole, Talia's father, that had rescued her from the Demonic Wasteland. He had taken the life essence of his unborn child out of the Wasteland and captured it in the Crystal of Life. When the time was right, Talia literally exploded into the world in flashes of blinding light and sharp shards of magical crystal.
But the Crystal had given her more than the invaluable gift of life. The Crystal's symbol was the Phoenix; the majestic fire-bird that rose out of its own ashes signifying the endless cycle of life and death. The Crystal had given Talia the power to transform into the Phoenix at will. As far as Talia had always known, she was the only person in the entire world with that ability.
McGonagall's lips twitched at Talia's question, in what threatened to be an indulgent smile, but she caught it in time. She shook her head vigorously.
"Stumble on to it? That would be impossible."
Talia felt a twitch of disappointment but refused to show it.
"And do you know how old the youngest animagus was, professor?"
Talia had discovered her own phoenix side when she was three. She herself couldn't remember it, but Xander, her father's most trusted advisor and her own surrogate uncle, had the scars to prove it.
McGonagall smiled, caught in the past.
"I do believe the youngest known animagus was thirteen at the time. She was a student here, years ago. She was an illegal animagus for a while, but the story came out when one of the professors witnessed her transformation. Her name was Minerva McGonagall."
Talia's eyes widened.
"You?"
"Yes."
"May I ask what your animagus form is Professor?"
"I am a ginger-coloured cat, Miss Turner."
She paused thoughtfully.
"Professor, what did you mean by illegal animagus?"
Professor McGonagall seemed embarrassed at this. She hadn't meant to let the fact that Albus Dumbledore, the, then new, Transfiguration teacher, had caught her breaking a law, slip.
"An animagus is required to register with the Ministry of Magic by law. Their name, their animal, and any identifying marks, are kept on record. I..." and here McGonagall actually looked flustered, "was young. I thought it would be fun to walk around the school unnoticed."
Talia nodded thoughtfully.
"What about magical animals, professor? A phoenix, for example. Do animagi express the same magical powers as the animal of their animagus form when they're transformed?" she asked, thinking of all the phoenix tears that she had always been careful to collect, on those rare occasions she had cried. Considering the lack of medical care in the Underworld, the Source had found them particularly useful.
"Animagi, Miss Turner, never take the form of magical animals. It just doesn't happen. You see, a magical animal has magic of its own. Every magical creature, including a wizard or witch, has a magical signature, a magical fingerprint, if you like. It is impossible to forge such a signature. Therefore, a witch or wizard can never transform into another magical creature."
The book on animagi that she had found in the school library had been both a blessing and a curse. She had hoped that there were other people like her out there, people that could turn into another creature at will. Maybe, just maybe, Talia thought, if there were other people out there with her ability, she wouldn't be quite the freak most people who knew the truth about her, had labelled her. Perhaps if she found others with her 'gift' she wouldn't be an 'abomination', but simply 'rare' or, if she was really lucky, merely 'unusual'. In that regard at least. Her little discussion with Professor McGonagall had erased those hopes.
Talia frowned. She opened her mouth to say something else, but cut herself short before she did.
"Professor? Could it be possible that I get back to you on this conversation, after I've had some time to think about it?"
Professor McGonagall was surprised.
"Yes, of course, Miss Turner. That is why we are here after all."
"Thank you Professor," the brunette answered smiling distractedly.
And with that, she picked up her book and left the classroom, leaving behind a rather confused professor who kept thinking she had just missed something important.
-o()o-
Lessons continued as the weeks passed and Talia and Wyatt found it relatively easy to fall into a rather busy routine. Their curiosity and willingness to learn often took the Professors by surprise.
-o()o-
"Good morning Professor," greeted Talia politely.
"Miss Turner," Professor McGonagall greeted her with a small smile as they passed each other in the corridor.
Talia took a couple more steps forward, before stopping and turning back.
"Professor? If you have some time on your hands, do you think you could help me with a certain spell I'm trying to learn?" she said walking next to her.
"I'll be glad to be of any assistance if I can, Miss Turner," Professor McGonagall said, standing still to talk to the brunette. "This isn't about animagi transformations again, is it?" she asked suspiciously.
"No, Professor. I'm afraid, I've had to give up on that," announced Talia sadly. "It's the Tranvespis spell, Professor. I found it in one of the library books the other day and I've been trying to do it ever since, but I seem to be doing something wrong and I can't get it to work."
"Ah yes," smiled the Professor, "the Tranvespis spell. A very useful spell, indeed! You do know what it does Miss Turner...?"
"It transfigures any item of clothing into any other item of clothing you want, if you can picture the transformation clearly enough in you head."
"Very good Miss Turner."
Talia smiled.
"I don't know why anyone in the wizarding world bothers with shopping for clothes if they can transfigure any clothes they want whenever they feel like it. I have a friend back home that would kill for this spell!" she said, thinking of Judy.
"Not many people are terribly skilled at it Miss Turner. The last thing one wants is for their outfit to literally fall apart in the middle of a dinner party. Show me how you perform the spell."
"Now? Here?"
"There's no time like the present, Miss Turner."
Talia smiled sheepishly at the stern Transfiguration teacher and concentrated on the matter at hand. She looked at the drab, black robe she and Wyatt were forced to wear during lessons at Professor Snape's insistence, and thought of a pair of shorts and a t-shirt she owned, that were securely locked upstairs in her trunk. She moved her wand through the motion she had seen in a diagram of a library book and said the incantation.
Nothing happened.
"Hmm... I can see what it is that you're doing wrong Miss Turner. Keep you elbow in. You have the pronunciation of the spell right, but it's the wand movement that's giving you trouble. It's not quite so flamboyant. Let me demonstrate."
With a flick and a swish of Professor McGonagall's wand, Talia's summer sandals she wore, changed into sensible black pumps.
"To change them back," continued the Professor pointing her wand at Talia's feet, "a simple Finite Incatatum will suffice."
Talia's sandals returned.
Talia had observed the Professor carefully and was about to attempt the spell when the Transfiguration teacher stopped her.
"Don't be disappointed if it doesn't work first time round, Miss Turner. I wouldn't have expected you to learn this spell simply from reading about it in a book. And even after demonstration, it usually takes quite a while for people to master this spell."
Talia nodded and attempted the spell anyway.
Seconds later, a happy Talia walked the Hogwarts corridors clad in a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and sandals.
Professor McGonagall had stared after her, when Talia had achieved the spell almost effortlessly in her first try after the demonstration. It was a fourth year spell and as far as the professor knew, the girl had never been taught Transfiguration before. The only students she had ever had, to achieve that spell with their first try, were James Potter and Hermione Granger, and both of them were extremely talented in Transfiguration. It was a shame that Talia had decided not to take her class.
-o()o-
The professors watched in amazement the spectacular progress that the two cousins made in their classes. It was incredible how they both seemed to absorb knowledge like sponges so that they were learning years-worth of knowledge in weeks.
Which is not to say that they weren't having any fun that summer... The large castle and its grounds begged to be explored, and explore it Talia and Wyatt did. The magical world unfolded in front of their youthful eyes and they couldn't get enough of it!
They started every day in the exact way they had been accustomed to: with their early morning combat training. But even that was slightly more relaxed than it was back home, despite Talia's half-hearted grumbling. A hearty breakfast with the Professors followed. Wyatt would never tell his mother, but he honestly thought that Hogwarts food could give her cooking a run for its money. The rest of the mornings were reserved for lessons, and afternoons were spent doing homework and the extra studying Talia insisted on, to Wyatt's dismay. It wasn't as bad as it sounded. The grounds were a constant source of delight, and the two cousins spent many a warm afternoon studying by the lake.
But studying wasn't the only thing that filled their days and Wyatt's grim predictions of a summer spent doing nothing but working, proved completely unfounded. The lake also made a superb and most interesting, swimming pool. To everyone's mystification, Wyatt had gotten friendly with the Giant Squid, and Talia discovered that her telekinetic power worked under water when, a creature that, after checking his Care of Magical Creatures book Wyatt informed her was called a grindilow, tried to attack her.
That was also the summer they learnt how to fly.
It was Professor McGonagall who suggested they try out the school broomsticks. The strict Professor seemed to be particularly taken with Talia, even though neither of the Halliwells took her class. To Madam Pomfrey's horror, Talia and Wyatt had chosen to learn by trial and error and, to her disbelief, seemed to have all the more fun for it. For the first time in years, she had been actually kept relatively busy in the long summer holiday.
-o()o-
Hagrid found in Wyatt a keen assistant, and Talia always joined them on their occasional journey to the Forbidden forest, despite Professor McGonagall's protests.
She had gotten lost on one of those occasions, and was later found by her annoyed cousin and a nearly frantic Hagrid, talking to a centaur with auburn hair and beard, and a chestnut coat. Ronan had found her wondering alone in the forest. She was startled to see him, but not afraid. He spoke with respect, introducing himself, and claimed to have seen her coming, in the stars. He refused to call her anything other than, Lady of the Dark, even when she had asked him to call her simply Talia. It hadn't bothered her at first. She was used to grand titles. But Hagrid's eyes widened when he overheard this. Talia felt acutely uncomfortable for the first time since she'd come to Hogwarts. It was Wyatt, of course, who tried to diffuse the situation.
"I don't believe we've met," he said smiling disarmingly at the centaur and extending his hand in greeting. "My name's Wyatt Halliwell."
Ronan turned his intense gaze from Talia to her cousin.
"The young king," he said in greeting, "your coming has been foretold too."
The two cousins shared an uncomfortable look as they both thought of Wyatt's rather unique sword, hidden safely under his mattress back at the castle, and only brought out for early morning sword practice.
"You must be mistaken," tried Wyatt.
"No mistake," said Ronan, looking at the stars above. He looked back at the two teenagers. Talia and Wyatt had moved closer together and both seemed ready to fight if they had to. "Use your powers well, my lord, my lady," he bowed his head slightly to them in a formal goodbye, "Hagrid," he said as he passed the big man, and was gone.
An awkward silence descended in the small clearing they had been standing in.
"Listen, Hagrid..." Wyatt tried to explain helplessly. He didn't know what it was that he had been about to say, but Hagrid interrupted him.
"You two 'ave yer secrets. But if Dumbledore trusts yeh, then so do I. Yeh don't 'ave teh explain nothin' unless yeh wanta," he said in a gruff voice.
Wyatt and Talia were grateful, and they had all gone back to the castle in companionable silence.
-o()o-
Evenings were spent exploring the main building. There were thousands of secret passages and rooms to discover and the Halliwell cousins revelled in doing so, to the disgust of Filch, the caretaker, and his cat Mrs. Norris. Come term time, students would have a curfew and Filch would be well within his rights to give them detentions for that. But term hadn't started yet and Talia and Wyatt were free to explore to their hearts' content at all hours of the night.
-o()o-
Professor Snape walked into the small classroom, his voluminous robes once again billowing dramatically around him. Talia and Wyatt sat up attentively for their Defense Against the Dark Arts class, a class they both enjoyed despite the professor who taught it.
"Today we will be studying dementors," he announced without preamble. "How much do you actually know about dementors Mr. Halliwell, Miss Turner?"
Talia and Wyatt shared a look, and then stared back up at Professor Snape. It was Talia who spoke.
"I'm sorry, Professor," she said, "We've never heard of dementors before."
Talia was pretty sure she had heard Xander and her Father mention them in passing, but hard as she tried, she couldn't remember anything about them.
Professor Snape scowled then nodded.
"I didn't think you would. Wiccans live with muggles, and dementors tend to stay away from muggles. Besides, I don't believe they're very common in... America," said the Professor with disdain before turning to the blackboard.
Wyatt rolled his eyes behind his back and Talia grinned.
"Dementors are creatures that literally suck the happiness out of any living thing."
There was shocked silence at the Professor's pronouncement.
"Lovely!" muttered Talia finally under her breath.
Snape glared at her in annoyance. No matter what he did, this chit of a girl just never looked afraid of him. He was beginning to think that he was losing his touch...
"For a picture of a dementor please turn to page 361 of your books."
Talia and Wyatt followed his instructions.
"The presence of a dementor is marked by the sense of cold that grips its victims during an attack. And there is usually more than one of them when they do attack. They are drawn to sorrow, feed off grief. Anyone in the presence of a dementor is forced to relive their worst memories. Overcome by such intense emotions conjured up by their past, many people are too slow to react, to defend themselves against the dementor or even to run away.
"A dementor's most infamous attack is the Dementor's Kiss. Do not be deceived by its name. This is actually when the victim's soul is sucked right out of them until the body becomes nothing but an empty shell."
Talia and Wyatt were twisted in identical expressions of morbid fascination.
"The wizarding world uses dementors as guards for our prison, Azkaban."
"Wait a minute! Do you mean to tell me that you allow creatures like that, to walk around free?"
"Not exactly, Mr. Halliwell," Snape said coldly, rather irritated by Wyatt's interruption.
"Azkaban is a terrible place, feared by all wizards, much more than muggle prison is feared by muggles. That is where the dementors are confined. It is the dementors that make Azkaban so dreadful."
He carefully omitted to mention the dementors' revolt of two years ago. Dumbledore had asked all his Professors not to mention anything to do with Voldemort to the young Wiccans, until the school year officially started. If Snape didn't know any better, he'd think that it was because the Headmaster feared that Talia and Wyatt would refuse to attend the school if they knew the state the wizarding world was currently in. But why did Dumbledore want these two at Hogwarts in the first place? Something fishy was going on, and Snape was determined to find out what it was.
"Imagine feeling cold, all the time; forced to relive your very worst memories over and over again. Having the happiest of your thoughts torn violently out of your mind bit, by bit, until there's practically nothing human left of you. That's what Azkaban is all about."
Talia whistled appreciatively.
Professor Snape looked momentarily surprised, before he schooled his features back into their customary scowl. No one had ever dared do that before in one of his lessons.
"A person could go mad in a place like that."
"Yes, they could," agreed Professor Snape coldly. "And many of them do, Miss Turner.
"But you must remember that an evil wizard is much more powerful than an evil muggle. The damage and pain they can inflict, is of a much greater degree and the punishment must be worthy of the crime."
"You sound as if you approve of this Professor," mused Wyatt.
Snape sneered.
"Whether or not I approve of the use of dementors in Azkaban is irrelevant to our lesson, Mr. Halliwell.
"Dementors can only be defeated by one thing and one thing only. A difficult spell called a patronus.
"The incantation, Expecto Patronum," he enunciated carefully, "and the wand movement, are easy enough. The difficulty lies in the thought and power behind the spell. For a patronus to work one must think of the happiest thoughts and memories they can conjure up, and channel them all into their wand. A simple patronus will look like nothing more than a wisp of silvery smoke. It may or may not be effective. A corporeal patronus is infinitely better.
"A corporeal patronus means that the aforementioned silvery smoke takes a solid form. The form of a corporeal patronus differs from caster to caster, and is connected to the individual who created it. Observe."
Professor Snape pointed his wand in front of him and spoke in a level voice.
"Expecto Patronum"
A wisp of smoke materialised from the edge of his wand and formed into a silver snake coiled on the floor. Snape noticed with great satisfaction, that Talia's and Wyatt's eyes widened with appreciation. Snape smirked.
"My patronus, as you can see, is a snake. Your turn," he said.
Talia and Wyatt looked at each other and stood up.
"Expecto Patronum," they both said.
A wisp of silvery smoke came out of Wyatt's wand. Talia's didn't even do that. She glared dejectedly at it.
"Miss Turner, must I repeat myself?" asked the Potion Master's irritated voice. "Think happy thoughts! You too, Mr. Halliwell. You are both powerful enough for a corporeal patronus, you must concentrate."
Yes, thought Snape, as rare as it was, he felt that the two students had both the high magical and mental abilities required, for the creation of a corporeal patronus. He vaguely wondered what their patronuses would look like.
Truthfully, he didn't honestly expect either of them to master this very advanced magic today, but Snape kept that thought to himself. He'd get them there eventually.
To his surprise however, he only had to wait about an hour before proof of his student's extraordinary talent manifested itself before him.
Wyatt closed his eyes. He thought of Judy the day she told him she loved him. They had gone on a picnic, just the two of them. Talia's suggestion, in fact. They had sandwiches lying down on a blanket on the grass, orange juice, and they bought ice cream from the ice cream truck. For once, nothing magical or unusual happened, and he didn't have to make excuses and dash away in a hurry. They had laughed, and they had kissed, and he told her he loved her. She had smiled and said she loved him too.
A wide smile spread over Wyatt's face thinking of that. Holding on to the picture of a smiling Judy, Wyatt tried again.
"Expecto Patronum."
To his surprise and utter delight a beautiful, silver creature with the body of a feline and the head and wings of a bird of prey, burst from his wand. A gryphon. The animal whose claw was the core of his wand. Wyatt was pleased.
Talia was envious. She'd only managed to produce the tiniest wisp of smoke.
Professor Snape was very, very surprised at Wyatt. It had taken Professor Severus Snape about a week to learn how to produce a corporeal patronus and he was a powerful wizard of extraordinary mental abilities. His Occlumency and Legilimency skills were legendary. It took some people months, and most never managed to produce a corporeal patronus in a lifetime. This young man had produced a corporeal patronus practically in his first attempt!
Albus had said that these new students were very powerful. Most Wiccans were. In the last month, he had seen it himself, over and over again. But Snape felt that there was more to it than that. These two children were very powerful, even for Wiccans. Power radiated off them in waves when they forgot to consciously turn it down. Anyone with a smidgen of magical talent could feel it. And even though both seemed very friendly and open, Snape often felt as if they hid something about themselves. And he had a feeling that that something, wasn't just they're powers.
Dumbledore had insisted remain a secret. Dumbledore claimed that it was a matter of privacy. That the two Wiccans hardly needed more attention drawn to them. Snape scowled. He vowed to pay even closer attention to his new students.
"Not bad, Mr. Haliwell. Not bad at all..." he said. Coming from him, that was the highest form of flattery a student would ever expect to receive. Wyatt realised that, and appreciated it for what it was. He grinned in response. "Come on Miss Turner, we don't have all day!"
Talia scowled back at him.
Snape was taken aback. He was rather accustomed to be the only one who did any scowling where there was scowling to be done.
"I'm trying Professor! Honestly I am!" she sounded exasperated Snape noticed with some pleasure frustrated. "I think my wand's broken," she said, shaking the blasted thing around.
Golden sparks flew out of her wand and Professor Snape only just managed to jump out of their way. He scowled at her again and she smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry Professor."
If one of them can do it, he decided, then both of them can. Snape knew that the patronus was a combination of magic abilities and the correct frame of mind. The girl obviously had no problem with magical ability, so everything pointed to some sort of mental difficulty, a mental block.
"Mr. Halliwell, keep practicing your patronus. Miss Turner, might I have a word?"
Talia sighed and, to a sympathising look from Wyatt, moved closer to Snape.
"Miss Turner, you and I both know that you are more than capable of conjuring up a corporeal patronus. Can you tell me why you are having so much difficulty with this spell?"
Talia shook her head.
"I really am trying Professor."
Snape said nothing. He merely looked at her for a while.
Talia felt something prickling her subconscious. It wasn't painful, or even annoying, it was just the presence of something, or someone, in the fringes of her mind. She tried concentrating on it and it disappeared. She relaxed and felt it again.
"Stop that!" she said in a firm, cold voice.
Professor Snape looked surprised once again, for what seemed like the millionth time that summer. The change that came over her had been incredibly sudden.
"Stop what?" he enquired.
"Whatever it is you're doing. Trying to read my mind." She hadn't raised her voice, but her eyes were cold and hard.
Snape's eyebrow flew upwards once again.
"You felt that?"
She nodded curtly.
"Don't do it again. I don't like it," she hissed. "What is it anyway?"
"Legilimency. It's a mind reading technique. Most people can't even feel me in their mind."
"Why?"
He understood her meaning perfectly and did not pretend he hadn't.
"I thought that you might be having a mental block preventing you from creating a corporeal patronus. I was trying to find a happy memory you could use. I was trying to help," he said curtly, unpleasantly even.
Talia thought of all the things the professor would see if he delved into her mind. She barely suppressed a shudder at the thought.
"If I do have some sort of mental barrier, Professor, then I'm sure there are other ways to overcome it. I would very much prefer not to have you probing around in my mind," she said, and turned round to continue her practising.
Her tone was cold, commanding. Snape knew he had been out of line trying to use Legilimency on her, even if he had been honestly just trying to help. He didn't think she would've felt it though... She wasn't trained in Occlumency, he was sure of that. But then, how could she have felt him probing her mind? He took another look at the young witch. Snape was a man who prided himself on being very difficult to impress. But he had to admit that with every lesson he became more and more impressed with his two students. He thought back to the moment she had commanded him to leave her alone. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but he could have sworn that she looked almost...regal standing there. He shook his head to clear it. When he looked back at her, all he saw was a slight girl of seventeen with dark hair and eyes.
He blinked in confusion. How did she do that?
"Expectopatronumexpectopatronumexpectopatronum," he heard her mumbling over and over again.
He smirked at her frustration. The evil-dungeon-dwelling-bat-of-a-teacher façade, firmly back in place.
"That's not helping, Miss Turner."
She scowled at him again.
"I can see that!"
His smirk widened.
A surreptitious glance told him that Wyatt was practising his own patronus. He was currently making his silver Gryphon fly around the classroom. He wasn't paying any attention to them.
"Miss Turner, close your eyes please."
Talia looked dubious, but complied.
"Relax," his voice was suddenly soft, velvety, taking a soothing quality to it rarely ever heard by any of his students. "Open your mind. Think of all the times that you've ever laughed. Cast your mind back to when you were at your happiest. When you felt as if you hadn't a care in the world... That single moment that you could stay stuck in, for eternity, and it wouldn't matter that you did, because there would be nothing else that you could ever possibly want."
Talia pictured herself at five years old. She was on a golden beach. She was chasing Cole, trying to catch him with her outstretched, childish arms. It had been one of the last times that she had allowed herself to be the child she was, growing up. At that moment, she wasn't the Princess of All Evil and she had yet to receive most of her powers. Cole was laughing. So was she. He swept her up in his big strong arms and placed her on his shoulders and they walked the beach while she talked excitedly about the starfish she had seen earlier in the day.
Snape saw the young girl smile.
"Hold on to that image and open your eyes," he told her. "Now try the incantation again."
"Expecto patronum."
A silvery phoenix erupted from Talia's wand. Talia squealed in delight and Wyatt grinned. Snape's eyebrow flew up for what seemed like the hundredth time that lesson. Both of his new students had managed to do what took many older and more experienced wizards weeks and months (if ever!) to do, in a day.
"What else would it be?" her cousin teased as they watched the phoenix fly around the room once, before it faded away. She elbowed him in the ribs.
"Keep practicing," said Professor Snape sharply, turning his attention back to the lesson.
He saw Talia nod to him briefly in thanks for his help. It was a thank you between equals and, funnily enough, he didn't feel insulted by it.
There was definitely something strange about his new students and he intended to find out what. Albus had some questions to answer.
-o()o-
A/N: Next chapter will be dedicated to anyone who guesses what Ronan is talking about when he looks at Wyatt, and what the extra special sword currently under Wyatt's mattress is. Thanks & don't forget to review!