A/N: You didn't have to wait too long for this chapter, did you?

Ernie: Is. It. Time. For. Thank. Yous. Yet. Cinammon?

Take it away Ernie! (Been dying to say that since the POA dvd came out!)

Ernie: We'd. Like. To. Thank. Ori

I'm so very glad that I made your day. I'm currently having one of those I-wish-I-stayed-in-bed days myself. I'm kinda hoping I'll have a pile of reviews to read when I go home to cheer me up ::Hint! Hiiiint!:: I love your reviews especially, because you not only always have somehting nice to say, but you also make accurate and insightful contributions too! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Ernie: Charming. Star.

Why, thank you Alex! I'm glad Christmas was nice for you, and I'm sorry to hear you're in the middle of exams. Maybe this chapter can be your little break? And don't worry too much about them. They're a necessarily evil as much as I'm concerned. Give them hell, darling!

Ernie: Charmedsisters.

Hmm, this chapter isn't really all that long, I'm afraid. But in my defence, there wasn't that much to say about and it did come only a week after the previous one. Hope you like it!

Ernie: Reigning. Devil.

I'm glad you like it so much. Personally, I think I have a rather unnecessary flair for the dramatic. I don't think it's a particularly wonderful thing to have, but you're all trying to convince me otherwise with your glowing reviews. Thank you.

Ernie: Capricorn. Lamia.

No, it's not from Fight Club. I did enjoy that movie though. Particularly the twist at the end! And you don't have to feel obligated to review every single chapter. The occasional comment that you enjoy what you read, is enough to keep me going, and more than enough to make my day!

Ernie: Winter. Blaze.

As you can see, I took your advise. Is this soon enough for you? I know it's not a particularly exciting chapter, but I did do everything I could to keep it from being boring. What do you think?

Ernie: Asian. Orchid.

I am so sorry I kept you waiting for so long for the previous chapter! I'm glad though that you seem to think it was worth the wait. And what does "PO-ed", mean? Good grief, am I getting old already at the ripe ol' age of 21? I must be, not to recognise computer lingo. Soon I'll be taking off my teeth before I go to bed at night, and walking around campus with a walking stick! And the wrinkles! Oh no! I can't even think of the wrinkles!

Ernie: Frisbee400.

I have a bit of a bone to pick with you, Miss English teacher! Shouldn't you have told me off for my deplorable use of commas in the previous chapter? I just reread it, and even I was shocked with how crazy I had been with them. Will fix it as soon as possible though, I promise!

As an answer to your observation, I felt that Snape and Talia were more or less natural allies at Hogwarts and it was perfectly believable for them to bond. And I LIVE for shocking people. You're absolutely right, Hermione would have shocked the socks off of Malfoy if she had been sorted in Slytherin. But still, can't you just see her there? As I pointed out in the previous chapter, I do think she's pretty ambitious, and, though you could argue that academic ambition is more of a Ravenclaw trait, I'll have to disagree. I also happen to think that she's pretty cunning too, though the fact isn't really advertised in the books. Think about it though. Who was it that came up with the idea of using Polyjuice potion to sneak into the Slytherin dormitories? And need I remind you the how she tricked all the DA members to sign their names on the piece of paper that resulted to Marrietta Edgecombs' rather unusual err... skin condition?

Ernie: Sveta89.

I'm glad you agree about the ageless thing. Talia never had a chance to be a child, you see. Even Wyatt, despite the lack of normalcy in his childhood, had that. Only after she abandoned the Underworld, did she get a glimpse at what being a teenager was like. When she looks back at her time as Phoenix, she becomes once again the wise-beyond-her-years Princess that circumstances had forced her to be, but like the teenager she really is, the thing she fears the most, is rejection. And Talia knows that she has a lot more things to be rejected for that most people. It's only natural that she appeared young and nervous at the possibility of that happening.

Ernie: Harrypotterfan4eva.

I'm glad you liked it. Yes, the pressure and tension is building up, and it will continue to do so until... But I'm not going to tell you what. You were pretty close to getting me to blurt it out though.

Ernie: Mcgirl.

Continuing... I wouldn't just leave it off like that, you know!

Ernie: Triquetraperson.

I don't think we know that much about Snape from the books. Not yet anyway. JKR did promise more info. All I know, is that he's a interestingly puzzling person. Neither white, nor black, but certainly in the areas of grey that JKR is so famous for introducing in children's literature. I can't help but wonder what makes him tick, what caused him to turn his back on Voldemort and the Death Eaters and become a spy for Dumbledore. We've never seen him relate to another person, the way I picture him relating to Talia, so we don't really know what he might be like yet. I like to think that my Snape isn't too far from cannon. He still hates Harry's guts, but I haven't showed that have I? Hmm...

Ernie: Anna.

You line in New Orleans? You lucky cow! What I wouldn't give to switch places with you, and not just for Mardi Gras. I've never been there, but I've read so much about that place that I honestly feel like I have. The birthplace of jazz and blues? One can practically feel the beat in the very name of the place! Voldemort interaction? Now why didn't I think of that? Or did I? ::smiiiiirk!:: You'll just have to wait and see don't you?

Ernie: Devlin. Rose.

You and me both, darling. Thanks for leeting me know that all was not right with the world and getting me to fix the last update. And that's only one of the reasons why I'm dedicating this chapter to you. The other? You were only one of two people to pick up on the title of the previous chapter. Yes, I took "Cards on the Table" from Agatha Cristie's book – one that I enjoyed very much, I might add. And the title is also an oft used phrase meaning exactly what you've described it to mean. That everything is put out there in the open. Between Talia and Snape at least. You are going to have to wait a bit to see which other person knows and uses Snapes training room. Did you know that you were the only one to pick up on that? As for Cole... you might not have to wait as long as you think you do, to see more of him...

Ernie: Charmedchick11

Am glad you like the story. Don't feel obligated to review every chapter, know however, that your reviews are not only appreaciated, but treasured too! And I'd like to co-dedicate this chapter to you, since along with Devlin Rose, you were the only one to figure out that last week's chapter title was from one of Agatha Cristie's books. I hope you did well on your Othello essay. Personally, I much prefer Macbeth and Hamlet.

Ernie: Nexos23

Them nosy Gryffindors indeed! I was waiting for something like that to happen, though I assure you, when it did, it had nothing at all to do with me. It was pretty natural for Talia and the trio to clash since they're all-Gryffindor while she's only a Slytherin in Gryffindor robes!

Ernie: And. Finaly. Virginia.

I'm glad you like! More so, because you bothered to read through the prequel. And I confess, I prefer this story too! Are you a new reviewer by any chance? Keep them coming, darling!

Ernie: She. Does. Tend. To. Ratte. Off. Doesn't. She?

Yeah, yeah. You should all know that by now. One last thng and I'll finally let you enjoy the story:

Thank you Nightcrawler!!!

..oo00oo..

Chapter 20: Connecting the dots

"'Morning, sunshine," Talia greeted with a smile while Wyatt stumbled sleepily down the staircase that led to the Gryffindor boys' dormitories.

"How can you be so chipper about it? Thanks to you, we both only had less than three hours of sleep last night!" the blond sixteen-year-old grumbled.

Talia shrugged.

"I'm used to getting little sleep, remember? Now come on, we have a lot to talk about this morning."

Wyatt seemed to wake up a little at those words.

"You're going tell me what happened last night?"

"More than that," Talia said gravely, "but not here. Let's get down to the training room and I'll fill you in. Then we'll call Uncle Leo and fill him in."

She moved towards the portrait exit of the Gryffindor common room and Wyatt followed her.

"You make it sound so serious..." he said worriedly.

Talia didn't answer.

"Feel free to jump in and reassure me any time, Tal," Wyatt prompted.

Talia's face was set in a grim expression that had Wyatt frowning.

"I'm not saying anything 'till we get down there."

Wyatt groaned.

"Damn! I knew this Hogwarts thing was too good to be true..."

..oo00oo..

"You told him everything?" Wyatt asked incredulously.

The two cousins were sitting on the purple cushions in the training room, their early morning training session for once forgotten.

"Everything."

"Even the parts about you being the...Source's assassin?"

"Yup."

"Well!" Wyatt said at a loss of words. Even the Charmed Ones had had to learn that little titbit from a third party – namely, a demon from Talia's sordid past who had been out for her blood. "Well!" Wyatt said again. "Are you sure that was wise Talia?" he finally asked cautiously.

"We did talk about telling the Professors before..."

"Well, yeah, but you said it yourself, Snape's got Dark connections. Of all the Professors, he'd be the one I'd have been most worried to tell."

"Snape'll keep everything he learnt last night to himself. And he won't do anything about it either."

Wyatt looked doubtful.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because if he tells people our secret, I'll tell people his."

Talia couldn't help but smirk at the confused expression on her cousin's face.

"What? You didn't think I'd give him something on us, if I didn't get something on him in return, did you?"

The confusion on Wyatt's face cleared and a mischievous smile took its place.

"So what did you get on Snape then?"

..oo00oo..

"Wow!"

"Yeah."

"A spy? That's...kinda cool."

Talia leaned over to hit him at the back of the head.

"Focus, Wyatt! You do realize what this means...?"

Wyatt frowned in confusion once again. Talia rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Why can't I get a smart sidekick for a change?" she joked.

"Hey! Who says I'm your sidekick? Why can't you be mine? After all, I'm the Wielder of Excalibur!" he reminded her smugly. "The All-powerful next King Arthur, remember? Be nice to me or I won't let you sit at the Table!"

"You're not of age yet," Talia said dismissively, "and besides, I'm Princess of All Evil. I've got rank."

"You gave that title up when you left the Underworld!" Wyatt protested.

"So why does every demon who tries to kill me call me by it then? Hmm?" she asked with a sufficient amount of smugness herself. Her eyes twinkled before delivering the final blow, "Besides, I'm older."

"Hrmf!" Wyatt sulked.

The playfulness disappeared from her features and she turned serious again.

"Do you want to know what conclusion I've come to or not?"

Wyatt signed in resignation.

"Fine. What conclusion have you come to, Oh Great Princess of All Evil?"

Talia couldn't resist one final smirk before figuratively rolling her sleeves up and getting into the matter at hand.

"We've been sent here to do a lot more than study for our N.E.W.T. exams, Wyatt."

Wyatt sighed again.

"I had a feeling you were going to say that."

"Why else would the Elders provide us with our very own Gringotts vault? We've never been paid before!"

"I hear ya."

"And Dumbledore...I've always thought there was something more than what he was telling us. Do you think it's a complete coincidence that we'd never heard of Voldemort 'til the first day of school, even though he and the war are the only things everyone in the wizarding world talks about these days?"

Wyatt was sceptical.

"But Dumbledore's a good guy."

"So are the Elders, but they've kept plenty of things from us in the past," Wyatt had to concede that she had a point, "and if I'm right, they still do. The wizarding world is at war, Wyatt. A war between Light and Dark magic. And before you ask what that's got to do with us, think for a minute what it is that we and the Charmed Ones have been doing for the past year."

Talia looked at Wyatt meaningfully, willing him with her eyes to understand. Sudden realisation hit Wyatt like a ton of bricks.

"No!" he said, refusing to believe it at first. "They can't possibly want us to get in the middle of this! It's a wizarding matter! Wizarding politics! And a bloody war on top of that!" he said, inadvertedly using Ron's favorite expression. "Not only are we Wiccans, Tal, but we're just kids! Surely if the Elders wanted us to interfere they would have gotten the Charmed Ones involved too!"

But even as he said it, he knew she was right.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny are kids too Wyatt. The DA is entirely comprised of kids. And we've both heard how they all took part in the war against Voldemort in the past! It makes too much sense for it to be a mere coincidence. Hogwarts seems to be right in the middle of this war. Harry's here. Dumbledore's here. Snape the spy is here," she hesitated, "and we are here. There are no other Wiccans here besides us. I just know that it was all Dumbledore's elaborate excuse to get us here." Her voice softened. "It's what I would've done."

Wyatt was distraught. He looked down remorsefully.

"I feel so stupid. I thought we'd have a break from all that stuff for a while. I can't believe I didn't see it before, Tal."

She laid a comforting hand on his arm.

"It's ok Wyatt. I didn't want to see it either. We were both too busy being regular kids for once. Well," she amended, "regular kids in the wizarding world anyway."

Wyatt smiled sadly.

"So, Harry and his friends are our innocents. And that's why Dumbledore brought us in," he recapped.

Talia scrunched her face in thought.

"It's not just Harry and his friends, I don't think," her voice took on a sad quality, "There's a lot of kids in this school; kids that are soon going to be fighting on either one side of this war, or the other. I think Dumbledore wants us to keep an eye on all of them, perhaps influence them to fight for the Light instead of Voldemort."

"Like that's going to be a piece of cake," Wyatt said, staring at the floor and picking on a loose thread on one of the pillows. For once, his words were dripping with bitter irony.

Talia winced. She slung a friendly arm around her younger cousin's shoulder.

"Don't be like that Wyatt. If anyone can do this, we can."

The blond boy smiled wryly.

"I know, Tal. And I don't want to sound selfish or anything, but I was just really having fun feeling normal for a change. You know, no demon attacks, no dashing off to fight warlocks, no making flimsy excuses to my friends... And now I find out that we have to keep secrets all over again," he sighed, "I'll do it, but I don't have to like it."

"Yeah, I know," Talia said sadly, "I feel the same way. But we are who we are, little cousin, and with great power comes great responsibility." She inserted a little bit of cheerfulness in her voice for his sake. "We'll help the wizards kick Voldie's ass, but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun while we're here. After all, where else are we ever going to get to fly on a broomstick?"

Wyatt smiled.

"We need to call Uncle Leo and tell him what we've found out, but it might be best if we don't mention Snape. It'll just worry everyone back home if they think we're consorting with Dark wizards."

"But Talia, you're a dark witch."

"So? What's your point?"

..oo00oo..

"I was afraid the other Elders had an ulterior motive for sending you here," Leo sighed in resignation.

"You mean you knew about this?" asked Wyatt incredulously, feeling betrayed.

Leo noticed his son's reaction with alarm. He shook his head emphatically.

"No, I didn't know about this! I wasn't told anything other than it might be a good idea for you guys to come here, in order to get the demons off your tails. I swear, Wyatt, I had no idea!" his eyes pleaded his son to believe him. "I just had my suspicions, that's all. And even then, only after the other Elders told me about the Gringotts vault."

The two cousins shared a look as they let Leo sweat it out for a while. Talia was such a bad influence, Wyatt decided.

"We believe you, Uncle Leo," Talia reassured him, the manipulative little minx! Wyatt nodded in agreement with a grin at their antics.

"Good," Leo said with a relieved smile on his face. "So, what are you planning to do about all this?"

Talia looked at Wyatt. Wyatt shrugged.

"Keep our eyes open, I suppose," Talia said.

"It's the only thing we can do, Dad. We'll try and get as much information on the war and which side everyone is on, but other than that..." Wyatt shrugged again helplessly.

"Right," Leo said tiredly, "so I guess the big question is, who's going to tell your mothers?"

Talia and Wyatt just stared at him.

"There's times when I really hate this job!" Leo groaned, before orbing out.

..oo00oo..

Cole reached his private quarters with a relief he never usually allowed his features to show.

It had been a long, long day in the Underworld... And it was so difficult to get good help these days. He thanked the scorching flames of hell for Xander, but boy did he miss Talia! The three of them had formed the Underworld's very own unholy triad once, and had held the Evil world in the very palm of their collective hands! He still remained in complete and absolute control of course, but it seemed to take double the amount of work nowadays. And the days themselves were all such drags! The fun sapped completely out of them! He missed his daughter's secret smiles, caught only by him, as she stood by his side and listened to the ludicrous excuses his minions came up with to escape his wrath at times of failure. He missed her sarcastic comments, and the way she managed to reduce grown men ten times her age into whimpering bundles at his feet. He missed the fire in her eyes and the strength in her very stance. He missed her.

Cole sighed in resignation and turned the handle of the door that would lead to his private quarters and another night of restless sleep.

"Hello, Father."

The Source's face betrayed no surprise. He was too well trained for that.

"I knew that lowering the wards to allow you to flame directly in here was a mistake," he deadpanned.

But Cole's eyes hungrily raked over her beloved face and a smile tugged at his lips as he watched her sitting in what had always been her favourite chair, feet dangling off the sidearm as they had always done during their most serious conversations. She wore her leather trousers and boots under the black robes of Hogwarts, he noted, the little remnants of the Underworld she would always carry with her, but the red and gold Gryffindor crest glittered in the dim light as if to mock him.

"It's too dangerous for you to come down here," Cole said sternly.

Talia chose to deliberately misunderstand him. She raised an amused eyebrow at him.

"Would you rather I fight my way to the Great Hall of All Evil to see you? After what happened last time I would have thought that you'd be against that. That is why you lowered the wards to allow me to flame in here in the first place, isn't it?"

Talia lifted herself off the black leather armchair and walked up to her father with a catlike grace. Gently, she kissed him on the cheek.

"It's good to see you too, Father."

Cole's eyes softened and he inwardly cursed himself. He was such a pushover when it came to her!

He sighed in resignation.

"What are you doing here, Talia?"

"I need to know more about Lord Voldemort and the war the wizarding world is in."

Cole groaned in exasperation.

"I thought I told you to try not to get involved Talia!"

"I haven't yet!" she protested, "but I might not have a choice in the future," she added softly. "Anything you tell me can only help."

Cole sunk gracefully in one of the leather arm chairs and thought carefully before answering.

"Well, if you think it'll help...

"Pour us some drinks, would you, Talia?" he said distractedly, unconsciously reverting to one of their old routines as he carefully considered what to tell her.

Hiding a smile, Talia obediently moved behind the Source's amply supplied bar. She poured two stiff brandies from a crystal decanter for the two of them.

"Lord Voldemort was around for a while when I came back to the Underworld, but by the time I regained the throne, he was gone," he looked at her over the bar enquiringly, "I presume you know about his little mishap sixteen years ago...?"

Talia nodded, she handed her father his drink and took her favourite seat across from him.

"I was too busy climbing the Underworld hierarchy in record time to really pay attention to him then. All I knew was that he was some powerful evil wizard with aspirations of taking over wizarding Britain, but he was defeated by a mere child before he really managed to do anything about it. He was out of the picture, so I paid him no mind.

"But nearly three years ago, Lord Voldemort came back. There's not much I can tell you about that, only that it involved some kind of powerful dark magic ritual and the boy that had originally defeated him."

Talia nodded again.

"The first year of his return, he kept pretty low. Didn't bother mingling with the Underworld much. I suppose he had to get his old support system in the wizarding world up and running again, before doing anything else. The second year of his return, he made a full-fledged appearance and took his old place back as the number one menace in the wizarding world.

"Xander insisted that we keep a close eye on him and he was right.

"This Lord Voldemort of yours is good at what he does. If he ever manages to defeat the forces of the Light in Britain and reign unchallenged there, the rest of the wizarding communities won't dare oppose him. After all, Britain is recognisably the largest wizarding community out there." He hesitated before laying the last titbit of information on her, "Talia, Voldemort might very well end up as supreme ruler of the entire wizarding world."

Silence fell in the large sitting room as they both considered what those last words really meant. Cole sipped his drink as he watched his daughter thinking.

"If Lord Voldemort took over the wizarding world...I guess it'd be good for the Underworld in general, Evil wins over Good and all that... but I don't suppose it'd be too good for the Source," Talia concluded looking up at him to gauze his reaction.

Cole nodded in approval.

"It would make him too powerful. He would be the first real threat to my throne since I took over. More of a threat than Perdicus ever was, despite all the trouble he caused us. Xander is worried. Voldemort's already started making allies in the Underworld, networking, and there's not much we can do about it. Don't get me wrong, he's not nearly strong enough to defeat me – not one on one anyway, like all wizards he has to depend on that wand of his too much – and I've got my own allies, which far outnumber his, but he is a potential threat. That's how powerful he is.

"The truth is, even if he does take over the wizarding world, it is more than likely that all he'll end up being is another Council member, but I'd rather be cautious than sorry, and I don't particularly want to see him take over the wizarding world. Hogwarts' headmaster, Dumbledore, and that boy who defeated him the first time round – what's his name? I can never remember it..."

"Harry Potter," Talia supplied helpfully.

"Yes, Harry Potter, that's it. Anyway, they're apparently the only ones that can stop him from taking over, and I can hardly intervene with that. What would the rest of the Underworld say?" He took another sip from his glass. "Are you in contact with them – Potter and Dumbledore?"

"I'm in the same house as Harry Potter and I'm on friendly enough terms with both him and Dumbledore," Talia said thoughtfully, "but neither of them has confided anything to either me or Wyatt about the inner workings of the war."

Cole swirled the liquid elegantly in its crystal glass as he thought.

"As far as I know, Voldemort has no idea that the Princess of All Evil is at Hogwarts. I'd much rather he didn't find out, Talia."

Talia nodded in understanding.

"I'll stay low for as long as I can, Father, but I don't know how much longer that might be."

He nodded, understanding.

"Just be careful Talia. Lord Voldemort doesn't joke around and I hear he's got a lot of Dark wizards to do his bidding for him."

Talia finished her drink.

"I'll be careful, I promise," she put her glass down on the onyx table next to her chair. "Thank you, Father," she said, before leaning in to kiss him again on the cheek.

And with one last look, she flamed out of the Underworld, leaving the Source with a wistful look on his face behind her.