Chapter 1. Of Witches and White-Lighters
It was a normal day in the Potter household. Breakfast had been served by their mother, as usual, they had all eaten, while chatting about the most recent party they had attended; or well, at least three of them. Harry never attended those parties, according to most adults he wasn't needed there; in fact, he hardly ever did anything 'in family' with his parents and brother.
Harry had noticed, since he had memory, that he didn't seem to be important to his family, it almost seemed like sometimes they even forgot he existed. But Harry wasn't angered or even saddened by that, or at least he didn't show it; he kept telling himself they were always too busy, because his brother was famous, so it was normal that they never had time for him, and sometimes even forgot about him. If anyone asked Harry would never say a single bad thing about any of the members of his family; despite the way he was treated he still loved them all very much.
The routine of the day was broken, however, when there was an unexpected knock on the front door. As Harry was taking care of the dishes at the moment, and Harvey had gone to his room to get ready for that day's activities, it was Lily who answered the door.
"Hello Lily." The woman smiled at Lily.
She was a slender woman, of medium height, with short brunette hair with what looked like a sort of red highlights, honey-brown eyes and dressed in casual clothing.
Lily, however, looked at her as if she were seeing a complete stranger.
"Don't remember me?" The woman asked. "I'm Paige, Paige Matthews, from San Francisco. I'm Harry's godmother."
"Oh right." Lily nodded. "Sorry, it slipped my mind."
Paige didn't comment on the fact that it wasn't normal for anyone to forget her own son's godmother, less of all when they met at least once a year, in the twin's birthday.
"What brings you here out-of-date?" Lily asked confused. "Harv…The twins birthday isn't until next month."
"So you forgot that as well…" Paige murmured. "I know the twins brother is still some time away, but that's not why I'm here. I believe I told you I had found a wonderful school I would like my godson to attend. It specializes in 'gifted people', like Harry."
"Gifted?" Lily asked. "I think you've got the wrong twin there."
"I don't think so." Paige replied. "Harry is quite clever and observant, willing to try anything possible to reach his goals. Very much like certain nephews of mine…Look Lily, I know this is hard, the fact that this school isn't even if this continent doesn't help either, but I really believe Harry would do great there. He has a great future ahead of him, believe me."
"If James and I let him go to this school of yours, would we have to pay for it? And when would he come home?"
"You don't have to pay anything. One of my brothers-in-law is a professor of this school and he believes, just like I, that it's the right place for Harry to be in. Sadly, because of the great distance between San Francisco and London, and the fact that this school has both morning and afternoon classes, it's most likely that he would only be able to visit you in the Holidays. I know it's hard but…"
"Alright. I'll talk with James about it."
Some hours later it was set. Harry would be leaving that very afternoon for San Francisco to live with his godmother and her family; and he would get to attend a 'special' school along with his 'honorary cousins'.
.---.
Harry arrived to the Halliwell manor right in time for dinner. All the family was already there, waiting for him.
"Hey everybody!" Paige called as they orbed into the house. "We're home!"
Being Harry a wizard, and knowing about it, he wasn't too impressed by his godmother's powers, he had seen her using them before; even when she knew they were nothing like what his own parents could do, he liked it.
Just some minutes later the living room of the manor was full of couples and children waiting to be introduced to that who from that day on would be like a member more of their family.
"Ok, first of all." Paige began the introductions. "This is Harry Potter, James and Lily's son and my godson."
Everyone immediately greeted him happily.
"Now." Paige continued. "Harry, this man here is my husband: Henry Mitchell, and with him are our children: Henry, he's your age, and the twins: Padme and Pamela."
The boy, just like Paige had said was Harry's age: six-years-old, while the twins seemed to be about three.
"Then there's my sister Phoebe, her husband Coop and their three little daughters: Patience, Colleen and Grace."
Phoebe and Coop (the Cupid), smiled at Harry, their daughters seemed to be about six, four and two years-old respectively.
"My eldest sister is Piper, her husband, and the professor of the school I mentioned to you is Leo Wyatt, and their children are Wyatt Matthew, Christopher Perry and Prudence Melinda."
Wyatt was ten years old, Chris around nine, and Melinda five.
"Call me Wyatt." The eldest of the three told Harry. "My brother you may call him Chris, and my sister Melinda or just Mel."
Harry nodded.
"Next to Phoebe and Coop is a very good family friend of ours: Billie Jenkins and…"
Paige stopped with the introductions and began turning everywhere, apparently looking for someone she couldn't find. The rest noticed and began looking everywhere as well.
"Where are you, Hermy?" Paige asked in a loud voice finally.
"Coming!" A little girl's voice could be heard.
When they all turned around they could see a girl dashing down the stairs, she tripped in the last steps and was about to hit the ground face-first when Harry reacted and held her tightly yet gently by the arm.
The girl, who had amber eyes and wavy golden-brown hair, regained her footing with some help from Harry.
"Thank you very much." She mumbled. "And sorry."
"Don't worry." Harry replied with a smile. "It was not a problem."
"Ah, you're here." Paige said finally. "This is Harry Potter, my godson. Harry, this is Piper's goddaughter, and in a sense her niece: Hermione Patricia Granger-Trudeau."
"Pleased to meet you." Hermione said with a soft smile. "You may call me Hermy, everyone here does."
"Alright Hermy." Harry smiled as she looked around. "I'm happy to be here. Thanks to all of you for wanting me here."
"Why wouldn't we want you here?" Piper asked him, as always the matriarch of the family. "You're a very special person Harry, all of us here in this room know that. Though I think the question here should be: do you? Do you really believe you're special? Do you really believe you have a great destiny ahead?"
The way Piper spoke brought a great deal of confidence to Harry, a confidence and blind trust he had never felt before.
"I believe." Harry nodded.
"Very well." Piper nodded. "Then you're very welcomed to our family Harry."
"Thank you." Harry smiled too.
.---.
That very same night they had a 'family dinner' to celebrate Harry's addition to it. And once it was over they explained the boy how everyone there lived:
The ones who lived in the manor were Piper and her family: She and Leo had the main room, their boys the second, the girls (Mel and Hermy) the third. Harry would be sleeping along with Wyatt and Chris.
Phoebe and her family lived in a condominium downtown; Paige and her own family in a house near the police station; Billie lived in a modest department she had gotten arranged for herself above the P3, as she was the one who managed the club, Piper was too occupied with her own restaurant.
Paige worked as a social worker, most of the times helping her husband in his job as a parole officer. Phoebe still worked as a columnist and was part-owner of the newspaper for which she wrote; also she sometimes worked for a magazine; her husband still helped other people as a Cupid, though he mostly was a spoiling father. Billie had finished a career in administration some years before and worked in the club.
.---.
That summer was the greatest Harry remembered ever having. He passed from having a small family that ignored him, to a big surrogate family that treated them as if he was one more of their own, as if he had always been.
Harry knew that the Halliwells weren't exactly a normal family, he had seen her godmother use her 'special talents', like the orbing and healing ever since he had memory, and ever since arriving to the household he had seen most of the members of the family do magic in one way or another.
Yet it wasn't until almost the end of the summer that Harry got to see what it really meant to be a part of that family.
It had begun in the evening, Piper had just called everyone in for dinner. Harry had always believed it something amazing that all three of her children arrived right after she made the announcement that dinner was ready, even if they hadn't been in the manor to hear the call when it was made. It obviously had to do with magic.
Anyway, that night Piper did the usual call, Melinda arrived almost right away, with Hermione at her heels; Leo joined them soon afterwards, yet the two elder boys were nowhere to be seen. Harry immediately had a feeling of dread.
"Mel, honey, could you please locate your brothers?" Piper asked her daughter.
Melinda nodded and immediately closed her eyes, concentrating. It was the only white-lighter treat all three of them had inherited, being able to locate others, the way a white-lighter usually located their charges.
"They're…coming…" Melinda answered, she seemed strained for some reason. "Beware!"
The word caused an immediate reaction: Piper and Leo practically jumped out of their chairs, along with her daughter; Hermione scrambled out of hers, pulling Harry to join them. The boy didn't know why, but by then he was even surer that something was wrong.
Right then they heard a terrible crashing sound, that was closely followed by two figures being dropped (literally) inside.
They were ten-year-old Wyatt and nine-year-old Chris respectively.
"What's happening?!" Piper cried out worriedly.
"Sorry mom." Wyatt said as he hurried onto his feet, pulling his brother up as well. "It's just that we were just coming back from visiting Henry, and…we ran into some trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" Leo asked, he didn't like what was happening.
The answer came in the form of a black arrow hitting a nearby chair, after having almost hit Chris on the shoulder.
"A Dark-lighter!" Melinda screeched in panic.
"Children get under cover, now!" Piper ordered immediately.
With all three of her children being half white-lighters it was obvious they were in a very big risk with a being like a dark-lighter there.
Wyatt and Chris orbed out of their spots and to the safety of the kitchen, while Mel silently slipped behind one of the big sofas. Leo kept guard next to a nearby door; while Piper stood her ground, trying to think of a way to fight off the dark being.
Harry, as he stood next to the big clock, being small as he was, wasn't seen by the dark being that was attacking his 'surrogate-family'. Yet someone else was seen…
"Hermy!" Harry cried out when he realized what the man's intentions were.
Hermione was in panic, she couldn't move from her spot, right in front of the dark-lighter.
The dark-lighter fired an arrow against the girl, who barely managed to cross her arms in front of her face and flinch, the arrow seemed to bounce off some energy.
"Witch…" The dark-lighter noticed immediately. "The child of a Charmed One will definitely be worth something in the Underworld…"
"No!" Harry cried out.
The dark-lighter charged and fired in Hermione's direction; Harry didn't even stop to think about the danger he could be putting himself in as he dashed across the dinning-room and right to Hermione, where he embraced her tightly, giving his back to the man, using himself as a shield to protect his friend.
"Harry! Hermy!" Everyone in the household cried out the moment they saw that.
A second later, they all gasped…
And it was that the black arrow had been disintegrated the moment it touched a glowing bluish shield that had suddenly formed around the two children.
What happened surprised the dark-lighter greatly, so much that, for some moments, he didn't seem to know what to do.
That moment of distraction was all Piper needed, she immediately shook her hands violently in the man's direction; once, twice, thrice, until finally the dark-lighter exploded completely, leaving nothing behind.
"What just happened here?" Mel asked, slowly poking her head from behind the sofa.
"That's what I would like to know…" Piper murmured, then she raised her head and began yelling to the air. "Paige! Paige Matthews! Get yourself here right away! Now!!"
A couple of seconds later a blue glow appeared and turned into Paige.
"What…" Right then Paige noticed the two black arrows around. "What just happened here?!"
"A dark-lighter, that's what happened." Piper replied, almost fuming. "It followed Wyatt and Chris home; but that's not the point. It seems you forgot to tell us quite a few things about your godson…"
"Eh?" Paige asked. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that he got in the path of the black arrow that the dark-lighter shot at Hermy, and instead of being shot himself a shield appeared from out-of-nowhere and protected both of them. A shield that seemed even more powerful than the one Wyatt could cast when he was little." Piper explained. "Why didn't you tell us that Harry was a white-lighter?"
"What?!" Paige was in shock. "He's shown his powers already?"
"Well of course." Piper replied. "I wouldn't be telling you this otherwise. Besides, what do you mean if he showed his powers? It's obvious that if he's white-lighter while being a child he was born as one, he must be the son of one."
"He isn't." Paige replied.
"Then how?" Leo asked.
"It's something the elders told me when he was born." Paige explained. "They said that his grandfather, his mother's father was a white-lighter that had clipped his wings, like Leo. And even then they still believed that one of the children had the potential of becoming a white-lighter. That became clear for me the moment I met Lily and her twins, I could immediately feel the power dormant within Harry. When Lily offered me being Harry's godmother I jumped at the opportunity. I knew that way I would be able to be with him to help him with his powers…if he ever released them. And it seems he did…"
Right then Paige interrupted her talk as she could 'hear' the call.
"What is it?" Piper asked her.
"They are calling me…" Paige began, suddenly her expression showed a mix of surprise and confusion. "And they want me to bring Harry and Hermione with me."
Harry was deeply confused, he had no idea what his godmother and 'surrogate aunt' were talking about.
"I can't believe the elders would want to see you…" Mel commented behind Harry.
"Who are the Elders?" Harry asked.
"You know how Auntie Paige is a white-lighter?" Wyatt asked.
"I've heard the word, but I don't know what it means." Harry replied.
"It means she's like some sort of guardian-angel for witches, good witches." Wyatt explained calmly. "Like our mothers."
"But then why would they want to see me?" Harry asked.
"Didn't you hear?" Chris asked, excitedly. "You're a white-lighter too, like my brother and I, and Henry."
That was the last thing the children said because right then Paige approached them.
Harry didn't doubt and immediately took his godmother's free hand, she was already holding Hermione with the other hand.
"I go too!" Wyatt announced unexpectedly. "Just to tell the Elders what happened here…and to make sure they don't try anything strange…"
Hermione and Harry had no idea what the boy meant, but the adults did; even if he had been young at the time, Wyatt had found out how some white-lighters had tried to kill him once before, he didn't want his new 'baby brother' to be hurt.
.---.
Paige and the three kids orbed into the white place they already knew was the main entrance to the Elder's court. It was as far as normal white-lighters went.
The children could see how all of those white-lighters around them were dressed with plain white tunics with hoods covering their faces.
"Miss Paige…" One of the white-lighters called her.
"Miss Wendy…" Paige only acknowledged the presence of the other woman.
The kids immediately knew she wasn't exactly 'a friend' of their aunt/godmother (apparently it was in fact the opposite).
"It seems that is tradition of you and your family to break the rules." Wendy commented in an accusing tone. "Now not only you come wearing that 'human' clothing instead of the tunic, but you also bring mortal children to this sacred place."
"Wyatt is a white-lighter as well, and even at his young age, he's allowed to come to this place whenever he wishes." Paige replied. "I'm sure you haven't forgotten who his father is…"
"Leo…" Wendy whispered in a low tone.
That's right, they all knew who Leo Wyatt was. A white-lighter who had been assigned to take care of the Charmed Ones, fell in love with one of them: Piper Halliwell, and from then on did everything he had to, to stay with her. He had even broken legendary rules and given up his position as one of the Elders, in the end clipping his own wings, becoming mortal.
"And about the other two." Paige added. "They were called here by the Elders themselves."
That was more than enough to leave Wendy in shock. And right then one of the Elders stepped out of the Court Room and called Paige and the kids inside, they were being expected.
.---.
"Something indeed remarkable happened tonight." One of the Elders commented. "The gifts Mr. Harry Potter posses as a white-lighter have finally awakened."
No one had made a single comment about Wyatt's presence, the boy had just taken a sit next to his family and observed the meeting in silence.
"You told me he was the grandson of a white-lighter who became mortal, and that because of the kind of magic his parents possessed, that might bring the abilities he has as a white-lighter out; yet you never told me he was going to be this powerful…" Paige commented.
"We had no idea how much power he was going to be able to use." One of the Elders told her. "We indeed knew of his potential, especially after what he did back five years ago, but we were not sure if his powers would ever come out again."
"Wait a second." Paige interrupted him. "Again? Five years ago? Did I miss a conversation or is it just that you refused to give me information about my charge…again?"
"You have no right to accuse us of…" One of the Elders, of the oldest ones, declared.
"She has all the right." A female Elder stepped in. "We gave Paige the mission of taking care of the child, yet we didn't tell her what made us take that decision."
Paige was told what had happened that night in the Potter household; the night Harvey Potter became the famous 'boy who lived', when in truth it had been thanks to his twin brother's unexpected release of his powers that they were saved and Voldemort lost his body.
"He has quite some powers to be so young…" Wyatt commented in surprise, more to himself than to those around him.
"We really don't know how long it's going to take for him to be able to use all of his powers to their full potential." The first Elder said seriously. "Thus far he's only used his abilities when those he loves are in danger."
Paige nodded, he knew that was how it began most of the times, that's how it had been for her at least; the first time she had orbed had been during the car accident that had killed her foster parents, it had been a reaction of her magic to save her.
"Oh, and something else." The female Elder added. "Though you will undoubtedly have the responsibility of training Harry Potter as a white-lighter, he won't be your charge."
"What…Why?" Paige was sourly confused.
"Because from this day on Mr. Potter has been assigned a charge of his own: Miss Hermione Patricia Granger-Trudeau."
Here you have it. The beginning of yet another fanfic, another that is a crossover with HP, and this time an answer to a challenge a fellow fanfic-writer did.
First of all I thank Brilliance of the Moon for allowing to bend rules a little on what this fic is concerned. Meaning the Potters don't really hate Harry, they just don't pay attention to him at all, and his brother isn't mean to him, he just doesn't know how to really treat him (normal considering the way his parents act).
Now to the couples: no matter how many signals (whether discreet or obvious) are made, I still love the Harry-Hermione pairing, which is why it'll be the main one in this fic. For those of you that may like the Harry-Ginny, the best I have to offer you is a Harvey-Ginny pairing, which in essence is very much the same; a point will come in which you'll all see Harry and Harvey are more alike that even they imagine. About other couples, well, mostly I use the Ron-Lavender, Neville-Luna, SiriusOC and DracoOC.
About the loyalties: Draco will be good! That's been decided already! Obviously he's not soft or anything like that, but he isn't Voldemort's ally either. About Snape…well, I'll receive your suggestions on that one, I haven't yet made up my mind, not completely.
About how much the crew of "Charmed" will be involved. Not much really, I mean, some of their children will be directly related to everything, especially those who's ages are closer to Harry's and Hermione's; and I have the idea of including Wyatt, Chris and Billie as main characters at a certain point.
Changes to the original story line: Most changes will be very discreet, and not much noticeable. There will be obvious thing with the fact that Harry isn't the 'Boy-who-lived' this time, and he has other powers, just like Hermione does. The big change, however, will come in their sixth year, and from then on (there's no seventh book to take after yet, so I'm doing my own version).
Oh, two more things: Don't expect me to write a story for each year in Hogwarts, because I won't. In fact I'll have summarized the first six years in a few chapters, just mentioning what's important. And…there might be several issues I don't use in the book where they original come up, but I'll use them later (you'll see what I mean later).
I believe that's everything I have to say. The next is, even if this fic isn't finished yet, I'm several chapters ahead in the writing; so the updates will come as soon as I consider I have enough reviews.
Now, that's all (Hopefully author notes in the following chapters won't be as long as this…). Thank you for reading and see you in the next updates.
