Chapter 16: The Trials of Melinda Warren

It was the first Saturday of Hogwarts, and for the first time since she got there, Phoenix could sleep in along with most of the Gryffindor girls. Most, because when Phoenix looked towards Hermione's bed, it was empty.

Phoenix gave out a yawn, stretching out before heading to the shower. 'Let's see. What is it I should do today? I really need to reply to mom and my friends. Maybe Hermione has something planned? Or Maybe I can hang out with Harry and Ron?'

After her shower, Phoenix put on her regular clothes and hair in a loose ponytail. She grabbed paper and pen, and headed down to the common room. "Hey, there you are!" said Phoenix as she spotted Hermione sitting in a chair with her Charms book out. "Are you doing homework? I thought you finished it yesterday? Or are you going over it again for the fifth time?"

"No, I'm reading over next week's lessons."

"Why?"

"To be prepared."

"But Hermione, it is Saturday! That book will be there! Saturdays change!"

"So?"

"Humph! So let's go outside! You can study in the fresh air!"

"No, thanks."

"Okay, fine! I'll keep ya company. I need to write some letters, anyway."

Phoenix sat across from Hermione and wrote her letters. Hermione not once looked up. Once Phoenix finished her letters, she pulled out her sketch pad. Time went by while Phoenix sat there drawing whatever images came to mind. She was getting bored. 'I need to go outside. I need a change of scenery.'

About ten minutes later, Phoenix got fed up. "I've got to go do something or I'm going to go crazy!" She started pacing in front of Hermione, who finally took her nose out of her book. "I'm going to the owlery and go explore more of the castle or something. Would you like to come?"

"No thanks, I'm good."

"Okay," Phoenix left, leaving Hermione all alone.

Hermione closed her book and made her way to the girl's dormitory. Once there, she went over and sat on Phoenix's bed. Hermione looked under her pillow and under her bed. No Book of Shadows. 'I wonder where she put it?' Hermione opened the nightstand near Phoenix's bed. Nothing was there. She looked in the trunk, but found nothing but textbooks and clothing.

Hermione closed the trunk and sat down. 'Where is it? I looked everywhere!' She looked over at the replicated bed. Cali was curled up on the floor fast asleep. Hermione got on her knees and moved over to the tiny bed. Cali immediately opened her eyes. She yawned, gave a big stretch, and sat up, blocking the view.

"Oh, come on!" She whispered, not wanting to wake any of her fellow Gryffindors. Cali sat there with her tail twitching and ears down. She did not want Hermione near her bed.

Hermione reached over, pushed Cali to the side, and opened the small curtain. 'The Book of Shadows' was lying there almost as if it was sleeping. Hermione picked it up and sat on her bed. 'Now, I've got you! Let's see what else is in here!'

Finding where she stopped, the book continued to intrigue her. On the top was "The Trials of Melinda Warren". 'Who is this?' Hermione thought. Cali jumped on Hermione's bed, laid on top of the book, and sprawled herself out as much as she could, preventing Hermione from reading any further. She laid there, with a hint of a smile on her face and the look of innocence in her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Hermione started petting Cali while moving her off. "Okay, now, let's see what this is." Hermione took the book and placed it on her lap.

'Melinda Warren left England and arrived In America in 1654 with her two-year-old daughter Prudence.'

Before Hermione continued, Cali jumped back on the book. She walked up to Hermione and rubbed her head on Hermione's face, purring.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked as she tried not to get cat hair in her mouth. Cali kept rubbing.

"Oh, fine!" Hermione tossed Cali off and closed the book. "I'll just go to the library!"

Once at the library, Hermione took her usual table. She looked around to make sure she was the only one around. Then she opened the book to where she stopped and continued to read.

'Never forgetting her knowledge of witchcraft, Melinda Warren possessed three special powers.'

"Powers?" Hermione thought out loud. "That is interesting."

'The first telekinesis or moving objects using only the power of her mind.'

'The second, clairvoyance, or the ability to see the future.'

'Her third power to stop time.'

"Stopping time? Time travel is possible with time turners, but stopping time? I really need to research some more."

'Melinda Warren's powers were discovered when her lover, Hugh Montgomery, betrayed her to the townspeople. She was tried for witchcraft, found guilty, and sentenced to be burned at the stake- a sentence that was never given before.'

"Oh, my! I wonder if this is around the time of America's Salem Witch Trials I read about?"

"Well, look who we have here."

Hermione slowly lifted her head. She knew who that voice belonged to.

"The Miss- Know-It-All of Gryffindor. What are you trying to do, Granger? Make us Purebloods look bad?" said Pansy with two other Slytherin girls beside her.

Hermione gulped and closed the book. She didn't feel like dealing with them.

"Not wanting us to see what you are reading?" The girls giggled. "Well, allow me."

Pansy reached over for the book, but before she could get close enough to touch it, the book glowed red and moved away from her. The other Slytherin girls looked at each other in disbelief. Pansy shook it away and reached for it again. The book glowed red and moved further in the middle of the table.

"Look Granger, this isn't funny. We'll be back." Then Pansy and the Slytherin girls left, faces startled by what they saw.

When they were out of sight, Hermione looked over at the book puzzled. The book was in the middle of the table. 'What just happened?' Hermione wasn't sure if she should touch the book. 'But that has never happened with me.' She took up the courage and gently touched the book, pulling it towards her. 'Okay, maybe it doesn't like certain people? Or maybe there is a spell that protects itself from evil people or people it doesn't trust? It glowed like it had one on it.'

Hermione flipped the book open and turned to the page she was on, hoping she would find some answers.

'The town's people tied her to a stake in the center of the village. The executioner waved a flaming torch before her and asked if she had any last words. This is what she said:

"You may kill me, but you can not kill my kind. With each generation, the Warren witches will grow stronger and stronger- until, at last, three sisters will arrive. Together, these three sisters will be the most powerful witches the world has ever known. They will be the Charmed Ones."

"That explains the three women in the illustrations. They must represent the Charmed Ones!"

'The executioner then touched his torch to the straw beneath Melinda's feet. She died horribly- but her powers live in every Warren witch's heart. It will be a joyous day when the Charmed Ones are begotten.'

Hermione had tears streaking down her face. "That is so sad. No one should be killed like that. I wander how Phoenix relates to all of this? Is she one of the Charmed Ones? Or is her mother? Is she part of the Charmed One's line? She has to be related. It would explain the lamp blowing up."

Hermione needed to do some research. She went to look for any book that had to deal with prophesies. She also needed to stand and walk around as she was getting stiff. Hermione, though, could not find one with any evidence of the Charmed Ones.

She looked around some more. 'There must be something on the Charmed Ones? Or even Melinda Warren, if she is as powerful as they lead it to believe.'

Hermione scanned the shelves some more. 'Maybe I overlooked or missed it?' She went to the back shelves of the library. It was not as lit up as the rest, so she went through each book, placing her finger on the binds. The last book in the corner caught Hermione's attention.

The book was black and leather bound. It was not as thick as the surrounding books, but it was a decent size. The spine was old, battered, and dusty as if it was long forgotten. But this was not what caught Hermione's eye. It was what was on the spine. A symbol she has seen in two other places: on Cali's tag and on The Book of Shadows. The triquetra was in the middle, in light red.

Hermione took the book and went through it. She found out that the incantation she read was to release the sister's powers. Each sister will receive one of Melinda's original powers. Then the powers would evolve. Then she found information on a possibility of there being a fourth sister. The fourth sister reconstituted the Charmed Ones after one sister died.

Hermione went back to the "Book of Shadows". She wanted to compare the two books to see if any information out of the black one was accurate. It was, and she went from one book to the other, gathering what she could. What startled her, the most, was the Charmed Ones were supposed to fight demons, warlocks, and other evil creatures.

"So, is this what Phoenix was saying when she yelled demons?"

Hermione read. There were different levels and types of demons. They had many ways of transporting, and they had powers of their own. Then there were warlocks. Warlocks were evil versions of witches. She learned, according to Phoenix's world, they were very cautious of wizards. They believed wizards could turn on anyone. Apparently, these types of creatures lived in a place called "the Underworld" a world beneath the surface.

"Is there really this much evil in this world?"

She flipped through some more pages and found other creatures. She found Leprechauns, unicorns, trolls, fairies, and people called "Whitelighters" and "Elders". Hermione had read about all of them except the leprechauns and whitelighters. The Whitelighters were like guardian angles for witches. They help guide them and protect them. They also guide future Whitelighters. There nemesis is a darklighter which would do anything they can to kill Whitelighters.

"There has to be a counterbalance."

Hermione didn't know what to think. There was a whole other world that she never knew about. She wasn't for sure if the Wizarding world knew about it. She had the feeling the prophecy is true. Hermione had the feeling Phoenix had to be a Charmed One or her mother was. Hermione remembered Phoenix mentioning her aunts. 'Didn't she say she had three?' And then her mother would clear the rumor of the fourth sister. But that proved nothing. Or did it?

'I saw that lamp blow up. I heard her say Demon. Then she tried to deny it all. The hat sounded confused. But it was like that with Harry. The hat mentioned she came from an ancient Wizarding line. The name Warren is in one of the extinction line. She knows more about potions than anybody in our year. Even the Ravenclaws stand no chance. The hat could have put her in any house but chose Gryffindor.'

"I'm going to have to tell her I know about her and her secret. Hopefully, she would explain everything, or at least I hope she will. I would like some straight answers." She said to no one in particular.

A/N: Okay, I know that Melinda was betrayed by Matthew Tate in the series. In the book "The Power of Three", it says Hugh Montgomery, and I liked this guy better.