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Chapter 10:

Piercing silver orbs perused through the San Francisco Chronicles searching for nothing in particular as he desperately tried drowning Piper Halliwell's yapping about her work to the plebeian handyman; contradicting the impassive Malfoy Lord, Narcissa was deeply enthralled with the inane chattering permeating the terrace, a fond expression gracing her flawless features as she sipped on her morning jasmine tea. Narcissa Malfoy always had acumen intelligence despite the fact that she was the baby out of her two siblings, and was constantly coddled and educated in the proper Pureblood etiquette, and so, Lady Malfoy knew something ailed her husband's illegitimate daughter.

Staring at her husband with determination, Narcissa yanked the newspaper from her bewildered husband's hand and fixed him with a stern glare, "Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, you have been dodging my question for a week now. For the past week, Pandora is burying herself in work and barely showed up at the manor, and you adopted a constipated expression every time she arrived late. What. Happened?!"

Exhaling loudly, Lucius dragged a hand down his weary face and averted eye-contact with his loving wife who was notorious for her bad temper. Ever since his dau-… no! Pandora. Ever since Pandora confronted him a week ago about his relation to her, he had been avoiding Narcissa's inquisitive eyes and whenever Severus came for a visit, he would dodge all inquiries about her well-being, preferring to probe him over the situation at Hogwarts, the Dark Lord and Magical Britain. He should have known that he could only circumvent Narcissa for so long before she cornered him into spilling his guts out. A warm, dainty hand engulfed one of his big, strong ones and he finally gave in, silver-grey piercing cornflower-blue.

"Last week, after that warlock from the future had been dealt with, Pandora knocked on the door while you were bathing," Lucius kept his deft mask of impassivity and his words were uncannily detached, "She inquired over her paternity, and I… I confessed, Cissy. I found myself unable to spout out any falsehoods. Within a few seconds of my declaration, she politely bid me goodnight and departed without a second glance. Is that what you wanted to hear, wife?" he groused out, unwilling to admit how his feelings were wounded by her brusque words and total blasé over her paternity to his face.

"Oh, Lucius," Narcissa whispered sadly before she stood up and made herself comfortable on his lap, her arms looped around his neck. After giving him a chaste kiss on his smooth cheek, Narcissa smiled in comprehension, "I won't bother to inquire over your feelings, because I know you prefer to remain in denial. However, I have no qualms implicating you to be an idiot." Silver-grey eyes flashed with confusion and after tucking a silky strand behind his ear, Narcissa clarified, "Darling, how could you have forgotten about the Truth Spell Prue enacted? You heard the sisters the day after, once the clock struck eight o'clock in the evening, the spell would have reached fruition and nobody other than the sisters would recall a thing."

Lucius gasped loudly in comprehension, and although his impassive mask remained, his heart no longer felt compressed in agony. Returning to her vacated seat, Narcissa refilled Lucius' tea and smoothly continued, "It is obvious that Pandora asked of her paternity before the allotted time for the truth, and thought you, like everyone else, would have forgotten your confession, Luc."

Disregarding all things Pandora, Lucius scowled in confusion, "But then, why do I remember? Why am I not affected by the spell?"

"Perhaps because you are her father therefore giving you immunity, or," Narcissa's blond brows scrunched together in deep thought, "Or the potent magical blood coursing through your veins had you unaffected by the intricacies of Wiccan Magic. I do not know, dear Lucius."

Before any other words could be traded in regards to the baffling phenomena, the loud slamming of a car door echoed around them, diverting their attention to the Halliwell Manor where the two Malfoys could easily see a frazzled and deeply worried Prue run inside the Manor, her clothes slightly ruffled as though she had been in the midst of a heated conflict. Narcissa adopted her mother hen mode and began clucking with concern while Lucius clandestinely hid his; both Malfoys however, inwardly prayed to Merlin for there not to be another demonic issue.

***P4***

Running a hand through her long platinum locks, Pandora's coral Le Silla six-inch heels resonated in the Manor, and she sighed in palpable relief when her silver-grey orbs scoped the sitting room, living room and conservatory to find them vacant and sister-free. Dusting her Thierry Mugler sea-foam/coral one-shoulder dress from imaginary lint, Pandora's ears perked up at hearing Piper and Phoebe's voices nearing her from the direction of the kitchen and she hastened to depart the house.

It wasn't as though Pandora was actively trying to avoid her sisters, per say; ever since Prue enacted the Truth Spell and she discovered the incredulously handsome neighbor that recently moved in was her biological father, the man who abandoned her, the youngest Halliwell had pushed the truth to the back-burner and swamped herself in work, grateful for the perfect timing that the filming for the new movie, Cassandra where she was to be the leading actress had begun. Alongside Director Christopher Mallory, who she had founded a great friendship with, they spent the last week organizing a schedule for the shooting script and scouting for locations, and although filming didn't start until next week, Pandora wanted to avoid being in close proximity to her sisters and her… the Malfoys for as long as possible.

Just as Pandora's elegantly manicured hand was about to grip the doorknob of the front door, it surged open, nearly impacting her face by a hairsbreadth, and silver-grey orbs widened as they met the terrified jade ones of her eldest sister. "Hey Prue, bye Prue!" she cheerfully yelled out, nearly darting past Prue when she cried out, "Hold it! You're coming with me." and without giving the platinum blonde a moment to rebut her order, Pandora found herself being physically dragged toward the kitchen.

"You guys, we are in serious trouble-"Prue snapped her mouth shut upon discovering that they had company and nervously smiled at Leo, "Uh, hi, Leo."

With a genuine smile on his handsome face, Leo's blue orbs flickered from a distressed Prue to an annoyed Pandora, "Hey Prue, Pandora."

"Heya, Leo!" Pandora grinned, unlike her sisters and the neighbors, Pandora would gladly take Leo's presence. In fact, whenever Prue was at work, and Piper wasn't drooling over the benign handyman, and Phoebe was off somewhere doing whatever an unemployed person does, Pandora would take the time to initiate small talk with Leo, finding the handsome man very easy to get along with and she spilled out all her woes and the drama of her ex-boyfriend, Doctor Conner Black; surprisingly, Leo was an anomaly in retrospect to most men … okay, all men Pandora had met, and he actually absorbed every word she uttered in genuine interest, and in all honesty, Pandora had no frikin' idea why Leo Wyatt chose the profession of a handyman instead of a shrink.

Prue gave Leo a small wave before piercing Piper and Phoebe with a solemn stare, her talons still clutching Pandora's wrist tightly, almost as though she knew the second she let go, the youngest Halliwell would escape the Manor in the blink of an eye and not return; "Hey, uh, sisters. Upstairs now." All thoughts of escaping to her freedom were abolished upon hearing the tone in her eldest sister's voice; it was obvious to the three younger Halliwell sisters that something had seriously gone awry.

The second the four sisters were congregated and ensconced in the attic, Prue informed them about her exciting morning at work, "A warlock attacked me this morning at Buckland's!" How eloquent of her, Pandora inwardly snorted, trying to hide the gravity of the situation with her usual humor.

"What did you say his name was?" Piper inquired, her voice trembling slightly like it always did at the mention of a warlock. Pandora scoffed loudly, busying herself with aimlessly flipping through the Book of Shadows, "She didn't, Piper. All we got was warlock, got attacked, and Buckland," she drawled out indifferently, garnering herself two glares from Prue and Piper and a multitude of confused blinking from Phoebe.

With one last scorching glare at the blonde, Prue deigned Piper's question with a response, "Matthew Tate. And somehow he knows that we're related to Melinda Warren."

Phoebe's eyes widened in awe; out of the four sisters, Phoebe had a huge adulation toward that specific ancestor ever since she perused through the Book of Shadows after she activated their powers, "The Book of Shadows Melinda? Our ancestor?"

"The one who was burned at stake and started this whole mess?" Piper continued Phoebe's source of thinking. Pandora fixated Piper with a bored stare and arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, "What do you mean started this whole mess? She was born with magic and gave birth to children who carried on her legacy, she didn't start anything. Yeesh, Piper. You wanna blame someone, blame the Gods or whoever the hell blessed her with innate magic."

Having had enough with the youngest Halliwell's abrasive demeanor, Piper placed both hands firmly on her hips and glared at her, "Okay, what the hell is your problem, Pandora? You've been acting like a Grade-A bitch for a week now!"

A scorned smile curved on the blonde's plump lips and she mockingly clapped her hands in slow motion, "Wow, Piper said a profanity. Alert the authorities." Piper looked as though she were about to implode, and Phoebe looked deeply confused with her usual fun-going, cheerful and good-natured sister's abrupt change in attitude, but before any more harsh words could be traded, Prue whistled loudly, her jade orbs flaring with anger, "Enough! We have bigger problems right now than a sister's spat, whatever problems you have Pandora, snuff it and listen up. The warlock, Matthew Tate came out of the locket my boss, Rex gave me, and he has strong powers. Stronger than mine, I mean, he did the weirdest thing," her eyebrows knit together in confusion, "One minute he was in front of me, the next he was behind me and then twelve stories down, landed right on his feet."

"We have Superman on our hand, yay," Pandora murmured sarcastically, and only Phoebe heard, but she ignored her snide comment and said, "If it walks like a warlock, and talks like a warlock…"

"Yeah, well, he's powerful, and he means business, and he wants all three of our powers," Prue ominously informed him. Pandora frowned, "What do you mean three of our powers? Unless you forgot basic addition, there are four of us, Prue," she bit out sarcastically. Ignoring the heated barb, Prue fixated Pandora with a serious stare, "The warlock said that he wants what Melinda took from him, he wants all three powers back."

Piper's face resembled Pandora's mien of confusion, but Phoebe spoke up in a hush, her chocolate orbs widening in cognizance, "Of course," excitedly, she softly pushed Pandora out of the way and flipped through the Book of Shadows to the very beginning before she cleared her throat, and read aloud, "' Melinda Warren practiced magic, inborn with three essential powers; she could move objects with her mind, see the future and stop time. But before Melinda was burned at the stake, she vowed that each generation of Warren witches would become stronger and stronger, culminating in the arrival of four sisters. Upon their birth, these four sisters would be the most powerful witches the world has ever known, and the one with the new power would be the soul of the sisters; the secret weapon." Phoebe smacked her hand against the open page and turned to face her three silent sisters, "This Matthew Tate knew Melinda that means he only knows of my powers, Prue's and Piper's, but not yours Pandora."

"Greaat," Pandora drawled out, "I don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, but what I do know, is that it won't take long for the warlock to find out about me. So basically, we're all doomed."

Phoebe extended a hand out to Prue, "Can I see the locket?" acquiescing, Prue handed over the offending locket and they watched as she examined it. Upon opening it, a sharp intake of breath escaped Phoebe's mouth and they could all visibly see her get sucked into a premonition. A few seconds later, chocolate orbs snapped open, focusing intensely on Prue, "You said Matthew came out of the locket?" at Prue's nod, she explained her premonition, "I think I just saw Melinda put him in."

"You saw the past?" Prue gaped at her. Pandora grinned, "Great power boost, sis," and her tone, for once, was genuine. Piper however, shook her head in puzzlement, "But you only see the future."

"Not anymore," Phoebe stated the obvious. Prue sighed, her lips quirking into a half-smile, "We always knew that our powers would grow."

Phoebe pouted and snapped the locket shut, "Yes, but somehow I thought I was gonna get to fly!" Prue and Piper smiled at that, glad for a mood reliever and Pandora snorted, "Give it time, I'm sure there's a incantation to make broomsticks fly and your wish will eventually come true."

***P4***

Narcissa burst out into giggles at Pandora's statement, "Oh, if only she knew that we fly on broomsticks."

Lucius on the other hand, didn't acknowledge the humor in Pandora's statement, his mind focused intently over the fact that a powerful warlock was running around town looking for the Halliwell sisters. "Those four can never go for so long without being endangered by a warlock, can they?" he grumbled, ignoring the knowing smile his wife directed at him.

The sounds of ruffling pages could be heard from Narcissa's Listening Charm and the two Malfoys continued eavesdropping on the sisters' conversation; Phoebe's voice boomed around the terrace, "I was right. It was Melinda in my vision, isn't she beautiful."

"Hmm. She kind of looks like mom," Prue stated, a fond quality in her tone and Lucius squashed all thoughts of the vivacious Patty, unfortunately, his heart clenched in sorrow at Pandora's retort, "I'll take your word for it, Prue."

A sniff came from Narcissa and she hastily brushed a lone tear away, "Oh Lucius. Pandora cannot even remember what her mother looks like. That means she died early on in life." Lucius was vehemently taken aback by his wife's compassion, and could not understand how she could be so relaxed and casual over the fact that he had a child with another woman when he was in a marriage contract with her. Fidgeting uncomfortably, Lucius cleared his throat, and spoke in a detached tone, "Yes, well. It's not our problem, wife."

"Listen to this," Piper boomed out, interrupting the desolate ambience, "'And because the warlock had stolen her love, she cursed him into the pewter heart, where he could spend eternity knowing the sting of betrayal.'"

"That must be what I saw," Phoebe gasped out, followed by Prue's bitter words, "And I let him out early. Great."

Narcissa shook her head in awe, "These Wiccans continue to astound me, Luc. Their ancestor cursed a warlock into a locket. How in Merlin's name would one go around achieving that?"

"It does not differentiate much from Dark Magic," Lucius mused, glad for the diversion; he wouldn't mind pondering over the complex intricacies of Wiccan Magic instead of Pandora's abrasive temper and the estimation of Patty's premature death.

Pandora's voice broke into Lucius' line of thoughts, "You're not kidding, Prue. The legend says that the warlock must never be freed or he will destroy the Warren Line. … Well, what do you know? We are the lucky winners, as usual," her words were oozing with sarcasm, "Can't we get a freaking break here!"

"Yeah, I'm with Pan on this one," Phoebe sounded out her agreement, "He'll have to take a number and get in line behind the other warlocks."

Narcissa tutted loudly in disapproval, "They should not be so blasé about an attempt on their lives." Prue seemed to be in accord with Narcissa, for she spoke up gravely, "We've never been up against anyone like him before."

"So, what do we do?" Phoebe piped up, her voice quivering slightly, morphing a look of utmost concern on Narcissa's beautiful visage. Piper blurted out, "I say we hide."

"Seriously Piper? You did not just say that," Pandora sounded highly aggressive and deeply angered, "We have jobs, a life, we cannot just become hermits and stay hidden by the Book of Shadows. Beside, Prue said Tate disappeared and appeared behind her in the blink of an eye. What makes you so sure he won't just pop up into the attic at any minute?!" she snapped rhetorically.

"Apparition?" Lucius uttered in confusion before shaking his head, "Perchance this warlock has a power similar to apparition, yet not?"

Narcissa shrugged uncertainly in response.

Prue's voice boomed over them, "Pandora's right, you two. We have to find out exactly what we're up against, and we start with the locket and how it wound up on my desk."

Lucius stroked his chin, his silver-grey orbs focused intently on the familiar muggle auror that parked his vehicle in front of the Halliwell Manor; how indeed did the locket end up on Prudence's desk. It was definitely no coincidence…

***P4***

"Hey, Prue," Leo called out as the four sisters trudged down the stairs and into the conservatory, "Your work's on the news, check it out."

The reporter's voice permeated around them, "This morning witnesses claim they saw a man fall twelve stories. He apparently got up and walked away unharmed." Pandora stalked over the window and joined Phoebe, her eyes piercing the Malfoys who were sitting by the terrace. Phoebe suddenly nudged the blonde and motioned her head towards a grim Andy who was currently clambering out of his car.

"Look, Andy's on TV," Piper suddenly piped up; unintentionally and in complete unison, the two younger Halliwells announced, "He's here, too!" and at that exact moment, the doorbell resonated loudly in their ears, and all four of them imitated the expression of a deer caught in the headlights.

Placing a finger over her lips toward Prue and Piper she dragged Phoebe over to the front door; Piper was absolutely abysmal when it came to acting and would immediately blow their cover; Phoebe however, was acceptable in the art of circumventing. Opening the door wide, Pandora beamed at the older man who she long-ago adopted as an older brother and grinned, "Heya Andy. What brings you onto our doorstep on this fine morn?"

Despite the gravity of the situation and the termination of his relationship with Prue, Andy couldn't help but smile fondly at the youngest Halliwell he had always had a soft spot for, "I need to talk with Prue, Dory."

"Prue, wow," Phoebe forced a laugh and a mien of surprise from beside Pandora, "How out of the loop am I? And here I thought you guys broke up." Pandora inwardly smirked at Phoebe's technique of easily deflecting the true purpose of Andy's visit by opening up that can of worms.

All fondness evaporated and sparkling blue eyes seared Phoebe with a somber look, "It's not about that. It's police business."

Phoebe snapped her jaw shut, leaving the acting part for Pandora who deftly transformed her cheerful visage into one of confusion, "I would say Prue's at work, but we just saw the news, Andy. She hadn't returned yet. Is everything okay?" she bit her lip in worriment and widened her silver-grey doe eyes into her famous innocent puppy dog eye expression, willing them to water slightly.

Andy dropped his professional stance and wrapped the youngest Halliwell in a hug, unable to stand her sad expression; he was always putty in her hand. Andy tenderly stroked her platinum hair and spoke up in a soothing voice, his eyes flickering from the top of Pandora's head to Phoebe's questioning chocolate orbs, "A man fell out of Prue's window, which is suspicious enough, but then a man matching the same description went and killed a lawyer down the street. A lawyer named Halliwell."

Gasping out loud, Pandora looked up into Andy's hardened eyes which softened at the eye-contact, "So, you're saying that some psychotic serial killer could be after us?"

Phoebe placed an arm around Pandora and focused intently on Andy, "Thanks for letting us know. When Prue gets back, I'll let her know to call you." With a curt nod and a small smile toward the blonde, Andy departed and after shutting the front door, Phoebe gaped at Pandora, "Damn. You're good, Pan. He didn't suspect a thing."

Snorting humorlessly as she made her way back to Prue and Piper who had overheard the entire conversation, Pandora smirked, "Well of course he didn't. I'm good at what I do remember?"

Shaking her head, Prue snapped, "Great. Pandora's impressive acting skills aside, I'm now being hunted by a warlock and the San Francisco P.D."

"Nobody ever said you led a boring life, Prue," Phoebe commented. Piper, on the other hand, blurted out, "Maybe Andy can help."

Fixing Piper with an incredulous stare, Prue sarcastically retorted, "Oh, yeah. You want to have that conversation with him? 'Hey Andy, I hate to bother you, but this seventeenth century warlock is trying to kill me and my sister.' Any thoughts?"

Pandora burst out into a fit of laughter before saying, "Besides, Piper, we discussed this before. Bullets and warlocks don't mix."

"What we need is someone who's done this before, someone like Melinda Warren," Phoebe stated. Prue huffed wearily, "Okay, so what are we supposed to do? Reach back in time, grab her and tell her that we need her help?"

"Yes-"the remaining of Phoebe's sentence was drowned out by Pandora crying out in complete disbelief, "Are you off your rocker?!"

Phoebe glared at her, not amused in the slightest by the blonde's rude interruption and snapped, "If you would let me finish! … I know what to do… as long as you don't mind losing a little blood."

***P4***

It was nighttime, and just as Lucius had been about to pour himself a hearty amount of mulled mead, the fireplace roared loudly and amidst the violent green flames, the familiar form of Severus Snape strode out, brandishing his wand and ridding his uniform black robes from any leftover soot. Nodding his head toward Lucius, he ambled toward the terrace and graciously accepted the offered drink, subtly rolling his pitch black orbs in regards to Narcissa's absorbed and shameless eavesdropping.

"How have things been since my last visit?" Severus inquired, unable to hide the genuine curiosity from his tone. Knowing that his wife was of no use since she had been waiting on tenterhooks to discover the meaning behind Phoebe's cryptic statement earlier in the day, Lucius obediently replied, "A …warlock," he sneered at the term, "Appeared out of a locket at Prue's work. Apparently, the Halliwell's ancestor, Melinda Warren cursed this Tate Warlock into the locket and could only be freed by a Halliwell. Unwittingly, Prudence opened the locket and freed the warlock, stealing her power and is currently in search for the remaining Halliwell sisters to steal the powers inherited from Melinda."

Absently, Narcissa added, "You forgot to mention that this warlock is oblivious to Pandora's powers, can apparently apparate, or close to at least, and is extremely powerful."

Processing the overload of information with his acumen mind, Severus took a large gulp of the rich mead, "I see you have had an eventful day. What is the sisters plan of action regarding this… warlock?" he too sneered at the word; like Lucius, Severus was highly skeptical regarding the existence of warlocks and demons, or that Wiccan Witches were anything but simpleton practitioners, and upon discovering the Halliwells, his whole perspective changed and he was having trouble absorbing the truths glaring right at him.

Before they could deem Severus' inquiry with a response, Piper's hesitant voice echoed in the terrace, "Am I the only one having second thoughts?" Narcissa heard them ascending the staircase towards the attic upon Severus' arrival and it was obvious to the three eavesdroppers that they were congregated once again, in the attic.

"Yes," Pandora simply retorted. At the same time, Prue rationally spoke up, "We don't have any other options."

"But aren't we, like, raising the dead? What if she's all-"Piper's dumbfounding statement was immediately interjected by Phoebe as she matter-of-factly said, "I read the Book of Shadows very carefully. She will come back as a real live person, flesh and blood. She will have her powers too. Our powers. Well, except for Pandora's that is."

"Bloody hell!" Severus cried out, onyx orbs widening in disbelieving awe, "They have the power to resurrect the dead?! How is that possible?!" Unbidden, his thoughts were directed selfishly toward his Lily, and the marvel of restoring her.

Lucius rapidly shook his head, "This-, this defies the laws of nature and magic. The Dark Lord managed to recover a corporeal form because he had yet to move on and remained living as a morbid spirit. Melinda Warren has been dead for centuries!"

"We already agreed that Wiccan Witches are an anomaly. We were biased against them, scorned them and belittled them thinking ourselves inferior, and yet, they have managed to do the impossible. Merlin knows what else they can do that we have yet to hear of," Narcissa's words were like a slap to the face as Lucius and Severus pondered over the veracity of her statement. Silver-grey orbs pierced onyx ones, "Inform Dumbledore once you return, Severus. I shudder to think what the Dark Lord would do if word got out."

***P4***

Phoebe picked up a knife and Piper didn't allow a nanosecond to pass before she blurted out, "What's that for?"

"Well, the spell works by blood calling blood, so it shouldn't hurt … much," Phoebe shrugged; ignoring the three eyes focused intently on her person, Phoebe nicked her finger and yelped loudly, "I lied, I lied." Sucking the wound, Phoebe met three terrified faces and consolingly said, "Okay, come on guys. It'll be just like the summer by the lake. Remember when we made a blood oath to be friends forever, not just sisters?"

Quickly nicking her finger, Pandora masked her wince of pain and snorted loudly at the horrible example as she passed the knife to Prue just as Piper groused out, "I remember my finger got infected."

"Ow!" Prue cried out before relaxing, "Yeah, but the oath worked." They all gave Piper a stern gaze when she wouldn't take the knife from Prue, choosing to continue whining, "And I couldn't go in the water for three weeks. Don't hand me that knife!"

"For fuck's sake!" Pandora snapped, grabbing the knife from Prue and slamming it onto the table, beside Piper's hand, "We have a powerful warlock after our blood, Piper! Now is not the time to get squeamish, because believe me, a nicked finger will be nothing in comparison to what Tate will do to us! He already has the upper hand, so take the god damn knife and cut yourself already!" the blonde didn't care how harsh she was being, she meant every damn word and was in no mood to be sociable; she wanted to get rid of Tate and continue to avoid her problems, including her astute sisters who no doubt knew something was bothering her and would continue to rattle her chains until she spilled her guts out.

An uncomfortable silence permeated the attic; both Prue and Phoebe were fixating Pandora with a scrutinizing stare, and after opening and closing her mouth in resemblance to a fish, Piper weakly uttered, "I can't stand the sight of blood." Simultaneously, three incredulous eyes flickered over to her person, and Phoebe was the first to state, "Evil beings have blown up in our attic…"

"Disintegrated to dust right before our very eyes…"Prue added in disbelief.

"And you're afraid of a little drop of blood?" Pandora snapped, her voice sounding more surprised than hostile.

Suffice to say, Piper grudgingly acquiesced and Phoebe quickly nicked her finger, producing a loud yelp from her, followed by an evil glare. The four sisters then proceeded to squeeze their fingers, and Pandora watched in morbid fascination as blood dripped from each of their fingers onto the locket. In an instant, Phoebe snapped the locket shut and dropped it into the bowl between the circle they fashioned. In unison, they chanted, "Melinda Warren, blood of our blood… our great, great, great, great, great, great, grandmother, we summon thee."

There was a gust of wind encircling them followed by stardusts floating through the air until it morphed into the form of a gorgeous woman in her early twenties with dirty blonde locks and wide sky-blue eyes; Melinda Warren fixated each of them with a warm smile, "Oh, blessed be."

***P4***

Pandora wasn't able to sleep well that night, shell-shocked over the fact that they actually summoned their great ancestor, and that she was residing with them in the Manor; it was truly astounding, a marvelous phenomenon, and it was times like these where Pandora was grateful that she was a witch. After getting dressed, Pandora heard the commotion coming from Phoebe's room, and joined her three sisters who were trying to acclimatize Melinda into the twentieth century.

"Pandora!" Melinda beamed upon noticing her presence, "I was just telling your sisters that a wise witch made this dress." And the blonde repressed her laughter over the fact that Melinda thought zippers were fashioned by a witch. Smiling serenely at the four amused sisters, Melinda said, "It's so odd to be here again. To breathe and feel. Now, tell me, how do you keep your legs warm?"

"We drink coffee," Prue retorted with a smile of her own. At that moment, Leo approached the doorway, his eyes widening at the sight of Melinda and he backpedaled immediately, "Oh, sorry, I let myself in and it didn't occur to me."

Piper beamed at him, and Pandora couldn't help but roll her eyes fondly at the starstruck daze, "Leo, it's uh, it's okay. This is uh…" Mentally bashing Piper's abysmal acting ability, Pandora swooped in as usual to save the day, "Leo, this is our cousin, Melinda. She'll be staying with us for a while. Cousin Melinda, this is Leo, our handyman, he fixes the plumbing."

Cocking her head to the side, a confused wrinkle appeared on Melinda's forehead at the unfamiliar jargon, "What's that?"

"Uh, we've got to go now," Prue swiftly interjected, trying to cover Melinda's faux pas. Melinda nodded and smiled at Leo, "To work with one's hands is a great gift."

Shrugging, Leo grinned, "Well, I am a true laborer. I earn that I eat, get that I wear."

"Owe no man hate, envy no man's happiness," Melinda concluded with an ecstatic smile, and in unison, both her and Leo intoned, "Shakespeare."

"The frick?!" Pandora gaped unattractively at them, and she wasn't the only one either. With an awkward smile, Prue chirped out, "Wasn't that fun? Okay, let's go now." As the five witches descended the staircase, Melinda smiled fondly at Piper, "He is a treasure, Piper."

"Why you telling me," Piper stammered; unable to let such a perfect comment go to waste, Pandora scoffed, "Maybe because you automatically make gooey eyes at him whenever he walks into a room…"

"I do NOT!" Piper heatedly retorted, her denials going through deaf ears much to her annoyance.

***P4***

By the terrace, Lucius and Narcissa were joined by a gobsmacked Severus and a floundered Albus Dumbledore, who despite being vehemently shocked beyond words, had a slight twinkle of fascination in his soft blue eyes. "By Merlin, they actually did it," Severus muttered in a hush, but the other three heard him loud and clear.

"Wiccan magic is such a marvel," Dumbledore gasped out, "We could learn so much from them. They deny nature, magic, and all the impossibilities in our community. Such a marvel," he murmured again, "To resurrect a dead soul using pure magic, for naught but good intentions…"

The four wand-wielders remained in a comfortable silence, sipping on their tea and keeping an ear out for the Halliwells as they assembled into a room somewhere downstairs. The mellifluous voice of the newcomer, of the reincarnated ancestor, softly echoed around them via the Listening Charm. "Once Matthew had what he wanted, he told the town council I was a witch and they arrested me. Then they burned me at the stake."

Lucius made a sound of disdain, "You see why I dislike Muggles, Dumbledore?"

"Not all Muggles are as such, Lucius. Why I have met many parents of Muggleborns who are fascinated by us and wish to acclimatize in our community. I believe Muggles would support burning witches and wizards at the stake, due to Voldemort's actions, no? Just as there are good and bad wizards, there are good and bad Muggles." Lucius' jaw clenched, unable to find any fault in Dumbledore's statement, much to his palpable annoyance.

Piper's compassionate voice resounded, "Why didn't you save yourself?"

"Yeah, I mean… you have magic. Why didn't you freeze them and escape?" Pandora's words were laced with confusion, and the four eavesdroppers remained stoic, curiously listening with abated breath for the reincarnated witch's response.

Melinda's voice was filled with tender love as she uttered her next words, "I had a daughter. Her name was Prudence. She meant everything to me. If I had used my powers, I would've proven Matthew's charge and Prudence would've burned too. So, I thought, I'll accept this and pray some kind soul will take pity on my daughter and raise her in a safe home. Only then could the Warren Line continue. And it must have worked because here you are," her last words were filled a mixture of pride and delight.

Narcissa wiped a few stray tears from her ivory cheeks, "A mother's sacrifice. There is nothing more powerful, more … pure, than a mother's love." Dumbledore and Severus were immediately reminded quite vividly of Lily Potter and her sacrifice to keep Harry Potter alive, which in turn aided in the defeat of Voldemort and the end of the First War in Magical Britain.

Yes, Albus Dumbledore smiled softly; there is nothing more powerful than a mother's love and the willingness to sacrifice themselves for their child.

"Why do Warren witches lose their moms so early?" Phoebe's words were uttered despondently and Lucius' heart clenched in agony once more. Melinda's voice rang out with compassion, "Phoebe, I can't change the past, but I think I can protect the future."

"How?" Prue's voice boomed over them, "Matthew is so strong, and he has this wild power. He can be at one place and then another."

"In the blink of an eye?" Melinda probed, and upon receiving an answer of agreement from Prue, she clarified, "It's called blinking. He must've copied it from another witch. I stripped him of all the powers he copied from me, but who knows what powers he still has… Matthew's gift is to copy the power of a good witch when it's used against him."

"Then he definitely has mine," Prue huffed out. Melinda's response filled them with dread, "Once he's copied a power, it has no effect on him. Should he gain all three powers, he will be impossible to vanquish, and if he gains Pandora's, the secret weapon, then he will be unstoppable."

Pandora's retort managed to infuse a bit of humor into the dreary situation, "You're a bright ray of sunshine aren't you, Melinda."

"So what do we do?" Prue inquired solemnly.

"We curse him back in the locket," was the prompt reply from the reincarnated witch. Silence greeted the terrace from the Halliwell Manor giving the four flabbergasted wand-wielders a moment to discuss amongst themselves.

Clearing his throat, Severus' velvety voice snapped them from each of their reveries, "So this warlock cannot apparate, but blink."

"Yes," Dumbledore sighed, "I believe we were arrogant to believe only we have methods of magical transportation. This phenomenal world we are being introduced to are filled with many secrets and surprises we have yet to unravel. Curse a warlock into a locket, resurrect the dead, a gift to copy powers, and many, many more…"

***P4***

The five witches reassembled into the attic and began to hatch a plan against Matthew. Melinda scrunched her brows in thought and bit her lip, "I can't believe I don't remember all the ingredients."

"We don't blame you," Pandora smiled, "I mean, it's been quite a while since you cursed Tate."

"Yeah, like three hundred years," Phoebe snorted.

Piper ambled toward the book, "Whatever you don't remember should be in the book-"an excited squeal from Melinda had the four sisters gaping at their ancestor in shock. Melinda caressed the cover of the Book of Shadows almost reverently, her blue eyes shining with wonder, "Oh my, it's gotten so big!"

Four pairs of eyebrows knit together in confusion, and Prue hesitantly inquired, "It wasn't always?"

"No, no. But obviously each generation of Warren witches have added to it over the years and have made it so," Melinda grinned at the four pairs of awestruck faces, "Have you added anything?"

Phoebe looked like Christmas came early, "Us? Are you kidding? We're new at this. We can't just make up our own spell… wait, can we?" With a covert smile, Melinda cryptically uttered, "All things in time, Phoebe. The book will grow as you grow. Sometimes you add to it, sometimes it teaches you. Oh, here's the curse," she thumbed through the ingredients and frowned in confusion at the pen and paper Prue offered her, "No ink?"

"Nah, just start writing," Pandora smirked, finding Melinda's bewilderment over every little thing amusing. Piper suddenly laughed, her eyes shining with mirth and her finger pointing at a particular page, "Grams must have added this one."

"To Increase Patience," Melinda smiled, reading the title of the aforementioned spell.

"I bet she used that spell a lot raising us, huh?" Phoebe smirked at Pandora. Prue scoffed at that, her jade orbs twinkling at the two youngest and mischievous Halliwells, "We weren't all troublemakers like you two."

Pandora gasped in mock-offense, "We weren't troublemakers, well, Phoebe more than me… we were just-"

"A pain," Piper grinned, pleased that Pandora's odd abrasive behavior had diminished.

"A free spirit," Phoebe snapped; simultaneously, Pandora retorted, "A maverick."

"A handful," Prue teased.

Melinda shocked them all with her genuine statement, "A Halliwell. It's a family trait. So are the short tempers, the great cheekbones, the strong wills, and of course, the powers. All blessings, all signs of where you came from. This book, your connection and it began with me."

Pandora felt her insides squirm, her thoughts snapping over to the Malfoys, but she smiled all the same at her ancestor, the feeling of belonging engulfing her like a warm blanket, and Prue ominously said, "Well, let's make sure it doesn't end with us. We need to get going."

***P4***

Pandora was fuming. Her older sisters were in a united front in keeping her safely ensconced in the Manor, hiding away from Tate, and on babysitting duty. And while Pandora was excited at spending alone time with her ancestor, she did not appreciate being babied by her sisters despite the fact that she understood where they were coming from, and the reasoning behind their decision. Matthew Tate was searching for them, for Piper and Phoebe's powers, while Pandora was a mystery to him. It didn't mean she was happy staying behind and being useless to ridding Tate once and for all.

Piper and Phoebe were at Quakes collecting the remaining herbs needed and Prue was blindly searching for an owl's feather, and Pandora? Pandora was babysitting her dead, not-so-dead ancestor.

"What ails you so?" Melinda uttered serenely from behind her. Pandora whipped around and smiled benignly at her ancestor, "Nothing. I just, I hate being useless. Sometimes it's a pain being the youngest," she grumbled.

Melinda laughed a tinkling sound and joined her on the couch, "It is important for you to remain hidden from Matthew, Pandora. It is not because you are the youngest. You are the secret weapon, therefore you should remain a secret, no?" a fond gleam passed through her ancestor's sky-blue eyes, "However, I was not referring to your ire in regards to your sisters, Pandora. You are affected with a burden, you harbor an inner secret and it is tearing you apart. Talk to me."

A tear cascaded down her golden skin, but Pandora didn't bother wiping it away, that task was silently made by Melinda before she embraced her in a warm hug. "Is this what it feels like to have a mother?" she sobbed, and she appreciated Melinda's silence on the matter. After five despondent minutes, Pandora pulled herself together, and spilled out her inner burden, "I always felt like I didn't belong. Mom died before I could walk, I had no dad, Grams and Prue took up the mantle in caring for Piper, Pheebs and I. One day, when I was old enough to understand my surroundings, I found a picture of mom, and … Prue, Piper and Phoebe look so much like her. I inherited some traits from mom and I have a slight resemblance to Phoebe, but… but I felt different, like there was something strange about me. I chalked it up to me inheriting most of my features from my dad, and then…"

"And then what?" Melinda softly inquired, pulling away so that she could look squarely into Pandora's eyes.

"I made it a game, you know?" Pandora laughed humorlessly, "Phoebe would join in sometimes. We'd search high and low for somebody who has the same hair and eye color as me. But we never did. Not to sound arrogant, but, my hair color, my eye color, my flawless beauty, it was ethereal… so abnormally beautiful and otherworldly, and on my seventeenth birthday, my looks changed, I had uncanny beauty. All boys, men, a variety of ages, they would all stare at me as though I were some goddess, they were entranced by my beauty and it was disturbing. After that, I began searching for any picture of my father since Grams cut him out from all family pictures, and I finally found one. I looked nothing like him. That's when Grams told me the truth. I have a different father than my sisters. I felt my birth, my existence was a home wrecker, that I didn't belong, until a few months ago when he showed up and told me he loves me as a daughter, always had and always will despite my parentage, and that it wasn't my fault he left. Last week, Prue did a Truth Spell, and I confronted my neighbor who bores a deep resemblance to me, and he admitted to being my father."

"You didn't tell your sisters," it was a statement, and compassion shone vividly from Melinda's mien.

Pandora shook her head rapidly, "I've been in denial. I want to pretend nothing changed, and if I tell my sisters, they'll force me to talk about it, about my feelings and Piper would definitely push me to speak to the man who abandoned me. I don't want that. So I've basically been a raging, hormonal bitch to them."

"I believe everything will work out in time, Pandora," Melinda said soothingly, "And whenever you are ready, confide in your sisters, they may surprise you. Us Warrens stick together through thick and thin, and despite your paternal heritage, you are a Warren, you belong with us. Your birth has been foretold by me before my death. You were meant to exist, Pandora. Trust me on that, trust my power."

"How sickeningly sweet. I'm sorry, am I interrupting?" an amused baritone voice announced from the front door and both witches stared horror-struck at him. They didn't know that during their bonding, they were so absorbed that they didn't hear the phone ringing off the hook, warning them of Tate's arrival.

"Matthew," Melinda uttered his name with venom and she stood protectively in front of Pandora.

Damn, why does evil have to look so darn sexy! Pandora mentally grumbled; unfortunately, she couldn't use her active power against Tate, and she never felt more useless than at this current moment, even more so when she noticed intense mahogany eyes had yet to detach from her person.

"We meet again," he grinned as he took determined footsteps towards Melinda. Melinda sneered, an expression that didn't belong on her kind-natured face, "Yes. And the sight of you still makes me ill."

Matthew didn't react to her snub, instead, he had an eerie smile on his sexy visage, his eyes searing through Pandora's, "Funny. The fact that I can now destroy your line forever makes you so much more appealing. Though, not as appealing as the blonde vixen behind you. Hello dear, I haven't heard much about you, Pandora."

"You won't touch them! Leave, Matthew, before I destroy you!" Melinda shouted, her hand tightening on Pandora's wrist. Matthew let loose a few hearty chuckles that sounded like melted butter, "You're nothing more than a dead witch watching over stupid girls who are about to die themselves. You are too late anyways; I already have two of their powers. I just need the third, I believe her name is Piper, unless you want to freeze me, or you darling," Matthew winked at the tongue-tied Pandora, "I am truly fascinated over what your power may be."

"Rot in hell, Tate!" Pandora sneered; if she had to die to save her sisters, then she would gladly welcome death. No matter what, Pandora could not use her power against Tate otherwise he would be unstoppable. With one subtle twitch, Matthew used Prue's power against Melinda, knocking her head against the wall with a resounding smack and rendering her unconscious.

"MELINDA!" Pandora shrieked, running to her side, but before she could so much as lessen the distance, a strong hand gripped both of her wrists and pushed her up against the wall.

Pandora's eyes widened at the telltale sign of one having a premonition and she audibly gulped when furious mahogany eyes snapped open and glared at her. "So that's why you brought her back, isn't it?" Matthew's voice turned husky and dangerous, a growl rumbling in his throat, "You think you can succeed in cursing me again? …The one with the feather, where is she?" he demanded.

Appreciating her talent and profession, Pandora skillfully fibbed, "The zoo. Good luck finding it, Mr. Seventeenth-Century-Warlock. You'll be too lat-"her words were muted and turned muffled as a pair of lips connected with her own, and she felt bile rise in her throat when a tongue deftly plunged into her cavern. Pandora started squirming violently in his strong hold, and recalling her lessons in martial arts she took when she was a teenager, twisted his hand, breaking their lips apart, "Don't. TOUCH. Me!"

Matthew chuckled darkly, "I don't want your power. Yet. After I destroy your sisters, I'll take you as my prize. After all, you're weak and nothing without your sisters." And without further ado, he departed, leaving Pandora to throw up on the ground and then rush over to her ancestor's side as she sluggishly began to open her eyes.

***P4***

"HOW DARE HE?! HOW DARE HE TOUCH HER!" Lucius snarled, yelling venomously at the top of his lungs; Dumbledore and Severus were long gone since they had to return to their post at Hogwarts before that vile amphibian in pink noticed their absence. Once the three sisters departed from the manor to retrieve the remaining ingredients for the curse, Lucius lounged in the living room, staring in disdain at the muggle contraption called a television when suddenly, Narcissa yelled for him to make haste to the terrace.

He would viciously deny that Pandora's secret confession tore on his heartstrings; Lucius and Narcissa were shocked to discover that Pandora inherited the Veela genes from his great-grandmother Malfoy who had been a full Veela. Never had the Lord Malfoy ever expected for Pandora to inherit the famous Malfoy-Veela trait, and yet she did. But no words could describe Lucius' apoplectic fury when he heard the distinctive nuance of a forced kiss and that vile warlock violated his daughter!

"It must be her Veela inheritance, Luc," Narcissa tried calming her raging husband, to no avail. Truth be told, Narcissa was furious herself, but she knew that if she acted upon her anger, then Lucius would end up murdering quite a few people in his path, and one person had to be aware, and keep a cool head. "The warlock must have been enthralled by her Veela gene, Lucius, and he could not fight it."

"That is no excuse! That vile abomination violated her. Forced her! He forced her!" Lucius snarled through gritted teeth. Narcissa quickly summoned an elf to bring a Calming Draught and after forcing her husband to down it all, sighed a breath of relief. Lucius may be calmer, but he was still consumed with fiery rage. "I will not rest until that warlock is destroyed!"

Lucius didn't care that he accepted Pandora as his daughter at that moment, he didn't care that he made his true emotions regarding the daughter he abandoned public, all Lucius Malfoy cared about, was that his precious girl, the baby who held his heart and complete attention and devotion for the first few minutes of her birth, was hurt and violated by a disgusting creature.

***P4***

Pandora's emotions were quickly moving from revolted anger to palpable fear after Tate violated her. It wasn't the first time a repulsive man did so to her, which was why she took martial arts classes to defend herself; she absent-mindedly noticed Piper and Phoebe arrive, but she was too engrossed in her conflicting thoughts and preparing the curse. Suddenly, two comforting arms engulfed her in a tight embrace, and she found herself nearly throttled by her sisters.

"Melinda told us what Matthew did to you," Piper's voice was coated with venom while Phoebe looked appalled. "Nobody gets away with hurting you in such a revolting manner. We're going to end his pitiful existence, Pan," Phoebe said with unwavering determination.

With a watery smile, Pandora chuckled, "I sent him to the zoo. He won't be showing his face for a while."

"Do you think he'll be hard to find?" Phoebe asked Melinda.

"Not at all," the baritone voice smugly announced as Matthew appeared before them, his mahogany eyes smoldering as he stared into Pandora's silver-grey orbs, "I have waited too long for this moment to hide." Piper and Phoebe pushed Melinda and Pandora behind them, and for once, Pandora wasn't complaining over their coddling, Matthew Tate deeply unsettled her, especially now that she knew of his creepy fixation toward her.

"You sick bastard!" Phoebe hissed, her hand tightening on Pandora's wrist.

Melinda defiantly stepped forward, her eyes blazing in tumultuous fury, "This is our battle, Matthew. Leave them alone!"

Matthew chuckled darkly, "I will have what I came for," and before they could react, he used telekinesis to bring Pandora to him, his strong arm curled firmly around her waist and her back held flush against his muscled chest, "Your powers, and your death, and your breathtaking sister," as he uttered those last words, he titled his head to face the side of her face, his nose caressing her temple and cheek, and prompting Pandora to shiver in disgust.

"Pandora!" Piper and Phoebe shrieked. Matthew smirked at an incensed Piper, "Freeze me, witch!"

"In your dreams," Piper spat back, her eyes never disconnecting from Pandora's frightened visage. At those words, he took out a gun from the back of his belt and aimed it directly at Piper and Phoebe, his tongue darting forward to lick Pandora's earlobe, "I said, freeze me. Save yourself, or your precious sister, she is quite … delectable," he deeply inhaled her scent, his eyes shuttering lazily, and Pandora began trembling in his arms, "So delectable. Save your sister, hmm?"

Prue arrived in impeccable timing, spitting venomously at Matthew, "Save yourself." In his shock and desperation, Matthew's hold on Pandora loosened, allowing her to viciously elbow him and quickly rush over to Prue's side, glaring daggers at the warlock and the gun that was now aimed at Prue.

"Give me that feather," he growled.

Prue squinted her eyes and the gun levitated out of his hand, consecutively, a chair jumped into his arms and hit him smack-dab in the face. Before Matthew could recover from the slew of telekinetic attacks, Prue dropped the feather into the pouch and Melinda yelled, "Piper, now!" She extended her hands, palms up and successfully froze Matthew. "You got your wish, bastard," Pandora hissed at his frozen form, aggressively wiping the side of her face that he licked.

"Outside of time, outside of gain, know only sorrow, know only pain," Melinda venomously chanted. The five witches watched as a wind introduced itself into the room out of nowhere and surrounded Matthew's entire form, his pained yells permeating the air, and Melinda triumphantly shouted, "It's what you deserve!"

"This is NOT the end!" Matthew managed to retort before his whole form got sucked into the open locket. Snapping the locket shut with a satisfied smile, Melinda uttered, "Yes it is. This is for eternity."

Trying to induce humor now that they were safe, Pandora huffed out, "Why are assholes always attracted to me?" a bout of laughter followed her whine and she pouted at them.

***P4***

Albeit mollified with the vile warlock's defeat, Lucius was still fuming the next morning as he sat on the terrace with a beaming Narcissa, eavesdropping on the girls as they were readying to send Melinda Warren back to the wherever the dead went.

"Why do you have to leave?" Pandora's voice was completely despondent, "Why can't you stay here and have the life you should've had?"

Narcissa had a sorrowful smile on her mien, "Pandora built a strong bond with Melinda. It's natural for a girl who never knew her mother to cling to a maternal figure." Lucius' insides twisted again.

"Because this isn't my time. It's your time, and Prue's and Piper's and Phoebe's," Melinda responded with a tender quality. Piper's voice boomed out in an instant, "We don't mind sharing."

"You four give me great joy. I've seen the Charmed Ones. Good witches. Women of strength and grace," Melinda emotionally announced and the two Malfoys could practically see the proud smile glowing on the reincarnated witch's face.

"Tell me what you see?" Phoebe's words came out in a whisper. There was a beat of silent before a gasp resonated and Melinda tearfully exclaimed, "I see the future. Many more generations of my beautiful daughters. I see my dreams fulfilled. Oh, thank you for that."

And despite the situation, Narcissa couldn't help but laugh loudly as her husband blanched at the thought of Pandora having children with a man, "Oh, Luc, what did you expect? Of course Pandora would get married and have children later on in the future."

"Don't remind me," Lucius muttered lowly; he may have finally admitted to himself that Pandora Halliwell was his daughter despite her Wiccan ways, but he was not ready to love her and bond with her and accept her.

"Melinda Warren, blood of blood, we release you."

The sisters chanted sadly and once they were done, Melinda ethereally whispered, "Blessed be, my daughters. I love you!"

"I'm going to miss her," Phoebe said glumly and the Malfoys heard Pandora sniffling in the background.

"Pan, don't cry," Prue cooed, "Don't forget, we can always bring her back."

Laughter followed Prue's statement and the Malfoys were rendered speechless at the wonders of Wiccan magic. Lucius found himself worrying over what would come next; this warlock was more powerful than the others who pursued the four Halliwells, and he didn't think he could take standing idly by and watching Pandora and her sisters suffer… and he hated that.

A/N: There you have it my Faithful Readers! Did you enjoy this chapter?! XD

I hope you like the changes I made. Malfoys are seriously too sexy, so why not they be descended from a Veela … a trait that Pandora inherited and could prove quite bothersome and dangerous in the future… with so much evil roaming around… wink-wink! ;)

Did you all like Lucius' reaction? And Matthew Tate's new fixation on Pandora? XD

Now, about the Poll for who Pandora would end up with (and when I say end up with, I mean forever, grow old with, and the like):

- Pandora/Cole Turner: 39.

- Pandora/Sirius Black: 19.

- Pandora/Bill Weasley: 12.

- Pandora/Kyle Brody: 10.

- Pandora/Andy Trudeau: 2.

- Pandora/Gideon (The Elder): 2.

This Poll will be in effect until Season 3. Now, Dear Readers, if the person you want didn't gain much votes, don't worry there is still time; with your votes, it can change. And you never know maybe they will still have an active part since I am changing a lot of things. I already have a plot laid out for EACH of the names I posted up in the Poll.

R&R.