Hogwarts
Paige was amazed as Harry and she entered a great room, its enormity was amazing. Four long tables and one head table occupied the room. As she looked up she saw what looked to be a sky turning from an orange color into shades of purple and black.
"How is that happening?" Paige asked Harry in amazement, pointing to the ceiling.
"Oh that, the ceiling is bewitched to look like the sky outside." Harry informed her. "This is our great hall; this is where we all meet to eat." He told her about the room.
"Now that's cool. I can't wait to see even more of your magic." She said commenting about the ceiling. Harry led her over to the Gryffindor table and they sat down to eat. Paige wasn't really hungry being that to her it was just after breakfast. She decided to eat a little so that she wouldn't be starved by morning. She would have to get used to these time zones if she would be staying here for a long time. Most of the people had already come down for dinner and were starting to eat. The dinner period was one of more chaos because of club schedules and practices. Most people just came down when they had the time. Harry and Paige were just starting to eat when Hermione and Ron came over in a rush staring at Paige. Harry had just been describing to her the different houses and that the "Badger kids" she had seen earlier were from Hufflepuff.
"Who are you? Why are you here? Is she a new student?" Interrupted Ron asking Paige the first two questions, and the last one to Harry. Hermione was a bit more structured with her thoughts.
"Is she who I think she is?" She burst out in excitement at the same time Ron was asking his questions. "I mean did she cross over, or is she assigned to you? What is the other side of magic like? When did you die? How long have you been a….um what do you call yourselves again?" Hermione finally finished all of her questions; it was like a piece of curriculum had stepped out of a book and come here to talk to everyone. Paige was a bit aghast at all of the questions at one time; she took a deep breath and let them sit down. She didn't know who they were or if they were to be trusted.
"I'm guessing; is this is Ron and Hermione?" Paige asked Harry, who had told her a little about his two friends, he had even told her a little about the events in his first year.
"Yep, that's them." He said, smiling. They both sat down at the table grabbing food, all the while looking straight at her trying to figure when she would answer their questions.
"Well first off, I'm not dead, and we are called Whitelighters," Paige said directing her answer to Hermione's question first, she seemed to have much more structured questions about everything. "I was born a Whitelighter."
"Wait….how is that even possible?" Hermione asked jumping in before Paige could explain more.
"Well my mom was a Witch and my dad was a Whitelighter." Paige explained. "When my mom had me, she had to give me up so that my older sisters could fulfill their destiny of being the Charmed Ones, but then my older sister Prue died, and I found my family again, and my powers."
"Wait one moment…you're a Charmed One….your like legendary, there are even books on you here on this side of magic." Hermione was now very excited…she was sitting in front of one of the most powerful witches in the world…well that is when they were all together. "Will we get to meet your sisters?" She asked.
"Um…I don't think so…not unless something comes up that I can't handle…after all this is an assignment for me alone as a Whitelighter." Paige explained.
"So you are assigned to Harry then, good. He needs the protection." Hermione said very sure of herself, grabbing a roll to eat.
"I don't need the protection. I'm fine on my own…but it is nice not to be on our own any more." He said, thinking of all the trouble and help that Paige could give them, especially if things went like they did last year. Paige had finished what food she had eaten and watched the three pre teens chowing down.
"Why aren't you eating? Aren't you starving…I am." Ron asked her.
"No not really, remember it's about…" Paige glanced at her watch, "11 a.m. where I live, so I'm not really that hungry, I just decided to eat a little so I'm not starving in the morning."
"So you're staying then." Harry asked.
"Yeah I guess so, I mean I can't exactly Orb such long distances all the time, it takes too much out of you; and I think the Elders and Professor Dumbledore want this to be more of a long term assignment." Paige said. It had just dawned to her that she had no idea where she was staying. The other three had just finished.
"Come on we'll show you the Gryffindor common room, you can meet the rest of our friends there." Harry told her, as they started to get up from the table and walk out the double doors of the main hall.
"Alright we can show her around…but then both of you have to do homework. You both have been putting off Snape's assignment from yesterday. I, on the other hand, got it done already." Harry and Ron both glared at her, giving her an evil stare. Paige just laughed.
"What are you laughing at?" Ron asked feeling as if he was missing something.
"Oh she just reminds me of my sister Piper, she used to get angry at me when they were teaching me magic, and I wouldn't want to study." All three just looked at her in amazement that a Charmed one also had to learn magic. "So what does Snape teach?"
"It's Professor Snape, and I teach Potions." Professor Snape said, coming up from behind them all and scaring the three kids. Paige went to shake hands with him; he just stood there glaring at her with his arms folded against his robes.
"Well then I'm Paige Halliwell, its nice to meet you." Paige said smiling, drawing back her arm, her instincts told her to be wary about him, it was just his demeanor, and the way he stood, that told her these things.
"Well I should have known you would be coming," he glanced over at Harry, "With all of the problems around here, I'm guessing the Elders sent you here to fix things." He said.
"Um…kind of I guess, I'm more here to protect Harry," Paige pointed out. "How did you know I was a Whiteligher?"
"Yes…of course you are." He said staring at Harry again. "Dumbledore informed the staff of your arrival. I must be going." He said quickly and then left in a hurry.
"What in the world was that about?" Paige asked all of them once he got out of earshot.
"Professor Snape…well he always is like that." Ron told her glad that he had finally left, "He's a bit scary really."
"I can see what you mean." Paige agreed. They continued to walk along going towards the Gryffindor common room. The trio would point out famous wizards in their portraits in their world that came along the way. And Paige would ask questions like what their wands were made of. Finally they arrived at the common room entrance.
"Password," the Fat Lady said.
"Chocolate Frogs," Hermione said to the portrait, and it swung open revealing a passageway to the Gryffindor common room.
"Cool." Paige said in amazement. Harry, Ron and Hermione just grinned at her. As they entered the common room they were ambushed by a group of Gryffindor's who had heard about Paige's arrival. Paige thought to herself that news traveled faster here then it took to orb from home to the Golden Gate Bridge.
The ambush soon ended as the Weasley twins soon parted the crowd making sure that they could get through, it was the one piece of authority that they seemed to have over the group. Once they got through however, there were still questions about who Paige was, and what she was for that matter. News had traveled very fast. A few who had heard about the confrontation had even staked out the library for any reference to that power. Only Hermione and Percy had figured it out so far, but it wouldn't be too long before the rest of them figured it out…or before Professor Snape told all of the Slytherins, who would then spread it to the rest of the school. One way or another, who Paige was, would come out very soon indeed. But for now, all of the questions suddenly stopped, and the crowd hushed when from behind Paige stood a very dignified Witch with very clean and proper robes. She stared them all down, her eyes going from one student to the next.
"Well, don't you all have homework to do?" She asked them all. In a rush to look busy almost every student ran to where they had been before, either doing homework, or studying for a test, their excitement gone for the night. "Well you must be Paige Halliwell, it is a pleasure to meet you, and I am Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House. I'm sure you would like to get settled in tonight before you start tomorrow." She said smiling and shaking her hand.
"Thank you so much, I just have to tell Harry one last thing." She said smiling; the professor nodded and took her leave going out into the hallway to wait. At hearing his name Harry perked up, looking at Paige.
"What do you need to tell me?" He asked.
"Well if you ever need me, just call out my name, I will hear you, its one of my abilities to hear when my charge is in trouble or needs me." She smiled letting him know.
"Ok, cool." Harry said, Paige ran off not wanting to make the Professor wait too long. Harry watched her leave, smiling and going back to start his school work besides Ron and Hermione.
"So where am I staying?" Paige asked the Professor once she had exited the passageway and out of the painting.
"There is a small set of rooms for yourself, they used to be for myself; but, since I use other rooms in the castle, you can use them." She informed Paige.
"Ok, where are they?" She asked, glad she had her own rooms for once, where she had to share everything with her sisters at home in the manor.
"Well they are right over here," Professor McGonagall pointed out, directing her to two paintings down from the Fat Lady. There before them was a portrait of what looked like Melinda Warren, or at least what she had been told that she had looked like. "I always admired this portrait and your ancestors' history. It was hanging in another corridor, but we decided to move it over here, it gives a lot of meaning to the rooms don't you think?" The Professor asked.
"Yes, it does, thank you so much for this," Paige said smiling. In front of her was Melinda Warren moving in her portrait smiling at Paige while flipping the pages of the Book of Shadows, there was also a little girl in the back ground playing, who was laughing and giggling. The portrait gave Paige a sense that she was meant to be here at this moment.
"Well shall we?" The professor asked.
"Yes, of course. What is the password?" Paige asked, she had noticed that the paintings had opened using passwords.
"Yes, well I thought in your situation a good first one is 'Triquetra'. Very fitting to whom you are, you can change it if you want, and you probably should in a few weeks so people don't catch on." Professor McGonagall informed her.
"That's perfect," she looked at the portrait, "Triquetra." Paige said loudly enough to hear, and Melinda gave her a nod and the portrait opened up into a very nice size living room/study. To her left was a bedroom, with her own private bathroom. An owl on a stand hooted from its perch by a window over looking the grounds. The room was lit by candles, being that they had no electricity here, there was also a big fire place to the right side of the room that lit almost the whole room. Paige laughed when she looked at her new surroundings, they were bigger then her old apartment she used to have before she met her sisters.
"I'm guessing you like it?" The professor asked.
"Like it! I love it! Thank you so much, you really are too kind." Paige said smiling, "One question though, what's the owl for?" She asked pointing at the Barn Owl.
"Oh, in order to communicate with the outside world we use owls to carry our mail. This one is on loan to you from our Owlery, and her name is Agripina. You can use her to communicate with your sisters and let them know how you are doing since you probably wont be able to get back often with your new duties here." Paige nodded, unless she was needed for the Power of Three, then she doubted she would be needed much back at home; she had no job after all. She looked around at the room again and noticed an odd closed door on the right side of the room.
"One last thing," she pointed to the door, "what does that door go to?" She asked.
"That is your gateway to the Gryffindor common room, that way you can travel their quickly with out having to deal with passwords, and the such. The students don't know about it, it hasn't been used in about 100 years I think. Well if that is all, I have some papers to grade. Goodnight Paige, another professor will be around tomorrow to show you how we run things here, and then you and Harry can bond some more, I believe he has Quidditch practice tomorrow." She said, a Paige's confused look, the professor smiled, "I will let Harry explain that one to you." She then left the room letting Paige to be alone for the first time since she got here. Paige went over to one of the easy chairs in the room, and sat down, realizing she was exhausted, even though to her, it was only about 1pm; it was about 9 pm here. She looked over at the small end table next to the chair. There sitting on the table was a very large book titled: "History of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Paige smiled; she probably would need a lot of info from this book. An hour later Paige realized how late it was in this time zone, and to be able to be fresh in the morning, she would have to go to sleep.
It was at that moment that Paige realized something truly horrendous and terrible to her, something so important that she couldn't let it go one moment more with out solving. She had no clothes here other then the ones she was wearing.
"Oh No!" She yelled out in surprise at herself.
AN: I'm not sure if that is much of a cliffie, but hey it's a good stopping point for me, and I wanted to make this chapter a lot longer then the rest of them. I hope you all liked it; thanks go to my editor Lenora. Please review and I will update as soon as I can.