A New Life in San Francisco

Chapter 14; Tome of Runes

P3

James had spent the rest of the afternoon with Chris, Wyatt and Joshua to find out everything he could about them. Joshua took after Wyatt in their hyperactive moods and contrasted with Chris who was much more direct in everything he did. Chris never teased about things whereas Joshua and Wyatt insisted on making a joke about everything. James could see the similarities between the text in the Book of Shadows written by the future Chris who died and that of this one. James had to wonder if that was just coincidence or whether it was some higher plan that Chris was like he was.

To James this was the perfect place for him, they didn't care what he used to be nor what the Wizards thought of him. They'd protect him just like he'd protect them even though they'd only known about each others magic in the last two days.

James had been worried ever since he'd been tortured by the campfire by Death Eaters that finding out about his history would push Chris and him apart but if anything it was making them closer. From what he had heard in the last day and a half the Halliwell's were in constant worry over being exposed. Every potential partner had to be checked out to see if they were evil before anything could be done and even if they were human they constantly worried about what would happen if they were discovered. With James there was no concern over that, James was just as magical as them, if not more so since even though he hadn't grown up with it he had lived in a magical world that didn't associate with Muggles, or what Chris called Mortals.

They had stayed at the Manor for the evening meal which turned into a complete riot with nine adults and ten children trying to eat at the same time. Piper ended up setting a table in the back garden and everyone just grabbed a plate of food and sat on the grass in the early evening sun. Paige told him everything about the orphanage children and James was glad that they were getting all the attention they needed with him out of work.

After the meal, Chris, Wyatt, Leo, Henry and Coup took him to P3 for the evening to celebrate his twenty-first birthday much to James' shock since it was his first birthday. When James told them this Chris vowed that it wouldn't be his last. They all had a drink but Chris and James refused to drink too much, much to Wyatt's distaste since he seemed to enjoy downing one drink after another and Coup couldn't drink at all.

They reappeared at the Manor at half past midnight to find Piper sitting at her ease with the TV on. She jumped violently and nearly dropped her mug when James apparated into the room with a loud crack, a side effect of transporting himself as well as Wyatt who was luckily too drunk to notice the horrible feeling of side-along apparition.

Coup had disappeared straight to drop Henry home before returning home himself and Chris orbed in with his father who was more than a little tipsy. Piper chuckled at her eldest son as James less than gently deposited him on the sofa.

"He's not as light as he looks." James raised an eyebrow at the man strewn out of the cushions.

"He looks light?" Chris chuckled.

"I was being polite." James said even as his mother slapped him on the arm and told him to be polite.

"You didn't drink much then?" Piper asked.

"He is twenty-one now mum!" Chris mistook her curiousness for seriousness.

"I don't drink that much, I never got into it when I was at Hogwarts and there wasn't really an opportunity after that." James told her with a small nod to show that at least he knew what she meant. Chris had the decency to look ashamed at accusing his mother but she just smiled it off.

"Chris, could you drop your brother off somewhere other than my living room before you go home." Piper asked him before she struggled to get her husband up the stairs. Chris grabbed his older brothers arm before turning to say goodnight to Chris.

James interrupted him though. "Um…" He stuttered, "If you're not too tired could you come to my flat after you drop Wyatt off?"

James was worried that Chris was going to say no but was pleased when he nodded with a big grin on his face. Chris flicked his hair out of his eyes before he and his brother burst into blue orbs. James grinned slightly before flicking off the rooms light before disapparating with a small pop.

He reappeared in his flats front room and noticed that the door to the second bedroom was closed meaning that either Sam or Jackie were here. He glanced around the room and noticed that Sam's brown jacket was slung carelessly over the back of the sofa. Since Sam's family lived on the outskirts of town it was quite common to see him crashing at James' flat to avoid the long journey back after he'd been drinking.

James crept into the room and sure enough his best friend was crashed out on one of the two beds face down and fully clothed. James slipped on one of the desk lamps and started to make the man more comfortable. First he slipped of Sam's shoes, then socks followed by his jeans and jumper before slipping the thin blanket over him.

Sam muttered something incoherent before snuggling down into the pillow. James had to chuckle as he shut the curtains and flipped off the lamp and left the room. To his surprise Chris was already waiting for him. James put a finger to his lips whilst gesturing back into the second bedroom and then led the silent Chris into his own room, shutting the door behind him.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Chris asked as soon as the door was closed an the light on.

"Basically, us?" James said rather bluntly.

"As in?" Chris asked slowly.

"Is there an us?" James asked and kept hold of Chris' eyes.

"I thought there was," Chris stuttered. "I mean I hope there is. Is there?"

"Chris, I'd like nothing more than for their to be an us." James smiled slightly. "But you have to be sure. I come with a past and no matter how far I run it'll always catch up to me. Look what happened in Seattle."

"That was our fault, we dropped the protection spell." Chris sat heavily on the edge of the spare bed. "I don't care about any of your past. I want to help you and I don't care what happens as long as there is a chance of there being an us."

James smiled and knew that his eyes showed his happiness. "You should know that people that have lives like mine don't get off scot-free in the mental department." James told him seriously though there was a slight bit of humour.

"I like you, quirks and all." Chris grinned. "Besides, I remember encountering just that one Dementor on Alcatraz. I don't think I'd be sane either if I'd spent a whole six months with hundred of them."

"Thanks!" James laughed sarcastically and watched as Chris went red.

"You know what I meant!" Chris groaned before reaching behind him and grabbing one of the pillows before launching it across the room at James. James' hand came up to block it but they were both shocked when it reversed its course and hit a shocked Chris in the face.

"Your getting better at that." Chris pointed out before standing from the bed. What neither of them knew was that James' Wizarding magic had yet again tried to come to the forefront but was beaten aside by his Wicca powers. Also neither saw the small golden light that flickered in between James' palm and the pillow. Something was happening and neither of them knew it. "I'll see you tomorrow right?"

"How about meeting me for lunch tomorrow?" James asked shyly.

"You mean a lunch date?" Chris chirped up happily whilst scratching his chin with his finger tips.

James went slightly red but nodded. "I'm going back to work tomorrow to sort through everything. Meet me there at one?"

"Sure thing." Chris closed the gap between them and after the briefest pause their lips met in a short kiss. He pulled back after only a second and they looked into each others faces. James gave him a grateful smile and watched as Chris burst into orbs and vanished through the closed window.

XOXOXOXOXOX

A week later

James had a good time with Chris the next day. They went to a small café near to social services and chatted about normal things like Chris' Chemistry degree which he'd be returning to in just two weeks. He hoped to be able to use it to mix Mortal chemistry with Wicca potions to make them more powerful and easier to make. James offered everything he knew about Potions to help since he knew that Wizarding Potions were quite close to Muggle Chemistry.

James also spent most of the week going around the local orphanages meeting with the children from the Camp who were all settling in well if not a tad worried about their new surroundings. He also took the opportunity to become acquainted with the staff of those orphanages and to subtly check them out as well. He met with the older children under their care and by the end of the week was happy that Golden Marina Orphanage was a one of a kind, at least in this city.

Paige had taken him off his normal schedule, which would be talking to all of the children that were processed through the centre like he had with Josh McKay, to give him time to sort through the paper work that had come with relocating so many children. As such he had spent most of the week with Paige and Kevin, newly made his personal assistant and also San Francisco's newest Social Worker which Kevin was ecstatic about.

He went out with Chris twice more in that time and that night would be his official third evening date. Chris had decided that they would go to P3 and had the assurances from the majority of his family that they would leave well enough alone when it came to spontaneous visits. James knew that what Chris had actually forced from his relatives was that if a demon came visiting they'd only call on Chris if they absolutely needed him.

James apparated into Halliwell Manor where Chris had spent the last day of his summer holidays helping his two younger sisters finish their holiday homework. He found Leo sitting on the sofa watching the weather report.

"Have you seen this yet, James?" Leo asked him without really looking at him.

"Is Chris around?" James asked him without answering.

"He told me to tell you to sit down and wait for him." Leo told him as he turned to look at him. "And I'm telling you to relax, its only a date!"

James looked at him in shock before flopping lightly onto the sofa. "I haven't had time to watch the new since I finished work." James admitted answering Leo's first question.

"There's bad weather across the whole western sea board." Leo told him as he dropped the volume on the TV. "Sprung up out of nowhere really. There's been six car accidents on roads into San Francisco where cars have slipped on ice patches."

"Ice patches!?" James spun to look at the screen but it had moved on to reporting something about bed shortages in hospitals. "How can roads ice up in the middle of summer? Magic?"

Leo chuckled taking it as a joke but then sobered as he saw James' look. "You're serious?"

"I don't know about the bad weather." James sighed. "That would take a hell of a lot of Wizards to pull off but as for ice on the roads…that's an easy spell."

"And you think they'd do that?" Leo asked "Why?"

"I have no idea, it could me Muggle Baiting." James told him.

"What's Muggle Baiting?" Chris' voices came from the doorway.

"Muggle's are Mortals." James clarified. "And Muggle Baiting is basically using magic to make fools of muggles. It's heavily fined by the Ministry of Magic."

"So why are you talking about it?" Chris asked, having obviously not been in the room for that part of the conversation.

"The ice on the roads could be some Wizards playing tricks." James told him with a small shrug. "Only an idea though."

"Wouldn't they be worried about exposure?" Chris asked.

"Like I said, it was only a guess." James said but seeing Chris' adamant look he continued. "Exposure was never an issue with the Wizarding World. Most fully trained mediocre Wizards can erase the last hour or so from a Mortals mind and anyone with any proper training in it can erase specific images. If a Mortal ever found out about magic the memories would just be removed from their mind. It wouldn't matter how long ago it occurred. It's common with Death Eater raids on entire towns."

Chris nodded briefly before grabbing James' hand and pulling him up. "Come on, lets go."

"Are you still coming here tomorrow to help me take down that seat in the back garden?" Leo asked him son.

"Yeah yeah." Chris mumbled before dragging James to his car in front of the house and from there on to P3.

James had one of the best nights of his life with Chris that night. He didn't have to worry about being found and even though the weather was steadily getting worse outside it never got bad enough to disrupt their evening. They planed to stay in P3 for most of the evening before either going back to Chris' flat or trying to meet up with Sam and Jackie at another club. They would've gone alone by Chris was smart enough to realise that James wouldn't like the crowds that much and Sam and Jackie could help even the odds so to speak.

They didn't drink at P3 knowing that whatever happened between them that night had to happen without any loosening their inhibitions and luckily neither of them really drunk alcohol that much unless they were just with friends but they did have a few sodas that Chris managed to get free of charge from the bar man since his mother did own the club and they also spent a couple of hours dancing together on the floor before they stumbled out of the club with grins on their faces.

On the way back to Chris' car, which was sitting down the side alley of the club in Piper's personal space, everything began to go wrong. The weather was bad enough already and the chill that crept down James' spin was enough to jolt him into total awareness. He would always remember that chill that preceded his worst nightmare.

He was about to tell Chris to run for it when his date slipped and only just caught himself. "Ice?!" Chris cried looking at the ground before looking back up at James who could feet that his face was bloodless.

"Chris, get out of here!" James cried and fruitlessly tried to apparate them both back to the Manor but his head throbbed as the Dementors effect on his mind started. Before Chris could think to orb them out the lights were blotted out and the alley fell into darkness. A fog seemed to meet their faces as the air chilled. "No!" James almost wept as he fell to his knees. Already his memories were starting to creep up onto him.

Chris crouched beside him and fumbled for the back of James' neck. "What's happening?"

"Dementors!" James gasped as frost filled his lungs. "They're not here for you, get out now." It was too late though, by the time Chris tried to orb the Dementors turned their attention onto him and he went to his knees as his memories hit him like a sledge hammer. James knew that Chris could no longer orb. His orbing power needed love and contentedness to work and with a Dementor so close there was nothing he could do.

James called up his Wicca powers and called fire to burn the pile of cardboard boxes that he had only just stepped around. The alley filled with a red and orange glow but the flames struggled against the frost and icy winds. The two Dementors stood much closer than James had thought and even though James' mental shields protected him from some of the onslaught, Chris had no such defence and James could only hope that Chris had had a better life than he. James tried to push Chris backwards but one of the Dementors grabbed his jacket and wrenched him forwards away from James.

It pulled him to his feet and seemed to sniff at him before he threw him backwards against the wall. James heard the crack as Chris' shoulder slammed roughly into the brickwork and found himself on his feet regardless of the two Dementors so close to him.

"Chris!" He yelled. He saw Chris roll over with a groan and saw his eyes flicker open in the firelight. James spun on the Dementors as he tried to pull up a happy memory. None of the ones he had used to use were of any use to him now, every time he thought of one it was tainted by his betrayal and Azkaban. He struggled to find one without a thought as to his lack of wand even as he turned and came face to shadows face with the nearest Dementor.

He staggered backwards as a wave of sheer horror pushed everything else out of his mind. It caught him roughly with it's bony hand and yanked him forwards.

"We never forget a mind." It rasped and James couldn't even process the fact it could speak to him. "You cant run from us. We find you. We eat."

It pulled back its hood and James found himself staring into its rotten eyes and decayed flesh for a second time in his life. He wrenched himself backwards and in that split second of clarity found his happy memory. Him and Chris on a reservoir's beach and their first kiss and that moment that James was perfectly happy with his life.

He threw out his hand and without even thinking of the Patronus Charm a white emblem appeared in front of his palm. In that split second it seemed to burn into his mind, it was complicated but it was also simple to him. Even as James studied it he felt it tapping into his Wizarding magic as it grew to be too bright to look at. It burst from his hand only a second after it began and a white wave of happiness radiated out from him and struck the two Dementors. They screamed out for only an instant before there tattered robes crumpled in on themselves and fluttered to the ground.

James sagged to his knees in shock. He didn't know whether he had killed them or just banished them but he didn't really care. He'd just used Wizarding Magic and he'd done it without a wand.

As he felt the happiness drain away he started to realised that his wrist was burning. He lifted his left hand and stared in bewilderment as the same rune that had appeared in white before him was slowly burning itself into the skin on the outer side of his left wrist. He had to grit his teeth as the burning got worse but after only a few seconds it dulled to a gentle throb and the once red lines started to blacken even if the skin around the rune was still red and sore to the touch.

James crawled over to Chris and collapsed beside him as he struggled to get his emotions and memories under control. He knew he only had moments to get Chris to safety before his mental shields came crashing down, they couldn't be in the middle of the city with Chris' shoulder with god knows what sort of damage inside.

"Chris?" James asked. "Are you ok?"

"What did you do? I've never seen that done before?" Chris asked as he tried to sit up.

"I don't know. Can you orb?" James asked but after a moment of trying Chris just shock his head. Obviously his memories and emotions were still all over the place. James nodded before trying to get some semblance of control over himself. He pushed everything aside and felt tears on his cheeks as flashes of his trial came unbidden to his waking eyes. He grabbed Chris hand and Apparated with a crack.

XOXOXOXOXOX

Halliwell Manor

When James arrived with another loud crack in the middle of the downstairs living room he felt every last ounce of strength flee from his body. His mental walls collapsed and he sagged.

Harry Potter curled into the corner of his cell as the Minister of Magic stood calmly on front of the cell. Fudge looked him over arrogantly. "Oh, how the mighty fall. You should remember one thing, nobody can go against me. Not even Voldemort. He hasn't gotten to me yet but I see he got to you. Now if you don't mind I have to go celebrate the fall of the Boy-Who-Lived." The man turned to walk away before turning his head. "One last thing, I thought I should warn you that Ronald Weasley and some of the other students are petitioning to have you five year probation removed. They seem to want you dead now. Of course I'd rather see you suffer."

James felt arms go around him and lower him on the sofa in the Halliwell's front room.

"I'm so sorry, Harry." The voice of Charlie Weasley distracted him from his memories. He looked up at Charlie and Bill Weasley. "Remus died yesterday. He couldn't take the loss anymore."

A single tear crept from one of Harry's eyes and fell to the floor of his five by five foot cell. His home for the last three months

"Mum! Dad!" James heard Chris yell as his eyes threatened to shut. He struggled with his mental barriers but they slipped away every time he tried.

"Let's see just how gullible your fans really are shall we, Potter?" Voldemort sneered at him.

He felt warm hands on the sides of his face so different to Chris' ice cold ones holding his arms. "James, honey?" Piper asked him. "Are you ok?"

"Harry James Potter, you are found guilty of the brutal murders of your relatives." The voice echoed around the large meeting hall.

James snapped his eyes fully open and was met by the disgusted face of Ron Weasley in front of him. He stared around the living room and saw Ron's parents looking furious at him even as Mrs. Weasley grasped his face. Hermione sobbed in the doorway being held by Charlie Weasley. The homey room seemed to flicker into that of a cold stone chamber before it returned.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't me!" James gasped as tears spilt down his cheeks and over Mrs. Weasley's hands. He tried to pull himself back away from her and Ron's clutching hands but he couldn't back away any further. "I didn't do. Please don't leave me there. Don't send me back again."

"James!" Ron cried and James saw a single tear fall from one of his friends eyes. His black hair fell near to those eyes and James realised with a shock that he wasn't looking at Ron anymore but Chris.

"Come back to us, honey. You're not there anymore." Piper's hands stroked his cheeks soothingly where Mrs. Weasley's had just grasped him. As he looked Mr. Weasley became a worried looking Leo and Hermione and Charlie became Chris' two younger sisters looking scared in the doorway.

"Oh god!" James wept as he slumped forwards. He yanked his mental shields up again and felt his head fall into the base of Chris' neck as his arms went around him. He felt Piper stroking a hand up and down his back as Leo ushered Prue and Anna from the room.

"What happened, Chris?" Piper asked her son as James steadied his breathing to listen and cast half a mind to checking his mental barriers for weaknesses.

"We were attacked by two Dementors in the alley next to P3, I couldn't orb out and James couldn't apparate." Chris explained. "All I could think of was all the demon attacks and that time when we though Anna was dead."

James glanced up, temporarily forgetting about his shields. Piper noticed his look so explained. "Anna was kidnapped by a mortal out of school when she was eight. He had her locked in a basement for four days before we found her." She explained. "None of our scrying would work though because his basement was under a graveyard which we cant find things in."

James nodded to show he understood and Chris continued. "One of the Dementors grabbed me before I could recover and smelled me before throwing me into the wall."

"Your shoulder!" James jerked up with a frown. Chris frowned before grabbing his left shoulder in his hand. "I heard that crack! How can it be fine?"

"I don't know. Maybe your spell? I felt warm and happy." Chris suggested.

"What are you talking about?" Piper asked. "James? You did a spell?"

"When James was thrown into the wall the Dementor turned on me again. It grabbed me and smelled me and told me it never forgot a mind. It tried to eat my soul but I called up a happy memory and before I knew it my Wizard's magic killed them." James told him. "I don't know how. It's not supposed to be possible to cast Wizards spell without a focus."

"What about that symbol?" Chris asked.

"I think it was a Rune. It must have focused my magic." James suggested. "Whatever it was, it's burned into my wrist."

Piper gently grabbed his wrist. "Chris, can you heal this?"

Chris laid a hand over the Rune and the burnt skin and his hand glowed golden and James felt warmth radiate up his arm and couldn't help but grin. When Chris removed his hand his skin had returned to what it was however a black tattoo remained inked into his wrist. The same Rune that had destroyed two Dementors.

"Did you say that the Wizards could track you if you focused your magic?" Piper asked changing the subject from James' new tattoo to more practical matters.

"I think they need a wand to track it." James told her. "I think I'm safe, they'd have shown up in seconds otherwise."

Chris nodded his agreement, obviously remembering the motel in Seattle. "I think that Rune did more than destroy them." Chris said as he rolled his shoulder. "I think it healed my shoulder too."

James nodded before going slightly red. Piper saw this and grinned rather maliciously. "What is it, James?"

"Well I think what I did was basically a Patronus Charm. It's a Wizarding spell that uses a happy memory to repel Dementors and prevent them from feeding off of you. It's hard to learn because it's so hard to remember happiness whilst reliving your worse memories and nightmares." James explained. "I thought of Chris and me before it happened and I think it must have channelled the magic to Chris to heal him as well as destroy them."

"So it's a healing Rune?" Piper asked.

"I don't know. The Patronus is a protective spell." James pointed out, "Perhaps it was a bit of both."

"Well we cant do anything else tonight." Piper told them. "You and Chris stay together tonight in case another one of those things appears."

"Yes, mum."

"Yes, Piper." Chris and James said at the same time.

"And Chris, no funny business. James has been through enough tonight." Piper glared lightly at her son. "And so have you." She said softening. She gave Chris a quick hug before doing the same to James.

XOXOXOXOXOX

The next day; Halliwell Manor

James and Chris stayed at James' flat that night and after a brief conversation with Sam, who had crashed there again that night, they left to walk to P3 to pick up Chris' car, abandoned and forgotten there in the confusion of the night before. They drove to the Halliwell Manor and arrived whilst Piper, Leo, Prue and Anna were sitting down for breakfast. Wyatt joined them as well since it was a Saturday and he didn't have to be at the hospital.

James waved off the offer of food with the excuse that he was still recovering from the night before but Chris stole his youngest sisters seat at the dining room table to eat and fend off the fourteen year old girl as she tried to steal it back. In the end Chris just grabbed her and hoisted her onto his lap where she squirmed for a while before settling down to stealing some of Chris' new breakfast.

James just laughed at the scene. "Phoebe and Paige are coming over soon to discuss yesterday and to decide what's to be done about it." Piper told them all. "Henry is coming to since he'd have an idea of what the Mortals think of all this."

"What about Uncle Coup and the others?" Chris asked.

"He's coming here to pick up Prue and Anna and then going into town for the morning." Piper explained.

"I don't think that's a good idea." James stepped forward and placed his hands lightly on Chris. Chris frowned up at him before his eyes widened as he realised the problem. "The bad weather is still here and that means that the Dementors are still roaming the area."

Chris went pale, obviously remembering what he had felt last night. Piper frowned. "You think they'd be at risk?"

"I think everyone on the west coast is at risk." James sighed. "Whoever sent them, and I believe it was the Ministry, can only keep them under a leesh for so long. Eventually they'll get hungry enough to feed off of the Mortals and even take a soul from an innocent bystander."

"How do you know that?" Wyatt asked, more curious than accusatory.

"When I was in my third year, my Godfather escaped Azkaban the same way I did. The Wizarding world thought he'd try to get revenge on me for his supposed masters fall." James explained. "They sent the Dementors to guard the school grounds. They searched the train to the school on the first day and nearly killed me when they came into our compartment."

"Do they have a worse effect on you than others?" Leo asked.

"I might not remember my mothers murder consciously but the memories still there. I used to hear her scream as she died every time one was near and then I'd pass out." James explained with a pained look. "During the year they got restless and started going against their orders. They came into the middle of a school tournament whilst the crowds were packed and I fell unconscious and fell from two hundred feet. The headmaster caught me but he was furious with them."

James glanced at the two girls but knew that if they faced the Dementors that they'd have to know all of this. "They were always attracted to me because of the memories they could suck from me to feed themselves. Near the end of the year they finally snapped and whilst trying to capture my Godfather they tried to suck my own soul out as well."

"What happens to you if your soul is sucked out?" Anna asked.

James was torn between making something up and telling her the truth, he looked up at Piper with a desperate look but received a nod as permission to tell the truth. "You body still operates but it's mindless. Your soul is trapped within the Dementor for as long as the creature lives, never being able to move on and forced to take part in all the bad memories it pulls from its victims." James sighed. "That's why there was always an uproar when they attacked innocent people. The Wizards knew of no way to kill them. Feeding their criminals to them was the only way to keep them contained and our spells could only force them away."

"But we killed that one on Alcatraz and you killed two yesterday." Wyatt pointed out.

"And as to my knowledge they would be the only three killed in written history." James told him sternly. "And not to be horrible to Piper but the one she killed was far weaker than the ones I faced last night. She destroyed it because of good circumstances. It had been weakened by a hundred years of being buried with no food source and she heightened her own magic with her emotions."

Piper looked at him carefully but nodded to show that she agreed. James met Wyatt's eyes and continued to drill it into the older man. "The ones here now are the ones that guarded my prison. They are both older and more powerful than the ones already here. If you meet them you orb out before they get into you head because after that you'll be stuck with them and if they smell me on you then they wont hesitate to drain you regardless of their orders."

Piper stood to clear the table and James stood moved to help her carry the plates into the kitchen. He heard them moving around in the other room and sighed. "I'm sorry to say all of that in front of Prue and Anna." James told Piper quietly.

"Oh, don't worry about that, James." Piper smiled at him. "Prue and Anna aren't left out of anything we do. It's not like we can keep Demons from them when they can appear anywhere."

"Don't you have protection against Shimmering?" She looked at him blankly. "Wards?"

"Protection spells are very risky. They tend to backfire in the worst possible ways." Piper told him.

"Hogwarts was warded to make Apparating impossible. There are wards against most types of travel. I learnt how to cast them all after I was kidnapped via portkey." James explained. "They're an object charmed to transport a person to a set location."

"Do you think you could manage it?" Piper asked with a glint in her eye.

"It might be easier to cast a ward against all magical transport and then key it to allow orbing and that thing that Phoebe's family does." James told her. "It has it's drawbacks though."

"What are they?" Piper said as she began washing the plates. James started to clear the remains of the food into the bin.

"I'd be able to do it without a wand but it'll be slow and rather draining. The main problem is that the ward I know would be visible to everyone, including the Wizards." James sighed. "In an area like this they'd want to know where you got them from."

"Is there a way to hide them?" Piper asked.

"I'd have to get a book on warding." James sighed. "But I have no way to do that at the moment without going to Diagon Alley. The Wizards shopping street in London."

"You're not going anywhere near there!" Piper told him which made him smile slightly.

"I'll find a way to ward the manor though." James told her. "It's the least I can do."

They walked back into the front room and James tensed as he saw the crowd there. Not only was Chris' family there but Paige, Henry, their five children, Phoebe, Coup and their three children. Chris separated himself from Matt, Jason, Felix and Luke, the four youngest boys and came over as he noticed how pale James had become. Chris circled around behind him before hugging James from behind.

"You don't have to worry, James." Chris whispered into his ear. "You know everyone here and they wont crowd you."

"What do you mean?" James twisted his head even as he leaned back so his head settled on Chris' shoulder.

"Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe warned them so not all tackle you at the same time like they normally do around people Wyatt, Joshua and Prue bring home." Chris explained.

"I'll be fine once I know them all." James rubbed at his head. "My shields are still getting used to so many Empaths and Telepaths though."

Chris chuckled quietly before he sat down on the armrest of one of the sofas and pulled James down onto the cushion. James sighed happily and leant sideways and put his head against Chris' chest as he put his arms around James' shoulder loosely.

James listened as Paige and Phoebe were told about the Dementors and then about James' Rune. James showed them the rune and they were shocked when Paige grinned at him. "I think I've seen that type of Rune before."

"Where?" Chris perked up slightly.

"In a book at Magic School the last time I was asked to help teach." Paige told them.

"You mean the Magic School you wrote about in the Book of Shadows?" James asked.

"That's the one." Phoebe smiled.

"Can we get it?" James spoke up curiously.

"Paige, how about you take Chris, Wyatt and James to Magic school?" Piper asked. "I'll decide something to do here in the meantime."

"Sure thing." Paige smiled as she stood from her place opposite James. "Chris can you take James? We'll meet in the Library."

Before James could react he found himself standing in a large room. A few children wandered around the room from an eight year old sitting alone on a sofa reading a book on her lap to three sixteen year olds sitting at a table pouring through books and taking notes.

"Welcome to Magic School." Paige announced. "This is the library. Why don't you three look around for anything useful but remember we're here to look for things to help James use his magic. The Rune book was a black leather book about two inches thick with a Rune on the front. I'm going to find Patricia."

"Who's Patricia?" James asked as he and Chris moved to the very right end of the horseshoe of bookcases whilst Wyatt grudgingly started at the very left.

"She's the librarian here, she'll be able to narrow our search." Chris explained whilst reading the spines of the books. James frowned at some of the books but breezed passed them as useless to him. Most of these were fiction, histories, information on Demons and Warlocks as well as a few spell books that Chris told him didn't come near to the Book of Shadows.

James and Chris managed to search two bookcases out of twenty whilst Wyatt had done one on the other end of the rows before Paige returned with an elderly lady in tow. "James Evans this is Patricia, Magic School's librarian."

"You'd be the one looking for the Tome of Runes?" James nodded at her blunt question. "It's locked in my office."

"Why is it there?" Paige asked, only the most dangerous books were locked in there.

"Somebody tried to summon it from outside of Magic school last night." She told them all. "Of course it failed but I've locked it in my magic proof safe."

"What time was that?" Chris asked with a curious frown.

"About half eleven." Patricia told them.

"The same time you summoned that Rune." Chris turned on James.

"What Rune?" Patricia asked. For the second time that day James twisted his exposed wrist to show somebody his tattoo. "Curious."

"Can you get the book?" Paige asked.

"Sure, give me a moment." Patricia swept out of the room and James returned to scanning the shelves. He hadn't found anything of interest before Patricia walked back in with a book wrapped in a brown cotton cloth. James turned to look at her and gasped as his tattoo burned. Before anyone could ask him about his reaction Patricia almost screamed as the Tome vanished from her hands and reappeared hovering in front of James.

"Well, that's new." James muttered. The Rune on the black leather cover glowed with fire and altered its shape to match that of his tattoo.

"According to my ledgers that book was left to Magic School after a Rune wielder, it's Master, died in the early 1800's." Patricia told them. "The Librarian at the time warned that the book wouldn't allow anyone to read it unless it was bonded to somebody and that person gave permission."

"So it sensed you using that Rune last night and bonded with you?" Chris suggested.

"Well, its yours now." Patricia told them. "The Headmistress and I discussed it last night and decided that if we found its master we'd hand it over as long as they were Good. If the Charmed Ones and their children are helping you then you're obviously just such a person. Just let me know if you need anything else."

"Why don't you see if you can find that Rune of yours?" Chris suggested. "We'll have a search and see if we can find anything else.

James nodded before settling himself cross-legged on a desk and open the book to the front page.

"If you are reading this introduction then my tome, my legacy, has passed itself on to you. I am a Rune Master but you do not require my name to learn the contents of this book. This tome has a mind of its own, it is made of layers upon layers of runic spells that have given it certain natural abilities. It would already have belied its first ability to you, that of travel. It can transport itself to it's master from anywhere on Earth though some places, like Magic School, where this tome will automatically go if I pass on, will prevent its travel out but not in.

"The Tome has two main methods of reading, the first is through the contents page where you can search the book manually to find what is needed, however the second is for those with good minds where you can place your hands on the centre pages and think of what you need and if this Tome has an answer for you if will display it for you.

"Use this Tome wisely, the magic within is dangerous and easily used for both Good and Evil. Never let this fall into the hands of Evil."

The introduction wasn't signed but James still smiled at the less than professional writing. He hoped that the rest of the book was just as blunt and to the point. He opened the book to the centre pages which were blank and placed his hands on the pages. He focused on the symbol tattooed onto his wrist and when he opened his eyes he found writing being inked across the page by an unseen hand just like it had with Tom Riddle's diary. As the ink spread he wondered to himself how much of himself the Rune Master had put into this Tome. His Tome.

James stared at the double page. On the top left sat a drawing of his tattoo, it held exactly the same simplicity and complicatedness as the one he had thrown from his path yesterday and James love it as if it had been a friend to him all of these years. He traced the symbol with his finger and after ten seconds he had done the whole thing. It glowed red with a white fire before fading. Below it was a description.

"This symbol means everything that you are. It is your Base Rune, the first Rune you drew and imbued with your magic. It is made of two separate Runes melded together but drawn at the same time. The first of the two Runes is a protection Rune drawn from feelings of happiness, alone it would create a protective mental shield that would protect you from your worse memories or sadness. Rune Masters can use this Rune to ward off Lethifolds and Dementors."

James was shocked that this book spoke of creatures known only to the Wizarding World but then he remembered that Runic Magic used his Wizarding Magic and therefore the Rune Master must have been a Wizard rather than a Wicca Witch like James had assumed. James had to wonder why a Wizard would know of Magic School, let alone bequeath the school with his legacy. He read on.

"The second Rune is a physical shield fuelled by protectiveness for somebody you care about. It is a powerful shield which draws is strength directly from the amount you care for the person. For example, it would be very powerful when protecting a loved one but useless if you want to protect somebody you despise. This shield does not protect from magical attacks though it will protect from elemental attacks such as fire even when given life from magic."

The writing changed slightly then and James realised as he read that it was like a personal note. "The combination of the two is unique to you and is imprinted in your core just as every person, magical or not, has one in their core though only a Rune Master can read them. From your memories of the event where you used your personal Rune it is assumed that the combined force of the two Runes along with the feelings of protectiveness for the Witch destroyed the Dementors with a combination of the Patronus like shield and the physical structure it was given from the second Rune which turned two defensive shields into an offensive weapon when needed."

James sighed and flipped to the front of the book and the contents. He searched the contents and noticed that there were Rune sequences for almost any circumstance. He turned to the first page of the main book with the heading; 'Using Runes.'

"Runes have a basis in all magic, all spells, wards and even the magical beings themselves have Runes at their heart. Wizarding spells use Runes even unknowingly to their casters whilst most spells and wards can be altered by tampering with the Runes at their core. Rune Masters are considered among the most powerful of Magic users feared by all others. Their one weakness was and will always be the slow forming nature of their spells. Some simple Runes can take up to two seconds to draw, power and cast but their effects are easily countered. More powerful offensive spells can take ten or more seconds to cast and sometimes even a few minutes making their caster vulnerable to outside attack. Most Rune Master stuck to wards and traps and attacked from a distance.

"More about the history of Runes can be found in the history section as well as information on fighting skills but for now we must begin at the beginning. If you can already access your magic then skip this section."

James paused to glance around the room, the students had all left and Paige, Chris and Wyatt were still searching the books. He turned back to the book and did indeed skip the next section.

"The first Rune you will attempt is a simple lantern rune. It creates a conduit for your magic to become visible light. It can last as long as your magic is nearby to feed it and does little to drain your magic. Additional Runes can be integrated into this Rune to create a permanent lamp that lights whenever you are near enough to feed it.

"Seek your magic and force it up to you dominant hand, you must then allow the magic to bleed into the air from your index finger as you draw a circle horizontal to the floor. You magic will automatically take an insubstantial form like distorted glass until the circle is complete and then it will glow white. Make sure that your move your finger around the circle at a constant speed and that the circle is as perfectly circular as possible."

James did as told, he fed his magic into his finger like he had learnt whilst transforming into his Panther Animagus form for the first time. He held up his finger and allowed the magic to creep from the tip of it. He started the circle but was distracted by the glassy trail that it formed and without realising it the magic was cut off.

He frowned as the glassy air faded but returned his finger back to where it started and this time diligently fed magic out as he traced the simple circle. He felt the bleeding magic cut off as the circle was completed, he watched the glassy circle for an instant before he started to glow white until it was as bright as a bulb.

He dropped his hand and suddenly realised that Chris was standing next to him. "What is that?" Chris asked him. Wyatt and Paige stared at him from nearby but seemed wary in coming any closer.

"It's a lamp." James told them. "The Tome said it was a good place to start."

Wyatt and Paige seemed reassured that it wasn't about to explode and came to stare at it. "James?" Wyatt spoke up as the four just stared at the light. "You do realise that your wrist is glowing red don't you?"

"What!?" James yelped as he twisted his left wrist to see that, indeed, his tattoo was glowing red like it was on fire though no flames reached out from his skin. His skin was cool and didn't actually seem to be burning.

"You seem to be getting the knack of this very quickly." Paige pointed out as she brought her finger up to touch the light, the circle flowed away from her probing finger like an irritating fly. "Maybe we should return home, it is almost lunch and we haven't found any useful here apart from that book."

"You can put that out right?" Chris asked him as he too prodded the light and grinned as it slide away from his finger.

"Umm, I think so." James said before continuing at their incredulous looks. "I just started this ok? The book hasn't said yet." He turned his attention back to the page and read the next section.

"To cut off a Rune all you must do is reach out to it with your mind and connect to the magic that feeds it. With Rune sequences you must remove each Rune in the reverse order to which they were set up or the whole sequence could collapse with unknown consequences."

James looked up again and concentrated on that slight pulling feeling that seemed to be drawing his magic out in the faintest of trickles to feed the glowing circle. He shut of the magic and watched as the circle simply winked out of existence.

"We'll see you at the Manor." Chris told his Aunt and older brother and they orbed away. James jumped off of the desk and grinned happily at Chris. "Well done." Chris told him with a smile.

"Thanks for everything." James told him before closing the gap and pressing his lips to Chris' in a kiss. He felt Chris try to deepen the kiss as his arms went to James' sides but James just pulled his head back slightly. "Later." James told him with a small smile before he pecked him on the lips and again just as the orbed out of Magic School to return to the much crueller real world.

XOXOXOXOXOX

End Chapter