Charming a Phoenix

.

Chapter 2

Piper sat in the rocking chair in the nursery watching her son sleep in her arms. He always had such a happy and content expression after she breast fed him. A soft sigh escaped her, as she listened to the bustling going on in the house around her. The old wizard was helping Paige and Phoebe gather, pack and shrink what they needed. Albus had said to leave Wyatt’s things until last, so as not to disturb the baby’s routine too much. That made her chuckle. Routine? With all the demons and dark entities that paraded through this house, what routine could they set up for him?

Kissing Wyatt on the forehead, she stood up and placed him in the crib. She watched him sleep for a few minutes before setting about packing. Piper’s head snapped up and Wyatt was jostled out of sleep by a loud crash downstairs.

“Danger, Wyatt.” she told the baby, watching his force field go up. Piper ran down the stairs to find a strangely dressed man in the entryway. The crash had apparently been Phoebe being thrown into the hall table. The stranger turned and pointed something at the unconscious woman lying on the floor. Instinctively Piper tried to freeze him, but it didn’t work. So she yelled to get his attention. It worked. Oh hell it worked, now what, she thought. Just as the stranger was opening his mouth a shot of green light came from the dining room, striking the man in the side. His face froze in a surprised and pained expression, before crumpling to the floor. Albus strode into view with his wand still pointed at the figure, a grim look on his face.

Finally finding her legs again, Piper went down the remaining stairs and knelt beside Phoebe calling for Leo. Leo ran in from the parlor and began healing Phoebe. When the color had returned to her sister’s face, Piper turned to Albus.

“Do you know him?” she asked. The old man nodded sadly.

“Myrom Avery. He was quite a good student. Got in with the wrong crowd, seduced by the promise of power. Such a waste.” the Headmaster shook his head slowly. He then looked up at her seriously. “You must finish packing, he will soon be missed. I will take care of the body.”

‘The body’, Piper thought, the man was dead? Her mind was a little taken aback. She was so used to demons disappearing when they were killed. But she had to remind herself, this was not a demon, but a man, a wizard, who had chosen an evil life. After making sure Phoebe was alright, Piper climbed the stairs again to check on Wyatt and finish packing. Now she was convinced the sooner they got out of this house, the better.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Paige watched as Professor Dumbledore pointed his wand at the fireplace, said a few words and the fireplace expanded and grew larger. Taking a bag out of his pocket, he removed a handful of powder and threw it into the fireplace.

“Ministry of Magic.” he said, before sticking his head into the green fire. Paige couldn’t hear what he was saying, but she imagined he was explaining the attack to a Ministry official. After the Headmaster stepped away of the fire, two men stepped out of the fireplace. She had read about the floo network in the books, but seeing it in action was completely different. The two official looking wizards picked up the body and carried it through the fireplace as she watched.

When they were alone again, Paige heard the old man laughing softly. She looked up at him. He was staring at her with an amused expression.

“I didn’t know we had a floo connection.” Paige said disbelievingly.

“You do not. There is a spell used for emergencies that will temporarily connect any fireplace to the floo network.”

“Oh.” She said feeling dumb. The Headmaster patted her kindly on the shoulder.

“If you can help Piper, we will be leaving soon.” Paige nodded and turned to go upstairs. Even with the magic she had been living with in her life recently, she was still having a hard time imagining that what she had read in the Harry Potter books was real. A stray thought passed through her mind, what must Harry be like, she wondered. The Headmaster had said that ‘most’ of what was in the books was true. What was not true? And what had been ‘omitted’? These thoughts faded from her mind as she helped Piper pack baby clothes. She would just have to wait and see what the wizarding world was really like.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Phoebe drank the glass of lemonade Leo offered her. Leo had healed her, but she still felt a bit shaky. The intruder had come out of nowhere. She could see now what Albus meant about a wizard being more dangerous than a demon.

Looking up at her brother-in-law who was still hovering by her, Phoebe smiled.

“I’m alright, Leo. Go finish packing.” she said.

“Were you ready?” her bother-in-law asked. Phoebe nodded her head.

“I just had Albus shrink everything in my closet. It’s all in my purse, as well as the Book of Shadows. I know it’s not demons we’re dealing with, but we may need the book. And I think we would all feel better having it with us.” Leo nodded his agreement.

“Are you sure you’re feeling ok now?” he asked.

“Yes! Go help your wife.” she said, pushing him out of the kitchen. Phoebe sighed as she put on her jacket and slung her purse over her neck and arm. She almost wished she had read the books. Paige at least had some idea of what they were getting into, but then again, maybe she didn’t want to know. They would find out soon enough.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~