The Traveler Ch. 6 /The Silence, A Prelude/ Update

[mcharmed21]

Author: silvermoon8705

The Traveler…<br>
A being that can either be magical or nonmagical who has a much coveted gift. This gift involves the ease of moving through time and the infinitely rare permission to alter the past, present, and future through active intervention. Because of the delicate and easily exploited talent, the traveler is carefully chosen by the council of the Old Ones and of the Dark Lords at the time of birth to insure absolutely no corruption upon the newborn traveler. Being so pivotal in the universal timeline order, potential travelers will be protected with great care by both councils before they are selected upon birth.

The potential traveler shows no signs of great power either of wiccan heredity or otherwise. This is a precautionary measure to maintain the potential’s neutrality on the sides of good and evil. With all these measures in place, there will be no doubt that the chosen traveler will be very aware of their role and will make wholly certain that their timeline endeavors are not liable to cause an irreparably damaging rip in the universal timeline. If this occurs, the order is lost, as well as the omniscient presence of time. Essentially, all timelines will lose their linearity, and humanity will suffer for it.


After having just read the BoS entry on The Travelers, Piper was speechless about the implications of her son being this rare honor. It all made sense now though. Why Chris had come back, unworried of all the things he was constantly changing by first of all being here and then making her, Phoebe, and Paige vanquish demons that were still present in his future…not to mention the reveal of his true identity and intentions on Wyatt’s part. And he had no problem negotiating with both sides (getting leads from demons, informing the three and Leo of his mission’s purpose) to achieve what was necessary…<br>

“Why the hell are you making me do this? That event worked out for the best, why change it?” Chris inquired of both councils.

“We are told it is beneficial to humanity if this occurrence would be prevented.”<br>
“By the Dark Lords’ council, right? In case you haven’t noticed they’re evil and almost always have a hidden agenda behind their ‘suggestions’.”<br>
“Even so, we all feel that it is very necessary you temporarily suspend your current assignment before circumstances get too out of hand.”<br>
“I’ve FOLLOWED the protocol...I haven’t done anything to merit an ‘out of hand’ warning. And since when do you listen to the opposing council? I thought the Old Ones would be more wary of a stupid idea…”

The council of Dark Lords, who were too absorbed in telepathic conversation to listen to the traveler’s complaints before, now was defiant at the criticism of their idea.

A speaker of the Dark Lords’ council stood up to object to the thoughtless criticism, “We feel our suggestion is well-founded and reviewed. It is therefore ridiculous to find it stupid and we find this an insult on our sound judgment.”<br>
“The only sound you could produce is an annoying cacophony of screeches, scratches, and screams, which by the way is the only route you can take to actually MAKE people listen to you!” Chris countered.

“Just go traveler, we have made it unanimous, you cannot override our decision. I am truly sorry. But I trust you will do well…after all you are one of our finest…”

The council of Dark Lords smiled at the look of defeat on the traveler’s face.

“Fine then. I’ll do it.” He conceded bitingly, and with a quick spell sent himself to the past.

After both councils had left the chamber, only two had remained…<br>
“Well Will, how does it feel to be sending a friend to his death?”

“Travelers don’t die. They’re immortal like us.”<br>
“But like us, they can get hurt remember? You were quite sick once if I recall.”<br>
Will glared at the Black Rider, who he had first seen on one Midwinter’s eve years ago, and answered bitterly, “You weren’t so cocky when the hell hounds were biting your incorrigible ass, now were you?”<br>
“Ah, but the spectacle was amazing. That was a plus.”<br>
Will rolled his eyes. How easily the Dark forget their losses…<br>

[mcharmed21]

Disclaimer: I own nothing...

Hope you liked the first chapter. Thanks so much to those who reviewed. Any ideas on how to continue this story would be greatly appreciated! Anyway...here's Chapter 2

The Traveler
Chapter 2

He walked down the alley, taking care to spy his target who was supposed to be in the area on this night. Not a moment later he saw a woman with blonde curls in a dress showing her place in high society. She smoothly walked into the bar, apparently unaware she would be greatly out of place in the rowdy atmosphere.
Chris followed soon after.

HALLIWELL MANOR…PRESENT

“Where’s Chris?” Piper asked urgently as she walked into the kitchen, where Phoebe and Paige were staring hypnotically into their cups of coffee. They didn’t answer immediately.

Piper, frustrated, tried a different tactic, “Hey Pheebs, don’t you have work today? Won’t you be late?”<br>
“Wha? Work? But…it’s…SATURDAY! I was trying to sleep Piper! That was uncalled for!” Phoebe gave Piper the evil eye and nudged Paige awake so as to prevent her coffee from spilling on the floor.
Piper smiled at her plan’s success and regained her sisters’ attention by asking again, “Has anyone seen Chris around?”<br>Phoebe and Paige both shook their heads, having no idea where their nephew had orbed off to…or into.

“You two would not believe what I found out about him…” Piper continued.

“Don’t we already know who he really is? Why are we still on this topic of discussion?” Phoebe wondered, still reeling from the “Chris is Piper’s son” secret she had to keep when she wasn’t the best secret-keeper for the task.

“Yes, but that’s only WHO he is. I discovered WHAT he is…his true nature. We all have to face the fact that Chris is no ordinary witch. Even extraordinary isn’t the right word for it…”

Phoebe and Paige both gave her a “What are you talking about?” look, and were both very impatient waiting for Piper’s discovery to make a modicum of sense.

Piper wrung her hands, anxious to tell them, but unsure if they could handle the truth. She herself had a real hard time wrapping her mind around the idea of her son dealing with powers beyond anyone’s imaginings. It was too awesome to comprehend.

“Attic. Check the BoS for The Traveler. You’ll find more there.” Piper clarified simply, feeling the entry would enlighten them better.

She left the kitchen; crossing her fingers that Chris would come when she called for him.

BACK IN THE PAST…<br>
The bar seemed more chaotic than usual as a fight was heading towards its climax, and that was never good. The woman with the blonde curls smiled appreciatively as the one who had incited the fight kept up his efforts to beat down anyone who dared come his way.

“He’s not much in the day.” The person next to her mentioned offhandedly.

“That won’t be a problem.”

Chris watched the exchange from a nearby table while also looking closely for some clue to take action.

“What may you like, miss?” A round-faced, red-cheeked dumpy sort of waitress asked politely of the woman.

At that instant, Chris shot out his hands and with a flick of both hands, froze the bar.

And the only one left unfrozen besides Chris, was the waitress, who stared with mock horror at the sight of him.

Back at the Manor…<br>
“Chris! Get your orbing self down here! I’m your mother damnit!” Piper tried again after her previous failed attempts. She was getting more worried by the minute, and hoped he wasn’t on some traveler business that would put him in more danger than was necessary.

Phoebe and Paige appeared before her in a flurry of orbs, looking immensely excited about something.

“What is it?” Piper asked exasperatedly, feeling defeated.

“Well we read the entry on The Traveler and we’ve both found a way to get more info about this whole traveler thing.” Phoebe responded ecstatically.

Piper continued to stare at them in a gesture that told them they should elaborate.

“Phoebe wrote a summoning spell…you know to summon someone from one of the councils…or someone connected to the councils, travelers…whatever.” Paige informed Piper.

“Honey, Chris obviously is not coming down any time soon. We should really do this spell. Maybe you’ll feel better with more knowledge about it all? What do you say?” Phoebe said, understanding why Piper felt so worried. She had become an expert at realizing how a person truly was feeling just by looking at their facial expressions. This allowed her to grasp the fact that her empathic power was more innate intuition rather than something that could be stripped away as punishment. And she felt she was better for it.

“Okay, okay. Let’s get it over with.” Piper conceded, letting Paige orb her and Phoebe up to the attic.

“Here’s the spell. We all have to read it, okay?” Phoebe explained.

“But shouldn’t there be a setup like a circle of crystals?” Piper questioned, skeptical that all that was needed was a simple summoning spell.

“I don’t think it will make much of a difference.” Paige said, only half sure, but her eagerness prevented her from contemplating the deceptive simplicity of it all.

Phoebe quickly beckoned Paige and Piper to read the spell with her before all of them could start questioning the wrongness of what they were doing.


//Council of the Old Ones/
Council of the Dark Lords/
Bring to us/
The one we seek/
To enlighten us/
Of the Charmed traveler/
We beseech of you//

And with that, a dirty worn cloak dropped unceremoniously from what appeared to be a swirling portal that had formed on the attic ceiling. The portal disappeared soon after relieving itself of its deposit, and the sisters cautiously neared the cloak.

They jumped back in shock as the cloak revealed itself to be covering a bitter old and little man, who glared wildly at them and at nothing in particular at the same time.

“They threw me down. Again. They THREW me down AGAIN!” He whined with great aggravation.

[Following from The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper]

////“No power of the Dark or of the Light can make a man more than a man, once any supernatural role he may have had to play comes to an end. But no power of the Dark or the Light may take away his rights as a man, either. If the Black Rider told you so, he lied.”<br>
//The twisted face gazed up at him in agonized near-belief.
“I may have rest? There can be an end, and rest, if I choose?”//

“All your choices have been your own,” ////


“Does this look like my choice to you? I swear if this is some cruel joke on a dead man, I’m NOT laughing!” He accused of the attic ceiling.

Before the three could begin to comprehend what the hell he was going on about, the portal reappeared on the attic ceiling, and took back the cloaked man.

In his place, stood Will, who surveyed the Charmed Ones curiously, his expression inexplicably calm. Even Phoebe was at a loss.

[mcharmed21]

The Traveler
Chapter 3

“…music. It beckoned him, lilting and insistent; delicate music, played by delicate instruments that he could not identify, with one rippling, bell-like phrase running through it in a gold thread of delight.

In the moment of his waking, it began to fade, beckoning as it went, and then as he opened his eyes it was gone.

…only the memory of that one rippling phrase still echoing…”

“I’m sorry, was I not doing something right?” the ‘waitress’ asked, unfazed by the look of death Chris was giving her.

“I know your kind. You’re here on a different agenda and I don’t plan on being clueless.”<br>
“Oooo…you’re not like the rest. That could make this a little more difficult…”

“What do you mean ‘this’?”<br>
She just smiled and nodded suspiciously.

Before Chris could even blink, he heard the unmistakable sound of something coming at him. Without even a thought to check what it was, he instinctively orbed out as the something harmlessly went past his orbs.

“Whoops,” The person who had carried out the attack said in a ‘whatever, I couldn’t careless’ tone.

He took out his wand and lazily sent the arrow back his way.
“So, did you really think that would actually work…or are you as stupid as you look?”<br>
“I just wanted to slow him down for a bit. I didn’t know he was that good…damnit…and he’s the only one that can end the timestop.”<br>
“I thought you would have enough power to at least counteract a witch’s magic. Whatever…I could do it anyway…”

With a short spell, his wand shot off a translucent ray that split off throughout the entire bar, and once it hit everyone and everything in the area, all activity resumed to normal.

The agent of the Dark council sniffed at him, annoyed that she couldn’t pull off that herself. He was just a wizard and nothing compared to the status she held. Okay so he was pretty powerful, but still!

The wizard looking around the bar, scanning for someone. “Is he, by some chance, going to reappear in the vicinity? Or was that a ‘for good’ disapparating?”<br>
She was prevented from answering him as a woman was tapping her shoulder, trying to get her attention.

“Yes??” She asked, a little more bothered than she had meant to be what with the current situation.

Before timestop -- “What may you like, miss?” A round-faced, red-cheeked dumpy sort of waitress asked politely of the woman.

“I don’t need anything at the moment, thanks.” She answered simply, completely unfazed by her attitude.

“Yes, I’m sure you don’t…” She snapped unnecessarily.

As she went past the wizard, she grabbed his arm and shoved him out the door. She closed the door and turned to him, all anger present on her face.

“Did you do it?” She demanded of him.

“It was your side’s idea, wasn’t it? To stop it…why are you asking if I ‘did it’? What the hell are you playing at?”<br>
“No, that was a blatant lie! Of course ‘we’ want it to happen! He killed more than he saved. It would be just wrong to keep it from happening!”<br>
“Okay then, so no, I did no such thing. And frankly, I don’t give a damn. Good-bye.”<br>
“Doors!” He called and before him appeared the ancient Doors of Time, which he nonchalantly went through, back to his own time.

She headed back into the bar. The woman she had blown off earlier was eyeing her with careful suspicion. In return, she completely dismissed her and walked toward another customer. Her plan would come about, even if she had kill for it…<br>
------------------------------------------------------------

“Chris!” He shouted into the dark night sky. While waiting, he looked around and took in his surroundings. He missed this place. There was such a strong sense of nostalgia that he felt, heard, and saw…he often wondered why he always came back here. Maybe it was because of what it meant…what it stood for…what it lost. A whole generation of wizards and witches had been taught here, grown as friends and some more than, and had laughed, cried, and most of all stayed true to each other even after…<br>
Even after everything and everyone had stood together for the last time. And all that remained were memories…memories were all that was left.

“Hey…I’m here…” Chris announced his presence, shaking the other out of his reverie.

When he didn’t answer back, Chris prompted, “Is the plan…?”<br>
He stared back at him, now uneasy of what his plan involved, but it was the best they had.

“Yes, the plan’s still good. I’m just going into the next phase now. You can take care of the rest?”

“After you bring him in, yes…but are you sure we should include him?”<br>
“I’m not really sure of anything these days.”<br>
Chris nodded knowingly, “For all it’s worth, Hogwarts will be rebuilt. We can’t possibly let it stay defunct.”<br>
“It just won’t be the same…it never will be.” He replied, looking up at the place where once stood a solitary tower, where you could see the stars and study them.

“See you…” He said, and called for the ancient Doors of Time.

Chris just stood there, listening to the echo of that rippling bell-like phrase, before he too left the place of once upon a time…

[mcharmed21]

The Traveler
Chapter 4, Once upon a time...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How did you cope?" he said suddenly.
"With...." His hands flailed, tracing shapes that had no meaning to illustrate an idea that didn't exist. "With everything."
"Everything?" Will repeated, doubtfully.
"Well...." Words failed him yet again. He decided to give up on
explanations. "Everything."
The Old One studied him for another beat, then folded his arms
across his chest.
"I honestly don't know," he admitted with disconcerting candour.
"But when I do figure it out, you'll be the first person I tell."

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige felt extremely overwhelmed with the information Will had given them. They never realized how much smaller they were in the actual big scheme of things. The Light, the Dark, the inexplicable power of both, and how just being an Old One did not make you a saint…to defeat the Dark you had to be just as cold and above the trials of humanity as they were. And there was no choice, that’s just the way it was and always will be.

Will raised an eyebrow at the sisters’ momentary speechlessness, slightly amused at their reaction. Of course he wasn’t surprised at such a response. After all, a similar thing had occurred when he had attempted to explain the awesome concept of Time to his brother Paul. He was sincerely grateful that he was able to erase the burdening thought from him. No matter how much he loved his family, he doubted any of them would ever be ready for the universe’s truths.

“Is that all you want to know?” He asked quietly.

“That’s more than enough…but I was wondering--will Chris be okay?” Piper worried. She was after all still his mother in some sense.

Memory—
There was another carved piece of wood close to his head, the bottom
part of the leg of another chair. Will was slumped in that chair, his head
buried in his hands and his face hidden from the other’s sight. His breathing
was uneven--not the breath of a man fast asleep.
Worry churned in his stomach. He had never seen the Old One
look so drained, so completely and utterly exhausted. It was as if every
last bit of his energy had been spent.
"He is very tired."

“You can never fully adjust to such things as this. It has to be kept inside for the most part, and though he may have to deal with admittedly harsher realities than most, he, you could say, has Time on his side. And when the Dark, as always, comes rising; he will not be in its way.”<br>
“What?!” They all exclaimed in unison. Piper for one could not begin to comprehend her own son allowing evil to have its way. Especially the son that was, as she had previously presumed, meant to stop it. He had come back to save Wyatt, not to kill him, which meant he still had hope…a person with hope couldn’t possibly stand by and let the opposing side win.

Will looked back at them, the picture of stillness in the face of a harrowing storm.

“It is just the way of things. The Traveler only looks after any complications in the timeline, the constant battle between the Light and the Dark is of no concern to them. They are neutral, but if the assignment favors one side over the other, it is of no matter and must nevertheless be accomplished. Like in all things, a balance has to be present and maintained…that is in essence what I meant before.”<br>
Piper stood up abruptly and said with much frustration, “Can I freeze you?”<br>
“Piper!” Phoebe and Paige admonished earnestly.

He raised his eyebrows, momentarily shocked by such a request. Did he mean to make her that angry?

“No. You can not.”

“Then let me get one thing straight with you…if you do not make sure Chris will be okay, you would not dare come here again, got that?”<br>
“I do not ‘get it’ because, as you can recall, I was ‘summoned’ here. I had no choice in the matter.”<br>
“Just…make sure, okay?” She repeated softly in a tone so sincere, Will wanted to assure her of this, but knew such promises were hard to keep.

There was something rather odd about the two of them; [he] was lying in the bed and [Will] standing over him, doing little things to make him more comfortable. Adjusting the blankets. Loosening the collar of his shirt. Putting the glasses on the night table, the shoes beneath the bed. He soon finished tucking [him] in, but before he straightened up he paused, one hand resting on the boy's forehead.
"Sleep easy, child," he murmured, so softly that I almost didn't hear him at first. "You're safe here."
“…I know for a fact that [Will] has no family of his own, but
as his hand moved to brush the hair out of [his] shuttered face he looked exactly like a father putting his child to bed...”

[mcharmed21]

Okay, I was planning on making this chapter longer, but with lack of motivation = lack of reviews, I'm deciding to wait it out. If people do want this to continue, then I'll definitely update.

This Chapter: Mystery HP character revealed and oh, someone dies, sorta...

Next Chapter: Someone screws up bad, but doesn't care, but the ones that have to care, well, really ugly aftermath period.

The Traveler
Chapter 5 Getting it together

“Harry…” Draco said slowly, unsure if he should even be here. He doubted he would be even receptive to the idea, but on the other hand, he knew Harry seriously needed to do something completely unrelated to miserably dwelling on the shadows of the past…that haunted and reminded the few sane survivors of that final battle of what could have been, what was and will never be…<br>
With no answer, he decided to just Apparate in, hoping Harry hadn’t thought of putting an anti-Apparating ward in place.

When he tried to get in, he was immediately blasted backwards as an invisible wall blocked his way.

“Apparently he had…great I have to do it the tedious way now…” He complained aloud, unworried if any of the neighbors had heard him.

“Open the door! I swear to you I will haunt you till the day you die if you continue to ignore me!” He shouted, knocking the door.

It had been an hour, and he felt like a tremendous idiot, standing out here, waiting for someone to answer the door. Why could he not THINK of another way? A better way in…his mind was drawing an irritating blank.

Just when he was about to kick the door, a display of blue and white sparkly lights appeared before him.

“Need some help?” Chris asked, holding back a laugh as he saw the look on Draco’s face.

“You knew, didn’t you?” He accused, very suspicious of why he had bothered to come.

“I have little joys in my life…couldn’t help myself. And anyway I told you I had to come to take him to the right time. But I’m surprised you didn’t think to call me…what happened?”<br>
“Oh, shut up, will you?” Draco snapped back.

A gun shot was heard coming from the house, the second floor. It sounded like someone was hit. Draco looked to Chris and he urgently took hold of his hand and orbed them into the house.

“Potter! Harry! Oh, whatever. Where are you?” Draco yelled, running up the stairs.

Chris had a bad feeling, he could feel the stench of death throughout the whole house, but there was still hope yet…<br>He orbed quickly after sensing the exact location to where he should go. By the time he got there, he saw Draco holding an eerily still body in his arms. Draco looked up at him as if to say “fix it, NOW”<br>
Chris, though he could not heal the whitelighter way, knew that with his council-given powers he could easily heal the dead, dying, or injured. But he hardly bothered to use it because there were such great odds if the councils would allow the person to be healed, it depended on certain things. He just hoped that this time they could allow him to heal successfully.

He went over to the body, knelt down beside it, and softly asked Draco to show him where the fatal bullet wound was. He pointed, with a shaking finger, at a spot just at where the heart should have been beating. The wound was bleeding gradually, but showed no signs of letting up.

“He…shot his heart,” He explained, overwhelmed.

Chris looked at the wound, and once he had a clear picture of it in his mind, he concentrated on making the wound close, seeing it become repaired, so all that was left was undamaged skin. Heal, wound. Go away. He said into his mind. And as hopefully expected, the wound was no more. It was as if it had never been there.

“Harry? Are you okay?” Draco asked with grave concern.

Harry took one shuddering breath, and once he readjusted himself to his surroundings, he glared at the two people in front of him.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” He demanded.

[mcharmed21]

Since I like this story, humor me! Lol. Anyway, short update, but I felt I should stop there for now.

The Traveler
Chapter 6: The Silence, A Prelude

“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name,
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet…” Ginny recited in what she thought was an empty Astronomy tower.

“Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?” Someone continued, with a certain and very familiar sarcastic tone.

Ginny glared in mild annoyance at Draco who could hardly be seen in the darkness that left creepy shadows in its wake.

“Silly me, I thought I was alone…”

“Virginia, you’re never alone in the Astronomy tower, you of all people know that.” He gave her a suggestive wink and when he reached her, he took hold of her arm, uttering a whisper, “Shall we continue?”<br>
She smiled back, her fiery hair glowed with the starlit night that entered through the high windows. It was moments like these that Draco could understand why he had such a weakness for red-haired women. Ice melted in the presence of such fire…<br>
“…maybe another night, perhaps?” She answered. Draco knew what that meant.

The Astronomy tower, we hardly knew ye…<br>
------------------------------------------------------------

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” He demanded.

“Trying to save your ass, that’s what!” Draco remarked sharply, very peeved.

Harry was momentarily shocked at Draco’s presence at his side before his demeanor became angry once again. Chris just watched on, waiting.

“Well, don’t bother!” He yelled, and stood up waving off Draco’s offer of assistance.

An expression of hurt quickly passed over Draco’s face, but once he recovered himself all that was left was a cold mask, ready to do what was necessary.

“Deal with it.” He spoke quietly, yet at the same time with obstinate force.

Harry stared back at him pretending to be uncomprehending of what he meant.

“The ones who died…they’re gone, Harry. Sirius. Hermione. Dumbledore…all of them. They can’t come back. Just get past it. It’s been years…”

“And you’re just so FINE with everything, everyone that has died…suffered…all because of Voldemort. All because they stubbornly stood by me…even when I wasn’t a saint…” He responded with heavy sarcasm, but then just sighed, defeated, and looked at his hands as if they held all the secrets of the universe.

“Think about it for a second…do you think they would’ve wanted you to sulk away the years, not moving on, not even attempting to help the future be a brighter one? They died for what they believed in, they at least deserve to have their efforts actually mean something, and not to let it all waste away for nothing…”

“Take it from me—you shouldn’t let an opportunity go to waste like this…” Chris spoke quietly.

Harry took a double take when he finally noticed someone else other than Draco in the room. “Who’s he?” He asked abruptly.

“He’s a Traveler, I told you about them, remember?”<br>
“I don’t bother to remember much anymore, except the things that actually matter. So, how is Ginny?” Harry replied, rudely changing the subject.

Draco went very noticeably pale for a moment before he regained his composure and answered, “Same as always,”<br>
Harry nodded, oddly showing the first signs of remorse and sadness since they had arrived.

Chris knew what this was about; he had been badgered enough by Draco not to know.

“Harry, listen…we don’t have much time. I’ve committed to this and I need to make sure it goes through, okay?” Draco tried to appeal.

In reply, he threw up his hands, and angrily shouted, “You’re all blind, I tell you! Look what is going on around you! Changing some stupid event won’t better the entire universe! And it won’t better the people left behind…”

Draco swallowed nervously at what he was saying. Because he knew Harry was right. But, for some reason, he did it anyway.

Chris broke the pregnant silence by urgently reminding they should get going. Before Draco could call for the Doors, Chris shook his head and put out his hand for Draco to hold on to and then told him to tell Harry to do the same. “It’s faster…” He remarked before they all disappeared in a flurry of orbs.