Magic Hour

Magic Hour is the 46th episode of Charmed.

Summary
Piper learns from Leo that they have twenty-four hours to secretly marry before his superiors come down on them. After finding a ritual that may be the answer, Prue supports using it while Phoebe believes performing the ritual may be selfish and have future consequences. As the Halliwells seek an answer to Piper’s problem, they encounter a young couple, Christopher and Brooke that have been cursed by a jealous warlock that wants Brooke's love for him. The Charmed Ones find that Christopher is cursed to be an owl during the day and Brooke to be a wolf during the night.

Plot
Piper swipes a copy of Bride magazine from the hairdresser. She sees two young women comparing engagement rings as she goes down the elevator. At the manor, she sees a just-married couple leading a procession. Inside, Phoebe has assembled several pairs of glasses to watch a coming eclipse. Piper regrets not getting her dream wedding, but Prue reminds her that she's getting her dream guy.

Leo orbs in and says that "they" have given an ultimatum: either they're is no "us" or the sisters get a new Whitelighter. They have until tomorrow night to decide. Leo offers "door number three", but "they" are going to be listening, so they must avoid any use of the "W word".

Kit yowls and the sisters rush to the porch to find Kit menacing an owl. Piper and Phoebe shoo Kit away from the owl, which transforms into a man. The man tells of a curse that his boss put on him, and doesn't seem to want the sisters' help.

Phoebe and Piper scoop up several books on weddings at a bookstore and run into Cole. Cole asks who the lucky girl is and Piper gives a clumsy answer. Cole casts a spell on the books, causing the sisters to take the wrong bag.

In a corporate office, The Boss hears the screech of the owl. The owl-man, Christopher, points a knife at his throat. The Boss says that killing him will only make the curse permanent; only if "she" gives herself to him will the curse be lifted. A man with a crossbow appears and chases Christopher away.

Piper finds a page in the Book of Shadows on a "handfasting", but the sisters find nothing on the curse.

Piper closes the Book and an owl feather floats out. Phoebe gets a vision of Christopher apparently being menaced by a wolf. They go to the scene and the wolf and Christopher appear. The wolf barks at the sisters. The wolf and Christopher hide in an abandoned house, and as the sun rises, the wolf transforms into a woman, Brooke, and Christopher into an owl.

The sisters talk to Brook, who explains that the Boss was in love with her and the curse is his revenge. The owl screeches and the four scatter. A crossbowman appears in dark smoke and attacks, but the witches fight him off. The four return to the manor, the owl perching outside.

The crossbowman returns to the Boss, bearing a small bag. The Boss, however, knows he's lying as Christopher would be back in human form if dead. The Boss vanquishes the crossbowman and promotes a new one.

Brooke tells her story. She took a job at an established firm. The Boss had made moves on her, and she had refused. He cursed her and Christopher, until she gave in or "there was a night within a day".

Phoebe frantically flips through the Book of Shadows looking for information on curses. The Book flips again to the Handfasting page and Grams appears. Grams knows about "a certain sister situation" and that Phoebe needs some advice. Phoebe wants to support Piper, but feels that something is wrong. Grams says the Charmed Ones are destined to greatness but that "doesn't keep a girl warm on a cold winter's night".

Piper calls for Phoebe and Grams disappears. The crossbowman is shooting arrows everywhere. Prue flings him and the sisters wonder why he didn't kill him. The crossbowman demands the owl. Brooke runs out, the crossbowman takes aim and the owl intercepts the arrow. Prue flings an arrow back at the crossbowman, who disappears in fire and smoke. Leo orbs in ("they" sent him) and tries to heal the owl but cannot.

The doorbell rings and Cole is there with the books. Phoebe makes an excuse and runs back inside, returning with the other bag. Cole meets Leo and shakes his hand, and a bit of orb comes off on Cole's hand ("Whitelighters already were messy", he says).

Piper fills Leo in on Brooke and Christopher. Phoebe comes in and tells them they have her blessing.

The eclipse begins -- "a night within a day" -- and the owl turns into Christopher. Leo removes the arrow and heals Christopher. Brooke, however, has gone to the Boss. The Boss decides to savor the moment, which gives the sisters and Christopher the chance to catch up with them. Piper freezes the hall. Piper realizes, though, that now is the right time for the Handfasting and they must choose between Brooke and Leo. They go to Brooke and she and Christopher see each other in human form for the first time in two months. The Boss conjures a crossbow, but Piper freezes the room. Prue swats the crossbow from his hand and Piper unfreezes the room. Brooke and Christopher kiss and the Boss disappears in fire.

The sisters, Grams and Leo meet at the manor for the ceremony. Before vows can be exchanged, though, Leo gasps in agony and is forcibly orbed out.

The Triad praises Cole for getting close to the Halliwells, and for informing them of the nuptials. The Triad had "shared" this information with "them".

Guest Stars

 * Michael Dietz as Christopher
 * Elisabeth Harnois as Brooke
 * Erik Passoja as The Boss/Sorcerer
 * Jennifer Rhodes as Penny 'Grams' Halliwell
 * Amir Aboulela as Triad Member #1
 * Shaun Toub as Triad Member #3
 * Rick Overton as Triad Member #2

Co-Stars

 * Billy Ray Gallion as Assistant Demon #1
 * Keith Allan as Assistant Demon #2
 * Madoka Raine as Bookseller

Featured Music

 * "Delicious Surprise" by Beth Hart

Innocents

 * 1) Christopher
 * 2) Brooke

Evils

 * 1) The Sorcerer
 * 2) The Sorcerer's Assistant
 * 3) The Sorcrer's Assistant #2
 * 4) Cole Turner

Evils Vanquished

 * 1) The Sorcerer vanquishes his Assistant.
 * 2) Prue vanquishes The Sorcerer's Assistant #2 with an arrow from his crossbow.
 * 3) The Sorcerer was vanquished by Christopher and Brooke breaking the curse.

Spells

 * 1) The Sorcerer casts a curse on Christopher and Brooke.

Book of Shadows

 * 1) The Spell to Move Ahead in Time is right before the page on Handfasting.
 * 2) Brianna and the lords of war page 1 is right before the page on The Demon of Cruelty.
 * 3) The Demon of Cruelty is before the page to Separate a Witch From Her Power.
 * 4) The page on how to Separate a Witch From Her Power is before the Demon Weapon.
 * 5) The Demon Weapon is before The Hand of Fatima.
 * 6) The Hand of Fatima is before the Love Spell
 * 7) The Awakening Spell is after the Handfasting page (top right hand corner)

Love Spell

 * Place desired Lover's name
 * in the spiced velvet bag.
 * As the bag heats
 * chant three times.


 * I conjure thee,
 * I conjure thee,
 * I'm the queen you're the bee,
 * As I desire so shall it be.

Quotes

 * Leo: Look, there is door number three. We can try and pull this off tomorrow night, if we do it's binding. They can't even break that apart.
 * Piper: Yeah, but if they find out they can break us apart into a thousand little pieces.
 * Phoebe: Excuse me?
 * Piper: I believe the term he used was unspeakable wrath, the lengths of which you can't even imagine.
 * Leo: Look, I'm not gonna lie to you, we would be taking a huge risk and until they get an answer they are going to be listening very closely, so any talk of 'it' any use of the W word...
 * Prue: I hate to be the detail police but how are we gonna hide it from them when we're on their supernatural redial? They're always gonna be tuning in. Phoebe, did you find anything in the Book Of Shadows about how to hide this?
 * Phoebe: No, nothing. I'm sorry, I'm still on the unspeakable wrath part. I mean, is that just the bride and groom or does it also include bridesmaids?
 * Prue: Phoebe...

:(An owl is in the porch and Kit has her claw up ready to attack it. Phoebe opens the door.)
 * Piper: Kit, leave that alone.
 * Phoebe: Bad kitty!
 * (The owl suddenly turns into a naked man.)
 * Prue: Good kitty.

:(Cole sees Piper's book "How To Keep Your Marriage".)
 * Cole: So who's the lucky guy or more importantly, who's the lucky sister?
 * (The bookstore employee puts the books in two bags.)
 * Piper: Me... me, me. Mimi, our cousin. (Cole wiggles his fingers and Piper's books swap over with his.) Our cousin Mimi.
 * Phoebe: Good old cousin Mimi.

:Grams: You need guidance, some advice on a certain sister situation. Am I getting warm?
 * Phoebe: Red hot. But wait a minute, if you know, that means that they know, and if they know then we are f--
 * Grams: Fine. Anyway, I'm beyond them now. Secrets safe with me. But what about you, Phoebe? Do you want to tell me about that nagging concern you have in your gut?
 * Phoebe: That's no fair you have after life advantage.
 * Grams: I also know you, Phoebe. Talk to me.
 * Phoebe: Okay. (She sits down on a chair.) Um, I wanna be able to support Piper in this. I want to look at her and I wanna say go for it but what if her and Leo get rudabaga-ed and they find out and then something horrible happens to them. I mean, look what happened to mum and her... special friend. And I hate to go skipping down selfish road but what if by association...
 * Grams: You and Prue get hurt.