Hector felt as if he was split into two minds.
One mind was his logic, trying to grasp magic apparently being a real thing and not just stories.
The other mind was his love for his family.
Realizing that his always calm son, showed legitimate fear at the thought of his mum and dad rejecting him, almost broke him.
He did not fully believe in magic, yet.
Despite this Craig person and Abi saying it was real, and whatever his son did with those glowing letters.
But it did not matter.
His family was and always would be, his first priority.
Magic being possibly real, was less important than making sure his son was fine.
As he listened to his wife whispering soothingly to their son while they hugged, he was reminded why he loved her.
They always complemented each other.
He knew that back when he met her while he was studying and she was working as a baker on the side while studying to be an accountant, and he still knew it to this day.
He always knew he only ever wanted children with Victoria, and after countless attempts, constant doctor’s appointments fearing they were sterile, it happened.
Like a miracle, like magic.
They succeeded in getting Kieran.
Their son.
Their miracle.
He thought of Abi, she had always been eccentric, but she would never lie about something this big.
That was not the type of person she was.
Her friend Craig seemed to be a very official person, maybe he should at the very least give this a chance.
Deep down, Hector always knew their son was special, from the moment he was born.
Kieran had always been observant and patient.
Never crying unless he was hungry, and instead of crying until he got milk, the moment he noticed he had their attention, he stopped crying.
Waiting patiently.
Whenever it was possible, he pointed outside, he always wanted to be taken outside.
Constantly.
It was when Kieran learned to walk he started travelling outside on his own, so much that Hector built a wooden area that would protect Kieran from the elements but still allowing him to be outside in the garden.
Their son was always smart for his age, calm and patient.
If magic is real, I can easily imagine my son being magical.
Hector was surprised by his own thought.
But it made sense in his mind.
Their son was already a miracle, was magic truly so farfetched after that?
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Abi, tense and frozen.
She was hesitant at joining the family hug.
If magic is real, and Abi is a witch where my son is a wizard, the Abi I know would be afraid right now.
She hides it well, but ever since her mom and dad died in that car accident, she started seeing me as her big brother rather than older cousin.
Hector always cared greatly for his cousin, so when Abi lost her closest family, he stepped up and helped fill the void.
Victoria, bless her heart, never hesitated at including her.
Hector thought further to himself, seeing the state of Abi.
My little sister is afraid of approaching me, I can’t have that.
Hector turned his head ensuring he got direct eye contact with Abi.
Years of being like siblings made it possible for him to signal that they were still family.
He had this way of smiling with his eyes that he knew she would recognize.
He watched the realization be processed by her in real-time and breathed a silent sigh of relief when Abigail joined them in the family group hug, noticing she was grabbing him a bit tighter, her hands slightly shaking.
With one hand still around Kieran’s small shoulders, he used his other hand to grab Abigail’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, feeling her squeeze back, he felt a small wet spot forming on his shoulder where Abigail was leaning, her shoulders slightly shaking.
The quietness of the family hug continues for a while, before Hector remembered that they had a guest in the room, patiently sitting in the corner on a chair.
In unspoken coordination, Hector got eye contact with his wife and saw her determination to explore this situation further.
He slowly extracted himself from the hug, seeing his son calm.
He turned to Abi, who seemed bashful.
“How about I go make some tea, and then we will talk further?” he asked, paying attention to his family around him.
Before he could head toward the kitchen he heard Craig clearing his throat.
“Hrm-hrm, I already handled it, I figured you all could use some tea.” Craig said.
Turning around, he did a double take at the living room table suddenly having pots of tea, several fancy cups and pastries.
“How…Right…Magic I assume?”
When Craig silently nodded, Hector took a deep breath and sat back down on the couch, his wife following him.
They all sat surrounding the table, the two ends occupied by Kieran and Abi respectively.
The couch occupied by Hector and Victoria, and opposite them, Craig Owens in their chair.
Hesitating a bit, he grabbed his wife’s hand who gave him a small squeeze and a nod, he then focused on Craig.
“For this conversation, we will assume magic is real, but extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, so I hope you are ready to show that, and not something that can be explained by the magic of illusions or sleight of hand.”
…
Abigail watched Craig give a serious nod, his brown eyes looking very determined.
That was her friend, he was always calm and serious when the situation required it.
“First, as mentioned, I am from the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry of Magic is the magical version of the British Government. This may come as a surprise, but the current Prime Minister is aware of the magical community. He had to know, due to a crisis that ended around four years ago,” Craig said, looking relived for a bit.
Abigail knowing all too well what he was thinking about, her relief matching his.
“Wizard society has been hidden since 1692. The reason for this being that wizards and witches were a minority, and they were hunted by muggles out of fear and prejudiced hate. The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy became a law, and over the years magic became a thing of stories and our society faded from your minds.”
Abigal watched her surrogate brother and sister-in-law tense as they both arrived at the same fear, their next question obvious.
She secretly glanced in front of her toward Kieran, wondering how he was taking the news, but all she saw was careful observation and wonder.
Right, does nothing faze that boy?
When Victoria spoke, Abigail focused back on the conversation.
“Assuming magic is real, will our son be hunted for being a wizard? And how do you prevent normal people, muggles as you call us, from finding out you exist?” Victoria carefully asked.
Craig got eye contact with Abigail, and she knew what he wanted.
She took what felt like her hundredth deep breath today and replied in Craig’s stead.
“Hector and Victoria, you do not have to worry. Kerian will be safe in our society. Children are almost sacred, even for the less than pleasant people. The Ministry of Magic ensures that our society stays hidden, it is one of their most important jobs, and they take it very seriously.”
She hesitated a bit, before nodding to herself.
“I won’t lie and say it is a flawless society. There are criminals, and bad people that uses magic for evil means. Wizards and witches may have magic, but we are all humans in the end.”
Feeling her spine strengthen, she focused on her memories of the heroes of the Wizarding War.
“But there are also great and powerful people of good, those that stand up against the darkness, so that the normal wizards and witches won’t have to. They carry the magical society on their shoulders, and they will fight to the end to give our children a wonderful and bright future.”
Abigail clenched her hands and looked sincerely at everyone in the room.
“One of these heroes, is a man known as Albus Dumbledore. He is the strongest wizard in the world, and the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is my hope that you will allow Kieran to attend this school, knowing that Kieran cannot be in a safer place, than under the watch of Headmaster Dumbledore.”
Abigail watched Craig nod approvingly at the corner of her eye, before looking sincerely at Hector and Victoria.
“Kieran has great talent at magic. Those words he wrote with his hand? It took me until I was 11 years old and had a wand to help me, before I could do the same. My late parents, may they rest in peace, told me I was talented for this achievement. Kieran did it as a 5-year-old without a wand, which is very significant in our world. I hope you are willing to allow Kieran to focus his time on the magic he has access to and allow him to be homeschooled.”
…
Kieran watched his dad take a deep breath, but instead of replying to Aunt Abi, he looked toward Kieran.
“Kieran, I know you are smart enough to be following this conversation. How do you feel about the conversation so far?”
Kieran looked at his dad and mum, then Aunt Abi, and lastly Mr.
Craig.
In all honesty he was almost overwhelmed.
Hearing Albus Dumbledore being mentioned by Aunt Abi, made it all the more real.
In the books of his former life, Albus Dumbledore was a character, an important one yes, but just a character.
Kieran looked at Aunt Abi again.
The way she spoke of Albus Dumbledore, was with pure admiration.
His aunt likely attended Hogwarts, witnessed the rise of Voldemort and lived during the Wizarding War.
The characters from the books were not characters anymore.
They were real people, with real dreams and aspirations.
They marked the world with their presence, his aunt had clearly been marked, just like her presence had marked Kieran.
I want to experience it.
I want to experience this world.
I want to experience the wonders of magic for myself.
I want my family to be safe throughout it all.
Looking at his mum and dad, Kieran replied.
“Mum, dad, I want to be a wizard. Magic is beautiful and wondrous, and I want to explore and master it. I want to witness the wonders and beauty of magic. I promise I will study hard if you allow me to use magic!”
Kieran watched his mum’s eyes soften and his dad faintly smiling.
He realized this was the first time he had ever explicitly stated a wish to his family.
He also realized, they believed magic was real subconsciously, entirely because Kieran believed it with his entire being.
He was unable to lie to them, he had never lied to them, and he never would, and they knew that.
His dad seemed to take a moment to compose himself, before he turned to Mr.
Craig.
“Mr. Owens, give me some undeniable proof that magic is real. Something that cannot be explained by illusions or sleight of hand. I believe my son, but as I told you, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Please show me evidence that cannot be explained away.”
Kieran, curious about what magic Mr.
Craig would believe was appropriate, waited in excitement, looking forward to seeing more magic.
Seeing it in reality instead of books was utterly fascinating.
He watched Mr.
Craig tap his lip before looking around him, then replying to Kieran’s dad.
“How about teleportation? Although in our terms it is called apparition.”
His dad gaped at teleportation being a thing, before nodding.
“If you can teleport into the kitchen in an instant, you can consider that extraordinary evidence,” his dad said.
With a POP!
Mr.
Craig disappeared from his chair, and Kieran watched his dad and mum jump up and go over to touch the chair, realizing it was actually empty.
As they rushed to the kitchen, Kieran followed and they all find Mr.
Craig leaning against the counter, peeling a banana.
Kieran felt it was as if he was watching his parents’ worldview change in real-time, as Mr.
Craig started eating the banana.
His mum blinked rapidly, before biting her lip.
“Okay…we will believe magic is real.”
His dad took a deep breath and nodded heavily.
“Yes, as my wife said, we will believe magic is real.”
Kieran looked back and forth between his mum and dad, and asked, “So…what now?”