11
Ianto stood in the last light of the evening, dusk muting the street's colors like an old movie.
He canted his head and listened to the street's life signs, everyone had retreated inside and were glued to the TV as Strictly Come Dancing was in it's final of the season.
He knew the adverts had just finished and he had a small window before the next set of adverts brought people from their living rooms to their kitchen windows.
Time to get to work.
Rhys stood by his covered truck, surprised and chuffed to have been invited to the housewarming of Gwen's workmates and he watched with interest as Ianto seemed to be talking to himself.
Then he raised the wand.
Rhys straightened up with his mouth hanging open as the air shimmered and crackled with power.
When he had met the two men the other day with the little fella he had dropped to his knee and spent a while getting to know the wee tot, finding him tiny but talkative and intelligent.
It was this meeting that had convinced Ianto to trust Rhys and let him into this evening's fun.
When Gwen had said he was going to see magic, he thought it would be a card trick or something. This … oh, this was something else.
Tosh reached out and caught Owen's hand as the sound dropped to mute, shocked at the loss of one of her senses. Owen lost all of his when he drew her into a loose hug, still watching Ianto intently.
Jack and Harry stood at the gateway, eagerly watching the transformation as it began.
Dull paint flakes grew, formed, covered, brightened … eventually the house was pristine Ivory with green apple widow accents.
The veranda straightened, heaved and regrew its curled roof, matching the now ivy green main roof.
The rose bushes bloomed, weeds died and disappeared as they were replaced by violas and daisies.
A pretty white climbing rose snaked up the veranda posts and the house became a home.
Ianto started to wind down the casting, letting his arm drop as the air seemed to undulate, then fade to allow the outside world back in.
Ianto turned, sliding the wand back up his sleeve and grinned at Jack as the front door swung open.
The house was lovely inside, natural colors and tasteful furniture peppered about with room left for special pieces waiting out in the truck.
Harry ran for his room, the one next to the Uncles and found an amazing underwater mural covered his walls as he clapped with joy.
Ianto then removed his wand again and it was flicked silently, pulling the bedroom furniture from the truck to the room and the pirate ship appeared.
The chest of drawers was added, then to Harry's immense delight a huge blue mat that looked like swishing water.
Ianto looked at his child and canted his head as Harry found he couldn't talk, only wave his arms excitedly.
Jack scooped the boy up, throwing him onto the bed and he shrieked with happiness from the pillows shaped like sea creatures.
Rhys was in shock as Gwen led him from room to room, bemoaning their own flat in comparison.
"I don't understand" Rhys whined, "how did he do it?"
"We're wizards!" Harry yelled as he screamed past, chased by a roaring Jack who held a foam sword over his head.
"Wizards."
Ianto stood in front of Rhys and flicked his wand, turning Rhys's red shirt green.
"SHIT!"
Owen snorted as he watched, still holding Tosh's hand and looked down with surprise as she squeezed.
Bloody magic, that was!
Blinder.