Caroline & The Wizard

Chapter Two

By: Jana~

~~Disclaimer~~

(Link doesn't work? See below.)

*****~*****

--"I know Dad, I know…" Richard said into the phone… "I know I should've told her in the beginning… I was worried she'd act exactly like this!" He heard the door creak open, and he turned to see Caroline peeking in… "Gotta go Dad… she's back."

He hung up the phone and watched as Caroline walked slowly into the loft, staying a distance away from him…

Richard didn't dare approach her, she looked like she might run away if he did… "Please, Caroline, can we talk about this? Please? I love you so much… please, let's just talk…"

"I feel like I don't know you anymore." She spoke with a quiet, unsure voice… "Like everything I knew about you is a lie."

"It's not. I never actually lied to you. You never asked me if I was a wizard, I just didn't volunteer the information."

She glared at him with an expression he recognized immediately…

"Ok, ok… that's lame. I know. But, I didn't want to upset you. I didn't want to freak you out." He sighed… "I didn't want you to leave me." he added sadly…

"I don't know what to think of all this Richard. In the blink of an eye it feels like my whole life is different."

"But it's not. I'm still me."

She didn't respond right away, she just looked at the ground. Finally… "Have you ever used your… you know… 'power', while we've been together?"

"Yes."

"When?"

He shrugged… "To change the litter box. It's how I used to change Gabby's diapers, until she got a bit older and I thought maybe she'd understand and tell you. Just… with chores mostly."

"Like how? Show me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You won't run away again?"

"Don't give me a reason to…"

He smiled… "Fair enough."

He took his wand and with a flick of his wrist and a few spoken words, the dishes began to clean themselves.

She watched for a moment, then approached the sink to get a closer look. She looked at Richard briefly, then reached out to touch a plate that was being scrubbed by an unmanned scrubber sponge. The sponge promptly but lightly smacked her hand and she jumped back…

Richard pointed his wand at the assailant… "Ah-ah-ah!" he scolded it, and it bowed to Caroline before continuing its duties.

"Unreal." She whispered as she watched in awe…

When he was sure she'd seen enough, he flicked his wrist again, a few odd words later the dishes and sponge dropped lifelessly into the sink.

"Now can we talk?" he asked carefully… she nodded with a slight smile.

Relieved, he exhaled sharply, his eyes closing as he gathered her into his arms… "You mean everything to me…" he whispered… "You and Gabby. I would never hurt either of you… or anybody."

"I know…" she whispered back… "I just… didn't know what to think. Still don't."

"I will explain it all to you, as much or as little as you want to know…"

"Let's start with the school." She suggested…

"Hogwarts. A very good school."

"Does it teach, like, reading and math and such?"

"Not as subjects themselves, but yes, that is taught."

"So, if Gabby went, she'd learn to use powers…"

"Yes."

"Isn't she a bit young? I mean, what if she learns stuff and… has troubles with how to… use it?"

"Actually, this is a good age to start. If she were to get much older, she may discover on her own her abilities and things could get… sticky."

"How so?"

"Well, as a rule, we are not to use our powers around Muggles, except in situations like ours, cause we're married. But, if she were to happen upon her powers, and a Muggle were to see, well, there are council teams who will have to… clean up the mess."

"I don't understand."

"I know, it's all a lot to take in. I'll explain that later. For Gabby to go now would be a good thing, the sooner she understands and learns balance and control the better."

She nodded… "So, we tell her this, and what if she freaks?"

"We'll talk to her… help her to understand. If she doesn't want to go… she doesn't have to."

"Ok…

He took her hand and clasped it between his… "Are you alright?"

"I will be. I have a million questions, but we can do them a few at a time."

He smiled and kissed her lips, and she melted into the warm familiar sensation…

"I love you Caroline." He whispered as he kissed from her jaw-line to her neck…

"I love you too." She breathed her reply, swept by his affections.

*****~*****

--Gabby walked through the door of her apartment, unaware of situation that had been simmering while she'd been at school and Girl Scouts…

"Whoa…" she stopped in her tracks as she looked at her parents, instantly realizing something was off… "Are you guys fighting or something?"

Richard smiled, and Caroline forced a smile to match… "No, sweetie, we're not fighting…" he told his daughter…

"But we do have something important to discuss with you…" Caroline added…

Richard gestured to the couch, and Gabby took a seat, setting her backpack aside… "What's up?"

He held out the letter, but before handing it to her, he prefaced a few points… "This came for you today. Now, it might be a bit confusing for you… at first… but we'll answer any and all of your questions, ok?"

She nodded as she took the letter from her father's hand, then began to read…

"What is this?" she asked as she looked beyond the parchment at her parents…

"There is something your father hasn't shared with us before…" Caroline interjected, looking to Richard to continue…

After he shot Caroline a brief smile, he turned to his daughter… "I'm a wizard."

She said nothing, her expression barely changing…

"Your grandma is a witch…" he continued… "As is your great grandma…"

"Ok…" she acknowledged him, then her stare moved over to her mom…

"I didn't know any of this until today." Caroline clarified… "I'm a… Muggle… apparently."

Gabby scowled at the unfamiliar word… "A huh?"

"A Muggle…" Richard explained… "Is a person with no magical blood."

"So, what does that make me?"

"Well, it makes you Gabby, our beautiful daughter… but it also means that you have the potential to become a witch… if you so choose to."

"Aren't witches like… green with big ugly noses and black pointy hats that make spells and hurt people? Like in Wizard of Oz?"

He chuckled… "That is a common misconception amongst Muggles. Witches are simply females with magical blood… who have the ability to use magical powers. Some do use their powers for evil, and dabble in the Dark Arts, but no one in our family history has ever become dark wizards or witches."

"And so… this school…"

"Is a very good school. I went there. Your grandma went there…"

"And I would live there? Like boarding school?"

"Yes. It's very much like a boarding school."

"Would I be allowed to come home if I decided I didn't like it?" Gabby asked worriedly…

Caroline nodded as Richard replied… "Yes. Of course."

"Can you… do stuff? Like change a frog into something else?"

His daughter's enthusiasm made him smile… "Do you have a frog?"

She smiled sheepishly, looking so much like her mother at that moment… "No."

He reached into the pocket of his painting smock and pulled out his wand. A flick of his wrist, a few special phrases, and a frog appeared on the couch beside Gabby…

"You do now."

"Whoa! Cool!" she exclaimed excitedly… "Do something else!"

He looked to Caroline, making sure she wasn't upset. Seeing her smile gave him his answer, and he turned to Gabby… "Alright…" flick of the wrist, uttered words, then he smiled… "Look in your pocket."

She pulled out a coin of some kind, but it was like no currency she'd ever seen before… "What is this?"

"It's a Sickle. That is wizard money."

"Wizards have their own money? Cool!"

"So, Gabby…" Caroline spoke up… "Do you think you'd like to try Hogwarts? And see if you like it?"

Her daughter's smile faded, her expression turning serious… "I think so. But, am I gonna be the only one there who doesn't know anything about this stuff?"

"Most will know some stuff, some will be like you, raised as a Muggle, little knowledge of the wizard's way of life."

"And if I don't like it, I can come home?"

"Absolutely."

"What will we tell my friends? My school?"

"The truth." Richard replied… "That you are going away to a boarding school for your next term."

She nodded… "Ok. Yeah… I would like to go."

He was obviously excited… "Then you shall go."

*****~*****

--Caroline climbed into bed nervously. She had been to bed with Richard by her side for more than a dozen years, but the day's events changed things. Her husband was the same man she married, the same man she climbed into bed with and made love to the night before, but knowledge can be a tricky thing. She was now aware of something that made her feel uneasy about being in his presence. She didn't think he would hurt her… she knew he wouldn't… but she felt-- She didn't know what she felt.

He climbed into bed and kissed her lips softly, like he always did, but he felt her hesitance…

"You ok?" he asked gently…

"Yeah. Just thinking, where are we going to get that list of supplies? I don't know where to buy most of that stuff…"

"Diagon Alley." He replied at once…

"What's that?"

"It's like a strip of shops. Tricky to get to… Muggles would never be able to find it… which is the idea."

"Oh. Ok."

He could only see her in profile, but he could tell she was anxious… her body was tense… "Would you like to talk about stuff?"

She just shrugged.

"Talk to me Caroline…"

"I don't know how anymore…" she replied softly… "I don't even know what it is I'm feeling. How can I put it into words?"

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek… "I know you've had a lot handed to you today, and I just want to help you if I can…" he nuzzled up to her ear… "Help you understand… adjust… relax…"

She started to respond to his affections, but then suddenly grew stiff in his arms…

He sighed… "What's wrong?"

"Do you use your powers when we're… together?"

His hand raked through his hair in frustration, laying back onto his side of the bed… "I won't lie to you… I have before, yes."

"What? What did you do?"

"It would be difficult to explain."

"Try."

"I can sense what you need… what you desire. I attune myself to you… to please you."

"Like… reading minds?" She shot up in bed… "You can read minds?!"

"Not exactly."

She sighed in frustration… "That's your answer to near about everything."

"I'm sorry Caroline, it's a concept that's difficult to grasp. Most Muggles never do…"

"So, can you or can't you read my mind?"

"It's not a matter of can or can't…"

"Then what's it a matter of?"

"Timing. Mood. Openness. Connection. I can read some of your thoughts, when we are attuned to one another. When we make love, our connection is strongest. I can usually read your thoughts when we are being intimate, rarely at other times though."

"And you can't see how upsetting that might be for me?"

"I can. But sweetie, I would never do anything to hurt you, and I would never abuse my powers or use them at the expense of your feelings. When we make love, I am so connected to you, your thoughts and desires float into my head, and I love them! Relish them! Use the knowledge to love you and fulfill your needs."

She turned to look at him, tears in her eyes, and he wiped them away with his thumb with one gentle swipe…

"I just want to make you as happy as you've made me…" he whispered as he touched her face lovingly…

"You do…" she admitted… "And I'm sorry if I'm not handling all this very well…"

"I understand…"

"I mean, it's not every day your husband of over a decade tells you he's a wizard."

"Right."

"I'm not sure how to act around you anymore."

He couldn't help the slight chuckle that escaped his lips… "You act the same as you've always acted. I'm still the same person, Caroline."

"I know, I know…" she sighed… "So you keep saying."

"What about this bothers you? Really…"

"I don't know. I know you would never hurt me… or Gabby…"

"Never."

"I guess I just feel… inferior? Maybe?" she wrinkled her nose, looking sheepish, waiting for the confirmation to that statement…

"I'm not superior to you, Caroline, I just have abilities you don't."

She laughed shortly… "Yeah! To change me into a toad!"

"You know I never would. Besides, I'm partial to your current form." He slid his hand up her leg to rest high on her thigh as he began to kiss her neck…

She couldn't help but melt into his affections, and soon, the apprehension she felt because he was a wizard flew far from her mind. They made love with a passion that had yet to fade in all their years together.

TO BE CONTINUED IN…

Chapter Three: 'Caroline In Diagon Alley'

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