Chapter 198 - Magic Is Magic

After a short, but anxiety-charged (mostly from my side) discussion about the tactics of dropping a bucket of news on my grandparents, it was decided that it'd better go in carefully scheduled steps. Maybe it would've been better if I didn't take JJ with me from the start and first let them adjust to my own witchy origins, but there I dug my heels in the ground.

I was so not going to be there on my own.

Because of that, when my grandpa opened the doors before us, letting out the weird, but familiar and comforting mix of scents of food and chemical dyes, both he and my grandma thought that I just came for a visit with my boyfriend. My boyfriend, who under his glamour, was still a vampire.

"Diana! It's so good to see you again. It feels like it's been a century since your last visit. I should've dropped by, too—"

"That's alright," I gave my grandpa a tight hug. I knew it was hard for him to return to store without his son around. "And this is Jean-Jacques. We are dating."

"Oh, of course. It's good to finally meet you." My grandpa straightened up and squared his shoulders, but the "protective male figure" routine just didn't suit his soft soul. It was, however, adorable. "Come on in. I just finished making dinner. Here, there're the guest slippers…"

"The pleasure is all mine," JJ smiled, and my grandpa smiled right back, losing whatever toughness he mustered without even noticed. It was like magic, truly.

My grandma came into the kitchen right after us and was just as glad to see me. With JJ, though, things were a little more complicated.

"Ah, I can see why my granddaughter would like you. She has a picky eye, don't you, Diana? A face like yours, Jean-Jacques, could send out a thousand ships and break a thousand hearts…" Her eyes narrowed for a moment, but then she smiled wickedly. "And what an office romance you two make."

"Good thing I wasn't born a woman," JJ grinned right back at her. "Everyone would've kidnapped me all the time."

I hid my face in my hands from embarrassment. Maybe I was not thinking right about what would be the scariest part of this evening. "Please. Please. Let's…"

"Let's eat. I made baked potatoes with minced meat, it's delicious," my grandpa urged me towards a seating place. "There are also biscuits if you want sweets—"

I sat down, but shook my head. "No, no, no, thank you, but not now, alright, grandpa?"

"Are you sure? Why won't you help yourself to something?" He gestured at all the food that was just lying around, on the table, on the shelves, everywhere. "Oh, look, there are candies… Jean-Jacques, do you want anything? Maybe a drink? Coffee, tea, just water?"

I watched how JJ, who just sat next to me, looked at all that abundance and wilted a little. His "No, I don't need anything, thank you very much," was accompanied by a helpless look at me.

Yeah, sometimes fire looked much less scary than a frying pan. But it was still terrifying. I would have to break that normalcy, that comforting routine, and I'd hate to do it… Too bad I had to.

"Listen, listen, grandpa, grandma!" I raised my voice and paused when everyone's attention was on me. "I actually had something important that I came to say, besides introducing JJ."

"Something important?" My grandma frowned, and I could see her trying to understand. "Did something happen with the store? Did these loan sharks—"

"No, no, the store is doing fine. It's not about that. It's about… well, you must've seen that vampire on news, right?"

My grandpa, not smiling for once, shook his head. "Yes, but it's absurd, isn't it? Vampires, magic. Such weird, weird things going on these days…" with a tired sigh, he sat down in a chair. "But vampires? That's just impossible. Someone was just muddling the water."

"Maybe it's all an American ploy," my grandma supported. "How's that related to what you wanted to say, Diana?"

"Well, it's not an American ploy, for a start. Listen, I…" I took in a deep breath, and when I felt JJ's hand on mine under the table, clenched it. Then I and shot it all out. "Magic exists and I know it for sure because I am a witch and can do magic but I only learnt about it just a month ago and I was afraid to tell you before!"

"What? What are you saying?" My grandpa blinked owlishly. "That's a strange joke… not like you at all, Diana."

"A proof, Diana," JJ whispered in my ear. "They need one now."

I nodded, shakily. It took more effort than usual to take a stray piece of candy from the table and pour light from the overhead lights into it until it began to emit a soft, but clearly visible glow.

"See? Magic." I dropped my hand on my knees, leaving the candy glow on the table. "It's a thing., and not a trick. That's what I wanted to say. Yeah."

I fell silent, not knowing what else to add, while my grandparents digested that revelation. It killed me to see the shaken expressions on their faces, the questions in their eyes.

My grandma was the first one to gather herself together. "Witch? Diana, but how can that be? You… I helped to raise you! You were just a normal girl, never went out with any goths or other satanists—"

"Witches aren't satanists! We are just, like…" I waved my fingers in the air. "Magicians, but with real magic. Wizards! And I only found that I was one a month ago."

"Wizards? Like in these Harry Potter books? Do you have a magic wand, then? Did someone send you a letter from a magic school?" That was my grandpa joining in. I had to goggle at him in pure shock.

"Magic school? Damn, I wish! I'm sure there's no such thing. And no one calls normal people 'muggles'. These are just stories!.. Where did that even came from?"