The southern gentleman knew that his family would love her. The man had already told them all about Charley and his mother was always ready smiling knowing he had found someone who very well might be the one for him. Each day they asked how she was doing and he said that she was good, even though he might of gotten a letter from her the night prior. Being a wizard meant you didn’t always have to have a cell phone, but the thought of getting one was high on the list. No one in his family except for his father and mother had one due to the military. The military families all used one to relay information and it was something his father needed for work for sure. Kent and Leslie, his grandparents, didn’t care much for the cell phones and so, they didn’t have these items. The other grandparents he had had cell phones and they always wondered why James chose not to have one, though they didn’t argue with him. ”Me too, first time I tired doing it I lost an inch off my hair.” Smiling at her, he played with the ends. ”Ah, that explains it then! I was always wondering why your hair looked shorter that year.” The man said with a smile, knowing it was probably going to tease her a little bit. ”I’m ready whenever you are.” With that, they headed into the hotel.

Mr. Foster was very happy to see James and the young woman. ”It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Foster.” The man took her hand and inhaled sharply. ”Please, call me Smiley. Anyone who is a friend of this young fella, is a friend of mine.” James thanked the man and took out plenty of floo powder for the two of them to use. The man was sure that his father and mother were probably working as well as the rest of his family. “He seems very nice; I’m guessing he’s a friend of the family?” James looked back at the older gentleman and back at Charley. ”Him and my grandmother, Leslie, both went to Salem together and grew up in Columbiana. They call each other cousins and sometimes, I think he had a crush on her for the longest time, but he married and divorced and has three kids all of them my mom’s age.” The young man said and put some floo powder in her hands.

”Alright, I think we both know how this work, but… stand in the middle and say Brechin Farms… It should take you directly there, no problem. If you want, I can go first or you can.” The man was giving her the option and once she made the decision he smiled and went his turn. As he stepped from the fireplace, he looked around his grandparents log cabin and smiled.

They were both in the nice living area and no one was there, except for a black poodle that was laying on the couch. ”That’s Jock, his is my grandfather poodle. My parents own his mate and daughter, Precious and Princess. My sister, Emma, own a large Australian Shepherd/Mutt Mix as well as an owl and my brother has a Siberian Husky around here, but he also has an owl. I have my cat and an Owl.” The man said as he scratched Jock behind the ears and looked out the glass door. No one was on the muggle side of the farm, which meant they were on the magical side.

The man smiled at her laughter and chuckled as she nudged him slightly with her body. It was funny to catch her on some things that she wasn’t completely expecting. ”I didn’t even know you were paying that much attention to me.” The man couldn’t help but smile at her in a way that told her that she had been watched for a long time. Did she really have no idea? Or was he that good at hiding it? The man had always felt something about her, but being a young man at the time, he was unsure how to act. So, what did he do? The man watched her from afar, protecting her from a distance at the school, ready to hurt anyone who dared to mess with her. Then, when he became Captain of the Quidditch team, it went even further. While she had been a keeper, he had been a seeker and when the snitch was staying hidden, he stayed very close to her goals, watching and protecting her from someone who might want to harm her. After a moment, the man chuckled and his voice rose from his chest. ”I must have been good at staying in the background… If you had a scratch on you, in view, I knew about it. I might not have known the reason, Charlotte DuBois, but I was always watching out for you.” The woman was older, but that didn’t matter. The man kept a very close eye on her and now, she knew that.

After they were in the Inn, James smiled at the conversation between her and her older wizard. ”Alright then, Smiley.” James chuckled and after a quick ‘good-bye’ they headed to the fireplace. ”It’s nice that he was able to stay friends with her.” The man looked over at her before they left and nodded. His grandmother had a good relationship with nearly everyone she knew and that was something that helped him as he grew. If he needed something, his grandmother knew where to go.

Finally, he was home. The feeling of being in his grandparents room was one that he loved and he took in a deep breath and allowed the scent of home take over his scents. Ah, it was nice to be back in Alabama and one could tell he was right at home in the country. Sure, the man loved his cabins but he also wanted to live in a place where he could see the forest around him and a house with large glass windows that went from floor to ceiling was perfect. The open feeling would make them all feel good and he liked it that way. When she went over to Jock, he smiled to see how they would do together. The black poodle liked her hand and curved his head as she scratched his head. ”Bit different than my pet alligators, huh?” The man chuckled and walked over towards her.

”Yea, I would say that.” The little black dog was quick to return to his sleeping before James walked to the front, glass door. Looking out at the horses that were non-magical he saw no one out there and smiled. ”Come on. Back door.” The man took her hand and lead her around the reclining chairs into the dining room and then into the kitchen. On the stove was some cornbread and James grab some of it and handed her a slice. ”Geegee makes some damn good cornbread.” The man said to her, barely realizing that he used a name he had never used before. As he opened the backdoor, they stepped out on a large back porch where there was a driveway with a few trucks sitting back there and a few trails that lead into the forest. It was beautiful and the sun shown down into the oaks, pine, maples, and many other different trees.

Was the man trying to get a reaction from her? Or was he just wanting her to know the truth? It was possible the man was after both, but in his mind, he just wanted the truth and an reaction was only going to be something he enjoyed in the years to come. The man would remember everything he could about her, every detail she shared with him both vocally and physically. Everything she said, did, talked about… He would put in his memory and when he was away from her, replay each one of them. Pictures were something they would get too, that way he would have them at Salem his last year.

“James… I…” That was the expression he could not help but smile at. The fact that she had been completely off guard made him smile and he leaned over and kissed her forehead. ”I never knew, but I am so happy I stopped to talk to you by the lake.” The man smiled and looked down at her hand as she squeezed it before kissing his cheek. The man didn’t have anything to say to that, just smiled at her. As they walked through the house, the pictures moved from the memories they held. One was of him and his siblings, playing outside with their muggle cousins. A football in his hand and the rest running and dog pilling on him. Another was a family picture of his parents and siblings, his father in a military uniform and his siblings and mother dressed to match. Another of his father and him holding a medal he had won during one of his summer breaks. The man had his hand on his son’s shoulder and the words at the bottom read “Junior Basic Training” which spoke volume to most witches and wizards. It told them that James didn’t care about working with wizards or witches, he just wanted to do what he loved and one of those things was being like his muggle father.

Seeing her eyes turn to the non-magical equine in the front yard was one that made him laugh. ”Beautiful, huh?” The man had a tender side, but a stern side too and most saw that when he worked with the horses he loved. ”Just wait till you see the Unicorn and Pegasus, they are bigger.” The man said to her as they walked through the house and through the kitchen. As he chewed on his own, the sound of her voice caught his ears. ”This is amazing.” The man looked over at her and nodded. ”I told you they were good. Geegee will make sure ya eat good when you are here." The man said before they walked outside on the large back porch. The color of the wood was dark, stained to look almost black like railroad ties looked.

The man moved to a set of steps that lead to the ground and took the twelve steps down to the drive way. It was then that one noticed that the house set slightly on a hill and the back porch was about ten feet off the ground. ”It’s really nice here, James.” James smiled at her and chuckled. ”Yea, it is something I could never get tired of. Come with me.” The man said, taking her hand and leading her towards a shed away from the house. ”If I am right, they are back at the magical barn, it is about thirty minute walk, but we can cover it quicker on this.” The man said as he opened the shed to show off a four wheeler. The man looked at her and smiled. ”Hope you don’t mind the muggle ways. My family likes to go back and forth, even though my mother is a pureblood.” And it was the reason his family in England didn’t always like them.

As Charley watched them a few young foals bounded around and ran around the small herd they had out in the fields so the muggles could see them all and they could get some extra money. Smiling at the horses that moved about the front pasture, he couldn’t wait to start working with the young foals this fall and getting them trained to become great show horses. As they started to move through the house, the sound of her question made him laugh. ”Bigger? Bigger than those?” The man glanced over at her for a moment and nodded. ”Magical equines are normally bigger than their non-magical counter parts. Witches and wizards can find uses for all the equines, but Pegasus and Unicorns have a lot of great qualities… And then there are ones some of us can’t see.” The man said to her before he open the door and chuckled at her next question. ”I don’t have to ride the unicorn or the Pegasus right?”

”Not without me. Unicorns and Pegasus have to form a bond with you before they will allow you to ride them and being a man, it is even harder for Unicorns to form a relationship with me, but I have learned how.” The man said to her as they walked down the stairs to the gravel driveway and then to the shed. It was nice to finally get to bring her to his home, to let her see the beauty of his home. The woods of Alabama were not like the swamps of Louisiana. Instead of water everywhere, creeks ran through the woods and trails were well worn by walking and driving, not boats and reptiles.

As he showed her the four wheeler, the woman didn’t mind the idea it seemed. ”I don’t mind.” James smiled and he pushed the four wheeler out of the shed and grabbed the helmet for her to wear. ”I normally don’t wear this, but I want you to be safe. It can get bumpy and if you fell off, I don’t want you to bump your head.” The man said as he got on the fourwheeler and stayed standing until she was on. ”Am I going to be okay in my skirt?” James smiled and nodded. ”Make sure you sit on it and put as much under you as possible. My mom does it all the time when she rides behind me.” The man smiled at her and cranked the engine.

Watching as she enjoyed looking out over the pasture, the man was happy when she took his hand and they moved towards the four-wheeler and he handed her the helmet. The man wanted to make sure she was safe and he wouldn't do anything until she had that on her head.

"I think I can handle some coriding.” The man smiled as she mentioned she could handle co-riding and that was a good thing. As he prepared everything, he glanced over at her when she pulled her hair back and put the helmet. "Do I still look cute?” The man smiled and kissed whatever part of her face he could. "Always." The man said to her before he got on the small wheeled vehicle and she got on. Cranking up the thing, he revved the engine a few times, checking all the things before he glanced back at her.

"Hold on, Cajun Gypsy." Giving her a wink, he moved the wheeled vehicle forward and moved into the trails and the forest. Going through the trees, the man had a smile on his face and he was careful not to go to fast around the curves. As they moved, he came to a stop slightly and pointed towards the left. "That's one of our equine, Charley... She is the oldest one we have and she has mothered a lot of others." If she looked, she would see a beautiful, large Pegasus looking at them from the forest, her age barely showing as she was well cared for. She was twice the size of the non-magical equine and she stood maybe twenty five yards into the forest. White pelt glistened as the sun dotted her coat through the trees.

After a moment, he started forward again and moved a bit faster then prior before a barn loomed ahead of them in the middle of the forest. Two older people were talking to each other as they went towards their truck, stopping when he came towards them. As he stopped the four wheeler and cut it off. "Hey Geegee, Hey Grandma... Charley, this is my grandparents, the magical ones... They started this business... Meet Dot and David." The man smiled at them and they smiled at the young lady.

"Hello Charlotte, we have heard a lot of good things about you sweetie." His grandmother said to her as she leaned in for a big hug before looking behind her. "James, your mom and dad are inside, it seems Helga is not feeling well." His smile moved off his face and he nodded, stepping off the four wheeler and offering his hand to Charley. If she took it, she would be lead into the barn where his mother was looking over a beautiful Unicorn and his father stood back observing. Seeing them coming towards them, the muggle man stood up straight and smiled at his son.

"Hey Son." James walked over to them and looked at Charley. "Charley, this is my father, James Senior... That's my mother, Lindsey, she is a master with the Unicorns." When Charley looked at the beast she would see that she was a little smaller then the Pegasus they had original saw, but still fairly large. "Whats wrong with her mom?"

"I think it is just the age and the fact that she is just not happy about not being bred this season... She always loved foals."

Watching as she had gotten off the four-wheeler, he smiled as she observed the large winged horse, which was white in color and had a white mane and tail. Her hooves were black as well as her eyes and her feathers held a blue-ish tint to them. "She's gorgeous." James smiled and as she got back on the vehicle, he chuckled. "Her breed is known as Abraxan... Roman Mythology says that they pulled the Chariot of Aurora, the Dawn... The French Magical school has a herd too and sometimes my mom and grandfather fly some over there so we can trade for a few new blood lines... We have a few other friends in Roman and other places in that area that uses them and breeds them. Grandfather is one of the only breeders who has all the winged and Wingless horses." James spoke with great pride in knowing his grandfather was good at his jout b. As they moved on towards the barn, most of the animals were hidden within' the woods, all having their own private area near by and the barn only used for the ill or those that were needed.

As she met his grandparents, he watched and smiled, catching a wink from his grandfather that was returned with a slight chuckle. "It’s nice to meet you both.” As his grandmother hugged Charley, James smiled, knowing that it was done and that she had been accepted. "Thank you; I’ve heard good things about all of you as well.” As the older man shook her hand, he joined them, though it was only a faint moment before they had left, getting in the old dodge truck and heading back down the trail he had come from. "My family is pretty use to using muggle transportation. Something they had to learn from the beginning."

As they made their way into the barn, James saw the beautiful white unicorn looking at him from where she stood in the back. Helga was one of the first unicorns they had and she trusted all the men in the family, which was extremely rare, but the women in the family always had a special touch with them. Lindsey smoothed her hand over the neck of the large equine and smiled at her as she looked up into her eyes.

"It’s nice to meet you both.” Lindsey smiled at Charley and patted the unicorns neck before coming to the door. Lindsey smelt like hay and dirt, but it was something that James was rather use to. "Will she be okay?” Lindsey looked over her shoulder and nodded.

"She will be fine... At her age, we don't want to risk another pregnancy... She loves foals but we don't want her getting jealous of the other mares so we keep her in her own paddock and in the barn so she doesn't hurt anyone... Once the foals are born, she will be back with them and love them like an aunt... She is just a bit depressed. Only being able to see the other mares through a fence and touch them on their heads only... It is not something she likes." James leaned on the stall wall with his father. The man looked at the mare that moved towards them and the muggle man was able to touch her head.

"Not many muggles get to do this... Still amazing too me." The man said as she nuzzled his hand and nibbled on the end of his fingers with her large lips. "James, why don't you show her the foal paddock, we have two young foals out there that were born a week ago." James smiled and looked at her. Lindsey stepped out of the stall and nodded. "Yes, that would be a good idea, I have to check on them anyway and I need your help James."