Blaine stared at his parents, sitting across the kitchen table from him, in incredulity. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had many friends, some even longer than this one, and his parents had never insisted that he tell anyone about their family until now. He was flabbergasted. He'd gone years with being instructed to carefully conceal the truth about the family and now he's told in no uncertain terms that he needs to tell a friend he only knew for a few months?

His parents shared a look as they watched their son's surprise, confusion, and anxiety flicker across his face. "What about the Statute of Secrecy?" he asked desperately. "Surely that prohibits me from telling him."

Marisol straightened her posture from where she had been curled into Devon's bigger frame. "Anak, our situation is a bit more unique than the usual case and you know that. The Ministry of Magic is willing to give us this small favor to acknowledge the sacrifices this family has already made for our world's security."

Blaine scoffed, "This hardly feels like a favor, more like an ultimatum."

"Son, you have to understand the pressure we're all under. By agreeing to what we have, we have to be careful with who we do or don't let into this family..." Devon began, but Blaine cut in.

"Kurt and I are just friends. Yes, I slept over at his house after that party, but nothing happened." Blaine blurted exasperatedly. With a small sheepish smile, he sent his father an apologetic look, totally ignoring his mother's knowing smirk.

Devon pursed his lips, disliking being interrupted, but he knew his son well and understood that Blaine did not mean to disrespect him. "Be that as it may, you care deeply for this boy. That alone makes him a target."

Blaine stared at his father defiantly. "So what, am I supposed to stop caring about him?" he snapped petulantly. He knew he was acting like a little kid, but he didn't care. He didn't want to admit that his father was right and that he would have to go through with what they wanted him to do, whether he liked the idea or not.

"Of course not." His father gave him a look that made Blaine feel even more ridiculous for his outburst. "However, because he is now a possible target, he deserves the chance to make his own decision about his situation. It isn't fair to keep him in the dark, when his and his family's lives are in potential danger."

Blaine looked away. He knew they were right. He had to tell Kurt the truth, but he was terrified. What if, after Kurt heard him out, he chose to forget the whole thing? What if he chose the memory charm over the risk of being Blaine Anderson's friend? Blaine wasn't sure he could stand it. Kurt was special to him. He wasn't sure how, but somehow he had grown so attached to the boy. If he were forced to live without him at this point... he himself would rather a memory charm instead.

Marisol reached across the table and took one of Blaine's hands in both of hers. "Blaine Ibon, you don't have to make a decision right now. Take a week or two to think about it," she paused and looked at Devon for confirmation. At his nod, she continued, "Neither of us expect you to make such a hard decision so soon."

All Blaine managed was a half smile, half grimace for his mother.

KEH.BDA

A few weeks later...

"What's made you so happy today, Ibon?" Marisol called from the kitchen to her son as he practically skipped up the stairs to his room.

Blaine paused halfway up the staircase, and ducked his head down to give his mother a huge, cheesy grin. "Kurt is my boyfriend!" he exclaimed in a singsong. "And," he jumped down a few stairs to the disapproving glare of his mother, "we're doing a duet for regionals!"

Marisol's eyes widened in shock, "What? Ibon, you can't risk something like that without... Now you really have to tell him."

The blood drained from Blaine's face at that. "I can't... What if... what if he freaks out before the competition? I can't ruin the Warblers' chance at Nationals!" Blaine knew he was scrambling at any excuse now, but still, he had to try. Anything. He had just realized how much Kurt meant to him, he wasn't going to lose him within a day. His heart wouldn't be able to survive it.

"And what if the wrong people see you perform with him or when you go out on a date with him and they think he's the perfect way to get back at our family? Shouldn't he have a say in whether he wants to deal with that or not?" Marisol drew in a long breath, trying to calm her frayed nerves, as she moved closer to her son with her hands out to pat him, rub his shoulder, hold him. She wasn't sure which, so she settled for all three. "I'm not trying to be mean or cruel, Ibon. I want you to be able to live as close to a normal life as possible, but what would you do if something happened to him and he never knew why?"

Blaine sank into his mother's embrace, soaking up all the comfort he could from it. He knew she was right. He'd known he would only be able to postpone the inevitable for so long, but that didn't make him any less worried about the outcome. Now that Kurt was his first boyfriend, the thought of him leaving him was amplified tenfold. He was sure he was falling in love with the beautiful countertenor, but to lose him so soon after finding him? Still, he couldn't help but picture the heartbroken and betrayed expression Kurt would wear if he ever found out the truth and then realized Blaine had been keeping it from him. Blaine knew that Kurt hated being lied to as much as he hated for people to make decisions for him. There's only one option open to him really. He had to tell him, just... after Regionals.

A few days later...

They lost. It was inevitable, what with the New Directions doing original songs and all, but the loss still smarted when he thought about it. He knew Kurt was taking it hard too. He can't help but think that Kurt would rather be with the New Directions heading to Nationals. The snide part of him, that has haunted him since the day his parents sat him down in the kitchen, sneers that once he tells Kurt the truth, he'll probably choose the memory charm and he might as well be in a new school for all the interaction Blaine will have with him after that.

He shook his head, refocusing on the task at hand. They were burying Pavarotti under a tree. Kurt liked the symbolism of the barren tree that would soon be blooming with gorgeous cherry blossoms come spring. It was Kurt's favorite tree and now it would be the final resting place of the Warbler's mascot.

Kurt dropped a handful of dirt into the hole. "Fair well, sweet prince," he murmured sadly.

"I'm so sorry Kurt." Blaine flashed him a grim smile before continuing to scoop dirt atop the small box. "I know this is very upsetting for you." He stood up when the casket was completely covered to glance at his sniffling boyfriend. He couldn't stand to see Kurt cry. Granted, it was Kurt's emotional rendition of "Blackbird" that made him realize how much he cared for the countertenor, but it still broke his heart each time he saw those beautiful glasz eyes fill with tears. It made him want to protect him from anything that could ever hurt him, which only strengthened his decision to tell Kurt the truth today. Even if he had to lose Kurt to a memory charm, it'd be better than losing him because the wrong people found out about their relationship. He bent down to smooth the dirt over the grave. "It reminds you of your mom's funeral, doesn't it?"

Kurt rolled the single rose between his fingers as he continued to sniffle. "The casket was bigger," he frowned slightly and nodded, "but yes." He fidgeted. "It's not just that though." Blaine began to irrationally panic that perhaps Kurt already knew about his family and wanted to break up, but a second later Kurt slayed his fears. "Honestly, I'm upset that we lost at regionals."

Blaine surveyed the grave with pursed lips and worry lines forming between his brows. "The competition season is over, but we'll still get to perform," he assured. "We do nursing home shows all the time." He turned with a mischievous glint in his eye. "And do you know how many Gaps there are in Ohio? Tons." The beginning of a smirk died as he noticed his joke didn't succeed in lifting Kurt's mood.

"Yeah, I just really," Kurt set the rose on the grave, "really wanted to win."

A thought came to Blaine, and despite the fact that their relationship wouldn't last much longer, he decided to say it anyway. "You did win. And so did I." Kurt finally looked back at him, a confused expression on his face. "We got each other out of all of this." Finally, he got a slow smile out of Kurt and his heart soared. "Beats a lousy trophy, don't you think?" He reached down to take Kurt's hand, his smile growing as Kurt took it.

Walking away and swinging their hands between them in a heartwarming, childish gesture, Blaine almost succeeded in pushing his troubling thoughts out of his mind before Kurt reminded him of them. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Blaine sighed and took comfort from Kurt's hand gripping his tightly in support. "It'll have to wait until we get home. It... It's not something that should be discussed in public."

Kurt turned to him worriedly, momentarily halting their progress back to their cars. "That sounds... ominous..."

"Yeah..." was all Blaine could manage. He tried to smile at Kurt, but he didn't think he managed it based on the fact that his boyfriend looked even more concerned.

KEH.BDA

The boys were finally settled in Blaine's bedroom. A plate of cookies and glasses of milk left untouched on the bedside table as Kurt watched Blaine pace the floor at the foot of the bed from his perch against the headboard. Whatever it was that Blaine had to say to him, it was big and Kurt was sure he wasn't going to like whatever it was if it distressed his boyfriend this much. "Blaine, whatever it is you need to tell me, you can trust me. I won't tell anyone."

Blaine halted and swiveled to look at Kurt, his eyes a whirlpool of emotions. "It's not that... I mean, it is, but it's not just that. I-it's not that simple..."

Kurt reached over and pulled Blaine down to sit beside him on the bed, squeezing his arm reassuringly. "Sweetie, I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong." He tried to meet Blaine's eyes, but the dark haired boy resolutely stared at his lap. The taller boy scooted closer and grabbed one of the other boy's hands to intertwine their fingers, hoping that this small gesture would loosen Blaine's tongue.

It took a couple of moments, as Blaine seemed to be gathering his thoughts, but he finally spoke, "Kurt, what I am about to tell you is very dangerous information, and you have to promise not to repeat this to anyone, not even your dad."

Kurt's eyes widened. The scenarios that had been playing around in his head as he waited for Blaine to speak were thrown out. This was definitely not how he thought this conversation would start. "Blaine, your kind of scaring me. Why can't I tell my dad? I mean you know I don't keep secrets from him ever since the Karofsky thing." Kurt wasn't sure he wanted to hear whatever it was Blaine needed to tell him.

"I know that, Kurt, and I understand. But this is important. It's bigger than you, your dad or both our families." Blaine bit his lip anxiously and looked up at Kurt. "Please, just... trust me?"

Kurt stared at Blaine's earnest eyes. He did trust Blaine, but this conversation was quickly turning into something more serious than he thought new boyfriends should be dealing with. Still, he knew he cared about Blaine far more than a teenager in his first relationship should when it's only been a week since they got together. He already loved Blaine dearly as a friend and he was sure that he was quickly falling in love with the charming Warbler. Kurt closed his eyes for a moment, before pinning Blaine with a determined gaze. "Okay, I promise I won't tell anyone."

Blaine looked both relieved and slightly nauseous at this, but nodded curtly. He continued to nibble on his lip and Kurt had a mind to scold him for it if they weren't in the middle of such a solemn conversation. "I... please don't be mad, but I... I haven't been completely honest. About my family." Kurt kept quiet, though he was suddenly burning with questions. The other boy who was usually so verbose was clearly struggling to say what he wanted to say, and Kurt didn't think he should interrupt his thoughts by peppering him with a thousand questions. "I told you that my parents are doctors and that is why they aren't home very often. I lied." A tinge of hurt ran through Kurt's chest, but he ignored it in order to listen to Blaine. "They are... well, I guess they are closer to something like a cross between FBI agents and researchers, except what they work with and protect are magical."

"What do you mean magical?" Something told Kurt that Blaine wasn't just getting creative with his adjectives.

Blaine kept glancing at Kurt and back to their hands and so forth, and the fidgety behavior was beginning to give Kurt a headache. "I mean, that my family works with magic because they are magical."

Kurt blinked owlishly at Blaine. He felt like his mind was traveling through sludge at the rate his mind comprehended things. "As in voodoo, palm reading, and fortune telling? Are you telling me your parents are those fake seers who scam money out of people by predicting vague futures and reciting facts that the client has already told them?"

A chuckle escaped Blaine at the other boy's assumption, breaking the tension that was previously hovering around them, and shook his head. "No, as in flying broomsticks, wands, and magical creatures. And I'm telling you that my mom is a witch and my father is a wizard." Amusement settled on the dark haired boy's face as he peered up into the taller boy's face.

Kurt did not see the hilarity in this statement at all. He pulled his hand from Blaine, causing the good humor to drop from the other boy's expression. The countertenor scowled. "You expect me to believe that stuff is real? I think you've read and watched Harry Potter too many times. You're beginning to think that..."

Blaine cut him off, not liking the direction his boyfriend's response was going, "That what? That world is real? It is real, Kurt." Blaine's face was serious and earnest. 'Oh my god,' Kurt thought, 'Blaine actually believed what he was saying.'

Kurt stood abruptly, unable to sit still when his boyfriend was being absolutely ridiculous. "Blaine, this isn't funny. If you aren't going to tell me what is really going on, then I'm leaving."

Blaine scrambled from his bed, grabbing ahold of Kurt's forearm desperately. "No! I'm sorry, I don't know how to explain this any better than I am. I'm not playing around." He cast his eyes around his room, searching for something to help him prove his point. Somehow in all the worrying about telling Kurt the truth, he never stopped to figure out how to convince him that he wasn't a complete lunatic. Then he remembered. He knew just the thing. "Wait here, I'll prove it to you!"

He ran to his closet, pulling a chair closer as he went, and stood on it to reach the top. He rummaged a bit before his fingers found what he was looking for. He snatched it up and returned to Kurt's side, flipping to the first few pages of the photo album. He thrust it under his boyfriend's nose, forcing him to see the moving pictures of his family—wizard photos.

Kurt blinked at it in confusion, staring as a little Blaine smiled cheekily at him and waved. "I don't understand. Are these some kind of new holographic pictures?"

Blaine sighed exasperatedly. "Kurt these are magical pictures. They move because of magic. Don't you remember the Harry Potter movies?"

"Blaine, they are just books and movies. They aren't real." He pushed the book away, unwilling to listen. He gathered his things and strode to the door, leaving Blaine gaping at him, unable to get his tongue to work. "I'll... I'll call you later."

He didn't call.