They pulled into the driveway. Dan followed Kat to the front door and she rang the bell. Grandma answered and gave them both a weird look before inviting them in. Dan couldn’t help feeling like his condition was a bit more transparent in her eyes. He was embarrassed but hopeful. Their mom wasn’t able to see past Kat’s spell, but maybe Grandma could.
Something unusual happened moments after they passed under the doorway. The familiar decor began to ripple and fold. They watched the living room stretch out. Stacks of spell books, cauldrons, and ornate decorations popped into existence in the extra space. An assortment of wands and flasks appeared on a nearby table. The lights flickered out and were replaced with candles. As suddenly as it had started, the shifting scene settled.
“Damn Grandma, you’re really into the whole witch thing aren’t you?” Dan said as he reviewed her inventory.
“Wait... What are you seeing?” Grandma asked.
Dan raised an eyebrow. “Books... Lots of books... Candles and stuff... Why?”
Grandma smiled, “My grandson can use magic?”
“That explains a few things...”
She lifted her hand and caught a wand that had jumped from a nearby table. With a flick, a skirt appeared on Kat, then a shirt and shorts popped into existence on Dan. They both blushed when they realized that Grandma had watched them come in mostly naked.
Grandma looked at Kat. “First of all, happy birthday sweetheart.”
“It looks like you’ve been having fun with your new abilities.”
Kat stuttered, “Uh... Fun might not be the most appropriate word here...”
Grandma looked towards Dan. “Let me guess. You turned your brother into a wizard, then one of you cast a passionate spell, and the other was caught in the cross fire? Now you two have a problem that you can’t solve?”
Kat lowered her head, “Yea...”
“Well... Most young witches don’t realized how risky those sort of spells are. It’s not that they’re evil or dangerous. They just come with side effects that aren’t always predictable.” Grandma explained. “That old saying that love conquers all is a good rule of thumb in the magic world. What they don’t tell you is that lust packs a pretty powerful punch too.”
“I must admit, I’ve never seen this sort of thing between siblings. Kat, is there anyone else I need to worry about?”
Kat blushed, “No... Just us...”
Grandma took a moment to ponder the situation. After a long moment of silence she asked, “Did either of you ever wonder why I have four knockers?”
Dan looked up at her chest. Sure enough, she had four perky breasts pressed against her sweater. Not all that different than Kat’s extras. She looked surprisingly young as well. Maybe only a few years older than their mom. That wasn’t right. Had she always been so young?
She saw Dan’s confused look and continued her explanation. “I’ll spare the details. Grandpa and I tried out some magic in the bedroom. I got these and Grandpa... Well... You don’t want to know what he sprouted...”
Dan wasn’t interested in her sex life and quickly interrupted her. “Grandma... I don’t want to be rude, but why didn’t we ever notice them... And how are you so young?”
She grinned. “One of the benefits of being a witch is that you don’t have to look your age. Non-magic users just see an old lady, you two get to see me as I really am.”
“As for my chest, well... The illusion of normalcy is broken if I point them out. Sorry about that...”
Dan shivered when he remembered the spell that made it OK for Kat to keep him naked. “How did you know I wasn’t supposed to be naked?”
“I didn’t realize it at first, but I’ve got wards in place that let me know when somethings out of whack.” Grandma laughed.
“There are definitely a few things wrong with you two...”
Kat listened, but had been more interested in a nearby stack of books. “What about your house? Where did all of this come from?”
“Ah... This is my true house. What you had seen before was just an illusion.” Grandma answered. "It's a little complicated to pull off, but I can teach you some of the spells if you'd like."
“Oh, speaking of magic. Kat, it’s so nice of you to share your powers with Dan. Not many witches are willing to split their magic like that.”
Dan found it a little humorous that she made such positive assumptions. He knew full well that she didn’t share her magic on purpose.
Kat interrupted. “That’s not exactly what happened...”
Dan added. “Grandma, we need help and didn’t know where else to go...”