Believe

[Carter Kaster]

There were many things in his life that Carter Kaster could be grateful for. Many things that had happened in his life to make him the person he was today. The biggest aspect was his family. He didn't say it often and was more likely to complain about them then to actually acknowledge or thank them, but he did love them. They had made him into the man he was today, the man whom had taken full advantage of every opportunity provided to him. Becoming a part of the Ministry was due in no small part to his father. The love and affection for the man he knew was a massive factor for Carter's initial interest in Politics and Law. With his father's help, he had joined in the hopes of rising up the ranks as his father had. Many of his family members and friends also worked in the Ministry, so it was really no surprise when he had decided to pursue the same career path. It brought them prestige and money, fame and guidance. Though Carter was not in it for the money, it was definitely not something to scoff at either. He had precious little else in his life, a job he could be proud of was any mans dream. Of course, he was now also proud of his relationship with one Kiera Potter. There was a lot at stake for them. She had children and he had a pretty heavy career. She was the daughter in law of the famous Harry Potter. That was one hell of a name to live up to. Still, Carter was his own person, they both knew that and he definitely hoped that Kiera wasn't expecting him to live up to some high expectation in her head, though he didn't really think she did.

Kiera was not the kind of woman that Carter would have expected to fall in love with, but he had, very, very quickly. It often came as a shock to him just how eager he was to have Kiera in his life. He'd only known her for a little over two years, but already he couldn't see his life without her in it. This was one of the reasons why Carter was so nervous and excited at the same time. He had been thinking about it for a while, a couple of weeks and he was now absolutely positive that he wanted to take their relationship to the next level. Carter was very nervous though. He'd only been engaged once before and that had been a mutual agreement between himself and Kaya. They actually hadn't proposed and no-one else knew about it, well, except for Kiera, he'd told her ages ago. He hadn't felt about Kaya the way he now felt about Kiera and had was eternally grateful that things never want further with his now dear friend. In truth, it had been to Kaya he had confided about tonight. She was married now and expecting her first child, but Carter still considered her very highly and was glad for her opinion. Kaya thought it was sweet that he had gone to see her, but had eventually told him that this was all up to him and that she couldn't really help. In all honesty, Carter had known that, but he supposed he wanted to see how it felt to say it all out loud. It felt amazing. Now he just had to tell Kiera, because despite everything, he loved her more than he could ever say and he wanted her to know that. He wanted her to be his forever and he wanted to her hers too. Smiling to himself, Carter pocketed the little black box and calmed his nerves. Today was just a normal evening, with a slight twist.

Carter walked into Ollivanders and found Kiera fixing a stack of wands. He smiled and waled up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist. "Kiera, why don't you close up the shop and we can go out. We haven't been out to dinner in a while, let me treat you." He kissed her gently just below her ear and nuzzled her neck. "I think the wands will be just fine and it's not the busy season. You can relax."
​

 

[Kiera Kaster]

The holidays were a difficult time for Kiera because they brought back painful memories of a lost love. James had disappeared five years ago this past New Year's Eve. The day was the darkest one of the entire year for her followed by Christmas Eve which was her wedding anniversary. Yes, the holidays were a difficult time, but they were also a time for celebration of thanksgiving. She had so many wonderful things for her to be thankful for in her life right now. She had three beautiful, happy, and unique children that brought joy and happiness into her life on a daily basis. It was hard for Kiera to believe that her twins would be ten on their next birthday, and the baby would be five. She couldn't help but think they were growing up too fast. She missed her tiny babies. Kiera was lucky that her family was supportive and loving. They had welcomed Carter Kaster into their lives after the election when they realized that he did have real feelings for her. Carter was a wonderful man that accepted her and her children into his life without any questions asked. The children loved him and enjoyed spending time with them. Love had not come easy for Kiera. It had taken time for her to open herself back up to the possibility of love again after James. It had been painful at times, but Carter had made it easier for her. He was patient and willing to take it slow. Of course, they had been through their ups and downs especially with the Minister for Magic elections, but it had made them stronger as a couple.

Kiera was happily retired from her Quidditch career and working full time in Ollivander's. She had several assistants that helped her with the first year rush during the school break, but most of the year, she worked alone creating new wands. Kiera was tidying up the shop when she heard the door open. She was tired of first years assuming there was dust in the shop when she frequently dusted the shelves to the shop pleasant. The brunette woman felt two arms wrap around her slender waist. She smiled softly at the voice in her ear and the kiss on her neck. She turned to face Carter. "I'm surprised you managed to get away so early today." she replied, knowing that Carter spent long hours at the Ministry. He was devoted to his career and making it a success. Still, she put down the wands she had been re-shelving. "I think that I could close up early for you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up to kiss him. "What did you have in mind?" Kiera asked with a smile.
​

 

[Carter Kaster]

Carter smiled down at Kiera as she turned in his arms and spoke. He shrugged slightly. He'd been planning this for a couple of days so he'd arranged to get off early. "It's not that early really. I probably would have just been filing, what with all the new Wizengamot business we have going on. Things are a little muddled at the moment. I expect it to get better fairly soon however." He told her, thinking about how much time they would save after the reorganising of the Wizengamot. If it all went smoothly they would hopefully get so much done a lot quicker. He looked back at her when she told him that she might be able to close up earlier and leaned forward slightly when she wrapped her arms around his neck. He accepted the kiss before pulling away and taking her hands instead. "Not entirely sure yet, but it's been a while since we've had a date night, I was able to get off work early, so I thought, why not get some time in with you?" He grinned at her before looking around the shop. It always managed to look immaculate, not at all like the dusty old shop back home in Germany. "Let's make it up as we go along."

Carter let go of Kiera and walked back out of the shop. He would wait out here whilst she got the shop all locked up. Wands were a valuable commodity on the black market, Carter always worried when she was there alone. Not that he doubted she would be able to take care of herself, two years of knowing her told him that, but you just never knew what people were thinking, or how you would react in any given situation. It was better to be safe than sorry. "We can do whatever you fancy. Drinks, dancing, dinner, we can even go back to your place and hang around on the sofa if you want. I just want to spend some time with you." He didn't want to take the chance of losing his nerve by changing the routine they usually had. Losing his nerve would be no good to him at all. "You look lovely by the way." Had he said that yet? He didn't think he had. Now he had, so that should be that, unless he'd said it twice? No, he was fine, he hadn't said it yet. "There's a small concert on down near the harbour if you want to go and see that. I'm honestly completely open."
​

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera nodded her head, understandingly. She knew that the Ministry was restructuring the Wizengamot, and it sounded as if the structure would be much better than before. Kiera knew that it was a lot of work for those involved, and Carter had been very busy preparing for the past few weeks. The brunette smiled as Carter spoke. "I love that you wanted to spend some time with me." she said. It wasn't easy to get date nights between with three children and work. Kiera knew Carter would have a much easier time if he dated someone else that didn't have all of the baggage that she had. Still, he chose to be a part of their lives. She grinned at him and nodded in agreement to make it up as they went. "Wait outside while I lock up. I will be right out. I promise." she said, reaching up and placing a quick kiss on his cheek. He was more than a head taller than she was, and it was a stretch to reach up that high.

Kiera entered the back store room to grab her purse. Her wand was already with her. She went back out the front door. The slender woman took out her wand and placed the enchantments that kept those who would steal from her out. She had the best security spells in place to keep thieves out of Ollivander's. Kiera turned and walked to where Carter was waiting for her with a smile on her face. "All ready." she told him, confidently. The brunette pursed her lips as she considered her options. She was dressed nicely, but not fancy. Yet, he complimented her. "No, you haven't but I appreciate the compliment all the same. You don't look have bad yourself." she teased him. He mentioned a concert down near the harbour. While it sounded like fun, she was hesitant to go down there. It held special memories for her of James, who had already been in her thoughts a lot today. Still, Kiera knew that James would want her to be happy. To move on. "Sure. That sounds like fun." she agreed as looked up at him. Kiera interlaced her fingers with Carter's as she walked with him down the cobblestone path.
​

 

[Carter Kaster]

When Carter had envisioned his life in New Zealand, Kiera had not featured in it at all. He had honestly figured himself to die alone. Given that his mother rarely picked a woman that he thought suitable and he was very picky with the type of person he would think to spend his life with, a life here had never factored into his equations. She had come as a complete surprise to him. Not that he minded that at all of course. He was definitely very happy to have Kiera in his life, Lyra, Link and Jemma were beautiful kids and he was lucky to have met them. They all got along very well with his family which had really been his only concern. Yet his mother had put aside her meddling ways and allowed this to go wherever it went. She didn't hound Carter as she once had with Kaya, but the intention was still there. Carter wouldn't have minded so much if his mother had pushed him into asking Kiera to marry him. It was something he had started considering not very long into their relationship, but it was something he had never mentioned. Their relationship, though strong, had come out of Kiera's loss of her husband and Carter was painfully aware of that. He could almost feel James Potter, as though he might be a third person in their duo. He understood that they were married for a long time and had three kids together, but he also hoped that James would understand too and be happy for Kiera to move on.

Carter smiled and Kiera and happily looked down at himself with her compliment. "You're right, I do, don't I?" Carter wasn't exactly a modest man, but he certainly wasn't being overtly serious either. Just a bit of fun between them to help lighten the mood. Not that the mood was sour in any sense of the word, he just liked being a little silly sometimes. Most people thought him a fairly serious kind of guy, but his close friends and family knew better. He nodded lightly when Kiera agreed to the concert and looked down at their hands as she intertwined them. It was something he'd never really thought much of until the first time he'd walked with Kiera and she had done the same. He'd never done it with Kaya, she much preferred to take Carter's arm, but this always felt much more intimate to him. He really rather liked it. "Don't stop holding my hand like that, Kiera. I like it." He chuckled slightly before looking out at the harbour. It was a beautiful view, definitely. He was so glad he had moved here. He couldn't imagine being with Kiera anywhere else. "What kind of concert do you suppose this is going to be? I can't imagine it's big, I don't see too many people."
​

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera laughed and hit Carter playfully on the shoulder as he seemed awfully proud of his looks. "Don't be smug, or I won't compliment you in the future." she said, not meaning it at all. She actually found confidence to be a very attractive quality. Her track record would show she liked men who might have had too much confidence. Link, Alex, James, and now Carter. The brunette woman looked up at the tall man who had brought her heart back to life in a way that she thought had been dead forever. Kiera was lucky to have found someone who accepted every part of her even the part that had been shattered by James' disappearance. Carter brought a smile to her face and made her laugh. Somehow, there relationship had survived through the challenging Minister for Magic race and every hurtle that had been thrown their way. She was happy in a way that she hadn't thought would be possible five years ago.

Kiera looked up at Carter as he told her not to stop holding his hand. It was an odd request, and it was hardly the first time she had held his head, but she smiled anyways. "I don't plan on letting go of you anytime soon." she said with a smirk on her face. "I believe it is a string quartet. I think I saw an announcement the other day." Kiera said pursing her lips as she tried to remember. When they arrived at the open space by the docks, she saw that she had remembered correctly. Kiera smiled in appreciation of the beautiful music sounding throughout the Harbour. Carter was also right. There weren't many people out tonight despite the warm weather. The sun was starting to set. A shiver ran through her. "Gorgeous." she breathed a sigh and moved closer to Carter.
​

 

[Carter Kaster]

Carter feigned pain as Kiera smacked him and pouted slightly at her. As she spoke his face broke into a grin and he nodded his understanding. "Yes, dear." Kiera made Carter a very happy man and he liked to think that he did the same for her. Though their relationship had not been a smooth road, love was never a fairytale. He would make sure it wasn't. Most fairytales ended in tragedy and Carter would much rather keep away from that. He ducked to whisper in her ear. "But I know you enjoy it." His confidence was something she fell in love with. He knew that, because it was the same quality he also enjoyed in her. They were similar in all the right ways and different too. Opposites didn't always attract, but two adults, who've seen the world and know what they want? That was a recipe for love. Though Kiera wasn't the type of woman Carter would have thought to fall in love with, he knew that she was the right person for him. She was smart, funny and kind. All the qualities that really mattered in a person. She was sophisticated and thought she often seemed a little too opinionated, Carter loved her for it all the more.

He smiled down at her as she spoke. The longer they were together, the more nervous he got. He'd never been so nervous in his life and his free hand often twitched to the wand in his pocket. Though he was quite adept at wandless magic, he knew he would be nervous and always found it safer to bring his wand, just incase. The ring box was shrunk and in his pocket, mostly so that Kiera wouldn't see it, but also so that he could feel it close to him. Hopefully it would mean that he wouldn't chicken out. It was a strange feeling and to be quite honest, he really just wanted to stop feeling it. "String Quartet? That should be lovely." He could propose in front of a String Quartet. That might be rather nice actually. The got closer to the music and Carter saw Kiera smile. He squeezed her hand lightly as she appreciated the music. Carter had an appreciation for the fine arts, but it was nothing to his appreciation of Kiera. Everything just seemed much more enjoyable in her presence. He smiled as she moved closer to him and he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into him. The music was really quite beautiful and it was very easily setting the mood for him. "Kiera, I love you."
​

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera turned her head to hide her smile. He was right, of course. She did love his confidence and it was so very attractive. She only hid her smile to keep him from thinking he was right all the time. Kiera didn't want him to get that idea into his head even if he was usually correct. It was good to keep his guessing. She wanted to always have the ability to surprise him. Kiera loved surprises, besides he could get so smug, though she also didn't really mind that either. Carter often seemed to be able to read her mind. It had not taken that long for Carter to become familiar with Kiera's quirks and habits. He was extremely observant, and it seemed she couldn't put much past him. Despite her initial resistance to Carter's advances, Kiera adored him and all of his arrogance, especially his persistence. He had won her over with his wit, charisma, intelligence, and even his stubbornness. Stubbornness was a trait they shared, and Kiera would have thought that was a recipe for explosive arguments and fights, but that didn't seem to be the case. Not that they never fought, but the fights were infrequent and never lasted long.

The pair had just reached the Harbour where the Quartet was preforming when Carter slipped his arm around Kiera's slim waist and pulled her close. The brunette melted into him perfectly despite the size difference between the two. Kiera was just over five feet tall, so she tilted her head up to look at Carter who stood over a foot taller than her. His eyes shone even in the dimming light as he told her he loved her. She never doubted those words. The look on his face was enough to convince her of their absoluteness. Kiera's mouth quirked up at the corners as she looked up at him. "I know. I love you, too." she told him simply. It was the truth. She did love him. He had healed a part of her that she thought was damaged irrevocably after James' disappearance, and the brunette wasn't certain he knew it. "Would you like to dance?" Kiera asked. She didn't notice if anyone else was dancing nor did she care. All she cared about was spending time with Carter.
​

 

[Carter Kaster]

Carter had given all of this so much thought. Had someone asked him years ago where he saw himself in the future, standing here with Kiera would not have been his answer. In truth he would have thought to be married with kids already. That was something that very nearly happened. Luckily for him though, everything that happened to him in his life seemed to be leading him to this point. He smiled down at Kiera as she looked up to him, reciprocating his feelings in the way only she could. Carter's relationship to Kiera meant a lot more to him than just mere companionship and the thoughts of marriage had honestly been very far from him mind. He knew she'd been through this before and didn't want to complicate things between them and were he another man, he might even have been content for just her companionship. Marriage and mutual trust were valued quite highly by Carter's family. He would never consider not marrying Kiera because he couldn't see himself with anyone else in his life. She fit so perfectly that it was like she had been there the whole time. She got along with his mother, something he hadn't quite expected and she was respectful of him and his views as he was of her. This was something that only came around once in a life time. He wasn't about to let it go to waste.

Carter smiled at Kiera and nodded as she asked him to dance. He took her hands in his and kissed her hands. "I do. But I have to ask you something first." This was it. Show time. Carter rubbed his thumbs gently over her knuckles and looked down into her eyes. "Kiera, when we met two years ago, neither of us knew who the other was. It was a completely random meeting, could have happened to anyone really..." He lifted a hand to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. "But it happened to us. We met." He wasn't really sure where he was going with this, but he was determined to get to his point sometime this century. "I've often thought about what might have been for me if we hadn't met then. Where would I be now?" He looked out at the small group of people swaying gently to the music of the quartet. "Certainly not here with you. Probably sat behind some desk somewhere, going over all those errors, fixing other peoples mistakes. I wouldn't smile near as much as I do with you." He smiled at her and sighed. "You know I'm serious about my work. You know that sometimes I can be... a little too preoccupied with things at the Ministry and I forget to look after myself, look after you..." He shook his head and turned back to face her. "But you help me. You are so capable of doing it on your own that I sometimes forget that you'd hit me if I ever tried to assume you couldn't do something, not that I would ever assume that of you. I learned my lesson." He grinned slightly and moved his hands to his pockets, finding his box and tapping it with his wand. Carter swallowed nervously and slowly bent to his knee. "What I'm trying to say... is that I need you. More than I would ever have imagined. You're this amazing and beautiful person and you have so much compassion for everyone... for me. And so much patience." He presented the open box to her, showing her the ring. "Kiera, would you perhaps consider.... marrying me?"
​

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera's honey eyes looked up at Carter's curiously as he said he had something he wanted to ask her before they danced. It struck her as a little odd, but she nodded her head as he took her by the hands. She wasn't quite sure what Carter was going on about as he recounted the start of their relationship. She knew it had been happenstance and could have gone a completely different way. Luckily, they both had a streak of rebelliousness in them, albeit Kiera's was probably more than just a streak. Whenever she was told she couldn't do something, she had always grown more determined to do whatever it was. Eventually, he got to the point of the evening. Kiera gasped as he dropped down to one knee, knowing what was coming based off of every romantic comedy she had ever seen. Her previous proposal had been nothing like this one. James had never gotten down on one knee and asked for her hand in marriage. In fact, it had been spontaneous, in a bed, while undressed. She had still technically been dating Alex at that point. It definitely wasn't the wisest she had ever been, but she had never regretted her decision. She had her children and had experienced a great, epic love that many people would be lucky to have once in their life.

Yet now, standing before her was another man, professing his love for her. He was saying all of these wonderful things about her and his love for her. All of which she knew to be true. And, Kiera loved him. She really did. She had been so lucky to have a second love. It was different from her love for James, but no less important or less fierce. Kiera had never imagined that someone like Carter would come into her life and steal her heart away. She had dreamed that she would only ever love James and would remain alone for the remainder of her days. Never had she imagined that she would get a second great love. Carter was kind, thoughtful, romantic, respectful, and accepted and loved her children. He had fit himself perfectly into her life before she had realized it or had time to push him away. He was meant to be there. She knew it. Now, he was asking Kiera if she would marry him with hope and love in his eyes. It was a bittersweet moment for her. It was the start of a new life and love with Carter. One that she knew would be filled with love and laughter, but it was also firmly shutting the door and locking it on her life with James. Without her consent, tears welled up in her eyes for what reason she wasn't sure. The brunette smiled, perhaps a little coyly, at Carter. "I believe I could take your proposal into consideration." she said, teasing him only a little. "I will marry you." she said firmly. Kiera wrapped her arms around Carter, who wasn't too far below eye level now that he was kneeling, and kissed him. "I love you." she said, with the implied promise of the words. It was only now that she noticed the details of the ring. It was gorgeous and oddly colored. A solitaire diamond that appeared blue, and red, and white as the light hit it. She wondered if it had magical properties since she had never seen anything like it. "Can I try it on?" Kiera asked with a smile.
​

 

[Carter Kaster]

Carter truly could not recall a time where he had ever felt as nervous as he did right now. Just watching Kiera as she thought everything over was possibly the longest moment in his entire life. Carter was generally a really confident guy. He always weighed the outcomes of things before he did anything and nine times out of ten he usually knew what was happening. To say that he was nervous in this moment was a very, very big understatement. Seeing the emotions flit across Kiera's face was giving Carter a moment of clarity. He'd known coming into this that Kiera had some heavy passions in her past. The son of Harry Potter, who could compete with that? There had been a time where Carter himself had looked at her past with a narrowed eye. But he knew better now. He was not completing with James Potter, he was working in tangent with the man to ensure the future happiness of the woman they both loved. It had taken Carter a while to come to this conclusion, but the moment he had, he knew he had to marry her. This marriage was not for Kiera though, this would be for him and maybe, perhaps it would also be for James.

Kiera's eyes soon started to tear and she finally smiled. Carter let out a breath, one he had not been sure he could let go of and grinned at her words. He wrapped her up in a hug as she agreed to marry him and stood, swinging her around slightly. There was some applause from their spectators, but Carter was not interested in paying attention to them. All that existed for him now was Kiera. His soon to be wife. "I love you, more than anything." He plucked the ring out of the box and nodded as she asked to try it on. He knew it would look gorgeous on her, he'd spent a lot of time picking it out and he was very well satisfied that he had picked the right ring. He slid it onto Kiera's finger carefully and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "It changes colours during the seasons. Every three months it'll be like you have a completely new ring." He was honestly quite proud of that. Though he had decided that James Potter was not his enemy, he still wanted to one up the man on something and he very much doubted that James had given Kiera such a ring. "Thank you." he didn't know if he was thanking Kiera, or James, but the words hung in the air as he looked down at Kiera and gave her a soft kiss before pulling her into a hug. Carter could tell he was going to have a really great year.

---

End!​

---

---

---

​

---