Fic: Vile Violent Vacations 30/30 (SPN/HP) PG-13, Gen
Title: Vile Violent Vacations 30/30
Author: hells_half_acre
Fandoms: Harry Potter, Supernatural
Rating: PG-13 (for language)
Genre: Gen
Warnings: Spoilers for all Harry Potter books, spoilers for Supernatural until 5x10.
Disclaimer: This is a transformative work of fiction for entertainment purposes only.
AN: Sequel to Damned Demented Demons and Bobby and Hermione - An Epistolary Fic . Updates every Wednesday (PST).
Previous Chapters:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29
Summary: In which Harry learns the truth and the Winchesters hear from Bobby
“It is not you I have come to see,” Firenze replied, as he walked down the hill towards them slowly. “Nevertheless, I am pleased that you are well.”
“Likewise,” Harry replied. Dean watched warily as Firenze circled them. He came to a stop at the spot that had been behind Sam, and then, much as Gali had, he looked up at the night sky.
“You’ve come to me about the prophecy,” Firenze said.
“For your wisdom, yes,” Harry replied. “Sam and Dean had a prophe-”
“Have,” Firenze said, interrupting.
“Sorry?” Harry asked.
“The Brothers,” Firenze said. “There is a prophecy they are attempting to defy.”
“No,” Harry replied, “it’s already happ-"
“Harry,” Dean sighed, “I’m sorry, but he's is right. The seals were only act one...or maybe that was act two, I don’t know...there’s more to it than that.”
“What?” Harry asked.
“You are wondering,” Firenze said, ignoring Harry completely and focusing on Sam and Dean, “if there is a way out - a way to stop the earth from turning, the stars from burning, and the end from arriving.”
“Is there?” Sam asked.
“At great distances two stars can appear as one, yet it is from these great distances that your prophecy comes to us.” Firenze said, waving a hand towards the sliver of sky that Dean could see through the trees above them. “The very ancient reaches of the galaxy contain your fates. The message of which has traveled to us for thousands upon thousands of years - so long, that we are not to know whether the stars whose lights are said to foretell your destiny even still exist.”
“What does that mean?” Dean asked.
“If what you seek is hope, I am afraid I will leave you disappointed,” Firenze replied. “I am not powerful enough to provide you with such a thing. I can only tell you what lights the night sky. I have not the vision to see beyond - no earthly being does.”
Dean nodded. He figured as much. It was the same spiel that Castiel had given them when they had found Chuck.
“The angels-” Sam started to say.
“Cannot see beyond either, though they may feign otherwise” Firenze finished. “Even with Harry’s prophecy, there was a possibility that Voldemort could prevail. It is why I chose to join the fight, through my brothers thought the matter beyond our concern. Your prophecy is also of concern to us, but sadly, the only help we can provide, I have already given.”
The centaur started to move away from them then, back towards the woods. Dean didn’t see how that had been any help at all really. It was just the same doomed message they always got.
“Thank you,” Sam said, but Dean didn’t know what there was to be thankful for.
*
“Harry,” Firenze said, pausing to level Harry with a heavy stare. “It would be good for you to remember that your war is over.”
Harry nodded, though he wasn’t sure what Firenze meant. Harry knew full well that the war was over. He had even stopped having flashbacks.
“I wish you well on your journey, Winchesters” Firenze said.
“It was nice meeting you,” Sam said.
Firenze nodded and then turned and walked back up and over the small rise, giving a nod to Gali, who still stood guard. Gali waved his hand in silent signal, and then gave the Winchesters a long stare.
“It was nice to meet you too, Gali” Harry said.
Gali glances at him, nodded once curtly, and then turned and disappeared into the woods. Around them, Harry could suddenly hear the sound of multiple hoofs moving away through the woods, no longer masking their presence. Harry couldn’t see the numbers, but it sounded like practically the entire herd had been hiding around them in the woods.
“Holy...” Dean muttered, eyes darting into the woods at the noise.
Sam smiled widely at the noise.
“Centaurs!” Sam said. “Centaurs, Dean!”
“I know, Sam, I was there too” Dean rolled his eyes.
“Where the hell is their center of gravity?” Sam mumbled.
“What’s the rest of it?” Harry asked, and both Winchesters turned to each other before they turned to him, and that was enough for Harry to know that the rest of it wasn’t ‘And then Sam and Dean defeat the devil and save the world and we all live happily ever after.’ Harry knew logically of course, that it couldn’t be anything good - the Seer had killed himself, the Winchesters were...depressed. Harry could see it now, the haunted looks weren’t just from being overworked like Bobby Singer’s letter had implied - there was more to it than that.
“Angels need vessels” Sam said, “it’s...sort of the rules. In order to roam the earth, they need vessels. Castiel has Jimmy, and well, the other angels have other people...it’s not just anyone, it’s specific people, you understand?” Harry nodded, and Sam continued, “The rest of the prophecy is that Michael has to fight Lucifer - they have to do it on earth, because it’s the only neutral ground between Hell and Heaven. So, they need vessels. They need...their true vessels.”
Harry looked from Sam to Dean, trying to piece it together in his head. Maybe Sam and Dean wanted to stop the vessels from accepting the angels. Only, no, because now all the parts of the day that hadn’t made sense to Harry suddenly lined up - the demon yelling at Carrow that Sam couldn’t consent if he were brain-dead - the demon taunting Sam about having a drink to become strong for “daddy” - it was all falling horribly into place, and Harry wished it would stop, because he didn’t want it to be true.
“You...” Harry said.
“We’re the vessels,” Dean said. “Me and Sammy, we’re supposed to...well, we’re supposed to say yes, and then...”
“No,” Harry said. “No, that doesn’t make any sense.”
Both Winchesters were now looking at Harry like he was the one that had been doomed, and maybe he was at this moment, because there was no reason for them to be lying to him right now.
“Dean is Michael’s vessel,” Sam said. “I’m...well...he’s supposed to kill me. That is, Michael is supposed to kill Lucifer, and-“
“And the battle will wipe out more than half the planet,” Dean said. “If they really get going, maybe more.”
“But you love each other,” Harry said. “You wouldn’t-"
“No, no,” Sam said. “We aren’t going to say yes, Harry. We’re going to find another way. We are. I mean, if it was just a matter of Dean killing me, that wouldn’t be so bad, but we have to save everyone else...we can’t have that battle take place. We’ve got to stop it before it gets to that.”
“Sam,” Dean said, and it was a warning.
“And before you ask,” Sam continued, shooting Dean an apologetic look, “I already thought of killing myself so that Lucifer couldn’t get his vessel, but he told me that it wouldn’t work - that he’d just bring me back. More than that, right now we’re hidden from heaven and hell, if one of us dies, then they’ll know where to find us, one way or the other...so unfortunately, it’s just not an option.”
“Of COURSE it’s not an option,” Harry practically yelled, “I wasn’t even thinking- Why would you- I would never-...wait, wait...you already thought-“
“Harry, Harry” Dean said, “It’s alright.”
“No, it’s not” Harry said. “None of this is alright!”
Harry’s mind was racing - there had to be a way out of this. If he used his authority to pull Hermione out of her job at the Ministry, then he could have her researching full time. Prophecy and the gods were usually covered by the Department of Mysteries, and Harry’s only contact there was Draco - but surely they could set aside their differences for this, after all, Draco seemed to get along with Dean for some reason. He could get Ron to take over as Head Auror, and Harry could- but no, there was Ginny to consider. She’d be livid if Harry left for America, and what would he tell his kids? He couldn’t imagine being apart from them for so long. Or Teddy, god, what if something happened to him and Teddy lost yet another father-figure - Harry knew what that was like...no, Harry couldn’t do that to Teddy. He could send Ron to America, but Hermione and the kids would kill him if-
“Harry,” Dean said. “I’m sorry, this is why we didn’t want to tell you.”
“We’ve got it covered,” Sam said. “We’ll take care of it, I promise. We’ll figure something out. Don’t worry. We’ll do everything we can to keep everyone safe.”
Harry ran a hand through his hair and tried to calm down. What had Firenze said about the prophecy - it had come from the ancient skies or something and...
“Harry,” Dean said. “Let’s just go back to your place, ok? Come on, warming charms or not, it’s cold out here, and I could use a drink.”
...and Firenze had told Harry that he’d already fought his war. Harry looked over at the Winchesters, their broad shoulders and concerned faces...
“Yeah,” Harry said, “let’s go home.”
*
Harry apparated them back to the steps of Grimmauld Place once they left Hogwarts’ gates.
“I think I liked it better when Sam was a delicate flower and we had to take the train,” Dean said, trying to keep his dinner in his stomach.
Harry smiled softly, and it was the most Dean had gotten out of him since they told him about the prophecy. Well, that and a promise not to tell anyone else about how doomed they all were - at least, not until Dean and Sam left. Harry had agreed once Dean told him how nice it had been to hang out with people who didn’t know. Dean glanced at Sam in time to catch the look of concern and regret directed at the back of Harry’s head, just before Harry opened the front door and they walked into another world.
The warmth of the house enveloped them. Dean and Sam quickly shrugged off their coats - the warming charms the kids had done now fading. There was a duel exclamation of “Daddy!” from the direction of the kitchen, and then Harry’s two boys were barrelling toward them down the hallway. Ginny followed behind them with a huge smile on her face, and a sleepy toddler in her arms.
“Our heroes are home!” Ginny singsonged, more to Lily then to them, though she winked towards them while she said it. “Hugs for everyone!”
Lily’s hug for her father was actually more of a complete transfer of bodyweight, as she leaned out of her mother’s arms, forcing Harry to carry her instead.
“Someone is sleepy,” Harry said, kissing Lily’s forehead. Ginny hugged him herself then, before turning and hugging Sam and Dean as well. The two boys hugged their father too, and then hugged Sam and Dean’s legs.
“Thank you for saving Teddy,” James said, “He’s my favourite.”
“Mine too!” Albus said.
“Uh, well, it’s a good thing you both agree on that,” Dean laughed.
“Boys,” Harry said, with a distressed look on his face.
“Relax, Harry,” Ginny laughed. “They don’t mean it like that - watch: Boys!” Both boys looked at Ginny, “I think I’ll send Albus off to live with Uncle Charlie.”
“No!” James said, suddenly hugging Albus to him, “He’s my favourite!”
“Dragons!” Albus exclaimed, and Dean wasn’t really sure if that was a vote for or against living with this Uncle Charlie person, since the poor kid just looked confused.
“Mum doesn’t mean it,” Harry said. “She’s just being silly.”
“Can Lily come too? And Daddy? And Jamie? And Samdean? And Mummy?” Albus asked the room at large.
“Yes, we can all go visit Uncle Charlie,” Harry sighed, “but not tonight.”
“Oh, my mother flooed,” Ginny said. “It seems um...well, we’re about to have a lot of visitors. She’s decided a feast at Hogwarts isn’t nearly enough.”
*
The next morning was spent getting the house ready for guests. Dean and Sam watched the kids play in Harry’s study, while Ginny and Harry tidied up downstairs. Well, really, it was Dean watching the kids and Sam reading every book in Harry’s personal library. Dean didn’t mind.
At lunch, they discussed what other tourist attractions Sam and Dean might want to see before they went back to the states. They talked about maybe seeing a professional Quidditch game, or maybe a soccer game - they hadn’t really decided how long they were staying, but Dean figured a couple of more days would probably be alright, but then they’d absolutely have to go. The longer Dean and Sam slept in Harry’s house, the more they ran the risk of placing Harry’s entire family in danger.
The first person to arrive just as they were finishing lunch was Andromeda, who swept into the room from the fireplace with an unreadable look. Dean saw Harry tense beside him, but Andromeda seemed to have picked Sam as her intended target, which of course, had Dean tensing on reflex.
Sam just stood still as the witch approached him though, a look of faint concern on his face. Then he was being hugged, and surprisingly that was what caused him to look terrified. Dean laughed.
“Thank you,” Andromeda said pulling back from Sam, but keeping a hold on his forearms. “Teddy told me what you did for him.”
“It wasn’t-“ Sam started to say, but then cut himself off, “there’s no need to thank me.”
“You seem to have made it your mission to humble me,” Andromeda laughed, patting Sam on the arm before stepping away. “You’d think I, of all people, would know better than to judge someone too quickly. I apologize again for my words last week, I realize now that my Teddy couldn’t be in safer hands than when he is in the company of you and your brother.”
Andromeda glanced at Dean then, and Dean felt an unexpected blush rise to his cheeks. He ducked his head to try to hide it, and his eyes landed on Albus, who had decided to eat his lunch with his hands and now had sauce and cheese up to his elbows. It was a pretty good excuse to flee the room.
“Come on, Ally,” Dean said, scooping the kid up by his arm pits. “Let’s get you washed up for company.”
Albus giggled as Dean carried him out of the room, and he heard Sam quietly tell Andromeda not to worry about it.
*
“An’ Uncle Charlie said tha’ I couldn’ pet da dragon, ‘cause I was too cute, an’ dey’d eat me,” Albus was saying, as Dean used a washcloth to scrub between the kid's fingers.
“Now dragons I have a hard time believing,” Dean said. “But I agree on the rest of it.”
“Dean,” Sam’s voice came from the bathroom door. “Bill’s here.”
“Oh cool,” Dean said. “I like that guy.”
“He brought his wife,” Sam said. “You have to see her, Dean - he showed me a picture, but it really didn’t do her justice.”
Dean raised an eyebrow.
“Aunt Fleur is pretty,” Albus explained to Dean, then turned to Sam, “Dommy ‘n Lou?”
“Your cousins?” Sam said, “yeah, they’re here too.”
Albus smiled, now starting to fight Dean’s hold on his arm.
“All clean, Dean!” Albus said.
“Hold on, I’ll be the judge of that!” Dean said, slowly inspecting Albus’s hands.
“All cleeeaaaannnn, Deeeaaaannnn!” Albus struggled some more.
Dean laughed and let Albus go, then watched as the kid ran out of the bathroom past Sam’s long legs, and started making his way down the stairs.
Sam led Dean downstairs to the living room. The first newcomers Dean noticed were the two additional children playing with James - and now Albus. There was a girl with braided red hair that looked to be around eight or nine, and a boy with strawberry blond hair that was probably James’ age or maybe a year older. Both children were perhaps the most beautiful children Dean had ever seen - the boy’s features were so delicate that it was really only the short hair and more masculine clothes that told Dean he was looking at a boy.
Then a blond woman stepped into the room from the direction of the kitchen, and yeah, Dean could see what had Sam nervously smoothing down the front of his plaid shirt.
“’ello,” the woman smiled, beautifully too. “You must be Dean, eet ees a pleasure to meet you. I am Fleur, Beel is my ‘usband.”
“Pleasure’s all mine,” Dean smiled, taking Fleur’s offered hand - then realizing it wasn’t offered for a handshake. Blushing, Dean bent slightly and kissed her knuckles.
“Dean,” Sam said beside him.
“No wonder your kids are so beautiful,” Dean said, and for the life of him he wasn’t sure why he was saying it - the woman was married, for God’s sake - not only that, she was married to some dude who took on a werewolf without any guns.
“Ah, ze cheeldren,” Fleur said, “I weel introduce you. Cheeldren!”
“Oui, mama,” the young girl said, as she and her brother appeared by her mother’s side.
“I would like you to meet Dean, ‘e ees Sam’s brother,” Fleur said, then Fleur touched the heads of both her children, “Dean, dees ees my daughter Dominique, et my son Louis.”
Dean dropped to one knee and kissed Dominique’s hand like he had her mother’s, making the girl blush. Then he shook Louis’ hand.
“Nice to meet you guys,” Dean said.
“Nice to meet you too,” they both chorused.
“Now, go play,” Fleur said, as Dean got back up to his feet. “Victoire wrote us dees morning to tell us of Sam’s bravery - I ‘ave to say, eef I were not already married...”
Dean watched as Sam blushed and seemed to no longer know what to do with his hands.
“Fleur, love,” Bill’s voice came from behind his wife, surprising Dean who hadn’t even noticed him enter the room. “It’s not nice to tease...plus, you wouldn’t want me to become insecure, would you?”
“Ah darling,” Fleur said, gliding over to where her husband was leaning casually against the door frame. “Eet ees not often I meet such ‘andsome men, but you know you are all ze man I need.”
“Oh god, not more of that,” Ron’s voice rang out as he entered the room, giving Fleur and Bill a disgusted look. “Honestly, you’d think after so many years and three kids, you’d stop being so...well, whatever the hell you two are.”
“And you are not ze same wit’ ‘ermione?” Fleur challenged.
“Well, that’s different, isn’t it,” Ron protested. “Hermione’s brilliant.”
“And yet eet was mee you asked to ze Yule Ball,” Fleur said.
“Only because of your,” Ron waved a hand vaguely, “ways.”
“Alright, no talking of my wife’s ‘ways’ please,” Bill said.
As Bill, Ron, and Fleur teased each other further, Dean pulled Sam down into a whispered conversation.
“Some sort of succubus or something?” Dean asked, “She’s gotta be. I was practically hitting on another man’s wife, dude, couldn’t even stop myself.”
“Veela” Sam said, “Bill told me about it last week, but I didn’t realize what it- She’s a quarter of something called a Veela.”
“Never heard of it,” Dean said.
“Some European thing,” Sam said.
“Evil?”
“Apparently not, or...well, you don’t want to make them angry.”
“Huh” Dean said, appraising the blond woman with fresh eyes. Now that she was talking with Ron, she seemed almost ordinary - still beautiful, but not the sort of beauty that had caused Dean to kiss people’s hands and flirt so openly with a married woman. Then Fleur caught his eye and smiled, giving him a wink, and Dean completely revised his opinion yet again. Sam laughed.
“Whatever it is, it seems she knows how to use it to her advantage,” Sam said.
*
Harry couldn’t help but watch the Winchesters during the celebratory get-together that Molly had orchestrated on such short notice. He watched them lean in with avid interest, as Fleur recounted the story of the second task - and how it was that she came to respect and care for Harry. She told them a bit about Beauxbatons too, with Hermione chiming in as usual to cite information from Hogwarts: A History. Once George arrived, he watched the Winchesters laugh along with more stories of old pranks and mishaps at the joke shop.
At some point, Harry lost track of them, and found Sam talking with Bill and Fleur, while Dean was nowhere to be found - and for that matter, neither was George. Sam didn’t look worried though, and before Harry could run through all the worst-case scenarios in his head, Dean and George were coming back into the room, with Dean clutching a familiar looking box, eager to show it to Sam. It was Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes’ Auspicious Accessories for Aurors. When Harry asked George if he really thought the gift was a good idea, George had just said, ‘yes’ without elaboration.
Later, Harry watched Dean break up a fight amongst the children that had Albus crying again - and oddly enough, Albus went to Sam, who was closer, to be consoled, rather than seeking out Harry or Ginny. Sam might have looked a little scared and awkward to begin with, but he soon had the small boy giggling. Harry caught Dean look over fondly at Sam’s bright smile, before he returned to organizing the other kids into more cooperative games.
And as Harry watched all this, he really couldn’t imagine Sam or Dean fighting - he knew they did fight on occasion, he had seen it himself - but not any sort of battle to the death. It didn’t make sense that they were the vessels for Michael and Lucifer....well, ok, maybe it made sense, but it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. Somewhere, someone had made a mistake.
Harry couldn’t picture Dean without Sam or Sam without Dean - and if this fight happened...but then, Harry had never been able to picture George without Fred either, and yet, there he was across the room chatting with Ginny, and giving Harry odd looks.
Harry quickly schooled his features and decided it was a good time to go into the kitchen for a drink.
*
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” Ginny asked that evening, long after all their guests had left, the children put to bed, and the Winchesters retired to the spare room. Ginny waited, but Harry only snuggled tighter against her, burying his face in her neck and practically covering her like a blanket. “George is worried - said you were sad when you looked at him tonight. He thought it was something to do with Fred, but it’s not is it? I told him it wasn’t, anyway - told him you’d been off since you got back from Hogwarts Friday night. You have been, you know. I expected you to tell me what the matter is by now.”
“I told them I wouldn’t tell anyone until they left,” Harry said into her shoulder.
“Hm, the Winchesters?” Ginny said. “What don’t they want me to know?”
“They found out about the prophecy,” Harry said.
“Oh Harry,” Ginny said. “You said you were going to tell them - were they very angry?”
“Only a little,” Harry replied. “Castiel seemed to take most of the blame.”
“He seemed like a nice man - or angel, I suppose,” Ginny said, correcting herself, and still trying work her head around the fact that she had met an actual angel. Harry nodded. “So, are they going to kill you, but they don’t want me to know, lest I stop cooking for them?”
Ginny was expecting a laugh, but instead she got Harry scrambling up and looking at her earnestly.
“They wouldn’t,” Harry said. “They’re good people, Ginny - they wouldn’t-”
“Joking, love,” Ginny said. “I was only joking. Of course they aren’t going to kill you - they’d be terrible houseguests if they did.”
“Oh,” Harry said, and flopped back down on top of Ginny, hiding his face again. Ginny brought her hand up and started idly stroking Harry’s hair.
“So, if they were only a little angry...” Ginny prompted.
“They knew the prophecy, Ginny - and it’s so much worse than we thought. And it’s not fair, it’s wrong...it’s...I feel so useless, Gin.”
“Shhh,” Ginny said, “tell me what it is, and we’ll figure it out.”
*
The next morning, just as they were sitting down to breakfast, Hermione and Ron arrived by floo, complete with kids.
“Morning,” Hermione said, then waved a white envelope in the air. “We’ve come with post.”
Harry watched as Hermione handed the letter to Dean, who promptly tore it open.
“From Bobby” Dean muttered to Sam, as he scanned the contents. Harry put down his fork as he watched the crease between Dean’s brows deepen. Finally, Dean turned to Sam. “You remember Donna? Babysitter...from...um...what was it? ’94?”
“Yeah,” Sam said, and then smiled. “She was nice. I liked her...maybe not as much as you did though.”
Dean handed Sam the letter and as Sam read, Dean shifted his attention back to Harry.
“Can you portkey my car anywhere or does it have to go back to Boston?” Dean asked.
“Anywhere, as long as I have co-ordinates,” Harry said, “and as long as you can be sure you won’t be landing on anything - or anyone.”
“Ok, looks like Sammy and I have a gig, so, uh...guess our stay at Hotel Harry has to come to an end, man.” Dean smiled. “We’ll hit the road after breakfast.”
“What?” Harry said, shocked that the Winchesters might actually leave that abruptly.
“Sounds like a poltergeist,” Sam said.
“Can’t it wait a little longer?” Ron said, “I mean - we’ve barely had time to visit what with all the-”
“No,” Dean said. “It’s an old friend, and her daughter’s been attacked. It can’t wait.”
“Oh,” Harry said. “I understand then, of course. Is her daughter ok?”
“Sounds like it, but we won’t know until we get there,” Dean replied, and dug into his breakfast.
Harry had lost his appetite.
*
Sam packed while Dean showed Harry the co-ordinates of a safe drop place on a faded road map of the US. Then Harry watched as Dean and Sam loaded the car with their large duffle bags, and then jogged back to the house to say their goodbyes.
They both crouched down low to say goodbye to the kids, Hermione and Ron’s included, since Harry’s friends had stayed after realizing that it was their last chance to spend time with the Winchesters. Ginny squeezed Harry’s hand and gave him a reassuring look, as Dean patted Ron on the back and Sam said goodbye to Hermione.
“...would have loved to spend more time at that library,” Sam was saying, “maybe next time.”
“Let’s hope,” Hermione said. “It’d be lovely to research with you.”
“Are you trying to steal my wife away from me?” Ron joked.
“I’m sure she’d refuse me if I tried,” Sam laughed. “It was nice seeing you too, Ron. Thanks again for looking after everything while I had uh, that nosebleed the other day.”
“It was great to see you, Sam,” Ron said. “Stay safe.”
“Kind of a hard promise to make in our line of work,” Sam said.
“Right, well, relatively safe then” Ron said.
“Hermione,” Dean said. “It was great to see you again, thanks for the tour of London.”
“Oh, you’re welcome,” Hermione replied. “I only wish we had time for more. Maybe next time?”
“We’ll always have that magic farmhouse and a field full of exorcised demons,” Dean winked. “Ron’s a lucky man.”
Harry laughed as Hermione blushed, and then seemed to get annoyed at herself for doing so.
Next the Winchesters said goodbye to Ginny, thanking her for everything. Finally, Sam, Dean, and Harry, left the warmth of Grimmauld place and walked to the car.
“Listen,” Harry said, before Dean and Sam could speak. “I spoke to Ginny last night and...well, she agreed that if I wanted, I could come with you - to America that is - and help with...the prophecy. The library at Veracruz has an extensive collection on the apocalypse, and maybe it’d make a difference if you had a wizard in your corner, so-...of course, I can’t come right away, because I’ll need some time to uh, get affairs in order, put Ron in charge of the department, that sort of thing-"
“Harry,” Dean interrupted, and Harry saw him look towards Sam, and then Harry’s house, before meeting Harry’s eyes again. “Can you access those books from here at all?”
“Well, I suppose there are inter-library loans,” Harry said, “but I-“
“Harry,” Dean interrupted. “Stay here. Stay with your family, man. You don’t want to do this.”
“I do, I could help” Harry insisted, worried that in the confusion of their early departure, he had come across as insincere in his offer.
“Well, I don’t want you to,” Dean said. “You belong here. Me and Sammy...we only get our friends killed, Harry. Don’t do that to those kids.”
“I...” Harry started, but he didn’t know what to say.
“Harry,” Sam said, giving Dean a small frown, and Harry a sympathetic look. “We really appreciate what you’re offering, but the best way you can help us is to stay safe and look after your family...” then Sam smiled softly, “...and read books. Maybe recruit Hermione though, I trust her research skills a little more than yours.”
Harry couldn’t help the huff of a laugh that escaped him. He really was more of an action-oriented person, and Sam and Dean both knew it...which is why he really didn’t understand why they’d refuse the help.
“We’ll be fine, Harry,” Sam continued. “We’ll figure something out. You don’t have to worry. We’ll keep everyone safe.”
“Thanks for everything, man,” Dean said, “I really mean it. You’ve been a great friend.”
“Yeah, thanks, Harry,” Sam said. “Just the offer means a lot. And hey, once this mess is all taken care of, we’ll give you a call, and maybe we can come back and visit? Or, if you guys want some good pie - we know a couple places.”
“Of course, Sam,” Harry smiled. “I’ll hold you to that. Even if Lucifer is still on the loose, you guys are welcome back anytime.”
“Thanks,” Sam repeated, and then he smiled at Harry and slipped into the passenger seat of the car.
“You remember the co-ordinates?” Dean asked.
“Yes, just outside Housatonic, I remember,” Harry said.
“Hey, thanks for being such a great friend to Sammy,” Dean said softly, “you’ve been...amazingly understanding about...well, you know. It’s nice to know Sam has friends like you.”
“I’m your friend too, Dean” Harry smiled. “Or at least, I thought I was-...you still have the mirror?”
“Yeah,” Dean patted his pocket, and then gave Harry a long look.
“Bye Harry, keep that family of yours safe, ok?” Dean said.
“I will, and if you change your mind about-” Harry started.
“I won’t,” Dean said, opening the driver’s door, “bye man.”
Dean slammed the door shut, and Harry had two Winchesters waiting expectantly for him to say a simple spell and launch them across the Atlantic. Once he said the word, there would be maybe ten seconds in which Harry would know exactly where they were in the world, and then Dean would start the car, pull onto the highway, and the Winchesters would become untraceable - disappearing into the back-roads of America. Harry looked through the front window to see Sam give him a reassuring smile, and, for the briefest moment, Harry actually did believe that everything might turn out alright.
"Portus”
fin.
Author: hells_half_acre
Fandoms: Harry Potter, Supernatural
Rating: PG-13 (for language)
Genre: Gen
Warnings: Spoilers for all Harry Potter books, spoilers for Supernatural until 5x10.
Disclaimer: This is a transformative work of fiction for entertainment purposes only.
AN: Sequel to Damned Demented Demons and Bobby and Hermione - An Epistolary Fic . Updates every Wednesday (PST).
Previous Chapters:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29
Summary: In which Harry learns the truth and the Winchesters hear from Bobby
“It is not you I have come to see,” Firenze replied, as he walked down the hill towards them slowly. “Nevertheless, I am pleased that you are well.”
“Likewise,” Harry replied. Dean watched warily as Firenze circled them. He came to a stop at the spot that had been behind Sam, and then, much as Gali had, he looked up at the night sky.
“You’ve come to me about the prophecy,” Firenze said.
“For your wisdom, yes,” Harry replied. “Sam and Dean had a prophe-”
“Have,” Firenze said, interrupting.
“Sorry?” Harry asked.
“The Brothers,” Firenze said. “There is a prophecy they are attempting to defy.”
“No,” Harry replied, “it’s already happ-"
“Harry,” Dean sighed, “I’m sorry, but he's is right. The seals were only act one...or maybe that was act two, I don’t know...there’s more to it than that.”
“What?” Harry asked.
“You are wondering,” Firenze said, ignoring Harry completely and focusing on Sam and Dean, “if there is a way out - a way to stop the earth from turning, the stars from burning, and the end from arriving.”
“Is there?” Sam asked.
“At great distances two stars can appear as one, yet it is from these great distances that your prophecy comes to us.” Firenze said, waving a hand towards the sliver of sky that Dean could see through the trees above them. “The very ancient reaches of the galaxy contain your fates. The message of which has traveled to us for thousands upon thousands of years - so long, that we are not to know whether the stars whose lights are said to foretell your destiny even still exist.”
“What does that mean?” Dean asked.
“If what you seek is hope, I am afraid I will leave you disappointed,” Firenze replied. “I am not powerful enough to provide you with such a thing. I can only tell you what lights the night sky. I have not the vision to see beyond - no earthly being does.”
Dean nodded. He figured as much. It was the same spiel that Castiel had given them when they had found Chuck.
“The angels-” Sam started to say.
“Cannot see beyond either, though they may feign otherwise” Firenze finished. “Even with Harry’s prophecy, there was a possibility that Voldemort could prevail. It is why I chose to join the fight, through my brothers thought the matter beyond our concern. Your prophecy is also of concern to us, but sadly, the only help we can provide, I have already given.”
The centaur started to move away from them then, back towards the woods. Dean didn’t see how that had been any help at all really. It was just the same doomed message they always got.
“Thank you,” Sam said, but Dean didn’t know what there was to be thankful for.
*
“Harry,” Firenze said, pausing to level Harry with a heavy stare. “It would be good for you to remember that your war is over.”
Harry nodded, though he wasn’t sure what Firenze meant. Harry knew full well that the war was over. He had even stopped having flashbacks.
“I wish you well on your journey, Winchesters” Firenze said.
“It was nice meeting you,” Sam said.
Firenze nodded and then turned and walked back up and over the small rise, giving a nod to Gali, who still stood guard. Gali waved his hand in silent signal, and then gave the Winchesters a long stare.
“It was nice to meet you too, Gali” Harry said.
Gali glances at him, nodded once curtly, and then turned and disappeared into the woods. Around them, Harry could suddenly hear the sound of multiple hoofs moving away through the woods, no longer masking their presence. Harry couldn’t see the numbers, but it sounded like practically the entire herd had been hiding around them in the woods.
“Holy...” Dean muttered, eyes darting into the woods at the noise.
Sam smiled widely at the noise.
“Centaurs!” Sam said. “Centaurs, Dean!”
“I know, Sam, I was there too” Dean rolled his eyes.
“Where the hell is their center of gravity?” Sam mumbled.
“What’s the rest of it?” Harry asked, and both Winchesters turned to each other before they turned to him, and that was enough for Harry to know that the rest of it wasn’t ‘And then Sam and Dean defeat the devil and save the world and we all live happily ever after.’ Harry knew logically of course, that it couldn’t be anything good - the Seer had killed himself, the Winchesters were...depressed. Harry could see it now, the haunted looks weren’t just from being overworked like Bobby Singer’s letter had implied - there was more to it than that.
“Angels need vessels” Sam said, “it’s...sort of the rules. In order to roam the earth, they need vessels. Castiel has Jimmy, and well, the other angels have other people...it’s not just anyone, it’s specific people, you understand?” Harry nodded, and Sam continued, “The rest of the prophecy is that Michael has to fight Lucifer - they have to do it on earth, because it’s the only neutral ground between Hell and Heaven. So, they need vessels. They need...their true vessels.”
Harry looked from Sam to Dean, trying to piece it together in his head. Maybe Sam and Dean wanted to stop the vessels from accepting the angels. Only, no, because now all the parts of the day that hadn’t made sense to Harry suddenly lined up - the demon yelling at Carrow that Sam couldn’t consent if he were brain-dead - the demon taunting Sam about having a drink to become strong for “daddy” - it was all falling horribly into place, and Harry wished it would stop, because he didn’t want it to be true.
“You...” Harry said.
“We’re the vessels,” Dean said. “Me and Sammy, we’re supposed to...well, we’re supposed to say yes, and then...”
“No,” Harry said. “No, that doesn’t make any sense.”
Both Winchesters were now looking at Harry like he was the one that had been doomed, and maybe he was at this moment, because there was no reason for them to be lying to him right now.
“Dean is Michael’s vessel,” Sam said. “I’m...well...he’s supposed to kill me. That is, Michael is supposed to kill Lucifer, and-“
“And the battle will wipe out more than half the planet,” Dean said. “If they really get going, maybe more.”
“But you love each other,” Harry said. “You wouldn’t-"
“No, no,” Sam said. “We aren’t going to say yes, Harry. We’re going to find another way. We are. I mean, if it was just a matter of Dean killing me, that wouldn’t be so bad, but we have to save everyone else...we can’t have that battle take place. We’ve got to stop it before it gets to that.”
“Sam,” Dean said, and it was a warning.
“And before you ask,” Sam continued, shooting Dean an apologetic look, “I already thought of killing myself so that Lucifer couldn’t get his vessel, but he told me that it wouldn’t work - that he’d just bring me back. More than that, right now we’re hidden from heaven and hell, if one of us dies, then they’ll know where to find us, one way or the other...so unfortunately, it’s just not an option.”
“Of COURSE it’s not an option,” Harry practically yelled, “I wasn’t even thinking- Why would you- I would never-...wait, wait...you already thought-“
“Harry, Harry” Dean said, “It’s alright.”
“No, it’s not” Harry said. “None of this is alright!”
Harry’s mind was racing - there had to be a way out of this. If he used his authority to pull Hermione out of her job at the Ministry, then he could have her researching full time. Prophecy and the gods were usually covered by the Department of Mysteries, and Harry’s only contact there was Draco - but surely they could set aside their differences for this, after all, Draco seemed to get along with Dean for some reason. He could get Ron to take over as Head Auror, and Harry could- but no, there was Ginny to consider. She’d be livid if Harry left for America, and what would he tell his kids? He couldn’t imagine being apart from them for so long. Or Teddy, god, what if something happened to him and Teddy lost yet another father-figure - Harry knew what that was like...no, Harry couldn’t do that to Teddy. He could send Ron to America, but Hermione and the kids would kill him if-
“Harry,” Dean said. “I’m sorry, this is why we didn’t want to tell you.”
“We’ve got it covered,” Sam said. “We’ll take care of it, I promise. We’ll figure something out. Don’t worry. We’ll do everything we can to keep everyone safe.”
Harry ran a hand through his hair and tried to calm down. What had Firenze said about the prophecy - it had come from the ancient skies or something and...
“Harry,” Dean said. “Let’s just go back to your place, ok? Come on, warming charms or not, it’s cold out here, and I could use a drink.”
...and Firenze had told Harry that he’d already fought his war. Harry looked over at the Winchesters, their broad shoulders and concerned faces...
“Yeah,” Harry said, “let’s go home.”
*
Harry apparated them back to the steps of Grimmauld Place once they left Hogwarts’ gates.
“I think I liked it better when Sam was a delicate flower and we had to take the train,” Dean said, trying to keep his dinner in his stomach.
Harry smiled softly, and it was the most Dean had gotten out of him since they told him about the prophecy. Well, that and a promise not to tell anyone else about how doomed they all were - at least, not until Dean and Sam left. Harry had agreed once Dean told him how nice it had been to hang out with people who didn’t know. Dean glanced at Sam in time to catch the look of concern and regret directed at the back of Harry’s head, just before Harry opened the front door and they walked into another world.
The warmth of the house enveloped them. Dean and Sam quickly shrugged off their coats - the warming charms the kids had done now fading. There was a duel exclamation of “Daddy!” from the direction of the kitchen, and then Harry’s two boys were barrelling toward them down the hallway. Ginny followed behind them with a huge smile on her face, and a sleepy toddler in her arms.
“Our heroes are home!” Ginny singsonged, more to Lily then to them, though she winked towards them while she said it. “Hugs for everyone!”
Lily’s hug for her father was actually more of a complete transfer of bodyweight, as she leaned out of her mother’s arms, forcing Harry to carry her instead.
“Someone is sleepy,” Harry said, kissing Lily’s forehead. Ginny hugged him herself then, before turning and hugging Sam and Dean as well. The two boys hugged their father too, and then hugged Sam and Dean’s legs.
“Thank you for saving Teddy,” James said, “He’s my favourite.”
“Mine too!” Albus said.
“Uh, well, it’s a good thing you both agree on that,” Dean laughed.
“Boys,” Harry said, with a distressed look on his face.
“Relax, Harry,” Ginny laughed. “They don’t mean it like that - watch: Boys!” Both boys looked at Ginny, “I think I’ll send Albus off to live with Uncle Charlie.”
“No!” James said, suddenly hugging Albus to him, “He’s my favourite!”
“Dragons!” Albus exclaimed, and Dean wasn’t really sure if that was a vote for or against living with this Uncle Charlie person, since the poor kid just looked confused.
“Mum doesn’t mean it,” Harry said. “She’s just being silly.”
“Can Lily come too? And Daddy? And Jamie? And Samdean? And Mummy?” Albus asked the room at large.
“Yes, we can all go visit Uncle Charlie,” Harry sighed, “but not tonight.”
“Oh, my mother flooed,” Ginny said. “It seems um...well, we’re about to have a lot of visitors. She’s decided a feast at Hogwarts isn’t nearly enough.”
*
The next morning was spent getting the house ready for guests. Dean and Sam watched the kids play in Harry’s study, while Ginny and Harry tidied up downstairs. Well, really, it was Dean watching the kids and Sam reading every book in Harry’s personal library. Dean didn’t mind.
At lunch, they discussed what other tourist attractions Sam and Dean might want to see before they went back to the states. They talked about maybe seeing a professional Quidditch game, or maybe a soccer game - they hadn’t really decided how long they were staying, but Dean figured a couple of more days would probably be alright, but then they’d absolutely have to go. The longer Dean and Sam slept in Harry’s house, the more they ran the risk of placing Harry’s entire family in danger.
The first person to arrive just as they were finishing lunch was Andromeda, who swept into the room from the fireplace with an unreadable look. Dean saw Harry tense beside him, but Andromeda seemed to have picked Sam as her intended target, which of course, had Dean tensing on reflex.
Sam just stood still as the witch approached him though, a look of faint concern on his face. Then he was being hugged, and surprisingly that was what caused him to look terrified. Dean laughed.
“Thank you,” Andromeda said pulling back from Sam, but keeping a hold on his forearms. “Teddy told me what you did for him.”
“It wasn’t-“ Sam started to say, but then cut himself off, “there’s no need to thank me.”
“You seem to have made it your mission to humble me,” Andromeda laughed, patting Sam on the arm before stepping away. “You’d think I, of all people, would know better than to judge someone too quickly. I apologize again for my words last week, I realize now that my Teddy couldn’t be in safer hands than when he is in the company of you and your brother.”
Andromeda glanced at Dean then, and Dean felt an unexpected blush rise to his cheeks. He ducked his head to try to hide it, and his eyes landed on Albus, who had decided to eat his lunch with his hands and now had sauce and cheese up to his elbows. It was a pretty good excuse to flee the room.
“Come on, Ally,” Dean said, scooping the kid up by his arm pits. “Let’s get you washed up for company.”
Albus giggled as Dean carried him out of the room, and he heard Sam quietly tell Andromeda not to worry about it.
*
“An’ Uncle Charlie said tha’ I couldn’ pet da dragon, ‘cause I was too cute, an’ dey’d eat me,” Albus was saying, as Dean used a washcloth to scrub between the kid's fingers.
“Now dragons I have a hard time believing,” Dean said. “But I agree on the rest of it.”
“Dean,” Sam’s voice came from the bathroom door. “Bill’s here.”
“Oh cool,” Dean said. “I like that guy.”
“He brought his wife,” Sam said. “You have to see her, Dean - he showed me a picture, but it really didn’t do her justice.”
Dean raised an eyebrow.
“Aunt Fleur is pretty,” Albus explained to Dean, then turned to Sam, “Dommy ‘n Lou?”
“Your cousins?” Sam said, “yeah, they’re here too.”
Albus smiled, now starting to fight Dean’s hold on his arm.
“All clean, Dean!” Albus said.
“Hold on, I’ll be the judge of that!” Dean said, slowly inspecting Albus’s hands.
“All cleeeaaaannnn, Deeeaaaannnn!” Albus struggled some more.
Dean laughed and let Albus go, then watched as the kid ran out of the bathroom past Sam’s long legs, and started making his way down the stairs.
Sam led Dean downstairs to the living room. The first newcomers Dean noticed were the two additional children playing with James - and now Albus. There was a girl with braided red hair that looked to be around eight or nine, and a boy with strawberry blond hair that was probably James’ age or maybe a year older. Both children were perhaps the most beautiful children Dean had ever seen - the boy’s features were so delicate that it was really only the short hair and more masculine clothes that told Dean he was looking at a boy.
Then a blond woman stepped into the room from the direction of the kitchen, and yeah, Dean could see what had Sam nervously smoothing down the front of his plaid shirt.
“’ello,” the woman smiled, beautifully too. “You must be Dean, eet ees a pleasure to meet you. I am Fleur, Beel is my ‘usband.”
“Pleasure’s all mine,” Dean smiled, taking Fleur’s offered hand - then realizing it wasn’t offered for a handshake. Blushing, Dean bent slightly and kissed her knuckles.
“Dean,” Sam said beside him.
“No wonder your kids are so beautiful,” Dean said, and for the life of him he wasn’t sure why he was saying it - the woman was married, for God’s sake - not only that, she was married to some dude who took on a werewolf without any guns.
“Ah, ze cheeldren,” Fleur said, “I weel introduce you. Cheeldren!”
“Oui, mama,” the young girl said, as she and her brother appeared by her mother’s side.
“I would like you to meet Dean, ‘e ees Sam’s brother,” Fleur said, then Fleur touched the heads of both her children, “Dean, dees ees my daughter Dominique, et my son Louis.”
Dean dropped to one knee and kissed Dominique’s hand like he had her mother’s, making the girl blush. Then he shook Louis’ hand.
“Nice to meet you guys,” Dean said.
“Nice to meet you too,” they both chorused.
“Now, go play,” Fleur said, as Dean got back up to his feet. “Victoire wrote us dees morning to tell us of Sam’s bravery - I ‘ave to say, eef I were not already married...”
Dean watched as Sam blushed and seemed to no longer know what to do with his hands.
“Fleur, love,” Bill’s voice came from behind his wife, surprising Dean who hadn’t even noticed him enter the room. “It’s not nice to tease...plus, you wouldn’t want me to become insecure, would you?”
“Ah darling,” Fleur said, gliding over to where her husband was leaning casually against the door frame. “Eet ees not often I meet such ‘andsome men, but you know you are all ze man I need.”
“Oh god, not more of that,” Ron’s voice rang out as he entered the room, giving Fleur and Bill a disgusted look. “Honestly, you’d think after so many years and three kids, you’d stop being so...well, whatever the hell you two are.”
“And you are not ze same wit’ ‘ermione?” Fleur challenged.
“Well, that’s different, isn’t it,” Ron protested. “Hermione’s brilliant.”
“And yet eet was mee you asked to ze Yule Ball,” Fleur said.
“Only because of your,” Ron waved a hand vaguely, “ways.”
“Alright, no talking of my wife’s ‘ways’ please,” Bill said.
As Bill, Ron, and Fleur teased each other further, Dean pulled Sam down into a whispered conversation.
“Some sort of succubus or something?” Dean asked, “She’s gotta be. I was practically hitting on another man’s wife, dude, couldn’t even stop myself.”
“Veela” Sam said, “Bill told me about it last week, but I didn’t realize what it- She’s a quarter of something called a Veela.”
“Never heard of it,” Dean said.
“Some European thing,” Sam said.
“Evil?”
“Apparently not, or...well, you don’t want to make them angry.”
“Huh” Dean said, appraising the blond woman with fresh eyes. Now that she was talking with Ron, she seemed almost ordinary - still beautiful, but not the sort of beauty that had caused Dean to kiss people’s hands and flirt so openly with a married woman. Then Fleur caught his eye and smiled, giving him a wink, and Dean completely revised his opinion yet again. Sam laughed.
“Whatever it is, it seems she knows how to use it to her advantage,” Sam said.
*
Harry couldn’t help but watch the Winchesters during the celebratory get-together that Molly had orchestrated on such short notice. He watched them lean in with avid interest, as Fleur recounted the story of the second task - and how it was that she came to respect and care for Harry. She told them a bit about Beauxbatons too, with Hermione chiming in as usual to cite information from Hogwarts: A History. Once George arrived, he watched the Winchesters laugh along with more stories of old pranks and mishaps at the joke shop.
At some point, Harry lost track of them, and found Sam talking with Bill and Fleur, while Dean was nowhere to be found - and for that matter, neither was George. Sam didn’t look worried though, and before Harry could run through all the worst-case scenarios in his head, Dean and George were coming back into the room, with Dean clutching a familiar looking box, eager to show it to Sam. It was Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes’ Auspicious Accessories for Aurors. When Harry asked George if he really thought the gift was a good idea, George had just said, ‘yes’ without elaboration.
Later, Harry watched Dean break up a fight amongst the children that had Albus crying again - and oddly enough, Albus went to Sam, who was closer, to be consoled, rather than seeking out Harry or Ginny. Sam might have looked a little scared and awkward to begin with, but he soon had the small boy giggling. Harry caught Dean look over fondly at Sam’s bright smile, before he returned to organizing the other kids into more cooperative games.
And as Harry watched all this, he really couldn’t imagine Sam or Dean fighting - he knew they did fight on occasion, he had seen it himself - but not any sort of battle to the death. It didn’t make sense that they were the vessels for Michael and Lucifer....well, ok, maybe it made sense, but it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. Somewhere, someone had made a mistake.
Harry couldn’t picture Dean without Sam or Sam without Dean - and if this fight happened...but then, Harry had never been able to picture George without Fred either, and yet, there he was across the room chatting with Ginny, and giving Harry odd looks.
Harry quickly schooled his features and decided it was a good time to go into the kitchen for a drink.
*
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” Ginny asked that evening, long after all their guests had left, the children put to bed, and the Winchesters retired to the spare room. Ginny waited, but Harry only snuggled tighter against her, burying his face in her neck and practically covering her like a blanket. “George is worried - said you were sad when you looked at him tonight. He thought it was something to do with Fred, but it’s not is it? I told him it wasn’t, anyway - told him you’d been off since you got back from Hogwarts Friday night. You have been, you know. I expected you to tell me what the matter is by now.”
“I told them I wouldn’t tell anyone until they left,” Harry said into her shoulder.
“Hm, the Winchesters?” Ginny said. “What don’t they want me to know?”
“They found out about the prophecy,” Harry said.
“Oh Harry,” Ginny said. “You said you were going to tell them - were they very angry?”
“Only a little,” Harry replied. “Castiel seemed to take most of the blame.”
“He seemed like a nice man - or angel, I suppose,” Ginny said, correcting herself, and still trying work her head around the fact that she had met an actual angel. Harry nodded. “So, are they going to kill you, but they don’t want me to know, lest I stop cooking for them?”
Ginny was expecting a laugh, but instead she got Harry scrambling up and looking at her earnestly.
“They wouldn’t,” Harry said. “They’re good people, Ginny - they wouldn’t-”
“Joking, love,” Ginny said. “I was only joking. Of course they aren’t going to kill you - they’d be terrible houseguests if they did.”
“Oh,” Harry said, and flopped back down on top of Ginny, hiding his face again. Ginny brought her hand up and started idly stroking Harry’s hair.
“So, if they were only a little angry...” Ginny prompted.
“They knew the prophecy, Ginny - and it’s so much worse than we thought. And it’s not fair, it’s wrong...it’s...I feel so useless, Gin.”
“Shhh,” Ginny said, “tell me what it is, and we’ll figure it out.”
*
The next morning, just as they were sitting down to breakfast, Hermione and Ron arrived by floo, complete with kids.
“Morning,” Hermione said, then waved a white envelope in the air. “We’ve come with post.”
Harry watched as Hermione handed the letter to Dean, who promptly tore it open.
“From Bobby” Dean muttered to Sam, as he scanned the contents. Harry put down his fork as he watched the crease between Dean’s brows deepen. Finally, Dean turned to Sam. “You remember Donna? Babysitter...from...um...what was it? ’94?”
“Yeah,” Sam said, and then smiled. “She was nice. I liked her...maybe not as much as you did though.”
Dean handed Sam the letter and as Sam read, Dean shifted his attention back to Harry.
“Can you portkey my car anywhere or does it have to go back to Boston?” Dean asked.
“Anywhere, as long as I have co-ordinates,” Harry said, “and as long as you can be sure you won’t be landing on anything - or anyone.”
“Ok, looks like Sammy and I have a gig, so, uh...guess our stay at Hotel Harry has to come to an end, man.” Dean smiled. “We’ll hit the road after breakfast.”
“What?” Harry said, shocked that the Winchesters might actually leave that abruptly.
“Sounds like a poltergeist,” Sam said.
“Can’t it wait a little longer?” Ron said, “I mean - we’ve barely had time to visit what with all the-”
“No,” Dean said. “It’s an old friend, and her daughter’s been attacked. It can’t wait.”
“Oh,” Harry said. “I understand then, of course. Is her daughter ok?”
“Sounds like it, but we won’t know until we get there,” Dean replied, and dug into his breakfast.
Harry had lost his appetite.
*
Sam packed while Dean showed Harry the co-ordinates of a safe drop place on a faded road map of the US. Then Harry watched as Dean and Sam loaded the car with their large duffle bags, and then jogged back to the house to say their goodbyes.
They both crouched down low to say goodbye to the kids, Hermione and Ron’s included, since Harry’s friends had stayed after realizing that it was their last chance to spend time with the Winchesters. Ginny squeezed Harry’s hand and gave him a reassuring look, as Dean patted Ron on the back and Sam said goodbye to Hermione.
“...would have loved to spend more time at that library,” Sam was saying, “maybe next time.”
“Let’s hope,” Hermione said. “It’d be lovely to research with you.”
“Are you trying to steal my wife away from me?” Ron joked.
“I’m sure she’d refuse me if I tried,” Sam laughed. “It was nice seeing you too, Ron. Thanks again for looking after everything while I had uh, that nosebleed the other day.”
“It was great to see you, Sam,” Ron said. “Stay safe.”
“Kind of a hard promise to make in our line of work,” Sam said.
“Right, well, relatively safe then” Ron said.
“Hermione,” Dean said. “It was great to see you again, thanks for the tour of London.”
“Oh, you’re welcome,” Hermione replied. “I only wish we had time for more. Maybe next time?”
“We’ll always have that magic farmhouse and a field full of exorcised demons,” Dean winked. “Ron’s a lucky man.”
Harry laughed as Hermione blushed, and then seemed to get annoyed at herself for doing so.
Next the Winchesters said goodbye to Ginny, thanking her for everything. Finally, Sam, Dean, and Harry, left the warmth of Grimmauld place and walked to the car.
“Listen,” Harry said, before Dean and Sam could speak. “I spoke to Ginny last night and...well, she agreed that if I wanted, I could come with you - to America that is - and help with...the prophecy. The library at Veracruz has an extensive collection on the apocalypse, and maybe it’d make a difference if you had a wizard in your corner, so-...of course, I can’t come right away, because I’ll need some time to uh, get affairs in order, put Ron in charge of the department, that sort of thing-"
“Harry,” Dean interrupted, and Harry saw him look towards Sam, and then Harry’s house, before meeting Harry’s eyes again. “Can you access those books from here at all?”
“Well, I suppose there are inter-library loans,” Harry said, “but I-“
“Harry,” Dean interrupted. “Stay here. Stay with your family, man. You don’t want to do this.”
“I do, I could help” Harry insisted, worried that in the confusion of their early departure, he had come across as insincere in his offer.
“Well, I don’t want you to,” Dean said. “You belong here. Me and Sammy...we only get our friends killed, Harry. Don’t do that to those kids.”
“I...” Harry started, but he didn’t know what to say.
“Harry,” Sam said, giving Dean a small frown, and Harry a sympathetic look. “We really appreciate what you’re offering, but the best way you can help us is to stay safe and look after your family...” then Sam smiled softly, “...and read books. Maybe recruit Hermione though, I trust her research skills a little more than yours.”
Harry couldn’t help the huff of a laugh that escaped him. He really was more of an action-oriented person, and Sam and Dean both knew it...which is why he really didn’t understand why they’d refuse the help.
“We’ll be fine, Harry,” Sam continued. “We’ll figure something out. You don’t have to worry. We’ll keep everyone safe.”
“Thanks for everything, man,” Dean said, “I really mean it. You’ve been a great friend.”
“Yeah, thanks, Harry,” Sam said. “Just the offer means a lot. And hey, once this mess is all taken care of, we’ll give you a call, and maybe we can come back and visit? Or, if you guys want some good pie - we know a couple places.”
“Of course, Sam,” Harry smiled. “I’ll hold you to that. Even if Lucifer is still on the loose, you guys are welcome back anytime.”
“Thanks,” Sam repeated, and then he smiled at Harry and slipped into the passenger seat of the car.
“You remember the co-ordinates?” Dean asked.
“Yes, just outside Housatonic, I remember,” Harry said.
“Hey, thanks for being such a great friend to Sammy,” Dean said softly, “you’ve been...amazingly understanding about...well, you know. It’s nice to know Sam has friends like you.”
“I’m your friend too, Dean” Harry smiled. “Or at least, I thought I was-...you still have the mirror?”
“Yeah,” Dean patted his pocket, and then gave Harry a long look.
“Bye Harry, keep that family of yours safe, ok?” Dean said.
“I will, and if you change your mind about-” Harry started.
“I won’t,” Dean said, opening the driver’s door, “bye man.”
Dean slammed the door shut, and Harry had two Winchesters waiting expectantly for him to say a simple spell and launch them across the Atlantic. Once he said the word, there would be maybe ten seconds in which Harry would know exactly where they were in the world, and then Dean would start the car, pull onto the highway, and the Winchesters would become untraceable - disappearing into the back-roads of America. Harry looked through the front window to see Sam give him a reassuring smile, and, for the briefest moment, Harry actually did believe that everything might turn out alright.
"Portus”
fin.