(Don't Fear) The Reaper
Chapter Three - Nightmare
Harry watched with a frown from the table he was currently sitting on, as Sam sat up in his bed, gasping. He stayed silent as Sam shakily stood up from his bed and then moved over to Dean’s bed and shook him.
“Dean.” Sam shook Dean until he woke and blinked sleepily up at him. “Dean!” The urgency in Sam’s voice rose a pitch, making Dean groan. Sam stepped off the bed and moved around the room.
“What are you doing, man? It’s the middle of the night.”
“Actually, it’s three in the morning. Yes I know. Shut up Harry.” Harry said with a sigh when both Dean and Sam glared at him. He had been travelling with the two brothers now for almost a month and thus had gotten used to being told to shut up.
“Yeah, not to be mean, but shh. We have to go.” Sam told him, looking at Dean urgently. Harry silently jumped off the table and walked over to Sam who was packing items haphazardly into a duffle bag and placing a calming hand on his shoulder.
“What’s happening?” Dean asked sleepily, yawning widely. Harry rolled his eyes and then took the bag off of Sam.
“I’ll carry it to the car.” Harry muttered as Sam glared at Dean who was still yawning as he slowly got out of bed.
“We have to go. Right now.” Sam said, practically dragging his brother off the bed and shoving a pair of jeans at him. Dean nodded sleepily as he got dressed, then followed his two companions out the motel room and to the car.
“So where are we going?” Dean asked once they had drove off and were driving along a dark road. Sam glanced at him, his phone held to his ear and shrugged, making Harry snigger silently in the backseat.
“McCreedy. Detective McCreedy, badge number 15A. And I’ve got a signal 480 in progress. I need the registration owner of a two-door Sedan, Michigan license plate, Mary, Frank, 6037.” Harry sighed and pulled faces at the back of Sam’s head, making Dean snigger as Sam looked over his shoulder and glared at an innocent looking Harry. “Yeah, okay, just hurry.”
“Sammy, relax. I’m sure it’s just a nightmare.” Dean said reassuringly, making Sam smile at him, though to Harry it looked more like a grimace.
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
“No, I mean it. You know, a normal, everyday, naked-in-class nightmare. This license plate, it won’t check out, you’ll see.” Dean said, staring straight ahead as he drove.
“Why are we driving when we don’t know where we’re going?” Harry asked leaning forward slightly.
“No clue.” Dean admitted, smiling widely at Sam when he glared at him.
“Yes, I’m here. Jim Miller. Saginaw, Michigan. You have a street address? Got it. Thanks.” Sam hung up the phone and then looked at it in stunned silence.
“So... We even on the right road?” Harry asked with a sigh, glancing out the window.
“It checks out. How far are we?” Sam asked, ignoring Harry who huffed and then crossed his arms in a sulk.
“From Saginaw?”
“Yeah.”
“Couple hours.”
“Hours? I’m tired!” Harry whined, huffing again in the back of the car.
“You don’t sleep!”
“I could.” Harry said obstinately.
“Whatever. I do agree though. Dean. Drive Faster.”
They arrived at the house of Jim Miller too late. Harry knew the reaper had only just left, he could still somewhat sense the reaper. He knew who it was, and knew that the person was not supposed to naturally die now.
“Huh. Guess Becky got a job tonight.” Harry said, looking over the crowd that had gathered around Jim’s house and the emergency team there. The three stood and watched with the crowd as Jim’s body was taken out in a body bag, while the police spoke to Jim’s family.
Dean turned to a nearby woman who seemed to know the family. “What happened?”
“Suicide. I can’t believe it.” The woman told him, looking shocked, though the morbid curiosity was still there.
“That’s a lie. Becky generally doesn’t go for suicides. She likes the gossip that comes with murder.” Harry muttered to Sam, who frowned and stepped up next to Dean.
“Did you now him?” Sam asked the woman, not taking his eyes off the deceased’s family.
“I saw him every Sunday at St. Augustine’s. He always seems - seemed so normal. I guess you never know what’s going on behind closed doors.”
“Yeah, I guess not.” Dean agreed, nodding and looking over at the family.
“How did - how are they saying it happened?” Sam asked curiously, Harry looked at him sharply with a touch of suspicion.
“I heard they found him in the garage. Locked inside his car with the engine running.” Sam looked at Dean with a raised eyebrow, making Dean nod once.
“Hey, you’re completely leaving me out of this little communicating with just facial expressions thing! Not fair! But you are on the right tracks. Dunno what happened, but it was definitely not suicide.”
“Do you know what time they found him?” Sam asked, as Dean took a step away and closer to where Harry was standing near the Impala.
“Oh, it just happened about an hour or two ago. Oh his poor family. I can’t even imagine what they’re going through.” The woman said as they all watched as the woman on the doorstep of the house began to sob loudly. Sam watched and walked off.
“Sam, we got here as fast as we could.” Dean said, stopping Sam from walking away from him.
“Not fast enough. It just doesn’t make any sense, man. Why would I even have these premonitions, unless there was a chance that I could stop them from happening?” Sam said, looking at the two men helplessly.
“I don’t know.” Dean admitted, making Sam sigh and look away from the other two.
“So, what do you think killed him?”
“Why a ‘what’? Why couldn’t it be a human?”
“Well it could be, but I watched it happen! He was definitely murdered, and you know it! You told us so. Something trapped him in the garage.” Sam said, making Dean and Harry exchange a glance.
“Well, what? A spirit, a poltergeist, what?”
“Could still have been a human.” Harry added, making Sam exhale angrily.
“I don’t know what it was. I don’t know why I’m having these dreams, I don’t know what the hell is happening!” Sam exclaimed angrily. Dean and Harry just stayed silent and stared at him. “What?”
“Nothing, man, I’m just worried about you.” Dean said, Harry nodding in agreement.
“Well, don’t look at me like that. Either of you!”
“I’m not lookin’ at you like anything. Though I gotta say, you look like crap.” Dean said, making Harry wince and look away.
“I don’t agree, I’m just worried about you.” Harry said quietly, still not looking at Sam anymore.
“Nice. Thanks. Look stop being worried about me, I’ll be fine.”
“Yeah - well come on, let’s just pick this up in the morning. We’ll check out the house, we’ll talk to the family.”
“Dean, I think I just need to be alone for a bit. I’ll meet you back at the motel. Both of you. How you think the family is gonna talk to us though, I have no idea. They’re devastated.” Sam pointed out, making Dean grin widely.
“You’re right there, but I think I know who they will talk to. Be careful when you’re out there on your own though. Don’t be too long.” Dean said, watching Sam walk off and then turning to look at Harry, who was still watching Sam walk off.
“You really believe there is something into this and these... visions?” Dean asked, waving his arms around trying to find the right word.
“You know, I had a friend who was thought to be a couple of colours short of a rainbow. Turns out, she was somewhat psychic and heard the voices of the wind. They told her things. No one listened to her, so no one was prepared when Voldiebear attacked Diagon. Well I was, but I was generally always prepared. Regular old boy scout me.” Harry added, saluting a glaring Dean.
“Is there a moral to this story?” Dean asked dryly.
“Yeah, listen to your little brother. He’s scared, he doesn’t understand what’s going on, but he is getting these visions. You should support him.”
The next morning the three went out to the Miller’s house to pay their respects, well to pay their respects and to find out some information to help them discover what was going on.
“This has got to be a whole new low for us.” Sam said as he pressed the doorbell. Both brothers were dressed as ministers, much to Harry’s amusement.
“Oh I don’t know, you look kinda hot as a priest.” Harry said, leering at Sam as he leant against the wall of the house.
“See Sammy! I look hot!” Dean said with a grin.
“I meant Sam. You look like an idiot.” Thankfully for Harry, a man chose to open the door at that moment.
“Good afternoon. I’m father Simmons, this is Father Frehley. We’re new junior priests over at St. Augustine’s. May we come in?” Dean asked. When the man nodded, the three walked into the house, glancing at the groups of mourners.
“We’re very sorry for your loss.” Sam told the man as he closed the door behind them.
“It’s in difficult times like these when the Lord’s guidance is most needed.” Dean told him softly, Harry sniggering behind the two.
“Look, if you wanna pitch your whole Lord-has-a-plan thing, fine. But don’t pitch it to me. My brother is dead.” The man told them bitterly, as a woman walked over to them after having clearly overheard them.
“Roger, please.” The woman came over to them, placing a calming hand onto Roger’s shoulder.
“Excuse me.” Roger said, and left the small group making Harry stick his tongue out at his back.
“I’m sorry about my brother-in-law. He’s just so upset about Jim’s death. Would you like some coffee?”
“That’d be great. We are very sorry for you loss Ms Miller.” Dean added, almost as an after thought, making both Harry and Sam roll their eyes.
“She looks a bit like one of the aunts in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, don’t you think?” Harry asked, as Ms Miller turned to lead them into the kitchen, making Dean’s lips twitch as Sam frowned at him.
“It was wonderful of you to stop by. The support of the church means so much right now.” Ms Miller said as she handed them both a cup of coffee.
“Or course, we are all God’s children.” Dean said, making Harry snigger as he dipped his fingers into Sam’s coffee, much to Sam’s annoyance. Sam looked at Dean strangely. Ms Miller walked away as another mourner grabbed her attention and Dean used her distraction to grab a mini hot dog from the platter and ate it. Sam scoffed whilst Harry looked at the food mournfully. “What?”
“Just tone it down a little bit, Father.” Sam told him just as Ms Miller returned and sat down on the sofa next to Dean.
“So, Ms Miller, did you husband have a history of depression?” Dean asked, spraying food out of his mouth much to Harry and Sam’s disgust.
“Nothing like that. We had our ups and downs, like everyone. But we were happy.” Ms Miller told them, starting to sob into a handkerchief. “I just don’t understand how Jim could do something like that.”
“I’m sorry you had to find him like that.” Sam said sympathetically, whilst also keeping an eye on a now bored Harry.
“Actually, our son, Max - he was the one who found him.” Ms Miller said, pointing to a depressed teenage boy sitting alone in the corner of another room.
“To the son!” Harry stated dramatically, grinning at Sam.
“Do you mind if maybe I go talk to him?” Sam asked, much to Harry’s happiness.
“Oh, thank you, Father.” Ms Miller exclaimed. Sam smiled and nodded at her and then followed Harry to Max in the dining room.
“Max? Hey, I’m Sam.”
“Hi. What are you doing over here?” Max asked sullenly, making Harry stick his tongue out at him.
“I just came over to speak to you for a bit.”
“About my father?” Max asked, making Harry narrow his eyes at him, not that Sam noticed.
“Yeah. What was your dad like?” Sam asked gently.
“Just a normal dad.” Max told him sadly, making Harry roll his eyes.
“Yeah? And you live at home now?”
“Yeah. I’m tryin’ to save up for school, but it’s hard.”
“So, when you found your dad...” Sam asked hesitantly.
“Smooth, Father.” Harry told him, sitting down on the arm of Sam’s chair.
“I woke up. I heard the engine running. I don’t know why he did it.” Max told him with a small sniffle.
“He didn’t do it though did he? Tell him Sam!” Harry said, nudging Sam gently, much to Sam’s disapproval.
“I know it’s rough. Losing a parent. Especially when you don’t have all the answers.” Sam told him, making Harry scoff.
“Try having all the answers.” Sam sighed when Max stood up and walked back into the kitchen, leaving Sam and Harry alone.
“Shall we go find Dean?” Harry asked, blowing a strand of hair out of his face as he turned to look at Sam. Sam nodded and stood up, leading the way upstairs.
They found Dean sneaking around upstairs with an infrared thermal scanner, checking each of the rooms. He obviously heard them coming as he suddenly stood up straight, hiding the scanner behind his back, which only made Harry snigger.
“Anything?” Sam asked him.
Dean shook his head and sighed, walking over to Sam at the stairs. “Zip.” He told him as they made their way back downstairs.
“I note no one has asked me what I think.” Harry stated with a put upon voice.
“What do you think then?” Dean asked him, making Harry wrinkle his nose when Sam rolled his eyes.
“It wasn’t a ghost. I still stand by that it was a human. Other than that, I got nothing. Though the coffee wasn’t that bad.” He added, almost as an after thought.
Later they were all sitting in the motel room, Harry sitting on the table once again as he watched Dean, sitting on his own bed, cleaning all of his weapons.
“So what do you have?” Dean asked suddenly, making Sam look up and at him.
“A whole lot of nothing. Nothing bad has happened to the Miller house since it was built.” Sam told him, looking back at his laptop screen.
“Told you it wasn’t a ghost... or whatever.” Harry said smugly.
“What about the land?” Dean asked, glaring at Harry, who stuck his tongue out at him.
“Will you two grow up? And no, no graveyards, battlefields, tribal lands or any other kind of atrocity on or near the property.” Sam told them, ignoring the hurt look both of them were shooting him.
“Hey, man, I told you I searched that house up and down. There were no cold spots, no sulphur scent, nada.” Dean told him, placing his gun carefully down on the bed.
“Wouldn’t that suggest that, oh! A human was involved!” Harry asked, faking astonishment and only getting glares from the Winchester brothers for his efforts.
“And the family said everything was normal?” Sam asked Dean, choosing to ignore Harry.
“Well, I mean, if there was a demon or a poltergeist in there, don’t you think somebody would’ve noticed something? I used the infrared thermal scanner, man there was nothing.” Dean told him, taking Sam’s lead in ignoring their irritating follower.
“You know, I know you can hear me.” Harry said stroppily, huffing and then losing his balance and nearly falling off the table.
“So, what, you think Jim Miller killed himself? And my dream was just some sort of freakish coincidence?”
“I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure that there’s nothing supernatural about that house.” Dean told him, shrugging.
“Yeah.” Sam said, grimacing as he massaged his temples. Harry watched him closely with narrowed eyes. “Well, you know, maybe, uh - maybe it has nothing to do with the house. Maybe, it’s just, uh - gosh - maybe it’s connected to Jim in some other way.” Sam said stumbling slightly before clutching his head in pain. Harry slid off the table and ran over to him, beating Dean to it, and hovering around Sam.
“What’s wrong with you?” Dean asked, frowning at the pair.
“Yeah - my head.” Sam suddenly screamed in pain, much to the shock of both Harry and Dean, as they watched him gasp and fall to the floor on his knees.
Harry dropped to the ground with him, panicking slightly as he watched Sam writhe in pain on the floor.
“Sam? Hey. Hey! What’s going on? Talk to me!” Dean called to him, moving off his bed and to the pair on the floor.
“Help him! Help him!” Harry said panicking, as he gently placed Sam’s head in his lap as Dean moved Sam so that he was lying more comfortably on the floor.
“My head!” Sam groaned, clutching at his head in Harry’s lap.
“Sam?”
“You’re getting a vision!” Harry exclaimed, finally settling and placing his hands on either side of Sam’s face. He then leant down and placed a gently kiss on Sam’s forehead. Dean watched the two, hovering behind Harry, he was concerned about his younger brother, but he didn’t stop Harry from doing what was clearly helping to calm Sam down.
Sam suddenly gasped and sat up, nearly head butting Harry. “It’s happening again. Something gonna kill Roger Miller.” Sam panicked, struggling to get up off the floor. Harry and Dean helped him to stand and then they all quickly got up and ran to the car.
As they got in the car, Sam took out his phone and dialled a number, Dean pulled away form the motel as Sam spoke to someone on the other end of the phone. “Roger Miller. No, no, just the address please. Okay. Thanks.” Sam told them before hanging up and turning to look at Dean.
“Well?”
“450 West Grove, Apartment 1120.” Sam told him. Dean nodded and turned his attention back to the driving.
“You okay?” Dean asked, not taking his eyes off the road.
“Yeah.”
“If you’re gonna hurl, I’ll pull the car over, you know, ‘cause the upholstery-” Dean faded off, still refusing to look at Sam, much to the amusement of Harry.
“I’m fine.” Sam ground out.
“Alright.”
“Just drive.” Sam told him, looking stressed.
Alright.” Dean said, Sam sighed as Harry just sat in the back, silently observing the two brothers.
“Dean, I’m scared, man. These nightmares weren’t bad enough, now I’m seein’ things when I’m awake? And these visions, or whatever, they’re getting more intense. And painful.” Sam told him, making Harry glance at him sympathetically.
“I can empathise with you there. Voldiebear’s visions felt like my head was splitting in two. That was before I felt all the curses.” Harry said musingly.
“I can’t answer your questions Sammy, but I do know we’ll figure it out, okay? We face the unexplainable every single day, this is just another thing.” Dean told his little brother reassuringly.
“No. It’s never been us. It’s never been in the family like this. Tell the truth, you can’t tell me this doesn’t freak you out.” Sam asked him, Harry shifting in the backseat, still silently watching the two brothers. If anyone had asked him, he would have admitted quite honestly, that he wanted to see how siblings, other than the Weasley’s interacted with one another.
“This doesn’t freak me out.” And with that statement, Harry’s respect of Dean went up.
They got to Roger Miller’s apartment just in time to see Roger carrying a bag of groceries. Dean pulled up the car beside him and opened his window.
“Hey, Roger!” Sam called leaning over Dean.
“Hey, hold up a second.” Dean called after the man, who started to walk a little faster at seeing his stalkers.
“You know, I’d have cursed you by now.” Harry pointed out, making Sam glance at him questioningly. Harry just shrugged his shoulders and grinned.
“What are you guys, missionaries? Leave me alone.” Roger told them, making Harry giggle in the back.
Dean growled under his breath and pulled the car up at the curb. Sam and Dean both climbed out the car and ran after Roger who was entering the apartment building.
“Please! Hey Roger, we’re tryin’ to help! Please! Hey! Hey, hey!” Sam pleaded, watching helplessly as Roger shut and locked the door behind him.
“I don’t want your help.” Roger yelled through the glass and then walked away. Harry watched from beside the car as the brothers futilely tried to get the man’s attention.
“We’re not priests! You’ve gotta listen to us!” Sam yelled after the man, who didn’t even acknowledge them
“You know, I’d just let him die. Becky will be angry if we don’t. He doesn’t deserve your help anyway.” Harry shouted at them, making them both turn around and glare at him.
"Roger, you’re in danger! Come on! Come on!” Dean yelled at the man, before stepping away from the door and angrily kicking at the ground when Roger ignored him and walked up the stairs to his apartment.
“Come on!” Sam told him, and Dean followed him around the side of the apartment building which was blocked by a gate. Harry watched them go, and the shrugged before deciding it wasn’t worth it and staying by the car.
“Hey Harry. Hank told me that you had finally gotten free. We all tried to find someway of helping you.” A woman, who looked to be in her mid thirties with white skin and hair, and dark, almost black eyes, walked over to where Harry was leaning against the Impala.
“Hey Becky. My travelling companions are trying to save your reap.” Harry told the Reaper in a bored tone.
“Ah, did you not tell them it was futile?”
“Didn’t want to ruin their fun.” Harry said with a shrug.
“Ah, fair enough. Well I had better be off. Souls to reap and all.” Becky told him with a put upon sigh. Harry grinned and waved her off, then went back to waiting for the Winchester’s.
He didn’t have to wait for long. He felt the soul passing and then turned around, knowing that within a couple of minutes, the two brothers would be heading back to the car, and him.
“I’m tellin’ you, there was nothing in there. There’s no signs either, just like the Miller’s house.” Harry heard Dean telling Sam as they made their way back to the car.
“I saw something in the vision, like a dark shape. Something was stalking Roger.” Sam told him insistently.
“Well, whatever it was, we can be sure it’ not connected to their house.” Dean told him, Harry watched them get closer and couldn’t help but wonder how Roger had died.
“No, it’s connected to the family itself. So, what do you think we got? A vengeful spirit?” Sam asked, stopping at the car and waiting for Harry to climb into the back.
“I told you I think it’s a human. So how did Roger die? Was it gory? Lot’s of blood?” Harry asked eagerly. Dean looked over his shoulder at Harry in disgust.
“That’s just wrong. Back to the vengeful spirit theory, it could be possible. There’s a few that have been known to latch onto families, follow ‘em for years.”
“Banshees.” Sam said grmily.
“Oh now. I’ve known a couple of Banshees. They happen to be very nice. Once you get past the screaming thing of course.” Harry told them, gaining himself a funny look from both brothers.
“Yeah sure. Anyway, it’s basically like a curse. So, maybe Roger and Jim Miller got involved in something heavy. Something curse-worthy.”
“I don’t think it’s a curse.”
“Okay, you probably know quite a bit about curses, but even you can’t deny that something is out for revenge. And the men in their family are dying. Hey, do you think Max is in danger?” Sam asked suddenly, making Harry shrug as Dean frowned.
“Let’s figure it out before he is.” Dean told him firmly, starting the car.
“Well, I know one thing I have in common with these people.”
“What’s that?”
“Both our families are cursed.”
Harry scoffed, getting the attention of the brothers. “You think your family’s cursed. I’m stuck as an out of business Reaper for the rest of my ever immortal life, or at least until someone sees the ‘real’ me. Which is bull, seeing as you two seem to be the only ones who can actually see me at all. Yeah, you’re definitely cursed. Welcome to the dark side.” Harry told him dryly, making Sam look at him softly and Dean chuckle before quickly covering it with a laugh.
“Our family’s not cursed. We just... had our dark spots.” Dean said once he stopped coughing, making Sam laugh.
“Our dark spots are pretty dark.”
“This is nothing compared to having to kill a man at eleven, then a huge snake at twelve and help a convicted murderer escape the ministry at thirteen.” Harry mumbled, making both brothers shift in their seat to stare at the Reaper in the back seat.
“You are so telling us your past at some point.” Dean told him, before turning back around and pulling away from the apartment.
The next day, Sam and Dean were back at the Miller’s house sitting in the living room dressed, once again, as ministers. They were talking to Max once again, though Ms Miller was nowhere to be seen, though according the ever nosy Reaper, Harry, she was upstairs in bed.
“My mom’s resting. She’s pretty wrecked.” Max told them at Sam’s enquiry.
“Of course.” Dean nodded in understanding as Sam took a sip of his coffee.
“All these people kept coming with, like, casseroles. I finally had to tell them all to go away.” Max said, gesturing to the dining room table, which is covered with trays casserole. “You know, ‘cause nothing says ‘I’m sorry’ like a tuna casserole.” Max said, laughing hollowly.
“How you holdin’ up?” Sam asked him
“I’m okay.”
“Your dad and uncle were close?”
“Yeah, I guess. I mean, they were brothers. They used to hang out al the time when I was little.”
“But not much lately?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just - we used to be neighbours when I was a kid. And we lived across town in this house, and Uncle Roger lived next door, so he was over all the time.” Max told them.
“Right. So, how was it in that house when you were a kid?”
“It was fine. Why?”
“All good memories? Do you remember anything unusual? Something involving your father and your uncle maybe.” Dean asked. Harry watched shrewdly as Max became more flustered at the questioning.
“Maybe you should stop this line of questioning.” Harry told Dean, just to be ignored.
“What do you - why do you ask?” Max asked them, fidgeting in his seat.
“Just a question.” Dean told him, waving Max’s worries away.
“No. There was nothing. We were totally normal. Happy.” Max said unconvincingly to Harry at least.
“Good. That’s good. Well, you must be exhausted. We should take off.” Dean said, standing up and shaking Max’s hand.
“Right. Thanks.” Sam agreed, smiling at Max as Max stood up with them.
“Yeah.” Max said, leading them to the door and then closing it behind them once they left.
Outside, the three walked back to the car, discussing Max, as they occasionally threw glances over their shoulder.
“Nobody’s family is totally normal and happy. Did you see when he was talkin’ about his old house?”
“Sounded scared.” Sam said. Dean nodded.
“Yeah, Max isn’t tellin’ us everything. I say we go find the old neighbourhood, and find out what life was really like at the Miller’s.” Dean said, as they got into the car.
They went to the neighbourhood that the Miller’s used to live in to find out the answers to their questions. They found a neighbour and decided to question him.
“Have you lived in the neighbourhood very long?” Sam asked him as they walked over to him.
“Yeah, almost twenty years now. It’s nice and quiet. Why, you lookin’ to buy?”
“No, no, actually, we were just wondering if you might recall a family that used to live right across the street, I believe.” Sam told the man, pointing to the house that he believed the Miller’s lived in.
“Yeah, the Millers. They had a little boy named Max.”
“Right.” Sam agreed, nodding. The neighbour glanced at the house sadly and then turned back to the brothers.
“Yeah, I remember. The brother had the place next door. So uh, what’s this about? That poor kid okay?” The man asked. Harry narrowed his eyes at the man and then looked at Sam.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, in my life, I’ve never seen a child treated like that. I mean, I’d hear Mr. Miller yellin’ and throwin’ things clear across the street. He was a mean drunk. He used to beat the tar out of Max. Bruises - broke his arm two times that I know of.” The man told them, confirming the thoughts Harry was having about Max’s childhood.
“And this was going on regularly?”
“Practically every day. In fact, that thug of a bother of his was just as likely to take a swing at the boy, but the worst part was the stepmother. She’d just stand there, checked out, never lifted a finger to protect him. I must have called the police seven or eight times, never did any good.” The man said sadly, shaking his head.
“Now, you said stepmother.” Dean said curiously.
“I think his real mom died. Some sort of accident - a car accident, I think.” The man looked at Sam who was clutching his head and breathing sharply. Harry was holding him, trying to take the pain away. “Are you okay, there?”
“Yeah.” Sam said through gritted teeth.
“Thanks for your time.” Dean said to the man, moving to the other side of Sam and letting him lean against him.
“Yeah, thank you.” Sam said, gasping softly. Dean and Harry helped to get Sam back to the car, but Sam stopped and stared ahead at nothing in horror.
“Vision again.” Harry said, massaging Sam’s temples.
Dean nodded and then slowly lead Sam to the car and, with the help of Harry, managed to place Sam inside it.
After both Dean and Harry had gotten into the car, Dean pulled away from the neighbourhood. “Back to the motel?” Dean asked Harry, who was fussing over a practically comatose Sam.
“I think that might be the best idea.” Harry agreed.
Sam chose that moment to come back into coherency, making Harry jump back as though burnt. “Max is doing it. Everything I’ve been seeing.”
“You sure about this?”
“Am I allowed to say I told you so? I mean, I did say it was a human.”
“No, and yeah, that’s what I saw.”
“How’s he pullin’ it off?”
“I don’t know. It looked like telekinesis.”
“So, he’s psychic? He’s a spoon-bender?” Dean asked incredulously, making Harry snigger.
“I didn’t even realise it, but this whole time he was there. He was outside of the garage when his dad died, he was in the apartment when his uncle died. These visions, this whole time, wasn’t connected to the Millers, I was connecting to Max. The thing I don’t get is why, man? I guess because we’re so alike?”
“What are you talking about? The kid is nothing like you.” Harry asked, Dean nodding his agreement with Harry.
“Well, we both have psychic abilities. We’re both-”
“Both what? Sam, Max is a monster. He’s already killed two people, and now he’s gunnin’ for a third.” Dean said, not noticing the flinch from Harry, who figured he would be seen as less than human in Dean’s eyes once he heard of his history. Of course, the fact that he isn’t human anymore might count against him more.
“Well with what he went through - the beatings. To want revenge on those people, I’m sorry, man, I hate to say it, but it’s not that insane.” Sam said nervously.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t justify murdering your entire family.” Dean told him, not noticing Harry roll his eyes behind him.
“Dean-”
“He’s no different than anything else we’ve hunted. Alright, we’ve gotta end him.” Dean said as he pulled the car over and shut the engine off.
“If you kill him, then really, you’re no better than him.” Harry pointed out, smiling innocently when Dean glared at him. The three got out of the car and then turned when someone shouted Harry’s name.
Becky was talking towards them, grinning inanely and sending a smirk at Sam when she caught up with them.
“S’up Becky?” Harry asked, looking at his fellow Reaper curiously. She looked at him meaningfully, making Harry just look confused, before realising what she wanted. “Oh! Becky, this is Sam and Dean Winchester. Sam, Dean, this is Becky a Reaper. She likes the gossip behind murders.” Harry added sagely, nodding.
“Nice to meet you. Can’t stay long. A housewife has just caught her husband in bed with his secretary. His male secretary. I just came to give you this. Hank as a job for you.” Becky said, handing him a post-it note with a name on it and the time. Harry glanced at it before placing it in his pocket quickly before either brother could see it.
“Oh right, well thanks, and er - good luck on the murder.”
“Oh it should be good! Speak to you later!” Becky said with a grin and then she disappeared.
“So who is it? I thought you weren’t working anymore?” Dean asked with a frown.
“So did I.” Harry admitted absently, looking at the house in front of them. “Come on then, people see, souls to reap!”
Sam and Dean stared at each other for a long minute before both shrugging and following the suddenly more cheerful Reaper to the Miller’s house.
“We’re not gonna kill Max.” Sam told both Dean and Harry when they got to the front door. Harry shrugged but Dean scowled at his brother.
“Then what? I hand him over to the cops and say, ‘lock him up officer, he kills with the power of his mind.’” Dean said dryly, Harry snickered into his hand, as Sam glared at both of them.
“Forget it. No way, man.” Sam said stubbornly, making Dean glower and Harry to just sigh and consider ringing to doorbell for them.
“Sam-”
“Dean. He’s a person. We can talk to him. Hey, promise me you’ll follow my lead on this one?” Sam asked Dean. Harry mocked gagged behind Sam then sighed loudly.
“Alright, fine. But I’m not lettin’ him hurt anybody else.” Dean said, showing Sam the gun he had placed at the small of his back, tucked into his jeans.
“Um... Maybe we should go round the back.” Harry suggested, looking at his watch.
“Who’s name do you have on your note?” Dean asked curiously, following Harry as he lead them into the back garden.
“It is someone from the house.” Harry said mysteriously, refusing to answer any more questions.
They walked around the side of the house, only to hear an argument coming from the kitchen. Sam glanced at the other two before running to the door and bursting into the kitchen, the other two following closely behind.
“Fathers?” Ms Miller looked at them n confusion, tears staining her face.
“What are you doing here?” Max asked, frowning at the two men in the kitchen. Harry nibbled on his lip and glanced up at the clock in the kitchen.
“Uh, sorry to interrupt.” Dean said uncomfortably.
“Max, could we, uh - could we talk to you outside for just one second?”
“About what?” Max asked suspiciously.
“It’s - it’s private. I wouldn’t wanna bother your mother with it. We won’t be long at all, though. I promise.” Sam told him soothingly. Max glanced at his stepmother before nodding slowly in agreement.
“Okay.”
“Great.” Sam said with a relieved sigh, Max walked to Sam and Dean. Dean opened the door to walk out when suddenly the handle was ripped out of his hands as the door slammed shut, along with all the windows in the house.
“Oh dear. Reegan’s pissed.” Harry said bluntly, making Dean snort even with the severity of the situation.
“You’re not priests!” Max exclaimed, pointing at the two brothers. Dean grumbled under his breath before taking the gun out and pointing it at Max. However, the gun was soon ripped from Dean’s grasp and Max picked it up from where it fell on the floor. He pointed the gun at Sam and Dean. Harry watched all this with detachment from the where he was leaning on the wall, occasionally glancing at his watch.
“Max, what’s happening?” Ms Miller asked, staring at the stalemate happening in the hallway.
“Shut up!” Max yelled, not taking the gun away from Sam and Dean.
“What are you doing?!” Ms Miller asked before Max jerked his head and his stepmother was thrown into the kitchen counter and then collapsing on the floor.
“I said shut up!”
“Max, calm down.” Sam said gently, staring at the gun still pointed at him and Dean.
“Who are you?”
“We just wanna talk to you.”
“Yeah, right, that’s why you brought this!” Max said, shaking the gun to get his point across, before pointing it at the two brothers once again. Harry continued to watch the drama unfolding, glancing at the time more often as it neared his reap.
“That was a mistake, alright? So was lying about who we were, but no more lying, Max, okay? Just, please - just hear me out.” Sam pleaded.
“About what?”
“I saw you do it. I saw you kill your dad and your uncle before it happened.” Sam told him, Harry noticed Ms Miller slowly start to sit herself up from the floor.
“What?”
“I’m having visions, Max. About you.” Sam told him, Harry couldn’t help but think about how bizarre his life had turned since finding out about the wizarding world when he was eleven.
“You’re crazy.”
“So, you weren't gonna launch a knife at your stepmom?” Sam pointed to his eye, “Right here? Is it that hard to believe Max? Look what you can do. Max, I was drawn here, alright? I think I’m here to help you.”
“No on can help me!”
“Let me try. We’ll just talk. Me and you. We’ll get Dean and Alice out of here.” Sam old him soothingly.
“Nuh-uh. No way.” Dean said shaking his head. Sam held up a finger to silence him and the light fixture above them starting to shake.
“Nobody leaves this house!” Max yelled, the gun shaking slightly in his hand.
“And nobody has to, alright? They’ll just - they’ll just go upstairs.”
“Sam, I’m not leavin’ you alone with him.”
“You know, I can tell you that of everyone in this room, Sam is not on that post-it note.” Harry told Dean, pushing himself away from the wall and placing himself in between Sam and the gun, looking at Dean over his shoulder.
“Yes you are.” Sam said to Dean, glancing briefly at Harry. “Look, Max, you’re in charge her, alright? We all know that. No one’s gonna do anything that you don’t want to, but I’m talkin’ five minutes here, man.”
“Sam.” Sam held up his finger again to silence Dean.
“Five minutes.” Max agreed and the light fixture stopped shaking. “Go.” Dean moved quickly into the kitchen and helped Ms Miller sit up properly and led her to a chair. Harry followed Sam and Max into the living room and stood behind Sam as the two humans sat on sofas facing one another. On the coffee table a letter opener moved so that it was standing up right.
“Look, I can’t begin to understand what you went through.” Sam admitted, looking at Max.
“That’s right, you can’t.” Max told him, eyes fixed on the letter opener.
“Max, this has to stop.”
“It will. After my stepmother.”
“No. You need to let her go.”
“Why?” Max asked as the letter opener began to spin on its tip.
“Did she beat you?”
“No. But she never tried to save me, she’s a part of it too.”
“Look, what they did to you, what they all did to you, growing up - they deserve to be punished.”
“Growing up?” Max asked incredulously. “Try last week.” He stood up and raised his shirt. There were large bruises on his stomach and ribs, along with multiple cuts. “My dad still hit me, just in places people wouldn’t see it. Old habits die hard, I guess.” He told Sam as he sat back down.
Sam sat in the chair stunned, “I’m sorry.” The letter opener on the table began to spin faster.
“When I first found out I could move things, it was a gift. My whole life I was helpless. But now I had this. So, last week, Dad gets drunk - first time in a long time. And he beats me to hell - first time in a long time. And then I knew what I had to do.”
“Why didn’t you just leave?” Sam asked. He jumped suddenly when the letter opener dropped onto the table.
“It wasn’t about getting away - just knowing that they’s still be out there. It was about not being afraid. When my dad used to look at me, there was hate in his eyes. Do you know what that feels like?”
“No.” Sam admitted softly.
“He blamed me for everything. For his job, for his life, for my mom’s death.”
“Why would he blame you for your mom’s death?” Sam asked, confused.
“Because she did in my nursery. While I was asleep in my crib.” Sam’s eyes widened, whilst Harry stood up straight and looked at the two men on the sofas with narrowed eyes.
“She died in your nursery?”
“Yeah. There was a fire. And he’d get drunk and babble on like she died in some insane way. He said that she burned up. Pinned to the ceiling.” Sam looked at Max in shock as Harry gasped and then glanced at Sam’s reaction before wincing.
“Shit. I’m going to see if Dean is okay.” Harry said hurriedly before leaving the room and heading into the kitchen.
“Why did you leave Sammy on his own?” Dean asked Harry, much to Ms Miller’s confusion.
“Who are you talking to?”
“Huh? Oh, no one.” Dean said, looking at Harry with a raised eyebrow.
“He’s fine Dean. I just had to leave.”
“Well then Ms Miller. Shall we go and get you cleaned up?” Dean asked, helping Ms Miller stand up and then leading her upstairs and then to the master bedroom. He sat her down on the bed and then quickly went to grab a damp washcloth from the bathroom.
“Are you feeling okay?” Dean asked her, once he came back into the bedroom and placed the cloth onto her forehead.
Harry glanced at the clock on the bedside table and then looked over at the door as it opened, and Max walked in, closing the door behind him. Dean stood up and walked towards Max before he was flung across the room by a seemingly invisible force and then hit the wall and fell to the ground. Max glanced at Dean and pulled out the gun.
“Max!” Ms Miller shouted. Max let go of the gun, and it hovered in the air. “No Max.” Dean moved on the floor but the gun moved with him to continue pointing at him. Harry nibbled on his lip and glanced at the clock again.
“Stay back. It’s not about you.”
“If you wanna kill her, you gotta go through me first.” Dean said through gritted teeth, making Harry groan and step closer to the odd group.
“Okay.” Max said with a grin, the trigger clicked just as the door was flung open and Sam burst into the room.
“No, don’t! Don’t! Please. Please, Max. Max, we can help you, alright? But this - what you’re doing - it’s not the solution. It’s not gonna fix anything.” Max stared at Sam for moment before tilting his head.
“You’re right.” Harry watched Max and then glanced at the clock. He walked forward and stood behind Max, Sam and Dean stared at him in horror, before Harry brushed his hand down Max’s arm. Max then pointed the gun towards himself and shot himself in the head. He fell to the ground, Harry stepping away from the body.
“I’ve got to go do something.” Harry said quietly. He walked out of the room leaving the occupants of it staring at the body in horror. Harry walked through the house and then out the door and to the front yard.
“I killed myself? Is it over?” Max appeared next to him, and Harry smiled at him sadly.
“Yeah. It’s over now Max. You get to rest now. You don’t need to come back here. Go on. Move on. Follow the light and all that jazz.” Harry said with a sad smile. They both looked down the street as the sounds of sirens came closer.
“What happens now?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. I’ve never moved on.” Harry said with a shrug.
“Never?”
“No, I died and became a Reaper. This is what I will be doing now for a long, long time.”
“Will you ever not be a Reaper?”
“Yeah. You only get a certain amount of souls to reap.”
“Then what happens?”
“Then? Then you cease to be. Your soul is gone. It’s no more. Once you have reaped your last soul you just disappear. Well unless you have a deal.”
“Do you have a deal?”
“Yeah. It won’t ever happen though. Look Max. Live past your childhood. I know what it’s like to grow up like that. You’re free now. If you don’t move on, you’ll come back. You don’t want that Max.”
“Why not?”
“You just don’t. It will be somewhat similar to collecting your last reap without a deal.” Harry said, the police cars and ambulance pulled up to the house and the officers ran through the two on the lawn.
“That was weird.”
“Yep. Welcome to my world. So then Max? You gonna move on?”
“You know what? I think I am. Thank you. What is your name by the way?”
“Harry. I’m called Harry. If anyone up there, wherever it is you go once you die, asks about a Harry Potter, tell them I’m fine.” Harry said with a sad smile. Max nodded and faded away.
Harry had gone back to the car to wait for the Winchester’s, rather than go back to the house. He was waiting for a while, when finally the two left the house, talking to one another.
“I mean, yeah, maybe it we had gotten there twenty years earlier.” Dean said as he opened the car door, glancing at Harry.
“Well I’ll tell you one thing - we’re lucky we had Dad.” Sam said, surprising Dean and confusing Harry.
“I never thought I’d hear you say that.”
“Well, he could’ve gone a whole ‘nother way after Mom. A little more tequila, a little less demon-hunting, and we would’ve had Max’s childhood. All things considered, we turned out okay - thanks to him.”
“All things considered.” Dean conceded after a brief pause. Harry glanced at the two and then they all climbed into the car.
Once they were back at the motel and preparing to leave, Sam turned and faced Dean, making Harry look up from where he was sitting once more, on the table.
“Dean, I’ve been thinking.”
“Well, that’s never a good thing.”
“I’m serious. I’ve been thinking - why would this demon, or whatever it is, why would it kill Mom and Jessica and Max’s mother, you know, what does it want?”
“No idea.”
“Well, you think maybe it was after us? After Max and me?”
“Why would you think that?” Dean asked, Harry watched the two silently from his perch on the table.
“I mean, either telekinesis or premonitions, we both had abilities, you know? Maybe it was after us for some reason.” Sam explained, making Dean stop packing and look at his little brother. Harry had to inane urge to coo at the brotherly moment happening. Thankfully, he curbed the urge.
“Sam, if it wanted you, it would’ve just taken you, okay? This is not your fault. It’s not about you.”
“Then what is it about?”
“It’s about that damn thing that did this to our family. The thing that we’re gonna find, the thing that we’re gonna kill. And that’s all.”
“Actually, there’s, uh, somethin’ else too.”
“Oh jeez, what?”
“When Max locked me in that closet, that big cabinet against the door - I moved it.”
Dean laughed and punched Sam’s shoulder. “You’ve got a little bit more upper body strength than I give you credit for.”
“No, man, I moved it - like Max.”
“Oh. Right.”
“Yeah.”
Dean looked around him and then grabbed a spoon and held it up, much to Harry’s amusement. “Bend this.”
“I can’t turn it on and off Dean.” Sam said, glaring at his brother. Harry chuckled and then slapped his hand over his mouth when it got the attention of the brother’s.
“So. I’m gonna give you a choice.” Dean said, narrowing his eyes at the nervous Reaper and putting the spoon down.
“Oh? You know, I’ve never liked choices.”
“Yeah, well this is gonna be another that you aren’t gonna like.” Dean said. Sam frowned at him and took a step closer to Harry.
“Dean...”
“No Sam. Harry, you have a choice, you either leave us here and we call it an end, and if we ever bump into one another, then we’ll get rid of you somehow.”
“That’s not a choice. A choice is two options. That was one.” Harry pointed out quietly, refusing to look up from where he was picking at the table.
“Or you can tell us who you are. What you were before you became a Reaper. You don’t have to tell us everything now. But we need to know.”
“Why?”
“Why what?” Dean asked, frowning at Harry who was still looking down at the table.
“Why do you need to know?”
“Because, you seem to know a lot about us, yet we know nothing about you. Hardly seems fair.” Dean stated, Sam frowned at his brother and then looked at Harry curiously.
“Fine. You want to know about me? Fine. I’ll tell you things, but not all at once. I will start with how I became a Reaper though.”
“Why there?”
“Because. I figured I’d start at the end of my life, as opposed to the beginning.”
“Okay. Why did you become a Reaper?” Sam asked quietly, grabbing a chair and sitting next to the table.
“Hank approached me when I was fifteen. I had a... task ahead of me, which pretty much guaranteed my death. He offered me a way out.”
“What task?”
“I had to kill someone. However, we were linked together in a way that meant I had to die in order for him to die. It was a tough realisation to make at fifteen. Hank gave me a knife to use when I killed him. And I had to promise my soul to him. When I was seventeen, the moment came and I destroyed his soul, whilst giving my own to Death by killing myself with the knife he gave me. I died at seventeen in front of friends and family. They all thought I had killed myself to escape my fate.
“Thankfully Hank went and told the ones that mattered to me that I was okay and that I didn’t kill myself to run away. Of course, the corpse of my rival was enough hint that I didn’t leave them with a maniac.”
“Okay. You were seventeen when you died?” Sam asked incredulously.
“Yep.”
“So you’ve been a Reaper since you were seventeen? That’s kinda sad.” Sam said, looking at the table where Harry was picking at some crud on it.
“Yep. It’s not so bad though. My morals seemed to have died with my soul though. I’m sorry I took Max’s soul, but you have to understand that it’s my duty. He was going to kill himself anyway. There was nothing either of you could have done to stop it. However, the difference is, if I wasn’t there, then he would have almost definitely come back as a vengeful spirit.”
“Fine. We’ll accept that. You can come along with us. I reserve the right to just abandon your ass wherever we happen to be the moment you step out of line.” Dean said, staring hard at Harry, who still refused to look up.
“Sure.”
“So then, I know where we can go next.” Dean said with a grin.
“Where?”
“Vegas baby!”
Next Chapter
Previous Chapter
Harry watched with a frown from the table he was currently sitting on, as Sam sat up in his bed, gasping. He stayed silent as Sam shakily stood up from his bed and then moved over to Dean’s bed and shook him.
“Dean.” Sam shook Dean until he woke and blinked sleepily up at him. “Dean!” The urgency in Sam’s voice rose a pitch, making Dean groan. Sam stepped off the bed and moved around the room.
“What are you doing, man? It’s the middle of the night.”
“Actually, it’s three in the morning. Yes I know. Shut up Harry.” Harry said with a sigh when both Dean and Sam glared at him. He had been travelling with the two brothers now for almost a month and thus had gotten used to being told to shut up.
“Yeah, not to be mean, but shh. We have to go.” Sam told him, looking at Dean urgently. Harry silently jumped off the table and walked over to Sam who was packing items haphazardly into a duffle bag and placing a calming hand on his shoulder.
“What’s happening?” Dean asked sleepily, yawning widely. Harry rolled his eyes and then took the bag off of Sam.
“I’ll carry it to the car.” Harry muttered as Sam glared at Dean who was still yawning as he slowly got out of bed.
“We have to go. Right now.” Sam said, practically dragging his brother off the bed and shoving a pair of jeans at him. Dean nodded sleepily as he got dressed, then followed his two companions out the motel room and to the car.
“So where are we going?” Dean asked once they had drove off and were driving along a dark road. Sam glanced at him, his phone held to his ear and shrugged, making Harry snigger silently in the backseat.
“McCreedy. Detective McCreedy, badge number 15A. And I’ve got a signal 480 in progress. I need the registration owner of a two-door Sedan, Michigan license plate, Mary, Frank, 6037.” Harry sighed and pulled faces at the back of Sam’s head, making Dean snigger as Sam looked over his shoulder and glared at an innocent looking Harry. “Yeah, okay, just hurry.”
“Sammy, relax. I’m sure it’s just a nightmare.” Dean said reassuringly, making Sam smile at him, though to Harry it looked more like a grimace.
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
“No, I mean it. You know, a normal, everyday, naked-in-class nightmare. This license plate, it won’t check out, you’ll see.” Dean said, staring straight ahead as he drove.
“Why are we driving when we don’t know where we’re going?” Harry asked leaning forward slightly.
“No clue.” Dean admitted, smiling widely at Sam when he glared at him.
“Yes, I’m here. Jim Miller. Saginaw, Michigan. You have a street address? Got it. Thanks.” Sam hung up the phone and then looked at it in stunned silence.
“So... We even on the right road?” Harry asked with a sigh, glancing out the window.
“It checks out. How far are we?” Sam asked, ignoring Harry who huffed and then crossed his arms in a sulk.
“From Saginaw?”
“Yeah.”
“Couple hours.”
“Hours? I’m tired!” Harry whined, huffing again in the back of the car.
“You don’t sleep!”
“I could.” Harry said obstinately.
“Whatever. I do agree though. Dean. Drive Faster.”
They arrived at the house of Jim Miller too late. Harry knew the reaper had only just left, he could still somewhat sense the reaper. He knew who it was, and knew that the person was not supposed to naturally die now.
“Huh. Guess Becky got a job tonight.” Harry said, looking over the crowd that had gathered around Jim’s house and the emergency team there. The three stood and watched with the crowd as Jim’s body was taken out in a body bag, while the police spoke to Jim’s family.
Dean turned to a nearby woman who seemed to know the family. “What happened?”
“Suicide. I can’t believe it.” The woman told him, looking shocked, though the morbid curiosity was still there.
“That’s a lie. Becky generally doesn’t go for suicides. She likes the gossip that comes with murder.” Harry muttered to Sam, who frowned and stepped up next to Dean.
“Did you now him?” Sam asked the woman, not taking his eyes off the deceased’s family.
“I saw him every Sunday at St. Augustine’s. He always seems - seemed so normal. I guess you never know what’s going on behind closed doors.”
“Yeah, I guess not.” Dean agreed, nodding and looking over at the family.
“How did - how are they saying it happened?” Sam asked curiously, Harry looked at him sharply with a touch of suspicion.
“I heard they found him in the garage. Locked inside his car with the engine running.” Sam looked at Dean with a raised eyebrow, making Dean nod once.
“Hey, you’re completely leaving me out of this little communicating with just facial expressions thing! Not fair! But you are on the right tracks. Dunno what happened, but it was definitely not suicide.”
“Do you know what time they found him?” Sam asked, as Dean took a step away and closer to where Harry was standing near the Impala.
“Oh, it just happened about an hour or two ago. Oh his poor family. I can’t even imagine what they’re going through.” The woman said as they all watched as the woman on the doorstep of the house began to sob loudly. Sam watched and walked off.
“Sam, we got here as fast as we could.” Dean said, stopping Sam from walking away from him.
“Not fast enough. It just doesn’t make any sense, man. Why would I even have these premonitions, unless there was a chance that I could stop them from happening?” Sam said, looking at the two men helplessly.
“I don’t know.” Dean admitted, making Sam sigh and look away from the other two.
“So, what do you think killed him?”
“Why a ‘what’? Why couldn’t it be a human?”
“Well it could be, but I watched it happen! He was definitely murdered, and you know it! You told us so. Something trapped him in the garage.” Sam said, making Dean and Harry exchange a glance.
“Well, what? A spirit, a poltergeist, what?”
“Could still have been a human.” Harry added, making Sam exhale angrily.
“I don’t know what it was. I don’t know why I’m having these dreams, I don’t know what the hell is happening!” Sam exclaimed angrily. Dean and Harry just stayed silent and stared at him. “What?”
“Nothing, man, I’m just worried about you.” Dean said, Harry nodding in agreement.
“Well, don’t look at me like that. Either of you!”
“I’m not lookin’ at you like anything. Though I gotta say, you look like crap.” Dean said, making Harry wince and look away.
“I don’t agree, I’m just worried about you.” Harry said quietly, still not looking at Sam anymore.
“Nice. Thanks. Look stop being worried about me, I’ll be fine.”
“Yeah - well come on, let’s just pick this up in the morning. We’ll check out the house, we’ll talk to the family.”
“Dean, I think I just need to be alone for a bit. I’ll meet you back at the motel. Both of you. How you think the family is gonna talk to us though, I have no idea. They’re devastated.” Sam pointed out, making Dean grin widely.
“You’re right there, but I think I know who they will talk to. Be careful when you’re out there on your own though. Don’t be too long.” Dean said, watching Sam walk off and then turning to look at Harry, who was still watching Sam walk off.
“You really believe there is something into this and these... visions?” Dean asked, waving his arms around trying to find the right word.
“You know, I had a friend who was thought to be a couple of colours short of a rainbow. Turns out, she was somewhat psychic and heard the voices of the wind. They told her things. No one listened to her, so no one was prepared when Voldiebear attacked Diagon. Well I was, but I was generally always prepared. Regular old boy scout me.” Harry added, saluting a glaring Dean.
“Is there a moral to this story?” Dean asked dryly.
“Yeah, listen to your little brother. He’s scared, he doesn’t understand what’s going on, but he is getting these visions. You should support him.”
The next morning the three went out to the Miller’s house to pay their respects, well to pay their respects and to find out some information to help them discover what was going on.
“This has got to be a whole new low for us.” Sam said as he pressed the doorbell. Both brothers were dressed as ministers, much to Harry’s amusement.
“Oh I don’t know, you look kinda hot as a priest.” Harry said, leering at Sam as he leant against the wall of the house.
“See Sammy! I look hot!” Dean said with a grin.
“I meant Sam. You look like an idiot.” Thankfully for Harry, a man chose to open the door at that moment.
“Good afternoon. I’m father Simmons, this is Father Frehley. We’re new junior priests over at St. Augustine’s. May we come in?” Dean asked. When the man nodded, the three walked into the house, glancing at the groups of mourners.
“We’re very sorry for your loss.” Sam told the man as he closed the door behind them.
“It’s in difficult times like these when the Lord’s guidance is most needed.” Dean told him softly, Harry sniggering behind the two.
“Look, if you wanna pitch your whole Lord-has-a-plan thing, fine. But don’t pitch it to me. My brother is dead.” The man told them bitterly, as a woman walked over to them after having clearly overheard them.
“Roger, please.” The woman came over to them, placing a calming hand onto Roger’s shoulder.
“Excuse me.” Roger said, and left the small group making Harry stick his tongue out at his back.
“I’m sorry about my brother-in-law. He’s just so upset about Jim’s death. Would you like some coffee?”
“That’d be great. We are very sorry for you loss Ms Miller.” Dean added, almost as an after thought, making both Harry and Sam roll their eyes.
“She looks a bit like one of the aunts in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, don’t you think?” Harry asked, as Ms Miller turned to lead them into the kitchen, making Dean’s lips twitch as Sam frowned at him.
“It was wonderful of you to stop by. The support of the church means so much right now.” Ms Miller said as she handed them both a cup of coffee.
“Or course, we are all God’s children.” Dean said, making Harry snigger as he dipped his fingers into Sam’s coffee, much to Sam’s annoyance. Sam looked at Dean strangely. Ms Miller walked away as another mourner grabbed her attention and Dean used her distraction to grab a mini hot dog from the platter and ate it. Sam scoffed whilst Harry looked at the food mournfully. “What?”
“Just tone it down a little bit, Father.” Sam told him just as Ms Miller returned and sat down on the sofa next to Dean.
“So, Ms Miller, did you husband have a history of depression?” Dean asked, spraying food out of his mouth much to Harry and Sam’s disgust.
“Nothing like that. We had our ups and downs, like everyone. But we were happy.” Ms Miller told them, starting to sob into a handkerchief. “I just don’t understand how Jim could do something like that.”
“I’m sorry you had to find him like that.” Sam said sympathetically, whilst also keeping an eye on a now bored Harry.
“Actually, our son, Max - he was the one who found him.” Ms Miller said, pointing to a depressed teenage boy sitting alone in the corner of another room.
“To the son!” Harry stated dramatically, grinning at Sam.
“Do you mind if maybe I go talk to him?” Sam asked, much to Harry’s happiness.
“Oh, thank you, Father.” Ms Miller exclaimed. Sam smiled and nodded at her and then followed Harry to Max in the dining room.
“Max? Hey, I’m Sam.”
“Hi. What are you doing over here?” Max asked sullenly, making Harry stick his tongue out at him.
“I just came over to speak to you for a bit.”
“About my father?” Max asked, making Harry narrow his eyes at him, not that Sam noticed.
“Yeah. What was your dad like?” Sam asked gently.
“Just a normal dad.” Max told him sadly, making Harry roll his eyes.
“Yeah? And you live at home now?”
“Yeah. I’m tryin’ to save up for school, but it’s hard.”
“So, when you found your dad...” Sam asked hesitantly.
“Smooth, Father.” Harry told him, sitting down on the arm of Sam’s chair.
“I woke up. I heard the engine running. I don’t know why he did it.” Max told him with a small sniffle.
“He didn’t do it though did he? Tell him Sam!” Harry said, nudging Sam gently, much to Sam’s disapproval.
“I know it’s rough. Losing a parent. Especially when you don’t have all the answers.” Sam told him, making Harry scoff.
“Try having all the answers.” Sam sighed when Max stood up and walked back into the kitchen, leaving Sam and Harry alone.
“Shall we go find Dean?” Harry asked, blowing a strand of hair out of his face as he turned to look at Sam. Sam nodded and stood up, leading the way upstairs.
They found Dean sneaking around upstairs with an infrared thermal scanner, checking each of the rooms. He obviously heard them coming as he suddenly stood up straight, hiding the scanner behind his back, which only made Harry snigger.
“Anything?” Sam asked him.
Dean shook his head and sighed, walking over to Sam at the stairs. “Zip.” He told him as they made their way back downstairs.
“I note no one has asked me what I think.” Harry stated with a put upon voice.
“What do you think then?” Dean asked him, making Harry wrinkle his nose when Sam rolled his eyes.
“It wasn’t a ghost. I still stand by that it was a human. Other than that, I got nothing. Though the coffee wasn’t that bad.” He added, almost as an after thought.
Later they were all sitting in the motel room, Harry sitting on the table once again as he watched Dean, sitting on his own bed, cleaning all of his weapons.
“So what do you have?” Dean asked suddenly, making Sam look up and at him.
“A whole lot of nothing. Nothing bad has happened to the Miller house since it was built.” Sam told him, looking back at his laptop screen.
“Told you it wasn’t a ghost... or whatever.” Harry said smugly.
“What about the land?” Dean asked, glaring at Harry, who stuck his tongue out at him.
“Will you two grow up? And no, no graveyards, battlefields, tribal lands or any other kind of atrocity on or near the property.” Sam told them, ignoring the hurt look both of them were shooting him.
“Hey, man, I told you I searched that house up and down. There were no cold spots, no sulphur scent, nada.” Dean told him, placing his gun carefully down on the bed.
“Wouldn’t that suggest that, oh! A human was involved!” Harry asked, faking astonishment and only getting glares from the Winchester brothers for his efforts.
“And the family said everything was normal?” Sam asked Dean, choosing to ignore Harry.
“Well, I mean, if there was a demon or a poltergeist in there, don’t you think somebody would’ve noticed something? I used the infrared thermal scanner, man there was nothing.” Dean told him, taking Sam’s lead in ignoring their irritating follower.
“You know, I know you can hear me.” Harry said stroppily, huffing and then losing his balance and nearly falling off the table.
“So, what, you think Jim Miller killed himself? And my dream was just some sort of freakish coincidence?”
“I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure that there’s nothing supernatural about that house.” Dean told him, shrugging.
“Yeah.” Sam said, grimacing as he massaged his temples. Harry watched him closely with narrowed eyes. “Well, you know, maybe, uh - maybe it has nothing to do with the house. Maybe, it’s just, uh - gosh - maybe it’s connected to Jim in some other way.” Sam said stumbling slightly before clutching his head in pain. Harry slid off the table and ran over to him, beating Dean to it, and hovering around Sam.
“What’s wrong with you?” Dean asked, frowning at the pair.
“Yeah - my head.” Sam suddenly screamed in pain, much to the shock of both Harry and Dean, as they watched him gasp and fall to the floor on his knees.
Harry dropped to the ground with him, panicking slightly as he watched Sam writhe in pain on the floor.
“Sam? Hey. Hey! What’s going on? Talk to me!” Dean called to him, moving off his bed and to the pair on the floor.
“Help him! Help him!” Harry said panicking, as he gently placed Sam’s head in his lap as Dean moved Sam so that he was lying more comfortably on the floor.
“My head!” Sam groaned, clutching at his head in Harry’s lap.
“Sam?”
“You’re getting a vision!” Harry exclaimed, finally settling and placing his hands on either side of Sam’s face. He then leant down and placed a gently kiss on Sam’s forehead. Dean watched the two, hovering behind Harry, he was concerned about his younger brother, but he didn’t stop Harry from doing what was clearly helping to calm Sam down.
Sam suddenly gasped and sat up, nearly head butting Harry. “It’s happening again. Something gonna kill Roger Miller.” Sam panicked, struggling to get up off the floor. Harry and Dean helped him to stand and then they all quickly got up and ran to the car.
As they got in the car, Sam took out his phone and dialled a number, Dean pulled away form the motel as Sam spoke to someone on the other end of the phone. “Roger Miller. No, no, just the address please. Okay. Thanks.” Sam told them before hanging up and turning to look at Dean.
“Well?”
“450 West Grove, Apartment 1120.” Sam told him. Dean nodded and turned his attention back to the driving.
“You okay?” Dean asked, not taking his eyes off the road.
“Yeah.”
“If you’re gonna hurl, I’ll pull the car over, you know, ‘cause the upholstery-” Dean faded off, still refusing to look at Sam, much to the amusement of Harry.
“I’m fine.” Sam ground out.
“Alright.”
“Just drive.” Sam told him, looking stressed.
Alright.” Dean said, Sam sighed as Harry just sat in the back, silently observing the two brothers.
“Dean, I’m scared, man. These nightmares weren’t bad enough, now I’m seein’ things when I’m awake? And these visions, or whatever, they’re getting more intense. And painful.” Sam told him, making Harry glance at him sympathetically.
“I can empathise with you there. Voldiebear’s visions felt like my head was splitting in two. That was before I felt all the curses.” Harry said musingly.
“I can’t answer your questions Sammy, but I do know we’ll figure it out, okay? We face the unexplainable every single day, this is just another thing.” Dean told his little brother reassuringly.
“No. It’s never been us. It’s never been in the family like this. Tell the truth, you can’t tell me this doesn’t freak you out.” Sam asked him, Harry shifting in the backseat, still silently watching the two brothers. If anyone had asked him, he would have admitted quite honestly, that he wanted to see how siblings, other than the Weasley’s interacted with one another.
“This doesn’t freak me out.” And with that statement, Harry’s respect of Dean went up.
They got to Roger Miller’s apartment just in time to see Roger carrying a bag of groceries. Dean pulled up the car beside him and opened his window.
“Hey, Roger!” Sam called leaning over Dean.
“Hey, hold up a second.” Dean called after the man, who started to walk a little faster at seeing his stalkers.
“You know, I’d have cursed you by now.” Harry pointed out, making Sam glance at him questioningly. Harry just shrugged his shoulders and grinned.
“What are you guys, missionaries? Leave me alone.” Roger told them, making Harry giggle in the back.
Dean growled under his breath and pulled the car up at the curb. Sam and Dean both climbed out the car and ran after Roger who was entering the apartment building.
“Please! Hey Roger, we’re tryin’ to help! Please! Hey! Hey, hey!” Sam pleaded, watching helplessly as Roger shut and locked the door behind him.
“I don’t want your help.” Roger yelled through the glass and then walked away. Harry watched from beside the car as the brothers futilely tried to get the man’s attention.
“We’re not priests! You’ve gotta listen to us!” Sam yelled after the man, who didn’t even acknowledge them
“You know, I’d just let him die. Becky will be angry if we don’t. He doesn’t deserve your help anyway.” Harry shouted at them, making them both turn around and glare at him.
"Roger, you’re in danger! Come on! Come on!” Dean yelled at the man, before stepping away from the door and angrily kicking at the ground when Roger ignored him and walked up the stairs to his apartment.
“Come on!” Sam told him, and Dean followed him around the side of the apartment building which was blocked by a gate. Harry watched them go, and the shrugged before deciding it wasn’t worth it and staying by the car.
“Hey Harry. Hank told me that you had finally gotten free. We all tried to find someway of helping you.” A woman, who looked to be in her mid thirties with white skin and hair, and dark, almost black eyes, walked over to where Harry was leaning against the Impala.
“Hey Becky. My travelling companions are trying to save your reap.” Harry told the Reaper in a bored tone.
“Ah, did you not tell them it was futile?”
“Didn’t want to ruin their fun.” Harry said with a shrug.
“Ah, fair enough. Well I had better be off. Souls to reap and all.” Becky told him with a put upon sigh. Harry grinned and waved her off, then went back to waiting for the Winchester’s.
He didn’t have to wait for long. He felt the soul passing and then turned around, knowing that within a couple of minutes, the two brothers would be heading back to the car, and him.
“I’m tellin’ you, there was nothing in there. There’s no signs either, just like the Miller’s house.” Harry heard Dean telling Sam as they made their way back to the car.
“I saw something in the vision, like a dark shape. Something was stalking Roger.” Sam told him insistently.
“Well, whatever it was, we can be sure it’ not connected to their house.” Dean told him, Harry watched them get closer and couldn’t help but wonder how Roger had died.
“No, it’s connected to the family itself. So, what do you think we got? A vengeful spirit?” Sam asked, stopping at the car and waiting for Harry to climb into the back.
“I told you I think it’s a human. So how did Roger die? Was it gory? Lot’s of blood?” Harry asked eagerly. Dean looked over his shoulder at Harry in disgust.
“That’s just wrong. Back to the vengeful spirit theory, it could be possible. There’s a few that have been known to latch onto families, follow ‘em for years.”
“Banshees.” Sam said grmily.
“Oh now. I’ve known a couple of Banshees. They happen to be very nice. Once you get past the screaming thing of course.” Harry told them, gaining himself a funny look from both brothers.
“Yeah sure. Anyway, it’s basically like a curse. So, maybe Roger and Jim Miller got involved in something heavy. Something curse-worthy.”
“I don’t think it’s a curse.”
“Okay, you probably know quite a bit about curses, but even you can’t deny that something is out for revenge. And the men in their family are dying. Hey, do you think Max is in danger?” Sam asked suddenly, making Harry shrug as Dean frowned.
“Let’s figure it out before he is.” Dean told him firmly, starting the car.
“Well, I know one thing I have in common with these people.”
“What’s that?”
“Both our families are cursed.”
Harry scoffed, getting the attention of the brothers. “You think your family’s cursed. I’m stuck as an out of business Reaper for the rest of my ever immortal life, or at least until someone sees the ‘real’ me. Which is bull, seeing as you two seem to be the only ones who can actually see me at all. Yeah, you’re definitely cursed. Welcome to the dark side.” Harry told him dryly, making Sam look at him softly and Dean chuckle before quickly covering it with a laugh.
“Our family’s not cursed. We just... had our dark spots.” Dean said once he stopped coughing, making Sam laugh.
“Our dark spots are pretty dark.”
“This is nothing compared to having to kill a man at eleven, then a huge snake at twelve and help a convicted murderer escape the ministry at thirteen.” Harry mumbled, making both brothers shift in their seat to stare at the Reaper in the back seat.
“You are so telling us your past at some point.” Dean told him, before turning back around and pulling away from the apartment.
The next day, Sam and Dean were back at the Miller’s house sitting in the living room dressed, once again, as ministers. They were talking to Max once again, though Ms Miller was nowhere to be seen, though according the ever nosy Reaper, Harry, she was upstairs in bed.
“My mom’s resting. She’s pretty wrecked.” Max told them at Sam’s enquiry.
“Of course.” Dean nodded in understanding as Sam took a sip of his coffee.
“All these people kept coming with, like, casseroles. I finally had to tell them all to go away.” Max said, gesturing to the dining room table, which is covered with trays casserole. “You know, ‘cause nothing says ‘I’m sorry’ like a tuna casserole.” Max said, laughing hollowly.
“How you holdin’ up?” Sam asked him
“I’m okay.”
“Your dad and uncle were close?”
“Yeah, I guess. I mean, they were brothers. They used to hang out al the time when I was little.”
“But not much lately?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just - we used to be neighbours when I was a kid. And we lived across town in this house, and Uncle Roger lived next door, so he was over all the time.” Max told them.
“Right. So, how was it in that house when you were a kid?”
“It was fine. Why?”
“All good memories? Do you remember anything unusual? Something involving your father and your uncle maybe.” Dean asked. Harry watched shrewdly as Max became more flustered at the questioning.
“Maybe you should stop this line of questioning.” Harry told Dean, just to be ignored.
“What do you - why do you ask?” Max asked them, fidgeting in his seat.
“Just a question.” Dean told him, waving Max’s worries away.
“No. There was nothing. We were totally normal. Happy.” Max said unconvincingly to Harry at least.
“Good. That’s good. Well, you must be exhausted. We should take off.” Dean said, standing up and shaking Max’s hand.
“Right. Thanks.” Sam agreed, smiling at Max as Max stood up with them.
“Yeah.” Max said, leading them to the door and then closing it behind them once they left.
Outside, the three walked back to the car, discussing Max, as they occasionally threw glances over their shoulder.
“Nobody’s family is totally normal and happy. Did you see when he was talkin’ about his old house?”
“Sounded scared.” Sam said. Dean nodded.
“Yeah, Max isn’t tellin’ us everything. I say we go find the old neighbourhood, and find out what life was really like at the Miller’s.” Dean said, as they got into the car.
They went to the neighbourhood that the Miller’s used to live in to find out the answers to their questions. They found a neighbour and decided to question him.
“Have you lived in the neighbourhood very long?” Sam asked him as they walked over to him.
“Yeah, almost twenty years now. It’s nice and quiet. Why, you lookin’ to buy?”
“No, no, actually, we were just wondering if you might recall a family that used to live right across the street, I believe.” Sam told the man, pointing to the house that he believed the Miller’s lived in.
“Yeah, the Millers. They had a little boy named Max.”
“Right.” Sam agreed, nodding. The neighbour glanced at the house sadly and then turned back to the brothers.
“Yeah, I remember. The brother had the place next door. So uh, what’s this about? That poor kid okay?” The man asked. Harry narrowed his eyes at the man and then looked at Sam.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, in my life, I’ve never seen a child treated like that. I mean, I’d hear Mr. Miller yellin’ and throwin’ things clear across the street. He was a mean drunk. He used to beat the tar out of Max. Bruises - broke his arm two times that I know of.” The man told them, confirming the thoughts Harry was having about Max’s childhood.
“And this was going on regularly?”
“Practically every day. In fact, that thug of a bother of his was just as likely to take a swing at the boy, but the worst part was the stepmother. She’d just stand there, checked out, never lifted a finger to protect him. I must have called the police seven or eight times, never did any good.” The man said sadly, shaking his head.
“Now, you said stepmother.” Dean said curiously.
“I think his real mom died. Some sort of accident - a car accident, I think.” The man looked at Sam who was clutching his head and breathing sharply. Harry was holding him, trying to take the pain away. “Are you okay, there?”
“Yeah.” Sam said through gritted teeth.
“Thanks for your time.” Dean said to the man, moving to the other side of Sam and letting him lean against him.
“Yeah, thank you.” Sam said, gasping softly. Dean and Harry helped to get Sam back to the car, but Sam stopped and stared ahead at nothing in horror.
“Vision again.” Harry said, massaging Sam’s temples.
Dean nodded and then slowly lead Sam to the car and, with the help of Harry, managed to place Sam inside it.
After both Dean and Harry had gotten into the car, Dean pulled away from the neighbourhood. “Back to the motel?” Dean asked Harry, who was fussing over a practically comatose Sam.
“I think that might be the best idea.” Harry agreed.
Sam chose that moment to come back into coherency, making Harry jump back as though burnt. “Max is doing it. Everything I’ve been seeing.”
“You sure about this?”
“Am I allowed to say I told you so? I mean, I did say it was a human.”
“No, and yeah, that’s what I saw.”
“How’s he pullin’ it off?”
“I don’t know. It looked like telekinesis.”
“So, he’s psychic? He’s a spoon-bender?” Dean asked incredulously, making Harry snigger.
“I didn’t even realise it, but this whole time he was there. He was outside of the garage when his dad died, he was in the apartment when his uncle died. These visions, this whole time, wasn’t connected to the Millers, I was connecting to Max. The thing I don’t get is why, man? I guess because we’re so alike?”
“What are you talking about? The kid is nothing like you.” Harry asked, Dean nodding his agreement with Harry.
“Well, we both have psychic abilities. We’re both-”
“Both what? Sam, Max is a monster. He’s already killed two people, and now he’s gunnin’ for a third.” Dean said, not noticing the flinch from Harry, who figured he would be seen as less than human in Dean’s eyes once he heard of his history. Of course, the fact that he isn’t human anymore might count against him more.
“Well with what he went through - the beatings. To want revenge on those people, I’m sorry, man, I hate to say it, but it’s not that insane.” Sam said nervously.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t justify murdering your entire family.” Dean told him, not noticing Harry roll his eyes behind him.
“Dean-”
“He’s no different than anything else we’ve hunted. Alright, we’ve gotta end him.” Dean said as he pulled the car over and shut the engine off.
“If you kill him, then really, you’re no better than him.” Harry pointed out, smiling innocently when Dean glared at him. The three got out of the car and then turned when someone shouted Harry’s name.
Becky was talking towards them, grinning inanely and sending a smirk at Sam when she caught up with them.
“S’up Becky?” Harry asked, looking at his fellow Reaper curiously. She looked at him meaningfully, making Harry just look confused, before realising what she wanted. “Oh! Becky, this is Sam and Dean Winchester. Sam, Dean, this is Becky a Reaper. She likes the gossip behind murders.” Harry added sagely, nodding.
“Nice to meet you. Can’t stay long. A housewife has just caught her husband in bed with his secretary. His male secretary. I just came to give you this. Hank as a job for you.” Becky said, handing him a post-it note with a name on it and the time. Harry glanced at it before placing it in his pocket quickly before either brother could see it.
“Oh right, well thanks, and er - good luck on the murder.”
“Oh it should be good! Speak to you later!” Becky said with a grin and then she disappeared.
“So who is it? I thought you weren’t working anymore?” Dean asked with a frown.
“So did I.” Harry admitted absently, looking at the house in front of them. “Come on then, people see, souls to reap!”
Sam and Dean stared at each other for a long minute before both shrugging and following the suddenly more cheerful Reaper to the Miller’s house.
“We’re not gonna kill Max.” Sam told both Dean and Harry when they got to the front door. Harry shrugged but Dean scowled at his brother.
“Then what? I hand him over to the cops and say, ‘lock him up officer, he kills with the power of his mind.’” Dean said dryly, Harry snickered into his hand, as Sam glared at both of them.
“Forget it. No way, man.” Sam said stubbornly, making Dean glower and Harry to just sigh and consider ringing to doorbell for them.
“Sam-”
“Dean. He’s a person. We can talk to him. Hey, promise me you’ll follow my lead on this one?” Sam asked Dean. Harry mocked gagged behind Sam then sighed loudly.
“Alright, fine. But I’m not lettin’ him hurt anybody else.” Dean said, showing Sam the gun he had placed at the small of his back, tucked into his jeans.
“Um... Maybe we should go round the back.” Harry suggested, looking at his watch.
“Who’s name do you have on your note?” Dean asked curiously, following Harry as he lead them into the back garden.
“It is someone from the house.” Harry said mysteriously, refusing to answer any more questions.
They walked around the side of the house, only to hear an argument coming from the kitchen. Sam glanced at the other two before running to the door and bursting into the kitchen, the other two following closely behind.
“Fathers?” Ms Miller looked at them n confusion, tears staining her face.
“What are you doing here?” Max asked, frowning at the two men in the kitchen. Harry nibbled on his lip and glanced up at the clock in the kitchen.
“Uh, sorry to interrupt.” Dean said uncomfortably.
“Max, could we, uh - could we talk to you outside for just one second?”
“About what?” Max asked suspiciously.
“It’s - it’s private. I wouldn’t wanna bother your mother with it. We won’t be long at all, though. I promise.” Sam told him soothingly. Max glanced at his stepmother before nodding slowly in agreement.
“Okay.”
“Great.” Sam said with a relieved sigh, Max walked to Sam and Dean. Dean opened the door to walk out when suddenly the handle was ripped out of his hands as the door slammed shut, along with all the windows in the house.
“Oh dear. Reegan’s pissed.” Harry said bluntly, making Dean snort even with the severity of the situation.
“You’re not priests!” Max exclaimed, pointing at the two brothers. Dean grumbled under his breath before taking the gun out and pointing it at Max. However, the gun was soon ripped from Dean’s grasp and Max picked it up from where it fell on the floor. He pointed the gun at Sam and Dean. Harry watched all this with detachment from the where he was leaning on the wall, occasionally glancing at his watch.
“Max, what’s happening?” Ms Miller asked, staring at the stalemate happening in the hallway.
“Shut up!” Max yelled, not taking the gun away from Sam and Dean.
“What are you doing?!” Ms Miller asked before Max jerked his head and his stepmother was thrown into the kitchen counter and then collapsing on the floor.
“I said shut up!”
“Max, calm down.” Sam said gently, staring at the gun still pointed at him and Dean.
“Who are you?”
“We just wanna talk to you.”
“Yeah, right, that’s why you brought this!” Max said, shaking the gun to get his point across, before pointing it at the two brothers once again. Harry continued to watch the drama unfolding, glancing at the time more often as it neared his reap.
“That was a mistake, alright? So was lying about who we were, but no more lying, Max, okay? Just, please - just hear me out.” Sam pleaded.
“About what?”
“I saw you do it. I saw you kill your dad and your uncle before it happened.” Sam told him, Harry noticed Ms Miller slowly start to sit herself up from the floor.
“What?”
“I’m having visions, Max. About you.” Sam told him, Harry couldn’t help but think about how bizarre his life had turned since finding out about the wizarding world when he was eleven.
“You’re crazy.”
“So, you weren't gonna launch a knife at your stepmom?” Sam pointed to his eye, “Right here? Is it that hard to believe Max? Look what you can do. Max, I was drawn here, alright? I think I’m here to help you.”
“No on can help me!”
“Let me try. We’ll just talk. Me and you. We’ll get Dean and Alice out of here.” Sam old him soothingly.
“Nuh-uh. No way.” Dean said shaking his head. Sam held up a finger to silence him and the light fixture above them starting to shake.
“Nobody leaves this house!” Max yelled, the gun shaking slightly in his hand.
“And nobody has to, alright? They’ll just - they’ll just go upstairs.”
“Sam, I’m not leavin’ you alone with him.”
“You know, I can tell you that of everyone in this room, Sam is not on that post-it note.” Harry told Dean, pushing himself away from the wall and placing himself in between Sam and the gun, looking at Dean over his shoulder.
“Yes you are.” Sam said to Dean, glancing briefly at Harry. “Look, Max, you’re in charge her, alright? We all know that. No one’s gonna do anything that you don’t want to, but I’m talkin’ five minutes here, man.”
“Sam.” Sam held up his finger again to silence Dean.
“Five minutes.” Max agreed and the light fixture stopped shaking. “Go.” Dean moved quickly into the kitchen and helped Ms Miller sit up properly and led her to a chair. Harry followed Sam and Max into the living room and stood behind Sam as the two humans sat on sofas facing one another. On the coffee table a letter opener moved so that it was standing up right.
“Look, I can’t begin to understand what you went through.” Sam admitted, looking at Max.
“That’s right, you can’t.” Max told him, eyes fixed on the letter opener.
“Max, this has to stop.”
“It will. After my stepmother.”
“No. You need to let her go.”
“Why?” Max asked as the letter opener began to spin on its tip.
“Did she beat you?”
“No. But she never tried to save me, she’s a part of it too.”
“Look, what they did to you, what they all did to you, growing up - they deserve to be punished.”
“Growing up?” Max asked incredulously. “Try last week.” He stood up and raised his shirt. There were large bruises on his stomach and ribs, along with multiple cuts. “My dad still hit me, just in places people wouldn’t see it. Old habits die hard, I guess.” He told Sam as he sat back down.
Sam sat in the chair stunned, “I’m sorry.” The letter opener on the table began to spin faster.
“When I first found out I could move things, it was a gift. My whole life I was helpless. But now I had this. So, last week, Dad gets drunk - first time in a long time. And he beats me to hell - first time in a long time. And then I knew what I had to do.”
“Why didn’t you just leave?” Sam asked. He jumped suddenly when the letter opener dropped onto the table.
“It wasn’t about getting away - just knowing that they’s still be out there. It was about not being afraid. When my dad used to look at me, there was hate in his eyes. Do you know what that feels like?”
“No.” Sam admitted softly.
“He blamed me for everything. For his job, for his life, for my mom’s death.”
“Why would he blame you for your mom’s death?” Sam asked, confused.
“Because she did in my nursery. While I was asleep in my crib.” Sam’s eyes widened, whilst Harry stood up straight and looked at the two men on the sofas with narrowed eyes.
“She died in your nursery?”
“Yeah. There was a fire. And he’d get drunk and babble on like she died in some insane way. He said that she burned up. Pinned to the ceiling.” Sam looked at Max in shock as Harry gasped and then glanced at Sam’s reaction before wincing.
“Shit. I’m going to see if Dean is okay.” Harry said hurriedly before leaving the room and heading into the kitchen.
“Why did you leave Sammy on his own?” Dean asked Harry, much to Ms Miller’s confusion.
“Who are you talking to?”
“Huh? Oh, no one.” Dean said, looking at Harry with a raised eyebrow.
“He’s fine Dean. I just had to leave.”
“Well then Ms Miller. Shall we go and get you cleaned up?” Dean asked, helping Ms Miller stand up and then leading her upstairs and then to the master bedroom. He sat her down on the bed and then quickly went to grab a damp washcloth from the bathroom.
“Are you feeling okay?” Dean asked her, once he came back into the bedroom and placed the cloth onto her forehead.
Harry glanced at the clock on the bedside table and then looked over at the door as it opened, and Max walked in, closing the door behind him. Dean stood up and walked towards Max before he was flung across the room by a seemingly invisible force and then hit the wall and fell to the ground. Max glanced at Dean and pulled out the gun.
“Max!” Ms Miller shouted. Max let go of the gun, and it hovered in the air. “No Max.” Dean moved on the floor but the gun moved with him to continue pointing at him. Harry nibbled on his lip and glanced at the clock again.
“Stay back. It’s not about you.”
“If you wanna kill her, you gotta go through me first.” Dean said through gritted teeth, making Harry groan and step closer to the odd group.
“Okay.” Max said with a grin, the trigger clicked just as the door was flung open and Sam burst into the room.
“No, don’t! Don’t! Please. Please, Max. Max, we can help you, alright? But this - what you’re doing - it’s not the solution. It’s not gonna fix anything.” Max stared at Sam for moment before tilting his head.
“You’re right.” Harry watched Max and then glanced at the clock. He walked forward and stood behind Max, Sam and Dean stared at him in horror, before Harry brushed his hand down Max’s arm. Max then pointed the gun towards himself and shot himself in the head. He fell to the ground, Harry stepping away from the body.
“I’ve got to go do something.” Harry said quietly. He walked out of the room leaving the occupants of it staring at the body in horror. Harry walked through the house and then out the door and to the front yard.
“I killed myself? Is it over?” Max appeared next to him, and Harry smiled at him sadly.
“Yeah. It’s over now Max. You get to rest now. You don’t need to come back here. Go on. Move on. Follow the light and all that jazz.” Harry said with a sad smile. They both looked down the street as the sounds of sirens came closer.
“What happens now?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. I’ve never moved on.” Harry said with a shrug.
“Never?”
“No, I died and became a Reaper. This is what I will be doing now for a long, long time.”
“Will you ever not be a Reaper?”
“Yeah. You only get a certain amount of souls to reap.”
“Then what happens?”
“Then? Then you cease to be. Your soul is gone. It’s no more. Once you have reaped your last soul you just disappear. Well unless you have a deal.”
“Do you have a deal?”
“Yeah. It won’t ever happen though. Look Max. Live past your childhood. I know what it’s like to grow up like that. You’re free now. If you don’t move on, you’ll come back. You don’t want that Max.”
“Why not?”
“You just don’t. It will be somewhat similar to collecting your last reap without a deal.” Harry said, the police cars and ambulance pulled up to the house and the officers ran through the two on the lawn.
“That was weird.”
“Yep. Welcome to my world. So then Max? You gonna move on?”
“You know what? I think I am. Thank you. What is your name by the way?”
“Harry. I’m called Harry. If anyone up there, wherever it is you go once you die, asks about a Harry Potter, tell them I’m fine.” Harry said with a sad smile. Max nodded and faded away.
Harry had gone back to the car to wait for the Winchester’s, rather than go back to the house. He was waiting for a while, when finally the two left the house, talking to one another.
“I mean, yeah, maybe it we had gotten there twenty years earlier.” Dean said as he opened the car door, glancing at Harry.
“Well I’ll tell you one thing - we’re lucky we had Dad.” Sam said, surprising Dean and confusing Harry.
“I never thought I’d hear you say that.”
“Well, he could’ve gone a whole ‘nother way after Mom. A little more tequila, a little less demon-hunting, and we would’ve had Max’s childhood. All things considered, we turned out okay - thanks to him.”
“All things considered.” Dean conceded after a brief pause. Harry glanced at the two and then they all climbed into the car.
Once they were back at the motel and preparing to leave, Sam turned and faced Dean, making Harry look up from where he was sitting once more, on the table.
“Dean, I’ve been thinking.”
“Well, that’s never a good thing.”
“I’m serious. I’ve been thinking - why would this demon, or whatever it is, why would it kill Mom and Jessica and Max’s mother, you know, what does it want?”
“No idea.”
“Well, you think maybe it was after us? After Max and me?”
“Why would you think that?” Dean asked, Harry watched the two silently from his perch on the table.
“I mean, either telekinesis or premonitions, we both had abilities, you know? Maybe it was after us for some reason.” Sam explained, making Dean stop packing and look at his little brother. Harry had to inane urge to coo at the brotherly moment happening. Thankfully, he curbed the urge.
“Sam, if it wanted you, it would’ve just taken you, okay? This is not your fault. It’s not about you.”
“Then what is it about?”
“It’s about that damn thing that did this to our family. The thing that we’re gonna find, the thing that we’re gonna kill. And that’s all.”
“Actually, there’s, uh, somethin’ else too.”
“Oh jeez, what?”
“When Max locked me in that closet, that big cabinet against the door - I moved it.”
Dean laughed and punched Sam’s shoulder. “You’ve got a little bit more upper body strength than I give you credit for.”
“No, man, I moved it - like Max.”
“Oh. Right.”
“Yeah.”
Dean looked around him and then grabbed a spoon and held it up, much to Harry’s amusement. “Bend this.”
“I can’t turn it on and off Dean.” Sam said, glaring at his brother. Harry chuckled and then slapped his hand over his mouth when it got the attention of the brother’s.
“So. I’m gonna give you a choice.” Dean said, narrowing his eyes at the nervous Reaper and putting the spoon down.
“Oh? You know, I’ve never liked choices.”
“Yeah, well this is gonna be another that you aren’t gonna like.” Dean said. Sam frowned at him and took a step closer to Harry.
“Dean...”
“No Sam. Harry, you have a choice, you either leave us here and we call it an end, and if we ever bump into one another, then we’ll get rid of you somehow.”
“That’s not a choice. A choice is two options. That was one.” Harry pointed out quietly, refusing to look up from where he was picking at the table.
“Or you can tell us who you are. What you were before you became a Reaper. You don’t have to tell us everything now. But we need to know.”
“Why?”
“Why what?” Dean asked, frowning at Harry who was still looking down at the table.
“Why do you need to know?”
“Because, you seem to know a lot about us, yet we know nothing about you. Hardly seems fair.” Dean stated, Sam frowned at his brother and then looked at Harry curiously.
“Fine. You want to know about me? Fine. I’ll tell you things, but not all at once. I will start with how I became a Reaper though.”
“Why there?”
“Because. I figured I’d start at the end of my life, as opposed to the beginning.”
“Okay. Why did you become a Reaper?” Sam asked quietly, grabbing a chair and sitting next to the table.
“Hank approached me when I was fifteen. I had a... task ahead of me, which pretty much guaranteed my death. He offered me a way out.”
“What task?”
“I had to kill someone. However, we were linked together in a way that meant I had to die in order for him to die. It was a tough realisation to make at fifteen. Hank gave me a knife to use when I killed him. And I had to promise my soul to him. When I was seventeen, the moment came and I destroyed his soul, whilst giving my own to Death by killing myself with the knife he gave me. I died at seventeen in front of friends and family. They all thought I had killed myself to escape my fate.
“Thankfully Hank went and told the ones that mattered to me that I was okay and that I didn’t kill myself to run away. Of course, the corpse of my rival was enough hint that I didn’t leave them with a maniac.”
“Okay. You were seventeen when you died?” Sam asked incredulously.
“Yep.”
“So you’ve been a Reaper since you were seventeen? That’s kinda sad.” Sam said, looking at the table where Harry was picking at some crud on it.
“Yep. It’s not so bad though. My morals seemed to have died with my soul though. I’m sorry I took Max’s soul, but you have to understand that it’s my duty. He was going to kill himself anyway. There was nothing either of you could have done to stop it. However, the difference is, if I wasn’t there, then he would have almost definitely come back as a vengeful spirit.”
“Fine. We’ll accept that. You can come along with us. I reserve the right to just abandon your ass wherever we happen to be the moment you step out of line.” Dean said, staring hard at Harry, who still refused to look up.
“Sure.”
“So then, I know where we can go next.” Dean said with a grin.
“Where?”
“Vegas baby!”
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