Hermione's Hounds:

Hermione's Hounds:

1. Hermione's Hounds
2. Master of Death
3. Soul Marked
4. Abandon All Hope
5. The Devil You Know
6. My Heart Will Go On
7. Ursula
8. Drinking at Bobby's
9. Survival of the Fittest
10. Mistress of Death
11. Queen of Hell
12. Casifer


He was waiting for her on the front porch, beer in hand, yet still showed surprise as she walked towards him, "You got here quick."

"You said it was important," she answered, slightly shrugging as she joined Bobby on his front porch. He handed her an unopened beer, and a bottle opener. "Start micro brewing in your spare time?" He grunted as she took a drink and they both waited.

"Dean steal this idea from you? I know he's put it in shots before," She inquired. She would have missed the slight upwards curve of pride on Bobby's face, if she hadn't been watching for it.

"Seemed less suspicious if it were unopened," he answered, slightly shrugging.

"Clever," she said drinking more of the beer. "Not a bad taste either. You should consider selling these to hunters."

"Yeah, maybe," Bobby answered, before commenting, "You manage to travel awfully fast. Made better time than, even Dean could ever dream." Hermione continued to drink the beer, delaying her answer to Bobby's question as he watched her warily.

"You said it was important," Hermione answered earning a scoff from the older man. "What, don't believe me?"

"You've shown up multiple times now, without a car," he pointed out. "Not even with Cas."

"Dean and Sam didn't tell you?" Bobby shook his head, before beckoning her into the house. He opened a bottle of whiskey and set two glasses on the kitchen counter. By the time she'd finished explaining, there were multiple lore books spread out over the table and all the kitchen counters.

"I'd like to say I'm surprised," Bobby said finally. "It's just between all the monsters, demons, and angels…"

"It's quite a lot to take in," Hermione agreed. "Now that we've got all that covered, how about we talk about why you're so stressed out." The transition crumpled Bobby's resolve, and she patiently waited for him.

"I ain't great with seeking assistance," Bobby admitted. "Which, is why the boys aren't aware of the situation. I'm not proud of it...balls, I let myself get swindled. By a demon of all things!"

"How Bobby?"

"We needed the keys to the cage, if we were to lock Lucifer back up," Bobby said. "To get them, I lent my soul, with the promise of it being returned after Satan was put back in his box."

"Let me guess," Hermione said. "The Demon's utilizing a loophole to screw you over?"

"Son of a bitch says he only has to 'make best efforts," Bobby growled . "Told me I had the standard ten years. Tried to outmaneuver him, but he had back up. That's when I remembered Dean mentioned you'd gotten the better of a demon on a deal. Kept your soul." He was surprised to hear her swear. "Not a secret is it?"

"More like false equivalence," she answered with a grim smile. "My deal didn't involve my soul, outside of collateral, and was only at risk, if the others couldn't be collected."

"You mean -" Bobby's voice faltered, his disgust evident.

"Did I give multiple souls to a demon?" Hermione clarified as Bobby nodded grimly. She took a deep breath, knowing she'd never spoken to anyone about her decision, "Yes."

"How…"

"How could I damn those people?" She asked him, before he could finish speaking. It was after all, a question that haunted her. "Why does anyone make a deal which involves their eternal damnation? Desperation, it's simply that everyone's is unique."

Neither spoke for a moment, as Bobby considered his own reason for agreeing to give up his soul.

remained an unspoken truth, even as Bobby continued to insist to himself and others that the world had been at stake.

"What were you desperate for?" Bobby finally asked, trying to avoid his own thoughts, produced the hypocritical question

"What could anyone be so desperate for that they damn others?"

"Life," Hermione answered, as Bobby choked on his drink. "Surprised?"

"A bit," He admitted. "Most of the people I run into aren't so truthful."

"You remember that I mentioned I grew up in a civil war?" She asked, earning a nod from the older hunter. "It was more akin to a genocide, and I was on the front lines." Rather than explain in detail, rehashing memories she'd rather bury, Hermione rolled up her left arm sleeve. Each time someone knew caught sight of the marred flesh, a sharp inhale occured.

Bobby Singer didn't utter a sound. It brought a small smile to her lips, reminding her of Crowley's reaction. He had proceeded to kiss her forehead, before disappearing. She didn't see the demon for nearly a week, and when he did reappear, he had kissed her desperately before admitting the torture to the soul she'd sold him as a bonus for her hounds.

"They were slaughtering us," Hermione whispered. "Anyone who stood in the Dark Lord's path. Each day, we'd find a body or it would be paraded down the street. Age didn't matter to them, toddlers would be murdered before their parents followed them." Bobby, appropriately, looked as though he wanted to vomit. Instead, the steely hunter chose to swallow several shots of whiskey.

"The souls I offered," Hermione said heavily, before joining him in drinking the whiskey. "They weren't human. Rapists and murderers….convicted criminals who the ministry was planning on setting free. They're souls half broken already, by the wraiths who are the prison guards."

"So I acted," she said looking at the glass in her hand. "I made a choice to save my loved ones, my friends, and innocents. The war ended, and everyone moved on. My life is filled with monsters, demons, and angels all waring amongst themselves, but the ones I love, they're free from that burden."

Neither broke the silence after her story ended. Bobby, unlike his adopted sons, had learned to appreciate needing time to process information without leaping to conclusions. When he finally felt comfortable with his reaction to her story, he chose to pour them both another shot.

"Can't say you're wrong," Bobby said. "Especially with the effect wraiths have on people. More insane after than when they were put in that place, I'd warrant. I get what you mean by false equivalence though. Doesn't seem like there's much similarity between our cases. Definitely understand why you haven't told Dean and Sam though."

Hermione savored another drink of beer, avoiding the small grin that he brought to her lips.

"What do you know about ghosts?" She asked earning a bizarre look from Bobby at the transition, "Humor me."

"They're usually born of violent deaths, or if they refuse to follow their reaper," Bobby answered. "Weaknesses include salt and iron. The longer they spend here the more violent they become. The easiest way to kill them is by salting and burning the bones."

"Why is that?" Hermione asked.

"Always assumed that the fire was a conduit for the salt purification," he answered.

"You're partially right. It's actually a part of ritualistic soul magic," Hermione said. "An ancient brand of magic that was long ago lost. There are some remnants that can be found, but most don't realize their history or original purposes. It is one of my favorites to study, and it spans from exceedingly dark uses to equivalent light magic; both equally as powerful. ."

Bobby snorted, "Yeah right. Good magic?" She refrained from rolling her eyes, and instead summoned her patronus, long changed from a small otter to a large white hellhound. Bobby jumped as it loped around them, despite the joy that the animal radiated until she dismissed it.

"Fine, point taken," Bobby conceded. "So you're saying spirits are the result of long term torment?"

"Essentially," Hermione answered. "While it is widely believed that it is impossible to split a soul, it is only insanely difficult. If you'll recall the madman I spent my childhood fighting," Bobby nodded, "He had managed to split his soul multiple times, which left him little more than a rabid dog."

"What exactly was his end goal with that plan?" Bobby asked. "I remember you saying he wanted ultimate power and control over your world."

"Immortality," she answered.

"Ironic," he answered as she grinned at him. "So how does this relate to my demon problem?"

"Follow the logic," Hermione told him. "If trapped souls, who didn't go with their reapers, can be tortured and over time become a ghost, what happens to the souls who endure torture in hell?"

"It can't be that simple," Bobby said after the expected silence caused by his surprise at Hermione's suggestion. "Burn a demon's bones and they flame out?"

"Why not?" She asked. "The only real difference between ghosts and demons are the process in which their soul was changed. We already know that spirits who die violently start out worse than those who simply stay behind, but all become twisted more the longer they're trapped. It's safe to assume that hell is far worse and quicker at torturing a soul, which would explain how demons are produced."

"You know this works for a fact?" Bobby asked sitting forward.

"No, it's just a theory," she said with a slight shrug. "Besides, it's not like you've got any qualms from testing it before going after the demon who holds your contract, which I advise you don't simply bluff by the way."

"No wonder Dean's obsessed with you," Bobby muttered. "You're fucking ruthless."

"You're far from the first person to say so," Hermione said with a shrug. "Please let me know how it goes."