It was raining in America and Hermione walked quickly towards the motel room, wishing she'd thought to don her cloak. The illegal portkey she'd used had dropped her on the wrong side of town and she'd had a long walk through the drizzle. She knocked on the appropriate door number and it opened slowly.

She glanced between the gun and herself before she looked up at Dean. He was frowning more than usual and his shoulders were slumped as though someone or something had been weighing him down.

"Expecting trouble?" She asked calmly.

Dean rolled his eyes and grabbed her shoulder, dragging her into the room.

"Shut up." He snapped.

Hermione nodded to Sam before she let her eyes drift over the rooms only other occupant.

"You are not Castiel." She noted, removing her bag.

"Er...no." The man who wasn't Castiel got to his feet and held out a hand. "I'm Jimmy. Jimmy Novak."

"Hermione Granger."

Hermione shook the hand but stared at Dean, who returned her questioning look with one of his own.

"How did you know that wasn't Cas?"

She dropped into a chair and pulled her jumper over her head to wring out.

"Well, the fast food wrappers were something of a clue, but really it was the lack of wings that convinced me."

They all stared at her.

"You can see Cas' wings?" Dean asked loudly.

"Don't shout at me." She mumbled, tossing her jumper over the elderly radiator. "And yes. I've always been able to see them. I wasn't aware it was unusual. Sam, can I borrow one of your shirts, I'm going to freeze otherwise." Looking somewhat shell shocked, Sam tossed her a spare flannel shirt, which she pulled on over her vest. "So where is our angel?" She asked hopefully.

Dean sat down in the nearest chair and began tugging at his.

"Apparently Cas got called back to Heaven." He explained. "And everyone's after Jimmy here because he happens to be a vessel."

Hermione pursed her lips and kicked off her boots.

"Is there anything to eat?" She queried, looking around with interest. "Only I haven't eaten since this morning and I'm starving."

Sam tossed her a paper bag and went back to what he was doing, which seemed to be scowling at the wall. His hands were shaking, she noticed, and judging by the look in Dean's eyes, she wasn't the only one. Still, she accepted the lukewarm burger and began to eat quietly as Jimmy finally lost his temper.

"You can't go home!" Dean repeated for what had to be the thirteenth time. "They will find you and kill you and then they'll kill your family!"

"Do we know why Castiel left?" Hermione piped up, peering into the bag for the last stray French fries. One brown eye stared at the three men, the other hidden by greasy paper. "Only that might give us a better way of dealing with the situation."

"I don't know anything about Castiel!" Jimmy yelled. "I just wanna go home!"

"Are you sure?" Hermione smiled gently at Jimmy. "I'm assuming that's why I'm here."

Dean shrugged.

"Actually we kinda need you to keep him safe. We're trying to get him to Bobby's. Cas wanted to see me, but we don't know why and until we do, we don't want to let him out of our sight. But Sam thinks that the demons will do just about anything to get their hands on a vessel and after Cas," The hunter gave a long sigh. "You're the heaviest hitter we've got."

Hermione chuckled darkly.

"That has to be the nicest thing you've ever said to me." She murmured, crumpling the paper into a ball.

"How can she protect me..." Jimmy spluttered. "She's..."

"Got a really short temper." Hermione muttered, smiling dangerously. "And is operating on a very low amount of sleep."

Jimmy, wisely, shut up.

"Hang on," Sam frowned at her. "You thought we brought you here to get information out of him. What've you got some witchy power to read minds now?"

She stared at the tall man, a small frown resting between her eyebrows.

"Are you all right, Sam?" She asked gently. "You seem a bit..."

"I'm fine!" Sam snapped. "Can you help or not?"

The glare Hermione gave him was resentful but she turned back to Jimmy and made a visible effort to soften her expression.

"Would you mind if I had a look? It might give us some way to help you get back to your family."

Jimmy backed away from her.

"What are you gonna do?" He demanded.

"Just have a look." She settled next to him and stared into his eyes. "Just keep looking at me, don't blink, don't mind the wand. Ligillimens!"

Sam and Dean watched as Hermione stiffened, eyes never leaving Jimmy's.

"What's she doing?" Dean hissed but Sam shushed him. Thirty seconds later Jimmy keeled over backwards, unconscious and Hermione blinked very rapidly for a second before her eyes focused.

"I didn't mean to do that." She assured them. She looked swamped in Sam's shirt, but more confused than alarmed. "I've never practised on a muggle before. You'd think he'd be used to it." Hermione eyed them curiously. "His memories are strange, probably due to Castiel's presence. He honestly has no idea why Castiel left, or what he wanted. All I can get from his recent memories is...doubt."

"Jimmy's?" Sam pressed.

She glared at him.

"No. Castiel's." She got to her feet, shoving her boots on as she went. "Dean, I've got an idea, but I'm going to need an oak tree." She smiled winningly and hoped he didn't notice that her hands were shaking, or the sweat that had broken out across her forehead. "Can you drive me to one?"

"Uh." Hermione's smile increased in voltage until she was almost beaming. "Yeah, sure." Frowning, Dean grabbed his coat. "Keep an eye on him, Sam."

They headed out into the rain, ducking quickly into the Impala.

"So what's with the oak tree?" he asked when they were on the outskirts of town. The rain was lost behind the growl of the Impala.

Hermione slouched down in the front seat, leaning her cheek against the cold glass or the window.

"Dean, really? When have I ever needed something like that?" She sighed, tracing a rune in the condensation. "I was trying to get away from Sam."

Dean pulled the car to a stop at the side of the road.

"I thought you two were..."

"Open your eyes." She snapped, twisting around and glaring at him. "You know something is wrong with him, Dean. It's obvious! I can..." She buried her head in her hands and tried to get her breathing under control. "What are we going to do about the vessel?"

"He has a name." Dean grumbled.

"I know he has a name." Hermione drew in a deep breath and held it, before letting it out very slowly. "But if I use it," She told him quietly. "He becomes a person and I can't keep a person from their family."

Dean frowned at her.

"Are you okay?"

She gave a quiet laugh, which was tinged with more hysteria than she was willing to admit to.

"Does it matter?"

He grabbed her shoulder, turning her in her seat to face him.

"Yeah, it matters. What's wrong? You sleeping all right?"

Hermione glared at him.

"The world is ending around me, Winchester. I think I'm entitled to a little stress. Besides, things are a bit..." She thought back to the recent fight with Ron and winced. "domestic at home and...Is there anything else I can do to help here?"

"Could you flash Jimmy...the vessel to Bobby's house?"

She considered it, tapping out equations on her knees as she chewed her lip. Very slowly she shook her head.

"Over that distance...with a passenger? I wouldn't like to attempt it." she decided. "Not if it wasn't critical."

Dean nodded grimly.

"Last resort then."

Hermione ducked out into the rain and snapped a branch off the nearest tree, before she whirled and sped back to the car.

"Is that an oak branch?" Dean asked, staring at it.

Hermione glared at him through the wet strands of hair that had plastered to her face and flicked the branch, showering him in water droplets.

"I am many things, Dean Winchester, but a botanist isn't one of them. Can we get back now? I'm worried about Sam."

They'd not been gone long, barely forty minutes, but when they got back Sam was nowhere to be found and Jimmy Novak was long gone.


"Come on, Dean!"

Hermione perched on the back of a chair and watched the younger Winchester yell at his brother. It had become a familiar scene recently. Dean stuffed the last of his things into his bag and swung it over his shoulder, chuckling.

"I'm sorry." Sam scowled. His shoulders were stiff and his jaw clenched. He looked like an angry man spoiling for a fight. Which was why Hermione was staying silent. At least until she was out of arms reach. "Is this funny to you?"

"Yeah, actually!" Hermione hopped off the chair and followed them out the motel room, shutting the door behind her. "Mr Big-Scary-Hunter, couldn't stop one man -who was unconscious- from escaping." Dean dropped his bag in the trunk and grinned. "Kinda, funny don't you think? Where were you anyway?"

Sam's eyes narrowed even as the corner of Dean's crinkled in a smile.

"I was getting a coke."

Hermione caught sight of Dean's expression for a second before it slipped back into easy humor. Dean knew he was being lied to and he hated it.

"Was it a refreshing coke?" He quipped.

"Dean!"

Both Winchesters twisted in their seats to stare at her and Hermione glowered back. Better they were annoyed at her, than at each other.

"Is one of you going to tell me where we're going?" She hissed, certain her hair was sparking.

They pulled out onto the main road and Dean huffed.

"Pontiac, Illinois."

"Wonderful." Hermione murmured and got out paper and a pen to write a letter. "Just wonderful."


They drove in silence for a long while, Hermione sitting curled up in the back seat. Occasionally one of them would open their mouths to say something before thinking better of it and falling quiet again. The night was dark and there was little to see out the window.

It wasn't until she gave a shrill scream and Dean jerked the car to one side in shock, that they turned around to look at her.
Hermione had an angel pinned against the other door, her wand trained on her neck.

"Uh, hey guys." Anna murmured, looking confused. "Who's this?"

"Hermione, breath." Dean ordered, stopping the car and twisting around in his seat to glare at them. "It's okay. We know her. She's an angel called Anna. Friend of Castiel's."

Very slowly, Hermione lowered her wand, but she didn't stop shaking.

"Guess we know why Cas started knocking." Sam muttered.

"You ever try calling ahead?" Dean snapped, pulling back onto the road. "Maybe not giving some of us seizures? That's Hermione, by the way. She doesn't deal very well with people zapping in, unannounced. Hermione, that's Anna."

Both women eyed each other curiously, but it was Anna who spoke first.

"You are not supposed to be here." She murmured, before she turned to Dean. "You let Jimmy get away?"

Dean snorted.

"Talk to Sam." He snapped.

The angel's eyes focused on Sam and Hermione got the feeling that whatever it was that was off about him, was just as obvious to the angel as it was to her. "You seem different."

Sam shrugged, dismissing it and the angel sighed, staring at Hermione this time. Disgruntled, Sam turned back to staring out the front window.

"You can see it too, can't you?" She whispered, so quietly no one else heard. "So did Jimmy tell you anything?" She asked, louder this time.

"Not a thing." Dean tapped the steering wheel in irritation. "Why? What's happening?"

"Castiel was dragged back to heaven." Anna winced. "Pretty literally, in fact."

"That's not good," Hermione murmured, "Is it?"

"No. It's..." Anna sighed. "He must have seriously pissed someone off. For them to do this to an angel as low as Castiel..."

"Cas said he had something to tell me, something important. Unfortunately he left, or was dragged back, before he could tell me. All we could get from Jimmy was doubt."

"Nothing else?" the Angel pressed eagerly.

"Hermione?"

Hermione shook her head, eyeing the angels wings. They were a light shade of brown, almost golden. Some of the feathers were singed and twisted. Anna caught her gaze and frowned.

"There was nothing else in Jimmy's head." she murmured, tucking her knees up and looking away. "I'm sorry."

Anna sighed.

"You're sure? Because whatever it was...it's huge!"

"We're sure!" Dean snapped, meeting Hermione's eyes in the rear view mirror. "We're only going after the guy because he's gonna get himself in trouble without us."

"You shouldn't have let him go in the first place." Anna shook her head sadly. "He's probably dead already."

Anna left shortly after that and they stopped at the next gas station, which allowed Hermione to get out of the car and start pacing.

"You okay?" Dean asked carefully.

Hermione shook herself visibly and nodded.

"Yeah. I just..."

"Don't deal well with angels flashing in. I get it." He held out a plastic cup filled with coffee. "Sam's inside making a call to someone, so you've got a few minutes."

She leaned against the side of the car and breathed in the steam, eyeing a nearby thicket.

"I wonder." she murmured and pushed off from the car, walking across the road. Dean followed her and together they stepped into the depths of the trees. Hermione reached into her sleeve and pulled out a letter holding it over her head.

"What are you..." Dean was interrupted by the dull hooting of an owl.

Triumphant, Hermione handed him her coffee and held out an arm, which the owl, a regal looking tawny, graciously accepted. Hermione tied the letter to it's leg, before she rummaged in her pocket and produced a handful of owl treats.

"The Ministry of Magic Post Office, England." She told it and received an affectionate peck for her troubles. The owl took off and Hermione took back her coffee from a stunned looking Dean.

"What?" She asked innocently.

"You can charm owls as well?"

Hermione chuckled.

"Is how we deliver letters. I needed to tell my head of department that I'd be working from home today. After that it's the weekend, so you've got me here till Monday at least."

Dean just stared at her until she started to look concerned.

"Missing angel is more important than paper work." She groaned, "Don't you dare let anyone know I said that."

"Yes, ma'am."

They piled back into the car, Sam-twitchy and irritated, Dean-worried and stressed and Hermione, curled up in the back seat muttering about "bloody Americans."


They arrived just in time. The demons were already there and Dean drew the knife, ignoring the flinch from Hermione.

"Get the girl." He snapped and she nodded, vanishing from his sight line. Jimmy is wrestling with a demon on the floor and Dean sneaks up on the other, slicing across its throat.

"Hermione?" He yelled.

"Got her!" and he hears the faint crack that tells him she's been successful.

The fight is quick and brutal, and while Sam's malfunctioning physic powers are a problem they aren't the main issue. The Impala, no matter how awesome she is, can't carry six. Hermione's already done the counting and has Claire buckled in the back seat.

"Get them out of here." Her wand is out and she's more on guard that Dean has ever seen her and now he understands how she might have won a war. Because there's a shadow in her eyes he knows all too well and a look on her face that he's seen before.

"Follow us." He yelled and put the car into gear, speeding off. Hermione doesn't wait a second and vanished in a crack of sound.

They stop in a car park and allow the Novak's some time together while Sam hotwires a car and Dean digs out his phone.

"Granger."

"Hey, it's Dean." He sighed heavily. "We're out by that multi-story on the outskirts of town. You know it?"

"I'll be right there."

Five minutes later and Hermione appeared around the side of a building and began striding towards him. Her hands are empty, which is unusual, because her wand is almost always nearby.

"What's happening?"

"Well, Sam's being a dick."

She smirked and leaned against the car.

"That's not new."

Dean frowned at her.

"This isn't right." He sighed. "We're taking this guy away from his family. Forever! How is that right?"

She shrugged, appearing unconcerned.

"I really couldn't tell you."

The car Sam was acquiring roared into life and time was up for the Novaks. Hermione slipped silently into the back seat of the Impala and a moment later Sam, Dean and the vessel, joined her.


They're four miles down the road when Sam's phone rings. It's an unknown number and he passes it to Jimmy. They're all tired, but Jimmy's face lights up when he accepts the phone.

"Amelia?"

There's a pause and then the colour drains from Jimmy's face and he hangs up.

"They've..." He choked. "They've got my family."

That's all it takes for Dean to slam on the breaks, perform an illegal u-turn and ask for an address.


"They're expecting you to come alone." Dean stated as they piled out of the car. "And that's exactly what you're gonna do."

"We'll work our way through the catwalks." Sam stared up at the factory, "We'll be right behind you."

"Stay calm and let us do our jobs. Between the three of us, we'll be fine."

Hermione snorted, accepting the knife Dean handed her.

"Stay calm!" Jimmy yelled. "This is my family we're talking about."

"And they'll be fine." She gave him a shove. "Now go!"

The vessel stalked off.

"Gimmie a minute, okay?" he snapped over his shoulder.

They watched him leave and then made their way to the entrances. The demons jumped them almost immediately. Dean turned to Hermione who'd been in front of him and bellows;

"Run, Hermione!"

She either didn't hear him or didn't make it because she's dragged right behind him and Sam into the main room.

"You know what's funny?"

The demon wearing Amelia Novak, grins at them.

"I was actually bummed to get this detail. Retrieving an empty vessel, how dull."

"Yeah, yeah." Dean rolled his eyes. "You I get, soccer mom, but why'd you need Hermione?"

A rolling chuckling comes from behind them and the demon breaks rank.

"And I thought I was doing so well." She pouted, taking Ruby's knife from one of her allies. "I didn't have much to go on. I don't know what this little whore is, but she's locked herself away tighter than dad is in the cage."

Sam swore.

"We never got her a tattoo." He muttered angrily.

"Little late to complain now!" Dean responded.

"Enough." Amelia pulled a gun, a short ugly thing, from her pocket and grins. "Time for the punchline. Everybody dies." They were expecting the shot, but not the direction. Jimmy pressed his hands against his stomach, trying desperately to hold in his blood as he slumps to the floor. "Waste the orphan!"

One of the demons holding Sam heads for Claire, swinging an iron bar. Even Jimmy seems to hold his breath as the bar swing through the air, but Dean can feel the electricity in the room as the tiny girl stop it before it can make contact. When she slaps a tiny palm to the demon's forehead, Dean renews his struggles to get away, slamming a fist into his captors stomach. The man crumples and beside him he sees Sam struggling with two demons, one of which is still wearing Hermione. Sam manages to stab the first one with the knife, but then Dean's thrown against a nearby tank and forced to focus on his own problems. He's losing the fight until the angel creeps up behind him and smites the demon, leaving its meat suit with burning, empty eyes.

"Cas?"

The slight tilt of her head isn't really an answer, but it enough for Dean. Gasping he gets to his feet. One of the demons is crumpled by Sam's feet, a very telling knife wound in its thigh. The other, the one that used to be Hermione, is pinned, bloody, bleeding and screaming beneath Sam.

"Don't use the knife!" Dean bellowed as his mind struggles to work out why his brother had his head so close to her neck.

The younger Winchester straightens up, knife falling to his side. Instead he holds out his hand and clenches his fist, before turning away. The death of the demon who'd possessed Hermione was missed, because Dean was too busy staring at his brother in horror. Dean almost misses Amelia too, but Sam repeats his process and it's much faster than it's ever been before. For a moment, Dean just stares at him, until he shakes his head. Unable to look at his brother, he helps Amelia to her feet and then over to Jimmy whose pleading with Castiel.

Once the glowing lights have faded, the change is obvious and Castiel, now free of blood stains, brushes past them.

"Hey, wait up." The angel paused and Dean stepped towards him. "What were you gonna tell me?"

Castiel stared at him, blue eyes glowing in a way Jimmy never managed.

"I learned something while I was away. I serve Heaven, I don't serve man," Those blue eyes narrowed and his lip curled. "and I certainly don't serve you."

A tired moan brings Dean's attention back to the witch lying in a pool of her own blood by the corner.

"What about Hermione?" He yelled after the retreating angel. "You've got to heal her!"

Castiel's voice reverberates off the rusty machinery.

"It would be better for all concerned if she died." he spat, and vanished.

Dean drags himself away from where the angel was standing and follows his brother over to the witch. She's propped herself up against the wall, but the wound on her neck is deep and flowing sluggishly. She's shaking too, but it's not from shock. It's fear.

"'Mione?" Sam asked gently, crouching down before her. She met Dean's eyes over his shoulder and he nodded once and watched as she lifted the wand Sam hadn't seen.

"Stupify." She whispered and Sam toppled backwards.

Dean broke into a run, already stripping off his jacket to get at his check shirt.

"Hey!" Brown eyes meet his sluggishly and he tries very hard not see the teeth marks that came from his brother. She's lost a lot of blood, but it won't kill her. Not yet anyway. "You with me?"

"Yes." She managed.

Dean grabs her hand and presses it to her neck, keeping what used to be his shirt in place. He lifts her to her feet, making sure she's still got her wand. Claire and Amelia come forward to help hold her up but he waves them back. They are the next problem. Right now he has to try and get her out of here.

"Hermione, listen to me!" Something in her stiffens automatically, and he wonders where she learned to follow orders like that. "You need to get to Bobby's. Can you do that?"

She blinks, nodding.

"Singer." She spits out, glaring at him.

"Good." He stands back, letting her support her own weight and she sways, hand gripping tight to her wand. "GO!"

She twisted and vanished with a crack, leaving Dean with the civilians and an unconscious brother.


"Boy!"

Dean grimaced, keeping his eyes on the road. Whatever Hermione did to Sam, it's kept him under so far and Dean has no intention of stopping until he's reached Sioux Falls.

"Hey, Bobby."

Bobby sighed and the rush of static made Dean's ears hurt.

"You wanna tell me why that witch of yours is doing bleeding out on my carpet?"

Dean swallowed back the fear, drawing in a deep breath.

"She all right?" He rasped.

Bobby snorted.

"She's tougher than she looks. Took a hell of a beating though. You gonna tell me what happened?"

"She was possessed. Sam...took her down."

"And the teeth marks?" Bobby stated coldly. "I think I deserve to know if she's gonna turn into somethin' nasty."

For a second Dean closed his eyes, until the lights of the next approaching car makes him opened them again.

"She'll be fine, Bobby." He coughed. "Listen, I need you to get the panic room ready."

"What the hell for?"

My brother.

The demon blood junkie.

A monster?

"I'll...explain later."


A/N

Um?

I'll try and keep these updates frequent. Got to say though that your reviews really help keep me motivated.

Special thanks to:

Fangirl, Chris7100 (not telling), CountessCzan, meldz, punkyredhead and Anna Sela.

Out of interest, would anyone find it helpful if I posted update links on my tumblr?

Hood.