Disclaimer: Not mine, borrowed and nurtured. A/N: Warning: character deaths. Edited: 22/04/19.
4.
Hope
Draco woke to the smell of eggs and bacon and freshly made coffee. He rolled onto his back, noticing both Ben and Castiel weren't there - they were talking in the kitchen with Dean and Bobby. He rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms. He got up, and made his way into the kitchen, noticing family portraits scattered around the house. He pulled a plate of bacon towards him, famished.
"I'll pack some sandwiches," Lisa said, excusing herself from the table.
Ben gave Draco a wink and shovelled a spoonful of scrambled egg into his mouth reminding Draco of Goyle. Dean, Castiel and Bobby had their heads together at the end of the table. Draco snapped the salty bacon between his fingers, and let it melt against his tongue.
"We'll stop at the nearest garage," Bobby murmured.
"Why doesn't Castiel just wave his hand over it?" Draco drawled, unable to stop himself.
"Because that type of magic only works on people not objects," Castiel stated.
"Oh," Draco frowned, pulling the rind from his bacon with a disgusted face.
"You're lucky she didn't get totalled," Dean grunted, raising his coffee.
'Baby' as Dean referred to his Impala, had smashed into the light post, leaving its grill unattached. Its shiny black polish was hidden by dust and debris. One headlight survived, the other splintered like a piece of wood. The front windscreen had shattered, much like Dean's already broken heart.
"Promise me you'll be careful?" Lisa said, passing the sandwiches to Bobby when they were ready to hit the road. "Promise me you'll come back to me," Lisa hugged Dean tightly.
She was pretty, Draco noted, for a muggle. He wondered what sort of mission they were going on and sat next to Castiel in the back seat, seeing Dean bent on one knee to hug Ben. He'd been in Ben's shoes many times – as the boy hugging his own father, not knowing when he'd return.
Bobby turned on the radio, putting the sandwiches aside for the moment.
Draco watched Dean kiss Lisa on the mouth, one hand cupping her face, the other pulling her waist towards him. Lisa pulled away first, resting her head against his lips, before letting him disappear into his prized possession. Draco pulled something hard from his pocket – it was a yellow Lego piece. He smiled, twisting it between his fingers, then returned it to his pocket.
Dean pulled out of Lisa's driveway in silence. Ten minutes later, Dean swerved off the road, got out and dragged Draco from his seat – there was an urgency in his actions, and a darkness in his eyes.
"This is your stop, kid," Dean threw Draco to the side of the road, standing his ground.
Castiel appeared by Draco's side. "Dean, this was not the plan."
Draco fixed his clothes, and agreed with Castiel, despite the glares he received from Dean.
"Yeah, the plan was for you to take me home, remember?" Draco reached for the door.
Dean caught the back of Draco's shirt and yanked him to the ground, where Draco fell, astonished.
"No, you don't. I don't give a damn about the plan, Cas," Dean growled. "If I had my way I'd forget about this crap and be with Lisa and Ben, but I can't because I'm stuck in this world - it wasn't even my choice, but here I am, ready to kill demons and angels and anything else that gets in my way."
Dean shot a dark look at Draco, then opened the boot and pulled out a rifle.
By this stage Draco was about to pee in his pants. He didn't need to be a genius to work out what would happen if Dean used it. It may not be a wand, but it was the equivalent – he'd seen muggle wars in photographs in the Restricted Section of the library at Hogwarts.
"Don't be an idjit, Dean," Bobby stood between Dean and Draco. "What, you going to kill him?"
"I'm thinking of it," Dean grunted.
Draco was too petrified to move as the three strangers stood around him. Castiel helped Draco stand, thankfully, Draco hadn't wet his pants, but he was shaking like a leaf, entirely normal, considering Dean's threatening stance.
Castiel pulled out a flask and offered it to Draco.
"What is it?" he asked, sniffing chocolate.
Castiel smiled, "It's hot cocoa. Lisa packed it since I liked the taste, besides you're too young for the hard stuff." Draco rolled his eyes and took a sip. It did calm him, but since when did angels like hot cocoa? "Since now." Castiel grinned, reading Draco's mind.
Draco's eyes widened. How did he do that?
"Cas don't do that, it's very unsettling. You'll just frighten him even more," Bobby sighed.
It made Draco nauseous when Castiel read his mind.
"Get back in the car Draco, Dean isn't leaving you in the middle of nowhere, it's too dangerous. The apocalypse might be over, but Lucifer and the Yellow-Eyed-Demon are still at large, not to mention a hundred vengeful demons and angels out to kill Dean for interfering in their business."
Dean relaxed, loosening his grip on his rifle. "Fine but he rides in the front where I can see him." Dean returned the rifle to the boot, and they all returned to their seats, Draco's heart pounding. "Don't touch my music, don't speak. Don't give me a reason to dump your ass on the side of the road again."
Draco nodded; Dean Winchester was scarier than his uncle Rodolphus Lestrange.
He sat down and shut up: he was good at that.
"You'd think he'd want him in the back," Castiel murmured to Bobby, holding his cannister between his legs as he put on his seat-belt.
"Keep your eyes open for the garage," Dean grunted, ignoring Castiel's comments.
"First one to see it, isn't a rotten egg," Castiel said, taking a swig of hot cocoa with a smile.
If only they knew how much they needed each other. If they could defeat their enemies, God would return, and the Winchester curse would be lifted. There was hope.
Sam watched Lisa and Ben guilt-less as he stood on the porch. He had a secret, he was free, but he couldn't go back to Dean, not yet. He had a deal to make. His soul was missing, and he wouldn't get it back until he did this favour. He didn't feel.
This was what made it easier to ring the doorbell; to talk to Lisa and Ben and hear about Dean's plans with no guilt or remorse as the demon pushed his way into the house; endangering their lives and making a statement; a statement that the Yellow-Eyed-Demon was back, and he didn't play fair.
Sam stepped over Lisa and Ben's bodies, dragged to the lounge room - done by the demon, not Sam. He couldn't care - not without a soul. He turned to the Yellow-Eyed Demon who was possessing Samuel Winchester, his grandfather. The demon liked the Supernatural Hunter, having possessed him to make a deal with Mary Winchester - so much, so, he resurrected him.
Their deaths had been quick from what Sam remembered.
Samuel had stepped through the door with a hungry look in his glowing-gold eyes. Fear spread through Lisa's face as she looked to Sam and then back to the strange man. Who are you? What do you want? Ben? Ben! NO!
Sam watched with vague interest as the woman screamed for her missing child. The demon killed the child first, then his hysterical mother. He liked to play with his victims, lying them down, hand in hand on the carpet of the lounge room. He smiled at Sam, "That's how it's done, my boy."
Sam didn't remember what it was like to be possessed by Lucifer. He didn't remember anything anymore, except what he had to do to get his soul back. His instructions were to help the Yellow-Eyed Demon and his soul would be returned, and so would his half-brother, Adam, still trapped in Hell, doing Lucifer's bidding.
Sam's release from Hell was only because Lucifer ordered it. Sam's mission was to betray Dean and kill Castiel - making it possible for the darkness to take over and give Lucifer control of the universe. If Sam wanted his soul, he had to do this and be prepared to face the consequences.
Dean stood outside Al's garage, two hours' drive from Lisa's, on the outskirts of a town called, Black Forest. Draco leaned against the petrol pump envying the hilt of a gun hidden inside Dean's jacket. Bobby spoke to the garage attendants finding out the damage to the Impala was minimal but would take a day to fix. Bobby was given the address of a diner with the best burgers.
"So, burgers?" Draco said. "At least this world has edible food," Draco joked.
"What's your profession?" Dean asked, unwinding the petrol cap.
He'd never thought about what he'd do if he survived the Battle of Hogwarts.
"I'd like to pay Quidditch, so long as Potter doesn't," Draco muttered.
That would be his worst nightmare, he thought, playing on the same team with Potter.
"Who's Potter?" Dean grunted, pulling the pump away and wiping the drips off the nozzle.
"Harry Potter," Draco repeated, remembering when Harry snatched his wand, and escaped Malfoy manor with his ex-house-elf, Dobby. Hermione had cursed him with a stinging hex, attempting to protect his identity from the Snatchers. Draco felt a chill surround him as he remembered stuttering to his aunt – 'he couldn't be sure' if it was Harry or not. He wondered where Harry was now.
Dean didn't say anything but remained confused.
Draco gaped, "You don't know about 'The Boy who Lived?'" he said. "Harry Potter survived the 'killing curse' by the darkest wizard of all time: Lord Voldemort – Salazar Slytherin's heir."
Dean smirked, "Are you kidding me?" maybe he should have left Draco at the hospital.
"It's true," Draco said, annoyed by Dean's reaction.
"Well, you sound like a lunatic, and what the heck is Quidditch?"
"It's a wizarding sport. The rules are complex. You have to see it," Draco explained.
Castiel stared at the deserted buildings and dry cane fields. A cool breeze ruffled his hair, and swept the dead leaves up around the Impala. Dean met with Bobby, and they watched the mechanics push Baby inside the shop. Draco went to stand beside Castiel, thinking about his parents.
Castiel put a comforting hand on Draco's shoulder.
"I've got your back - a strange human term, it means, I won't let anyone hurt you, unless someone kills me." Castiel chuckled at his joke. Draco felt less safe than before. He had asked Castiel if he could carry a gun for protection, and the angel had laughed.
"Why would you need a gun? You've got magic."
"But I need a wand to use it," Draco grimaced.
"Since when?" Castiel chuckled.
Draco opened his mouth and then closed it. He'd done it non-verbally in the hospital.
"You just need practice, but if you're patient, I'll get you a wand." Draco's eyes widened in surprise. "You forget, I can apparate too," Castiel patted Draco's shoulder with a grin.
Draco gathered his courage to ask about the strange voice he'd heard back at Lisa and Ben's house.
"My Father," Castiel explained with a straight face.
Draco didn't believe him and started an exchange of 'was not', 'was too' until Dean hissed:
"Would you two SHUT UP! We don't want to draw any more attention than necessary."
Castiel fell silent, digging his hands into his trench coat, and followed Dean and Bobby up the road.
Draco frowned, racking his thoughts to remember the disembodied voice.
It wasn't in the name of Merlin, Castiel's Father! he thought.
A/N: Please review.
