The Winchesters spent the next week at Harry's place. They tried helping with the spells and potions for the ritual, but they really weren't good at the whole magic thing. That didn't stop them from sticking around though They made the excuse that they needed to find another job before they headed put again and Harry didn't say anything against it.

Harry for his part didn't want them to leave because he wanted to make sure Sam really was recovered enough to go out hunting again, along with making sure that Dean had come back in one piece.

The Winchesters were doing much the same thing. Harry hadn't realized that explaining that the cursed blade interfered with his magic to the point where he hadn't been able to heal it himself, freaked the brothers out enough to make sure that Harry barely left their sight for the next 7 days. Harry had been unsure why he was the recipient of mother hen Dean and Sam. He didn't think Dean and Sam knew him well enough to be mothering him like that. He tried saying as much once but got twin glares for even daring to mention it. So he left it alone.

Teddy had been ecstatic to learn that the hunters were going to be staying with them. "They tell the best stories and Sam knows way more about magical creatures than my teacher does," Teddy babbled as he and Harry made dinner.

"Really? When have they had a chance to tell you any stories?" Harry asked slicing the cucumbers for a salad.

"Loads of times over the phone when you were too busy with the spells to help Dean and Sam," Teddy said idly as he grated the cheese to put on top of the lasagna they were making for dinner.

"Oh," Harry frowned "have I really been that busy with it?" Harry started feeling a little guilty that he had been neglecting Teddy more than he ought, putting too much priority on finding everything for the ritual.

"It's not a problem Dad, I know how important it is that you help. I don't know exactly what's going on but I don't want Dean or Sam to get hurt and I know that's what you're trying to help with so, I'm good."

Harry stared at his godson. He was growing up far faster than Harry would have liked but Teddy was unnaturally intelligent, probably along the lines of Hermione, but unlike her he hardly ever had to study and didn't have to put in half the effort that she had as even an eleven year old. With a sad smile Harry ruffled Teddy's straw colored hair-he'd come a long way in controlling his metamorphogus abilities since he started school.

"Kido, you are the best thing that could have ever happened to me, you know that right?"

Teddy laughed. "Yeah, how else would you know that the noodles are boiling over."

"Bugger!" Harry exclaimed as he raced to the stove to avert the disaster.

Later at the dinner table Dean got to talking to Teddy about school and his own childhood with Sam. "Sam was so smart that if we stayed in one town for more than a few months they were always wanting to push him up a grade."

"Really? You were that smart Sam?" Teddy asked in disbelief.

Sam flushed and elbowed his brother. "School was never really all that hard for me I guess but I had it easy, I didn't start officially hunting until I was 14. Dean started way earlier than that and he had to take care of me when Dad was gone. Dean's a lot smarter than he makes himself out to be."

It was Deans turn to assault his brother, this time with a kick under the table. Harry laughed. "People underestimate you all the time don't they Dean?"

Dean looked at Harry and blinked. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, I know that when I went to primary school I always dumbed myself down," Harry said idly spearing a piece of lasagna with his fork. "What was the point when all that a good report card got me was grief?" He placed the piece of food in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully then swallowed before continuing. "After a few years the teachers started believing that I really was just as ignorant as I portrayed myself to be. Even when I started Hogwarts there was a teacher that thought my IQ was lower than a trolls. He would never have thought me capable of making half the potions I make today on a weakly basis."

"Are you trying to say that you think I'm some kind of closet genius or something?" Dean looked just a little offended. The look made Harry chuckle.

"No. What I'm saying is that you are smarter than you look and you have some very good qualities that others will miss if all their looking for is a test score."

Dean rolled his eyes and continued eating, only Sam saw the embarrassed smile that crept onto Dean's lips. It was nice to see even that small of a smile on his brother again.

After dinner Teddy sat in the living room doing his homework, trying to get Dean to pay attention to some of the simpler theory revolving around magic and the different types. "The difference between us and say a muggle who makes a deal with a demon is all about balance. A natural born wizard takes his power from himself, or, in Harry's case the elements around them. A demon-deal-witch can't use their power unless they sacrifice for it. Blood, or people."

"Really, it's that simple?" Dean asked astonished.

"Yeah, so you don't have to worry that you might have gotten one of our kind since you were following death signs and things."

"Huh," Dean pursed his lips and nodded looking slightly relieved.

As Teddy went on to explain how transfiguration worked Sam and Harry were discussing demon lore in the kitchen as they finished up the dishes.

"So the only way you guys know of to get rid of demons are to trap them and say an exorcism, that knife I got shanked with, and a gun that was made by some hunter but you don't have now because of a woman who has a penchant for 'acquiring rare artifacts'?" Harry asked summing up what Sam had just been explaining.

"Pretty much," Sam said rinsing off a plate and setting it on the drying rack.

"There has to be a better way to get rid of them without hurting the people their riding," Harry said idly scrubbing a stubborn spot on the lasagna pan.

"Or at least to tell if the host is still alive and worth the risk of trapping and exorcising," Sam replied setting aside another plate.

"I'm sure Luna could come up with something. She'd love to take a look at that knife though, even if Bobby already has everything on it. Looking at a magical artifact in person gives a better sense of the entirety of the object instead of just parts of it."

There was silence for a few minutes before Sam spoke again. "You heard from Lenore lately?"

Harry smiled. "Yeah, just last week. The coven is even bigger now, Lenore found a mate and they found a few newborns who's sires had died a few states away. They're having a little trouble but not anything they can't handle. They may have a few setbacks but no one has died and they make sure to call me when it happens so I can heal up the victims and alter their memories to keep everyone safe."

Sam stood thinking as he set the lasagna dish on the rack. "Harry, why didn't you ever become a hunter?"

Harry laughed. "I nearly did, or at least the wizarding equivalent back in England. Aurors their called. Special police who hunt down dark creatures and wizards."

"What happened?" Sam leaned against the counter arms crossed over his chest head tilted slightly to the side.

"They tried taking Teddy. Said he was classified as a Dark Creature because of Remus, his father. Thing is the kid doesn't have any of the symptoms. The lycanthropy virus may be blood borne but it can't take the conditions in the womb. The constant recycling of the blood from mother to child keeps the virus from fully replicating itself and it ends up dying within the first 6 weeks of conception," Sam's eyes widened at the long speech.

Harry flushed. "Sorry. My friends and I did a lot of research over the years trying to find cures and the like. I think I just channeled Mione just then."

"You've mentioned her before. Is she your girlfriend?" Sam seemed quite interested to know.

Harry smiled sweetly. "No, more like a sister. Been friends since we were eleven."

"Wow. I've never been friends with anyone for that long," Sam said staring up at the ceiling as if he would find the answers to the universe in the off white paint.

Harry frowned and stared at Sam. "What in Merlin's name are you talking about? You've had the best kind of friend all your life."

"What?" Sam asked his eyebrows knitting together his eyes confused.

Harry laughed, though it sounded sad. "Your brother. You have any idea how much I would give to grow up with family like that? Who loved me no matter what I did or what I was?"

Sam was speechless and Harry was tensed as if he had said too much.

"Sorry. I'm…I need to get Teddy into bed," Harry made a swift exit.

Sam ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He felt like a total dick and he really didn't know why.

While Harry was upstairs Sam entered the living room and slumped onto the couch next to Dean "What did you say?" Dean asked knowingly as he flipped the page in the book he was skimming through. Transfiguration for Toddlers.

"That I never really had any true friends. I didn't even think about the fact that Harry would see you as a friend of mine. That kind of thing just doesn't register because you're my brother and it's totally different," Sam sighed again. "I think Harry's having a hard time, he's usually not that sensitive."

Dean blinked and looked at Sam as if he were a child. He was silent for a while before finally saying "Me and Harry are a lot alike," Dean pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows before going back to his reading not even acknowledging that he even made the statement. Sam, who had grown up with his brothers half expressed emotions and sly cover ups knew exactly what he was saying. Harry had let himself look vulnerable, in front of both of them, more than once in the last few months. Not counting that first night. If Sam or Dean were honest with themselves, that first night had made them think that Harry was more like Sam than his older brother, but as the months went by and they slowly got to know Harry, or rather not know Harry, they realized that the wizard was way more like Dean, worse even in a lot of ways.

Harry kept things in, bottled them up until they exploded in a torrent of fear and pain and anger. At least Dean had Sam to take some of that out on. Harry only ever seemed to get vulnerable when it came to Teddy and the kid was only 8. There was only so much that Harry could talk to Teddy about, no matter how mature the kid was.

Sam felt suddenly very awed with the fact that he had been so trusted with Harry's inner torment. That kind of trust obviously didn't come easily to the wizard and Harry had been more open with Sam and Dean than either of them had been with Harry. Sam silently vowed that he would be attempting more heart to hearts with Harry in the very near future.

Sam tried several times to talk to Harry after that, unfortunately Harry would have none of it. Making excuse after excuse to not be in the same room with Sam alone. Apparently he hadn't meant to break down earlier and was doing a pretty good impression of Dean at avoiding the situation. Masking his discomfort with grins and very dry morbid humor.

Dean had the audacity to say "Told you," When Harry once again made a quick retreat to the basement 'to work on potions'.

"Well then why don't you do something about this?" Sam nearly screamed at Dean.

"Talking to him's not going to help Sam," Dean acted as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "When he's ready to talk he will. You're forgetting that the guy was in a War. He more than likely isn't used to people confronting him right after all this emotional crap. Hell even we haven't been pushy with him right after something big, you know?"

When had Dean become so insightful? "Christo," Sam intoned in a monotone.

"Shut up bitch, I'm serious. I've dealt with your teen angst enough times to know that trying to force him to talk isn't going to get you anything but grief."

"Harry's isn't a teenager," Sam said petulantly.

"No he's not ,he's worse, because with the few times he's even mentioned his family I know they didn't think much of him and even if Dad was gone all the time we know he cared, that he always loved us. I don't think Harry ever had that."

Sam sat on the couch with a large sigh thinking back on the few things Harry had let on about his family. Sam knew that Harry's parents were dead, that Harry thought him lucky to have a family who cared so much, that Harry was one of the few people not lucky enough to have family that cared enough to sacrifice themselves for him. All those things pointed to a childhood that was worse off than their own.

"So, you think I should just lay off?" Sam asked feeling even more like a dick than before.

"Yeah."

Harry had made his excuse, nearly running out of the room when he saw Sam, and made his way to the basement feeling like a complete coward but what else was he supposed to do, every time Sam looked at him like that- like he wanted to have a bleeding mushy moment-Harry couldn't help but run. Harry distinctly remembered the few times that Hermione had tried to talk about his childhood with him. Harry had growled at her and told her it was none of her business. Harry was thankful that Hermione hadn't taken it personally.

Though now Harry was so afraid of being in the same room with Sam because he somehow knew that Sam would listen, would understand somehow. Not like Hermione who would have insisted on pressing charges against the Dursley's. That wasn't what Harry needed, he just needed someone to listen, and Sam would do exactly that.

As Harry contemplated his istuation he worked on one of the potions he needed to get done in less than two months. There was still a lot to do and even more to try and predict anything that could go wrong.

He was half an hour into working on one of the healing potions that would be used to repair Sam's spinal cord. A potion that required his undivided attention. But the argument with Sam and the stress of the situation was distracting him so much that he barely registered the over boiling cauldron.

"Bloody Hell!" Harry exclaimed wiping up the mess and turning off the heat. This was the third batch he had attempted. Never getting much past the first phase.

"You letting the Asphodel cook to fast," A voice said from behind Harry.

"I know that!" Harry yelled tossing the cauldron clear across the room before he realized that there shouldn't be someone else in this room with him. He had warded it against intruders, but apparently his wards couldn't keep out a Trickster. The demi-god was sitting on the low counter bolted to the stone wall just to Harry's right.

"No need to get snippy I was just trying to help," The Trickster said unwrapping a bright yellow sucker and popping it into his mouth.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked his annoyance not really directed at the Trickster but it was better than taking his anger out on his potions lab.

"Saving you the trouble of having to redo the potion," Then he snapped his fingers and a palm sized square bottle with glowing green liquid was sitting on the table between them. "I got this from the best potions master I've ever known. Hard guy to find and damned antisocial if you ask me but he is the best."

"Why would get this for me?" Harry asked his anger drifting away like fog in the presence of summer sunlight. He lifted the bottle up to inspect it, and noticed the small etching on the bottom of the bottle. "How the bloody hell did you get one of Snape's potions? The stores at Hogwarts were commandeered by the Ministry and Snape's house was blown to bits right after he died," Harry was staring in awe at the tiny bottle then back at the Trickster.

The Trickster shrugged and leaned back on his elbows on the counter-top, the stick of the sucker moving as he smirked. "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

There was a long pause where the only sound was of Harry breathing and the Trickster clicking the sucker against his teeth and occasional sucking. Harry smiled softly and said "Thanks, this means a lot."

The Trickster just waved him off and jumped down off the bench. "So, how are the chuckleheads doing?"

Harry watched The Trickster walk away from the table and inspect a few of the books Harry had open. "Their doing good, though I probably wouldn't show myself to them if I were you."

The Trickster looked up and raised an incredulous eyebrow. "I wasn't planning on it, they already tried killing me once."

"Really? How long have you been after these guys?" Harry hadn't heard the tale of Sam and Dean facing off with The Trickster before.

"A very long time," There was more to that statement than the Trickster was letting on, but Harry suspected the only answer he would get was a joke or empty space so he kept his mouth shut.

Harry frowned to himself and then blurted out. "What should I call you? I mean you're a Trickster and everything but I can't be calling you that all the time…unless you prefer that of course but…"
The Trickster smirked and said "My friends call me Loki."

"Loki?" Harry said trying it out on his tongue.

"Sounds half dirty when you say it that way," The Trickster leered and swept his wavy hair back with his fingers.

Harry blushed and scowled. "Is your mind constantly in the gutter or is it just when your around me?"

"Don't go thinking that your sexier than you are Potter, you might get a big head," Loki leaned forward laying his elbows on the table between them. Harry felt his heart skip a beat at the predatory look in the Demi-Gods eyes but couldn't help but quip back.

"My head isn't the only thing that's big."

Loki smiled, not like the last time where it was all smirking and leering but a real smile that reached all the way to his caramel eyes and made them shine with something that wasn't all that human. Harry felt his breath hitch in his throat.

"You, are a mystery wrapped in the sexiest of packages. Little Wizard," Harry felt himself blushing despite himself before Loki stood and placed his thumb just underneath Harry's nose, where the dip of his upper lip was.(1) There was a tingle of familiarity in the gesture and then with a snap the other man was gone. Leaving behind the scent of refined sugar and rain.

AN: I am still wrinkling my brow at Loki because I kind of have to force him to comply. Real life has been kicking me in the butt, as well as the muse eating monster whose name is self-doubt. But I hope everyone likes.

What does everyone think of Luna meeting Loki? Or Teddy meeting up with him? Give me your ideas they really do beat back the writers blocks and doubts.

(1) Gabriel selects souls from heaven to be birthed into the material world and informs the new person of what he or she will need to know on Earth, only to silence the child before birth by pressing his finger onto the child's lips, thus producing the cleft below a person's nose.