Title: Blood Doesn't Make Family
Rating: T
Pairing: None
Spoilers: Don't think there are any in this chapter
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own Supernatural or Harry Potter
AN: I just want to thank you all for taking the time to read this story and I want to hug you all. I love how many of you love it as much as I do~ I hope to have the next chapter up in the same amount of time I've been updating previous chapters, but I apologize ahead of time if it's a bit of a longer wait before it. I hope that I have it up sometime during the middle of next week, but I can't promise anything. Everyone who guessed the riddle in the last AN was correct, the answer was a river (or brook or similar word saying what it is). Here's the next one: Which is the word in English that has nine letters, and remains a word at each step even when you remove one letter from it, right up to a single letter remaining. List each letter as you remove them, along with the resulting word at each step.

Once again, I thank pumpkinless so much for beta reading this story since she's fantastic~ You all should go check out her story "Renegade Atlas" since it's quite a brilliant piece of fanfiction.

Gabriel continued talking with Castiel all night, catching up on news and gossiping like a pair of old women, while Crowley stayed faithfully by Harry's side occasionally listening in. After the worry of whether or not his son would be okay, Crowley relaxed and let himself be entertained by the stories he heard Gabriel tell his little brother. Inside, Gabriel was overjoyed at finally being able to talk freely to one of his brothers, and Castiel felt the same way about getting another chance to converse with the brother he previously thought was dead.

Several more hours had passed and Crowley felt himself being called to business elsewhere. He argued with himself and the inner turmoil going on in his mind to decide whether or not to leave to do his business or stay by the side of the bed with his son. He knew that Harry was going to be fine, that they only went through a small glitch in their life and survived the demon attack. But he also knew that the pull he was feeling was only getting stronger and stronger. It was a major deal that was directed to him, a transaction that a low level crossroads demon would never be able to successfully make. He was obliged to go, even if the majority of the other demons wanted him for the price on his head.

With a groan, Crowley stood up and broke up the two angels' conversation. Castiel took that as his motion to leave; he had to get back to the Winchesters and Bobby anyways. He figured that they ought to be frantic by this point since he had been gone for quite a few hours, and they were probably anxious to figure out what the hell was going on and why he, an angel, would help a demon spawn. At least that would be an idea of how Dean would word it, Castiel thought.

"Cas, we definitely need to finish catching up later – now that you know I'm alive and all." Gabriel told his younger brother after he began to make his departing words. Castiel turned to look at the demon before him.

"I was wrong about you, Crowley. My previous views about you were wrong, and for that I am truly contrite. If my brother has been able to get along with you for as long as he has, then I am sure that I will be able to do the same in time. Just try to understand that sometimes old habits die hard."

"Angel, I appreciate your words, but just don't let it get out that I have angels on my side; ruins my reputation. And I worked so hard to get where I am now." Crowley voiced to Castiel. Gabriel smirked off to the side, patted his brother on the back, and loudly whispered into his ear.

"Welcome to the dark side, brother, we have stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. Cookies too." He put on a large grin as Castiel looked up towards the ceiling with a sigh.

"You have not changed one bit. Goodbye, Gabriel. Crowley." With a nod to both of them, Castiel disappeared with the faint sound of flapping wings, leaving Gabriel and Crowley standing side by side next to Harry's bed.

"Gabriel, I can trust you to keep watch on Harry while I go do business, correct?"

"Definitely – you can count on me to watch over the little squirt!" Gabriel saluted the demon much to Crowley's dismay. He rubbed a hand over his tired face and started to walk away.

"Right, I shouldn't be gone too long. If he wakes up before I get back, make sure he eats something. Cheers then." And with that, Crowley vanished leaving Gabriel alone to watch over the sleeping kid.

Castiel reappeared back at Bobby's ramshackle house to find Sam, Dean, and Bobby all sitting around the living room trying to figure out what happened. When they noticed he was back, Dean immediately got to his feet and walked over to the angel and gave off a typical response.

"Dude, what the hell?!" Castiel only gave him a confused look. "You can't just run… fly off to help demons! They're, well, demons!" Dean threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Dean, it's not what it looks like. They needed my help, so I gave it to them."

"Since when did you start becoming Facebook friends with demons? I mean, come on! They've tried to kill us so many times that I've lost count!" Sam gave his brother a puzzled look.

"Since when did you start keeping track of that?"

"Shut up, Sam," Dean retorted in reply. He groaned in frustration and turned his attention back to the angel in the room. Bobby of course was just sitting back in his chair, he had an idea of what probably went on with the boy.

"Dean, what I did was justified."

"You were gone for hours! We had no idea if the demon cut you up to make angel stew for his spawn!" Castiel clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes at the hunter.

"You have no idea what that child went through before Crowley came and rescued him." Castiel emphasized the child part in hopes that it would bring some sort of empathy out of the man in front of him.

"Alright then, tell us. Convince us that what you did was right. Convince us that you did not just help someone who will turn around and kill us once he's back to full health." Dean glared at the angel he considered to be a friend, but still in hopes that any broken bridges between them could be mended. Castiel took a breath to regain his composure before beginning to explain what happened.

"I wouldn't expect you three to understand, but I did what I did because of what the child is. Something like him has not been seen in many years. In fact, I believe the last one was Merlin." Sam scoffed at the words.

"But Merlin is only a story, something that parents tell their kids at night. He's only a part of myths and legends." Sam explained to Castiel. The angel only raised his eyebrows in response.

"Oh, he was very real. I never was given permission to see him since very few of us angels were able to. Only the select few were able to go and gaze upon his power. Sadly, many of them are now dead with only one of them who was given the orders to watch over him. You could say that he was naturally drawn to their location and given the task of watching over them. I guess that is why it makes so much sense that he is with the newest one now." Castiel seemed to fade into his own thoughts and ignored the outside world.

"Cas, you're not making any sense. Please, explain more." Dean impatiently said. That seemed to bring the angel's mind back to the room they were in, and he elaborated upon what he was talking about. He made sure to tell them all to be quite while he explained everything.

"Thousands of years ago when the first cambion was created, several angels were given the task to watch over them. Watch them to make sure that if anything happened, they could quickly be killed. While cambions are part demon, they are also part human. That is why they were not killed on sight. Angels were not permitted to kill humans, so naturally we were not allowed to kill off the cambions – though they were rare enough that it did not truly matter. There have only been a small few of them here on Earth.

"Harry is something different than a cambion, something that is even rarer. He is one who is part demon and part human just like the cambions, but he was created in a very different way. Whereas cambions are created through incubi, Harry was created through a ritual. He was human before becoming half demon. The thing is about the ritual is that no regular human could survive it. It relies on magic in both creatures." Castiel saw that Dean was about to talk, but raised a hand to silence him.

"Harry is a wizard, which is why the ritual worked. It is very rarely used by demons, but it is a ritual that is very powerful and bonds whoever is involved – a sort of family bond. In the case of Crowley and Harry, it made them father and son."

"What do you mean, Harry is a wizard? Shouldn't you have let us kill him on principle? I mean, a demon is one thing, but a demon witch hybrid? That's just unnatural!" Dean exclaimed only to be shushed by Bobby.

"Dean, will you please be quiet. Maybe if you let him finish explaining, your questions will be answered." Dean only lowered his head, but the look of wanting to kill something was still in his eyes.

"As I was saying, yes, Harry is a wizard, but a type that you have never crossed paths with. Their kind doesn't get their magic from deals or anything. Their magic is natural and given by the Earth. They have a natural magic core inside them that allows them to perform magic. They primarily have stayed around Europe ever since the Salem Witch Trials. While some of them are considered bad, the majority of them are truly good people." Castiel took a moment to gather the words that he would be telling next.

"Without going into too much detail, Crowley rescued Harry from his relatives, the only family he had, and brought him back. And trust me when I tell you that the child will do better with Crowley rather than with them." A dark look came over the angel's face as he mentioned Harry's relatives.

"What did they do to him? It couldn't have been that bad, I mean they were still his family." Dean hesitantly brought up. Castiel closed his eyes with the next part that he told them.

"If you want to know, I'm sure that you will find out if you actually talk with the child. I do not feel comfortable telling his story to you other than what I have already said. All I will say though is that you and your brother were raised softly compared to the hell that Harry went through." Sam of course had a puzzled look on his face as he tried to work out what may have happened to the small kid.

After a few minutes of silence, Bobby brought up a topic from before that he felt was never fully explained.

"So what were you talking about before with an angel being drawn to these creatures?" The angel moved his gaze to settle on the older man.

"As I believe I said before, a few powerful angels were given the task to watch over these half demons. As far as I know, all but one of them is dead. The only one left who still has the right to watch over them, well, you've already met him."

"Who is it, Cas?" questioned Sam.

"Gabriel. He is the only one left who was chosen."

"But I thought he was dead? I thought Lucifer killed him." Sam exclaimed as he accidently knocked over a stack of books in shock. "How is that possible?"

"My brother has always been good at escaping death."

"Is that why you were quick to help Crowley and his boy?" Bobby asked from the place he was still at on the chair. Castiel nodded and continued.

"It's a part of it, yes. When I scanned Harry's body, I could feel the echoes of a powerful angel's grace that mended his wounds. Not only that, but there were Enochian sigils carved into his ribs – similar yet different to the ones I placed on you two. Only his don't harm his demon side or interfere with his powers in any way."

"So then how do you know it was Gabriel?" was the next question that Bobby had for the angel.

"Because once I brought Harry and Crowley back to their home, Gabriel appeared and helped them. From what I saw and was told, Gabriel trusts Crowley and his son. And I trust my brother. So I also trust Crowley and his son." Sam, Dean, and Bobby all gave him curious glances at his admission of trusting a demon.

Gabriel gave a huge sigh as he looked out the window from where he sat on the couch and absently opened yet another chocolate bar. He began munching on the sugary treat and was lost in thought – something that seemed common among the angels. He was so unfocused with the world around him that he did not notice the small figure slowly walking up to him with his hellhound trailing behind. It was only when he was jostled from Harry sitting down beside him when he was brought back to the present. Cara jumped up next to the two and hunkered down for a nap. Gabriel smiled at the child and offered him a candy bar from the pile that was sitting beside him on the table, other hand straying to pet the hellhound's furry head. Harry gave a small smile back and took a Snickers bar with a reply of thanks.

"Hey, kiddo, feeling better?" Gabriel ruffled Harry's black hair.

"Yeah, Gabe, thanks. It was you who healed me, wasn't it?"

"Eh, it was mostly me. Yeah. But it was one of my brothers who initially healed your major injuries. Do you remember anything? Anything at all?" Gabriel looked down at the small boy with inquiry in his eyes. Harry wrinkled his face in deep thought before he answered.

"I remember training with Dad, running away because we were attacked. I remember Dad getting caught in the net," with that, Harry's eyes opened wide in fear. He franticly whipped his head around the room looking for the absent demon.

"Where is he? Is he okay? Did he make it?" Gabriel calmed the hysterical boy and erased his fears by telling him that Crowley was called away on important business, but that he would be back soon.

"Actually, I'm surprised that he isn't back by now. He said that he should've been back before you woke." That actually did not fully calm Harry down, only caused him to fidget in his seat.

"What if those demons attacked him again? What if he's not coming home?" Gabriel brought the boy into his arms and patted his back.

"I'm positive that he's fine. In all the years that I've known your dad, he's never been one to back out of a promise. He told me that he would be back, so he will be back. Now, do you remember anything else?" Harry, now relaxed a little bit more, continued to answer the angel.

"I remember running even more once Dad told me to continue, and the sound of hellhounds following. I tripped on a tree root or rock or something, and I fell. It was then when the hellhounds showed up. I tried my best to fight them off with my magic and Lasair, but it wasn't enough." Harry snuggled into Gabriel's warm side.

"All I remember after that is the hellhounds biting and clawing at me before everything went dark." Harry mumbled from where his face was pressed against the angel's shoulder. Gabriel took the empty candy wrapper and threw it onto the slowly growing pile of wrappers on the floor by the couch. He grabbed two chocolate bars – one for himself and one for Harry – and handed it to him.

"Eat it. The chocolate will make you feel better. Trust me, it works." Gabriel nodded in agreement to his own words, and Harry's small hand reached out and grabbed it. He opened it and quietly ate it while Gabriel did the same with his own candy.

"So how did I end up back here? And what do you mean that one of your brothers helped me?" Harry questioned after a few more candy bars were eaten.

"Well, you see, the Winchesters and their friend Bobby summoned your dad to them – that's how he escaped from the trap he was in. Apparently he raised a huge fuss to try and get out, since they had summoned him into a devil's trap, but they were having none of that. He's a demon, so of course they naturally don't trust him. Somehow they finally agreed on something or another, and they summoned you to their house too. Right into a devil's trap just like your daddy. So that confirms that you can be summoned," he added as a small side note before continuing on with telling what he understood from the situation by what both Crowley and Castiel had told him.

"And so you show up, all bloody and unmoving on the floor in the devil's trap, and that brought up more topics of discussion. Those idiots couldn't agree on anything, so my brother was called in. He actually listened to what your dad had to say, and he went over to you and was able to heal a few of the major injuries you got – just enough to let you live until you were carried back home and into my hands so I could fully heal you. And that is pretty much the Sparknotes version of what went on." Harry looked up at him and thought about what was said.

"So what brother was it?"

"Castiel, one of my younger brothers who began to start hanging around with the Winchesters. He's actually the one who pulled Dean out of Hell."

"Really?"

"Yup." Gabriel answered, popping the 'p' in his reply. Harry reached for yet another candy bar and asked another question.

"So does Castiel know about you now?" The archangel sighed before telling his answer.

"Yeah, he does. Though I'm glad that it's him and not one of my other asshole brothers that would go back to Heaven to tell everyone that I'm alive and living with demons." Harry only nodded in understanding, and they continued like that for the next few hours. Candy was continuously passed back and forth between them, and soon Harry had a hand resting on his stomach with a pained look on his face. Of course Gabriel had forgotten that the boy would need actual food to eat, and not just sugary junk. And since he's an angel, he never had to worry about that sort of thing.

Just as Gabriel was trying to make Harry feel better, a resounding voice came from behind him. One that he had hoped wouldn't have been back until a bit later.

"Gabriel. Can you tell me why my son is currently sick from eating too many sweets?" Crowley distastefully looked at the piles of candy wrappers around the couch, and in a moment they were lit on fire because of the demon. The paper wrappers turned to ash, the plastic wrappers shriveled into themselves and blackened, and soon the fire grew to be too much for them. All that was left was just a few small piles of ash.

"I may have let him have a bit too much candy…" Gabriel hesitantly answered as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I would have thought that you would have been sensible enough to give him proper food when he woke up – not these." he gestured at the ash piles. "How many times do I have to remind you that he is still part human?! When will it get through your thick skull that you need to sometimes actually think before acting? He was just healed from several extensive injuries, and as a food source you give him sweets. In what world is that even remotely a good idea? He needs nutrients that will help his body, not hurt it!" Crowley yelled at the angel before him with only an anger a parent can have in worry for their child.

"Crowley, it was an honest mistake!" Gabriel glanced down at the young boy who was wincing in pain with his arms wrapped around his middle. He placed a hand on the boy's forehead, and all the tension and look of pain drained out of Harry's body as he fell into a slumber. "I did not mean to let him get sick – I let him have a few pieces to begin with, and we began to talk. I did not notice how many pieces he was eating!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have let him have any in the first place! Now just get out of my house!" A look of shock came over Gabriel as he heard the last few words. Never before had Crowley ordered him to leave the house in such a cold, angry voice. Sure, he would tell him to leave every once in a while when they first started hanging out with each other, but never have one of their fights – as small or big as it may be – led to Crowley yelling at the angel to leave his sight. With the drooping of his head and a last passing glance at Harry, Gabriel disappeared.

Crowley closed his eyes in an attempt to get his anger under control. In a small part of his mind he was regretting his actions with one of the very few friends he has left, but the larger part that was still filled with worry and anger won out over the care he may have over Gabriel's feelings. He walked over to where Harry was sprawled out on the couch, lifted him up, and brought the boy to his room.