Chapter 10

The room was shrouded in silence.

Harry stared numbly at the cold form of Sam Winchester from his spot on the cot while Dean's head was bowed low while he held onto one of his little brother's hand.

From what Harry had gathered, he had passed out from exhaustion and mental trauma not too long after Sam's death and it was Bobby who had carried him to the car while Dean took care of his brother. When they got back to the safe house, Dean had stayed by his side until he had woken up and once he was sure that Harry was okay, he had moved to sit next to his brother and there he remained.

It's been nearly a day and a half since Sam had died in the abandoned cursed town and time had done nothing but enforce that this was their reality, drilling into them that this wasn't some horrible nightmare that they could awaken from.

Tribbles laid quietly on Harry's lap, flicking its tongue out now and then against Harry's hand in an attempt to comfort its owner but it was to no avail. The pair was lost in a sea of despair and there was no lifeboat anywhere in sight.

Harry knew that Dean was feeling the lost more keenly than Harry was. The death of his brother must've left a gaping hole in the pit of his stomach and it left him with the inability to breathe properly since everything in the world had now been a skewed. Dean took his responsibilities as an older brother seriously and it must kill the man for being unable to do a thing to save his brother. And if there was any way for Dean to bring Sam back to life, Harry knew without a single doubt that the man would do it in a heartbeat.

Swaying slightly on his feet, he pushed himself away from the cot and slowly made his way towards Dean, leaving Tribbles behind on the cot.

"Dean," he called out softly when he was standing next to the hunter. He laid his arm around the grieving hunter's shoulder and in response, Dean raised one of his hands and wrapped it around his waist, pulling him close. Tentatively, he brought the hunter's head towards his chest and hugged him close, offering him the only thing he could.

Comfort.

There was no need for words for no words were going to able to soothe Dean's emotional turmoil. Saying that 'everything was going to be okay' wasn't going to help matters because everything wasn't okay and it felt like it wasn't going to be for a long while.

It could've been hours that passed since Harry had drawn Dean into a hug but they either didn't notice or cared. Finally Dean cleared his throat, loosening his grip on Harry's waist.

"C-can you give me and Sam some time alone?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

"Of course." Harry replied softly, slowly withdrawing from the man. He shivered slightly from the loss of heat and gave a halfhearted smile when the hunter wrapped his leather jacket around Harry's form. "I'm not a bloody girl." He said but drew it closer to his form nonetheless.

"Didn't say you were." Dean answered, his small smile forced. He lifted his hand to run it through Harry's unruly head and drew him close, giving the small wizard a chaste kiss.

Pulling away, Harry made his way out of the front door and collapsed onto the top of the steps. The warmth that his body had accumulated was quickly seeping from his being and he shivered when a gust of wind blew by him. Seeing Dean so lost and vulnerable, Harry closed his eyes and tried to draw forth the strength and rationality that he would need for the both of them.

A high pitched squeak from Tribbles dragged him away from his thoughts and he looked down at the small creature that peered up at him with its own teary emerald green eyes. Apparently it had rolled after him and had been by his side since he had come out. Picking it up, he placed it on his lap where they both lapsed into silence.

It was the sound of a car pulling up and a door opening that drew Harry's attention and his eyes met the form of one Bobby Singer when he looked up. From his point of view, he could see the grief practically emanating from the man who was also feeling the lost of the youngest Winchester but it quickly faded as it gave way to the wariness when his own eyes met Harry's.

The temporary truce that they had had obviously ended and it was going to take a little more facts straightened out before the old hunter would even think about placing his trust on Harry.

"What are you doing out here?" The man asked him gruffly, his stance ready in case of an attack from Harry's part but Harry took it all in stride. In a way, it was helping his thoughts clear up much faster and granted him a small reprieve from reality. Even if it was to defend his innocence.

"Dean wanted some time alone with Sam." He answered, taking Tribbles in hand when the elder hunter glanced at it with a discernable look. The man held no gun in hand at the time but there was never telling what he was capable of.

"I think it's a good time for us to talk." Bobby said grimly and Harry nodded in acceptance only for his reflexes to kick in seconds later to catch the flask that was thrown at him. He gave the man a questioning look, making no moves to open it. "Drink it."

He raised a brow at the man. He didn't seriously think that Harry was going to drink it without knowing what it was, did he?

"It's holy water and feed it to that furball as well."

Harry frowned before tossing it back at the man.

"You first." He was considered reckless by many people, but it didn't mean that he was going to drink some unknown substance in a flask he couldn't see through. Bobby took a gulp before throwing it back. Watching the man to see if he was going to combust into flames or anything of the sort for a few seconds, he tipped the flask back and took a drink.

It was… water.

Holy water. A voice much like Severus corrected him in his mind but never the less, it was a bit anticlimactic. Indeed the elder hunter did say holy water and the man did not burst into flames, but he had half expected something to happen. Feeding Tribbles a small amount, Tribbles licked it up with no problems.

Still far from trusting, Bobby's guardedness remained steady. After all, all that the test proved was that Harry was not possessed by a demon.

"Natural born wizard, huh?" Bobby questioned. "Forgive me if I think it's a load of crock." Harry smiled a bit in amusement.

"Of all the most unbelievable beings that can or cannot exist in this world, you choose natural born wizards to be the one thing that can't be possible?" Harry asked. "Or is it the fact that you don't want to believe that we're just as human as you except we have the aid of magic within us?"

"It's not natural." Bobby argued and it brought Harry back to the days when he was still living with the Dursleys.

Freakish. The word vibrated through his mind and he pushed it back. How he hated that word in that context.

"And from another point of view, it's unnatural that you don't have magic." Harry pointed out which caused the man to scowl.

"What do you plan on doing?"

"Same thing as you," Harry answered. "To put a stop to what's going on over here."

"How many of your kind are here?"

"To put a stop to this? Just me," Harry said, recalling Kingsley's words. "Those in favor of whatever's going on, I'm not exactly sure yet." His eyes met the older hunter's. "But regardless of the facts, it's evident that we're working towards the same goal and it's to stop the impending war to occur."

There was a brief moment of silence as Bobby organized his thoughts while Harry waited patiently.

"Say if I believe you, how do I know that you won't turn on us?"

"You don't." Harry answered honestly. There was no definite proof he could provide the man of his loyalty. "But I won't." His eyes shown with his conviction and sparkling with sincerity. "One war is enough, there shouldn't be another to cause needless pain and suffering."

A small sliver of understanding seemed to pass through them and Bobby nodded slightly.

"What about Dean?" He asked.

"What about Dean?" Harry questioned back only to have the man give him a pointed look. "We're…" He paused, there were no words at the moment that could clearly describe what they were to each other and the fact that he didn't know if Dean wanted Bobby to know about their relationship. However tentative it was. "Friends." He finished, deciding on half truths.

The look on the other man's face showed that he wasn't fooled for a second by Harry's placating term of 'friends'.

"And Dean accepts you? No offense, kid, but the boy was raised by his daddy who was determined to rid the world of the supernatural."

"He said that he's accepted it." Harry answered firmly, choosing to believe in Dean's words.

Another moment of silence.

"You care for him." It was a statement more than a question.

"I'd risk my life for him," was the reply.

"You hurt him and I'll pump you full of rock salt, you hear me?"

Harry suppressed an urge to sigh. Why did people always have the desire to threaten him bodily harm?

"I hear you." He said and that was that. A more stable truce was in place.

"Let's go in." The older hunter said grumpily, rather reluctant to invite him in as well but Harry took it as a good sign that the man bothered to at all. He slowly got up to his feet and followed the man into the house where he was instantly reminded of the situation before him.

…

Harry's eyes snapped open from his short nap when he felt something was horribly wrong and never the one to doubt his instincts, he quickly got up to search for the older Winchester to find that the man was no where within the house. Running outside, he noticed that the Impala was gone and cursed a violent streak.

Sam remained where he was placed and a food run was out of the question with the stash that Bobby had left on the table. It occurred to him that maybe Dean was out driving to clear his head but he doubted it, not with the way his gut churned and flopped with anxiety.

His heart was pounding a mile a minute and remembering the cell phone that Sam had given him, he rushed back inside to grab it before calling Dean's cell. He bit his bottom lip in worry when it automatically sent him to voicemail and he hung up.

Hearing a car pull up, he immediately dashed outside to find it was only Bobby with Dean nowhere in sight.

"Bobby!" He called out to the man, clutching onto the phone. "Do you know where Dean is?"

"He's missing?" The old hunter asked, his frame tensed. "He could be out for a drive. That boy isn't that stu-" He broke off midsentence and cursed. "Dammit, he just might be."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, his magic practically humming from his apprehension.

"Get in the truck," Bobby ordered and sensing the urgency of the matter, he obeyed without question. Within seconds they were taking off down the road and Harry had to hang on for dear life.

"What's going on?" He asked, hoping that the man would provide him the answer.

"Dean might be off making a deal to sell his soul." Bobby said, clenching his teeth.

"A deal?" Harry repeated faintly and his eyes widened as the rest of Bobby's words sunk in. "He's going to sell his soul?" As soon as he uttered the dreaded question, he knew without a doubt that that was exactly what Dean was planning on doing and it felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest from the anticipation he was feeling.

It felt like the car was going entirely far too slow. His magic rose up from within him and he could feel it waiting for him to use it.

"I'm going on ahead." He announced to the man and without a further noticed, he popped out of the car and directed his magic to bring him to where Dean was located. The tainted magic was batted away from him by his own without much of Harry's knowledge as he was too focused on reaching Dean on time.

When he popped into existence, the wild magic there was more heavy than usual and he knew immediately that there was a demon in the proximity. He rushed towards where it was the heaviest and stopped dead in his tracks.

There in the center of what appeared to be a crossroad, Dean and a woman (demon, his magic flickered in annoyance) were kissing. It had lasted only a couple of seconds and the demon pulled back with a satisfied smile on its face.

"It's a sealed deal, Dean."

It was those words that brought Harry back into action. He tried to ignore the taste of bitterness in the back of his throat. Whether it was from witnessing Dean kissing the demon or from him being unable to prevent the deal, he didn't know. It was probably both.

"Wait!" He called out and Dean whirled around in shock to face him.

"Harry," the hunter began but he cut him off with a glacial glare.

"What deal?" He asked the demon and its smirked widen.

"Why if it isn't Harry Potter," it said, making to approach him but stopped in its tracks when Dean blocked Harry from its view with his body. Harry wasn't going to stand for that and step sided away so he could see the demon. "I normally wouldn't waste my time sticking around but if it's for you, I don't mind."

"What deal?" Harry questioned again, his wand drawn.

"Deanie here," it said, waving its hand towards the elder Winchester. "He sold his soul to bring little Sammy back." Harry grew cold at the admission and he tightened his grip on his wand.

"Sold?"

"He doesn't need to know." Dean cut in but Harry and the demon both ignored him, too busy staring each other down.

"Within a year, Deanie boy is going to be sent to hell and-"

"Shut up!" Dean yelled, moving threateningly towards the demon but it stepped back.

"Uh uh, you wouldn't want to do that." It said, waving a finger back and forth tauntingly at Dean. Harry felt the helplessness growing within him. Even if Sam came back to life, how would he feel knowing that Dean had sold his soul for him? It would break Sam and as selfish as it sounded, Harry didn't want to go through a similar experience where instead of Dean, he would be comforting Sam for the lost of Dean. He didn't think his mind would be able to take it.

"Can you undo the deal?" He asked and the demon smiled in a way that showed that it had been waiting for him to ask that very question.

"I could." It said slowly. "If you take his place."

"No," Dean cried out but before he knew it, Harry had stunned him and slowly eased him onto the ground. His hand trailed along the man's cheek gently and sorrowful eyes quickly changed to determination when he turned to face the demon. He had failed to protect Sam but it was a chance to protect Dean and save Sam.

"If I take his place," he began carefully. "Dean's deal is canceled and Sam is brought back to life with his soul intact."

"Of course," it purred. "Dean's contract with be annulled and little Sammy will be brought back good as new, but unfortunately, I can only offer you six months."

He furrowed his brows.

"You gave Dean a year."

"Yes, but as much as the demons down there would love to grab a hold of him, you are the one that holds everyone's interest." It said, running a finger down Harry's face and he slapped it away from him in irritation. "Take it or leave it. If you don't, Dean will die in a year where he'll be dragged to hell for all eternity. Either way I already have completed what I was summoned for."

His resistance broke and he felt himself give into the demon's words.

"All right." He forced the words out, his mind set. "I'll make the deal."

"Excellent." The demon said and stalked up close to Harry but Harry stepped back, glaring at it.

"I want you to repeat the deal."

"As you wish," it said obligingly. "Dean's contract will be absolved and Sam will be brought back to life with his soul intact. With a kiss, our contract is sealed and you'll only have six months to live. Is it a deal?"

"Yes." And with that small murmur of agreement, Harry bit back the disgust he was feeling when the demon drew him into a kiss. His magic pulsed from fury but it refrained from lashing out, opting to swirl around in a mass of angry energy.

The demon drew back with a satisfied smile and licked its lips.

"It's a sealed deal." It said once more that night and without further ado, it threw back its host's head and the black stream of demon entity flew out from her mouth. The woman fell to the ground with a soft thump and Harry felt a sliver of guilt for not catching her except he was too busy watching the black smoke vanish while the reality of his situation finally sunk in.

He had sold his soul.

Another thought struck him.

He was going to die in six months.

Waving his wand over Dean's body, he casted the ennervate spell and watched with an eye of a spectator as the man groaned. He could almost see when the fog lifted away from the man's mind and he took it all in stride when blazing hazel-green eyes bore into him.

"What did you do?" The older man demanded, fear evident in his eyes. Harry offered a small shrug.

"I traded my soul for yours." He answered distantly. "Apparently my soul trumps yours." He added with a tiny hint of humor in his tone.

"That's not funny." Dean said, grabbing onto Harry's shoulders to make him look Dean in the eyes. "Why?" He asked the small wizard. "Sam is my responsibility, not yours."

Harry flung the hands off of him and he backed up with a cold look in his eyes, peering up at the man.

"Exactly." He said. "And you won't be able to do a single damn bloody thing if you're dead and buried. Sam's your responsibility and now you'll be able to continue to do your damn job."

"How long?" Dean asked after several minutes of silence, getting frustrated when Harry pretended that he did not understand the question. "How long do you have?" The hunter asked again and Harry looked away from him when he answered.

"Six months. I'll be dead in six months."

Without warning, Dean grabbed Harry into a tight hug and held on for all he was worth. Harry's arms remained limp at his side but he eventually raised his arms up and wrapped it around the man's waist.

"You're an idiot." Dean mumbled, hiding his face in Harry's messy hair. "You're such an idiot. Why would you do such a thing?"

Assuming that it was a rhetorical question, Harry remained silent and laid his head against Dean's chest to listen to the man's heartbeat. They stayed still in their position for a little while longer until Harry pulled away, remembering the other hunter that was searching for Dean.

"You should call Bobby and give him a heads up." He informed the elder Winchester. "He was looking for you as well."

With a nod, Dean pulled out his cell phone and turned it on, his hand never leaving its spot from around Harry's waist while they walked towards the Impala. Once sitting in the car, Harry felt like it was years ago when everything wasn't so complicated and they were happy and content.

The ride back was silent with Dean focused on driving back with his eyes once in a while flickering to Harry and Harry was lost in thought. Watching the scenery fly by, Harry focused on clearing his jumbled thoughts and worked out his feelings.

He didn't know what will happen once his six months were up but he knew that he couldn't have let Dean die. He wasn't one to stand around and let his friends and loved ones die if he could do anything about it and with that thought, it cleared up all of his doubts and worries and replaced it with a purpose.

If he was going to die, he was going to make sure that the months he had left would not be filled with distress and mourning. Glancing over at Dean, he gave the man a small smile and entwined his hand with the other man's.

"Let's go see Sam." He said gently and in response, Dean pressed on the gas and they flew down the road, letting their worries and fears wash away for the moment.

…

"Sammy?" Dean called out as soon as they got into the house. "Sam?"

"In here." Sam's voice replied and together, Harry and Dean rushed into the room where Sam's body had lain still for two days now to find a well and breathing Sam Winchester with a squeaking Tribbles in hand. His snapped neck was fixed and he had a healthy hue around him that signified that he was alive.

They rushed at him and gave him a hug, clinging onto him like he was their lifeline and he tentatively hugged them back, confusion marring his face.

"I'm glad to see you guys too," he said when they drew back. "What happened? I thought that Jake…" he trailed off.

"He just knocked you unconscious, thought he killed you and took off running." Dean explained without missing a beat. Sam gave him a dubious look but he seemed willing to believe him. Harry wondered for how long and smiled brightly at Sam when he looked over at him.

Bobby came into the house then and his face showed his disbelief before he hid it behind a mask. When Sam excused himself to go take a shower, placing Tribbles on the table, the oldest hunter of the three rounded on Dean and demanded to know what Dean had done.

Dean had failed to mention the deal on the phone, opting to just telling the elder man that he was fine.

"Dammit, Dean. Did you sell your soul to bring Sam back?"

"No," Harry cut in, absentmindedly petting Tribbles. "I did." With that small confession, Bobby demanded to know all the details and by the end of the explanation, he was looking at Harry in a whole new light. Sort of.

"You're an idjit." Bobby said and Harry was unsure who he was insulting exactly.

"Doesn't matter now." Harry said. "At least Sam's alive."

And that led the conversation to an end because Harry was right even though there was going to be a terrible cost to be paid.

…

Several hours later, Harry found that the situation at hand had gone from bad to worst. He fought against the restrains that were holding him pinned to a gravestone and tried to not have the experience overlap with the ones from fourth year.

His wand laid a couple of feet away from him, having been tossed away by Dean when Jake had mind controlled him. When they had arrived back to Bobby's, the Winchesters and Bobby were in for a surprise when they found Ellen waiting for them.

With a quick shot glass test of holy water, she was invited into the house where she had informed them what Ash had found out about the demon that the Winchesters had been hunting for years now. With the knowledge of where Sam's murderer was heading, they quickly raced off towards the cemetery and there they had lain in wait for the man in question.

All wasn't as easy as they hoped since it seemed that the man had known that they were there and with powers that they weren't aware of, he had body controlled Dean to knock the wand out of Harry's hand and to pin him to the ground while Ellen was forced to point her own gun at her head.

Caught off guard, Sam and Bobby were forced to yield and with an arrogant smirk, Jake had managed to open the Gates of Hell with the Colt where all hell broke loose. Literally.

At the moment, Jake was dead, shot by an unmerciful Sam but now they had more pressing problems now that the gate was open and the fact that the Yellow-Eyed Demon had them pinned. The Colt was held in the demon's possession, having summoned it from Dean and he pointed it idly at the older Winchester with a pleased smirk on his face.

"Well, well. I've heard you've managed to accomplish something that was deemed nearly impossible. Many have tried and failed but you, you succeeded in killing the Boy-Who-Lived." He mocked. "I got to thank you though, Sammy couldn't have been brought back to life if a deal wasn't made but look at him now, Sammy's back! He's always been my favorite." He leant in closer towards the hunter. "How does it feel that because of your self-sacrificial ways, you've sentenced someone to death?"

"Shut up!" Harry snapped when he saw how the words had an effect on Dean, drawing the demon's attention away from the hunter. Thankfully Sam was too far away to hear the demon's cruel taunting words.

"Oh, they're going to love you down there." The demon said. "They're eagerly awaiting for your arrival. It's a pity though; I would've loved to keep you as a pet." It raked its eyes along Harry's body and he couldn't help feeling violated. "I have to say, the Winchesters have good taste in choosing who they keep around."

Harry just growled, struggling with the invisible bonds. His magic pulsed from anger at being restrained but it was no use, the demon's hold held strong and didn't weaken in the slightest from his attempts.

"It was fun while it lasted Dean." The Yellow-Eyed Demon said, standing up from its kneeling position. "But thanks a bunch, I knew I kept you alive for a reason. Until now anyway. None of this could've happened without your pathetic, self-loathing, self-destructive desire to sacrifice yourself for your family."

"No!" Harry cried out when he saw the demon click the safety switch off but before it could pull the trigger, an apparition appeared from behind him and caught it off guard. The black smoke that was the demon unwillingly flew out of its host's body and Harry was immediately released from the invisible force that held him still.

Grabbing the dropped Colt, Harry quickly tossed it to Dean just as the demon knocked their savior aside and flew back into its host. A look of shock crossed its face when he saw the gun in the experienced hunter's hand and with an explosive bang, Dean pulled the trigger and the bullet lodged itself into the center of the demon's heart.

It stood there stunned for a moment and seconds later, what looked like electricity running through its body, a small implosion occurred from within and it collapsed backwards onto the ground. Yellow eyes flashed before fading, leaving behind a dull shade of black.

The sound of the gate closing seemed to echo all around them, signifying that Ellen and Bobby had managed to effectively close the gate and the sudden silence was deafening. From the spot on the ground, Harry watched as Dean hesitantly walked over to the man, trying to remember where he'd seen the man before.

Harry held back a gasp when it came to him.

John Winchester. He had seen the man's picture in Dean's wallet when he had stolen it not to long after he had joined them to irritate the man.

A proud smile adorned the man's face and when Dean was close enough, he clasped him on his shoulder. Peering over at Sam, the youngest Winchester gave him a small nod; all the while not a single word passed but it was understood, words were unneeded.

Seeing the man glance over at Harry, he straightened up a bit and found to his surprise that the man still wore his proud and gentle smile. He gave a nod of gratitude towards Harry who offered a small smile of his own and with that, John Winchester turned his attention back to his sons to look at them for one last time. With a tear running down his cheek, he began to back away until a flash of light engulfed him and he disappeared. Leaving no evidence that he was ever there.

It was truly a deserved moment of silence.

…

It was a while later when they were walking back to the Impala when the dreaded question left Sam's lips.

"Did I die?"

Harry froze in his tracks besides Dean and he guiltily tried to avoid Sam's gaze.

"What are you talking about, Sammy?" Dean asked, trying to pull off the clueless approach but Sam was far from fooled.

"When Jake first saw me, he looked like he saw a ghost." He paused and thought while Harry shuffled around on his feet. "Dean, what did you do? Did you sell your soul to save me?"

"No," Dean denied but Sam didn't let up. Harry felt Dean's eyes flit towards his form for a brief second before it went back to face Sam but Sam wasn't a hunter for nothing. He didn't miss the minor glance and the way Harry refused to look at him.

"H-Harry?" He asked quietly, his voice holding a small quality of the trepidation that he felt. Harry slowly lifted his eyes until it met hazel-browns and that was all it took for Sam to reach the correct conclusion. "Why? Why would you do that?"

"Because I wanted to." He answered, not going deep into an explanation. Dean laid a hand on the small of his back and drew him close. No, Sam didn't need to know all of the details.

"How long did you get?" Sam asked when he realized Harry wasn't going to say anything more. Dean's hand tensed a bit and he gathered his infamous Gryffindor bravery to get him through this.

"Six months." He answered quietly, peering up at the younger Winchester.

"No," Sam said in denial. "Why would you do that? Why would you give up your life?"

Because I didn't want Dean to give up his. Harry was about to answer but stopped himself since he knew that that wasn't entirely true.

"To save two lives." He answered instead which held more truth than he thought possible. To save Sam would save Dean in the end and to save Dean would save Sam. It was a neverending cycle with those two.

The answer seemed to have taken aback Sam but Harry continued on.

"It is how it is." Harry said, a small smile on his face. "I'm fine with it and it isn't anyone's fault. I did it because I wanted to do it. After all, death is but the next great adventure to the sound mind." It amused him that he was echoing the words his old mentor had uttered long ago.

"But-"

"But nothing. There's nothing else to be said about the deal." He broke out of Dean's grip and spun to face the both of them. "It may be short but that just means we'll have to make the most of it. There's simply no time to mope around when we should be enjoying life when we can."

Done, he turned around to open the car door but Sam's words stopped him.

"I'm not letting it end like that." He said. "I, no, we are going to find a way to break the contract." He corrected himself when he looked over at Dean. "You always were the one who had to save people, but this time, we'll be the one to save you. No matter what, we'll get you out of this. Besides, you're as good as family now and we don't abandon our family." He added and Harry couldn't help but blush.

He didn't dare look over at Dean but he couldn't help a wide smile from spreading across his face when the older Winchester wrapped an arm around him and held him close once more.

Everything may be starting to go to Hell all around them but at least, for the moment, they could pretend that they were okay.

…

A/N: Done! The end seems a bit rushed, don't you think? =/ Hmm… Maybe I'll go back to fix it someday but for now, I'll be leaving it as is. This chapter was a whole lot harder to write than I thought it would be! Oh man.

Oh! I would also like to thank all those that commented and reviewed, it made my day. =]

Like always, if you feel up to it, tell me what you think and thanks for reading!