II. Ab Absurdo
THEN
June 26, 2004
To: 52
Fr: hjp0731
hello sam,
my name is harry james potter. i'm your brother. i sent you letters over the past year or so but you have not replied. dean said not to trust you to communicate well. here is hoping my letters got lost in the mail and not your rubbish bin. i am in america now. i don't have a number yet. if you would like to chat, call dean. we are going to be in utah to do a hunt for bobby.
- hjp
Paolo Alto, CA
It was a chore that she didn't want. Yet here she was, again. Shitty deal as far as she was concerned. But whatever Pappy Potter wanted, he received. The chore wasn't a difficult one. Just watch the young man known as Samuel Winchester without causing alarm and to divert any mail addressed to the kid back to the main house. Afterwards, report back to home if anything happened.
Helena Jane "Hel" Kowalski-Potter eyed her mark's usual space. There he was again. Tall, lanky and baby-faced Mr. Samuel "Sam" Winchester wandered into the largely quiet rustle and bustle of Cecil H. Green's with a hopeful yet careful gaze about the hall. She saw him once again try to fold himself in half in a poor attempt not to be noticed. She huffed. It was useless trying to hide someone nearing Lumberjack Bunyan's height.
Hel resigned herself to carefully reading between the lines. Sam was having an off day today. His very demeanour screamed he wanted out from the crowded library. However, he was met by that tall, perky blonde girl from Psychology. Seeing the girl, she couldn't help but smirk. The girl posing as Jessica Moore: a cheerleader from Ohio who had gotten amazing grade point averages was far from the cookie-cutter image that she posed. If anything Hel knew that Jezebel Potter (it was supposedly easier to respond if her cover name was close enough to her real name – a lazy tactic) had been smart about this assignment from Pappy. At least the other girl had gotten closest to him out of anyone. Hel was there as back-up and security. It was something that never failed to amuse her greatly.
She quickly pretended to read The Crucible for the umpteenth time when she saw the duo approach her way. She barely acknowledged the slight nod Jez gave her way. Listening with straining ears she caught their exchange.
"San Francisco – I'm so excited!" Jez grinned. Sam didn't speak and followed the blonde. She casually followed after them when they got past her table without looking like she was stalking.
"Me too, I can't wait to see Alcatraz." Sam grinned widely as the blonde teased him for being typically himself.
"You also have an appointment on Saturday morning right?"
"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Dean and – well you know – they're going to be there to meet me."
"Hm," Jez nodded. "It's so weird you can have bank appointments on a Saturday."
Hel paused when it was obvious they were going down a less crowded hall. She recognized that they were heading towards the parking lot.
"Yeah I guess. You know how I feel about this. Do you think it's the right choice?" Sam asked solemnly.
The duo stopped – forcing Hel to also casually stroll past towards the end of the hall. She ignored the glance she received from the tall boy or the lilting smirk about her cousin's gaze. She strolled around the corner where some lockers and doors to other classrooms were as she pretended to be innocuous. She was still close enough to listen in on them talk.
"Sammy," Jez began. "You've got to stop second guessing everything and go with your gut. You told me that if it wasn't for that e-mail you wouldn't have known about your younger brother. Something tells me you want to have family around. Not only that but your big brother Dean was the one suggesting you all meet up; all very respectful to your needs and space. So what's wrong now?"
"Nothing," Sam bit out. "Nothing is wrong – I just, well okay fine – something about this just seems weird to me. Like I get a new brother out of the blue all of a sudden and he says he wrote me letters since what March about a year ago? Not only that but my older brother, my uncle and my dad all knew about this kid? Then to top it off, a fancy bank wants to see me on a Saturday? Just, in my world – this never happens and if it does then it's usually bad."
There was a quiet there as Hel listened carefully to Sam's words. Her mind going one-eighty as she realized what was going on. Pappy Potter was sometimes his own worst enemy. Not only that but from the sounds of things; the Lord Heir of Britain had finally made his move. She knew that her grandfather was not going to be pleased.
There was a rustling as if their hands were touching. From her listening point Hel could make out the quiet suck and pucker of mouths. Ew, maybe wrong choice of phrase there. Merlin's Left Ball, do they have to suck face each time he gets all angst ridden?
"I think you're making a big deal out of a mole hill and whatever happens it will turn out fine. Just try not to shoot first before asking questions. Asking questions is kind of your thing. Come on, let's get some ice cream and figure out what we'll do once we get down to the Bay."
Hel watched the couple walk by her. She bit her bottom lip wondering whether she should call her Pappy about this development. Then again, he probably already knew. She sighed before taking a deep breath to take the Nokia from her pocket. There was no point continually following Jez and Sam around like a stalking shadow. Hitting a few buttons, she dialled a well-known number before respectfully greeting her Pappy.
"You knew about Harry didn't you?"
- 01. The Middle –
July 10, 2004
San Francisco, CA
The fresh clean air intermingling with sea brine was the first thing Harry smelled as he faced the ocean. Somewhere behind him Dean was getting them some food to eat. The Impala was parked not too far away and the duo were enjoying some time together before meeting with Sam Winchester and Gringotts. When Sam had replied to his e-mail stating he never received letters, Harry had had a feeling as to why. As "Lord Heir of the House Potter" he realized he had had some obligations.
"Here," Dean roughly shoved his way beside him as quickly as Harry stuffed his pensive thoughts back into the box inside his head. "Some of Aunt Fanny's best."
Harry took the hot dog and a steaming hot pretzel his brother handed over in greasy paper. The teen nodded in thanks. Without the ferocity of Dean who was already a quarter of the way done his food – the brunet quickly mowed down his meal. They stood in silence watching the grey water lap up against the sides of the wharf. They could hear voices around them of people enjoying the tourist trap.
"I have only been to the ocean once." Harry said quietly as he stared out at the open water. Dean grunted, waiting for the teen to continue. "I was eleven. It was also late at night and my uncle rowed us all the way from the main land to this rickety shack in the middle of nowhere."
Dean scoffed at that. "Your uncle was an idiot."
Harry winced. Thinking about that side of the family caused him to remember the image of Dudley's tongue being cut from his head. Last he heard about half a year ago, his cousin had been going to therapy for the trauma he'd experienced as well as a special school for signing. Something his goblin advisors had erected for him at his behest. His "Aunt Marge" had taken Dudley in with some disdain. He hadn't heard any updates since. He tried to stay away from thoughts about the Dursleys. They hadn't deserved what they received.
"Sam called me while I was getting food," Dean continued (ignoring the grimace on Harry's face when he had mentioned Vermin – the teen's late uncle). "He and his girlfriend are going to meet us down by Pier 33. They're going on that thing for Alcatraz and invited us to go with. We still have a few hours before that meeting."
Harry nodded. "Guess we better get going."
The duo walked towards said Pier. Neither of the brothers seemed to notice the young woman with piercing grey eyes and platinum bob following after them. Together they made quite an interesting pair. The older semi-conscious of the various appreciative looks they received from the female persuasion. The younger was lost in thought and didn't see it.
"Hey," Dean nudged him as they were rounding up the sidewalk. "Walk taller – look."
Harry almost stumbled at his brother's words. He glanced frantically to where his brother sent a quick smirk to a gaggle of girls in short shorts and variations of a thin-strapped tank top that even Hermione would have punched him for looking at. "Er?"
His older brother sighed and shook his head. "You have a long way to go my friend."
Harry rolled his eyes. "I already have someone in mind for that thanks."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yes."
"Who is she?" Dean watched and couldn't help but have the shit-eating grin that crossed his face as he saw his younger brother turn the brightest red he had ever seen. That sort of red came across in the low-lit grey of the weather around them even. The punk ass kid was adorable. Harry muttered a name. "I didn't quite get that."
Shuffling forward Harry ignored Dean completely, throwing away the remaining wrappers of his pretzel and hot dog at a nearby bin.
"Girl, name." Dean stated.
"Already told you."
"Didn't hear it."
"Git."
"Brat."
It was so easy being brothers with the younger boy. The kid was like him, Sammy, Bobby and John rolled into one. How that could happen in any one person Dean didn't know. Harry had the kindness of Bobby, the youthful curiosity of Sam, the gruffness of John (they had dealt with a few ghosts already; each time Harry took the job with near militaristic precision) and the devil-may-care spirit he emulated. It was fucking awesome. The older of the brothers hoped that his other younger brother would see that.
Tossing his own wrapper into the same trash can Harry did; the duo continued their friendly banter. Getting more competitive with the name calling as they got closer to the pier they would meet Sam at.
"Jackass."
"Moron," Harry uttered. "You used that already."
"Yeah well, you are one." Dean fired back.
"Arse."
"Dean, you jerk." An unfamiliar voice piped up.
Instinctively without breaking the look he had on Harry, Dean responded with, "Shut up bitch."
The look of consternation that crossed Harry's face made the older one startle back a step. The tall Goliath of a young man behind them looked faintly embarrassed yet amused. The younger of the brothers blinked. Sam Winchester was definitely not what Harry had expected.
Tall, baby faced with deep eyes that pulled a person in with their earnestness. It made sense that the guy was studying up to be a barrister. Harry also wondered why the hell he hadn't grown any taller. Both his brothers were giants in male-mundane glory. Hagrid was still larger and taller than either of them due to being half-giant. However, Merlin's Saggy Balls, Harry wished he could have gotten the same lanky height. Even his best friend was pushing 1.89m and could rival Sam in that department. Harry? He'd be lucky to make it to 1.75m by the time he matured.
"And who are you sweetheart?"
Both Sam and Harry subconsciously shared a sigh. Of course, trust Dean to home in on the only female in their presence. It wasn't as if the man was a horn dog, he only acted like it ever so often.
"Jessica Moore." The blonde said casually with a raised brow. "So you're Dean."
Harry thought she made that sentence a mix of amused condescension as if she wasn't impressed. He also noted that Dean was doing that thing again. The one where his older brother passively flirted while assessing the woman (hell, it even applied to some men – Harry didn't think Dean even noticed he did that) for their danger level. The youngest of John's offspring although quiet shared a quick look with the middle brother.
As far as first impressions went – Sam thought the kid was the introverted type still going through the gawky teenaged phase. Tan khaki pants, red sneakers, faded bomber jacket – it was like looking at a miniature version of Dean or their dad. Except there were some differences such as his build being a bit smaller and leaner than either he or the young man making eyes at his girl. He pulled Jessica closer to his side.
"Guess we're checkin' out Alcatraz. Imagine what ghostlike horrors there'll be there?" Dean grinned widely.
"Plenty I imagine." Harry replied drily. Jessica, Harry thought didn't suit his older middle brother very well. Her long, curly, blonde hair past her hips was indeed pretty to look at. She was a Californian beauty with tanned skin and flashing blue eyes. There was just something off about her he couldn't quite place. The way she looked at him also made him feel like a lab rat. He had not survived this long by not following his instincts.
He'd keep an eye on her.
"Stop staring," Dean cuffed Harry at the back of his head. Sam and Jessica were looking at him oddly. Harry blushed he must have been staring at Sam's girlfriend a little too long.
"I'm sorry about that." He muttered.
"You're welcome. I didn't know you were British." Jessica grinned.
Harry shrugged. "What gave it away?"
If possible the blonde's mouth went wider and both his older brothers looked at him with a mixture of pride/joy (Dean) and amused confusion (Sam).
"Quit being a space case, we've got some jail cells to check out – right Sammy?"
"Oh God, let's go Jess." Sam sighed as he pulled his girlfriend after him.
"Dean, you're a git."
"Brat, what are you talking about?"
If this was what having another brother was like – Sam took comfort that at least Jess was with him. She squeezed his side a merry smile on her beautiful face. She was perfection in a person. He had never in his entire life felt like this for anyone. This thing with having a brother he never knew about had been hard on them. While he knew he would have plenty of time to discuss things with Dean. He had to choose his moments carefully. For now though, he'd do his best to follow along and keep things awkwardly light.
Meanwhile, the group didn't realize they were being followed except Jessica who knew her cousin was shadowing them. She hated not having her magic or showing it off. The blonde hadn't realized that one night volunteering for some no-maj convention and meeting that creepy Brendan? Brodie? Brady? That guy – she never would have met Sam as easily if it had been organic since that guy introduced the pair of them. That had been like her house Wampus winning at Quodpot in her books.
However, around Sam and especially Dean – showing her skills probably wasn't a good idea. After all, there was the Statute to consider as there was also Hunters. Looking backwards slightly and casually; she saw a flash of platinum disappear round the corner. Hel was there, as always, thankfully. She let out a sigh and leaned closer to Sam. He really was a great guy.
Meanwhile, Hel was feeling as if she was highly prized baby-sitter and the young man who met her before the quartet made it to the ferry entrance grinned back.
"My dear little Hel, how's baby-sitting the Lord Heir Potter turned dud?" the flamboyantly dressed man in lavender suit with matching fedora and shoes grinned toothily. His mocha skin contrasted well with the colour and Hel wished he hadn't been so completely homosexual. Jacob Brown was the third grand-son of Queenie and Jacob Kowalski through their youngest and most mischievous daughter Amelia who married into the Potter family clan through Alexander Brown. Keeping track of family lines on this side of the pond was still a thing. After all, they were descendants of a great and noble family even if sixty-five percent of them were clueless as walls.
"Security reasons as usual Jacob," was her soft response. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, you know how Pappy gets." He grinned. "I am here of course to provide you with some back up when they reach Alcatraz."
"Wonderful." Hel sighed. This mission was getting so complicated. Damn that kid for giving up his magic. He hadn't realized the repercussions had he?
"Shall we head off to the other side?" Jacob asked as he loftily offering his arm to her as she took it; both sharing joyless grins. No one had heard them speaking because both magically disappeared after that. In fact – no one even saw them because witches and wizards in America had learned to become very good at concealment charms.
Harry shuddered when he felt a cool, quiet breeze ruffle his hair. Jessica turned towards him and offered a smile. Harry awkwardly returned it. They both listened to the brothers realizing how close Dean and Sam were. The effortless way they discussed things as mundane as the sports they both followed; the teen realized then and there – he had a lot to learn about the Winchesters.
"I'm telling you the Rangers have a better chance of winning the series than the Royals." Sam argued with Dean as the older pair.
"While usually I'd agree and put my money down for the Rangers, I have a feeling it's going to be a tie." Dean said. "Both equally matched and – "
"Beg pardon," Harry interjected. "What are you talking about?"
"Baseball," were the double responses he received from his brothers. Raising his eyebrows he watched as both Dean and Sam looked at him with twin expressions of pity. Respectively, both Sam and Dean responded with: "Wait, you're British." And "I thought I told you about it."
The resulting discussion and explanation of America's greatest past time took them all the way to Alcatraz. Harry knew his brothers were into sports. A commonality the three of them both shared. While Harry was into Quidditch – thanks to Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan – they kept him updated with muggle sports. Needless to say – he favoured both rugby and football; hated cricket.
"Never pegged you for a rugby fan," Sam grinned. "I liked soccer myself when we were younger."
"Pansy ass sport that is." Dean growled.
"Wow, this is all very fascinating." Jess remarked. She had been listening to all three brothers and couldn't believe how similar they were even though she knew Sam hadn't seen Dean in a very long time and this was his first meeting with his younger, mysterious brother. "I can now see how you'd all be related."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean asked immediately, hard eyes on the girl. Sam shot a glare at his brother the same time Harry subconsciously clapped an arm on his older brother's shoulder. The middle brother also quickly glanced at his girlfriend who had taken a quick step back.
"Whoa, it's a good thing." The blonde girl remarked. "All of you seem to know what each other are talking about even if you sound as if you are not talking about the same thing."
There was an uncomfortable silence as the three men eyed each other. Technically they were still somewhat strangers (Sam, Harry) and while they had hunted together (Dean and Sam; Dean and Harry) – none of them really addressed how they felt about being related. It was an awkward group that descended upon the pier of Alcatraz. Jessica murmured an apology which – while the gesture was kind – the damage had been done.
Mentioning she wanted to take some pictures of the views alone, the blonde girl marched ahead of them. Harry followed after Dean and Sam who looked at him.
"Uh, Harry," the eldest of the brothers said. "Do you mind if I have a few moments alone to chat with Sam?" Harry shrugged and followed after Jessica albeit a slower pace while his older brothers stayed behind.
Probably the worst move any of them could have done but of course – they hadn't known it at the time.
Sam glared at Dean. "What's going on Dean?"
"What are you talking about?" Dean asked.
"Your attitude towards Jessica for one thing," Sam stated. "What the hell you're doing teaching a kid how to hunt for another and does dad know?"
"Sam I'm not teaching a kid how to hunt, he already knows." here Dean took a breath. "Look it's been almost two years since you left. I didn't want to disrespect your space or bring you back when you were obviously out. Also while your girl is pretty and way above your paygrade, there's just something about her that screams to me that you have to be careful. Oh and for the record: everyone from dad to Bobby to Jim and Caleb know about Harry. I only found out about last year. You should have gotten something back in March."
Sam gave him the infamous bitch face. The one Dean simultaneously hated and missed.
"So dad knew he had another kid all this time?"
"Yeah."
The brothers shared a moment of quiet and understood anger. The resentment they had for John while different about certain things. Both had a bone to pick with the man. Sam clenched his jaw only to look up with a shout.
"HEY!" Dean turned around and felt terror flood his veins.
Harry who had been quietly reading a plaque near the port had gotten accosted by a group of strange people wearing dark navy cloaks. Cloaks like something out of comic book and rushing him away. Sadly a group of Asian tourists blocked their view despite being taller than most of them. Shoving their way past – they had barely a moment before they realized, Harry was gone.
"Son of a bitch." Dean hissed. That kid disappeared more times than a puff of smoke.
Author's Note: Well, well, well - another update and lookit; Sam! It only took a number of chapters before he showed up. Did I do okay with this? Was it weird, off? I mean it's awkward writing all three of them at once. Plus a whole bunch of other characters are showing up. As you can see, we're incorporating bits of MACUSA with some more OCs thrown in. I highly recommend looking up Pottermore and looking up a name similar to Harry's last one.
Differences of Magic: While clearly there are differences in the rules of how magic works in both the Supernatural and HP realms; I thought very hard about their similarities. I would suggest re-reading "Don't Open Your Eyes" and "On the Other Side" as there are some clues there. There could also be some clues from Hermione's bits. Theorize and let me know! :)
orionastro - Thank you!
Umbra Venator - Thank you for catching that; yeah I see what you mean. I'll fix that and thanks for being specific about the section too - it helped me find it!
a person d - You're welcome for the music and thank you for your kind words. Carver Edlund's mind is a beautiful, mysterious and wonderful place to be - filled with light and zero Darkness.
Vengeance-Angel2010 - Got it in one. We're getting into the more AU aspects of the story and allow for more action, blood, excitement and maybe even raunchy scenes of debauchery involving twins; maybe an angel but not together. ;P ;D I could be joking about that last bit.
TheFlowerofRomance - You're lovely, thank you for your wonderful and extra long review with all the questions! I enjoyed reading it so much! On the right track though; or I could be trolling. I like to joke around but hopefully many of your questions will be eventually answered.
Thank you very kindly to all of those who have followed and favourited this story. I greatly appreciate it! I enjoy reviews as you can tell and feel thankful you're even reading this bit of insanity. Greatly appreciate you, have an awesome day!