Chapter 14

Sam stared at the convict before him in disbelief. Did the man really expect them to believe that he was innocent? The man was a prison escapee from England and the entire world was looking for him. So many people couldn't be wrong, they couldn't be chasing after an innocent man. Sam was about to tell the man to stop trying to play them because they knew his game when Dean spoke up.

"Prove it," he said, "Prove to me that you're not the mass-killer everyone makes you out to be."

Sam spluttered, "What?" he demanded, "Dean, can we talk about this?"

Dean looked at his brother out of the corner of his eye, "Sam," he hissed, "Not now,"

"Oh I'm sorry," Sam muttered sarcastically, "I didn't realize you're busy. Of course I'll talk to you about your sanity in listening and believing in a mass-murderer much later."

Dean couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose, "Sam, this has nothing to do with you. I need to talk to him and understand just why…" he abruptly cut himself off remembering that Sam didn't know anything about Lily or magic. The only reason he knew about Sirius' betrayal was because Hadi Anas told them all about it when he was introducing them to the magical world.

"Why what Dean?" Sam asked rudely, "Why men like him kill innocent people; or not apparently?"

Dean glared at his brother, "Stop it Sam," he ordered, "I do not want to argue with you right now. Go inside!"

Sam looked at his bother feeling betrayed so Dean softened his expression, "Can you take Harry too? He's had enough excitement to last him a thousand years." Dean said, helping Harry down and over to Sam, "I promise to tell you everything when I know it, alright?"

Sam looked like he wanted to protest but seeing how scared and tired his nephew was, he conceded. He walked over to Harry and picked him up in his arms before turning and walking to the house. He went inside and took Harry to his room where AC and DC were waiting. As usual, AC found his way into his human's bed to cuddle with him, and DC guarded the door. Sam was about to leave when Harry demanded he stay, so instead Sam found himself watching His brother confrontation out the window.

"You know, don't you?" Sirius asked, looking at Dean rather intently.

Dean nodded, "Yeah I know," he agreed, "I know all about how you betrayed Lily, Harry, and James to Voldemort. I know how you killed all those people including one of your best friends on the street. I know you were in Azkaban since Harry was 15 months old, and I know that you're a Death Eater."

Sirius immediately denied everything, "I swear I would have rather died than betray my best friend… no my brother and his family to anyone especially Him. It was Peter who did, he was the secret keeper and when I went to confront him, he framed me and killed everyone I was blamed for killing.

"I turned my back on my family, on Vol…Voldemort when I was a kid. I hate them. I'll admit that I was sent to prison but without a trial. I never got the chance to prove myself innocent."

Dean watched the man as his spieled his innocence. Sirius' story was too absurd to be anything but true. Sure he had many years to figure out what to say, but Dean's instincts told him that the man wasn't guilty and ever since learning that his gut feelings were a manifestation of the magic in his blood, he always listened to them. He sighed and ran a hand through his blondish hair before looking at Sirius with his green eyes.

"I believe you," he admitted, "But I need to be sure. Do you mind if I run a few tests?"

"Anything," Sirius promised.

"Bobby, don't shoot him," Dean said, "Just make sure the man doesn't leave. I'll be right back."

Dean walked to his Impala and pulled out his red duffel bag. He stuck his hand in it, and much to Bobby's surprise he stuck his full arm in the bag. It was as if the bag was bugger on the inside than the outside but that was impossible. When Dean finally got everything he needed, he walked over to Sirius and did a series of tests. First, he checked if the man was all human by throwing holy water on him, cutting him with a silver knife, and finally running a strange looking device over his body. It chirped once and Bobby assumed that it meant Sirius was clean. Finally Dean pulled out a vial of clear liquid, got an eye dropper and dropped two drops on the convict's tongue.

"What is your full and official name?" Dean asked.

"Sirius Orion Black the third,"

"Did you betray James, Lily, and Harry Potter to Voldemort?"

"No,"

"Did you kill Peter Pettigrew and twelve other?"

"No,"

"Do you intend to harm Harry, myself, or anyone else on this property?"

"Not unless they present any danger to Harry," he said truthfully making Dean nod in approval.

"Who are you to Harry? Why would you come find us?"

"I am Harry's godfather and I take that responsibility quite seriously. He's my last link to James and Lily-flower."

"How would you react if you found out James Potter is not Harry's biological father?" Dean asked, gravely.

Sirius stayed quiet for a moment before responding, "I'd be heartbroken, that James was the last of his bloodline but I would still love Harry. I wouldn't turn him away nor would I love him any less. James loved him as a son, and therefore Harry is still a part of his legacy. I want to keep his legacy alive."

"Why didn't you take Harry in after Lily and James died?" Dean asked, desperately knowing why this man, if he claimed to love Harry, would abandon him to live with the Dursleys.

"It wouldn't have been right to take Harry before proving my innocence. I knew that no one would grant me custody of the small baby, especially since everyone thought I betrayed Lily and James. It wouldn't have been fair or easy to raise the child on the run.

"I planned on taking in Peter and making him confess to betraying James but the little rat was ten steps ahead of me and cemented my guilt even more. He also guaranteed that the truth would never get out by faking his own death."

Dean could tell the potion was slowly wearing off. Instead of the expressionless face Sirius had earlier, he looked heartbroken and guilty. He looked at Sirius long and hard, before deciding that Sirius truly and deeply cared for his son despite not seeing him for eight years. Harry needed more people in his life that cared for him, partially because he just lost Millie but mostly because the child needed that extra love. He finally had enough of the chick click and decided to prank one of the last premiere wizard pranksters.

"What would you consider your most embarrassing moment?" Dean asked with a smirk.

Sirius looked as if he was fighting the potion, but his mouth opened and out spewed words he would eternally regret, "The time when I went on a date after babysitting Harry for the day." Sirius tried not to say.

"Why would you consider that your most embarrassing moment?" Dean asked, confused. He had gone on plenty of dates and he was Harry's dad. A babysitter shouldn't have had too much of a problem with an infant.

"Harry was less than seven months old at the time, not to mention he had a stomach problem from all the sweets I fed his in the morning. I had diarrhea on my sleeve, and sick up on my trouser leg. The girl almost contributed to what Harry lovingly left on me."

Dean couldn't help but laugh at Sirius. While Dean wished he could have been there for Harry since birth he was not going to lie and tell anyone that he wanted those kinds of moments. He could only imagine what sort of trouble baby Harry would get into. Once the potion's influence was ended, Dean walked over to Sirius and shook his hand.

"I trust you, Sirius Black. I trust you to help my keep my son safe. Harry is my world."

Sirius nodded, "Mine too," he admitted and from there on a brotherhood was formed. Dean and Sirius would do anything to keep Harry safe and happy and God help anyone who threatened that safety and happiness.

"What is this?" Bobby asked confused. One minute Sirius Black was the enemy and the next Dean trusted the man with his kid's life. Not even John, Dean's father, was fully trusted with Harry's life, not that the eldest Winchester knew that.

"That Bobby," Dean began, "Was a potion which guarantees the truth. It's very helpful when trying to keep my son safe."

"What truth potion? There ain't a truth potion, at least none that don't require supernatural aid." Bobby insisted.

Dean sighed and looked up at Harry's bedroom window where Sam was watching. He motioned for Sam to come downstairs and directed everyone else to do the same. They all sat down at Bobby's seldom used dining table and while Sam and Bobby eyed the newcomer suspiciously, Dean poured a round of drinks. He was about to start when he spotted Harry sitting on the stairs. Opening his arms wide, Harry practically jumped into them.

"First off, I'd like to introduce you to Sirius Black," Dean said, mostly to Harry, "He's your godfather, the man your mom and step-dad wanted to take care of you if something happened to them."

Harry looked at the man before asking him where he had been. Sirius looked reluctant to explain once more, especially without the aid of Veritaserium, but knew Harry deserved an explanation.

"I was in Azkaban pup," he replied and continued explaining what he was doing in the horrible place. Like Dean, Sirius didn't believe in keeping children ignorant of the world around them. It was stupid to try and protect the child by not "overwhelming them" with the details. By trusting Harry enough to tell him the truth, Sirius and Dean believed that they could keep him safer.

Sam clearly disagreed with their methods, especially since he was aiming glares in Dean's and Sirius' directions. Evidently he had forgotten how left out and lonely he felt when Dean and John kept Sam ignorant of their hunts.

"What's Azkaban?" Bobby asked, hating to be out of the know.

"It's a prison," Harry whispered with a shiver, "Guarded by the scariest monsters on the planet called dementors. They feed on people's happiness and can take their souls. I'm sorry Sirius that you were there." Sirius just smiled at Harry's compassion. It reminded Sirius of his mother.

Bobby shook his head, "I've never heard of such a creature. Not in all my books on the supernatural, not in any of my other research."

Dean nodded as if that was what he expected, "Their existence has been slashed from the record. Only a select few even know about the creatures and that's only because they can see them. Their victims, though, you've probably read about."

"So what they're invisible too?" Bobby asked, "And what about their victims? Who are the select few that know about them?"

Sirius spoke, "He's not supposed to know about them. It's breaking the Statute of Secrecy." He said urgently.

"Bobby's a hunter Sirius," Dean said, "And I trust him."

"Dad," Harry said, "Mr. Anas said not to tell anyone."

"Except for immediate family, and I don't know about you but I feel as if Sam and Bobby are immediate family." Dean said.

"But what if…" Harry trailed off, unable to share his fear.

Dean just hugged him even tighter, "It won't come to that my magician. And even if it does, I'm sure Sirius would help us." He said and Sirius nodded in complete agreement.

Harry nodded into his father's chest, "Then I should be the one to tell them," he concluded, "It's my heritage and I'm old enough now."

"Are you sure Harry?" Dean asked, "This is big,"

Harry nodded and took a calming breath. He fidgeted with his sleeve for a moment before looking Bobby and Sam in the eyes. Hopefully they would take it well.

"What do you know about natural born magic users?" he finally asked.

"Harry, there's no such…" Sam started but Bobby cut him off.

"Wizards you mean?" Bobby asked, and Harry nodded, "They're really secretive, hiding in plain sight. They get their magic from Hekate, the ancient Greek goddess of magic."

"Wait," Sam said, "Dad didn't tell us about them."

Dean snorted, "Dad didn't trust them. He says that anything that uses magic deals with demons. He refused to believe that anything supernatural could be good."

"Why are you telling us about wizards, Harry?" Bobby asked.

"I'm a wizard," he whispered, "I was born one. My mom was a witch."

Sam immediately jumped up, as if to get as far away from Harry as possible. It hurt his nephew a lot, especially since it wasn't really a conscious reaction. The man looked between his brother, who actually dragged Harry on his lap, and Harry as if waiting for someone to cry out April Fool's.

"You're serious aren't you?" Sam asked after a few minutes of silence, "Harry's really a wizard." He directed his question-statement more towards his big brother this time.

Dean nodded, "Yep," he concurred, "My son is a wand-waving, broom-flying, potion-making, familiar-having, toad-transforming…" Harry couldn't help but giggle at his dad's reply, feeling much more secure with Dean's defense of him.

"I get it," Sam interrupted dryly, knowing Dean could go on for hours.

"Are you sure?" Dean asked, "Because I can go on. I mean I haven't even mentioned his wardrobe yet not to mention the unicorns and the dragons…"

"We have Griffins too." Sirius tagged on, smirking a bit.

"No, I get it. Harry is a real life wizard." Sam said, "So no Demon deals?"

Dean actually scowled, "Do you really think Harry of all people would make a demon deal?"

"Not Harry, per say, but maybe his mother…"

"What about my mother Sam?" Harry demanded, his eyes flashing with anger. Sirius looked like he wanted to do the same but he didn't know what demon-dealing was.

"Sam, are you trying to be stupid or is today just your lucky day?" Dean demanded, "Lily is dead, and I won't have you insulting the memory of my son's mother. She was a beautiful and kind woman, and probably would have slapped you had she been around to hear your remark."

"Alright, that's enough!" Bobby exclaimed, "And stop acting like they're demons themselves. I had enough of you treating them like crap. Besides, I kind of figured that Harry was different. " Sam hadn't realized he was still standing and he sat down, albeit as far from Harry as he could.

"What are you talking about, Uncle Bobby?" Harry asked, timidly.

"Well normally when upset, a kid doesn't make everything around him fly, nor are they able to hide in plain sight." Bobby said dryly, "I can't tell you the number of times I spotted something strange around you, kid. At first I thought you had a ghost attached to you, like your mom or James…"

"Normally witches and wizards don't become ghosts unless they're terrified of dying." Sirius said, "And if they do become ghosts, they're rather like themselves at the moment of their death."

Bobby continued as if Sirius didn't speak, "And I ruled that out once the EMF reader didn't read any activity. I actually considered you being a young pagan god or something like that. Dean doesn't really or rather didn't really discriminate when it came to bed partners." Bobby said, smirking at Dean.

"Wait, what?" Dean demanded as Harry asked, "A pagan god, me?"

"Being a natural-born wizard makes a lot more sense," Bobby said, ignoring their comments, "Not that I know much about your kind."

Sirius grinned, "You're not supposed to," he said, "The fact that you even know of our kind just means that they're not doing their jobs right. Non-magic people aren't supposed to think we're anything but myths or legends."

Dean shook his head, "We're hunters Sirius," he told the ex-convict.

"Hunters?" Sirius asked, quite alarmed.

"Is that a problem?" Sam asked, still not trusting the man.

Sirius laughed nervously, "No," he said, "Not at all!"

Sam looked at him dubiously but shrugged it off. Most people don't believe in the supernatural, how would they even think of the possibility that people who hunt them exist? However Sam was right to be dubious. Hunters were a part of the bedtime stories adult purebloods told their offspring to make them behave. 'Go to bed on time or the Hunters will come and get you,' was one, or 'If you don't stop misbehaving the Hunters will come out and take you to their dens and eat you.' By the time the children grew up they stopped believing in them; Hunters were to purebloods what the boogeyman was to muggles. Children always imagined Hunters to be almost like dementors in appearance, sometimes even scarier. Wouldn't it be a hoot if purebloods learned that the very beings they scared their children with were muggles?

"As I said, we're Hunters. It's our job to know about the supernatural and to believe in those myths and legends." Dean repeated.

"Can you show me something?" Sam asked, "Whenever a witch does some voodoo around me I always get this strange feeling. I'm curious whether or not your magic will do the same." He looked at Harry.

Harry bit his lip, "I'm just a kid," he said, "I haven't learned any magic yet. I haven't been to school?"

"You mean it's not instinctual?"

Harry couldn't help but scowl, "Is Calculus instinctual to you?" he bit back.

Dean chuckled at Sam who turned bright red. Sam just smiled sheepishly at his nephew and turned his attention towards Sirius. Sirius looked lost for a second; his wand had been snapped upon entry to Azkaban and he hadn't got around to replacing it yet. He looked over towards AC who was sleeping under Dean's chair and DC who was as usual guarding the door when an idea hit him. He abruptly stood, startling Sam and Bobby who were watching him for any suspicious behavior and transformed into Black, startling everyone.

"You're Black?" Harry exclaimed, scrambling off his dad's lap and going over to the animagus to pet him.

Sirius just barked as if to say, 'I am!' Dean just stared at Sirius without emotion. Once Sam verified that it was a real transformation and not a trick, he accused Sirius of being a skin-walker. Sighing, Sirius turned back into a man and apperated around the room a couple of times amusing Harry and making Bobby weary. How could he defend against someone who could turn into a dog and teleport?

"Cool! Will I be able to do that?" Harry demanded, forgetting that he was revealing his nature as a wizard to his uncles.

Sirius chuckled and nodded, "When you turn seventeen," he replied, "Then you can get an apparition license."

Dean frowned, "Is it possible to teach Harry how to teleport before he turns seventeen?" he asked.

Sirius looked at Dean in confusion, "Teleport? Oh you mean apparate. I wouldn't recommend teaching it to him until he learned how to use his magic," he said, "Not to mention it's illegal."

Dean ignored the last part, "But is it possible? I'd prefer that my son learn this to get out of dangerous situations."

Sirius shook his head, "No," he said, "It's one of the more difficult branches of magic. Not even purebloods teach their children how to apparate and usually they're up for anything to put their kids ahead. I wish I could teach him but I can't."

Dean sighed, "It was worth a shot,"

"I can make him a portkey, however!" Sirius said, "Once I find a wand that it."

"A porky?" Dean asked befuddled.

"It's a device used to transport a witch or wizard from one place to the next. I won't tell you the details but I do know how to make one. It was part of my training to be an auror." Sirius said not noticing the mispronunciation.

The group sat in silence for a moment before Sirius spoke up once more, "How did Harry come to you?" he asked, "Dumbledore left him with Lily's sister."

Dean gritted his teeth, "I don't know who this Dumbles is, but I swear to god if I ever run into him in a dark alley somewhere one of us won't make it out alive." He swore.

"Whoa!" Sirius exclaimed, never meeting anyone who actually wanted to kill the kind old headmaster, "What did he do to put your panties in a bunch?"

Dean snorted, "He left my son with those abusive assholes."

"Abusive?" was the only thing Sirius got out of Dean's statement.

"If Lily hadn't ordered her lawyer upon her death to find me and grant me custody…" he trailed off, and pulled Harry into his lap once more, hugging him tightly.

"Custody…what? I don't understand." Sirius stumbled through his words.

Harry took pity on the man. He had a feeling that Sirius didn't know that James Potter only adopted Harry and that Lily was pregnant with another man's child. He sighed and hoped the man still cared for him once he knew the truth. He wasn't there during the interrogation to hear that Sirius wouldn't care and Sirius forgot that there was even a question which should have planted the seed of doubt in his head.

"About ten years ago, mum took a trip to the states to get away from her then ex-boyfriend. They broke up and mum needed sometime to pull herself together. She met dad in a pub, drinking and one thing led to another." Harry said, "It was supposed to be a onetime thing, easily forgotten, but they ended up with a rather big souvenir. When mum went back to England, James won her back. He didn't care that she was pregnant and loved the child as if it was his own. He even adopted her baby."

"Wait," Sirius said, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together but failing, "What are you trying to say?"

Dean took over, "What Harry is trying to say is that James Potter is not his biological father, I am."