A/N: Hi all! I wanted to apologize for the long break between chapters this time, I actually had the chapters written but my computer died and in between COVID restrictions and me being an essential worker with hardly any free time, it took a while to get a new one.
Any way, I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Supernatural.
March 2010.
In the few weeks that passed since Karen's death, things have only gone worse – which, if Hermione was honest, was pretty impressive considering all that had happened.
But being with the Winchesters meant there was no dull moment, especially not in the middle of the Apocalypse, and so finding the Whore of Babylon, travelling half the country to save Sam and Dean's revived half-brother Adam and having to deal with Dean almost saying "Yes" to Michael were almost casual.
At least she was in Britain when the boys had apparently died and were resurrected. Once was enough for her, thank you very much.
She was expecting some well-needed rest, though, as they stopped in a motel in the middle of nowhere.
Which was why she was more than a bit upset at finding herself surrounded by Pagan Gods, at what was seemingly a nightmare spinoff on high school reunions.
What made it even worse was that she recognized some of them not only by name – or, in some cases, title – but by their faces, too. Some were ones that she had encountered during her years at the American Ministry of International Law Enforcement, or working for the British Ministry but some, she noticed from elsewhere.
Even if she tried, she couldn't hide the fear she said at looking at the one with the name tag that read "Odin" and recognizing him from taking Jessica-Rose to the park.
They knew about her daughter.
"Ladies and gentleman, thank you for coming," said a God whose tag read "Baldur", who looked like one of the ones in charge. "Although in all my centuries, I never thought I'd see this. This many gods under one roof."
"Gods?" Sam whispered.
"Pagans," Hermione replied, her voice shaking.
"Now, before we get down to brass tacks, some ground rules," Baldur went on. "No slaughtering each other. Curb your wrath. Oh, and uh, keep your hands off the local virgins. We're, trying to keep a low profile here."
"Oh, we are so… so screwed," Sam whispered again, and Hermione couldn't help but nod.
"Now we all know why we're here," Baldur said, looking at his crowd. "The Judeo-Christian Apocalypse looms over us. I know we've all had our little disagreements in the past. The time has come to put those aside and look toward the future. Because if we don't, we won't have one. Now we do have two very valuable bargaining chips," he said, marking at the Winchesters. "Michael, and Lucifer's vessels. The question is, what do we do now? Anybody have any bright ideas? Speak up. This is a safe room."
One of the Gods – Zao Shen, Hermione thought his tag read, though she still didn't know who he was – stood up and spoke in a foreign language, his words eliciting a laugh from one of the others.
"Kill 'em?" he asked, making Hermione's eyes widen. "What, so the angels can bring the back again?"
"I don't know what everybody's getting so worked up about!" Odin said. "'Cause it's just a couple of angels having a slap fight! There's no Armageddon. Everybody knows, when the world comes to an end, the Great Serpent Jormungandr rises up, and I myself will be eaten by a big wolf!"
Zao Shen replied something that seemed to be mocking Odin, who mocked him right back, and Hermione didn't need to look at the boys to know what to do next. Slowly, they all started moving towards the door, only to be stopped by a chandelier falling in front of them, narrowly missing Hermione.
"Stay," Kali said, looking at Hermione more than the other two as she turned back to the Gods. "We have to fight. The Archangels… the only thing they understand is violence. This ends in blood. There is no other way, it's them, or us."
"With all due respect, ma'am," Mercury, the one who was previously posing as the motel worker, said. "We haven't even tried talking to them."
Hermione's short encounter with Kali years ago left her the only human who wasn't surprised by what followed next. Mercury started choking, blood coming out of his mouth, before Baldur finally stopped Kali.
"Who asked you?" Kali asked Mercury, who seemed like he was seriously contemplating answering until the doors burst open.
Hermione wasn't sure if she was relieved or upset at seeing who walked through the doors.
"Can't we all just get along?" Gabriel asked, smiling charmingly at the Gods before turning to the trio. "Sam, Dean! It's always wrong place, worst time with you muttonheads, huh? And Hermione…" He moved forwards, taking her hand and pressing it to his lips. "A pleasure, as always."
"Loki," Baldur all but spat out.
"Baldur," Gabriel replied. "Good seeing you too. I guess my invitation got lost in the mail."
"Why are you here?" Baldur asked.
"To talk about the elephant in the room," Gabriel said, and the dark-skinned God who interrupted Zao Shen earlier stood up, only for Gabriel to roll his eyes. "Not you. The Apocalypse. We can't stop it, gang," he told the group. "But first things first." He turned to Hermione, Dean and Sam. "The adults need to have a little conversation. Check you later."
A snap of Gabriel's fingers and the trio found themselves back in their own motel room.
"Okay," Dean breathed out, his voice shaking. "Did that… Holy crap!"
"Yeah, tell me about it," Sam replied, looking just as shaken. "By the way, next time I say 'let's keep driving'… let's keep driving."
"Okay, yeah," Dean agreed half-heartedly. "Next time."
"Alright," Sam said, looking between Dean, who still looked pretty shaken, and Hermione, who was still stuck looking ahead, as though they were still in the other room, "so what's our next move?"
"I… I… I don't know," Dean admitted. "Grab those poor saps out of the freezer, I guess? Bust 'em out? Gank a few freaks along the way if we're lucky?"
"And when are you ever lucky?"
Hermione wasn't sure why, but something about the way Gabriel was sitting on the couch as though he had no worries in the world snapped her out of the trance she was in. with two long strides she reached him, one hand pulling him up by the collar and throwing him against the wall while the other pressed the tip of her wand to his throat.
"What the hell, Gabriel?!"
"Herms… Gabriel smiled condescendingly. "You know that's not gonna work on me, right?"
If anything, the way Gabriel seemed not at all bothered by her reaction only made her angrier.
"Hell if I care," Hermione all but growled. "Now you stop being an annoying little prick and explain to me exactly why Odin was watching e with Jessica at the park!"
The smile slid off Gabriel's face at her words.
"I'm sorry, Odin did what?" he asked. "No, that can't be. He should know better. You're protected – hell, you're protected twice!"
"Well, it doesn't seem like he cares whether or not I'm protected!"
"Wait," Sam said, barging into the conversation. "What do you mean protected twice?"
"Long story," Gabriel said, finally managing to get out of Hermione's grasp and properly address the boys again. "And one that I would gladly explain, after I save your asses."
"You wanna pull us out of the fire?" Dean asked.
"Bingo!" Gabriel replied, looking overly pleased with himself once more. "Those guys are either gonna dust you, or use you as bait. Either way, you're uber boned."
"Wow," Dean said, rolling his eyes, "'cause a couple of months ago you were telling us that we need to 'play our roles'. You were uber boning us!"
"Ohh…" Gabriel sighed. "The end is still nigh. Michael and Lucifer are gonna dance the lambada, but not tonight. Not here."
"And why do you care?" Dean questioned.
For a moment, Gabriel's face seemed conflicted, before he locked his jaw again, walking past them and clearing his face from all emotion.
"I don't care," he said, making Hermione raise her brow. She had known him long enough to know when he was lying and they both knew it. "But," he finally relented, "me and Kali, we… had a thing. Chick was all hands." Now, Hermione couldn't help but pull a disgusted face. Way too much information. "What can I say?" Gabriel asked as though there was nothing wrong with what he just said. "I'm sentimental."
"Do they have a chance?" Sam asked. "Against Satan?"
"Really, Sam?" Dean asked, amazed that his brother would even suggest something like that.
"You got a better idea, Dean?"
"It's a bad idea," Gabriel corrected him. "Lucifer's gonna turn them into finger paint. So let's get going while the going's good, hmm?"
"Okay," Dean sighed. "Great, why don't you just zap us out of here then?"
"Would if I could, but Kali's got you by the short and curlies," Gabriel said. "It's a blood spell," he explained at the confused looks he was getting. "You boys are on a leash."
"What does that mean?" Dean asked.
"It means it's time for a bit of the old black magic," Gabriel smiled, before pulling out breath spray and spritzing it into his mouth.
"Okay, that's gross," Hermione commented.
"Don't be like that, Herms," Gabriel smiled. "Just a few years ago, you were the one kissing this mouth."
"A fact I'm trying very hard to forget," Hermione retorted.
"Quit it, both of you," Dean cut in before either of them could make any more references to the short period of time they dated. He did not need to know about the relationship between his girlfriend and Gabriel. Satisfied that neither will mention any more unwanted information, he turned back to Gabriel. "Well, we're gonna take the hors d'oeuvres in the freezer with us."
"Forget it," Gabriel immediately said. "It's gonna be hard enough sneaking you mooks out of here."
"Only you seem to forget one thing," Hermione said, smirking at him. "This folks called you Loki. A part of your… 'Witness Protection', I assume?"
"You would assume right," Gabriel confirmed proudly.
"Well, then," Hermione's smirk grew. "It would be a shame if someone blew up your cover. These guys don't really seem Angel-friendly, do they?"
"No, they do not," Dean agreed, smirking now as well.
"I'll take your voices away," Gabriel threatened.
"We'll write it down," Hermione replied.
"I'll cut off your hands."
"I thought I was protected," Hermione noted, enjoying the fear in Gabriel's eyes just a bit too much. "Twice."
From the look Gabriel gave her, it was clear that if she wasn't protected twice he would have killed her right then and there.
"Fine."
