Love, Fate and Prophecy

Part Four: Chapter Thirteen – Play Your Part

Previously (Part Two: Chapter Seven – Too Good to Be True)

"Harry, you know you can't stay, right? Lily and James – they may have originally wanted you to go back to your birth parents, and I promised them, on my honor that I would see you back in the States. I've done that now – but they knew that this war was more important than your American family, it's why they kept you for as long as they did. You have to come home."

"But –"

"No buts, Harry. We have an obligation. It's terrible, I know, but James and Lily gave their lives to this war. Other than you, defeating Voldemort was the only thing they cared about. It's a dishonor to their memories for you to try and back out."

That hurt. "If I'm so important to this war, then WHY IN THE BLOODY HELL HASN'T ANYONE TOLD ME ANYTHING ALL SUMMER? And, also, I'm not trying to back out, but Sirius, the Winchesters, they are my family."

"I'm your family Harry. I broke out of Azkaban to protect you. And we'll fill you in when you return home."

Harry laughed hollowly. "Why wait?"

"Dumbledore has his reasons." There was a little bitterness in his tone.

"I'm sure he does! Why doesn't he talk to me himself then? If it's so important that I come back." It wasn't even that Harry didn't have every intention of returning to Hogwarts, but being told that he had no choice, it didn't sit well with him.

"Dumbledore is a busy man, Harry James. He asked me to speak to you on his behalf. Harry, I know you understand what needs to be done. And while your cover is still held in the US, it's not going to last forever. Voldemort will try to reach you, even if you're in another country. And Dumbledore can't protect you there the way he can here and at Hogwarts. I can't protect you if you're in the States. Your family will not be safe if he discovers them. Voldemort will not only use their deaths to hurt you, he would relish in it. If you get found out, and you will, he will go after your family and they won't stand a chance against him."

Harry sighed. He knew that was true and his heart sunk. The Winchesters may be new to him, but endangering them was his worst possible nightmare.

"I understand Sirius, I'll come back to the UK, as planned, don't worry."

"You promise Harry?"

"I promise."

Season Six Episode 15 (The French Mistake)

McGonagall greeted him at the gate. He smiled when he saw her.

"Headmistress, you look well," he said warmly.

"Potter," she returned, "You look quite different. What have you done to your face?"

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "You know, Headmistress, that is quite the story. Why don't I tell you about it as we walk up to the castle? Let Teddy stew in his cauldron a bit longer."

"Oh. I had a carriage ready, but it is a nice day. A walk would be lovely."

While they walked Harry told her about his adoption and his brothers. He and his former professor had grown quite close since the war. He had helped rebuild Hogwarts after the battle and had served as the Auror department's liaison to Hogwarts even when he had been promoted to Head Auror. Harry knew that he could always count on her to give him her unfiltered opinion and he valued her advice, even when it was not what he had been hoping to hear.

McGonagall shook her head in disbelief. "Only you, Potter, could get yourself involved with American Hunters. If anyone else told me that story, I wouldn't have believed it. It's always something with you, isn't it?" The last part was said with fond exasperation.

"It appears to be that way."

"There is no question to your Gryffindor heritage is there? I worked with a couple of hunters during the war. They are some of the bravest people I have ever met. And you come from a whole family of them? Thank Merlin your brothers are American and squibs. Can you imagine the foolhardy adventures the three of you would have gotten into had you all been at Hogwarts at the same time?"

Harry had never thought of what it would have been like to have Sam and Dean at Hogwarts with him. He couldn't imagine either being in any house other than Gryffindor. He also wasn't convinced that they wouldn't have spent the whole time hunting the ghosts of the castle or whatever Hagrid was breeding. "I think it's better not to."

"Quite so," McGonagall agreed.

"So, what punishment has been meted out to our little Marauder already?"

"Three week's detention. 100 points from Hufflepuff as well."

Harry sucked in a breath. "That's double the amount I ever lost in one go."

McGonagall snorted. "If I had known half of what you got up during your tenure, you would hold the record. As I recall, those points were taken for being out of bed after curfew. Mr. Lupin was not only out of bed but off school grounds, in the middle of the night. At this rate, I believe that he will outpace both you and his father before his fourth year!"

"Did Remus lose many points?" Harry had no idea.

"Of course he did, with the company he kept. Not nearly as many as your father. Or Black, for that matter, but those boys were thick as thieves and I think, by their sixth year they purposefully switched off who got caught to even out the numbers. I never could prove it though."

"That certainly sounds like the stories I heard. I always thought Remus was the sensible one."

"You're thinking of him too much as the professor. I'm quite convinced he was the brains of the operation."

They arrived at the castle entrance. McGonagall peered at him over her glasses. "Now, I trust you know where the Hufflepuff common room is?"

The way she asked it made Harry feel like a schoolboy again. "I do. But I assure you, I learned of it after I left."

"I'm sure," she said dryly. "It's the barrel two from the bottom, second row. Do you remember the pattern?"

Harry scoffed. "How could I forget? It's the least secure common room of all the houses. You've ignored me each time I've suggested changing it."

"One does not change a nine-hundred-year tradition, Potter. There would be a Hufflepuff rebellion if I dare try. You've made the castle more secure than it's ever been before," she scolded him, just as she had every time, he brought it up.

"Fine, fine. But about that security, I do have one more ward I would like to add…" McGonagall looked so annoyed he stopped in his tracks. "Er – I'll just bring it up with you later, then?"

"I think that would be best. Now, don't keep Mr. Lupin waiting any longer. The anticipation is almost punishment enough."

Harry's face clouded over. "Almost, but not quite," he started to head towards the kitchen.

"Potter," McGonagall called after him.

"Yes?"

"Your appearance?"

"Oh, right," he cast a quick glamour, looking more like he did before. He also transfigured his anorak into a proper robe.

"Come see me before you leave," she said crisply.

"Yes, Headmistress," he replied before going on his way.

Navigating Hogwarts was still second nature to Harry. It still very much felt like home to him – even with the devastation of the final battle there. It didn't take him long to get to the same corridor as the kitchens. It amazed him that in all the times that he had snuck down here as a student, he hadn't known where the entrance was to Hufflepuff common room was.

He located the barrels and pulled out his wandblade. He hoped that the wand-turned-turned-pointy object wouldn't cause a problem, but so far, it had acted just like a normal wand would. In his head he thought as he taped, 'Hel-ga-Huff-le-puff.' To his pleasure, the tunnel-like passageway opened and he was not sprayed by vinegar, which was the unpleasant effect that happened to those who taped the wrong barrel or in the wrong rhythm.

Harry was sure to put on his serious 'Head Auror' face before he entered where a myriad of students were gathered, lounging on the comfortable chairs in front of the fireplace. It was right after dinner, so he knew that there would be quite a few students here. As soon as he entered, he was noticed, and all the students stopped what they were doing to stare at him.

"Where is he?" he asked the student closest to him. No one had any doubt who he was looking for.

"Uh – those stairs, third landing on the right," the student nervously replied. She looked like she wanted to say more, but decided not to based on the steely look in the wizarding hero's eyes. If the person in question hadn't just shot their chances at the house cup to hell, the students would have felt bad for him. Some still did – no one wanted to be on the bad side of Harry Potter.

Harry nodded and headed up the stairs.

He found his godson sitting on his bed, back towards the door. "Go away Jay," he said. "I don't want to hear it anymore."

"It's not Jay," Harry said.

That got Teddy to turn around. "Harry?" he asked. He had been told that his grandmother had been called and that he should expect a visitor. He had been dreading that visit enough, but if she had called in Harry instead…

Harry crossed his arms. "Yes. Your grandmother called me."

Teddy swallowed nervously. It was rare to see Harry this angry. The last time he had it was when he and Ben and been caught trying to hunt the neighbor.

"I – I thought that because you were in the States with Dean that…"

"You thought that your reckless behavior would go unnoticed? What were you THINKING? Do you know the danger you put yourself in?"

Teddy's jaw clenched and he puffed his chest out. "I was fine, nothing happened, Ben needed me. He's my best friend, Harry. If Ron's dad had just walked out on his family, where would you be?" It was a question that Harry couldn't answer without either agreeing with him or being a total hypocrite, and they both knew it.

"It's not the same Teds," Harry said, sitting down on the bed next to him. "Dean isn't Ben's dad." He knew he had done a quick, probably unethical check. Mostly because anyone related to Dean would also be related to him and children related to him needed extra protection.

"How dare you say that!" Teddy came back, hot. "Dean is Ben's dad. He lived in their house and he took care of Ben. Ben thinks that he did something wrong to drive him away! But he didn't, I know he didn't, Dean is just an arsehole."

Harry gave his godson a warning look. "Don't call Dean an arsehole," he scolded.

"Why not? I've heard you call him that plenty of times."

Teddy had him there. "That's…that's different Teddy."

"Whatever. Ben needs a friend. His mum is dating this horrible wizard and…"

"Wait. Lisa is dating a wizard?"

Teddy waved him off. "Yeah. This dickwad that she met when she was out with Ginny."

Harry gave him another warning look. That particular colorful word Teddy had learned from Ben, who, in turn, had learned it from Dean.

"That doesn't matter. Teddy, what about your friends here? I talked to the Headmistress. I know how many points she took from Hufflepuff. That had to have hurt your housemates."

Teddy looked down. "I don't give a fu- I don't care about them," he said quietly, catching the swear before he said it out loud.

"Teddy! How can you say that?"

"No one here likes me, Harry! I don't have any friends, ok? Is that what you wanted to know?" His face was bright red from embarrassment.

"No, that can't be true! You're an amazing kid, Teddy, why wouldn't you have friends?" Harry felt terribly guilty. He thought that Teddy was doing well at Hogwarts, he always seemed so happy.

"I have roommates and some casual acquaintances. Most of my 'friends' from first year just wanted to know about you. When they realized that I wasn't super special like you, they weren't interested. I don't have friendships like you did with Ron and Hermione. Ben is my very best friend. My only friend. You see, that's why I had to help him!"

Harry's stomach was in knots. He felt like the worse godfather ever. He hadn't even known… "But what about Victoire?"

Teddy gave him a glare that only an adolescent child could give his parent. "Victoire is a first-year and a Gryffindor. I can't hang around…a…a…child like her!"

That would have been funny except Harry was still feeling about two inches tall. "Teddy, why didn't you tell me that you were having a hard time at Hogwarts?"

Teddy looked down. "I didn't want to disappoint you, Harry. My whole life you've talked about how magical Hogwarts is and how you made the best friends you could ever ask for here. About how much Dad had loved his time here too. How both of you found your families here. When it didn't happen for me, well, I knew there was something wrong with me."

"Edward Lupin! There is nothing wrong with you," Harry said fiercely. "You are the most loyal, thoughtful, intelligent young man that I know. I love you. Your grandmother loves you. Your parents adored you when you were a baby and they would love you even more now than they did then because every time I think that I couldn't love you more, you astound me and I do. I won't have you talking about yourself that way."

Teddy burst into tears and launched himself onto Harry, throwing his arms around his godfather and sobbing into his chest. Harry maneuvered him so that he was holding Teddy like he had when he was a child and upset about something. Hugging him and rubbing circles on his back. He hated seeing him like this. "It's ok, Teddy, it's ok, everything will be ok," he muttered in a soothing voice.

After a solid fifteen minutes of this, Teddy had finally calmed down, and he pulled away from Harry. "Are you going to forbid me from seeing Ben now?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"What? No! What would you think that Teddy?"

"'Cause I sneaked out to try and see him…"

"No, Teds, I think you've been punished quite enough. And I would never dream of keeping you from your best friend, even if I felt you hadn't been. It was a very serious thing you did Edward Lupin. When I heard…the thought of losing you, I couldn't bear it Teddy. You could have gotten hurt."

"I know," Teddy finally admitted.

"You won't do it again?" Harry asked.

Teddy shook his head. "No."

"Alright. Good. Lesson learned." And Harry had taken far greater risks with his own life at Teddy's age. The punishment he had planned went out the window the second Teddy had started sobbing.

"That's it?"

"Yes. And while I wish I could pull you out of Hogwarts and take you back to the States with me right now, it is not a good time. I, however, will check in with Ben, if that would make you feel better?"

"Really? You'd do that?"

"Anything for you. I might even see if I can get Nev to supervise some of your detentions. I happen to know that he was once in a very similar predicament and should have a soft spot for you because of that." He also planned to ask his friend to try to subtly give more points out to Hufflepuff to try and make up for what Teddy lost.

"Professor Longbottom lost a lot of points for Gryffindor?"

Harry nodded. "Oh yes. He got caught with Hermione and me one night and the three of us lost fifty points each in our first year."

Teddy had a hard time believing that the kind and mild-mannered Professor Longbottom had gotten into any sort of trouble at school.

"I've got to go now, Teds. You'll be alright? You'll write?"

Teddy nodded. "Yes, of course. And you'll let me know how Ben is?"

"I will."

"Thank you, Harry."

Harry smiled and pulled him into another hug. "I love you Teddy Lupin."

"I know," Teddy replied.

"Brat," Harry responded, ruffling his hair.

"Love you too, Harry."

xXxXxXxXxXx

Harry spoke with Neville and McGonagall before heading to the library's restricted section to start his book research. He was not looking forward to it, but he knew how busy Hermione was, and didn't want to bother her on a potentially fruitless search. Thankfully, it was after curfew now, so he didn't have to deal with the stares or the fan club that had been following him around the castle earlier.

It was around five in the morning and about the twentieth useless book when Harry was finally ready to call it quits for the night. There was nothing here. No mention of muggle monsters. No references to heaven or angels. No allusions to hell. Not one useful piece of information. "Useless, this is all bloody useless," Harry muttered to himself.

"Well, what did you expect?" Gabriel appeared before him. Harry was too tired to even react.

"I expected the greatest collection of wizarding knowledge in all of the UK to have something, anything, that might be able to help us out."

Gabriel shook his head. "This is a school. For children. Why would anyone keep such dangerous information here?"

"Sam said the same thing. There is plenty of dangerous information here. Tom Riddle learned how to make Horcruxes here."

"I always knew he was the smart one of the three of you," Gabriel quipped back.

Harry wasn't going to deny it. "Hey – how did you get in here? I thought Hogwarts was protected from angels?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "It is. All angels except me, of course. I built these wards. Helga and I were quite the item, you know. The shape of that woman's…"

"Stop! Please." Harry did not want to hear about Gabriel's sexcapades with any of the founders.

"Aw, Harry, don't be jealous. You know you're still my number one." Gabriel winked.

"Just…don't. It's like you're talking about having sex with my many-times great-grandmother. I don't want to hear about it." He shuddered.

Gabriel had a pensive look on his face. "Aunt maybe, or cousin, about five hundred times removed…"

"Are you saying that I'm related to Helga Hufflepuff?"

"Uh. Doi. Most of wizarding Britain is. It's a small place, Harry, there are only so many bloodlines. It's not like you're any kind of special heir to any of the founders. No special founder-related magic for you."

"I was a parselmouth," Harry pointed out.

"Were you? Huh, the more you know. From Voldemort's soul fragment?"

"Yeah."

"And you've lost the ability?"

"Thankfully."

"You know, snakes are quite interesting to talk to…never mind. My point is that you would be hard-pressed to find any witch or wizard born in the United Kingdom that wasn't decedent from one or all of the founders. It was a crazy time, the orgies that happened in school wasn't in session…"

"Gabriel!" Harry scolded, turning bright red. "We are in a school."

"So were the orgies. But fine. Be a prude. Your precious founders weren't. The way that Salazar could bend his…"

"Is there a reason that you are here? Other than to put the worst images possible into my mind?" Harry interrupted, knowing that Gabriel was taking far too much pleasure in his discomfort.

"I've got a Castiel update for you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. After his little…misadventure…at the Ministry he decided to move on from trying to get wizarding souls. For now. So, mission accomplished. By the way, it was hilarious. You should have seen the look on his face when he realized his wings were on fire."

"I knew it was you! He thought I set him up!"

"Of course, it was me. The protections at the Department of Mysteries wouldn't have been strong enough to keep him out, as determined as he was. With the wards you've now added even Raphe would have a tough time getting in. Good on you."

"And you?"

"It was my grace that created those wards. But Castiel doesn't know that. He's been working with his pal Balthazar again. Word is that Balthazar stole a whole arsenal of weapons from heaven after the failed apocalypse. And he's going to give them all to Castiel. Raphael is about to lose his mind trying to find them. We're getting close to the big showdown. Those weapons would put Castiel in a dead heat with Raphael."

"Any chance the two of them will just wipe each other out and the rest of us can just live in peace?" Harry asked darkly. Harry didn't really care about the war in Heaven. He wanted to protect the wizarding world and his brothers. The problem was that everything seemed to be interconnected. He wasn't sure how yet, but, in his gut, he knew that this latest monster had to be part of the war.

"I'm sure they could, but I'm not sure that you would like who stepped up in either of their stead. Power vacuums are dangerous, better the enemy you know than someone worse lurking in the shadows."

"Wouldn't it be you?" Harry had assumed that Gabriel was playing the middle to take over, in the end.

Gabriel looked at him for a moment. And then burst out laughing. He kept laughing until tears started coming out of his eyes. "Oh, Harry, I needed that. You're hilarious. No, never. I have no interest in ruling Heaven. Angels are a bore – to spend eternity with them, well, let's just say that the Cage would be better. More entertaining, at the very least."

"Well, that's a horrifying thought. I would say they can't be that bad, but I've met enough of you now to know that Hell may be preferable. Or, at very least, more of the same." He decided to get them back to the matter at hand. "Fine. I've accepted that there is nothing in the Hogwarts library that can help me. Gabriel, do you know anything about the Mother of All?"

Gabriel had been waiting for this moment. He had expected to feel great joy – his plan was going to his exacting plan. But it was bittersweet. He had become fond of Harry. Fonder than he had felt about anyone since those days in Egypt. But he had promised himself, or rather, his fallen family, his true family, that he would do whatever it took to protect the wizarding world and all of those in it. Harry was going to be an unfortunate casualty.

He steeled himself. "The Mother of All…monsters?"

"Is that what she is?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Some call her Eve. I knew that there was an evil force released, but I never imagined…this isn't good young Padawan."

Harry snorted. "It never is, is it?"

"My Father couldn't kill her. Well, he wouldn't kill her. I'm assuming that he could have if he had wanted, but he loves his creations too much. He locked her away."

"Was that his solution for everything?"

"More-or-less. Either that or the wiping out of entire civilizations depended on his mood."

"Fine…where did he put her?"

"Harry, surely you already know the answer to that question."

"I honestly have no idea."

"A realm for monsters? Created to contain monsters before Lucifer became one?"

Harry gave him a blank look.

"Purgatory, you moron. Didn't Castiel tell you about it?"

A light clicked. "Castiel didn't, but Death mentioned it. I thought that it was just wizard hell."

Gabriel laughed dryly. "There are things far scarier than evil wizards there, but sure, yeah, wizard hell. He was 'worried' about corrupted wizard souls. So good wizards go to a Heaven I can't access and bad wizards go to a Hell that no angel can find." Harry could hear the bitterness dripping off Gabriel's tongue. A flash of sadness for Sirius hit him again, but he pushed that down as far as he could. There was a mission to accomplish.

"Alright. So, she's from purgatory. How'd she get up here if it's an inescapable realm that she's been locked in for almost all of eternity?"

"I would presume that some monster, one of her children somehow summoned her."

"Children?"

"Yes, those things that typically change a woman into a mother."

"But who are her children?"

Gabriel looked at him like he was being an idiot. "Who'd you think? Monsters. She is responsible for all the monsters that plague this Earth. Well, the muggle ones at least."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh. This is a big one, she's old. Not as old as me, of course, very few beings are, but older than your pal Castiel. She hasn't walked the earth in over ten thousand years. This is why none of these reference books, or any reference books, will have the information you are looking for."

"But you know how to kill her?"

"I didn't say that," Gabriel said, a little too quickly for Harry's liking.

"Gabriel. This is important. How do we kill her?"

Gabriel knew of several ways, some of them easier than others. But he wanted Harry to go down a very specific path. "There's only one way. And Sam and Dean wouldn't be able to do it. It's a spell."

"What's the spell?"

"Harry…it's dangerous."

Harry groaned in frustration. Of course, it was. Nothing could ever be easy. "Fine. Dangerous in what way? Will it hurt or kill thousands of innocent people? If not, then it's bloody well worth it, isn't it?"

"Dangerous to the caster."

"Well, I'll cast it, so who cares. What's the spell, Gabriel?"

"I can think of several people who might care. Including me. I don't know the exact incantation, but I helped the wizards that created the spell. I'll have to go get it. It may take some time."

"How much time? We're not exactly swimming in it."

"A week. Maybe more."

"Alright. Do I need to go with you?"

Gabriel shook his head. "No." He didn't explain any further. He was always careful never to share too much information with Harry. This was to avoid suspicion for moments such as this. It seemed to work. Partially because the man looked exhausted.

"Fine. Well, that means that I can head out then. I kidnapped an American muggle the other day to get her to a magical hospital so I guess I should return her to her hometown."

Gabriel chucked. "Oh, you and your hijinks." He left.

Harry didn't feel like he had the time to fully process what Gabriel had said. He sat in silence for a couple of minutes, staring out the windows as light as night was beginning to wake into the day. He kept playing the talk he had with Teddy in his head over and over again. How could he have been so blind to his godson's pain? When he had held Teddy for the first time, at Remus and Tonks' funeral, he had promised himself that he would be there for Teddy in a way that no adult had ever been there for him. And he had failed. He felt like he was failing at everything. When was the last time he had talked to or seen Ginny? How many Friday dinners with Ron, Hermione, and the kids had he missed? How many Sunday lunches at the Burrow?

And those were just Harry's UK familial obligations. He had no solution to the Great Wall of Sam that seemed to be crumbling. He had completely missed the lurking threat that was Draco Malfoy, which could have ended in disaster. Gabriel might have something to help him with the Mother of all Monsters, but he had wasted so much time searching for solutions before even thinking of asking the Archangel. He felt like he was losing it – slowly drowning. Harry allowed himself another two minutes of pity party before rising to go walk to the Hogwarts gates. Could he just fly out of there? Probably, but he was hoping the fresh air might help. Plus, it would give him some time to sip on his flask to calm his nerves.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Gabriel didn't need a week to find the spell, of course. He knew very well what it was, how to perform it, and what the consequences would be, but he didn't want Harry to think too hard about it. If it came as easily as that, the wizard, or rather, his brothers may be suspicious. Harry didn't share the healthy skepticism that his brothers had so painfully learned. Presenting the spell at the last possible minute, when it was needed the most, would also stop the brothers from "finding another way," as they seemed so apt at doing.

Gabriel felt a tug on his wings. Uh-oh. This is what he got for spending all his time on Earth. Any manner of creature could find him here.

"Gabriel, you do not want to anger me," he heard when he landed.

Gabriel put on his most charming smile to hide how nervous he was feeling. "Death, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

The entity glared at him.

"Sit, Gabriel," he said, pointing to a conjured chair. Gabriel knew better than to disobey. "I know what you are planning."

"Yeah? What's that then?"

"You are trying to kill my friend. I know everyone who is planning on killing him, it is part of our connection. Of the twenty-eight and a half active plots at the moment, yours is the only one I am concerned about. Especially since you've been planning it for so long."

"He's Master of Death, he can't be killed," Gabriel said, feigning innocence, knowing full well that was not the case. "Well, he can, but he can come back. He's done it many times. Actually, getting quite good at it."

"If you wanted to fool me, Gabriel, you would have had to try much harder," Death said severely. "I know what you're planning. What you've planned for his entire life. You weren't always so hell-bent on his destruction, there was a time you were content to simply get him out of the way. But your newest plan is foolhardy and puts the balance of the universe at risk."

"No one's ever gotten this close before. When he was younger, I thought that I could just steer him in another direction. You have to admit it, I made one great Sirius Black. Do you know that he's never even questioned that conversation that we had? Not once even considered that dear old Sirius never would have tried to take him from his family a second time, especially not to fight the big bad guy. It's tragic, really, that he believes so strongly that he is disposable. Dumbledore really did a number on him. That's who you should blame for all of this. I'm just building on a job well done."

Gabriel regretted his words almost as soon as they came out. He could feel the fury coming off the ancient entity. Granted, he had many times felt the wrath of his father, and this wasn't nearly as bad, but it was close.

He decided to try a different tact. "Do you think, that if he knew what becoming the Angel of Death would do to his beloved wizarding world that he would even consider ascending? I'm protecting him from having to make that decision. He will die as he lived – a hero. Look, I like the kid. He's a good one. Certainly, better than his brothers. Harry will get his reward in Heaven, he will get to see Lily and James, and all those he lost in the war. Eventually, his friends will join him."

"Is that what you need to tell yourself, Gabriel?" Death said slowly. "And how did you feel when your father made the same decision for you? What was it that Michael said to you, all those years ago? 'Father and I love you and this is for the best,' I believe. As you watched your people burn."

Gabriel's eyes flashed. "Don't you dare talk of that night. You have no idea what I lost. I lost everything. I am trying to stop the same from happening to your 'friend' Harry Potter. If you cared for him at all, you would want the same. Surely, you don't want him to ascend anymore than I do."

"I want him to be able to choose for himself. That is the natural order of things. He gets to decide. I exist to preserve the natural order. I made this deal with your father as a way to balance the scales – cleaning up the mess that he made with Lucifer. Whichever choice Harry makes will keep the world in order. But it is his choice. Anything else is a perversion of what should be."

"And if he chooses death?"

"Then I will welcome him with open arms. I will know if he has been manipulated into that choice and if he is…"

"What? You'll reap me? You care far too much about your precious natural order to take me before my time."

"It's not my wrath you should fear. At the end of the day, you're right. I will reap you when it's your time and I will relish the moment, just as I did with your brother, Michael. I am patient. Sam and Dean? Not so much. If you tip the scales, if you interfere, if you give him that spell, I will be sure that they know your entire part in the death of their brother. I will make sure that everyone who loves Harry, and that is quite the list, knows what you have done. I will make sure that he knows what you have done."

That threat did send a little, involuntary, shudder up Gabriel's back.

Death stood up. "I believe my point has been made. I will be watching you. And Harry. You are not as clever as believe yourself to be." He vanished.

He vanished.

Gabriel let out a breath that he was holding in (not that he needed to breathe, just a force of habit.) This complicated things. He'd have to keep his eyes open and his ear to the ground. Consequences to him, be damned. He would not allow Harry to ascend. He would not allow for the magic of his battalion to vanish. Not on his watch.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Harry knocked on the door with confidence. It opened almost immediately – by Ben. Almost as if he was expecting someone. His face fell when he saw who it was.

"Hi Harry," he mumbled.

"Hey Ben, may I come in?"

Ben sighed and shuffled away from the door. It's not like he could deny the wizard entrance if he wanted to anyway.

"Ben, who's at the door. Harry!" Lisa came out of the kitchen. "You look like shit. Are you ok? Is Dean ok?"

"Dean's fine. Well, he was when I last spoke with him," Harry said, side-stepping her comment on his appearance. Although it was a good reminder to put up a glamour before going back to Bobby's. "I came to speak with Ben if you don't mind."

Lisa raised an eyebrow. It's not that she didn't trust Harry, she did, but this was a very weird situation. "About what?"

Ben shook his head at Harry. Harry frowned, and ignored him. "He sent a letter to Teddy that made him so concerned, that he snuck out of Hogwarts to try and get here. He was caught halfway to London, luckily unharmed. But I promised him I would stop in and check on Ben myself."

"Ben?" Lisa asked, concerned. She knew that her son was very upset about Dean leaving, but he had been professing that he was fine for so long that she was almost beginning to believe him.

"I didn't ask him to come," Ben said, quietly.

"Teddy is a very loyal friend," Harry said. "He knew you were in need. Trust me, if it was in his power to be here, he would have come in an instant. But it's dangerous for him to travel on his own. And it's the middle of the term. I am a poor substitute, I know, but I also care about you, Ben."

Lisa was still very worried, of course, she would be, but maybe a chat with Harry was what her son needed. She also knew that Harry took his parental duties very seriously and if there was anything she needed to know, he would tell her.

"Alright. Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Would you like to stay, Harry? There's plenty."

Harry considered. He didn't really have time, but he was hungry. "That would be lovely, thanks Lisa, I'm starving."

"Of course. I'll just leave you, boys, to it," she left them alone.

Harry moved into the living room and Ben followed him. They sat on the sofa, Ben looking sadder than Harry thought he had ever seen before.

"Talk to me Ben, what happened?"

"You know."

"What do I know?"

"You know that Dean doesn't want anything to do with us anymore," he mumbled. "That he's gone for good."

"I am positive, that whatever he said, he did not say that."

"He didn't have to." Ben looked close to tears. "I don't know what I did, but I know it was something."

"Oh, Ben."

"What, you can't deny it!"

"I can. Ben, you didn't do anything to drive Dean away. Neither did your mother. Dean cares deeply about you both. He believes that he is dangerous."

"But he's not!"

"I agree. I know he doesn't talk about it, but our father, he…well, he meant well, but he raised Sam and Dean in a way that messed them up. Dean is terrified of doing to you what was done to him."

"But Dean's awesome! Why wouldn't he want me to be just like him?"

"He is pretty great," Harry agreed. "And I know that he loves that you like the same music as him and enjoyed spending so much time working on cars with him. He loves you. But the best way that he knows how to show that love is to let you and your mother have a normal life. A safe life."

"But he's taking away everything! If mom isn't with him then there is never any reason for you and Ted to visit."

"Woah, why do you think that?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Why would you? You only hung around to be near him, I know that."

"That might be the reason I moved here, yes. And Teddy and I are a package deal. But, Ben, you're not going to get rid of us that easily. Even if Dean never checks on you ever again, which I can't even imagine, Teddy and I aren't going anywhere. Teddy would never allow it. You're his best friend."

"Even though I'm not magic?"

"Yes. That doesn't matter to him."

"Thomas says that wizards and non-magicals aren't meant to mix."

"Who is Thomas?"

Ben scoffed. "Mom's douchebag of a boyfriend. He's a wizard, like you. But not even a little bit cool. He won't even use magic in front of us! He thinks Hunters are stupid. But Dean's not stupid!"

Harry chuckled. "No, he's not. American witches and wizards are stricter about the separation of the worlds than we are in the UK. That's why I'm pretty surprised that an American wizard is dating your mom. But your mum has pretty good taste, she picked Dean, after all."

Ben huffed.

"Look, your mum is my friend. And she is very good friends with Ginny. You are my godson's best friend. Come to think of it, I'm pretty fond of you as well. Things will be different without Dean here, that is true. But nothing would keep Teddy away. Not even if I tried to stop him."

"You promise?"

The desperation in his voice damn near broke Harry's heart. He might have to hex Dean later. "I promise."

Ben gave him a small smile.

"Now, let's go see what your mum made for dinner. See if she needs any help. I miss her cooking – these days if I want anything edible that isn't greasy diner food, I've got to make it myself."

"Alright," Ben said, getting up off the couch. "And Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Harry smiled. "You're welcome, Ben. You can call me anytime."

The two of them headed into the kitchen.

The rest of the evening was a much-needed mental break for Harry. He had always enjoyed Lisa and Ben's company and spending time with them made him long for the summer they had all spent together. Even with the stress of trying to get Sam out of Hell, it had been one of the best times of Harry's life. Having both blood and chosen family around with no looming angel wars or wizarding disasters had been so nice.

"Thank you, Lisa," Harry said, as he finished the magical cleanup of the kitchen. "This has been nice."

"It has been," she agreed. "And I'm not just saying that because you seem to have lifted Ben's mood and cleaned my kitchen. We should go out some time like we used to. Ginny, you, Thomas, and I."

Harry hesitated for a second. That felt like a betrayal to Dean. But he was nothing if not polite and plastered on a smile. "Of course. That would be nice. I don't know much about this boyfriend of yours, Ginny won't say a thing."

"There's not much to tell," Lisa shrugged. "He's kind. He's here. He and Ben may not have the relationship that Ben and Dean had – they probably never will, but he cares for him."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. What is his surname? If he knew Ginny maybe I've met him."

"You probably haven't. Ginny didn't know until he approached us in a bar. Thomas Wilkinson. He works in the magical government. Says that it is a family tradition but he dreams of venturing out on his own."

"That's nice."

"He'd love to meet you," Lisa added. "Not just because you're famous. Although he did seem very excited that we knew you so well."

That was irritating, Harry thought. "Of course, I would be happy to meet him. But no autographs!"

Lisa laughed. "Of course not. I'll try to set up a time with Ginny?"

"Yeah, of course. I really must be going, thanks for everything."

"You're welcome anytime," Lisa responded. "Tell Dean…tell him…oh, never mind."

Harry nodded and headed out the door. It was only when he had landed back in Sioux Falls that the name Lisa had given him clicked. 'Shit,' he thought, making the connection. There was no way that was a coincidence. He thought about going back to Lisa right then and getting more information. But on the scale of issues he was dealing with, this one seemed low on the priority list. Crap, that meant he was probably going to have to speak with Millie again.

xXxXxXxXxXx

"What the hell happened here?" Harry asked when he saw that Bobby's front window was covered in a tarp, the smashed glass everywhere both in and outside of the house.

"It's a long story," Dean grumbled, broom in hand. Bobby was standing in the corner with a beer, supervising, and not looking pleased with the situation. Harry did a quick spell, repairing the wall, and another to put everything back in order.

Dean grinned. "I knew there was a reason we kept you around."

"I thought it was my glittering charm and sharp British wit," Harry said dryly.

"For these two alcoholics, it's the fire whiskey," Sam said, entering the room. He also had a broom in his hand and looked pleased that the wall was repaired and that he no longer had to clean up under the watchful eye of Bobby.

"Fair enough."

"How's Teddy?" Dean asked.

"Better now. Although he lost his house a lot of points, so not very popular."

"Which house is he in?" Sam asked.

"Hufflepuff," Harry said proudly. "Like his mum."

That made Sam think of something he had been dying to ask. "Did you really stick your wand up a troll's nose when you were in your first year?"

"What?" Harry had no clue where that came from.

"Sam!" Dean reprimanded.

"I just wanted to know if the movie was right."

"Wizards don't have movies," Harry said, confused. He was also pretty confident that the only people who knew about his wand going up the troll's nose were Ron and Hermione. Sure, they had shared the story with family before, but he didn't have any idea how Sam could have heard it.

"I thought we agreed to never talk about it again," Dean said tightly.

"We never agreed to anything," Sam frowned.

"It was an unspoken agreement. As to, you know, avoid talking about it. At all. Ever."

"Talk about what?"

"While you were at Hogwarts, we got transported to another world," Sam explained. "It was…upsetting, to say the least."

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, concerned.

"No," Dean said at the same time Sam said, "Yes."

Sam sighed. "In this world, we weren't us. Not even brothers, we were actors on a TV show about our lives."

Harry laughed. Promptly stopping at the dead serious looks on his brother's faces. "Are you taking the piss?"

"Unfortunately, no. And you didn't exist. Well, not really. You were a fictional character," Sam explained. "A very popular one though."

As if that helped. Harry had no idea what to say about that.

"I had the books in my house, but I didn't have them on me when we got pulled back into this world. But I had just picked up this…" Sam walked out of the room and came several seconds later. He handed a DVD case over to Harry.

Harry stared at the case in front of him, hardly believing his eyes. Was that supposed to be…him? His eyes wandered down past his name to glance at the title. "What the fuck is a Sorcerer's Stone?"

AN – Thanks everyone for such a warm welcome upon my return! It was a hiatus in posting, but it certainly was not in writing. This chapter was super fun to write. First, McGonagall is my favorite Harry Potter character (hence the screenname on AO3) so I was thrilled that she fit in. Second, I love Dad!Harry. One the (many, many) reasons that I hated Cursed Child was because I never imagined that Harry could be such a terrible father.

I've been holding on to this Gabriel secret for such a long time. When I wrote the scene in Part Two, I was very, very careful in my wording. One version even included the words "play your part," but I thought that would be too obvious, but I did try to mirror what "Sirius" was saying to Harry after some of what Gabriel says to Sam and Dean in Changing Channels. In my AN for that chapter I did say there was an explanation, but I did not get nearly the amount of flack I expected to. It was my full intention to bring Sirius back from the dead, and that was how Harry was going to find out, but it's not really worked, so I scrapped it.

About Victoire's house – canon (and by canon I mean HP BOOKS 1 – 7, Cursed Child is NOT canon in this fanfic) does not say which house she is in. So, I made her a Gryffindor, even though I saw conflicting accounts.

Canadian friends – is the first HP movie called Philosopher's Stone or Sorcerer's Stone in Canada? I know the book is Philosopher's, but because the US and Canada share a DVD region, I managed to convince myself that the movie would have been Sorcerer's. (My internet research on this topic has not gone well.) If that is not the case, I apologize and Sam didn't buy the movie in Canada, he ordered an American copy. Am I the only one who thought this hard about it? Yes, probably.

Harry is having a tough go of it, of course, because I love to torture him. He is trying to be everything to everyone and allows for his friends and family to be complex, fallible human beings, but he cannot see himself in the same way. He sees any mistake that he makes as a complete failure. (If this sounds familiar to you, do as I do, and get yourself some therapy!)

Sorry for another super long AN – I can't seem to help myself. Next week's chapter is called (for now) – And Then There Were None.