Love, Fate and Prophecy: Bloodright

Part Four: Chapter Twenty-One – Black, White, and Read All Over

Season Six – Episode 21 (Let it Bleed)

Harry was ready to tell all, but it was more intimidating than he thought it would be with both his closest friends and his brothers there. They were in his house, where he had previously been imprisoned by Castiel. None of them looked particularly impressed with him. He couldn't help but wonder just what Sam and Dean had told them. He ran a hand through his hair and went for a drink, but before he could, Hermione summoned it away from him.

"No, Harry."

"But – "

"Harry James Potter. You've been dodging us for weeks and lying to us for Merlin knows how long. The least you can do is stay sober while we have this conversation. And don't think that as soon as we get this all worked out that you won't be taking another trip to Tintagle."

Harry's face drained a little bit.

"Tintagle Castle?" Sam asked. "The birthplace of King Arthur?"

Hermione gave Sam an appraising look. She knew, conceptually, that Harry's younger brother was smart, but she was so used to Ron and Harry that when someone understood her references it gave her pause.

"Legendary birthplace, but it's pretty widely disputed amongst modern scholars."

"Oh, is it? You know, I took a class in Arthurian Legends in college, it was mostly focused on the literature, not historical accuracy."

"That sounds fascinating, you should tell me more about it sometime. I went through a King Arthur phase during primary school and then once…"

Dean cleared his throat.

"Right," Hermione stopped talking.

"Nerds," Dean said under his breath.

Harry took that as his cue to keep talking, although he would have happily allowed Hermione and Sam to continue on their tangent. "Tintagle, among other things, is a very discrete rehab center for witches and wizards," he explained.

"Oh," Sam said. "You've gone before?"

"Not willingly." A couple of years after the war, when he had been working himself to the bone during the day and drinking himself into oblivion every night, his friends had staged an intervention and more-or-less forced him into the center through a series of guilt trips and a lot of prodding. It didn't cure him of anything, but it was where he started therapy. Grudgingly, he had to admit that it had helped him quite a bit. "Since you won't let me drink, I suppose I should get through this as quickly as possible."

Everyone looked at him. He cleared his throat. He couldn't believe how nervous he was. "Look, it's not that I've been lying to all of you, but I may not have always told the whole truth or given you full context. Honestly, it's all gotten a little out of hand, and I can barely keep straight who I've told what to, so I'm just going to tell all of you everything. The important bits at least."

There was still silence.

"I suppose I should start with when Castiel visited me in my office at the Ministry and asked for my help…actually, no, earlier maybe. The first time that Gabriel showed up at my place…"

Harry went through it all. He tried his best not to leave out details, though he was sure that his memory wasn't perfect. Every once and a while someone would ask a clarification question – Hermione was actively taking notes, with Bobby standing over her, giving her approving nods and being sure that she noted things that stood out to him too. Most were easy to answer.

"Wait, what was significant about that guy's last name?" Dean asked, zeroing in on the part about Lisa, of course.

Harry grimaced. "He's our cousin."

"Lisa is dating our wizard cousin?" He looked a little sick.

"Second cousin, but yes," Harry clarified.

"And you didn't think that this information was important earlier?"

"I meant to tell you, but you had just returned from that weird other world and then there was that whole thing with Rufus…"

"She had – has no idea," Ginny chimed in, her mind whirling. "I didn't know either. We met him in a magical bar that I smuggled Lisa into. I thought that he was going to ask me for an autograph and then he started flirting…oh Merlin." Ginny liked Thomas. He was charming, funny, and humble. More emotionally available and secure than Dean had been. She liked them very much as a couple. But she never imagined that he could be related to Harry. Especially because she wasn't used to thinking of Harry having any relatives. She would have to get to Lisa as soon as possible.

Dean grunted. But both Harry and Sam could see his gears turning.

They were now getting to the most difficult part of the story. The part that made Harry want to drink more than anything. "And then, Balthazar unsunk the Titanic."

Sam sucked in a breath. "You remember?"

Harry nodded.

"Cas said he wiped your memory," Dean said.

"He did. Gabriel unwiped it."

"That son-of-bitch, why would he do that?"

"He said that I would know who Castiel has become. Gabriel was going to try and keep the timeline the way it was there, and he thought that Castiel would do the same because the souls gained would give him the power that he needed. But when Fate threatened to kill Sam and Dean – he…he went back on it."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sam asked quietly. "If we had known what you were dealing with…"

Harry swallowed. "You would have done nothing different at all because we had a job to do," he said a bit harshly. "And you weren't ready to hear the truth about Castiel, and there was no way I could explain having those memories without having to tell you about the souls. He had just ended the existence of 50,000 people so that you two could live. Would you have believed me about him then?"

Dean wanted the answer to that question to be yes, without a doubt, but he knew that would be a lie. So, he said nothing, although he was very tempted to punch the wall. And he would have some words for Gabriel the next time he saw the archangel.

"I'm sorry, I'm not following. What is the Titanic? And why did it upset you so much, Harry?" Ron asked, thoroughly confused.

"The Titanic was the largest ship of its time. It was a passenger liner that hit an iceberg and sank during its first voyage across the Atlantic in 1912, killing all but a third of the over 2,000 people on board," Hermione supplied.

Dean shook his head. It was too bad that this chick was already married because she would be perfect for Sam.

"Oh," Ron responded.

"So, Balthazar, on Castiel's orders, unsunk the ship, creating a bunch of new souls from the descendants from the no longer dead passengers," Harry explained. "It changed things. A lot of things."

"Like what?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.

"I was different. I wasn't…I didn't…I…" Harry was having a very hard time getting it out. How could he put into words how much better he had been? What he had denied them all?

Sam came to his rescue. "In that timeline, I was particularly close to Harry. Would you mind if I told them?"

Harry just nodded.

So, Sam told them. About how Harry had come back earlier, how John had been still alive, and, most painful for Harry, about his children.

Other than Sam and Dean there wasn't a dry eye in the room by the end of it all (although Bobby was doing his absolute best to hide his tears). Harry stared at a fixed spot on the floorboards, wishing that they would just swallow him whole. He didn't dare look up to see his friends' reactions. He didn't want to see the looks of disgust on their faces. Especially Ginny's.

For a couple of minutes, there was complete silence.

"Oh, Harry," Ginny finally said. She sat down next to him and gathered him up in her arms, as much as she could.

"Let's give them a couple of minutes, boys," Bobby said to Sam and Dean.

"But – " Dean started. Sam shook his head.

"We'll be right outside," he said to Hermione and Ron.

As soon as they left the house, Harry broke. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry," he choked out before dissolving into sobs.

Hermione immediately sat on the couch, and hugged Harry from the other side, while Ron hugged all three of them from the front.

They stayed that way for a couple of minutes until Harry's crying had calmed down a bit.

"Harry, you have nothing to be sorry for," Ginny said.

That surprised him enough to get him to look up, his eyes red-rimmed. "What do you mean? I've ruined everything. Ginny, we could have had a family. You were so happy. I was a proper husband and father. I was there for you – for all of you. You don't know…you can't understand…"

"Harry, I'm happy now," Ginny said. "Ok, maybe not in the last couple of weeks. But I love you. I wouldn't change a thing. I'm sure our children were wonderful, but you are enough. Just as you are."

"You can't mean that," Harry whispered.

"I do! And so do Ron and Hermione," she looked to her brother and sister-in-law for support.

"Yes, yes," Hermione said. "We love you, Harry."

"But I'm such a pain…"

Ron snorted. "Yes, you are a pain in the arse, but Harry, you're our pain in the arse."

Harry couldn't believe his ears. He broke into tears again.

It took a while, but eventually, Harry calmed down. He was embarrassed, but, at the same time, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. While he wasn't completely sure that his friends understood what they were missing out on, they hadn't rejected him. Not yet, at least.

"Where are Sam and Dean?" He asked when he realized his brothers weren't in the room anymore. "I have a couple more things to tell you all."

"They, uh, stepped outside," Ron said. "I'll just go fetch them."

"Thanks," Harry said. "Can I have a drink now?" he asked Hermione. Hermione reluctantly handed his flask back to him.

Sam, Dean, Bobby, and Ron walked back into the house just as Harry was finishing off the flask.

"Thank you, Sam," he said to his younger brother. "I didn't have it in me to tell that particular story." Sam gave him a nod of acknowledgment. "Let's continue. Gabriel promised me the truth after that, and he laid it on…"

Harry told them about what would happen if he became Angel of Death, the spell that required his moving on, and how Castiel had jumped him outside of Bobby's saferoom.

At the end of it all, Harry was exhausted.

"Alright," Ron acknowledged. "What are our next steps? What do you need?"

"Our?" Dean and Sam asked at the same time.

"Oh, we're in this now. What do you call yourselves? Team Free Will? Way better than the Golden Trio, which is just so limiting, when you think of the number of friends and family we had helping us. Surely, a couple more wizards and witches couldn't hurt."

"Yeah – but…" Dean started to argue.

"I need you all to go home," Harry interrupted.

"What?" Ron asked dumbly. "We're not going to do that."

"You have to. Look, I'm happy you're here. It means the world to me and I know that you would follow me into any battle, but I need you on the home front. It's not just monsters in Purgatory, after all, it's also all the witches and wizards that ever went bad. The Ministry needs to get ready. Our world needs to prepare."

Their faces went a bit ashen at the thought.

"Harry – " Ginny started.

"No. I need you to protect everyone at home. And, if you're here, Castiel would kill any of you without a moment's hesitation. And who knows what Crowley would do if he got a hold of any of you." Hermione looked like she was about to argue, but Harry kept going. "Not that you couldn't handle demons. But this isn't a magical fight. Not yet, at least. The fewer wizards involved, the better."

"But you're a wizard," Ron pointed out.

"Well-spotted as usual Ron," Harry said. "I'm not sure that I am. Not really. Not a regular one, at any rate. Please, I'm begging you. Go home."

"Is that really what you want?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, please," Harry gave them all a pleading look.

"Ok."

That surprised everyone present. But Ron and Hermione reluctantly nodded in agreement. They had learned to follow her lead when it came to Harry.

"I, uh, thought that would be a lot harder."

"Don't think that means we're staying out of it," Ginny said. "Hermione's got all those books that you duplicated for you. We'll be your research wing. Between us, you, and the libraries that we have access to, I'm sure we'll find something to stop this angel from opening Purgatory."

"Yes. And we'll have our emergency portkeys ready, the second you need us, we're here. You have to promise us, Harry, that if you think that we could help you in any way by being here, physically, you won't hesitate."

"I promise," Harry said, mostly meaning it.

"That goes for all three of you too," Hermione said to the other men in the room. "Harry's our family and you're his, which means that if you need us, for anything, we will drop everything and come running. I know we haven't always seen eye-to-eye, but it's time to put that all aside now. Agreed?"

"I don't think you'll take no for an answer," Dean mumbled.

"Damn right we won't," Ginny said fiercely.

Ginny, Ron, and Hermione looked at Sam, Dean, and Bobby daring them to try and disagree, only stopping when all three men nodded, showing agreement.

Harry saw his friends out of the house, with lots of hugs.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" Bobby asked while they said their goodbyes.

Dean shook his head. "You have no idea. I think we just became Weasleys."

There was something both ominous and comforting about that thought.

xXxXxXxXx

The Winchesters and Bobby spent hours combing through books, with no luck so far. Finally, Dean got fed up.

"Well, Samuel's journals are pointless. I mean, I'm sorry, but uh, Jebediah Campbell has squat to tell me about how to stop Cas from cracking Purgatory."

Harry's mirror came to life – Hermione on the other end.

"Harry, I think we've found something!"

"That was quick," Bobby said, as they all went to gather around the mirror.

"Never underestimate Hermione's ability to speed read," Harry said with pride.

"I found this in Moishe Campbell's journal – he went to talk to Howard Phillips."

That didn't mean much to anyone there.

"About what?" Harry asked.

"About the events of March 10th, 1937," Hermione said, as if that may also mean something to them.

"Alright," Dean said. "So, who's this Phillips guy?"

"H.P. Lovecraft!" Hermione said. Both Sam and Bobby got really excited.

"The Call of Cthulu H.P. Lovecraft?" Sam asked.

"Yes! Now, horror was never really my genre, but I've dabbled a bit. I called my dad, who is a big fan, and he told me that there is one major theme across all of his books…"

"Opening doors to other dimensions and letting scary crap come through," Bobby finished. Hermione beamed.

"Exactly. It might be a good place to start."

"Wait, so you're saying that you think Lovecraft knew something about Purgatory?" Sam asked, amazed.

"He mighta, it makes sense," Bobby said.

"It gives us someplace to start, at least, thanks, Hermione. Let us know if you find anything else." He ended the conversation.

Bobby started looking quickly through all of the books that they have laying around.

"Something I can help you find, Bobby?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I'm looking for the journal that she mentioned. You said that you sent her copies of everything we brought back with us right? I cataloged all of them, but I can't find the journal of Moishe Campbell anywhere here."

Harry performed a quick summoning charm. Nothing happened. Next, he tried a locator spell. Still, nothing. "Are you sure you had it?" He asked, frowning. "My magic can't find it."

"I ain't that old boy, my memory's still good."

Harry tried one more time – changing the intent. Instead of thinking of "Moishe's journal," he thought, "Moishe's writing," when he did the spell. A large envelope floated towards him.

"That's the copy I made," Bobby said. "Hidden in the safe room, which was warded against angels before…"

Dean looked pissed.

"You think Castiel took it?" Harry asked.

"I'd put some money on it."

"So, this is a race," Sam said. "Who can find it first."

"And he has wings," Dean said.

Harry bristled. "Hey – I may not have wings, but I can move just as quickly. We've got a fighting chance. What's the next step?"

"Let's find us an H.P Lovecraft specialist," Bobby said. "Find out what happened that night."

"On it," Sam said, returning to his laptop.

There was a knock on the door. Which startled everyone.

"Were you expecting anyone, Bobby?"

Bobby shook his head. There were very few people who came over to the house. The knock came again.

Dean carefully went over to the door, gun ready. Harry followed to be backup. As soon as he opened the door, a large flash went off.

"Mr. Winchester!" A short, balding man, wearing the jacket of a pinstripe suit and what appeared to be waders for pants yelled out. "Are you Mr. Dean Winchester?"

"Uh – who's asking?"

Suddenly, there was a yell from a further back. "It's here! They're here!"

A hoard of people came running up to the door, and there were many more flashes and shouts.

"Mr. Winchester, how did you feel when you found out your brother had been taken?"

"Mr. Winchester, what is it like to be related to the most powerful and influential wizard in the world?"

"Mr. Winchester!"

'Fuck,' Harry thought. He gave a wide-eyed look to Bobby. "Get Sam and go to the safe room," he said, to Bobby, who had emerged to see what the commotion and yelling were all about.

"What in the hell is going on? Is it demons? I thought that they couldn't come onto the property without us knowing."

"It's worse than that," Harry said quickly. "Bobby, please, there isn't time."

Bobby didn't want wasn't one to back down from a fight, but he also trusted Harry's judgment. He quickly grabbed Sam, who was also confused and ran down the stairs.

Dean was still being bombarded with questions and more and more people were appearing. He looked like a deer in headlights. But he didn't have the good sense to move, forcing Harry to act. With a deep breath, he stepped in front of his brother. "Go to the safe room, now," he ordered. Dean went.

There was a collective gasp from the people gathered. "Is that Harry Potter?" Someone asked excitedly.

"It doesn't really look like him...but…"

"I can see the scar!"

"It's him!"

A chorus of "Mr. Potter!" and "Harry!" came from the crowd.

Harry cast sonorous on himself. "This is private property. I must ask you all to leave, immediately." He pushed people back from the door enough so that he could step outside and close the door behind him.

The questions didn't stop coming. They were all about the Winchesters and his relation to them. Someone had leaked the information. No one seemed to be leaving. Harry had to get them out of here – they didn't have time for this.

"Enough!" he yelled. "If you would all so kindly stop asking me questions, I will give a short statement. If you do not, I will never speak to an American newspaper or tabloid ever again." He normally wouldn't negotiate like this with the press, but he was desperate. There seemed to be a couple of seconds of debate amongst the reporters (some who were not American - Harry could spot Rita Skeeter from a mile away) until general shouts of agreement came from the group.

"It is true that I was born in the United States. I was adopted by Lily and James Potter immediately after I was born and taken to England. My biological parents were not magical. I found out that I was adopted after my fourth year at Hogwarts and spent a brief summer here in the United States with my father and brothers. I reconnected with my brothers when I took the post helping the American Aurors prior to the World Cup, prior to that I had had no contact with them."

There were many, many flashes while he spoke, thankfully he was used to it.

"Now, my brothers are very private men who are not considered public figures. And while they know about magic, as is allowed by their being my family, this property is owned by a muggle, who is not currently present. Your presence here is therefore unlawful. You also all know by now that my family is off limits. Please respect our privacy."

There were grumbles but Harry was notoriously tough on the press and they all knew better than to cross him. Even the Americans. But he wasn't naïve enough to think that this would last – they would be back and he had to figure out how to protect Sam and Dean in the meantime.

Harry went back into the house, his mind whirring at the implications of all those reporters and the next steps he would have to take.

Dean came out of the basement with Sam and Bobby right behind him. "What the actual fuck was that?"

"I think the press found out about me. Er – about us."

"Yeah, no shit," Dean said. "Are they gone?"

"Yeah, I ... reminded them that this is non-magical property, and that my family is off limits which is usually enough to get them to back off," Harry smirked a little at the thought. Percy was ruthless when it came to prosecuting on Harry's behalf against the media.

"Great, well, Sam found our guy, so we have to get on the road." Dean grabbed his already packed duffle bag and looked at Harry expectantly. Apparently "on the road" now meant the Harry Express.

"You can't go out there!" Harry blurted out.

"What?" Sam asked. "We've gotta. We gave to get to the way into Purgatory before Cas does."

"Do you have any idea how easy you are to track now that they have your name and your likeness?" Harry said seriously.

"So what?" Dean scoffed. "We can handle ourselves," he started to head towards the door. Harry put his arm out to stop him.

"You can't."

"Excuse me?"

"Dean, please," Harry begged. "You've no idea the target on your back now."

Dean looked at Harry like he was insane. "We don't know about having a target on our backs? Are you friggin' kidding me?"

"Wizards aren't what you're used to going up against, Dean. Do you know how many people have tried to assassinate me in the last six months alone? At least fifteen. That I know about."

"Do you know how many monsters have tried to kill us in the last six months? Way more than fifteen."

Harry groaned. "Dean, this is different. Look, I know that the search for Purgatory is important, but you're not going to be able to go anywhere without a hoard of paparazzi right now. I kicked them off this property, but I can assure you that they are just up the road."

"If you won't take us, we'll just go without you," Dean said, again, going for the door.

"Can you give me one hour? Just one. Let me go talk to my people, see if we can't sort something out. A security detail, some cloaking spells for the Impala. I can also get to the bottom of who leaked this, giving me a better idea of what we're up against here. Please. Just an hour."

Dean opened his mouth to argue, but Sam interrupted. "We can give you an hour, Harry. But we need to go after that."

"Sam – "

"Thank you," Harry breathed in relief. "I will be back as soon as I can. Please, please, just stay here until I get back." He apparated away.

Dean sat down in the armchair in Bobby's living room, his knee moving up and down. Approximately two minutes later, he stood up. "We can't just stay here."

"Dean, just wait," Sam said, impatiently.

The eldest Winchester started pacing up and down the hallway. He was pissed at Cas – real pissed, but he felt like if they could get to him in time that he could be reasoned with. That they could talk him out of his current plans. Then, Dean would kick his ass for daring to kidnap Harry and they could go back to being a team.

Ten more minutes passed. "I'm going for a walk," he said abruptly.

"No, you're not," Sam said, tiredly.

"Come on, man, just around the junkyard. I can handle any stray wizards."

"I'm not sure that you can, Dean."

"Are you serious right now?"

"Harry asked us for an hour – that's it."

"You think I can't handle some wand-waving idiot?"

Sam sighed. He could tell that Dean was just itching for a fight. "If Harry wanted to go on a solo hunt against Djinn, would you let him?"

"Harry's pretty strong, but no, of course not. That thing would only need to touch him and we don't know how magic would affect…oh."

"Exactly. Trust him."

That bought Sam five more minutes. Dean's pacing and a general air of anxiety were driving him insane. Bobby had wandered off into the basement because Dean was driving him nuts too.

"You have got to calm down, dude."

"We don't have time for this," Dean growled.

"Fine," Sam snapped. "Let's just walk and see if there is anyone just outside the property lines. If there is no one there, and only if, we can go gas up the Impala."

"Thank god, let's go."

"Bobby, we're going on a walk," Sam called out. He didn't wait for a reply before he had to run to catch up with Dean who was heading out on his own.

Because it served as a salvage yard, Bobby's lot was quite large. The house was a good half-mile away from the sign denoting the start of the property. Not that it took the experienced hunters long to get there. When they first got to the archway that said "Singer Salvage Yard," there appeared to be no one around at all.

Dean gave Sam a look and his brother just shrugged. They stepped out of the threshold, only to showered in a storm of flashes.

"I told you it would be worth camping out," they heard one man say to one of the photographers.

"Mr. Winchesters! How long have you known that Mr. Potter is your brother?"

"What is Mr. Potter like behind closed doors? Scary? Mean? Has he threatened you into silence with magic?"

"Is there any truth to the rumors that Harry has a secret love child?"

"Do you blame Mr. Potter for the death of your parents?"

"What do you say about the rumors of Mr. Potter's mental illness?"

As the questions about Harry got more and more insulting, Sam was annoyed, but not as much so as Dean, who was beginning to turn a very special color of red.

"Listen here you vultures…" Dean started, ready to punch a wizard or two. Before he could, however, several men stepped between the Winchesters and the hungry hoard of journalists. They were dressed in all black in formal black robes and had the appearance and demeanor of Secret Service agents guarding the President. They formed a wall so that neither side could see the other anymore.

"Messrs. Wilkinson-Winchester are under the care and protection of their wizarding family."

There were groans and general noises of disappointment from the other side of the large wizards in front of Sam and Dean. To their surprise, the group began to walk and apparate away.

Dean gave Sam a questioning look.

Sam shrugged his shoulders.

"What did they just call us?" Dean whispered.

"Beats me. Should we…run?"

"Maybe Harry sent them?"

"Why wouldn't he just…"

"The perimeter has been secured," they heard another…agent…say to the ones that had been blocking the view of the reporters. That made six men total, which seemed a tad excessive. Even for Harry, who Dean knew from experience, preferred to handle things either by himself or discretely.

"Very good. Do you have the portkey ready for transport?"

"Yes, all is in order."

One of them, the leader, they supposed, turned to them. "Messrs. Wilkinson-Winchester, we have been sent here by your wizarding family to bring you into protective custody. They have instructed us that all you need will be provided upon your arrival at the family compound. There is no need for you to pack."

"Protective custody?" Sam asked.

"Family compound?" Was more of Dean's concern.

"Yes. There have already been several death threats made against you. Your family wishes to ensure your safety."

"Harry sent you?" Dean asked, incredulously.

The man shook his head. "No, we were sent by your guardians, once you are safe, Mr. Potter will be informed as a courtesy, of course."

"Oh hell no," Dean said. "Look here, buddy, Sam and I are full-ass grown adults." He started to pull out his gun, "We're not going anywhere with – "

The men stunned both Winchesters before he could finish the sentence.

xXxXxXxXx

The office was in absolute chaos. When the primary focus of Harry's little group in the US had shifted from monitoring his brothers to doing research and securing locations and people around the country, they had needed a bigger space. Harry had provided, of course, and since returning into this brother's lives, he had taken over an entire floor of an office building.

Harry didn't visit often, not wanting to risk his true identity leaking, but the last time he had been here it had closely resembled a library – quiet conversations and people working studiously at their desks, conference rooms being used for groups to meet.

That was not the case anymore. The pure cacophony of noise made Harry step back into the hallway to be sure he was in the right place before reentering the space. It seemed that everyone was gathered in one place and they were all trying to talk both to and over each other. There was a lot of yelling. Papers were strewn everywhere. It didn't take someone with Hermione's intellect to understand that the witches and wizards working here had heard the news.

"Mr. Potter," Harry heard behind him. Kayla had stuck her head slightly out of a door and whispered as if she was afraid that anyone else would hear her. "Come in here…quietly."

Harry nodded and quickly and quietly went into the office – which was not Kayla's normal one.

"I have to say, Mr. Potter, I'm not sure that I've ever been happier to see you."

"I suppose the news is all over by now," Harry said wryly. "I was hoping to get here before it had spread."

"Every major newspaper in the country has printed a special edition by now," Kayla informed him, before handing him a stack of papers. "And this has nothing on the wireless coverage."

Harry shuffled through the pile. Headlines like – THE SECRET DOUBLE LIFE OF HARRY POTTER, NOT A POTTER AFTERALL, WINCHESTER WORRIES, and WELCOME TO AMERICA, HARRY!. He groaned. "Do you have any idea who started all of this?"

Kayla shook her head. "That is what I was working on when the staff all figured it out. All the newspapers cite an anonymous American informant who supposedly has a lot of evidence. We'll get to the bottom of this – uh, once everyone calms down a bit. I promise sir, we will go after them with every law on the book. We won't let them get away with this…libel."

Harry laughed dryly. "I'm pretty sure that it doesn't count as libel if it's true."

Kayla didn't appear to be as surprised as Harry thought she would be.

"You knew?" he asked.

She hesitated. "I…suspected. I didn't know for a fact."

"What gave it away?"

"A couple of things. First, the fact that you, Harry Potter, cared so deeply for two American hunters – no majes at that. Second, on the paperwork for the protection of Lisa and Ben Braedan, a Henry Winchester claimed him as a nephew to make things official. Third, there was that letter…"

Harry swore. Of course, Millie fucking Wilkinson. He wished he had ignored that letter. Although he highly doubted that she was the one to leak the news, she would stand to benefit from it, once the press traced his American wizarding roots.

"How much do the papers say?" He did not want to read the articles.

"They mention the Purpura Convention – they know that the adoption happened and they have connected the dots to know that he visited the States when you were still at Hogwarts and were admitted to Ilvermorny under your American name. They know that both of your birth parents have passed and that you have two biological brothers."

"Do they know what they do?"

"No. The Purpura Convention covers more than just hunters, so they don't know which class of dangerous no-maj you were born into."

Harry let out a little bit of a sigh. "Thank Merlin for small favors. That will make damage control a little easier. You know the American system better than I do, but let's talk next steps."

"Of course, Mr. Potter," she responded, summoning a notebook and pen. Harry appreciated that American wizards and witches had largely eschewed the use of parchment and quills.

"I am going to have to put you in contact with my team in Britain, namely Percy Weasley, my attorney. You'll probably be meeting the whole gang now, as Hermione can rarely keep her nose out of anything for long, and where she goes Ron follows shortly after."

Kayla's eyes went wide. "Hermione Granger? Really?"

Harry should have known that Kayla was a fan. When people got the (mostly) true story of the war against Voldemort, it was clear that Hermione was the real hero. "Yes. Don't worry, she doesn't bite." He considered for a second. "She does have a mean left hook though. Not that she willy-nilly goes around hitting people. Anyway, I think we should file the same paperwork for Sam and Dean that I filed on Ben. Who, by the way, is not my nephew. That will likely be under more scrutiny now, so we may need to find a different way to protect him and Lisa."

Kayla was writing all of this down. "Documentation for Sam and Dean may be difficult, no-majes don't have any legal status in the American wizarding world…"

"They're not no-majes," Harry corrected, interrupting her. "They are squibs."

"Of course," Kayla said. "Millie Wilkinson is their grandmother too." She let out air. "That is quite some family you have there. What do you know about the Wilkinsons?"

"Millie said something about politics," Harry said dismissively. He had very little interest in that family.

"Political royalty, if that existed," Kayla explained. "I went to school with Thaddeus Wilkinson – he was the golden boy. Star of the Quadpot team, Headboy, first in his grade. Even though he was the second son in his family it was clear that he was going to follow in the family's footsteps."

"Sounds like a wanker," Harry said.

Kayla laughed. "He was, I suppose. You may want to contact them – they have all sorts of connections that can probably help you out."

Harry shuddered. "Let's leave that as a last resort. Normally, I would see this as an excellent time to beef up security around my brothers, but we're…well the less you know the better, but we're in the middle of something that it really would be better not to involve wizards. I want to know all the legal ways I can keep the press from them. And, after that, a list of the less-than-legal ways as well."

"Understood."

"I'm also going to have to give a press conference at some point," he sighed at the very thought. "But I don't dare do so until I've gotten debriefed by Percy about what to say. I'll never hear the end of it. I'm sure that he'll already be unhappy with what I said to them just to get them to go away. I guess that I will have to put your office in touch with my team in the UK."

"You have a team in the UK?"

"Sort of. More like I give Percy the money to run a team for me within his practice. I don't have any direct contact with them - he just briefs me once a quarter or so on things like financial statements and press requests." Harry never wanted to seem like one of those public figures who couldn't function without a constant stream of people caring for their every need. It took a come-to-Merlin meeting with Hermione and others about ten years ago to convince him to hire anyone at all. Outsourcing to Percy who, at the time, was just starting his firm worked out perfectly.

Harry looked down at his mobile. "I have about half an hour before I need to get back to Sioux Falls. Let's talk resources. What do you need?"

"I won't know until we start digging into it," Kayla responded honestly.

"Alright. Then I give you blanket permission to hire whomever you need because I am not going to be able to be here to approve every hire." He trusted this woman not to abuse the power he was giving her. "Anything else?"

She hesitated for a moment. "I think it would be useful if you talked to the staff here directly. They had no idea that they were working for you and have a ton of questions. I'm sure you saw what it was like there out there…"

Harry winced. "Yeah, I did. You're in here hiding?"

"Yes. I didn't want to share anything that you didn't want them to know but they were getting pretty upset with my nonanswers."

"I apologize. Of course, I will go speak with them now. I don't have long, so again, you have my permission to tell them what you know. Normally, I would try to hide the fact that they are hunters, but from the nature of the work we've been having them doing, plus any basic knowledge about the Purpura Convention will likely lead them to that conclusion."

Kayla smiled. "Great," he could hear the relief in her voice. "I'll start on some of this paperwork while you speak with them?"

"You throwing me to the wolves, Ms. Bluebonnet?"

"Yes, sir," she replied.

Harry grinned. He gave her a mocking salute as he left the room.

The yelling hadn't stopped, although the staff had seemingly split into two groups. One was talking in quick, hurried whispers, while the other was gathered around one person who appeared to be reading one of the news articles out loud.

Harry cleared his throat. No one noticed. "Excuse me?" he said, hoping to catch their attention. It only worked on one or two people who first turned to him. One turned back, more interested in what the people around him were saying, while the other stared. She started nudging the one who had turned away, he gave her an annoyed look. She whispered something in his ear. He turned again and gaped.

"Staring is considered rude, you know," Harry said light-heartedly. He decided to stop stalling. "OY!" He yelled using his Head Auror voice. That got their attention. Complete and total silence fell upon the room. To Harry's amusement, some of them started trying to hide the newspapers that they had just been reading from.

"Er, hello," he said. "I think most of you know who I am?" Wide-eyed stares continued. "Ms. Bluebonnet asked me to meet with all of you, perhaps we could all gather in the conference room?" There was no response. So, he just walked himself into the conference room and waited. It didn't take long for them all to follow him and quickly take seats. Still silent, which was freaking him out.

"Alright then, well, I don't have much time. I never want to assume, so in case you didn't know, I'm Harry Potter. As recent newspaper articles indicate, I was born in the United States as Henry Winchester. I am the…founder…of this group. The work done here is at my direction and I would like to thank all of you for the work you have done on behalf of me and my brothers. I would like to answer any questions that you may have."

The room erupted with voices. Harry sighed and plastered on his public speaking face and started addressing questions.

The next half hour was filled with many probing and invasive questions. Not nearly as bad as the press, however, and Harry figured that he owed it to these people who did not know who they had been working for all this time.

Kayla appeared just outside the room at what Harry presumed was half an hour. He had been speaking solidly the entire time.

"I'm afraid that's all the time I have today. Thank you again, for your work, and now that my little secret is out, you should expect to see more of me."

"There's a problem," Kayla told him as soon as he left the office. He didn't have time for problems.

"What is it?" he asked, heart beating fast.

"I was just flooing with my contacts in MACUSA to try and get the paperwork sorted for your brothers and it appears that they have already been claimed by a wizarding family and are either currently in or about to be taken into the protective custody of said family."

"What family?" Harry asked dumbly.

"That information is private, of course, but I'm assuming that it is your grandmother's family."

Harry swore.

"What do you mean by protective custody?"

Kayla looked down a little. Harry often forgot that the woman herself was a squib and this may be a sensitive topic. But this was too important to drop. "There was a law passed, I don't know, maybe thirty years ago, that gave pureblood wizarding families the ability to formally recognize and give legal wizarding status to their squib relations. It was considered a great civil rights case and was meant to protect squibs and their rights. It's how I was able to go to Ilvermorny."

"I'm sensing a but here…"

Kayla exhaled. "But some families – not mine, have used it as a way to control those born to them without magical abilities. If the family can prove that there is an imminent danger to the squibs, they have the right to take them into protective custody. Against their will."

"Fuck," Harry said. Sam and Dean were almost always in imminent danger and that was particularly true right now. "This has Millie written all over it. Alright. Is there a legal challenge to this status?"

Kayla hesitated. "I'm sure there is, you could petition to have the custodial agreement switched over to you. You are more closely related, however, the Wilkinsons do have a great deal of power, so it could be quite the battle."

"Great, just what we needed," Harry said. "Start looking into that for me? Here is the contact information for Percy. If you cannot get him, try Hermione, her information is below that. I need to get to my brothers, right now."

"Of course. I will keep you up-to-date."

He didn't even take the time to thank her, he just flew back to Bobby's house right away.

"Bobby!" He yelled out as he entered the front hall.

"No need to yell, boy," a grumpy reply came from the living room. Harry rushed in there.

"Where are Sam and Dean?" he asked, noticing that his brothers were not in the room.

"They're not with you?" Bobby asked, sounding alarmed.

"No."

"They went for a walk, I dunno twenty-five minutes ago? Dean was chomping at the bit."

Harry did a quick location charm and swore. "They're in Maine."

"Maine? How the hell did they get to Maine?"

"It's a long story. Bobby – I gotta get to them. They're not in any real danger, I don't think, but it may take some time for me to get to them."

"You've got to give me more than that," Bobby ground out.

"I think our grandmother has them. There's this law…it doesn't matter. They're with family, sorta. I've got to go…"

"Hold on there, for a minute. Who knows how much a head start Cas has on us? I can't just sit around here and wait, I have to start finding out how H.P. Lovecraft cracked the door."

Harry hadn't exactly forgotten the current predicament that they were in but it had been pushed to that back of his mind.

"Bollocks," Harry said. "What a fucking shit-show. Bobby, would you be alright going by yourself while I sort this out?"

"'Course. This guy is four states over though if you could give me a lift…"

"Yeah, yeah," Harry felt positively dizzy trying to work out all the details of what was going on. "What car are you driving the most these days?"

"The Chevy Chevelle."

"The green one?"

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Yes."

Harry quickly went outside and was back in seconds. "You got everything you need?"

Bobby picked up a duffle bag on the floor to indicate that he did.

"Great, I've got your car here," Harry said. "Where you headed?"

Bobby told him and Harry quickly flew him to an alley, in the town that Bobby had just said.

He took what looked like a match-box car, placed it on the ground, looked around quickly, and aimed his wandblade at it. It grew to its full size.

"Woah," Bobby said.

"Yeah. Magic's awesome. Do you need me to send some of my team to help you out?"

Bobby shook his head. "No. I'm fine. Just get to the boys as quickly as you can."

Harry nodded.

"And Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"You better never pull that stunt with the Impala. Dean would murder you."

Harry grinned. "He could try." He left.

xXxXxXxXx

Dean awoke suddenly in a bed. He reached for the gun he customarily kept under his pillow when he slept, only to find that it was not there. He quickly started looking for his other weapons, only to find them all gone.

"Yeah, they took our weapons," Sam said.

Dean finally took in his surroundings. He and Sam were in a medium-sized room that was decidedly…boring. The walls were a neutral gray and the bed he had been lying in was a twin bed covered in navy blue bed coverings. There was nothing that he could use as a weapon but everything seemed to be very high quality. There was a large window that overlooked a very beautiful lawn.

"Where the hell are we?" He asked.

Sam shrugged. "Dunno. I've only been awake for a couple of minutes longer than you. I tried the window though – it wouldn't budge. Haven't tried the door yet, wanted to make sure that you were with me in case it's open so we can escape."

"It was wizards, right?"

"Yeah."

"They said something…about a family compound."

"And called us by a weird last name."

"Alright – let's try the door, Sammy."

They cautiously approached the door that had a very elegant gold handle. Sam carefully touched it – it wasn't locked. Gingerly, he opened the door and quickly looked both ways to see if there was anyone there.

He hand signaled Dean to indicate that it was clear and that he was going to proceed carefully. Dean nodded in agreement.

The hallway was elegant. Large seascapes were lining the walls that were painted a dark blue with a bright white crown molding. As they were quietly making their way, Dean noticed that the water was…moving.

"Dude," he said quietly to his brother.

"What?" Sam asked in an equally quiet voice, annoyed that Dean was talking at all.

"Is it just me or are the paintings actually…moving?" He had seen wizarding pictures before, but there was something distinctly off-putting about how the waves moved and made him feel a little queasy.

Sam looked. "Woah," he said.

"Freaky."

They kept going until they heard loud voices – men yelling at each other. As they got closer, they could make out what they were saying.

"…I absolutely forbid it, Thomas," came one voice.

"Fuck your permission, I'm not asking for it. Cast me out of the family, I don't care!"

"Tom, don't say that," came a third voice.

"Oh, you going to chime in now? Let me guess, you would like me to think about my political career. The career that I don't give two shits about. It's your political career you're worried about. Don't forget I never would have even met her if it weren't for Mémé's meddling."

"You were supposed to get close to Ginny Weasley, jackass, not run off with her no-maj friend!"

Dean's blood froze. Sam indicated that they should keep going to make their escape but Dean firmly shook his head no.

"And if it's not bad enough that she's a no-maj, she's a no-maj that already has a son. A son sired by your cousin, no less."

"Oh, now he's our cousin, dad? What was it you were saying last night about the filthy squib hunters that Great Aunt Millie is forcing on us? Lisa told me that he is not his son, in any case."

"Then why would Harry Potter claim him as his nephew?"

"Screw Harry Potter!"

"Thomas, if Mémé heard you…" someone hissed.

"I don't care what Mémé overhears!" he roared. "It's not me you should be worried about, you're the one who won't stop ranting about her disgraceful grandsons. Why don't you tell her what you really think, dad? Grow a spine and stick up to the old bat."

"Thomas Paul Wilkinson, don't you take that tone with me."

"I will take whatever tone I damn well please."

Footsteps. The man…Thomas…had stormed out of the room straight into Sam and Dean in the hallway. He was a couple of inches shorter than Dean with short, blonde hair. He was wearing what Dean assumed was the wizard equivalent of J. Crew. Preppy. Punchable.

"Oh," the man said when he saw Sam and Dean in the hallway. They both straightened, ready to defend themselves. "We didn't expect the stunners to wear off so quickly. Uh – hi, I'm Thomas. Your cousin." He stuck his hand out. Neither of them took it, they just looked at him silently. "Right, right, of course. Um, I'll just call Mémé…"

"No," Dean said harshly.

"Tell us how to get out of here," Sam demanded. He stood up to his full height - between that and the fury in his voice, it was clear that he was not messing around. Thomas held his hands up to show that he was not a threat.

"I'm not going to do that – but why don't you come into the sitting room? We can talk. There's no reason to be scared, you're safe here. Mémé, rather Great Aunt Millie – your grandmother, can explain everything. You see…"

"We're not fucking scared," Dean said, dangerously. "We just need to get the hell out of here."

"I don't think that…"

Dean quickly advanced on the wizard, closing the physical distance between the two of them and held up against the wall. He put his face directly in front of Thomas'. "Listen here, you douchebag, we don't have time for a family reunion, you will tell us how to…"

"That is quite enough," came a strong female voice. "Unhand him at once." A quick spell pushed Dean away as Thomas fell slightly. Before either brother had a chance to do anything, they were both hit with what Dean, at least, recognized as a stinging hex. "I should have known that John would raise such unruly, ill-mannered, sons. As long as you live under this roof, you will comport yourself as proper gentlemen. Roughhousing is unacceptable."

"Live under this roof?" Sam asked. "We don't live here, lady."

"You do now, Samuel Wilkinson-Winchester. You are under my protection and until such a day that I deem it safe for you to venture out."

"That's not our last name!" Dean protested.

"It is now," Millie said, dismissively. "I had it changed, of course."

"You can't just change our last name," Sam couldn't believe the nerve on this woman.

"I can and I did. Now, I have put up with your inane questions long enough. Let us go into the sitting room, like the civilized people we are, or, in your case, aim to be, and have this discussion in a more appropriate setting."

Dean opened his mouth to argue, just to find himself silenced. A quick look at Sam confirmed that the same had been done to him. They were then each hit with stinging hexes on their butts, encouraging them to move forward. They kept coming until they were in what they supposed was the living room. The room had high ceilings and fancy crown molding. The walls were earth tones and there were large, towering windows draped in dark blue curtains overlooking the ocean. A large fireplace was at the head of the room, where an older-looking man stood leaned against it. Three plush sofas surrounded a coffee table. A friggin' chandelier hanging above it - Dean noticed. If it weren't for the fact that he didn't want to admit to having seen an episode (or three), and that he was silenced, he would have made a snide remark about Downton Abbey.

The owners of the various voices were in the room, they were standing and staring as Sam and Dean entered the room.

"Now do I need to continue to treat you as errant toddlers, or can you be trusted to have a seat?"

Both Winchesters sat, but neither was happy about it.

The awful woman smiled. "Excellent. Maybe John managed to ingrain a little bit of his good breeding into you. Merlin knows he never would have dreamed of speaking to me the way you two just did. Since we didn't have the chance before, some introductions are in order. I am Millie Wilkinson-Fontaine. I was once Millie Wilkinson-Winchester. I am your grandmother and as such, you may call me Mémère, or, less formally as the rest of the family calls me, Mémé. You will be meeting the whole family shortly, as I called everyone in for an emergency family meeting. You already met Thomas Wilkinson the Third, your second cousin."

"This," she said, pointing to a brunette man with similar facial features to Thomas, "is Thaddius Wilkinson the Second, Thomas' brother and also your cousin. The young man next to him is Thomas Wilkinson Junior, their father, my nephew, your great uncle. You will refer to all family members respectfully. You will call Thomas, for example, Great Uncle Thomas, and Thaddius, Cousin Thaddius, until they permit you to call them something more familiar."

Dean snorted silently. Millie ignored him.

"You have four Great-Uncles, my younger brothers. Between them, you have eight first cousins, once removed. Similarly, you have eight second cousins, and finally, five second cousins, once removed. You will, of course, be provided a full family tree and will be expected to learn everyone's names and positions in the family. Although those will be shifting slightly."

"Mémère, you can't possibly – " The eldest man in the room, Thomas Wilkinson Jr., protested.

"Thomas. I know this is upsetting for you. But the laws are clear. I am the eldest child, so the heirship follows my family line first. That means that Harry is the one who will assume my position as Head of Family when I pass. Which won't be anytime soon."

"He doesn't know anything about…"

Sam and Dean exchanged meaningful looks while this argument went on, everyone else in the room absorbed in it, so they silently (as if they had any other choice) stood and started edging towards the door.

"Not so fast," Millie said, her voice like the crack of a whip. "Sit." She used magic to make them return to the sofa with a thud. "Now, I'm going to remove your silencing charms. I'm sure that you have questions."

"Yeah, when are you going to let us leave? The fate of the world is on the line, we don't have time to play happy family," Sam said.

"The fate of the world?" Millie scoffed. "You are father's sons aren't you. He was always so dramatic."

"You have no right to talk about our dad," Dean growled. "You abandoned him."

She raised her eyebrow. "Gentlemen, I need a moment alone with my grandsons."

Their uncle and cousins didn't need to be told twice. Sam could have sworn that Thomas III shot them a sympathetic look on his way out.

"Is that what John said about me?" Millie questioned. "Do you know what I risked to raise him? A useless squib, the shame of it all. I gave up my family, my connections, and my job so that he would have a mother. And how did he repay me? By marrying that…hunter bitch of a woman."

If Dean physically could, he would have gotten up to punch this woman for speaking about his mother that way. But he found himself stuck to his seat. His face got dark red. "Don't you dare," he hissed. "That's our mother you're talking about."

"And if," Sam ground out, "you hate squibs so much why are you making us stay here? You've never wanted anything to do with us before, never shown any interest, why now? Just let us go and we'll go back to pretending you don't exist."

Silence for a moment.

"It's not about us," Dean said, looking smug that he had figured it out before Sam. "Is it?" He asked their grandmother.

"Perhaps there is some of my Henry in you after all. Intelligence must have just skipped a generation. You are correct. I don't care for you and I won't pretend that I do. This was a last resort as that brother of yours has been ignoring me ever since we got off on the wrong foot a couple of months ago. It's simple, in exchange for him agreeing to becoming my heir, I will release you two into his custody and he can serve as your guardian."

"Of all of the asinine…" Dean started. Before he could finish, however, the man in question appeared in the room.

"Sam! Dean! Are you alright?" Harry asked as he approached his brothers. "You," he said to Millie.

Millie, for her part, looked surprised to see him. "How did you get past our wards?"

Harry ignored her. "Are you hurt?" he asked his brothers again.

"We're fine," Sam replied.

"Took a couple stinging hexes is all," Dean said.

"Good." He turned to Millie again. "I doubt there are any wards that you could put up that I couldn't get past. I am taking my brothers and leaving. I will deal with you after we're done saving the world."

"I'll sue you!" She shouted out.

Harry glared, placed his hands on Sam and Dean's shoulders, and flew them out of there. What he didn't mean to do was transport the couch they had been sitting on with them and so his brothers crashed landed in the living room of his house near Bobby's.

"Ouch," Sam said.

"Uh – right. Sticking charm?"

"How the hell are we supposed to know?" Dean snarled.

Harry cast a quick finite incantatem, figuring that would cover whatever Millie had done to them. That made it so both of them were able to stand up.

Sam dusted himself off. "You weren't kidding when you called her a bitch were you?"

Harry shook his head. "Not in the slightest. She didn't hurt you? I mean, I know physically you're fine, but uh – did she say anything that hurt your feelings?"

Dean looked at Harry like he was insane. "Our feelings? You're worried about our feelings?"

"Well, yeah, I know that she has some harsh things to say about Mom and Dad and I didn't know…well, if you want to tell me about it, I'll listen."

"Harry. Cas is out there somewhere trying to open Purgatory with Crowley. Raphael is probably hot on their heels. Although it's dramatic enough to be, this ain't no episode of Dr. Phil. We're fine. Where's Bobby?"

Harry looked to Sam, who nodded to indicate that his feelings were fine.

"He's talking to that H.P. Lovecraft expert. Probably doesn't need us jumping in on that, I'm sure he'll call when he's done. What happened with Millie?"

"We woke up in a small room, tried to sneak out, overheard some dickwads arguing, and then got…"

"Hey what made you pause from their argument anyway?" Sam asked.

"What?" Dean asked.

"I wanted to keep going but you wouldn't budge."

The look on Dean's face gave away the fact that he didn't want to talk about it.

"What were they arguing about?" Harry, asked, curious.

"Uh – I wasn't paying super close attention, but I do remember one of them yelling 'Screw Harry Potter,' for whatever that's worth. Oh, and something about a nephew…"

"Ah. Dean, he's not – Lisa wasn't lying. I only claimed him because legally that was the only way to keep a security team around their house. I would have made sure they were protected in any case, legal or not, but it was the easiest way to keep what they needed and kept the disruption to their lives at a minimum. Ginny did all the work for it anyway…"

"I mean, I kinda figured, but for a second – "

"Who are you two talking about?" Sam asked, confused.

"Ben," Harry and Dean said at the same time.

"Oh."

"Er – in the same way that Millie took 'custody,' of the two of you, I used the same messed up American law to claim Ben as a relative of mine."

"Did you change his last name, too?" Dean demanded.

"What? No, of course not why would I ever even…did Millie change your last name?"

They nodded.

"Merlin. She is something else."

"Yeah, makes Dad look like a kitten in comparison. You know I always thought he was a hardass because of his time in the Marines, but after spending about ten minutes with that…" Dean said.

"Yeah, we're 0 for 2 on grandparents," Sam said.

"Did she say what she wanted with the two of you?"

"Yeah, blackmail," Sam said. "She was telling the uncle and cousins that we met that you were going to be the new head of the family and that, in exchange for giving you guardianship over us, she was gonna make you be her heir, whatever that means. And why the fuck do we all of a sudden need a guardian?"

"It's the American system. I had some explain it to me briefly. More or less, it's something that's meant to give squibs legal status in the wizarding world. But she's perverted it to try and control you. Don't worry, my lawyers are on it. As for being her heir, I have no idea, nor any desire to be the heir. Could be another weird American law. I'm getting really sick of those."

"No kidding," Dean said. "Hey – did you get our things before we left?"

"What?"

"They took our guns and knives. Including the demon-killing knife."

Harry groaned. "Of course not. I'll be right back," he flew off.

"Not to take up where Harry's left off, but I need a good, stiff, drink after that."

"I'll get the whiskey – he's got to have it around here somewhere…"

xXxXxXxXx

"I have to give you credit where credit is due," Crowley said to Gabriel, looking through some newspapers. "This is more subtle than what I usually prefer, a lot less blood and tears, but those boys aren't getting anywhere quickly. Especially with that tracking spell, you placed on 'em."

"Just don't forget about your end of the bargain," Gabriel responded. He was quite pleased with their arrangement. The chaos around the Winchesters was nothing short of delicious. Inconvenient, but ultimately unharmful to them. It made it look like he was still helping Cas, when, in fact, he was stabbing that uppity seraph in the back.

"You're an even better kisser than Bobby Singer, I won't be forgetting this one anytime soon."


AN - I warned you it would be chaotic and it was. Also, my longest yet. It took me a really long time to write, so I'm playing desperate catch up so that I will have a chapter for you next week!

I went very off-script for this chapter, which automatically places it among my favorites. I decided a while back that I didn't want to do the Lisa and Ben kidnapping plot for this fic because I didn't like the ultimate outcome of that in the show.

Casting! Thomas Wilkinson is played by Matt Czuchry. Although he looks like Logan Huntzberger (Gilmore Girls for those who don't know, lol) the only thing that Logan and Thomas share in common is that they come from rich families with high expectations of them. To stay in the CW family of rich white guys, Thaddius Wilkinson is played by Scott Michael Foster.

I spent too many hours creating a Wilkinson/Winchester/Campbell family tree. Please see the fruit of my labors here. (Ff dot net friends, you'll have to go to Ao3 if you want to see it.) Did I need to name all of those characters? No. Is it because they will all be appearing in this fic. Also no. Does anyone but me care. Haha. Probably not.

I always planned to have Millie "claim" Sam and Dean but their exact predicament is very much inspired by what is happening with Brittany Spears right now. It's a legal guardianship that is meant to protect squibs but can be and is being abused here.

As always, thank you all so, so, so much for all of the comments, reviews, kudos', favorites, subscriptions, etc. I don't know that I would ever have gotten to this point without the encouragement, please keep it coming as I finish this up! I'm hoping to not go past Chapter 25 – but this chapter was only meant to be 10 chapters, so we'll see if I meet that goal, lol.