THE FAMILY BUSINESS: EIGHT
Summary: Hermione's peaceful, yet boring life is disrupted when notorious hunter, Dean Winchester, walks into her book shop. Dean's life is completely changed when he meets, Hermione Granger, Brightest Witch of her Age. But maybe that's just what they both needed. A series of one-shots based on their lives together. Mostly Dean's POV. Rated M for a reason.
Disclaimer: I do not own canon events and characters, they belong to J.K Rowling and the creators of Supernatural. I am not making a profit from writing and posting this fanfic.
AN
I think I'm due a new laptop. I've had nothing but issues with this one lately and unfortunately, I had to rewrite this entire chapter as my laptop crashed and the entire chapter was deleted. I did everything possible to get it back but after having a mini-meltdown, I found the patience to sit down and start again. Also, I've recently realised that season one was originally set around November, December, so I'm changing that, too. And of course, I have another massive chapter for you.
I know you're all waiting for Hermione's meeting with John and I promise it will be coming in either the next chapter or the one after, depending on the chapter length.
Also, I realised I have pretty much abandoned 'The English Rose' and I feel awful. I want to get back to it as I'd planned on having it completed within about five chapters, but before I do any writing or posting of new chapters, I want to start from the beginning to ease myself back into it and that means I'm going to be editing the whole story as it is so far, and once I've done that I'll start posting again.
Q&A
Black Banshee & Angel JJK – I thought you'd like it. I couldn't help myself and had to give Dean a little pet of his own.
LadyQuinzel - I couldn't help myself. After I'd completed 'TWATH' I missed writing about our favourite hunters and witch and couldn't stop the little plot bunnies from forming in my mind, and once that happens, it's very hard to stop it. I just had to write another, only this time from the very beginning. I don't have any specific plot points planned so I'm just winging it as I go, which makes it more exciting for me because I have no idea where this one will end up, so I'll be just as surprised as the rest of you.
Page count: 26
Three weeks later...
"So, how long until we wash this off?"
"Usually around ten minutes after application," Hermione replied, her fingers smoothing over his forehead as she applied the last of the face mask to his skin.
She'd already done hers before convincing him to participate in her little pampering session, too. And while he did put up a fight at first, he'd soon give in when she'd promised to give him a head massage whilst they waited for the strawberry smelling face mask to do its job.
She reached over to wipe her hands clean before she brought them up to his temples, rubbing in gentle circles and applying a small amount of pressure. He sighed and brought his hands up, clasping them together and resting them against his stomach while he lay across the bed with his head in Hermione's lap, the sound of the TV quietly filling the background.
Three weeks went quickly for Dean and while he may have been a little worried about how Sam would cope with Hermione and her constant use of magic, he had no reason to worry at all. In fact, Dean thought that Sam had taken it better than he had and within only an hour of leaving their motel to head off for their first case, Sam's questions had soon begun and Dean had to give it to Hermione; she had the patience of a saint when it came to his brother and his infinite amount of questions about magic and her world. The only time he seemed to give her peace was when they were actively in the middle of a fight and when she was sleeping.
And when it came to seeing Hermione in a fight, she had both frightened and amazed him and Dean knew that feeling all too well. It had taken barely any time at all for Sam to trust Hermione, but he wasn't sure if that was because of the way Sam had seen her interact and care for him, or if it was because she had both his and Bobby's approval, either way, it didn't matter to Dean and he was happy to see his brother and girlfriend getting along.
And Dean had noticed a change in Sam since he'd met Hermione. He wasn't quite sure what it was exactly, but he'd say that Sam seemed...Just lighter, less burdened. He knew that he and Hermione often disappeared on walks together and when they returned Sam always seemed a little bit happier each time. If there was anyone that could get through to Sam and help him it was Hermione, after all, she was an expert on dealing with grief after the losses she'd suffered during the war and after losing her partner, and while she hadn't loved her partner the way Sam had loved Jess, she still knew the pain of such loss.
If the circumstances were different Dean would've thought there was something going on between the two of them but he knew without a doubt that not only would Hermione and Sam never do that to him, but that Sam saw Hermione as a sister and friend, and Dean knew, too. Sam had made more than one sneaky comment over the weeks about his relationship with Hermione and where their future was headed but Dean being happy to live in the present, just ignored him.
"You know, your father's really starting to piss me off," Hermione spoke, her fingers slipping through his hair and massaging at his scalp.
"Hmmm?" Dean hummed, feeling far too relaxed to even reply.
"If we don't find him soon or he doesn't get in contact with you, I'm calling in some favours with some old friends of mine and they'll haul his arse in and throw him in a cell. At least then he can't escape when I unleash my anger on him."
He snorted. "A few more weeks and if we've still got nothing, I'll give you the green light to do just that, serves him right anyway."
"Serves who right?"
Dean lifted his head towards the door, seeing Sam step in with a plastic bag containing their dinner and a crate of beer under his arm. Sam shut the door behind him and when he turned around, he faltered in his steps, his eyes widening and darting between him and Hermione.
"I've seen it all now," he muttered.
Dean refused to be embarrassed about wearing a pink face mask that smelled like strawberries. The clay mask Hermione had been putting on him once a week was doing wonders for his skin and he assumed the face mask would do the same and if not, he still made Hermione happy and got a head massage out of it, it was a win-win situation.
"Hey, Sammy," Hermione smiled at his brother. "I've got another one if you want to give it a go."
"No thanks," Sam replied, looking to Dean amused now that the shock had worn off and he placed the bag and beer down onto the table, removed his jacket and hooked it over one of the chairs.
Dean didn't particularly like sharing a room with his brother, beforehand it hadn't mattered because Hermione had been away but when all three of them had officially started hunting together, Dean made it a point to get two separate rooms, one for Sam and the other for himself and Hermione, as well as the two cats that seemed to follow them wherever they went, but this time they were forced to share.
Crookshanks had taken to Sam fairly well though it was clear he much preferred Dean, but when in the car and Sam was in the back seat with the two fur-balls, Crookshanks would lay on his back and stare at Sam until he rubbed his stomach and Sadie would curl up in a ball next to Crookshanks or play with his bushy tail.
"You sure? It'll rehydrate your skin better than any moisturiser."
He snorted, looking to Dean once more before shaking his head. "I'll pass, thanks. Besides, I got food."
Dean snorted when Hermione lifted his head off her lap, climbed out from beneath him and dropped his head onto the mattress before darting off the bed and to the bathroom. Luckily, he'd seen it coming and moved his hands behind his head to cushion it before it hit the mattress.
"What?" Dean asked his brother, seeing Hermione moving into the bathroom to wash the face mask off before dinner.
Sam's mouth pulled into a smile. "You're so whipped."
"I'm not," Dean denied, pushing himself up until he was sitting up with his feet planted on the ground.
"You so are,"
"I'm not," Dean argued.
"Tell that to your face," Sam said, chuckles breaking through.
"Bitch!"
"Jerk!"
"You're just jealous you're not as pretty as me," Dean fired back and Sam burst into laughter, nearly tripping over the chair as he pulled it out from beneath the table.
"Dean, you need to wash it off," Hermione called from the bathroom and Dean stood from the bed and headed for the door, hearing Sam making a whipping sound effect from behind him.
Dean turned to glare at him over his shoulder. "She promised me a head massage," he said. "And trust me; I haven't had a headache since we started dating because of it."
"What's got him wetting himself?" Hermione asked as he stepped into the bathroom and she held a cloth up to his face in a gesture for him to stand in front of her.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he replied, her hand reaching up to hold his chin and keep his head still while the other wiped his face clean with the cloth.
"You're practically glowing," she complimented, after pulling back from him and dropping the face cloth into the sink and Dean stood taller at her words and looked to himself in the mirror above the sink. "Alright, I'm starving," she said as she stepped around him and left the bathroom.
He followed after her, stepping back into the room to see that Sam was sat at the table and when he looked to him, he started chuckling again. Hermione took the seat opposite Sam and she conjured up another one for him and he sat beside her, reaching for his own food and accepting a beer when she held one out to him.
"I picked up a newspaper," Sam said.
"And?" Dean raised an eyebrow, pulling his food closer to him when he saw Hermione eyeing it despite the fact she was currently eating her own.
"I know we're meant to be searching for dad," Sam said and Dean heard Hermione mutter 'arsehole,' beneath her breath. "But there's been a strange death in a town not far from here."
"And?" He repeated. "A single death isn't suspicious."
"Maybe not, but the victim was said to have died whilst looking in a bathroom mirror and was found by the eldest daughter, apparently it was quite gruesome. The funeral's tomorrow and if we leave in the morning we can get to the morgue before heading to the house to check things out. If it's nothing to worry about then we were passing through anyway, if there is, we take care of it and continue on our search for dad."
"Arsehole," Hermione muttered once more and he and Sam shared an amused look.
"What do you think?" Dean asked, turning to look at Hermione.
She shrugged her shoulders. "Could be suspicious, could not, but in my experience, it doesn't hurt to have a look and as Sam said, we're passing through anyway."
"Alright, we'll check it out. We'll head out after breakfast."
~000~000~000~
"That was disgusting," Hermione grimaced as she and Sam stepped out of the morgue to see Dean waiting for them by the Impala.
"Really?" He asked.
"Unfortunately," Sam agreed. "The COD is unclear but the skull was full of blood and his eyes had been liquidated."
"Alright, that's definitely weird," Dean said. "The wake started half an hour ago, if we head over now we should get there before the guests start leaving."
They all climbed into the Impala and made the short journey to the victims' house, before stepping out of the car and heading through the open door and out into the garden where the guests were milling around and chatting between their little groups.
"Right, you head into the house and see what you can find and I'll stay out here and talk to some of these people and see what I can get out of them," Hermione spoke. "If you get caught you have a better chance of charming your way out of it than I do," she said, looking to him and Sam snorted.
"Be careful," he warned.
"I'm always careful, you're the one that gets injured when I'm not around," she replied.
Sam snorted once more and Dean made to respond but Sam's hand clamped down on his shoulder until he spun him around and pushed him back towards the house. They were quick to climb the stairs and soon found the bathroom in which the victim had died in and they climbed under the crime scene tape and looked at the bloodstain on the ground, their eyes searching their surroundings for clues.
"We should probably get Hermione up here," Dean mused.
"She does have a knack for finding things we don't," Sam agreed.
"It's her magic, she said the supernatural has no power over true born magic and therefore she can sense things that others won't be able to, just like Crookshanks and Sadie."
"What are you doing up here?"
They both turned around to see a pretty blonde teenage girl stood by the door and they looked to each other, hoping she hadn't heard what they'd just been discussing because if she had, Hermione would be pissed and they both winced at the thought of Hermione being mad at them.
"I know you're not guests; I've never seen you before. So what are you doing and how did you get in?"
Dean flashed her his most charming smile, the one that worked on everyone but Hermione and he saw the girl's body relax slightly in response.
"We're investigating, of course," he said.
"You're police officers?" She frowned.
"Not exactly," Sam said. "Look, we're going to be honest with you, what happened here, we think it's suspicious and we're looking into it. But right now I think we've seen all we need to so we better go. But if you know anything that may help us with our investigation, please give us a call," he said, pulling a business card out of his pocket and handing it to the young woman. She eyed them both carefully before nodding and stepping aside to let them past.
"That was a close one," Sam muttered as they descended the stairs with the young woman following behind them to make sure they left.
"We don't tell Hermione about nearly letting the kneazle out of the bag," Dean mumbled in response, before putting a smile on his face as he stepped out of the house and into the garden.
Hermione seeing him approaching, politely excused herself from the conversation she'd been having with an old man and she crossed the garden, her hand slipping into his when he held it out to her, before he dragged her back through the house and towards the Impala.
"Learn anything?" He asked.
"Yes actually, it seems the children blame themselves," she said, climbing into the car and turning to face him as he got into the driver's side and Sam leaned forward from his place in the back seat.
"What'd you mean?" Sam asked confused.
"Well, I was able to get the younger girls alone and they think it's their fault the father died. Apparently, on the night of his death, Lilly had a sleepover and she was dared to stand in front of the mirror and say 'Bloody Mary' three times. He was found dead the next morning and in front of the very same mirror."
"You're kidding me, right?" Dean asked. "Bloody Mary?"
She shrugged her shoulders in response but Sam said, "You never know, Dean. Bloody Mary is a myth and we know that some myths are born from truth."
"It doesn't hurt to keep an open mind," Hermione added. "But right now, I'm hungry. What shall we have for dinner?"
Sam rolled his eyes and Dean shook his head.
~000~000~000~
"Are you sure you can get us in?"
"Have you forgotten who you're talking to?" Hermione responded, looking over her shoulder at Sam with a raised eyebrow.
"Fair enough," he replied amused.
Hermione pointed her wand at the door handle and muttered beneath her breath before a 'click' was heard. Dean reached out and tried the door, it swinging open after giving it a little nudge. Hermione sent Sam a smug look before stepping into the house and following the directions they'd been given by Charlie, the young woman they'd met yesterday.
Sam had received a phone call in the early hours of the morning from the teenager, explaining the conversation she'd had with her friend and that very morning, she'd been found dead after saying 'Bloody Mary' in front of a mirror. Dean didn't believe in coincidences and whilst the first time he'd been sceptical, this time he was suspicious.
They'd waited until the crime scene crew had left before breaking into the house and heading for the girl's bedroom where she'd died. The moment they stepped through the door, their eyes taking in the otherwise clean bedroom except for the blood, Hermione stopped suddenly, her wand being gripped in her hand tightly.
"What is it?" He asked her.
A frown settled on her face and she took in the room with wary eyes, slowly taking a step forward.
"Something doesn't feel right," she muttered and they stood back and let her do her thing.
Since meeting her, hunting had become a lot easier; not only because they had her magic, expertise and healing on their side, but because she was a walking, talking supernatural detector and they hadn't bothered with the need for EMF readers and the like.
She came to a stop in front of the mirror, slowly reaching out with a cautious hand to touch the surface and she pulled it away and back to herself as if she'd been stung.
"This mirror, there's something not right about it. I don't know what it is, but it almost feels as if it's surrounded by a strange energy field and if you boys were to get your supernatural gear on it, I reckon it'd show you the same thing. I'm convinced this is a supernatural killing. How? I'm not sure yet."
She reached out for the mirror once more, going for the sides rather than the surface and she pulled it forward, peering over the top and looking down at the back before turning it around for them to see. The name "Gary Bryman" was written on the back in what looked to be blood.
"What would you boys like to bet this name has something to do with Jill's death?"
"I'm never betting against you again," Sam said, sticking his hands in his pockets and Dean smirked at him.
Sam had soon learned just how good a cheat Hermione was at poker but it had taken him losing two hundred dollars, his watch, his right to choose where they ate for a month and his cell phone. Thankfully, -to stop him from crying- Hermione had given him all of his things back but he was still banned from choosing where they ate, especially after he had taken them to a vegan place. Hermione still hasn't forgiven him.
"I don't think we're going to find anything else, so we should probably see what we can find out about this name. But if we've found a name here, do you think there may be one at Shoemaker's house?"
"It's possible," Dean replied. "We wanted to get you in the bathroom to do your witchy thing but we were caught before we had the chance."
She nodded and put the mirror back where she found it. "I'll apparate over to the house, sneak inside and do a quick check and I'll meet you in the Impala. You boys should get out of here in case someone comes back."
Hermione spun on her heel and disappeared with a 'crack.' Sam, still not being used to seeing her do that, blinked before shaking his head and he headed for the stairs with Dean following behind him. They'd barely climbed into the car when Hermione reappeared in the passenger's side, making them both jump in surprise.
"Name?" Dean asked.
"There's a name on the back, too. Linda Shoemaker."
"Isn't that the wife that died?" Sam asked.
"Yes, from what I learned at the wake, she died of a pill overdose," she nodded. "But I still think we need to do a bit of digging."
"We'll head back to the motel and I can do some research online."
"We're stopping for lunch though, right?"
~000~000~000~
Sam sat at the table in Dean and Hermione's room, typing away on his laptop while Dean lay sprawled out on the bed, flicking through the TV channels with Crookshanks curled up in his lap and Sadie looking like a little white ball of fluff as she slept on his chest. Hermione was sat beside him, not paying attention to anyone or thing but the sandwich she was eating, despite her having eaten a double cheeseburger, fries and onion rings at the diner they'd stopped at for lunch not long before.
Life with Hermione was easy and that's one of the reasons he cared for her so much. Aside from the fact he was genuinely happier since meeting her, and that she took care of him and made him feel as though he mattered, being with her was just easy. There was no drama or tension or awkwardness, and it was easy to keep her happy. All he had to do was feed her, make sure she slept and that he gave her cuddles, much like with Crookshanks and Sadie, but Dean was smart enough never to voice those thoughts lest he get hexed for even daring to compare her to their pets, no matter how accurate a comparison it was.
"I think I've found what we're looking for," Sam spoke, drawing their attention.
"What've you got?" Dean asked.
"Well, Gary Bryman is a young boy that was the victim of a hit and run. A suspect was never found or arrested and the case went unsolved."
"And what does that have to do with Jill?"
"There was a description of the car thought to be involved and after doing a little digging, I've found the description matches her car perfectly."
Dean and Hermione shared a look before turning to Sam. "That's interesting," he mused. "What about the wife?"
"Although her case was closed, there were some that thought her death was suspicious and out of character and some believed the husband was involved."
"He killed her?" Hermione said.
"There's no evidence either way," he shrugged.
"And Jill killed the kid," Dean mused. "So both victims were guilty or had a death on their conscience."
"This is sounding like a vengeful spirit," Sam added.
"I guess you were right after all," Dean said. "Have there been any violent deaths in the last few decades?"
"Already one step ahead of you. Mary Worthington from Indiana, but I can't find much about the case. I did, however, find the number of the lead detective on the case and he still lives in Indiana."
"If you can pull me up an image of the detective's house or the police station, I can apparate us over there and save us the drive and be back in time for dinner," Hermione said.
"I hate teleporting," Dean muttered.
"Stop being a baby," she rolled her eyes and Sam sniggered at them, Dean sending him a glare in response.
~000~000~000~
"What do you have?" Sam asked when Hermione and Dean stepped into the room after being gone an hour.
"Mary was murdered at the age of nineteen, when someone broke into her apartment and cut her eyes out with a knife," Hermione said.
"That explains the liquidation of the eyes," he injected.
"Before she died, in front of a mirror might I add, she tried to spell out her killer's name but only managed the first three letters. A surgeon was suspected but was never proven to be guilty and the case went unsolved."
"And she was cremated," Dean added.
"Great," Sam sighed, pushing a hand through his hair and sitting back in his chair.
"But we think she's attached herself to the mirror which she died in front of. It makes sense if you think about it, seeing as the victims are dying in front of mirrors, too. She's using the mirrors as a portal when summoned," Hermione said. "That's the energy field I can feel around them."
"So we need to find this mirror," Sam said.
"Already have," Dean said, smiling smugly as he laid out on the bed, his hand coming up to scratch Sadie behind the ears when she meowed and moved over to him, butting her head against his cheek. "It was recently sold to a store in Toledo."
"It's shut today but I can easily get us in, but we may have to drive it as Dean couldn't find an image online for me to use as a guide," Hermione spoke, moving to sit beside him on the bed and petting Crookshanks when he moved to sit on her lap.
Sam made to speak when he was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone and he answered it, a frown pulling at his face before his eyes widened.
"We'll be right over, but don't move and stay away from any reflective surfaces," Sam spoke and he and Hermione looked to each other in confusion as Sam ended the call. "That was Charlie; her friend was messing about in the bathroom whilst in school."
Hermione sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "The stupid bint said it three times, didn't she?"
"Right in one," he nodded, standing from his chair and grabbing his coat. "Charlie saw her dead ex-boyfriend in the mirror."
"She's a target," Dean said, also standing up after picking Sadie up from his chest and putting her down.
"She's at her house now waiting for us, so we better be quick just in case."
"We'll have to drive, we don't have time to go searching for an image for me to use as a guide," Hermione spoke, making sure she had her wand tucked beneath the sleeve of her jacket.
~000~000~000~
"We need to summon her," Sam said from the back seat of the Impala.
After heading over to Charlie's, it had taken Hermione nearly twenty minutes to calm the frightened teen before they'd covered every mirror and reflective surface possible and told her not to leave her house, and soon after they left for Toledo.
"That's easy enough," Hermione said, as they neared their intended destination. "But she'll only come for someone that is associated with death and keeping secrets. I can do it."
"Over my dead body," Dean said instantly. "What happened to your partner wasn't your fault and it's not a secret as you've told me, Bobby and everyone back in your world knows about his death and the circumstances surrounding it. You may feel guilt but it's not your fault," he told her honestly, his eyes catching Sam's in the rearview mirror and conveying that those words were meant for him, too. Dean knew Sam blamed himself for Jess' death, just as Hermione blamed herself for her partner's. "And killing people in self-defence during a war doesn't count, either."
"Can you do it?" She asked him with a raised eyebrow despite already knowing the answer and he pursed his lips, knowing she was right.
"I'll do it," Sam said.
"It wasn't your fault," both he and Hermione said together and without blinking, or looking back at him, too. Sam stared in surprise at the action.
"And you're not keeping secrets," Dean said.
"You don't know everything," Sam muttered beneath his breath.
"I better," Hermione responded, giving him a narrowed gaze as she looked at him over her shoulder and he sank bank into the seat, amusing Dean.
"We don't have time to argue, we're here and we need to do this. We can't risk Charlie getting hurt, or anyone else for that matter."
They climbed out of the car and made their way to the store, Hermione easily getting them through the front door and rendering the security alarms useless, allowing them time to get in, do what they have to do and get back out.
"I've got it," Hermione called from across the back of the store, seeing as they'd split up to better search the large selection of mirrors that were stored out the back.
He and Sam crossed over to her, coming to a stop in front of the large, ornate mirror and staring at it cautiously. Before Dean had the chance to stop him, Sam spoke "Bloody Mary" aloud three times and everything seemed to happen so fast afterwards.
He didn't know what had happened, but Sam had dropped onto his knees and blood poured from his eyes as he yelled in agony. Hermione was beside him, trying to calm him, to reason with him and help him understand that Jess' death wasn't his fault and whilst she did that, he smashed the mirror with the butt of his gun, hoping that by destroying it, it would take care of the spirit, too. Unfortunately, things only got worse.
In a surprise move that no one was expecting, a ghostly woman stepped out from the frame and headed straight for Sam. Dean tried to stop her but he was thrown across the room, landing on his back and when he pushed himself up, he saw Hermione trying to fight off the vengeful spirit but she was thrown across the room, too, her back hitting against a wall and catching a mirror with her foot, it shattering beneath the force.
Dean smashed a second mirror to try and distract the vengeful spirit and instead, she turned her attention to him. He felt pain shoot through him and muffled his shouts of pain by clamping his mouth shut, feeling warm liquid running down his face and he aimed his gun, firing off several rounds that passed through the spirit. She reappeared behind him and he fell to the ground, dropping his gun and clamping his hands over his eyes.
The sound of another shattering mirror was briefly heard and he felt Hermione's presence, her brushing past him and standing before him and the pain suddenly stopped. Slowly, he brought his hands down from his eyes, blinking until blood was no longer clouding his vision and it was to see Hermione stood with a mirror in her hand and the spirit was staring at it silently, her head tilted to the side in confusion.
"You killed all those people," Hermione said aloud.
Dean's hands clamped over his ears when a deafening, high pitched shriek rang out, smashing every single mirror in the room and then the spirit was gone.
Hermione dropped the already broken mirror to the ground and she spun to face him, kneeling down in front of him and taking his face in her hands, her eyes searching him worriedly.
"I'm fine," he muttered. She ignored him and brought her wand up to his face, muttering beneath her breath. "That was good thinking with the mirror."
"She's responsible for countless deaths, I turned her vengeance on herself because she was guilty and that caused her to self destroy," she replied. "There's no damage but your vision may be a bit blurred for a few hours, it's best I drive back to the motel."
She waved her wand over him and he felt the warm liquid no longer running down his face, before she stood and moved over to Sam, helping him to sit up and taking his head in her hands, giving him the once over, too.
"You seem to have suffered a little more than Dean. You'll probably have a headache for a little while and blurred vision is normal, as is potential colour blindness but it should all be over by the morning," she said to him.
She helped him to stand and they all looked about the room, seeing a hundred or so mirrors and every single one of them was broken.
"How many years bad luck is this?" Dean asked.
"Around fourteen hundred, give or take a few years," Hermione responded.
"Well, there's three of us so we'll split it," he replied.
She snorted at him before brushing her hair back from her face. "Let's get out of here, I'm good but even I can't repair all of the damage we've done, so I'll wipe all traces of us being here and we can head back and let Charlie know she's safe."
As Hermione walked away from them and busied herself with ensuring no one would be able to connect them to the break-in or the damages, he turned to Sam.
"It's wasn't your fault she died. And if you are keeping things from me, that's fine, but don't keep them from Hermione. She has a habit of finding things out and she can't help you if you're holding things back." Dean told him, before heading for the door when Hermione called across the room to let them know she was finished.
~000~000~000~
"I've never felt more relaxed," Sam sighed, laying on his back on the bed in Dean and Hermione's motel room, his arms cushioning the back of his head and his eyes were closed.
Dean lay on the opposite side of him, an arm behind his head and the other scratching behind the ears of the purring fluff-ball that lay on his chest, whilst Crookshanks was curled up by his feet, apparently watching the TV.
"Bitch," Dean muttered beneath his breath.
He stole a glance at his little brother, seeing his face being covered in the pink, strawberry smelling face mask he was also currently sporting; only Sam had cucumber slices covering his eyes, too.
"I heard that," Sam said calmly and sounding tired, and Dean suspected he would doze off any minute now.
"Sammy! Time to wash it off," Hermione called.
"I don't want to," Sam all but whined.
"It'll harden and be a nightmare to get off if you leave it on for too long. I've already given you an extra ten minutes over the recommended setting time. You need to wash it off, so get your arse in here."
Sam grumbled beneath his breath before sighing and Dean felt the mattress shift as he climbed off the bed and headed for the bathroom, removing the cucumber slices from his eyes and popping them into his mouth as he did so.
"Who's whipped now?" Dean muttered.
~000~000~000~
Two weeks later...
"I'm worried about, Sam," Hermione said softly as she pulled back the covers of the blanket, climbed into bed and snuggled up against him, his arm automatically moving to wrap around her.
"You and me both," he replied, turning his eyes from the TV in their motel room to look down at her. "I noticed a change in him a few weeks ago and he seemed to be getting better. I don't know what you were doing or talking to him about, but it seemed to be working. But since that Bloody Mary case, he's hit a roadblock."
"I've been trying to get him to open up to me, more than he has of course, but still, he always just brushed off my concerns and told me he was fine."
"I know you, you're leaving something out. What is it?"
She sighed before pushing herself up onto her elbow and looking down at him in the dimly lit room.
"I did something, I'm not proud of it but I didn't see any other way around it. And I hope you can forgive me."
He frowned, pushing himself up until his back hit the wall and she sat up, too, facing him. "What did you do?"
"He wouldn't talk to me and I can't stand the sight of him suffering when I can help him. I just needed him to relax, to trust me and tell me what he's been keeping from us. I slipped him a Calming Draught when we went to a coffee shop during our walk."
Dean's eyes traced her face, seeing her guilty expression. He honestly wasn't sure how to feel about that. On one hand, what she'd done had technically broken his and Sam's trust, but on the other hand, he knew she hadn't meant Sam any harm and she only wanted to help. He'd taken some of her calming potions before and knew that they didn't cause any pain or harm, they didn't even affect the way you thought or behaved, they just helped you to relax and sleep, they helped to ease your worries and fears.
Because he'd experienced what it was like to be under the influence of her calming potions, he knew that Sam wouldn't have told Hermione anything he didn't want to. The potion would've just lowered his inhibitions, allowing him to speak freely and without fear. Hermione hadn't forced Sam to speak with her; she'd just given him a little nudge and helped him to feel safe enough to open up to her. And after realising that fact, Dean couldn't feel betrayed, angry or disappointed.
"I'm not mad and you don't have my forgiveness because you don't need it. I know what it's like to be under your magical calmers and if Sam absolutely didn't want to tell you anything, then he wouldn't have," he said. She released a huge breath and her tense body relaxed. "What's he been keeping from us?"
She bit her lip as if trying to decide if she should tell him or not, and her eyes darted towards the wall opposite them of which Sam's room was on the other side of.
"He blames himself for Jess' death."
"I know that, but no matter how many times we tell him it wasn't his fault he doesn't listen."
"But I know why he blames himself," she responded and he looked to her questioningly. "Don't tell him I told you, not yet at least, but he's told me he'd been having strange dreams a few days before Jess died, and in those dreams, he witnessed her death. The dream was repetitive and when she did die, it happened exactly how he'd dreamt it, just like your mother."
Dean frowned in confusion. "You're saying he knew she was going to die?"
"No, I'm saying he had a dream which scared the hell out of him and happened to come true. He didn't know she was going to die, he just thought it was a nightmare. But because he'd dreamt it, he blames himself because he thinks he could've prevented it from happening."
"Shit," Dean muttered, his hand reaching out to grip onto Hermione's, a sudden feeling of protectiveness and worry washing over him.
"Exactly," she said. "I'm worried about him because I think there's something not quite right, but I can't put my finger on it."
"What?"
"I don't want to worry you, but what Sam described to me, it's known as prophetic dreams. There are some magical folk that have Seer abilities but only a handful of them actually have visions of potential future outcomes during sleep, and an even smaller amount have visions whilst awake but this is due to power progression. What Sam did, it shouldn't be possible for a muggle."
"Are you saying he's not human?" He asked, his eyes searching her face and lifting up slightly to look at her head as well, looking for any signs that she'd fallen and bumped her head at some point.
"Of course not," she rolled her eyes at him. "Magical folk are still human, I'm as human as you are only I have magic in my blood and DNA. You know about the different blood statuses amongst magical folk, so you know it's possible for children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and so on, to possess magic if they have a Squib ancestor. Knowing this, I've done some digging into the magical families of the US and compared them to your family tree. I wanted to see if it was possible that you have a magical or Squib ancestor, which would explain Sam having visions despite not having magic."
"And do we?" He asked curiously.
"No, you have no magical ancestry what so ever. And this is why I'm worried. It's impossible for Sam to have visions without having a single trace of magic in your ancestry. I'm certain there's something I'm missing, something I'm not picking up on and I don't like the feeling there's something around the corner that's going to blindside us."
"Maybe it's nothing to worry about," he said, pulling her closer to him and wrapping his arm around her shoulders as she settled into his side. "I dream about eating a certain food and the next day, I find myself eating it."
She rolled her eyes at him. "That's nowhere near the same thing. You dream about eating a food, which makes you crave that food and so you ensure you eat it the following day. Sam dreamt his girlfriend was going to be murdered and it happened, and it can't be a coincidence that it happened as soon as you came back into his life."
"It's not my fault."
"Of course it isn't and I wasn't insinuating that. I'm just saying I think all of this is connected and leading to something bigger. For the time being, I'm going to try and keep Sam distracted and hope that whatever is happening, doesn't come to bite us in the arse."
"I'm sure it's nothing and you're just making it seem worse because you're worried about it," he said, but he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her of that or himself.
"I hope you're right," she sighed, flinging her arm over his stomach and tucking her head beneath his chin, her attention moving to the crappy movie that was playing on the TV.
"Why didn't Sam tell me any of this?"
"You're his big brother, he looks up to you and he doesn't want to admit or show weakness because he doesn't want you to think lesser of him. And by not admitting or acknowledging it, he doesn't have to deal with it. Blaming himself takes his focus off the fact that the woman he loved is gone and she's not coming back. She was taken from him."
Dean held her tighter to him, thoughts and images running through his mind of Hermione being taken from him in the same way Sam had lost Jess, and he didn't like it.
"Promise me I won't lose you," he muttered.
"I promise you won't lose me," she replied softly, tilting her head to look up at him and locking gazes with him. "And I'll make sure you don't lose Sam either."
"What would I do without you?" He mumbled quietly, his hand coming up to brush her hair back from her face.
She smiled up at him. "You'd probably already be dead by now, before meeting me you were shockingly careless when it came to planning and perimeter checks."
He shook his head despite knowing it was true and he ducked his head to press a kiss to her mouth. She pushed herself away from him so neither of them had to strain or be uncomfortable. He nipped at her bottom lip and soothed the sting with his tongue, sweeping it into her mouth when she parted her lips for him.
He pulled her back to him before lowering her on to the mattress and he moved until he was hovering over her, his body cradled by her legs which came up to wrap around his hips, holding him to her. He let his hands wander down to her stomach, gripping the edge of her sleep shirt and pulling it up with the intention to rid her of it, only he didn't have the chance.
A sudden beeping sounded in the room and Dean pulled away from her, his eyes searching for where the noise originated from.
"Merlin," Hermione breathed out, her eyes widening and she pushed at his shoulders.
Taking the hint, he shifted off her and watched as she darted from the bed and over to the table where her magical bag sat. He realised that the beeping sound was similar to the one he'd heard before, only this one seemed to be higher in pitch. He watched Hermione carefully as she dug through the contents of her bag, noticing that unlike last time, now she didn't seem worried or panicked, if anything, she seemed happy.
Finding what she was looking for, she pulled out a gold coin and held it in her hand, a smile pulling at her face and she all but bounced on the spot as she turned to face him with a little squeal of happiness leaving her, and he admitted, it was kind of adorable.
He raised an eyebrow, doing his best not to feel disappointed that they'd been interrupted because she seemed so happy.
"Ginny's in labour," she beamed.
"What?" He blurted out in surprise.
"Ginny, she's gone into labour, two weeks early mind."
"Oh, then we better wake Sammy and get over to the hospital," Dean said, climbing off the bed and finding himself realising that he actually did want to go to London with Hermione.
Not only would it give Sam a brief glimpse of the world she came from, but he was hoping that by introducing his brother to Hermione's family, it would make them realise how serious he was about being in a relationship with her. Not to mention, he had to admit that the brief glances he'd gotten of her friend's baby girl and seeing the way Hermione was when holding her, there was something peaceful and comforting about it.
"But your father..."
"It can wait. I'm certain he's not dead. He's going to far too much trouble to avoid us, which means he doesn't want to be found. Taking a day or two away from searching for him won't make much difference. I don't think we'll find him until he's ready to be found," Dean shrugged. "Besides, we've been busy since you got back and between the shape-shifter... "
"Thank Merlin the cats alerted us to that one otherwise that case would've been a disaster," Hermione interrupted. "I'm still scarred for life when I nearly kissed him instead of you."
He snorted before continuing. "That scary-ass Hook Man, the haunted asylum and the couple of demons we've dealt with in the last two weeks alone, we deserve a day off," Dean said. She looked at him in disbelief and he snorted at her. "Seriously, it's fine, and this might be the distraction Sam needs."
"It'll take us a while to get there. Apparition is draining enough, but side-along with multiple people is worse. I won't be able to travel as far as I would if it was just us, but I know there's a magical cafe about four hours from here. We can floo from there instead of my house. Given the time here, I'd say it's between four and five o'clock in London. We may have to stay overnight just to make sure we get some rest."
"Great, let's make it two nights, I'll go wake Sam," he replied, reaching for his jeans he'd taken off earlier, slipping on his shoes and leaving out the door, leaving behind a surprised Hermione.
He made the short distance to Sam's room beside his own and banged on the door, and given that it barely took him any time to answer, Dean knew that Sam hadn't been asleep. His brother opened the door, peeking around the edge before opening it wider, showing Dean that Sam was still dressed in his jeans and shirt and he could see his laptop sat open on the bed.
"What's wrong?" Sam asked with a frown.
"Nothing's wrong," Dean responded. "But pack up, we're leaving."
"Why?" His brother asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the door frame.
"Hermione's just heard her sister's gone into labour, so we're going to London with her for a couple of days."
"And what about dad?" He raised an eyebrow at him.
"You and I both know the only reason we can't find him is that he doesn't want us to. Taking a couple of days away, especially after the last few weeks we've had, isn't going to do any harm. Unless you want to stay here and wait for us to get back, that is? You can just relax and do whatever while we spend some time in her magical world."
"I'll be ready in five minutes," Sam said, his eyes lighting up in a way Dean couldn't remember happening since they were kids, and he shut the door in his face.
~000~000~000~
"That was awful," Sam groaned, his hands rubbing at his temples as the brothers followed Hermione into the hospital.
After several apparition points and breaks in-between, it had taken them both to convince Sam to get into the fireplace before they floo'd to London. After that, Hermione had apparated them to the same hotel they'd stayed at during their last visit, and after booking two rooms and sneaking Crookshanks and Sadie into their room without anyone seeing, they left and headed straight to the hospital.
"You get used to it," Hermione said. "And I know you're excited about seeing where I grew up and having access to the knowledge of the workings of my world and people, but please don't wander off and try not to stick out. Muggles technically aren't supposed to be in here, so just act as though you belong here."
"What would happen if people found out you brought us here?" He asked, falling into step beside her whilst Dean walked on the other side of her, his arm around her shoulders.
"You'll both have your memories wiped and you won't ever remember the existence of magic or meeting me, and I'll be arrested and most likely imprisoned, not only because you're muggles, but Hunters, too. So keep that quiet as well. Seeing as I'm not married or engaged to Dean, I shouldn't have revealed the secret of magic to him, and I shouldn't have done the same to Bobby either."
"But your friend was screaming the place down last time we were here," Dean frowned in confusion.
"I knew it was coming so I put a Silencing Charm around us, no one but you, me and Harry heard him," she replied.
"If he starts on you I'll put a bullet in him. I don't care how long you've been friends, I won't stand back and let him upset you."
"I know," she said.
"I've missed something, haven't I?" Sam asked.
"Ron, he's my childhood best friend and ex-boyfriend from when we were teenagers. He's an arsehole, so if he is here, don't take any notice of him and you might want to keep an eye on Dean," Hermione answered. "This is it," she gestured to a door to the right and she stepped forward, opening it up.
"Hermione?"
Dean saw the way a warm smile pulled at Hermione's face and she stepped away from him and over to the older woman that stood from a chair. Giving the shocking red hair, he knew without a doubt that she was the mother of Hermione's siblings, and that made him anxious. He knew the woman had all but raised Hermione when she'd been brought into the magical world and after her parents had died, so technically, this was like meeting the parents, something he'd never had to do.
"Molly," she responded, going over to the older woman and being enveloped in a hug he was sure had dislodged Hermione's spine.
"Oh, I'm so glad you could make it, it's been so long since we last saw each other."
"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Hermione said, pulling back from her and the woman took Hermione's face in her hands, her eyes sweeping over her.
"Dear, you're far too skinny, you need to eat more."
Both Dean and Sam snorted at the comment, knowing that Hermione ate just fine. In fact, she almost ate more than both of them combined.
"I assure you I eat plenty, but with my active life I soon burn it all off."
"Yes, I've been told about your new profession," she said, stepping back with a disapproving look settling on her face.
"It's exactly what I did before, Molly. Only now I don't have tridents, fire balls and the Killing Curse thrown at me. I've been injured far less than I would've been if I were still here and working for the RCMC Department."
The older woman pursed her lips and her eyes darted over Hermione's shoulder and to him. Her crossed arms dropped down to her sides and her gaze was slightly narrowed, her eyes making him feel as though she were looking into his very soul and he shifted on his feet nervously, barely stopping himself from elbowing Sam when he snorted in amusement.
"I take it one of these young men is your boyfriend," she said.
"Oh right, sorry," Hermione said sheepishly and moving back over to him, her hand slipping around his and helping to calm his nerves slightly, and she hooked her arm around Sam's, smiling at the older woman proudly as she spoke. "This giant here is Sam, and this is Dean, my boyfriend and Sam's older brother."
"I see," she spoke with pursed lips and her eyes narrowing further, making him even more nervous. "Hunters, correct?"
Dean visibly shifted on his feet and he kept his eyes locked with the older woman's, not wanting her to think he was ashamed of his profession or that he was afraid of her opinion of him.
"Molly," Hermione scolded with a light laugh and Dean blinked in surprise when the redhead chuckled and shook her head, her defensive stance suddenly dropping and a warm, welcoming smile crossing her face.
"I'm sorry, Dear, I couldn't resist," she replied before stepping forward. "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Molly, Hermione's second mother if you will; Harry and Ginny have told me all about you."
Dean let out a startled sound when she suddenly pulled him into a hug that could crush a bear and he found himself stilling in surprise. She stepped back before doing the same to Sam and although it was clear his brother was just as surprised at the welcoming, Sam seemed to be less uncomfortable than he'd been.
"And Ron, no doubt," Hermione sighed as the redhead stepped back.
"Of course, Dear, but I tend to not take notice of his opinion on your relationships, he's biased and blinded when it comes to you. I much prefer to take Harry's word as he's the most protective of you out of all my boys," she smiled. "And not only does Ginny seem to approve, as does George and Bill, but the children haven't stopped talking about your new boyfriend for weeks now and it's hard to make such an impression on those little wizards."
Hermione smiled proudly as she looked up at him and she gave his hand a squeeze, Dean finding himself feeling much more comfortable now that he knew Hermione's pseudo-mother didn't hate him.
"You're taking care of my daughter, aren't you?" She asked, looking specifically to him, and her words had sounded more like a threat than an actual question.
"As much as she'll let me," he replied and the woman chuckled, looking to Hermione with a warm expression.
"That's our Hermione, she's always been independent," she shook her head fondly.
"Where's Arthur? And how's Ginny? Where are the others?" Hermione asked, drawing the attention away from him and back to her which he was more than happy with.
"Ginny had me send word for them not to bother coming. She didn't want the waiting room full of grumpy, exhausted children and the others have work in the morning and she didn't want to disrupt them. Ron took Lavender, Hugo and Rose away for the week and aren't due back for another three days. Arthur has taken the children to the playroom and should be back soon, and the last I heard, they were preparing Ginny for delivery."
Hermione let out a breath at the news. "I was worried I wouldn't make it back in time, we both know how she reacted when I almost missed Albus' birth," she said and the redhead chuckled.
The door opened and drew their attention before two yells of excitement were heard and Hermione stepped away from him and Sam, only to be ploughed into by both her nephews, almost knocking her off her feet. She laughed and hugged them to her tightly, not being able to get a word in as they both spoke over each other to be heard.
"I missed you both very much," she said, pulling back from them and smiling down at them.
"Uncle Dean!"
Dean couldn't help his laugh at the look on his brother's face when the two little wizards darted around Hermione and over to him, James being tall enough to wrap his arms around his waist, but Albus couldn't reach past his thigh and they both clung to him, beaming up at him.
"What's up, Little Potters?" He asked, ruffling their hair and they both grinned.
"We missed you," James said and Dean's stomach did a flip-flop at his words. "Mummy's having a baby," he said. "I think it's a girl."
"And me," Albus said.
"When can we go in your car again?"
Dean blinked slowly before shaking his head. "Not yet, boys," he said. They both looked disappointed and Dean had never felt guiltier in that moment at the way their eyes saddened and their bottom lips jutted out. "We're very busy and only came to see your little brother or sister but we have to get home. But I promise, once we've finished we'll go swimming and I'll take you to see a movie, like I promised."
"Okay," they both responded, still looking disappointed but less so.
"Who's that?" James asked, pulling back from Dean and looking to Sam.
"This is Sammy, my little brother, just like Albus is yours," Dean answered.
James frowned slightly. "So he's our Uncle?"
"I suppose so," Dean nodded. "But he's not as cool as I am."
They both laughed at him before Albus reached for his hand, pulling him over to one of the chairs where a small table sat nearby and was filled with books, magazines, paper and colouring pencils.
"You read me," he said to Dean, picking up a random book and giving it to him.
Amused, Dean took a seat and snorted when Albus clambered up onto his lap whilst James hopped onto the seat beside him, leaning against him so he could better see as Dean opened the book and began reading aloud. He felt the eyes of the older woman on him, watching the way he interacted with her grandchildren and after sneaking a peek at her, he saw the way she nodded to herself before taking a seat and Dean hid his sigh of relief, knowing that he now had her approval.
"You alright?" Hermione asked Sam, coming to stand beside him and Sam looked down at her with slightly wide eyes and a blank expression on his face.
"I've never seen him like this before," he responded. "Dean hates kids."
"Maybe, but he certainly doesn't hate my nephews," she shrugged. "But it's hard to, you spend five minutes with them and you can't help but love them as you'll soon find out. You're family now, Sammy. Get used to it."
The door opened once more, "So sorry, I got talking to a healer I know and...Hermione?"
Dean looked up and away from the book in his hand to see Hermione being enveloped in a hug by an older man with shocking red hair and again, it wasn't difficult to understand this was the father.
"Arthur, it's so good to see you," Hermione smiled before pulling back from him. "I have some people I wish to introduce you to. This is Dean, my boyfriend and Sam, his brother."
Dean shifted Albus off his lap despite his protests and he handed the book to James to read to him, before standing and crossing over to Hermione.
"Oh, it's nice to finally meet you," the older man said with a bright smile, and shaking his hand enthusiastically before moving onto shaking Sam's. "Harry has told me all about you. You're muggle Hunters, right? That's wonderful. I'm Arthur; tell me, what's the purpose of VCB's?" He said, so quickly that he'd barely been able to keep up and both he and Sam blinked slowly as Hermione giggled from beside him.
"What?" He blurted out.
"DVD's" Hermione corrected.
"Oh, Arthur, let's not overwhelm the poor dears," the woman spoke, bustling over to them and batting at her husband's arm with her hand. "Hermione, Dear, would you mind watching the children whilst we go to the cafeteria?"
"Of course not, I imagine you need the caffeine," she smiled.
"Would you like anything bringing back?"
"No, thank you. We were heading to bed when we received the news so we're fine. Take all the time you need."
"Thank you," she replied, taking her husband's hand in hers and pulling him out of the waiting room, the door closing behind them.
"You can relax now," Hermione said, looking amused and he did just that, all of the tension and anxiety leaving his body as he let out a huge breath of relief. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"
"Yes," he replied and both she and Sam snorted at him. "I thought it would've taken a lot longer to win them over, though."
"Why? You're charming; it's one of your best qualities. You can win anyone over easily enough. But I suppose you had James and Albus on your side, which automatically means Harry's on your side and Ginny bloody loves you after only one meeting. Harry's never liked any of my previous boyfriends, so for him to have not hexed you at all is telling enough," she smiled.
"Uncle Dean," James called.
"Go on, before they riot," she nodded to her nephews and he snorted before heading back over to them, seeing Hermione take a seat and Sam did the same, picking up a random magazine and flicking through it.
Twenty minutes later found Dean sitting back into his chair and with Albus having fallen asleep on his lap, leaning into his chest and letting out snores. Five minutes after Dean returned to reading to the children, James had gotten bored and had roped Sam into drawing pictures whilst sitting at the small table, and James was asleep now, too, his body slumped over, his face pressed against the paper and a colouring pencil still in his hand.
"Poor things, they're exhausted," Hermione said, standing from her chair and putting down her magazine.
She pulled her wand from beneath her sleeve and they both blinked in surprise when she transfigured two chairs into a bed. Taking the hint, Dean was sure to have a hold of Albus as he stood with the young child in his arms and crossed over to the bed, settling the little child down on the mattress, whilst Sam lifted James from the ground and carried him over to the bed, setting him down beside his brother. Dean moved until he was sat beside Hermione and she snuggled into his side when he put his arm around her shoulders.
"How much longer do you think?" He asked quietly as to not wake the children.
She shrugged her shoulders and leaned her head against his shoulder, him noticing that she looked tired and he didn't blame her either, he felt tired, too.
"Could be ten minutes, could be another couple of hours and it depends on how smoothly the delivery goes or if there are any complications. We just have to sit and wait until we hear the news," she sighed.
"Well, I think we're about to," he said, his eyes spying the one and only Harry Potter as he stepped into the room from a second door he hadn't noticed before. He wore green coloured scrubs, his cheeks were flushed and his hair messy and sticking out at odd angles, but he wore a bright smile on his face.
Hermione jumped up from her seat and darted over to him whilst Dean and Sam followed after her at a leisurely pace.
Harry's eyes darted over to Sam and Hermione huffed at his distraction.
"Sam, Harry Potter, the saviour of the Wizarding World and all that rot. Harry, Sam, Dean's younger brother," she said. "Now spit it out before I slap you."
Harry shook his head and shared a nod with both Dean and his brother before turning to Hermione with a smile on his face.
"Do you want to meet your niece?"
Hermione let out a shriek of happiness as she flung herself at him and wrapped him up into a tight hug, miraculously not waking her nephews as she did so. Harry chuckled at her and wrapped his arms around her in return.
"Of course I do, you idiot, take me there now," she demanded and he laughed as he pulled back from her, his eyes darting to his children asleep on the transfigured bed and he smiled at the sight. "Molly and Arthur went to the cafeteria, they'll probably be back soon," she explained.
He nodded. "They'll know where we are and come to the room. Would you mind?" He gestured to his sons with a tilt of his head. "Gin's mother henning again and she wants them nearby."
Dean nodded and hit his brother in the arm to get his attention, before moving over to the bed and carefully picking up James, whilst Sam got Albus and they followed Hermione and Harry out of the waiting room.
"How are they?"
"Gin's tired but she refused to rest until after you've seen your niece. Everything went smoothly and there were no issues. She's been given the all-clear but they want to keep her in overnight just in case. As for my daughter, she's perfect," he said and Hermione smiled and took his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze.
They soon reached their destination and Ginny was on her hospital bed, her red hair tied back from her face and looking tired, but staring down at the little pink bundle in her arms adoringly. Hermione let out a gasp and darted over to her bedside, whilst Harry transfigured the two chairs in the room into a bed and he and Sam placed the boys down onto the mattress.
"She's absolutely gorgeous," Hermione breathed out, sitting down on the edge of the bed beside Ginny and looking down at her niece as she held her in her arms and tears filled her eyes.
Sam stayed back but Harry crossed over to Ginny's side and took her hand in his and Dean crossed the room until he was stood beside Hermione, peering over her shoulder to look down at the child she was cradling. And Dean had honestly never seen a cuter baby, not that he'd seen many, mind. She already had a think head of shocking red hair and when she opened her eyes to blink up at him, they were bright green much like her father's, but Dean thought she looked most like her mother with her little nose and pouty mouth.
"Does she have a name yet?" Hermione asked.
"Lily," they both replied.
Hermione smiled with teary eyes. "Well, she certainly does have the hair and eyes," she said. "And you're right Harry, she's perfect."
Ginny's eyes darted away from Hermione and her daughter and up to him.
"Hey, Sexy Momma, how you feeling?" He asked, slipping his hands into his pockets.
She laughed and smiled at him tiredly whilst Hermione rolled her eyes and Harry sighed.
"Tired but fine, and you're as charming as ever, I see," she responded and he, of course, gave her his most charming smile. "And who's this?" She asked, her eyes moving over to Sam and he gave her a little wave and smile.
"My baby brother, Sammy."
"Nice to meet you, even if I do look terrible."
"You like fine, and even if you did actually look terrible, which you don't, it's understandable," Sam responded.
She snorted at him. "You're a charmer too, I see."
"They didn't get it from their father, I know that," Hermione muttered and both Dean and Sam snorted at her. "He's an arsehole," she explained after seeing Harry and Ginny's raised eyebrows. "Anyway, Dean, do you want to hold her?"
"No thanks," he said immediately and taking a step back from her.
"She's not going to bite you; she doesn't even have teeth yet."
"I'm good," he replied, taking another step back.
"Winchester, hold my baby or I'll be offended," Ginny spoke and he scowled at her trying to guilt-trip him. "I've just spent six and a half hours in labour and it wasn't for you to reject her once she arrived."
"I'm not rejecting her, I just don't want to drop her," he defended himself.
"Only an idiot can drop a baby and I know you're not an idiot, so sit your arse down and hold your niece."
Dean sent a glare to Hermione, Harry and Sam when they all snorted at him, and Hermione stood from her place sat on the end of the mattress and moved so he could take her place. As Hermione held the newborn in one arm, she used the other to manipulate his own arms into position before shifting the little pink bundle into his arms, making sure the head was supported and that he would be comfortable.
Hermione stepped back and he scowled at her before looking down at the newborn in his arms, a big yawn leaving such a little thing and she squirmed in his hold. The moment those little green eyes opened and they locked onto his, he knew he was done for as he felt his whole world suddenly shift. He knew from that very moment that although he wasn't the father, he would bend both heaven and earth to protect her, already he was making plans on how to scare off any males that dared to go near her when she was older.
He knew how men thought, he was one after all and should she meet anyone that was like he used to be before meeting Hermione, he wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in him and bury the body.
Hermione moved to stand closer to him, her arm resting over his shoulders and her body pressed against his as she peered down at the little bundle in his arms, a smile on her face as she reached out to shift the blanket up to the wriggling newborn's chin.
"What?" She asked softly, noticing that he was looking up at her with a soft expression on his face.
"Nothing," he replied, his eyes moving to stare down at the newborn once more. "It's nothing," he muttered.