Chapter 5
The Leaky Cauldron, London, 22nd August 2011
Dean's first impression of Diagon Alley was it was like an acid trip and Halloween was 24/7 for these people. Sam's first impression was wondering if they had enough time to scour the bookshops. Minerva noticed their looks.
"We will have plenty of time left to shop after you've collected your money."
"But we have money," Sam told her.
"Currency exchange Sam?" Dean snorted. Poor Sammy, where did I go wrong?
"Your Muggle money is just worthless paper here in the wizarding world. As are those," she informed them, looking at Dean as he tried to take a picture of one of the shops. "The barrier between your world and the magical one prevents the signal from getting through. I am working with the Ministry's Muggle Artefacts Department to try to make them operable in our world, but for right now they're just useless paperweights." Sam frowned at the idea that his laptop wouldn't work either, feeling incomplete without it. Dean rolled his eyes. Damn, that's inconvenient… Minerva went on. "There has been a temporary vault set up in your name at Gringotts. We have to go to claim it before you can go shopping."
Dean looked at his brother. "Well, I guess I just wasted an hour gambling to get some extra cash…"
"Excuse me, Mr Winchester?" Minerva turned to look at him.
"I didn't say anything!" Dean exclaimed. Lady's got ears like a bat…. Or a cat… he held back a snicker.
She rolled her eyes and told them to keep up.
"I swear man, it's like she stares into your soul with those eyes," Dean muttered to Sam. "Are you sure she's not a demon?"
Sam smirked and then looked forward again to find that Minerva was missing.
"Where'd she go?"
"I'm far from that Dean Winchester." She suddenly Apparated directly behind them, they could feel the heat from her rising anger on their backs, reminded of past schoolteachers that would catch students loitering in the halls. "But I can turn into something far worse if you two don't get a move on!"
"Yes Ma'am!" Both brothers said as they were rushed down the street.
The Winchesters turned their heads in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium — Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown and Snowy.
Several boys of about eleven years of age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it.
"Look," the brothers heard one of them say, 'the new Firebolt, the fastest ever -"
Dean raised an eyebrow.
"Broomsticks?" he mumbled. "I am so trying one of them!" Sam laughed.
"Dude… they're broomsticks. You hate flying," Sam laughed. Dean's ears turned pink. In all the weird shit that was happening and was possible in this world, he should have put the pieces together.
"Never mind…" he muttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
Minerva smiled.
There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments the Winchester brothers had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon.
They had reached a snowy-white building which towered over the other little shops.
"This is Gringotts Wizarding Bank," Minerva explained. Sam and Dean looked up.
"Cool," Sam muttered.
A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors, and they were in a vast marble hall.
"What are they?" Dean asked.
"They are goblins. They run the bank," Minerva replied.
About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins on brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. Dean frowned, remembering the leprechaun case from back when Sam was still soulless. These things looked exactly like it. Though that would probably be an insult to them, he cursed himself silently for letting Sam convince him to leave his gun locked up in the room back at the Leaky Cauldron.
"Good morning," Minerva said to a free goblin. "We have come to take some money out of the Winchester's Hogwarts safe."
"You have their key, miss?"
"Yes," Minerva replied, handing the goblin a small key.
"Very well," he said, handing it back to Minerva, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Gornuk!"
Gornuk was yet another goblin. He led Sam, Dean, and Minerva down towards one of the doors leading off the hall. Gornuk held open the door for them. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downwards and there were little railway tracks on the floor. A small cart came hurtling up the tracks towards them. They climbed in.
"Cool," Dean muttered with a grin. "It's like a ride…"
They plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.
The cart stopped beside a small door in the passage wall. San tried not to laugh as Dean worked to unclench his white knuckles from the side of the railcar. Dean's face was pale as he took a couple of deep breaths to calm his nerves.
Gornuk unlocked the door. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts. Sam and Dean's eyes widened.
"Woah," Dean breathed, the terrifying thoughts of getting back up to the main level of the bank were forgotten as he took in the small fortune. "We're in the money now Sammy!"
Sam's eyes were still wide. He turned to Minerva.
"Thank you," he said gratefully. Minerva smiled in return.
"Our pleasure, help yourselves to what you will need for your term," she said, and Sam and Dean began gathering coins and placing them in the small bags that Minerva had given them.
Around ten minutes later, Sam, Minerva, and Dean walked out of Gringotts and walked down the street. Dean kept patting his pants pockets with a grin, Sam laughed and shook his head.
"If you don't mind Professor, could you please explain to us again about these coins?" Sam asked as they were walking back to the shops. Holding a piece of each coin in his hand, studying them carefully.
"The large gold pieces are called Galleon's, the silver pieces are Sickles, and the small bronze pieces are Knuts," She explained quickly.
"You sure have weird names for your money, sister." Dean pulled out the three coins she described.
She pressed on, deciding to ignore his comment. "Now they all have different values. There are 17 Sickles in a Galleon, and 29 Knuts in a Sickle."
"So, there are 493 Knuts to a galleon?" Sam guessed after a second. Dean started coughing and mentioned the word 'nerd'.
"That's correct Mr Winchester. And don't get any ideas of trying to duplicate it." She looked at Dean mostly. "Duplicates are worthless." She walked into a shop expecting them to follow her.
"Why did she look at me?" Dean asked. Sam didn't say anything; he just looked at Dean with a raised eyebrow.
"What? I may be a thief and a gambler, but I have never been accused of counterfeiting! Have you no shame!" He stood up tall and strutted into a shop called Flourish and Blotts with Sam chuckling behind him.
"Sam, Dean, I must go and sort out some things at Hogwarts," Minerva said. "I must give you these before I leave," she handed over two rings. "These are two very powerful rings. They hold traces of magic that will allow you to use wands while in the Wizarding World. It siphons the magic in the air and brings it into your body, allowing you to use magic. It is not very strong magic, but it is the best we could do on such short notice."
"Wow," Dean said. "Didn't think we were actually going to use magic. Good magic I mean. Cool." They both took the rings and slipped them on their fingers. They both felt a small tingle as the metal met their skin.
"I shall see you soon," Minerva continued. "There will be Aurors, which are Dark Wizards catchers, to accompany you to King's Cross train station on September first. Please be responsible with the wands and those rings," she warned. Dean nodded, feeling the Spider-Man moment coming on, with great power comes great responsibility.
"Why do we need Aurors?" Sam asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"It is for your protection, as many people would not approve of Muggles teaching at Hogwarts," Minerva replied.
"Great," Sam muttered as Minerva disappeared. Now they were being brought around like children.
Sam and Dean walked inside the shop called Flourish and Blotts and Sam's eyes went wide while Dean groaned. Shelves upon shelves were piled together with books. The shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all.
"Hey Sammy, look at this," Dean said, picking up a large book that read Curses: Get Revenge on Enemies. "Think it would work on Crowley or Meg?" he grinned. Sam smirked and shrugged. Sam looked around and found the Defence section.
"Dean, do you think that would be useful?" Sam said, holding a large leather book. It read Supernatural Beasts and Defence.
"Yeah, it would," Dean replied. "We really should have called Bobby and asked for copies of his books. Guess we'll have to wait until we get to the train station though…"
"We know it all anyway, but some backup books couldn't hurt," Sam replied.
"True," Dean replied. "Okay, so this is gonna be the book the students are getting?" he asked. Sam nodded as he looked through it.
"Yeah, it has good explanations, the illustrations could be better though," Sam said as he went up to the counter and paid the two Galleons for it. They walked outside
"What's the next thing we have to do on the Wicked Witch's list?" Dean asked.
"I would watch what you say about her," Sam warned him. "Remember what she did to your whiskey bottle? Who knows what she could turn you into…?"
"Whatever man, if she doesn't like me, I don't like her. That is the extent of our relationship."
Sam rolled his eyes and pulled out the list that Minerva gave him.
"The next thing is robe shopping at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions."
"Robe shopping? Like bathrobes? What would we need those for?" Dean asked, then just as they turned the corner, they saw the shop in question, in the front window was a periwinkle blue set of robes.
"Fuck no. No way am I wearing those! What's wrong with how we dress?" He looked around to see several adults with their children dressed in similar clothes to them. Though there weren't many who weren't dressed in long robes and billowy capes.
"Come on Dean, we have to wear them, it's school policy," Sam grunted as he dragged Dean into the shop.
"Come on man!" Dean complained. "I'm too pretty to wear a dress!"
"Welcome to my shop, can I help you boys?" the short grey-haired witch addressed them brightly.
"Yes ma'am, we were sent here by Professor McGonagall to pick out some robes," Sam smiled. Dean was trying to escape, but Sam grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him back to the counter.
Madam Malkin looked at the two of them trying not to look concerned about their mental state while trying to be professional. "Of course, you must be the new teachers at Hogwarts she told me about. You'll need two sets of robes, one for everyday use and those worn for special occasions. Who wants to go first?" Her words were polite, but the boys spotted a flash of unease cross her face. Dangerous hunters must freak wizards out, Sam figured. He came out of his musing as his brother was about to speak. Sam cut in.
"Not it!" Sam and Dean said. But unfortunately, Sam was a little quicker.
"Da-" Dean almost cursed but then realized that Madam Malkin was studying him curiously.
"Alright, I'll go first." He looked at Sam. "But you owe me big time little brother."
"Stop fidgeting Mr Winchester!" "This will only take a second!" Madam Malkin shouted every few minutes.
"I hate this dress man!" Dean complained. He walked out of the changing room and looked at his reflection. "Hey, I don't look so bad in these." He twirled around and admired himself in the mirror.
"Alright Mr Winchester, take those off, be careful of the pins." Madam Malkin wiped the sweat off her brow. "I'll have them hemmed and sent to the Leaky Cauldron, along with a few spare robes to use, if they get dirty. I'll take you next Mr Winchester." She pointed to Sam. He put his book back in his rucksack and followed Madam Malkin into the back room.
Sam came out a few minutes later in a robe identical to Dean's.
"What do you think Dean?"
"I think you look ridiculous." Dean put down Supernatural Beasts and Defence and came over to the mirror. "I, on the other hand, looked smashing in mine!" Sam sighed at his brother's antics as Dean pulled a hand through his hair. Sam noticed something funny about his brother's arm.
"Hey, what's that?" He reached out to grab Dean's arm.
"It's nothing," Dean muttered as he pulled down his robe sleeves.
Sam grabbed Dean's arm again and pulled up the sleeve. There was long, faded pink slashes down Dean's wrists.
"Dude, this is not 'nothing'. What the hell is this?" Sam hissed quietly, out of Madam Malkin's earshot.
"Can we talk about this later?" Dean growled.
"Later? Or never?" Sam muttered darkly.
"I promise we can talk about it later," Dean said and turned to Madam Malkin. "Thank you for the robes. They look great."
"I'll have yours sent to the Leaky Cauldron as well as Mr Winchester." She tried to control the fear on her face, wondering what they were whispering about before she came up.
"Please, call me Sam." He tried to salvage her opinion of them by trying to be cordial.
They exited the shop and Dean waited till the colour in Sam's face returned to normal.
"Well, I guess our reputation as being the first Muggle teachers at Hogwarts has been tarnished… She was terrified of us. Might be an advantage just in case we have to gank the joint."
Sam didn't say anything or look at Dean. He looked at the list. Sam looked tense.
"Come on man, I didn't mean to upset you," Dean sighed. "I have just been going through a lot lately. It helped me cope."
"Cope with what Dean?" Sam stopped and looked at Dean with concern in his eyes. "What is so bad that you couldn't just tell me about it?"
"You going to hell," Dean answered. Sam stopped in his tracks, looking at Dean with wide eyes.
"Look, I swear I only did it once. I was shaving, and I don't know, impulse caught me or something," Dean explained reluctantly. "Next thing I knew I was waking up with Lisa panicking beside me while pushing a towel to my wrist."
"Dean, you should have freakin' told me!" Sam snapped, causing several people to turn and look.
"Tell you what? That I couldn't cope with you gone? You knew I can't do that Sammy," Dean admitted angrily. Sam's eyes brimmed with tears. He accidentally brushed past someone, not bothering to look back.
"Dean… I know you hate talking about this stuff, but you gotta talk sometime," Sam pleaded quietly. The realization was still hitting him. His older brother had attempted suicide. It was one of the last things he expected from his brother. Dean was the strong one, always there for him. Sam was the tainted one. Dean hadn't been destined to lead a demon army from six months old, hadn't been the one who had powers, was doped up on demon blood half the time and became Lucifer's vessel after freeing him from hell.
If anyone deserved to die, he did. His brother deserved everything he wanted. He deserved to have the life with Lisa and Ben that he wanted, maybe have kids of his own with her. He knew better. Even though he understood John Winchester's actions, he was still at fault for this. He had dragged himself along with the two brothers into a nomadic, bloody lifestyle. Now he was doing it from beyond the grave here in London. Still, the knowledge that even for a split second, that Dean had wanted to die, was terrifying.
Dean sighed. "We can talk about it later, Sammy," he said in a tired tone. Sam huffed in anger. He knew that his brother wouldn't say any more, and if he tried to push Dean, he would most likely end up with a broken nose and that was the last thing they needed right now.
The brothers edged their way down the street with bags towards the Leaky Cauldron, passing a group of what looked to be sixteen-year-olds. There was a boy with very shaggy jet-black hair, round black glasses and piercing green eyes standing beside a bushy brown-haired girl with brown eyes. The other two beside them were red-headed, the girl a little younger-looking, and the boy was tall and lanky. The two groups didn't pay much attention to each other. The Winchester's, thinking they were probably future student's they would be teaching, and the kids were trying to decide if they should stop for a butterbeer before or after shopping. Dean and Sam walked inside and up to their room, and Sam kept casting worried glances at his brother, which he ignored.
I'm gonna do whatever it takes to help you, Dean, Sam thought with determination.