Chapter 14

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, 2nd September 2011

Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked down to the hallways to the Great Hall after classes. Ron and Harry were groaning about all the homework they were assigned on the first day.

"Honestly, it's not that bad. Especially Demonology. It's just 6 points and a paragraph about Wendigos," Hermione huffed. "They didn't even mention how many inches it had to be."

"I'd be surprised if half of Gryffindor isn't up all night, having nightmares about that bloody thing…." Ron mumbled to Harry. "That was bloody terrifying."

"What was worse? The memory of a Wendigo, or Aragog?" Harry grinned as Ron blanched. He looked a little green under the freckles. "No spiders," he mumbled incoherently.

Harry and Hermione smirked at each other as they sat down at their table.

The three of them looked up to the staff table, like most of their other students, and saw the Winchester brother's talking amongst themselves. After watching Sam's memory of the hunt, they wondered what they did in their spare times when they weren't hunting. They hadn't seen the brother's once at the Order meeting but didn't get to question them much, and classes were too public for them to interrogate them.

"Maybe we should go to their office, ask about the assignment maybe?" Hermione whispered to Ron.

"You really want to stalk the Muggle Professors?" he asked incredulously. "I mean I know you like brown-nosing the teacher's Hermione. This is taking it too far."

She hit him with a book. "Honestly Ronald. Are you not even the tiniest bit curious about them? What they're like, how they're handling all of this? It must be overwhelming."

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "But they seem the type to be able to adapt well."

Hermione looked down at her list of notes from the day, wondering when she could stop by the Winchester's office.

"What did you think of the class anyway?" Harry asked.

"Sounds like a load of rubbish to me," Ron grumbled through his mouthfuls of food.

"Are their memories not enough proof?" Harry asked. Ron shrugged.

"I'm just saying that this just adds one more thing on the list of things that we have to do before we go to bed tonight."

"There are bigger problems in the world than your homework," Hermione frowned.

"Oh, give it a rest, you two," interrupted Harry irritably.

"I found the lesson quite enjoyable," Neville spoke up nervously. "I was terrified but learned a lot."

⸸

4th September 2010

The boys woke up to a bright sunny day two days later on Thursday, the weather was quite warm by British standards. So, the boys tried to soak up any sun they could, after some much helpful tips from Professor Sprout on where to go.

In their first few days, they learned more about Hogwarts, mainly how confusing it was. It was a miracle they had directions to their classroom because the castle was enormous. They decided to explore, and they quickly got lost. Dean muttered about the damn staircase and wished he had a map.

"This place is huge…." Dean mused as he and Sam walked around the corridors. "Echo!" he called and grinned when the sound bounced back.

"Knock it off," his brother frowned. "You act like a child, you know that?"

"What happened to the little boy in you?" he teased, mockingly acting offended, just to piss Sam off.

"We're here to do a job, man," Sam frowned.

"So, I can't admire the architecture?" Dean asked incredulously. He looked to see Sam's famous bitch face on full display "Fine…" he grumbled. "Shit, you're moody today."

Sam decided to change the subject as they turned a corner. "This place is interesting."

"Yeah. It looks ancient." Dean looked around at the stone walls surrounding them.

"Remember those ghosts the other day? Does it freak you out that they are just popping in and out of nowhere?"

Sam frowned. "It does. At least we know they're good here."

"I don't know if they're all good…" Dean said suspiciously, catching sight of what he realized was Peeves the Poltergeist. He was cackling, in the process of throwing glass vases from the balcony above.

"True," Sam shrugged. "I wish Albus would take us up on the offer to waste him," he muttered with a smirk.

Peeves apparently heard as he let out a shriek of mocking laughter and disappeared.

"He's going to be a pain. I can tell," Dean noted. After a moment, he spoke again. "How old do you think this place is?"

"I read in Hogwarts: A History that it's over a thousand years old. The guys that set up the Houses opened the school. They did it to regulate the teaching of the kids because most were home-schooled at the time."

"Same reason they started mainstream teaching? Get a standard out?" Dean asked.

"Pretty much," Sam shrugged. "Although I imagine it's a lot more dangerous with these kids." They kept walking through the corridors, going deeper into the castle.

"Okay, I give up. I'm completely lost," Sam eventually spoke, frowning.

"Do you have a damn map in that fancy history book?" Dean asked pointedly.

"Not a very detailed one," Sam frowned. "Plus, with the stairs changing, I'd say it'd be difficult to map it anyway."

"Man, I wish GPS worked," Dean frowned. He pulled out his phone hopefully again.

"Come on, we'll find someone," Sam said. They kept walking and a few minutes later, they finally met with a student they recognized. Harry seemed to be lost in thought when they crossed paths.

Dean and Sam heard a few things about Harry since the Order meeting. The staff spoke of his politeness and bravery, mentioning his loyalty to his friends. Dean and Sam could well believe that, from hearing the young man's story alone. He was very brave and stood by his friends. Seeing him now, they could tell he was down to earth, didn't like all the fame and glory, like others who would bask in it.

"Hey, Harry," Dean called.

"Hi Professor," Harry said politely. "Everything okay?"

"Where the hell are we?" Dean asked. Sam awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed at something as trivial as getting lost.

"It's easy to get lost here," Harry said. He felt relieved that he wasn't the only one to get lost on occasion. "You're near the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Anywhere, in particular, you want to go?"

"Quidditch Pitch. We booked it for later for class at 2," Sam answered. "We just wanted to find where it was, so we could prepare for later. We wanted to explore too but got lost."

"As I said, it's easy to do. Class at 2? That would be us then," Harry realized. "Us and Ravenclaw."

"Those are the blue guys, right?" Dean asked and Harry nodded.

"I'll show you where the pitch is. I have a free period before lunch anyway," Harry offered.

"That'd be great," Sam accepted. "Thanks, Harry."

They took off walking in the other direction. They passed through a seemingly endless stream of corridors and down several flights of the moving staircases, which had freaked Dean out on their first day.

Sam felt the rumble before the staircase moved. "You might want to hold onto something." He told Dean as he stopped moving and held onto the railing

"What are you talking about S-" Dean started just as the staircase began to move. "Woah! Oh, fuck!" He tumbled down two steps. "What in the hell are these death-traps?!" Dean exclaimed. Sam hid a snicker at the memory. Dean and heights did not mix.

"So, Harry, You're in your sixth year, right?" Sam asked, making conversation.

"Yeah," Harry answered. "I've one year left."

There was a silence before Harry spoke again as they were walking through more corridors.

"Your class was very interesting on Monday. I didn't know there were so many things out there."

"Yeah, the world is full of some weird crap," Dean shrugged. "Glad you liked it."

"Does Dumbledore really think Voldemort is going to recruit monsters?" Harry asked suddenly. At their quizzical look, he explained. "Dumbledore talked about it. He brought me to my friend's house after picking me up from my Aunt and Uncle's."

"Your Headmaster picked you up?" Sam asked, confused. It seemed a little strange. Harry laughed.

"It is strange I suppose. Dumbledore was the one to leave me in their care when I was a baby. And he wanted to have a word with them." Dean and Sam nodded at the clarification.

"You seem very… in the know," Dean pointed out. Harry was the most outspoken of the kids outside of class, he noted.

"I have to be. I like to know what's going on regarding Voldemort. Especially since he's gone more secretive now that the Wizarding World knows he's back," He explained. "Finally," he muttered under his breath. The brothers ignored that.

"So, you liked the class?" Sam asked. Harry nodded and the hunter smiled.

"It was interesting to know what's out there," Harry continued. "Why are we going to the pitch for class anyway? You mentioned training?" They passed through a tunnel.

"You'll find out later," Dean said simply. Harry nodded.

"Here we are," Harry said after a few more minutes as they walked into a giant oval field, three large hoops at each end. "I have to head back for lunch. My friends will be worried."

"Go get lunch. Thanks again, Harry. It was nice of you," Sam said gratefully.

"You're welcome, Professors," Harry smiled and walked away.

"Seems like a good kid," Dean noted. "This place seems like it'd work."

"Yeah. We should get some lunch and get ready for the class."

They found themselves in the Great Hall fifteen minutes later. They sat in their appointed seats.

"Morning Sam, Dean. How are you settling in?" Minerva greeted.

"It's going well," Sam told her. "The students seemed interested. We're focusing on Wendigos this week."

"That sounds interesting." Filius Flitwick looked up from his food, fascination in his eyes.

"We figured we would start with something easy." Dean shrugged. "We have training with the sixth-years after lunch."

"Training?" Filius queried.

The contents of the Winchesters' class were very interesting to the other staff. None of them had much knowledge of what was out there. Wizards, Dean figured, kept to themselves in their own little bubble. As he mused over that fact, he grabbed a chicken leg and started to eat.

"We have to get the students trained on physical defence too," Sam explained. "Wands only get you so far, so we figured some training wouldn't hurt."

"That is a good idea," Filius nodded. "It would be good exercise too." A certain spark glinted in his eyes as he looked excited, turning to both brothers again. "Dean, Sam, if you are interested, I could offer you some help with the training. I know of some Charms that may be helpful in defence and I could teach them in my classes if you think that will be beneficial."

Dean and Sam looked at each other a little surprised at his generosity. Dean mulled over the possibility in his head, and he imagined the students causing a Death Eater's head to grow twice its size. He laughed at the mental image, able to see the benefit to it. He wasn't an expert on Charms at all, but he figured there could be something helpful to protect them against the various monsters they were teaching the students. Sam was coming to the same conclusion, weighing up the pros and cons in his head, analysing the different ways that all the subjects could work together to help best protect the students.

"Are you sure?" Dean asked, a little surprised. "What kind of charms could help?"

"Charms cover many aspects and can include some defensive attributes," Filius explained. "Bombarda is a Charm used to provoke small explosions. There are also concealment charms which could help the students become invisible if needed for their own protection. A Confundus charm is also very useful which confuses the opponents which could give them an edge if they ever, Merlin forbid, came into contact with any of these monsters." The small Professor looked horrified at the thought but continued to speak. "Those are only three examples; of course, there's many more. I could give you a book if you like, and you can see the range of effects that these Charms have."

"Thank you, that would be great," Sam smiled. Filius beamed and he went back to his food. Dean immediately became distracted by his own meal, digging in with relish.

"This food beats diner crap," he noted.

"You're right," Sam had to agree.

"This is amazing…" Dean groaned; the sound lustful. Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Never make that noise again…"

"Okay fine. So, what's the plan?" Dean asked. "Specifically, I mean?"

"Train them like Dad trained us. Basic defence moves, laps. To start with. Not as harsh as what he used to do. They're not exactly brawny."

"Yeah. That Harry kid is pretty skinny."

"I was a skinny kid," Sam replied with a raised eyebrow.

"And you turned into a giant beanpole," Dean shot back. "Better be careful or some kid named Jack might come looking for you."

"Thanks," Sam said sarcastically. They lapsed into silence focusing on their meals. When they were full Dean put his fork down. He stretched backwards in his seat, then groaned a little.

"So…" Dean began. "We should get going, set things up."

"Yeah. You're right," Sam replied. They rose from their seats and started the long walk towards the Quidditch pitch.

"So, where do we start?" Dean asked as he put his bag on the ground.

"We have to set up targets," Sam answered as he opened his bag. They got to work. He started to place his targets. He forced one into the ground and gave a huff.

"Magic could make this so much easier."

"All a part of the job man," Sam shrugged.

"I guess," Dean replied. "So, target practice, laps. What else?

"I don't know. We can work it out later when we know them better," Sam answered. Dean nodded.

"This brings back memories, doesn't it Sam?" Dean piped up "Training with Dad?"

"Yeah… it does. Bad memories on my part," Sam replied as he stuck another target into the grass. "I was fighting with Dad, more than I was training."

"Well, you did always butt heads," Dean snorted.

"Yeah, we did. Looking back on it… I wish I handled things differently," Sam sighed.

"Dad understood, underneath all the pissiness. He just was terrified to lose us. I'm not excusing what he did, but he had good intentions is what I mean. I'm just saying it could have gone better."

John Winchester was big on physical training when they were kids. He was an ex-Marine after all. Sam and Dean would run for hours, do push-ups, shooting practice, the lot. John would be relentless some days. They'd jog through the mud and rain, have training exercises until they were exhausted and sore. Dean pushed a stake into the ground as he spoke. It wasn't an easy childhood and at times Dean did hold it against him, but John did the best he could in an impossible situation. Don't get him wrong, his father was an asshole, but he loved them and would have done anything to protect them.

Dean looked over and saw a figure who he recognized as Madam Hooch glaring at him.

"Why is she giving us the death stare?" he muttered to his brother. Sam laughed at the obvious answer as he spoke.

"Probably 'cause we're screwing up her field." The unspoken duh was implied.

"We'll put everything back!" He shouted. Madam Hooch gave a Curt nod and left.

⸸

Sam and Dean watched as the students filed in, some looking excited, some nervous as they took in their surroundings. Most of the Muggleborn kids looked more prepared than the others, having had a few P.E. classes before starting Hogwarts.

They looked to see that the Quidditch field has been completely transformed into a makeshift training field. Targets were scattered every few hundred yards. Crude rope walls were on either end with several obstacles in between them. Dean and Sam stepped back and appraised their masterpiece while their group of sixth years stood wide-eyed and shocked. Some kids looked like they were going to be sick.

Dean pointed to two separate barrels, one filled with blue shorts and shirts with brass embellishments, the other filled with the same items but in red with gold trim.

"I want you guys to change into these. We're doing class a little differently today.

"This is the start of the Practical Lessons for this course. We'll expect you all back here in ten minutes," Sam explained.

"Anyone late will get points deducted from their overall score," Dean smiled at the look of terror in their eyes

"He's joking…" Sam said, glaring at his brother. The students gathered clothes in their sizes and left to change.

"We did a pretty good job with this place," Dean said, admiring his work. Sam nodded.
It was a few more minutes before the students came back, looking a little more nervous than before.

"Hey guys, so as I said, we are starting physical training. Hunting isn't all about knowledge. You have to know how to protect yourselves. That is equally, if not more important. So, we'll be putting you through the paces to see where you need some improvement. Don't worry, this isn't a race or a competition. Go at your own pace," Sam explained.

"The point of this is to protect yourselves. So, we're gonna start with some basic physical defence," Dean continued, his eyes darting across the group.

"We're going to give you a quick demonstration. Combat is about anticipation and action. You have to try to anticipate what the other person is going to do," Dean told them. Suddenly his hands shot out, and he grabbed Sam without warning and put him into a headlock. The kids looked up in surprise, a few of them gasped. "Which is what Sam here forgot to do," he smirked.

Sam quickly moved the hand closest to Dean's head, to his face, pushing him backwards. As he did that, he used his leg to sweep Dean's feet from under him. Dean fell back, losing grip. Both brothers were using less force than usual, but it was enough to get the point across. Sam smirked as Dean tapped out, he released him.

"Good technique and fast thinking can get you out of a sticky situation," Sam finished, a little smug.

The next few minutes were spent grouping the students into pairs and practising similar techniques with Sam and Dean watching closely. They didn't want to give anything too advanced, so they kept it very basic. After a few minutes of this, they called for silence again. The students were murmuring again, wondering what could come next, when a plump looking boy raised his hand.

"Sirs?"

"Yeah?" Sam asked, pausing, not knowing the boy's name.

"Neville-Neville Longbottom," the boy stammered.

"Thanks, Neville," Dean smiled, feeling a jolt of sympathy for whoever named their kid Neville of all things, and how is Longbottom a surname? He quickly brushed it off. "Got a question?"

"Sir, why do we need to do the physical training? I understand about the self-defence, but we could always use our wands."

"I get it." Dean nodded. It was a valid question. "I know most of you guys have grown up around magic. You don't know what to do without it. A wand is a useful tool, but also a weapon. And the thing about that is, never rely too much on your weapon. What happens if someone breaks it? If it gets thrown out of your hand? Half the battle is about being resourceful." Neville gave a grateful nod.

Sam nodded at Dean's explanation; proud of his brother for answering a serious question with a serious answer. "We're not going to practice self-defence in detail yet," He explained. "We want you to get through this obstacle course. Just to see where you are. Where we need to improve."

"Get in a line, and we'll start," Dean ordered. The students gathered quickly in a line. There was a nervous energy running through the group.

"It's one by one, the next person goes once the first is finished. Go," Dean said, nodding toward Ron Weasley, who was unfortunate to be in the front of the line.

"Bloody hell…" he frowned as he started running. Dean and Sam watched as he took off, taking the first few obstacles. Dean nodded as he crossed the finish line where he collapsed into the grass, wheezing.

"Good hustle. Are you okay?" he asked when he reached him, handing him a bottle of water. You did well. Just be careful of the rope walls."

"Thanks," Ron gasped a little and drank some water. He went back to join his classmates.

One by one, the students tackled the course. When it was Harry's turn, the brothers noticed that even though he was skinny, he was fast, and his spells as he hit the targets were deadly accurate. Dean and Sam noticed a few standing out, such as Michel Corner and Hermione Granger, who tackled the course with determination.

The hour passed very swiftly, and most of the students left absolutely exhausted. Dean and Sam cleaned up with an air of accomplishment about them. They were satisfied with the day's work noting a few students that excelled and would need a bit more training.