"The Winchester Brothers are on the side of good." Anna continued her face stern and almost emotionless the more she spoke. It seemed like she wanted to get it all off her chest as she added, "They may be feared by your kind, but they want to help defeat your Dark Lord. And the only way they're going to be able to do that is by dealing with the shit that they're going through right now, keeping each other focused and occasionally meeting with these three for more information. So, I'm sorry but Hunters and something more powerful is involved now."
She walked past the group when she'd finished, past the wards and seemed to fade into nothing, something feathered flapping loudly, a sound that had Harry and Hermione looking at each other, Hermione gaining a thoughtful look on her face before they were herded into the wards and then the cottage.
Author's note: Ok, really quick note before the chapter starts, I'm sorry for how long it's taken me to update and upload. Work's been busy recently and I've only recently qualified as a hairdresser so been trying to establish myself in the Hairdressing industry while also maintaining a job with the same company I was with before Covid started. I now have what I class as Work Experience in a salon and also still attend college for extra training, mainly in my cutting and highlighting skills.
Anyway, let's get on with the story. Hermione Jean Burton.
They didn't see or hear anything from Anna or the Winchesters for nearly a week. Hermione took to spending every waking moment trying to figure out just how Anna had disappeared and why it had sounded like wings instead of the usual loud CRACK of apparition.
"Hermione?" Came Ron's voice, startling the witch into looking up as he came into the living room with a tray of food. Her eyes had large bags underneath them and she held a large tome in her lap. The younger Weasley sighed as he came in, went to put it down on the bedside table and took the large book away, sat on the coffee table and looked at his friend, "You need to eat, 'Mione. Not spend all your time poring over the books."
"Ron, you heard Anna." Hermione replied, looking down as he closed the large book and nodded, "How could our war attract the attention of this powerful something?"
"Honestly, I don't know, 'Mione. But I have a feeling you won't find the answer in this book or any book we have." Ron told her, taking the tome away and banishing it onto the desk with a heavy Thunk, "Honestly, I think you'll fare better with Anna if she returns."
"If she returns, Ronald. She looked pissed off with Bill's accusations." Hermione repeated, sighing and leaning back against the chair as Ron pouted and they both lapsed into silence. Though they hadn't known her for long, Harry, Hermione and Ron had to admit that the older woman had left an impact on the three of them, to the point where they'd laughed about certain terms she'd use or the confusion she'd have when they spoke amongst themselves about Hogwarts, or 'Pigzits' as she roughly translated it to with a disgusted look on her face. Even they'd had to agree with the American as they burst into laughter, the first full laughter the Trio had had all year since going on the run.
"Dobby seemed to see her in a favourable light, 'Mione. Almost like he was a fan." Ron said after a minute, causing her to look at him incredulously before she was sitting up and calling for the House Elf, adding to Ron, "I can't believe you didn't say that before, Ron."
"Never crossed my mind. He's like that with Harry as well." Ron would have added more but Dobby's appearance in the room with his usual CRACK! alerted them both to the little elf who stood before them. He had a curious look on his face, quite possibly wondering why he'd been called by Ms Hermione Granger and Mr Ron Weasley.
"Dobby, may we ask a couple of questions?" Hermione asked, looking at Ron and then the door as it opened and Harry came through, pausing as Dobby hesitantly nodded.
…. LINE BREAK….
Anna
Anna knew she'd overreacted by walking away from Shell Cottage, effectively abandoning the trio of teenagers with whom she'd been travelling. Her phone buzzed with yet another message from Dean and Sam as she looked at the Bradford Cathedral, wondering if she should pray or sit inside for a while.
Praying never did anything for the angels as she felt the telepathy kick in and Castiel summon her back to America, just as she had decided to step into the church foyer. Cursing her brother, Anna turned tail and purposely walked away from the Cathedral and its patrons, flying off once she was sure that she wasn't seen, a bus driving by unknowingly helping.
Landing in the meeting place, she was surprised to see that Castiel was indeed alone but screams were coming from the next room. The foul stench of Brimstone and sulphur reached her nose, telling her that demons were nearby. She grit her teeth as she heard Dean's voice speaking when the screaming stopped, speaking slowly but harshly as she stood behind Castiel.
"Cas. You need to stop them." She tried to tell him, her voice gentle as the slosh of water echoed through the outer room, hissing soon following it as the holy water made contact. Cas only looked back at her as she stood there, half-hidden by shadows. It was clear from her expression that she disapproved of what was happening as he turned away, not speaking until his eyes were back on the door.
"They are doing what was asked of them, Anna." Came the gruff answer as the woman came closer to the messy table and her brother.
"And what is that?"
"You should know by now, Anna. They are following orders. Something you seem to have forgotten how to do." Castiel replied, sparing her a glance before he moved away slightly. Anna's eyebrows raised slightly before she was leaning back against the table, silently rolling her eyes as she turned to the door, "Your vessel..."
"Got destroyed in the explosion, I know. I called in a few favours, rebuilt it from the ground up." Anna replied after a couple of minutes of silence. Castiel shot her a look, a look she didn't catch as she looked down at her feet and kicked her sneaker against the ground, adding, "You've changed, Cas..."
"No, Anna. I have stayed the same. It is you who have changed. You always followed orders without argument before you fell." Castiel answered, eyes locked on her as a scream came from the other room, Dean reciting Latin over the screaming demon before the demon fell silent.
"Cas…" Anna tried to reply but a hand held up by the man stopped her, a stern look on his face as she leaned back against the table, resting her hands upon the tabletop. A slight distant look came upon his face before he was sighing and turning his head away, eyes closing before he was looking at her and saying, "You're still wanted by Heaven, Anna. For your actions, you are hunted, and you will be killed should Michael catch up to you."
"You don't think I don't know that? Cas, there is a war going on with the natural-born population and Harry Potter is at the centre of it." Anna folded her arms, "I am not trusted by his allies and even more so when you took them to Massachusetts."
Castiel nodded before, "I believe a demon knows something about this Dark Lord of theirs. Dean Winchester has been trying to get information on the scar."
"You told them what Harry's scar holds?"
Castiel only nodded once while his back was turned, repeating the action when he turned to look at Anna who was looking only slightly surprised before a single nod told him she understood.
"But that does not mean you are, as Dean says, off the book, Anna. You were once a great Captain, a Captain I was proud to serve under until…"
"Until I disobeyed and Fell, cutting out and losing my Grace. I know, Castiel. Possibly not one of my best moves at the time." Anna finished the sentence, the topic back to the fact why she was running, "And the saying is off the hook, Cas."
A sigh came from Anna as she pushed off the table and paced slightly, looking stressed, "If they can hold off on hunting me down until this war is over, I will gladly hand myself over to Michael and Raphael and reap the consequences of my actions from twenty-five years ago."
"Then you had better hope they forgive you for helping the Wizarding World, Anna. Earth does not need two Apocalypses at the same time."
"What of the Goblet, Castiel?"
Line break of doom!
Harry, Hermione, Ron and Dobby.
THUNK!
Having wrestled it out of the House Elf's hands, Harry put the lamp on the bedside table as Hermione knelt in front of the little House-elf, who'd been hitting himself with the piece of bedroom furniture as if punishing himself.
"Dobby, we just want to know what Anna is if she isn't human." She tried to explain, loudly talking over the elf's loud protests as he shook his head, his entire body shaking, "Dobby cannot say, Miss Hermione. House Elf-kind gave their word centuries ago that we would not tell of their existence. Oh, Master Michael will smite me into dust when he finds out." Came the squeaks causing the friends to look at each other in confusion.
'Hadn't Anna and the man named Castiel mentioned someone called Michael before she'd left?' they all silently asked each other, Harry frowning thoughtfully before, "Michael? Anna and Castiel mentioned that name and another… Lucifer, I think it was. Is he the same Michael as Master Michael?"
Dobby nodded, looking at Harry and replied, his voice quavering, "Master Michael is very powerful, Harry Potter. Both Master Michael and Master Lucifer, if he is set free from the cage, will cause the muggle apocalypse."
Harry had to nod. "Thank you, Dobby. It'll probably be hard for you to go against what you promised and tell us, but We're curious."
Dobby looked up at Harry, the same Harry Potter he'd tried to protect from the Chamber of Secrets five years ago, and gave a shaky smile before, "Curiosity will get you killed, Harry Potter. If not by demons than by their enemies up above…"
Dobby CRACKED! away before they could question him further. The three could only look at each other in confusion before Ron was puffing, "Well, that was a load of bollocks."
"I don't think it was, Ron," Harry replied after a few minutes, looking at the Weasley who raised an eyebrow.
"Harry, he didn't tell us anything about Anna. You and Hermione are trying to find fault in a woman who might just be a powerful Muggleborn, or whatever they call muggleborn's in America."
But they could already hear the cogs whirring in Hermione's head as she sat back, a thoughtful look on her face before she was looking at them and saying, "I think I know what Anna is… I think she's an angel."
Okay, Not the way I wanted it to go for Cas and Anna's scene but I tried to keep the same scenario going with Dean torturing the demon, I'm never good with keeping the background scene going so while the angels are talking, the torture does continue except when it obviously stops.